Last NZ IFR sim

I had recently my last sim session, here in New Zeland. It was an IFR route from Hamilton to Auckland and back. 

The flight sequence was pretty straight forward. Departure from hamilton flying a SID to intercept the HN5A STAR, then get radar vectored by Auckland control to intercept the Loc of the ILS 23L for a touch and go and back to Hamilton via H211 to join the 12DME arc for a NDB DME 18L.

The departure was fine, smooth, I was ahead of the aircraft, but just before I changed frequency from Christchurch control to Auckland control, all stations received a sigmet, severe icing and severe turbulence in Auckland area. 

I then listened Auckland Atis on 127.8 and the weather was deteriorating and the wind was builting up to G45kt. The cloud base was OVC001.

I knew already I wouldn't get visual before and at DA (223ft), but I decided to give it a try. I intercepted the Loc, configured the aircraft as we got closer to the glideslope and flew the ILS App for runway 23L fighting against the turbulences. As expected I didn't get visual at the Decision Altitude of 223ft.

"DA not visual, missed approach", I switched the ILS frequency to the VOR frequency to fly the missed approach, got on track and told the control I was established on the missed approach. Auckland Control asked me my intentions and I took the decision to divert to Hamilton where the weather was supposed to be better. I was then cleared to cancel the missed approach when passing 2000' for a left turn on track to the airway H211.

When I was established on the H211, I changed to Christchurch control on 125.3. They asked my intentions, and I requested a NDB DME approach via the 12Dme Arc. I then briefed my self on both the Arc and the approach. 

While I was briefing I got an ECU/A failure I decided to switch from "ECU Auto" to "ECU B" but my instructor told me at that point to check in the QRH. I realised that I had made a mistake I then followed the QRH for a ECU failure and everything went back to normal. 

Instructor 1 - Student 0 

This process took all my brain resources when I should have checked the DME distance to turn to join the Arc. But I didn't. When I realised how close we were I turn immediately and I ended up at 11.7DME. Not too bad but it could have been better.

I was figuring out a correct heading to compensate for wind and to come back on the exact 12DME Arc when the instructor decided I wasn't busy enough and failed my left engine (the critical engine in a DA42). The most important thing is to fly the aircraft then deal with the engine failure. 

By the time I finished with the EFATO drills I was passing the lead radial. I intercepted the final approach course of 184° and made a PAN PAN call to let the control know that I had an engine failure. I was approaching the Minimum Decision Altitude of 550ft but I was still in IMC.

"50ft prior MDA, not visual, missed approach". We were established on the missed approach performing between 150 and 200ft/min, when I lost the ADF. I made a radio call to inform them that I wasn't able to fly the missed approach and requested radar terrain to join the VOR hold.

Few minutes later I was established in the hold at 3000ft, and briefed my self for the VOR DME approach for 18L. Few seconds after beacon outbound I lost the DME, so I switch to the VOR plate and activated the timer. 

During the approach my instructor asked me to check the circuit breakers, and two of them were popped out, my ADF and my DME.

Instructor 2 - Student 0

I became visual at 700ft and waited my committed altitude to select the landing flaps. Over the threshold I got a left engine fire warning. I tried not to get distracted by the warning and landed the aircraft, and then dealt with the fire.

The screen freezed and the instructor told me to shut everything down. That was it, a very intense 2 hours sim session!

The instructor was pretty happy with what I did. He told me I could have been more fluent with the electrical failure though.

I remember few years, or even few month, ago when I was reading some other blogs I had no idea about all of these specific terms to IFR, what were all the procedures, how mentally busy you could be in a N-1 approach... But know I'm so glad to get the big picture. I know I still have a lot to do and a lot to learn, but there are some flights or sims after which you can't be more convinced that you really want to become an airline pilot.

IFR training

Nothing much to say these days, except that the training towards my CPL/IR still continues...

The last few weeks have been dedicated to IFR training either in a DA42 sim or in a C172 G1000, to learn the basics of IFR, ie, R/T, procedures, in flight managment... 

The last news is that the single engine phase is over. I've done my last IFR Cessna flight yesterday. I was flying with another cadet so we did a 5hrs flight. I flew from Hamilton to Whakatane for an Rnav approach, did a touch and go there, and flew to Gisborne for a VORDME approach. Then the other cadet flew from Gisborne to Napier and back to Hamilton. 

As the instructor said at the end of the flight, we felt like we had done a Sydney-Singapore...

The next few flights are going to be in the DA42 VFR to learn how to handle it in normal operations and with One Engine Inoperative (OEI), also called asymmetric flight.

The DA42 is a more complex aircraft with a lot of electronics, so the challenge in the first place will be to learn the systems, but also all the checklist and all the differents speeds. There are about 20 speeds to remember.

I reckon that, "Flaps up, Gear up", "Dead leg, Dead engine", "Approach flaps, commited to land", "Gear down, three greens" are going to be my new leitmotif.

Napier

8000ft, on top