Over the last couple of weeks I've been given some time to work on refreshing my instrument rating. The aircraft at the FTC mostly have conventional instrumentation, in contrast to the Kapiti aero club aircraft which were equipped with glass cockpits. This means you have to do a bit more thinking to work out what all the dials are telling you regarding where you are and where you are going. Also, I learned how to navigate using an NDB (an old-fashioned long-distance radio aid which are mostly being decommissioned in Australia and New Zealand, but still quite prevalent in Africa). Of course the whole idea in doing this is that you can fly without being able to see out the window!
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| Day flight to Chillagoe, partly in cloud. I am wearing 'foggles' to limit my field of view to the instrument panel. Nick (back seat) came along to observe, as he will soon be starting his instrument rating training. |
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| Flying the Cairns ILS approach by night |
And for something a little different, yesterday I went flying with Neil in his Cessna 180. As you will notice it is a taildragger. Like the Piper Cub that I used to fly (but with about five times the horsepower!)
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