Tales From The Crypt - August Bank Holiday (Monday 30th August 2021)

Bank Holiday Monday, so no yoga, though I am due to have flying lesson number two later this afternoon.  Had yoga been on, I could have managed to fit both in, which would have been quite a result as I think yoga, and the flexibility it gives the body is useful for flying - certainly for getting in and out of the cockpit!

My flying lesson is scheduled for 2 to 4 p.m., so around midday I call the flying club to check the weather is OK for my lesson, and it is. I was pretty certain it was as I've been watching the planes in the circuit at White Waltham and listening to the radio calls they make just to familiarise myself with the heights, speeds and to find out which runway is in use. At some point I'll be the one making the radio calls and though I'm reasonably familiar with normal circuit procedures, I need to learn with a view to being the pilot as opposed to just knowing which aircraft are where (which is, of course, also vital!)

It's almost half-one and time to head off to the airfield. I guess it goes without saying that I'm quite excited, though it's a mix of both excitement with a bit of fear mixed in.

On arrival I take a few photos of some of the more unusual aircraft on the field - there's always something different to see and the aviation enthusiast in me is never far from the surface. (A typical scene at White Waltham below)

A few shots in the bag, time to head for Operations to check in.  It's kind of cool being able to head for Ops as if I'm a pilot, as it's the hub of everything that happens on the airfield, as well as being where the Air-to-Ground radio station operates from.  Apparently my instructor is running late as there was a technical problem with his previous aircraft, so I go and sit in the bar, which is very busy today - guess it's because of the bank holiday.

My instructor finishes with his previous pupil and then we head off to a classroom for the pre-flight instruction on the first four lessons in the student manual (which I need to purchase when copies become available), covering control services, the influence of airspeed on flight, the use of trim etc. There is so much to take in and, next thing I know, we're heading out to G-BTIM today's Piper Warrior from the WLAC fleet. We do the external checks together and, after inspection of the fuel tanks in each wing, discover we need to refuel before taking to the air. G-BTIM has a better avionics fit than G-CEEU that I flew last week, including R-NAV and a much whizzier transponder (though both were mode-S capable.)

The instructor gets us over to the pumps quickly, as we're running behind and, after going through all the checks, we start India Mike and head for runway 03.  I'm not getting any chance to sit back and relax as he has me check the brakes, and then steer us towards the runway using the rudder pedals and throttle,  stopping clear of the runway as another aircraft does a touch-and-go.  As it clears us, the instructor takes back control and pushes us onto runway, opens up the throttle after a few final checks and then we're off, departing the circuit to the southwest. 

No time to take in exactly where we're going (or any photos) as I'm back in control climbing the aircraft as we head roughly southwest. It is an absolutely fantastic feeling as we slice through the air, seemingly with the sky to ourselves (though as the instructor switches the radio to Farnborough Radar, which is busy AF, I know we're not alone up here!!!), heading past Winnersh, Spencers Wood and Mortimer Common avoiding the Burghfield and Aldermaston restricted airspace until we arrive over the rural areas to the north of Newbury.  In this airspace I take control to start to get the feel of the aircraft and the impact of torque, drag, airspeed, and so on, on the aircraft and start to learn how to counteract them.  We dive, climb, enter a spin (slow) and so on so I get the feel of the controls (from spongy to crisp, depending on the various forces in play).  Gradually I start to relax and enjoy what we're doing, but putting the aircraft into a dive is not a natural thing to do!!!

It's getting late and we start to head back over Bucklebury and Theale towards Tilehurst. I start to get my bearings, recognising the Tilehurst water tower, as I fly towards Reading and Caversham.  We fly over the site of the Reading festival - a sea of abandoned tents - it's so cool to see these things from the air and, as we pass point Whiskey (the lakes a little past Caversham), the instructor re-contacts Waltham Radio and informs of our position and intention to re-join the circuit overhead.  As we pass the lakes I spot the airfield in the distance - no mean feat given it's entirely grass - as we arrive overhead at 1200 feet, making a rapid descent into the circuit to land - we are in a hurry. If you'll pardon the pun, an hour in the air has flown by, and having parked 'India Mike we head back to operations to sign the aircraft back in. The instructor has another lesson and I stay behind in ops to discuss what's next: if I'm to continue and learn to fly, I need to join the flying club, decide on how I'm going to pay for my lessons, and buy the student flying manual (currently being re-printed). I take away the forms and must think about what I want to do...  (Today's route!)

Driving home after flying feels a little strange: flying gives me a different perspective on driving and makes me feel as if I'm driving with more awareness, for some reason.

The carers arrive for the evening call and I'm like a big kid telling them about my flight.

Son #1's gf is with us tonight - they're off for a few days holiday away tomorrow - and we eat and watch the second episode of 'The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel' together.

The day winds itself down though I'm both tired and a bit wired. Probably won't sleep well!

Caravan / 'All The Way' / 'Blind Dog At St. Dunstans'

[[Strictly speaking the song's full title is 'All The Way (with John Wayne's single-handed liberation of Paris)', a typical Caravan title of the era.  Despite the title, the song is actually a straight love song, a relatively unusual thing for the band.]]

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