You may, or may not, be wondering where I've been. The weather has been good and there have been plenty of flying opportunities, yet my blog remains inactive for a couple weeks.
The main reason is that my mother was visiting from overseas and I didn't want to waste any of the short time I would have with her off flying or on the computer. We enjoyed all of the great weather we had and I even got her to go up with my husband for a flight to Pauanui where they had a nice lunch.
I'll be back to flying soon, got to go and get my medical and T-up my next exam. I passed the Law exam I took, no worries...funny story, my husband and I got the same mark on that one!
Hope everyone else is enjoying the spring weather!
Showing posts with label exams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label exams. Show all posts
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Aviation Law Exam
I couldn't think of a witty or exciting title for this blog...possibly because there's nothing witty or exciting about studying aviation law.
Tomorrow I have to sit my Law exam. The reading for this exam has been particularly brutal - even less interesting than Aircraft Tech. All I can do is read it through and hope to memorise enough information (there really is no comprehension needed to pass this exam) to pass the exam.
It's been a short turn around since the last exam, only two weeks. That's good though, it means I've had less time to agonize about getting through the book and that I've just had to push myself (and my husband) to read the chapters and do the reviews.
My next exams will be Meteorology and Navigation - both of which will require a concerted effort in studying, and perhaps some tuition from one of the instructors to help get me through. Hopefully I'll catch on quickly and actually enjoy the subjects!
Tomorrow I have to sit my Law exam. The reading for this exam has been particularly brutal - even less interesting than Aircraft Tech. All I can do is read it through and hope to memorise enough information (there really is no comprehension needed to pass this exam) to pass the exam.
It's been a short turn around since the last exam, only two weeks. That's good though, it means I've had less time to agonize about getting through the book and that I've just had to push myself (and my husband) to read the chapters and do the reviews.
My next exams will be Meteorology and Navigation - both of which will require a concerted effort in studying, and perhaps some tuition from one of the instructors to help get me through. Hopefully I'll catch on quickly and actually enjoy the subjects!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
FRTO
Yesterday I sat my 3rd theory exam - Flight Radio Telephony Operator. I feel very positive about the exam - if there's one thing I know how to do, it's talk. And using the radio is all about talking. Although there are some confusing rules, the overall thing is to be clear, concise, and accurate and to use the proper terms associated with radio communications.
As a student, you start using the radio early on to make basic calls and as you progress with your flying skills, you begin to make more and more of your radio calls yourself. You get a good idea of what calls need to be made and what to say by listening to your instructor making calls for you when you're too busy learning to fly the plane.
For me, I think the fact that I've been using the radio and hearing other people's radio calls for some time now helped me with the written exam. I think it must be much harder to pass the written exam with no practical learning behind you in this case. While I was studying for and doing the exam, I would imagine in my head that it was a real person making a radio call - what they sounded like, what the pace of their speech was and how I would respond (including my tone of voice and pace). Imagining voices in my head seems a bit weird, but whatever works, right?
Other than studying for my exam, I have not been doing anything towards my flying. There was a weather system approximately the size of Australia moving over our little country and it took it's time. We had gale force winds, thunder, lightning, and hale - certainly not conditions to be out flying!
As a student, you start using the radio early on to make basic calls and as you progress with your flying skills, you begin to make more and more of your radio calls yourself. You get a good idea of what calls need to be made and what to say by listening to your instructor making calls for you when you're too busy learning to fly the plane.
For me, I think the fact that I've been using the radio and hearing other people's radio calls for some time now helped me with the written exam. I think it must be much harder to pass the written exam with no practical learning behind you in this case. While I was studying for and doing the exam, I would imagine in my head that it was a real person making a radio call - what they sounded like, what the pace of their speech was and how I would respond (including my tone of voice and pace). Imagining voices in my head seems a bit weird, but whatever works, right?
Other than studying for my exam, I have not been doing anything towards my flying. There was a weather system approximately the size of Australia moving over our little country and it took it's time. We had gale force winds, thunder, lightning, and hale - certainly not conditions to be out flying!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Exam News and Crosswind Circuits
I finally found out the results from my Aircraft Tech exam this morning. Happily, I passed. And I even did better than "just pass", I had a good margin between me and being a failure.
The uncertainty surrounding the results is one of those things that reminds me I don't know everything and this whole learning to fly thing is actually a challenge. I don't know everything...far from it. My excellent memory is used up with all sorts of information not related to flying - my husband and children's birthdays, the recipe for a delicious lamb soup, and my mother's phone number...all very important, but totally unrelated. Time to start those neurons firing again and making room for more, flying related, memories!
Speaking of flying. I went for a very short lesson yesterday. Just 0.4 hours (24 minutes). We stopped because of the unpredictable gusty crosswind. I did the first circuit all myself, but let's just say my execution of the crosswind technique the instructor was walking me through left a bit to be desired...or so I thought! On the next circuit, I got everything all set up and let the instructor demonstrate a crosswind landing that was similar to the one I just did. We did a full stop and decided to give it a rest as, truth be told, it was out of my league at this point in time (I believed the instructor when he told me he really had to work at the landing).
I may or may not get airborne today. The plane and instructor are off on a cross country lesson. They left a bit later than planned and the sky is much greyer than it was when they took off. Sometimes the only thing to do with flying is wait and see.
The uncertainty surrounding the results is one of those things that reminds me I don't know everything and this whole learning to fly thing is actually a challenge. I don't know everything...far from it. My excellent memory is used up with all sorts of information not related to flying - my husband and children's birthdays, the recipe for a delicious lamb soup, and my mother's phone number...all very important, but totally unrelated. Time to start those neurons firing again and making room for more, flying related, memories!
Speaking of flying. I went for a very short lesson yesterday. Just 0.4 hours (24 minutes). We stopped because of the unpredictable gusty crosswind. I did the first circuit all myself, but let's just say my execution of the crosswind technique the instructor was walking me through left a bit to be desired...or so I thought! On the next circuit, I got everything all set up and let the instructor demonstrate a crosswind landing that was similar to the one I just did. We did a full stop and decided to give it a rest as, truth be told, it was out of my league at this point in time (I believed the instructor when he told me he really had to work at the landing).
I may or may not get airborne today. The plane and instructor are off on a cross country lesson. They left a bit later than planned and the sky is much greyer than it was when they took off. Sometimes the only thing to do with flying is wait and see.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
My Week of Illness and Impatience 23/8-27/8
So I really must have over-extended myself on Saturday and then on Sunday I just went about my normal life without a thought to taking it easy or recovering. Come Monday, I started to pay the price. Whatever illness I thought I was over left me vulnerable and I caught something new and nastier. I don't think I've ever had such blocked sinuses before - it hurt to touch my forehead on Wednesday!
So between being sick myself, and taking care of a baby who is also not feeling flash, I didn't get out of the house much or do much. This left me with a lot of time to think. To think about my exam and become impatient about finding out my results so I can move on. Yes, mostly I am anxious to move on from Aircraft Technical Knowledge for the time being (pass or fail).
If I've passed, I won't have to give it much more thought. I mean, I will have to go over the missed questions with our B Cat sometime before I'm granted my PPL but that's a long way away. If I've failed (shock, horror, gasp!) I'm still going to move on from the subject for now and focus on the Radio Operator exam next; I will have to bite the bullet and revisit Aircraft Tech later on when I've gotten over my humiliation.
The testing agency tells you it will take them 7 days to mark your exam. I'm not sure why this is as it's simply 20 multiple choice questions. It's been 6 days since the exam and I was hoping the results would have been posted now. They're not. Another weekend of impatient waiting, I guess...
So between being sick myself, and taking care of a baby who is also not feeling flash, I didn't get out of the house much or do much. This left me with a lot of time to think. To think about my exam and become impatient about finding out my results so I can move on. Yes, mostly I am anxious to move on from Aircraft Technical Knowledge for the time being (pass or fail).
If I've passed, I won't have to give it much more thought. I mean, I will have to go over the missed questions with our B Cat sometime before I'm granted my PPL but that's a long way away. If I've failed (shock, horror, gasp!) I'm still going to move on from the subject for now and focus on the Radio Operator exam next; I will have to bite the bullet and revisit Aircraft Tech later on when I've gotten over my humiliation.
The testing agency tells you it will take them 7 days to mark your exam. I'm not sure why this is as it's simply 20 multiple choice questions. It's been 6 days since the exam and I was hoping the results would have been posted now. They're not. Another weekend of impatient waiting, I guess...
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Exam 2 & Lesson 09
On Saturday, I sat my Aircraft Technical Knowledge exam and had a flying lesson. A bit crazy looking back on it as I was absolutely exhausted afterwards.
The exam was difficult. I won't lie, the internal workings of in line and radial piston engines don't hold much interest for me so studying was probably a bit sparse considering my learning curve. I will just wait and see the results when they're posted next week and be happy with a passing mark.
After the exam, despite feeling a bit brain dead, I went up for a lesson in the circuit. The lesson was Engine Failure After Take Off - you know what to do if for some reason the engine cuts out when you're a mere few hundred feet off the ground. So, how do you practice that? Well, you begin your circuit with a nice take off and at some point on the climb out the instructor pulls back the throttle, now you have to recover and get the plane flying toward a suitable landing site without power. Right. The first time we did it, I was a bit blonde and recovered by putting the throttle back in (right answer when doing a go around which feels similar in that you have no power on but you want to fly again, but wrong answer if there is no power available like on an EFATO). It took me a couple tries with the instructor feeding me my "lines" to get it right and not reach for the power. Next lesson we are going to have to do a few more of these and then add in the bit about glide approach to landing...
Good news is, my landing set up is getting a lot better and I was actually lining up the runway well despite a cross-wind. The cross-wind was making getting the plane onto the ground a lot different and I'm sure I'll appreciate learning the cross-wind technique once we get to it.
The exam was difficult. I won't lie, the internal workings of in line and radial piston engines don't hold much interest for me so studying was probably a bit sparse considering my learning curve. I will just wait and see the results when they're posted next week and be happy with a passing mark.
After the exam, despite feeling a bit brain dead, I went up for a lesson in the circuit. The lesson was Engine Failure After Take Off - you know what to do if for some reason the engine cuts out when you're a mere few hundred feet off the ground. So, how do you practice that? Well, you begin your circuit with a nice take off and at some point on the climb out the instructor pulls back the throttle, now you have to recover and get the plane flying toward a suitable landing site without power. Right. The first time we did it, I was a bit blonde and recovered by putting the throttle back in (right answer when doing a go around which feels similar in that you have no power on but you want to fly again, but wrong answer if there is no power available like on an EFATO). It took me a couple tries with the instructor feeding me my "lines" to get it right and not reach for the power. Next lesson we are going to have to do a few more of these and then add in the bit about glide approach to landing...
Good news is, my landing set up is getting a lot better and I was actually lining up the runway well despite a cross-wind. The cross-wind was making getting the plane onto the ground a lot different and I'm sure I'll appreciate learning the cross-wind technique once we get to it.
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