Self Medicated..

The past few weeks have been plagued with utterly terrible, unflyable weather, low temperatures and high pressures causing fog at ground level which just hasn't been clearing. What this has meant that there have been many days going into the airport to sit around in the crew rooms watching flights get cancelled.

Another down side of this is the cold weather; cold weather plus irresponsible attire means illness. Having been travelling all over the country visiting friends and relatives has often meant jumping between car to house, bus to bar, etc in a jacket which probably isn't sufficient. Over a series of days with nowhere near enough sleep in between to let my body recover had left me with an unavoidable sore throat, cold and flu.

This comeuppance began on Monday and slowly got worse, I was scheduled to fly on Monday but weather below minimums caused the flight to be cancelled. Only being scheduled to backseat a few sims on Tuesday meant that I would make the most of my 'time off' and engage the illness head on. Armed with a small pharmacy of pills and potions I was to recover.

Lemsip Max Strength pills, Echinacea pills, Vitamin C Supplement and Anaesthetic throat spray were my weapons of choice; using them throughout the day at the recommended intervals. Still in a state of placid illness I sat through two sim sessions making notes as best as I could. In the debriefing discussion the topic of the following day's bids came up. I still wasn't up for an aerial flight nor a sim session.

The days passed and the cold took a more prominent stance; determined to get back into the cockpit before the end of the week I decided to call in sick on Thursday and stay in bed to recover. I requested to be put back in the sim for Friday, which was readily agreed and a slot arranged.

By Friday I was still popping Lemsip pills along with the rest of the medication; the flu had begun to subside. Though whilst still dripping at the nose I decided that I could still manage the cockpit well enough to make the sortie count.

How wrong I was, I couldn't seem to concentrate on the tasks at hand in the slightest, my RT was shoddy and my approaches sloppy. I left the sim room with one thought, only of how bad the sortie had gone. The debriefing confirmed this; there was nothing that I had not already silently berated myself on.

A lesson learnt at the expense of 1.5hrs in the sim; if you are on any medication, or not feeling fine, consider yourself 'not fit to fly'..!

Radio Check..

Ok, so having not quite left you with a clear understanding of what I am doing with regards to my training at the moment, I got my CPL a few months ago (Woohoo..!) and the associated Gold Wings.

I am working towards my Instrument Rating at the moment; and for my less acquainted readers, this is essentially what is required for flying in clouds; flying with opaque screens over the windows. Having spent the past four weeks in a simulator practicing my instrument flying we had got to a stage where we were forgetting what it was like to fly a real plane (having been 7 weeks since last being in a real cockpit); our instructor was adamant that we would be aviating this week.

Monday started in this vain with back to back flights with my flying partner.

Today, mine was the first flight of the day on an aircraft returned from Maintenance; so in theory this aircraft should be fine. A walk-around and pre-flight check confirmed that she was fit to fly.

Before takeoff the IF screens were up and I was to fly by instrument, shortly after departure we were well on our route to the first waypoint. After being handed off to airfield approach frequency I got a questionable read-back. We were just practicing in the local area, so it wasn't much of a concern. A few (perfect) laps around the hold later we were outbound to the next beacon for a hold. I relayed our intentions to our ATC ground unit.

- "OXxx leaving BOTLY heading WCO, maintaining Altitude 3,500ft"

- No reply...

I looked across at my instructor with a confused and somewhat concerned look

- "Did you hear a read-back to acknowledge our message?"

He shook his head and languidly replied

- "No, it's fine."

Approaching the hold at the next beacon saw me set up in the approach configuration and attempt to obtain the aerodrome ATIS (weather); no luck. So I entered the hold while my increasingly concerned instructor began requesting radio checks from every station on the ground in our vicinity.

I continued the hold as per planned; my instructor shortly looked across at me and calmly said

- "Right, so our radios are buggered, what is the procedure?"

My flying partner and I promptly brainstormed over the aircraft intercom and decided on our plan of action. Here it was;

- Squawk 7600.

- Head towards the airfield above the circuit altitude whilst making blind transmissions.

- Observe the traffic situation in the circuit.

- Descend to circuit altitude joining in a gap in the traffic.

- Perform a low pass of the runway flashing landing lights to indicate our intention to land.

- Go around and perform a visual circuit to land.

I was the pilot flying and the instructor took control of the radios.

We continued towards the airfield whilst making blind transmissions. Once we had the field in sight, we joined the circuit and found a safe leg to descend into. We were now going to do a low pass of the runway flashing the landing lights.

[This is something which you read about in the theory textbooks and don't think you will ever have to do; I was excited and could barely contain the grin which was erupting on my face.]

Flashing on and off the landing lights frantically as we passed overhead the centreline and climbed out again to circuit altitude. As we continued our visual circuit and arrived abeam the tower we heard a crackling transmission giving us a landing clearance.

- "Cleared to land, Runway 01, there is a fire engine waiting for you and will follow you once on the ground"

Two whites, two reds, a nice soft landing to taxi back to the ramp.

As we climbed out of the cockpit my instructor looked across at me with a smile and said

- "That's a first for me..!"

Poor Vis..

For the past few days the weather here has been awful; an indication of the week to come, came when I received a text from my IR Instructor on Sunday afternoon, it read

"I have just seen the weather for tomorrow and it looks like there will be heavy fog for some time, we definitely won't be flying..."

And so yesterday arrived with a heavy fog from before sunrise. Most of the day saw the crew room filled with some cadets with faces pressed up against the windows watching the fog remain over the runway, whilst others watched as red crosses slowly removed name after name from the flight schedule. This was not a day for aviating..!

TAF for the area forecast BKN 000; hhmm, broken clouds at ground level..??! As the day progressed it looked like there might be enough of a silver lining to get airbourne, but alas, this was not the case. The fog became denser and denser as the sun began to set.

It became clear that the following few days would be the same; the high pressure system, low temperatures and light winds would mean this weather would be here for a while.

Today was much the same with with airport remaining closed for most of the day, the fields surrounding were much the same with roads being a danger to be on. From the crew room it was barely even possible to see the aircraft parked on the ramp.

Let's hope this doesn't continue for too long, otherwise my flying will be limited to sitting in a very expensive room, pretending to fly..

AWOL..

Right folks, I haven't posted for quite some time, in fact nearly four months. I am sorry for the break in posts. I have been meaning to post something for a very long time, but have not got round to it.

I am now back in the UK following the completion of my fair weather flight training in Phoenix Arizona. I have now been back for over a month and have been working towards my IR here in the UK.

Over a few drinks in London, a friend asked as to the reason for my lack of posts. Whilst I had envisaged having lots of free time in America being sat by the pool in between flights, therefore having time to post liberally, this was not the case at all.

Early morning flights had me wake at 0300hrs in the morning to plan, pre-flight and a host of other things. This happened all too often, leaving me back in the apartment by 0900hrs but being shattered at the same time. So, every moment when I wasn't in the air or in the crew room waiting/planning to go in the air, I would be catching up on much needed sleep.

This not being the only excuse; when there was no sleep to catch up on and we were off duty and having bottle to throttle hours to spare, we would be routinely going out drinking, socialising and frequenting the local bars and clubs.

Thus, for the duration of the five month stint in the States, my free time exclusively adopted a few hobbies; sleeping, drinking, socialising and clubbing.

Here above are the reasons for the no-posts. Hopefully I can post more regularly now I am back in the UK, but suffice to say, those activities listed above, take precedence over blogging..

Flying Solo..

By now, I have been flying for a short few weeks; not very long to say the least. Lots of stuff in the training areas, a few flights in the circuit to get my landings up to scratch and a good measure of groundschool to make sure I was familiar with the airspace in which we operate and the laws of the land. It is surprising how many things are different from the theory we had spent months learning for the sake of JAA groundschool exams.

Going solo is quite a big deal, for those of you that don't know what it is; it is when you are the only person in the aircraft, Pilot in Command, head honcho, there is no one to hold the umbrella over you. If things go wrong, they go wrong and you are the only thing determining how you reach the ground..!

Very scary stuff indeed..! We had spend enough time practicing engine fire drills and engine failure stuff so in that case we should have enough to get safely back to ground.

The day finally arrived, I was going to fly solo today..! The plan for the day was to spend an hour in the circuit with the instructor at which point he would send me up on my own to brave the skies for the first time.

The circuits went off without a hitch, some nice soft landings, stable, centreline maintained, glideslope maintained.

My Instructor, The Sport's Fan stepped out of the aircraft.

- "You're good to go"

He jumped out at the ramp, engine running. I waited for him to step clear of the vessel and signal me to leave. I cautiously taxied over to the staging area and then the hold short line.

- "Tower, Warrior 000XX is holding short of Runway 2-1, First solo student for full stop landing."

I addressed the tower, full of excitement and anticipation. I awaited the clearance to take off; my heart was racing.

- "Warrior 000XX, departure approved for runway 2-1, cleared for take off."

The circuit was empty, I taxied onto the runway and throttled forward, airspeed live, 65kts, rotate. I pulled back gently on the yoke, the nose pitched up and I was now aviating on my own. The cockpit was serene, a calm mood fell over the cabin as there was no pressure from the instructor's eyes. I climbed to altitude and levelled off, trimmed fine. Everything was going well, altitude maintained, trimmed level and I was heading downwind.

The sun was beginning to set, the weather was calm, life was perfect. I turned base and then final. I aligned with the centreline and glideslope. Before long, touchdown; a nice gentle landing.

I taxied back to parking, shut down the aircraft and stepped out to meet a wide smile and an extended hand. The Sport's Fan, shook my hand heartily.

- "Great job, have a beer tonight, you deserve it.."

A Quick Update..

Things have been very hectic lately, so I will be posting up some blogs from the previous week as they become available..

Responsible Pilots..

So, following the debaucheries of the Initiation, Monday arrived;

Ring Ring, ring ring..!

The phone rang without rest; the rest of my housemates were asleep, so I got up and answered the phone. I assumed it must be an international call as no one in their right mind would call at this house on a Monday.

- "Hello, with whom am I speaking?"

The mystery voice asked, the tone of their voice was somewhat serious and it was clear he meant business. I told him who I was,

- "You and the rest of your class are required to be in Classroom 3 at 1000hrs for a meeting. Please inform the rest of your class. All cadets are required to attend and in uniform..!"

He then hung up. I was taken slightly aback by the call, but at the same time, in the pit of my stomach I could sense what was coming. As per the request I ran around like in 'The Apprentice' when the call comes, knocking on all of the doors I came across shouting,

- "Guys, we have a meeting at 1000hrs in Room 3, everyone has to attend, I think it's serious..!"

Ok, so it wasn't that early in the day, but as expected, our days off come far and in between, so we were all enjoying a well-deserved(?) lie in.

So we rushed to shower and uniform up. We scrambled everyone and got into the course cars. Rushing over to the airport for the meeting, the conversation took an anxious tone. We all sat speculating on the severity of the meeting and its possible outcomes.

A few minutes to go till 1000hrs and there was a crowd of cadets classes including our own. This was very much the 'waiting outside the headmaster's office' situation. Smirks mixed with fearful looks. For many of us, this was the first time we had seen the perpetrators from the initiation.

We filed in as our superiors lead the way. As we went in people calmly took seats available and some went straight to the back of the classroom to find a place to stand, as far from the 'blast zone' as possible.

Everyone was in, the door slammed shut, the inquiry began;

- "Can someone please explain to me what happened on Saturday..!"

The Debrief..

So, following the initiation few made it to the party, many of us, due the excesses of the initiation were left in a mess. Thankfully we were ferried by the tee-total seniors back to our apartments a short drive away.

I awoke, in much of a daze, in an apartment similar to mine, but a reflection of it. There stood a bin next the me; I had obviously been taken home by someone fairly responsible. Slumped on the sofa was a fellow cadet, passed out in the foetal position. I gathered my faculties and made my way out of the apartment. I had my senses about me; I figured I would try and find some familiar faces. Before too long I found some fellow cadets;

- "Where is everyone; what happened..?"

I asked cautiously, the reply informed that there were still some people awake and about. It was some time past midnight and there were people in the Jacuzzi. I was still in wet clothes from the initiation, so made my way over, without changing into fresh swimming attire.

There, by the Jacuzzi were a few cadets, some beers and a small gathering of naked women. Still slightly drunk, with the preceding events, this all seemed slightly surreal. The after party continued for some time; it wasn't until 0430hrs that I got back to my room..

The Initiation..

Saturday brought about the second weekend for most of the cadets in my class; for some of us our time in AZ had been much longer than that.

It is commonplace for the veteran cadets, for whom AZ has become home for the past months, to throw a welcome party to us, the 'newcomers'. I have used the word welcome party, however, as is almost always the case, the 'newcomers' never make it to the party. The reason for this is the Initiation which precedes it.

The theme was the World Cup; so we were to dress accordingly, but also advised to bring a white t-shirt which we would not mind getting ruined; this set the tone for the evening..!

The night began promptly at 1900hrs, two lines of chairs filed down the bar room. One of the 'seniors' howled

- "Find a row and sit in the chairs next to your flying partner..!"

Experience tells me that in these hazing situations it is best to blend into the crowd and not to stand out like a sore thumb, I advised we sit somewhere near the middle. We mounted respective barstools after removing the can of beer and shot glass swishing at the brim with luminous liquid. The moment we sat down another senior arrived and began taping our 'middle' legs together in a three legged fashion. We tentatively smelt the shot to try and identify what it was; this gave no clue, the smell was dull with a potent hint of nail varnish remover. We sat eagerly awaiting our fate..

Another senior emerged and began;

- "Welcome the your initiation, there are a few rules for this evening, before you get to the party, you must each do at least ten shots before leaving the room. You each have a shot and a can of beer in your hands. You will compete in a boat race against your flying partners. The losing team will do a forfeit. Before we start, does anyone not drink?"

No one responded..

- "Good, is anyone allergic to latex?"

Again, no one responded..

- "Does anyone object to public nudity?"

Silence filled the room..

- "On your marks, get set, go..!"

99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall..

Imagine if you will, driving through the Arizona Desert with the windows closed, air-con off, heating up to the max., five guys in the car and the searing sun flowing through the windows; welcome to Car Sauna..!

This past weekend has been Memorial Weekend, this has meant that a three day weekend was given to many of us. Most of the other guys from the course had only arrived on the Monday, so hadn't really hadn't done much in America. With plenty of zeal, we decided upon a roadtrip. The next question remained; where to go? The options on the table were LA, San Diego, Vegas or staying in AZ and doing stuff in and around the State.

After much deliberation and many frustrating phone calls to the 'Hotels' and car rental companies. It appeared we had a car and rooms booked to set off early on Saturday morning. Estimated off blocks time was 0745hrs. We didn't leave until 1200hrs..! With 9 of us going in two cars, the haphazard manner of planning and execution meant that the cars were not where they were meant to be and the payment had not quite been confirmed.

So, we set off , slightly annoyed with the complications, but nonetheless we were on our way. There is nothing quite like a bit of Road trip Banter; two cars, nine guys..! We were racing through the desert , singing rugby songs, playing car sauna and plenty more..

Once we arrived in San Diego, we tried to find our hotel. After asking in one hotel for directions it emerged that we had inadvertently booked into the San Diego YMCA..

Two nights in San Diego and a day at the beach..!

Crew Meals..

Since arriving in the States I have not really been eating properly. When I say 'properly' I mean, a well balanced, healthy meal. My meals have quickly, over the course of the past week, become fast food, restaurant meals and lots of greasy snacks. This was not a conscious decision of mine, in fact one which I abhor. It was initially my plan to try and eat healthily here in the States and exercise regularly, especially with my sleep pattern being so disrupted, as to prevent becoming out of shape.

Recently I came across a blog from a pilot who discussed this very issue; there are some very poignant issues in there which I have taken heed.

Flight To Success

It is however very difficult to have full control over your meals when you never really know where you are going to be at meal times. But as far as I can control it, I will try..

On the Range..

Yesterday after finishing early we decided to pass the afternoon at a local gun range. A 30 minute drive later we arrived. Having come from the UK where guns are not carried at all to the States where guns are as common as watches was quite surreal.

Inside it was just like in the games, Grand Theft Auto where people were buying unnecessarily large firearms for personal use. Really, who needs to possess an M16, who hasn't already been issued with one from their respective Armed Forces..? Just in case, I suppose..

Having never fired a gun before we had a full briefing from one of the sales assistants, who taught us everything we needed to know.

I think $30 well spent on an afternoon of gun-toting..

The First Flight..

It has been six months in the waiting, this is what I have been waiting for, flying the plane, the thing that has been the light on the horizon throughout the months and months of arduous groundschool.

The day was finally approaching, quickly. Being sent out the PHX a week ahead of schedule, being rushed through the basic groundschool preparation for flying, the numerous hours of reading through the checklists and lessons plans. The day arrived..

A very early start to get in the air before thermal activity, meant waking up just after sunrise. Some final checks of my flight bag and its contents saw the trip to the airport. A feeling of nervousness mixed with a true feeling of excitement. Many thoughts ran through my head as we drove towards the airport; I couldn't wait.

It wasn't long before we were finished on the ground and ready to go up; my flying partner was first to go up, then I to follow.

It was absolutely amazing, the views, breathtaking, the feeling, euphoric.

It was so much fun, until I threw up..

Did I mention I get airsick..?

A New Home..

Since moving to PHX my accommodation has been very very nice; a complex of Luxury Apartments.

This is very far removed from the living arrangements back in OXF. Where I once had a bed that was as soft as a trampoline, this has been replaced by a nice firm double bed. The TV with limited channels has been replaced with Satellite TV with more channels than you can shake a stick at. Meals have been mostly prepared using the outdoor cooking facilities, making for an enjoyable outdoor summer feeling; something that is quite lacking in the UK for the best part of the year.

The swimming pool and Jacuzzi has been a nice touch allowing us all to relax after a hard day at the airport. Since we have been uprooted from our lives in the UK there have been many things that have needed to be attended to, lifestyle and comfort items, things like travel adaptors, to allow us to live normally.

I have to say, I am enjoying the new lifestyle..

Welcome to a Goodyear..

A quick update on the life of a Cadet; having finished on the 7th of May, this was followed by some "First Officer Fundamentals". This basically gave us a number of tips in Airline recruitment and the best ways to prepare for interviews, etc; all in all very useful stuff that we will need sometime in the bear future. This was concluded on the Wednesday 12th May. Here began the slow removal of my life in Kidlington; moving out of my student house left feeling of ending or emotional disconnection whatsoever. It was back to London for me..

Not more than a few days later, our worst fears were realised; yes, the BA cabin crew were going to strike on the day of our flight to Arizona. So far our course has truly been pulled through the ringer, everything that could've have gone wrong for our course, HAS gone wrong; either through acts of God or human intervention. A feeling of resignation descended.

There was a very real possibility that the flight was not to go ahead; with this, a very fast paced week began. An email was sent round requesting our availability over the next week, in the hope of flying out early. I had daily plans to dine with family and drink with friends before my 20 week departure to the States; despite this, I could reschedule some of these for my return if need be. Thus I responded with availability from the Monday. Soon after it became clear that seats on the Monday flight were in short supply, an earlier flight would be necessary if I was to not be grounded in the UK for a considerable time; "Sunday it is then" I thought..

Saturday night I arrive at home in London after a weekend of Lash with a few University mates in Oxford. I should probably start packing..

Meanwhile somewhere in Iceland, the 'Volcano with the unpronounceable name' decides to erupt creating the very real possibility of UK Airspace closures for the next few days. The possibility of my cancellation suddenly resurrects itself.

Was there any point in packing? The Met Office was almost certain that airspace would see closure from Sunday. An early start saw was met with a check on the BBC website for an update on the Volcano situation, "Please check with your Airlines before travelling to the airport". My heart raced as I phoned British Airways to hear the verdict..

"Flight from LHR have not been affected at this time and are running on schedule"

I finished packing and set off for the Airport..

Flexibility is the Key to Air Power..

"Good Morning Gentlemen and welcome to your flight training..!"

The Chief bellowed as he sat on a desk at the front of our classroom; these were his introductory words. He continued

"... You are entering one of the most demanding careers ever, but with this, it is one of them most rewarding. Flexibility is the key to Air Power! You will have to make some huge sacrifices in your careers..."

How right he was, we would have to make some huge sacrifices during our training aswell..

End of Groundschool..

Today was the last official day of groundschool. We were issued our kit for the States and sent on our way.

Still suffering from the tiresome weeks leading up to now, I had no energy to celebrate. The rest of the day was spent packing as we all moved out of our accommodation and back to our respective parents' houses or rather wherever we call home. I felt no love lost for the house I moved out of, being there for only a few months I can barely say I have grown attached.

With so much to sort out in London, I didn't hang around..

Failure is Not an Option..

I have finished my final JAA Flight Crew Licensing exams. The exams finished on Friday and were celebrated with a day in the Sun, a continuous supply of alcohol and a BBQ; what a great way to spend the day, what could ruin this great day..?

I left the exam hall on this last day, there was a distinct lack of elation. I would have expected there to have been a much more energetic feeling amongst the group. What was causing this? A sense of lethargy dampened the mood; in truth it had been such a horrendous onslaught of exams we were just all mentally and physically drained. Whether it had been the numerous all-nighters or the sleepless nights, these were all worthy factors. We sat around in the lounge area of the academy with bags under our eyes, dishevelled beards and stubble struggling to plan the 'celebratory lash*'.

[* lash - To drink a lot of alcohol in a social manner]

Seven exams, four days; all in all it amounted to eleven and a half hours worth of examinations. All hours not spent in the exam hall were spent in front of a PC studying and doing practice exams.

The exams were over but the worst was yet to come. So, we had finished the exams, but now we had the tortuous wait for results. So much is resting on these exams, more so than the first set of JAA exams. If we fail any of these exams, the implications are quite sever. We will have to stay back in the UK and re sit; we would therefore miss starting our Basic Flight Training with the rest of the class and get pushed back to the class behind. Not only that, failing an exam would have an impact on future employability.

So you can see why the long faces; most of my exams were fine except one. This has left me with a sinking feeling in my stomach; one which has been with me everyday since the exam. With so much at stake it is difficult to forget. I only just managed to ignore the grating thoughts to allow me to concentrate on the other exams.

So now, we wait..

JAA Exams - Day 1..

Today I start my final set of JAA FCL exams. Today's opening exam in an afternoon one. At the moment I can do nothing but wait for the exam.

The waiting has left me in quite a state, I have had my lunch and am waiting to leave. I woke up fairly early this morning and did a bit of last minute revision of a few things I felt were worth my time. I don't want to revise right up until the starting pistol and find my brain is fried from the morning's prep. Time to rest and let my mind settle.

Now feeling ready to face the exams, slightly anxious but more than anything, fed up of the waiting.

Wish me luck..

Revision Blues..

This revision is so so boring that many of us are struggling to keep at it; today I went for a 2hr walk just to pass time.

I just keep telling myself; only five more days to go..

One Week to Go..

This time next week my life in ground school will finally be over..! It has been almost six months of pure unrelenting torture, but now the end is finally in sight; with only seven exams left to go. These are the second set of seven JAA Flight Crew Licensing exams and the ones that really matter.

So far this past week I have found it incredibly difficult to concentrate on studying. After having so many exams over the past few months this feels like 'Last Exam Syndrome' has well and truly set in. However, it would be a shame to let all the hard work slip through my fingers so close to the final whistle; so I have been really pushing myself to work.

Thanks to a Bank Holiday Monday our exam week is offset from the Monday to begin on the Tuesday. And with the exams so close the pressure within the house is certainly beginning to mount. The days have started early and finished late, as every available hour is being exhausted.

This is the final sprint..

Four Weeks to Go..

Today marks the day, four weeks away from the start of my basic flight training in the States. Between now and then I have to endure a week of solid revision, complete seven exams, partake in some "First Office Fundamental" training, leaving me with a nice week and a half to sort out my life and my suitcases before I leave.

This coming week is already proving to be very very monotonous; many of this phases subjects are skills based exams, rather than fact/figure learning. This means that once you have the skills, there is very little to do. I say this, not because I am being arrogant, but more that the skills aren't that complicated.

The subjects which require repetitive learning of facts/figures can be endured, as the more you practice, the more the figures will become lodged into ones head.

To put things into perspective, I have spent at least three hours today manipulating wind charts to balance drift.

I keep reminding myself of what is to come, after this small sacrifice..

Almost There..

What a tiring few days; today we finished the last of our internal examinations of groundschool. The past two days has seen the class endure seven exams.

A three hour stint saw the start of the day with two more gruelling exams follow. At the end of it all came the tortuous hour and a half wait, whilst the results were processed. We all waited eagerly in the Airport Coffee shop, some sipping on ice cold beers, some with their heads in their hands. The atmosphere was filled with tension, excitement and anxiety.

The results of the exams would determine whether we would be put forward for the external JAA exams. If not, we would have to re-sit internals which could delay the start of flight training.

Tomorrow 0840 sharp we are expected for a full debrief.

Now only seven exams stand between us and the gleaming sunshine of Arizona..

More Exams..

Tomorrow begins the first of two days of our last internal exams. Fourteen exams over the course of two days. I am so close to the end of groundschool now. It is quite tough keeping my head down with the revision at the moment. The thought of what is to come is the only thing keeping me going. The work is so boring for most of the subjects.

I have not really had much time to pay to the volcano stuff that has been happening around in Europe at the moment, which is a great shame. The one big story of the moment and I can't follow it because I am stuck revising. Despite this I have been receiving numerous texts asking about it, to be honest, my insider knowledge goes as far as Twitter and the internet.

One thing I thought was quite cool, is the Naval response that has been requested to retrieve the stranded Britons from around the world. That would be incredibly cool, being brought back home by the Royal Navy on one of their ships; most certainly a once in a lifetime experience.

A few of my friends and relatives are 'stranded' abroad; I am going to get in touch with them to see if they are being extended this opportunity..!

Right, back to revision for me..

A Career in Ashes..

There has been a huge impact with the eruption of the Icelandic volcano. Flights are still grounded and UK Airspace has pretty much come to a halt. I have been chatting to a few friends who are full of questions of why they have grounded the flights, what the effect is, when they will start flying again, etc.

One of my friends, reassuringly as ever said some really funny things today; she is currently stranded on the continent.

- "Any idea of when fights will start again? I'm thinking of how to get back home...

...They say that the effects of this volcano may last up to two years..! Does that mean that they won't need you anymore?"

Reluctantly I said

- "Erm, it is only really northern europe that is affected, I could get a job elsewhere."

- "How are you going to get there..?"

Good point..

Volcano..

Today the UK airspace has been completely closed for the first time ever due to a number of eruptions of an Icelandic Volcano.

This has left all flights grounded and many stranded at UK airports. Many airlines have not been forthcoming in rebooking flights as it is not yet known how long this will last.

As the evening has come around, many have resorted to sleeping in the airports.

We also finished ground school teaching today, now for exams..!

Class 1..

Yesterday I have the joy of having my Class 1 Medical revalidation. I probably should have been a touch more organised and planned it in advance, but as I have been busy studying lately it had completely slipped my mind. As a result I had to book at a surgery in the middle of nowhere. This meant some rather lengthy travel arrangements.

Nonetheless, I attended the Surgery earlier than planned. I was not quite sure what to expect with the medical as I had only had the initial exam prior to this. Just to put it into perspective, the Medical is a very big deal for pilots. It is a Go/No Go item, if you have the medical you are fine, if you don't then you can't be a pilot.

I remember the stress of the initial exam; it being very rigourous. With this renewal, if something was not quite right, it could spell the end for my sapling career. Having been instructed to reduce my Salt and Caffeine intake a week prior to the exam for the purposes of reducing Blood Pressure, I sought to do so. This was met with blase comments from veteran airmen, telling me not to worry about it with comments like

- "If you hear them call your name, you've passed the hearing test. If you find the right door, you've passed the sight test..!"

Regardless I was a bit nervous.

The medical included some very strange tests which I have never come across before, many of which did not feature in the initial Medical. A plethora of tests later saw the confirmation of my revalidation.

In some tests I even performed better than I did in the initial..!

Approaching the End of Ground School..

Today was the first day of the final week of ground school. We won't be treated to an entire week, we are to be given the Thursday afternoon onwards as private study.

We have our last set on internal exams at the start of next week, so this week is quite heavily revision oriented. Since finishing at lunch time today I have spent the most of the day revising in front of the online practice questions. To try and break the monotony I have tried using paper based revision papers but this has had limited effect.

Amongst the joys of revising, I have been watching "Pacific" whilst eating and I have a feeling that it may hinder my efforts to revise, given that it is quite gripping..! I would strongly recommend giving it a watch.

Whilst needing no further distractions I thought I would kill some time by writing this blog post on how boring revision; one of few things getting me through it is a comment made by a friend which has proved to be quite good at giving me a bit more oompf to keep revising.

- "Cheer up, think of the plane. The ******-******* plane that you're going to be able to fly. You're going to be every boy's hero"

I also have my medical renewal tomorrow which should be quite interesting. I have been trying to restrict my salt and caffeine intake over the past week to reduce my blood pressure, but it shouldn't be too bad; especially as it isn't an issue.

Back to some mind-numbing Air Law revision..

Pay to Pee..

Big news this week was the announcement that RyanAir are to begin charging passengers to use the lavatory facilities. The cost will be either £1 or €1; therefore it will be cheaper for the Europeans to use the facilities than the British, so save your Euros for the WC.

Ryanair charges reach new lows

There have been a number of articles and blogs out this week regarding the news and I have read a few here and there. With Ryanair's huge position in Boeing's order book, Boeing seem to be the ones unfortunately placed in being the accessory to this heinous crime against aviation. Those of you from the Stateside of the pond may not have flown with the likes of Ryanair and easyJet in europe, but I'm certain that many of you have heard the stories of zero tolerance policies on carry on baggage and check in desk closing times.

This being said, I am not ignoring what low cost carriers in the US are doing; this week Spirit announced that it will begin charging passengers to make use of overhead locker space. So now you have to pay up to $45 for the "privilege"..! This is a world first, but no doubt soon to follow will be Ryanair and other low cost carriers, as it becomes clear that there are some people who are willing to pay for it.

Spirit Airlines to charge for excess baggage

But what next..?

Low Cost Airlines

I have only flown on a low cost carrier a few times in my life, thankfully. These have been times when I have been making a cheap student getaway to see friends in other parts of the country or in Europe. So, I have made use of the trips where travelling with a legacy or scheduled carrier have otherwise been too expensive, but having made this decision, I have been subjected to the tortuous airline policies which seem as though they are written purely to frustrate the passenger. There is certainly no consideration to customer satisfaction whatsoever. I can only say that I am thankful that it has not been a start or end to a family holiday for me; although it has been for some. It is exactly the case similar to 'Meet the Parents' where frustration simply grows and grows, until someone finally snaps...

...and then they are removed from the flight further exacerbating the situation..!

Meet the Parents: Airport Scene

Ryanair, easyJet, Spirit and many other low cost airlines have been taking "innovative" steps over the past few years to cut costs and increase PAX loads for the benefit of revenue; but at what cost. This business model has slowly, but surely sapped the fun and glamour out of flying; on my recent trip to Vienna with easyJet, watching the pre-flight demonstration made me feel as though I was being forced to watch two depressed stewards learn to don life jackets. It wasn't long ago that the pre-flights were done with energy and theatrics. You could feel the dreariness and monotony with which it was done. That's not to say that it is always done like this. I hope this isn't contagious with the bigger airlines and that they continue to run a service where customer satisfaction means something.

Maybe this is just me being rather naive as a cadet and am yet to lose sight of the magic. I hope not..

The Briefing..

Today at the end of a very long day of ground school, we were briefed about the basic flight training part of the course. I am not sure how much of this I may have mentioned in the past, so here it is in a nutshell.

We join the flight school and are subjected to just over 6 months of ground school. This is the boring part which sees us studying to our wits end to pass the 14 JAA flight crew licensing exams. This is pretty much 6 months of sheer torture.

After [successfully] completing this phase we are then shipped [by air] to Arizona to commence the basic flight training. We survive in the sun for 20 weeks before coming back to the UK fully relaxed, with gleaming tans and our gold wings. Yes, on our return we are qualified CPL pilots..!

We then do some supplementary stuff to take our license up to the APTL level.

But back to the Arizona bit, we get to sit around all day by the pool, occasionally playing a spot of tennis on one of the many courts or volleyball; flying every now and then (whenever it isn't too hot) and generally having a good time.

This is where all of the hard work pays off..!!

Introducing the iFad..

As many of you will know, today saw the stateside release of the eagerly awaited Apple iPad. There has been a lot of media coverage surrounding this product already and its release brought more.

BBC - Apple iPad sells 300,000 on debut

With Apple, there are some very die hard fans and people who are very 'pro Apple'; if you fall into this category of people you may not like the rest of this post. This post is by no means an attack on Apple or the ideals it stands for. As a recent Mac convert myself, I enjoy Mac, just as much as the next guy. Following are a few thoughts and opinions which must be shared by some other people in the world.

Well, the iPad, what does it do? From where I sit, it is a larger version of the iPhone. By increasing its size it has brought a number of benefits..? Ok, so you can see your photos on a larger screen, and the apps are bigger. But in doing so, it has surely introduced a number of other problems;

If the iPad is to be taken everywhere, as a portable device for use on the go, how are you meant to carry it around, surely people are going to have to make use of carry cases similar to laptop cases. Why not just take your Macbook with you then..?

The iPad does everything the iPhone can do, but not make calls? And it can't do everything that a laptop can? Surely in attempting to find this Smart Phone - Laptop middle ground it has arrived at a state of where it doesn't quite offer anything new..?

Do people like the iPad solely because it is another Apple product..?

The Onion - Apple finally unveils iPad

I think it would be better suited to being a peripheral device for a Mac or Macbook, offering full touch screen capabilities. This would open a whole set of possibilities for Apple to explore.

Maybe Apple have done something great with the iPad; only time will tell..

Easter is here..

This past week has involved receiving my Passport back from the nice people at the US Embassy with my US Visa neatly attached inside. This has been a great load off of my mind knowing that my Visa is here and I can continue with my training without hinderance. This has not been the case for all of my colleagues with regard to the Visas; this has left them feeling rather anxious for the time being. With the lead times associated with Visa applications it could be the case where they are waiting for a number of months for approval. As we are scheduled to leave in seven weeks this would mean waiting behind till the approval arrives or rearranging the flight training to be conducted in the UK rather than the US.

Now the next step regarding the flight training is the submission of fingerprints to the TSA. A recent email from them has included a statement saying

"Fingerprints must be taken within two weeks of receiving the subsequent confirmation email; fingerprints taken prior to this or after the two week period has expired are invalid and may cause a delay in your application."

Personally, doesn't this contradict the unique benefit if taking fingerprints in the first place; anyway, I don't make the rules, I should just politely follow them.

Easter weekend has meant that we have had a long four day weekend; as far as I know, this isn't a holiday shared on both sides of the pond. In the UK it is a fairly big deal, or at least it is for the working folk. Previously I have never benefitted from this holiday as I have been a student with Easter holidays surrounding the weekend. Despite this short holiday we are still having to maintain our study as to not fall behind.

Having enjoyed the past few days with my family I have now returned to continue studying in solitude. Not the best way to spend the Easter Weekend..!

I'm on a Boat..

So, after the trip to Embassy, rather than rushing back to Oxford, I thought I would make the most of my weekend.

Having been invited to an Army Boat party on the Thames I could hardly resist. A friend from University has adopted a military lifestyle since graduating. This has meant an invite to socialise with officers in the British Forces from time to time.

Allow me to set the scene; the boat, the Thames, the crisp London skyline by night, a jazz band gently playing in the corner of the boat, plenty of elegantly dressed attractive young women, black ties, flowing Champagne.

What a night..!

Approved Entry..

It's been a little while since I've last posted, so I'll give a quick catch up on what I've been doing for the past week. As you can imagine, ground school has become very much a routine; we have slowly moved from being one of the newest rookie classes to becoming the most senior class in ground school. Having said this, it does not detract from the feeling of boredom and angst towards ground school.

By now we have become very familiar with the instructors and are in the position to makes jokes with them liberally and banter back and forth; whilst still maintaining the delineation between tutor and tutee.

With the eagerly awaited Basic Flight Training portion of the course creeping closer and closer there are many preparations to be made; such as Visas, Insurance, etc..

Now I am only eight weeks away I can taste it. Friday saw our visit to the US Embassy in London to get our Visas approved ready for our arrival. This brought with it a day off from ground school and the prospect of enjoying the day in The Big Smoke. With the interviews being very early in the morning it would mean an early start, so I decided to travel to the Capital a day ahead to ease the journey.

Upon arrival at the embassy belts, watches, keys and coins had to be removed in a clear bag with no electronic items allowed; not even mobile phones or key fobs. I know what you're thinking, crazy; everyone carries a mobile phone..!

A number of security measures later we found ourselves in a vast waiting room. The armed police, restrooms signs and abundance of bronze eagles made clear we were on American soil [I would have taken a photo, but I imagine this would have been frowned upon by the authorities]. The wait seemed to go on for ever, with a rather disorganised serving structure. Some four hours later the wait was over with a rather short chat with an American on the other side of a glass window. The experience could be likened most accurately to a trip to the post office crossed with Disney World.

Whilst in London, we decided to make the most of it. With the rest of the day spent taking in the sights and sounds of various London Public Houses..

With the visa approved, I'm one step closer to my Flight Training..

Not Long to Go..

Having finished more tests on Friday I have had the weekend off. This has meant a bit of a tidy up of lots of old notes, etc.

Here begins the last leg of grounschool before being dispatched to the States for the eagerly awaited flight training.

I have my Interview at the US Embassy this Friday also, which will mean a nice break in London over the weekend..

More Tests..

Tomorrow begins a slog of six progress tests on this material that we had only started three and a half weeks ago. This second phase of ground school is really shooting past.

I have spend the day at the airport revising in one of the classrooms as the desk in my room is not large enough to accommodate the Topo map and reference tables we have been studying.

An early night's sleep and then three tomorrow and three the following day will see the arrival of the weekend.

By this stage, despite tests and exams becoming so routine, they are still not something to look forward to nor neglect..

The Depression..

This Thursday and Friday we have more assessments to look forward to; another 6. So if you're counting that will take the test counter up to 25 by the end of the week.

I am now 10 weeks and counting until the flight training begins, it does seem ever so close now; with the only caveat of the remaining 15 exams to go till then.

It has been non stop work during the day with classes and then non stop work in the evenings and as much as one can muster on the weekends. The work that we are doing at the moment is a lot more relevant to what will be applicable when we are flying, but it is very difficult to think anything BUT the flying at the moment. The weather in the UK is beginning to improve with a nice spring feel, but this just whets the appetite for the sun, of which there will an abundance of in the States.

We are on such a short time scale at the moment that there is no time to stop and think "I can't be bothered this evening, I'll take an easy one". This is precisely how I was feeling earlier; slightly depressed with the monotony of my current lifestyle, but hey, must carry on.

Tho put things into perspective, my trip to the US Embassy in London is a highlight to look forward to; two weeks till that comes..!!

Sound Advice..

I recently was contacted by a friend for some information about my degree as her brother was thinking of doing the same.

I jotted off what became a fairly long email answering his questions. I am posting it just incase anyone finds it at all useful when selecting university degrees. I did an Undergraduate Masters Degree in Aeronautical Engineering.

Here it is;

..................................................

1) Did you enjoy it and if not, why not? - The best part of the degree for me, was finishing it. I would say that it was nothing short of four years of relentless torture. I really enjoyed the thought of knowing that i had finished one of the three most difficult degrees at one of the best universities in the country (not one of those joke degrees like ..... did, lol). There is a real sense of pride and achievement that goes along with it. But whilst on the degree i hated every second of it.

2) What did your friends on the course go into jobwise? - Aeronautical Engineers are generally socially inept, and there are only a limited few who are not like this, as a result i did not really have that many friends on the course, mostly people i would call colleagues or acquaintances. Most of my friends were from other degrees. The people however; the most socially inept, stayed on at the university in post graduate roles such as PhDs, etc. Then a handful went into the industry as engineers; these were with big companies, many of which you will recognise, such as Airbus, RR, Smiths, BAe, GE. A few did go into finance; this is generally a common career path for those who can, but because of the economic situation this was not the case. A few are following the pilot route.

3) How hard was the maths? - Very hard, very very hard. The maths was extremely difficult, but once you get the hang of it, it ends up being the subject that you get the highest marks in.

4) Did you do further maths A level? - I didn't do further maths at A level. At ...... having done further maths actually makes your life more difficult, as you have to do certain things. I would advise doing a more fun subject at A level than further maths. You will get more maths on the degree than you can shake a stick at; this is usually enough for most normal people.

5) Best/Worst bits -

Best bit - Finishing the degree

Worst bit - The rest of the degree, but you will find that it makes you appreciate the time you have for the fun things at university.

6) How practical vs academic was it? - Practical, not so much. It was very academic, it is just the nature of the degree. But it does set you up very well for the real world. If you mean practical as in 'hands on' then there is almost nothing. Except for a few things in the first year, such as the Wing build and design and build projects; which are more a chance to play with tools and balsa wood.

7) Would you consider any other jobs in the aero field other than piloting? - I probably wouldn't consider an engineering job in any industry, this is solely because i have been there done that and got a number of t-shirts, and it wasn't for me. I found it really had nothing that could inspire to want to work there (as an engineer). However, as mentioned above, some people love it and are engineers now. It is purely a personal preference. You may enjoy it. Something a bit more hands on is for me, hence the piloting.

Hope that helps.

..................................................

If anyone has any further questions, please get in touch..

The Divorce Factory..

Before I started flight school my then girlfriend and I split up. The amount of work and the fact that we would be away from each other would have meant that we would have had to have dealt with a difficult long distant relationship [not that I was shying away from commitment].

On the course there were a number of other guys who were in happy relationships prior to starting, a few of which like mine ended prior to starting the course.

Not to sound too depressing, there were some who kept their relationships going. For them, there has always been the ever present dilemma of "do I hang out with the guys or do I visit the gf?"; those who have visited the gfs have failed to completely become integrated within our "band of brothers".

With the amount of work we have to do and with the visible lack of free time, I can't imagine trying to maintain a relationship at this time. Also, I have found myself travelling the country and indeed the immediate continent in my free time.

I constantly hear stories of pilots being married and then divorced, usually, but not necessarily limited to flight attendants or to the opposite sexes in the industry. With such an inconsistent work schedule it must make raising a family incredibly difficult, not least maintaining a relationship or marriage.

With pilots being of a gregarious, fun loving type and always being all over the place having fun, maybe it isn't possible to truly do both; without at least giving up the long haul, jet set lifestyle that one has long aspired for..?

This isn't something I will have to deal with for some time, thankfully.!

The Lessons of Life..

Mr Sheen shared some more useful gems of knowledge. He began;

- "Have you been told about the three rules of life?

Rule 1 - Play to win; you must always try your best in whatever you choose to do.

Rule 2 - If you can't win, cheat

Rule 3 - And if you must cheat, then for God's sake, don't get caught..!

As pilots you will always be finding ways to make your lives easier, everyone does it. You will all go out from bar to bar when down route having fun, turning up for duty feeling slightly worse for wear. But don't do what a certain aircrew did; they went out from bar to bar, and they took a young lady with them. They had a particularly boozy night, and turned up for work the following day, all feeling awful. It turned out that the 'young lady' was a reporter for The Times..!"

What a rookie mistake..!

Balcony View..

The weather here has improved greatly this week with the spring sun arriving. This has produced some really great flying conditions; not that I've been flying but the crew planning room has been filled with an air of relief as many of the advanced flight training students are getting to fill up their hours with actual flying rather than continuous planning.

Having been moved to the new wing of the Academy, our classroom now has a balcony overlooking the apron. With the weather being the way it is, we have taken to watching the planes carry out circuits whilst waiting for instructors to arrive and during the lunch breaks.

As I get closer to my flight training, this is really reminding me of what I can look forward to..

Flight Planning..

Today we got some great advice from The Sheen, an Ex-RAF navigator with a broomstick moustache who eats his words as he speaks. The lesson basically boiled down to 'How to "Be" a Pilot' for the best all round gain. We all had our pens at the ready to take notes.

- "We used to get alot of allowances, for a long time I lived off only my allowances; my salaray went straight into savings. You want to learn to make the most of it! Eat and sleep on the plane, play on the ground..! You should all be very familiar with flight planning by the time you are flying. Say you are flying to the Caribbean and you run into a spot of bother, what do you do? turn around or keep going; you bloody well keep going..! If you can divert to Iceland of Bermuda, where do you divert? Of course, you divert to Bermuda. This is what flight planning is all about. Have any of you ever heard of the IsoDollar line?"

We all shook our heads to the negative.

He continued
- "Well the IsoDollar line is a line on the Earth which determines whether or not you get your allowances. And what type of allowance you get. Say you are flying across the Atlantic from London to New York, the IsoDollar line is roughly 30W; once you cross that line you get your allowances, if you don't then you don't; past 30W pay day..! So, with that in mind what do you do if you get an engine failure at 25W? That's right, you keep flying till you pass 30W then you assess your options..!"

Slightly different from the textbook..

My Mac is Here..

Just over a week ago I had ordered my MacBook Pro. The point of this was mainly to use whilst in the States with my flight training as I would not be able to take my desktop across the pond with me.

With a tasty student discount I ordered my MBP.

A week ahead of schedule it arrived today..

I've never owned a Mac before and so I am currently getting to grips with the ins and outs of how to use it. I should be working, but I think I'll take a bit of a break..

Three Useless Things..

Today Mr Pilot went through the ways for the 'Airman' to operate the aircraft.

- "The three most useless things to a pilot are:
- Altitude above you
- Air in the tanks
- Runway behind you"

Good to know..

Student Operating Procedures..

Only two days into the new term; we have fallen straight back into the very familiar routine which we had briefly left only two weeks ago, long days and evening reading with not much else.

However, the course now has taken a more 'what you need to do and know in the real world' perspective; which is a welcome change.

It really does feel as though we are learning the ways to behave and what to do when we will be flying. Phrases such as "When you are in command of..." and "As captain you..." have reminded me of what I am working towards.

Today we had quite a lesson with The Weatherman; since having finished with his 'teaching' in Meteorology, he has reprised his role as an instructor teaching us Operating Procedures. This is a subject he regards as

- "Shit I know about"

He has got quite a wealth of experience for a few airlines from around the world, making him full of stories and anecdotes to aid the teaching. We're not the only class he has for this subject; last thing of the day he came bursting in saying

- "I've just had the **** Air class; some of that bunch haven't got a clue. I was explaining to them about alternate landings and one of them asks

- 'Can you land on sand?'

- I suppose you could, if you wanted to. Then one of them asks

- 'Can you land on the side of a mountain?' "

He gave a concerned look.

If those are going to be the pilots of tomorrow, I would recommend not flying with **** Air.

The Phonecall..

Our results were released on Thursday of last week. As they say, this was one of the most nerve-wracking phone calls I have ever had to make.

I was woken up at 1330hrs by the Headhunter via phone, as I lay in bad, quite hungover from the night before. He had received his results and was really chuffed. I informed him I had not gotten mine yet; his results were in the mid 90%, so this really mounted the pressure.

The feeling of butterflies began to grow, mixed with a feeling of hangover nausea and hunger made for a very unpleasant time. I made the call to the Academy, both phone numbers were engaged.

I decided shower and mentally settle myself , whilst waiting.

I made the call again, and it rang a few times. The secretary began to read my results; my heart was racing..

- "100%, 100%, 96%, 96%, 95%, 100% and 100%"

Job done..

Back to Business..

Having had the post exam two week break, we started the second phase of Ground School. The remainder of my holiday involved heading over the Bristol to see some friends. I attended a fortified wine tasting and a Black Tie Ball. It ended up being a very expensive two weeks, but when you have been working so hard, it seems worth splashing out, especially when you don't get to go out very often.

Yesterday having arrived back in Oxford I felt completely drained from the previous four nights of drinking and clubbing. It reminded me of my time at university when throughout the days there is very little to do except for turning up to lectures; and the nights are reserved for going out.

Today started the second set of subjects for ground school. With only seven teaching weeks to go, until the final exams it really does seem as though the trip to the States to do the Flight Training part of the course is within reach..!

We have been assigned The Navigator as our tutor for this block of the course. During the briefing with The Chief it was hilarious to see two very senior Ex-RAF servicemen banter. They bantered back and forth very well; mostly about which of them was richer and had the bigger house..!

Classic stuff..

Vienna & Venice..

Despite the delay in LGW I arrived with a heavy landing in Vienna before too long. The snow situation didn't seem at all as sever as had been made out. A few trains later and I had met up with the friend who I was to stay with. My time in Vienna was mostly savouring the culture and foods; such as Schnitzel, Sacher Torte and various sausages.


During my time there I also managed to meet a friend from University who was also in Vienna. As part of a University trip we made a very hectic trip to Venice for a day.

The transport there and back was a sleeper train laden with international students and as much alcohol as one could drink; oh, and there was a party carriage.

My friends and I held up the British end in various drinking challenges. We also played drinking games in a host of different european languages.

The day in Venice involved recovering from the night's painful hangovers. Lots of sightseeing and lots of Ice Cream.


The train back left in the evening; with another onslaught on limitless drinking. More drinking games ensued. The remaining few days saw the rest of the sightseeing and the trip back to the UK.

I have just under a week of holidays left; now to make the most of them. Tomorrow Bristol..

An Hour on the Ramp..

Thursday morning, 0437hrs; I am standing at the platform at a train station in North London and I watch as my train flies straight past without stopping.

- "Shit!"

I see two other people waiting at the platform just as confused as I am. Then I notice that on the electronic board the information ticker reads.

- "From the 9th February until the 12th February trains will not be stopping at this station between 2300hrs and 0500hrs"

I now have 20 mins to get to St. Pancras to make my train connection; this is the last train I can get before having missed check in. With very few options I make a quick call to my father.

A few minutes later he arrives. I chuck my bags into the car and we get moving before I have quite closed the door.

- "Cheers Dad, I have to get to St. Pancras by 0512hrs."
- "Right, well we'll be cutting it a bit fine."

Never before, have I been in a car where my dad has driven over speed bumps like that..! A few short cuts later we arrive at St. Pancras. The time is now getting very close to 0512hrs.

- "Right, jump out" my father shouts.
- "Erm, there's moving traffic on the left, dad..!"

He quickly pulls over and I jump out. I dash across the road with my luggage and get inside the station. I frantically search the signs for my platform.

Midway through my train jourmey to LGW I check my wallet to find I have left my Euros in my other wallet.

A quick check in and a rush to get to my gate; we then board the plane. The sun is just rising over the LGW terminal. I look around the cabin to see all of the faces of exhausted PAX and the two easyJet FAs checking boarding passes as the last few PAX embark and find the last few seats. The front exits are armed and crossed checked and the Jet Bridge retracts. The Female Captain addresses the cabin.

- "Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen. I will be your captain for today's easyJet service from LGW to VIE. Unfortunately due to the snow at Vienna; which is currently being cleared, we will not be able to take off from here for at least another hour...
... We thank you for flying easyJet."

A Long Weekend..

I've been playing in London for the past few days since coming back from Oxford, following the exams.

I've managed to do quite alot in the time I've been here. Yesterday I was on the brink of ordering a Apple MacBook Pro; as someone with an engineering background this was quite a big step. I have always been a PC person; always having to use MS Office and other such programs only available on PC.

I have always regarded Apples as computer for media types or people who use their laptops for the more fun stuff. Now I will be one of those types..!

Whilst in and around the West End I managed to meet up with some friends for a coffee and a beer. I went for dinner at a nice tapas restaurant round from London Bridge with some family.

Tapas Brindisa

The food was good, a very vibrant atmosphere but annoyingly, they don't take bookings.

I'm flying out to VIE and also heading to Venice for a very long weekend; which will be quite cool. Check in opens at 0520hrs..! Before public transport starts running properly; what a nightmare..!

A New Me..

So, the last few weeks have been nothing but sitting in front of a desk revising and sitting exams. All other activities such as healthy eating, sport, exercise, grooming, socialising, etc have had to take a back seat.

I am usually quite an active person and crave the adrenalin rush you get from exercise and sport. So since coming back home, I have been going for morning jogs and been eating more healthily. This has been nicely balanced with late nights and drinking.

Today I went to get a hair cut; so, I went into the west end to get one.

I usually really hate getting my hair cut; it's not something I look forward to and I always end leaving looking worse than when I went in. I am also not a huge fan of the banal chat that you get from the person trusted with the scissors.

Despite this, I got into a conversation with this particular lucky lady.

- "So, are you working at the moment then?" She asked whilst shampooing my hair.
- "No, I'm training as a commercial pilot at the moment."
- "So, what's that then? Flying planes or something?"

Speechless..

Freedom Day 1..

As planned I arrived in London by about lunchtime; within the hour I was in a pub near Paddington St. enjoying some drinks with my friend the Top Cat.

We hadn't seen each other since before christmas, so it was great to catch up. Alot has happened since then; but not for me.

I have been following the progress of the 787 lately on their new site.

787 First Flight

Tomorrow, more fun..

The End of Exams..

Finally, the end of exams came. Yesterday there was a delayed feeling of elation.

Needless to say we went out to celebrate yesterday. We decided that we should mark the occasion with a fancy dress night out. It was very funny to see drunken pilots around oxford dressed as belly dancers, bandits, sailors and robin hood..!

I'm not entirely sure why, but I have woken up very early this morning. I also have a hangover which I know is going to get worse during the day.

I'm expected in London by the afternoon.

This is the fun I've been waiting for..

Exam Conditions..

In the midst of the exam, all I could hear apart from the scratching and clicking of technical pencils, were the faint whispers of people talking.

"Hang on a minute?" I thought; we were in an exam, yet to my surprise, not everyone was adhering to the exam conditions that had been 'imposed'.

One of the invigilators looked up like a startled Meerkat. She searched the room for the source of the noise but failed to identify anyone.

It could clearly be made out, to myself and a number of others that these surruptitious conversations were being carried out in a middle eastern language. I was almost finished by this point and so wasn't too distracted by it all. I got up and left.

One of the other guys came out of the exam room, livid with the conditions that were being allowed to carry on in there. He had found it extremely difficult to concentrate with the level of noise around him. The people talking were a foreign intake class, and not any of ours.

It remains to be seen what will happen..

A Late Arrival..

I came out of the exam room an hour ahead of the designated end time. There were already a few others out. I had finished some time before, but I absolutely can't stand being the first one out of the exam, I will just sit there until someone else I know has finished; that way when I am outside I have someone to talk to.

When I got out, I could hear some of the guys asking about one of our class who hadn't turned up for the exam. I offered to call him, as I had his phone number. I tried but no response; it went to voicemail.

Oh well, there's nothing we could do about it.

Sometime later, we saw him burst into the lounge area. He came straight over, looking very dishevelled as though he had just gotten out of bed. With a gasp, he managed to get out "What do I do?"

I told him to go to the exam room and see what they could do.

Sometime later, he came back looking rather resigned; "I have to take the exam next month."

He had been to see the examiners and The Chief; both of which concluded that he had missed the point at which the exam could be fairly conducted. Luckily for him, he is still a part of our class and has not been recoursed to the class below.

- "So what on Earth happened?" I asked.
- "I overslept..!"

This wasn't the first time..

Two Down, Five to go..

I have just gotten back home from the airport having completed two out of the seven exams that we have to take this week.

I was expecting the questions be worded exactly as they had been in the revision material I have been using. The online revision bank is meant to be the same as the JAA one; this was not the case and the questions were worded slightly differently, with different graphs to use. This would definitely have been a problem if I had just 'learnt' the answers, rather than learning the material.

We had been forwarned by many of the instructors about using 'Bristol' [as it commonly referred to].

It is a good thing I learnt the material throughout and have been using 'Bristol' to round off my knowledge.

I am going to have a quick lunch and then get back to the revision in preparation for tomorrow's single exam..

Tomorrow, They Start..

Tomorrow marks the start of the first set of external JAA ATPL exams; these are the exams which essentially go towards the flying license.

These are the most important ones that the prospective airlines will look at.

I have done as much revision as I can; and now I will have to go for it. I am nervous, but at the same time I feel a real sense of drive and motivation to tackle these exams head on.

A good night's sleep is second to nothing before an exam for me; so it's the end of the day.

Tomorrow begins the trial..

Sleepless Nights..

Yesterday I managed to consume in excess of four cups of fresh coffee in a matter of a few hours. As a result I was feeling very antsy indeed. I struggled to sit at my desk for any length of time; so much so that I had to get out of the house.

I concluded that I would benefit a change of scenery and went to a local Costa Coffee shop to revise from my books. Needless to say, I found myself ordering another coffee.

The rest of the day was equally unproductive.

I tried to get an early night's sleep to make the most of today. Unfortunately I struggled to get to sleep for most of the night; I guess I had had too much coffee over the course of the day.

With the exams tomorrow I am trying to get myself firing on all cylinders for the week's onslaught. I can't wait..

Errands to Run..

Today I had to run an errand; this is quite a big deal considering my life has been confined to revising, eating and sleeping for the past two weeks.

I had spent some time last week trying to sort out the council tax for our house; I had asked the flight school to fax through confirmation that we are students and don't need to pay tax. Today when I called, it turns out that the fax had never been received.

Great, so this meant I had to go and sort it out in person; a welcome excuse to get out of the house.

I arrive at the reception desk at the council tax office. A rather plump, late middle aged woman calls me forward. I explain to her the problem. I hand over the Attendance Letter to her for to photocopy. As she is stood at the photocopier she looks back at me and pauses.

Looking over the top of her glasses she says
- "Really, you don't look like a pilot"

Slightly caught off guard I reply
- "Really, why is that?"
- "You look too casual"
- "Well, we've got exams on at the moment and we are pretty much in solitary confinement..!"

Since the beginning of the intense study period, I have neglected shaving as it eats into valuable revision or sleep time. As a result I have grown a very thick beard over the past few weeks. And seeing as I rarely have to leave the house my long surf hair was rather unkemp.

It's probably a good thing she didn't see that I was wearing my pyjamas under my jeans..

You can also follow me on Twitter[@cadethawk]; if you 'Tweet', or not..

Almost a Week to Go..

Yesterday was a short day of revision; I revised a subject that I was fairly confident with. Rather than really pushing forward, I worked slowly in well thought out way.

By the evening I was very very bored of it all and decided to call it a day fairly early. I managed a nice 12 hours sleep.

Today I am working whilst listening to/watching the Blair Iraq Inquiry. There is quite a lot going on so my revision is going to be fraught with distractions. The BBC are streaming a live stream(1 minute delay) of the Inquiry all day on their website. I wish I was in london and not here revising for these exams..

Back to work..

Stress..

This marks revision day 6. I have lost track of time completely now. There was a point when I knew what day of the week it was; but now having been sat in front of my computer all day for the past few days, I find myself having to check my diary every so often to remind myself.

There has been a slow increase of stress within the house; my housemates have been feeling the increasing pressure as time has gone by with revision schedules slowly slipping further and further by the wayside. One housemate passed his breaking point and returned home as the pressure was beginning to mount.

I'm not sure why, but this level of stress hasn't hit me. It's not as though I am feeling complacent; rather I have been through the practice questions once over already. With still four days of revision to go, I can say I am ahead of the schedule I had set myself. Rather than stress I am becoming increasingly bored with the material.

Despite not having even started the exams, I am well and truly suffering from 'Last Exam Syndrome'; for all of you that have been through university will know exactly what I am talking about. I just want to get them over and done with..

I have ambled my way through another day; there is so little to do in between bouts of revision. Being indoors all day, with no human contact is very very depressing.

I sincerely hope this is not what the flight deck is going to be like..