General Flying Test - Part 2

Flying Hours Today 2:00, Total 53:00

P1 Flying Hours Today 2:00, Total 12:15

As part of my revision I'd written up the various acronyms used during a flight and committed them to memory. The first one when ready to take off was Lights / Camera / Action, followed with the F.E.R.A.L. after take off checks.

I'd been told that you can fail the test before you've even left the ground if you fail to follow the basic checks. And remember to read check list actions and activities out loud so the examiner knows what you are doing.

As there was no wind I did my power checks at the hold point but explained that I would usually point into wind, every one of my actions was by deliberate thought and explanation.

Up and away out of Sheffield (EGSY) - over the M1/M18 VRP and setting course for Beverley on 050. Switching smoothly from Sheffield Radio to Doncaster Approach (EGCN), clear and precise radio calls with no rush.

Explaining to the examiner my thought processes as we climbed, levelled off and tuned radios. There was some haze at 2500ft making slant visibility that much worse so I explained I was climbing to 3500ft, much better.

I made a note of the ETA over Beverley, the racecourse to be precise, and throughout the short 40nm leg continued to recalculate the ETA.

As we approached Beverley it became obvious that we had drifted just a few degrees off track so I flew visually to the racecourse and explained the drift due to some wind that must be present at this level.

Down below it was obvious from smoke stacks that a very slight westerly was blowing and this had taken us a few degrees off course. We were overhead bang on time, to the minute. That felt good.

It was time to change heading to Louth, remembering to Twist/Turn/Time/Talk and also adding a 5 degree into wind correction angle to get us along the next leg. Minutes later we were over Hull and the diversion happened.

Divert to Sandtoft, from the North bank of the Humber. I spanned the route on the chart using my thumb and forefinger then, keeping this fixed position, moved to the VOR indicator over Gamston to read off a heading - basically using the VOR as my compass rose.

Adding in 5 degrees into wind to cover the wind correction and then estimated distance of 25nm using my thumb. At 100kts this would take 15mins, with a slight headwind lets call it 18mins and I planned this into the next ETA.

Using 18 mins was probably a bit too long, 16 was the actual, but it didn't count as a fail as I had taken a good guess and made correction for wind. The heading was spot on.

During the navigation exercise we had stayed with Doncaster the whole time. The airspace was quite literally buzzing with microlights, other PA28s, Cessnas and the Jet Provost out of Sandtoft stating intentions such as passing 3000ft, climbing to FL100. Quite a sight to see this small black dot moving at such pace.

The route to Sandtoft had the sun directly in our eyes and made forward visibility difficult. Listening hard on the radio all the time and building a mental picture of activity around us. I was also flying by tracking the surface below us on the chart as distant forward visibility was zero.

At one point we heard of unknown traffic nearby and at our 11 o'clock. We couldn't see it so I stated I was making a right turn to give a better view. Looking out before turning and then as we changed heading the Cherokee became very visible below us a couple of miles ahead. A silhouette against the haze.

I made a call that I was visual with the traffic then turned back on the heading to Sandtoft with slight correction for the turn we had just made. I was given a thumbs up from the examiner for showing good airmanship there.