About me..

Up to this point I have just been telling random stories so I guess I should tell a little bit about myself. I'm 18 years old and got my PPL in November last year. I plan on becoming an Airline Pilot in the future and thought that blogging would be a great way for me to remember certain flights as well as sharing my stories. I'm currently in Matric at Somerset West Private School in Somerset West. After matriculating this year I plan on attending a flight college in Port Elizabeth, South Africa called Aptrac (Airline pilot training center) and I plan on doing my multi-engine Commercial pilots license with instrument rating as well as achieving what's known as a "frozen" Airline Transport pilot's license.The course takes approximately 14 months. I have my sights set on becoming a Captain of South African Airways on the Long-haul fleet. I have always loved flying and I'm lucky enough to know exactly what I want with my life. I haven't flown much recently. Only twice in February doing circuits and taking my Mom and grandpa up for a flight over Somerset West. Before next year I will be getting my night rating and building a few more hours...but more on that later.

The Flight test.

Monday, November 22 2010.Local time 14:00.I'm sweating, feel nauseas and can feel my heart beating. But on the surface I look calm and ready. The examiner and I walk out to Cessna 152 ZS-POV. I've been at the airfield since 10:00 sorting out flight logs,planning the route, filing the flight plans and calling Langebaan asking if we can do a touch and go at Saldanha. The examiner never asks if you've done it..he's essentially your first passenger. He wants to see that you can plan and execute a flight to a foreign airfield safely. I taxi out and take-off. Climb up to 1500 feet, and contact Cape Town Approach to activate our flight plan. All good so far. Reaching Paarl, we climb up to 3000 feet. The plan is to route north when suddenly the examiner goes "Weather's closing in.We gotta divert directly to Saldanha."Now I know this is part of the test because there's not a cloud in the sky.So I sort it all out on the map, turn onto our new heading and tell the examiner our new ETE and ETA (Estimated time en-route and estimated time arrival).He just knods. He's known for being a flippen scary examiner to the students but on the ground he's actually a really great guy. I do all the necessary radio calls and soon we're circling over Saldanha airfield. Suddenly my examiner pulls the throttle back to idle and calmly says "Shit,your engine just died.Sort it out." I do the ANC  (Aviate, Navigate and Communicate) and brief him for the emergency landing as if he's a passenger. I come in a bit fast but touch down safely and stop. His comment is "Ok." So we get airborne again. The next part of the test is down to Fisantekraal, Cape Town International Airport and home to Stellenbosch.Halfway to Fisantekraal he tells me to cancel our flight plan. We have 10 minutes to sunset and have to land on the fields below us.Another part of the test obviously.It's 16:00.I do the precautionary and he stays quiet. Then we climb up a bit higher and do upper air work.This comprises of stalls, steep turns, roll out on a heading, spins and rate 1 turns.No comment from the examiner. Touch down at Fisantekraal and the examiner wants me to do a short field take off. This is the stupidest thing ever in my opinion because it always takes longer to get airborne then a normal takeoff. But I do it and again there's no comment. Touch and go at Cape Town and we finally land back at Stellies after over 3 hours. As he's getting out he says "Haha,shit that was long! I'll see you inside." I take my time packing POV up and head to his office. As I sit down he just stares at me." Your landing at Saldanha was crap but you got us down, on your precautionary landing you missed a better field that was right next door but you would have survived, the upper air work was good and the radio work i'm happy with. You have a great feel with planes and you fly smoothly. It's just the smaller things that could use work. But that will come with time."He still doesn't smile."You know Daniel,I only pass people if I feel that I can trust my family's lives in their plane."Then he starts smiling and says "You passed.You're a pilot." Inside I shout with joy but on the surface i'm once again cool and calm and just say "Thank you sir." And shake his hand. I have 47,2 hours and I have just become a Private pilot.The greatest day of my life and my biggest achievement(so far!)..