The TAF Says 'Washed Out'

Flying Hours Today 0:00, Total 4:05

I arrived back from holiday in Mallorca on Saturday night. Flying into Manchester at around 2200hrs following a blustery and rain soaked approach over the Pennines.

Things didn't look too good for flying on the Sunday morning and my hunch was right. The TAF for Leeds this morning is:

Leeds And Bradford in United Kingdom EGNM 139' W 5352' N Elevation: 682 feet
Updated At : 08:20:00 GMT Standard Time
Temp: 10 C / 50 F Humidity: 100 %
Clouds: Few at 500, Scattered at 1000, Broken at 2000 feet
Visibility: Unlimited
Wind: 17 knots from 250 ( WSW )
Windchill: -2 C / 28 F
Dew point: 10 C / 50 F
Pressure: 1007 hPa
Sunrise: 06:38:00 GMT Standard Time , Sunset: 19:23:00 GMT Standard Time
METAR: EGNM 120720Z 25017KT 220V280 9999 -SHRA FEW005 SCT010 BKN020 10/10 Q1007


Forecast for: EGNM Valid From: 12 / 09 / 2004 ( 12 :00) to the 13 th ( 06 :00)
Overnight Mostly cloudy (Broken at 2200, Broken at 1000 feet) with winds from the WSW at 17 mph gusting to 29 mph.
Morning Fair with winds from the WSW 220-280 at 20 mph.
Afternoon Fair with winds from the WSW 220-280 at 20 mph.
Evening Fair with winds from the WSW 220-280 at 20 mph.
TAF: EGNM 120720Z 25017KT 220V280 9999 -SHRA FEW005 SCT010 BKN020 10/10 Q1007

So no lesson today - this was confirmed by the school shortly after 0900hrs when I called in. At least this time I hadn't got in the car to drive there! What was useful today was the fact that I had decoded the METAR and TAF for the airport and didn't think that we would be going flying. Looks like the reading of those books on the weather is starting to pay off.

Rain Stops Play ... Pooleys Saves The Day

Flying Hours Today 0:00, Total 2:00

More rain today. Is this the dullest summer on record? Yet another of my flying lessons cancelled, this time due to the low laying clouds and more rain.


To keep me upbeat my Pooleys Flight Guide arrived last week. I have been studying some of the local airfields and the various other pages of information in this excellent pilots guide.


You will learn to live by Pooleys - although there are others on the market. Just like the Trevor Tohms books for flight training, Pooleys guides are the de facto reference for information on airfields around the British Isles and parts of continental Europe.


You can add even more credibility to your pilot speak by casually asking to borrow someone's Pooleys, or asking to see the Pooleys page regarding an airfield you might be flying to.

Rain Stops Play

Flying Hours Today 0:00, Total 2:00

Today was a complete wash out. Torrential downpours across the North of England, with the occasional break in the weather. I was had a flying lesson booked with Multiflight and so called early to confirm the lesson. As the weather was changing rapidly I was asked to call back at 3pm, some 45 minutes before the lesson was due to start.


At 3pm I called and spoke to the flying instructor. Unfortunately the weather was still too changeable and so the flying lesson was cancelled. Typically, from that point on the weather cleared into a blue sky afternoon! So I spent the rest of the day watching the French Grand Prix, Wimbledon Men's Final and the final of the Euro 2004 championship.


My strategy now is to start to book double lessons so that if I do get the chance to get airborne I will be able to maximise the available flying time.

It is now just over two months since my first flying lesson, and in that time I've only had two hours in the air. Some people say that flying is an expensive hobby, at this rate it will be an extremely cheap pastime as it is increasingly difficult to be able to spend the money.


A holiday in Spain, Florida, California or Arizona is looking increasingly like an option to consider seriously. At least then I would be able to get some regular flying under my belt.


I've also added another book to the collection: The Mechanics of Flight by A. C. Kermode. An excellent read that covers the physical aspects of flight in an easy to read yet comprehensive manner.


Although some of the information is quite hard to get to grips with the book provides an excellent introduction to aerodynamics and will stand me in good stead for the upcoming examinations.