Medway Airsports Club

However the CAA has fallen back onto the well-known TV formula of MULTI-CHOICE questions and answers in their exams, which makes life easier in a way. Using this method one has a very good chance of guessing the correct answer in that the longest answer and the one most likely to please the CAA is usually the correct one. Having said that one should make an attempt in the first place to learn as much as possible before sitting the exam. This does make sense because the more you know the easier it becomes to make the correct choice. Stating the obvious? Well of course but knowledge is power.

My own experience of the ‘exams’ caused me to have very mixed feelings. I set about the whole thing in awe and wonderment being too old, I thought, to bother let alone learn.

When starting my flying career, my original intention was to fly around the countryside in the company of the CFI, the only instructor available at that time and simply enjoy flying. With this plan firmly in mind I was able to persuade the CFI-a young, comparatively speaking, Chris Childs, to go anywhere just so long as there was a good chance of food and a ‘cuppa’ available at our chosen destination. This arrangement suited me down to the ground, as I had nothing to do but fly the ‘Little Beast/s’, Thruster T600 N or a very uncomfortable mode of aerial transport, the Cyclone AX-3, leaving all the technical stuff to Chris.

When Chris and the Banana Strip Gang moved to Spain for a month or two I signed on with the’ RAF’ i.e., ‘Rosie’s Air Force’ or ‘ Rosie’s Academy of Flying’ based at Clipgate Farm near Canterbury and had the time of my life visiting places I never previously knew existed, some should not exist in my opinion, but that aside enjoyment was the order of the day. I suddenly became very suspicious, however, when the lovely lady in person returned the balance of my pre-paid money to me on the grounds that I was a ‘joy rider’ and not a serious pupil hell bent on acquiring a PPL (A), which is, or was perfectly true. I had never made a secret of the fact.

Further suspicions were aroused back at the Banana Strip when Chris started making similar noises and suggested that I should ‘do the exams’ or else? This latter part was never spelled out but I did notice that no money appeared to be coming my way. There then followed a sales pitch and I wound up buying books I did not want to read and a CD-ROM I did not wish to view plus a few items of ironmongery concerning ‘navigation’ and an address from which I could purchase ‘Trial Exam’ papers. I managed to resist the pressures to ‘make a start’ for a further few months but in the end I had to succumb. In fact at the time I was ‘grounded’ by my doctor who was having great trouble in picking up a pen and signing a medical certificate on my behalf.

No medical certificate, not very good weather and a continuous pressure to ‘have a go’ starting with the ‘Human Performance and Limitations’ exam which, it was stated, was the easiest one to pass, led me to open my brand new books and plug into the CD-ROM entitled ‘PPL EXAM TUTOR & GROUND SCHOOL EXAMINER’ which, proved to be a test of stamina in its self. I also had a sheaf of orange coloured paper purchased by me from Pegasus Flight Training, Enstone Airfield, Church Enstone, Oxford, OX7 4NP-01608 678741 or 07860 864445, entitled ‘ Trial Exam Papers’.

From my own experience I did find this the easiest subject to learn as it is based on common sense although comparatively speaking it gave me the narrowest margin of pass mark. I did not take it seriously!

First study the subject then test yourself until you can achieve a pass mark in theory of say 95% using any of the above.

Not a particularly interesting subject and soon forgotten once the exam has been passed. Just point in roughly the right direction and blunder around is my motto!

I used the Trial Exam papers first in this subject in order to gain some idea of the information needed to pass the exam and then worked backwards from there. The ‘Pratt’ PPL book gives you everything you need but one should be selective in choosing the subjects appertaining to Microlighting only. This book is a great help and extremely useful when used in conjunction with the Cosgrove.

Comments: -If you drive a car or maintain your lawnmower then you are half way there. A quick read is necessary for finer aerodynamic points. Incidentally, my lawns are very overgrown.

An interesting subject if you like to know where you are or should be at any given time but unfortunately I don’t really care too much working on the principle that one can always stop and ask!

3) A Ruler scaled to Nautical miles, Statute miles, Kilometres etc. and to quarter and half million.

5) Numerous pens, and wax pencils for drawing on the proffered map and some scrap paper for calculations plus a pencil sharpener.

I have been amazed to find that many students are still unaware of the equipment available to the would-be navigator and useable in the exam. I can see no reason at all in making things any more difficult than they already are. Number one priority has to be a hand held Navigational Computer known as the ‘Whiz Wheel’ or CRP 1, fitted with a Microlight scale which, saves precious minutes in the actual exam. It is only necessary for exam purposes to learn the basic functions on the Whiz Wheel-True Heading and Ground Speed given Wind Speed and Direction, True Air Speed and Track Required. I suggest you follow the instructions in the Cosgrove book and use the ‘Wind Up’ method as again this saves any additional calculations. At a later date an electronic replacement is available, is even easier to use and far more accurate but as this piece of equipment represents progress it remains unacceptable in the exam. Among the tips given to me prior to taking this exam the most important one was to complete the plotting section first as a high percentage of the questions are based on this section. As a footnote, one of my instructors once told me that he thought I would ‘Go Far’ based on my perceived navigational skills but that it was ‘very unlikely that I would ever return to my point of departure!’

A small quiet room free from noise and interruptions! The main ‘Club Room’ is not an ideal place on a busy flying day.

I was very concerned at the thought of having to ‘sit’ an exam in meteorology as my only previous knowledge has been gleaned from seaweed and the wet finger. If I get wet on my way to the a/c then it is raining if I don’t it isn’t-so what? If I can’t find the a/c it must be night or foggy or both-keep it simple.

I approached this very complicated subject in great fear and trepidation but was very surprised and pleased to find that the level of knowledge required is far lower than I had anticipated and with the use of the various publications above, even I could cope. There were a number of very technical questions such as ‘If you stand with your back to the wind, where is the centre of low pressure situated’? and ‘What happens in a thunder storm’? but otherwise I found it pretty straightforward.

Over riding all the above is a need to persuade the CFI to conduct a short working session on the subject of your choice before sitting the exam.

Firstly, he is very knowledgeable in his own right and secondly he has a pre-planned schedule of possible sections within a subject upon which you will be questioned. Obviously he will not give you actual exam paper questions but he can ascertain your deficiencies and suggest areas where further study would be beneficial in the final result.

See Chris for details but if you ‘cross his palm with silver’ he will help you all he can and on a one-to-one basis. One thing you must do before taking advantage of this personal service is study the subject first. Chris does not run a ground school as such which is hardly surprising considering the amount of work he does on the flying side-stuff a broom under his belt and he will sweep the floor for you too!

The publications as listed above have, I believe, been updated since I made my reluctant purchases but again Chris Childs will know and advise and will have newer editions available. Ask him. (B.U. Dec 03)

In many cases the General Flying Test brings flying careers to a conclusion there being nowhere else to go provided one manages to pass. New ‘rules’ have been introduced to allow the hire of Microlights by budding newly qualified pilots but this new legislation does not appear to be terribly popular with the aircraft owners-and who can blame them?

My attitude throughout my training days has been to proceed as slowly and as enjoyably as possible therefore putting off the evil day when I have to make my own arrangements. I was coerced and cajoled into ‘going solo’ which led to great boredom stooging around the islands with nobody to talk to and nowhere to go-something to do with an eight mile radius of the Banana Strip becoming ones playground. I was again coerced and cajoled into taking the exams and finally into participating in a GFT.

For those of you who are the keen and eager types and can’t wait to be licensed I have a few (Fixed-Wing) tips.

Get into the swing of things by booking a few lessons with your instructor and label these lessons ‘Pre-GFT training’. Your instructor will tell you that he accepts that you can fly the a/c but the GFT requires Procedure, Procedure and more Procedure thus proving your instructor wrong-you can’t fly the aircraft either!

Obvious! -Learn the Procedures required. (I forgot to tell you that I have a degree in ‘Stating the Bleedin’ Obvious’!)

Keep a good look out at all times, for the examiner. ‘Pre-flight’ the aircraft and make ready for an immediate take-off then find the examiner. Get to know him and ask him pertinent questions such as, ‘what do you require of me today? ‘Can I make you another cup of tea/coffee or get you another tin of Coke? This is very important because the more liquid you can pour into him the shorter the GFT will probably become!

The answer to the first question will lead to a long ‘read out’ of all the things that are required of you in the forthcoming test and whilst you are listening you tend to wish that you had not asked in the first place. Apparently this ‘lecture’ is a requirement prior to take off as laid down somewhere or another. It is designed, in my opinion, to sap what little, if any, self-confidence one might originally have had.

The GFT represents a ‘SNAPSHOT’ at a particular time on a particular day of your flying abilities.

Walk the examiner to the aircraft and ‘mount-up’. Make sure he is strapped in and sitting comfortably by your side. At this point one should return to the office and get the forgotten ignition key! Do not panic-don’t run back to the office-walk steadily and on your return mutter about helpful people removing it in the name of safety after you had made sure it was there when you thoroughly checked over the a/c not a few minutes before his arrival. Face saved-you hope.

The next move is to get into ‘starting checks’ so one must follow procedure. In order to avoid charging through the hedge on ‘start-up’ dismount once more and turn the a/c around thus pointing it into a more open space! This done you are now ready for the ‘off’ so make it look as though you know what you are doing by shouting things like ’Contact’ and ‘Clear Prop’ especially if both of you have donned your headsets-get your own back while you can. On start-up, try not to shoot straight across the active runway without indicating that you think it is clear so to do. It is only a little thing, I know, but it could create a bad impression on the examiner if everyone else in the area has to take life saving avoiding action.

Keep doing your ‘checks’ make a big song and dance about them, wave the arms about and do a lot of muttering. At this stage you may be looking for excuses not to fly, your nerves could possibly be shot to hell? Getting airborne is the only therapy left to you so GET AIRBORNE.

Keep a good look out as you would under normal conditions in the air and use the examiner to check your blind side when manoeuvring-this is permissible and expected by the examiner in that two pairs of eyes are better than one.

Run a few checks whilst airborne and make dark mutterings about ‘LIFE’ and ‘HEIGHT, AIRCRAFT, LOCATION’ and it helps to wave the hands about a bit too, during these checks even to the extent of shoving one under the examiner’s shoulder harness to make sure he is still glued to his seat. All you are trying to do is impress the man! Required Manoeuvres include such things as stalling in flight from various attitudes with and without power in turns in either direction or straight with power, without power etc. You will have flown these ‘requirements’ a number of times during training so you should have no problems.

All the above manoeuvres are standard and should take place over ‘the Marshes’ but keep an eye on your position. Variables will now creep into the equation-namely, would be ‘Engine Failures’ and ‘Unusual Attitudes’ and taking the former first make sure you have hopped around the area from useful force landing area to useful force landing area. Don’t get caught short.

You have to assume that the examiner wishes to live long enough to make the final judgement on your flying abilities and is not likely to pull the plug in the wrong place and at the wrong time. Another useful and slightly under hand way of ensuring a forced landing will occur as and when you wish it, is to hang onto the throttle with an iron grip so there is no chance of the engine ‘stopping’ until you are in a position of your own choice! A mumbled apology usually gets you out of this situation with a degree of suspicion being indicated by the examiner but you can only use this ploy once.

When faced with a practise forced landing, for example, the procedure is something like: -‘Best Glide Speed’-‘Wind Is From’ and I’ve ‘Picked My Field’. In order that the examiner knows you are following ‘procedure’ tell him that that is what you are doing so you shout out ‘Best Glide Speed’ etc. and carry on from there. Another good tip is to be very positive in choosing your intended field for your forced landing. Be positive in describing your field but at the same time keep it well to your left and with judicious use of controls well out of the examiner’s sight line. Describe your field in general terms as ‘having a track running across it’-don’t they all? –‘No apparent obstructions, a ditch or two’-again haven’t they all? -and ‘what looks like a very nice sheep grazed surface’. In other words your description could fit anyone of a dozen fields in the area. What you have actually done, with luck, is chosen a ‘block’ of fields all matching, more or less, your positively averred initial description and given yourself one, two, three or more options. Now follow procedure. At NO TIME MUST YOU GET TOO LOW-too low and you are lost. Height is the secret, too high for field ‘one’ move on to field ‘two’ and so on down the line. On the other hand you may wish to show off your prowess as a pilot and deliberately arrive too high and then demonstrate a height loss procedure just to show you can. While doing all this you are expected to keep up a running commentary on progress and to fumble around the ‘flight deck’ making sure all is as it should be and uttering ‘raspberry’ noises into your microphone to indicate a simulated attempt to restart the engine.

In real life, of course, you would toss the obligatory brick over the side, watch where it falls and land there but a GFT does not represent ‘real life’.

Flex Wing participants could try letting go of their map in the hope that it would wrap round the examiner’s head or, possibly, release a scarf, which again could flap round the examiner’s head. Caution must be exercised-too long a scarf and you will rip off your own head as it becomes entwined in the propeller-too short and it will not sufficiently distract the examiner-slide rule stuff!

DO NOT ACTUALLY TURN-OFF ANYTHING in the final stages of your forced landing test when simulating the turn off of all things likely to cause a problem if you hit hard or, in other words, crash. All these actions should be SIMULATED for the examiner’s benefit. The examiner’s life is hazardous enough and general heart failure of the worthy will almost certainly earn you a ‘fail’ and the possible displeasure of his nearest and dearest should you be the only survivor!

UNUSUAL ATTITUDES (quite usual in my case) of the flying kind should be treated as a harmless bit of fun, indulge the examiner, he probably has a wild desire by this stage of the contest to turn the a/c inside out and upside down just because he can. Follow his manoeuvres through and recover back to straight and level. I also had a ‘wild desire’ when stalled at a fair angle of attack to continue his manoeuvre just to see if I could achieve a halfway decent spin! I desisted as the orders were ‘recover the a/c back to straight and level’ and of course the handling notes on the T600 N forbid spinning I have since discovered.

Return to base. I had, I know, made a few ‘boo-boos’ in the flying test having substituted an 80º angle of bank turn for an ordered 60º angle of bank turn due to turbulence and had to perform this manoeuvre again which I did more or less successfully (I hoped) but my troubles were only just beginning. I was so pleased to see the ‘Banana Strip’ below me, I kind of flung the Thruster at the ground in relief. I think I had been told to demonstrate a ‘crosswind landing onto a soft field from an overhead join and a glide approach’. The crosswind part was there for me-all 90º of it, but in the end I would be inclined to say that had the field been ‘soft’ we would have finished, up to our armpits in mud if not sunk out of sight! ‘I tailored the landing to the prevailing conditions’ I consoled myself. Get it down–keep it down. The result was given as a ‘Partial Pass’. To me it felt like a ‘Total Failure’.

Have a talk with Chris before you get into your ‘GFT’ proper. In my case we had discussed the possibilities of my taking the test in two parts and that is what I chose to do. I think that this was one of my better decisions particularly in view of the weather on the ‘Big Day’ and my incompetence, particularly the latter. I suggest that you consider this option and discuss it with Chris before setting out. The subsequent hold-over gave me a chance to carry out some circuit work with the CFI and get better acquainted with the new Thruster which is more ‘slippery’ than the old one-where have I heard that word before-‘Slippery?’

At this point we should refer to previous tips but remember the examiner now ‘knows’ you so it is more difficult to pull the wool over his eyes!

Part two of my GFT started with the usual ‘key retrieval from the office’, routine, but I had remembered to point the Thruster in roughly the correct direction prior to starting so I was ahead of the game.

Examiner’s ‘instructions’ were given and off we went. I am pleased to say that all went remarkably well until my first stab at a landing, probably my second, third, fourth and fifth too. I soldiered on and demonstrated my remarkable skills at picking exactly the wrong spots to ‘force land’ after simulated engine failures. Also I was able to demonstrate my ability to carry out a short landing some half a mile short of the airfield! Apparently we did not need to stop on the numbers. Less admitted the better, but after some three hours of sweat and tears-my sweat, the examiner’s tears-we parked the Thruster more or less in the right place. I had the feeling that the ‘snapshot I had provided was out of focus, under exposed and not worth developing or printing! In my abject misery I had forgotten to remove my headset, by then disconnected, so while I could see Chris was talking to me as he dismounted, I could not actually hear him or what he was saying. I took off my headset and the first and only words I heard were,

Three hours of sheer hell on the circuit actually translated into 50 minutes in the logbook. I’ve never seen the CFI/Chris/The Examiner look so happy in all the time I’ve been flying with him. The grin disappeared a little later from his visage to be replaced in very quick order with first ‘amazement’, then ‘fear’, then ‘stark terror’ as I announced that I was now ready to ‘start again from scratch’ but on the flex wing’!!!!!!

In conclusion, I should say that I have flown with Chris since he made that deeply cutting remark, we went to Andrewsfield on a ‘jolly’ and he made me do my own navigation-very tiresome to say the least. I had, in fact, drawn a number of lines on the map prior to departure choosing a ‘dog leg’ outward route and a more direct return route so, yet again, hoisted on my own petard, and he had his GPS with him.

We did not however, get lost by more than a few miles-Stansted looked very pretty at that time of year-and as far as I know we upset no one on the way there or back.

I retire Pt 6 - The Exams -

A few notes based on experience at the ‘banana strip’.

By B. Umble.

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