Good day from a Newby South African Student Pilot

Hi everyone, thanks for a great NewsGroup! I have recently started off
my Pilot career(having had a dream to fly for about 20 years)! Well,
with just 19 hours in my brand-new logbook and my first solo-flight
only 3 days ago, I am really excited and ready to go. (I have another
lesson in about 2 hours).

I am doing my PPL at the Lanseria Airport (FALA) just to the west of
Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa and am currently flying with a
little Cessna C150 Commuter. (EGZ - you will find a pic or two on the
web somewhere).

Question 1: Do you guys generally hire and fly or do you try to
acquire your own aircraft once you are ready?

Question 2: Does anyone really benefit from a PC Flight Simulator - I
have done quite a number of hours in mine, but I found that the lack of
rudders in my sim is quite a disadvantage - I am INCREDIBLE lazy with
the rudders - especially when on final and moments after landing.

Something that happened with my first solo: I did three circuits
(Dual) and then dropped my Instructor at the tower. Cleared for Taxi,
did the run-up tests and took off. Was pretty amazed with the power of
the aircraft since the instructor was on the ground. The circuit went
just fine, the approach was very good and the landing was really safe.
And then, a Jackal on the runway! I had to keep myself ready for a
go-around, but luckily it was out of the way in good time. Will never
forget that! What happened with your first solos? Can you still
remember it?

Anyhow, the main objective of this posting was just to say "Hi", I hope
that I will be getting some responses!

Take care and happy flying!

Xonix wrote:
Hi everyone, thanks for a great NewsGroup! I have recently started off
my Pilot career(having had a dream to fly for about 20 years)! Well,
with just 19 hours in my brand-new logbook and my first solo-flight
only 3 days ago, I am really excited and ready to go. (I have another
lesson in about 2 hours).

Congratulations! Welcome to the "club".

Question 1: Do you guys generally hire and fly or do you try to
acquire your own aircraft once you are ready?

Only if you can afford it.

Question 2: Does anyone really benefit from a PC Flight Simulator - I
have done quite a number of hours in mine, but I found that the lack of
rudders in my sim is quite a disadvantage - I am INCREDIBLE lazy with
the rudders - especially when on final and moments after landing.

Get some taildragger time with an instructor. That will teach you how to
use rudder.

Something that happened with my first solo: I did three circuits
(Dual) and then dropped my Instructor at the tower. Cleared for Taxi,
did the run-up tests and took off. Was pretty amazed with the power of
the aircraft since the instructor was on the ground. The circuit went
just fine, the approach was very good and the landing was really safe.
And then, a Jackal on the runway! I had to keep myself ready for a
go-around, but luckily it was out of the way in good time. Will never
forget that! What happened with your first solos? Can you still
remember it?

Now that's memeorable!

On 21 Dec 2004 20:26:30 -0800, "Xonix"
wrote:

Anyhow, the main objective of this posting was just to say "Hi", I hope
that I will be getting some responses!


Hello from the other side of the earth! Sounds like you're on your
way. Work on that rudder control, its important. As far as flight
sims are concerned, for the Private certificate I wouldn't say it adds
much value. It's fun to play with, but don't think if you devote 2
hours a day to it you'll improve alot faster.

Good Luck to you!
z

Greetings from California...nice to hear from the other side of the
world. Congratulations on starting flying lessons.

As for the hire/fly or buy question, I rented for my private pilot
lessons, am still renting for my instrument lessons, but am looking to
partner with someone and buy a plane sometime next year.

Haven't seen a Jackal on the runway before...but we do have foxes that
live on the airport grounds. It seems as though they have figured out
to stay off the big long piece of concrete though :-)

--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL, IA Student, airplane partnership student

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
you will always long to return"
- Leonardo Da Vinci

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

"Xonix" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi everyone, thanks for a great NewsGroup! I have recently started off
my Pilot career(having had a dream to fly for about 20 years)! Well,
with just 19 hours in my brand-new logbook and my first solo-flight
only 3 days ago, I am really excited and ready to go. (I have another
lesson in about 2 hours).

I am doing my PPL at the Lanseria Airport (FALA) just to the west of
Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa and am currently flying with a
little Cessna C150 Commuter. (EGZ - you will find a pic or two on the
web somewhere).

Question 1: Do you guys generally hire and fly or do you try to
acquire your own aircraft once you are ready?


I'm currently at 67.7 hrs total (passed my checkride at 51 Hrs) and I will
continue to rent for the forseable future. The flight school where I
trained has good planes and I like doing business with them.

Dunno if I'll ever be in a position to own my own plane so I'm looking into
flying clubs as a possible avenue to go down in 2005.

Question 2: Does anyone really benefit from a PC Flight Simulator - I
have done quite a number of hours in mine, but I found that the lack of
rudders in my sim is quite a disadvantage - I am INCREDIBLE lazy with
the rudders - especially when on final and moments after landing.

Depends on which simulator and for what it is being used. There are
purpose-built PC sims for IFR training that are worth looking at. Some seem
to think that even FS2004 is ok for working on approaches procedures, ILSs,
etc, but there seems to be a pretty wide-spread opinion that for VFR flight,
FS2004 is not a good idea because of:

-No seat of the pants feel
-No real ability to navigate by looking outside (some parts of the virtual
world are better than others...)
-Not really very accurate physics of flight nor performance (per the real
life C172SP)
-Teaches bad habits (like not looking outside...not using rudders properly)

As far as your own rudder use in real life, have your instructor work the
rudders while you handle the yoke and throttle for some cross wind landings
and takeoffs. First time my instructor and I did this, I thought he was
going to shove his foot through the floor with the amount of rudder he
kicked in at one point. Showed me that you must use all the control
surfaces all the time and actively fly the plane all the way to the ground
(and beyond...) and don't just "be along for the ride."

I almost stuffed us in the weeds on a couple of occasions because I didn't
stay proactive with the rudders in gusty conditions. I've since come to
like the "Rudder Pedal Two Step."

Something that happened with my first solo: I did three circuits
(Dual) and then dropped my Instructor at the tower. Cleared for Taxi,
did the run-up tests and took off. Was pretty amazed with the power of
the aircraft since the instructor was on the ground. The circuit went
just fine, the approach was very good and the landing was really safe.
And then, a Jackal on the runway! I had to keep myself ready for a
go-around, but luckily it was out of the way in good time. Will never
forget that! What happened with your first solos? Can you still
remember it?

My solo was very un-eventful. Three clean circuits and then back to the
ramp with a big, big sh*t eating grin on my face.

A few days later, in the early stages of takeoff, we had to sort of swerve
around a tumbleweed. Not as interesting as a jackal, but it was worth
reporting to the tower.

Good luck with the rest of your training and be sure to drop by
rec.aviation.student for additional flight training discussions.

Jay Beckman
PP-ASEL
Chandler, AZ (USA)







Anyhow, the main objective of this posting was just to say "Hi", I hope
that I will be getting some responses!

Take care and happy flying!

Hello, lucky-one-on-the-summer-side-of-this-planet.

Congratulations with your first solo.

Answer to question 1:
I got sick, tired and very fustrated with hiring and bought my one.
Slightly more expensive but worth it.

Answer to question 2:
Learn to use the rudder, makes flying easier.
I never used a flight simulator, apart from the games were you blow
other aircraft from the virtual sky.

I was also supprised about the performance of the plane on my first
solo, not to mention the hugly improved view without an ugly instructor
in the right seat.
Never met a jackal on the runway, if you mean the four legged version.
We have only the ones with two legs over here.
The only things I ever encountered on a runway were sheep, dogs, holes,
white X-es, a bulldozer, flocks of birds and other aircraft.
Neither one of them ending in a bent plane.

Happy landings,
-Kees

Cheers!!!
It has been nearly 25 years since I was last at Lanseria. My base was
at Rand at Germiston where I flew helicopters for Astra, and fixed wing
for Avex Air across the street.
I believe it was about 1974-5 that so much of the general aviation
moved to Lanseria.
I have no idea of the cost of genav a/c now in SA but many have bought
their own who could afford it. As you will be aware (I hope), density
altitude there can be the deciding factor as to which aircraft you
should get if you carry more than yourself and one.
In my opinion, the simulators are fine for additional training in that
you can do the mental gymnastics required for IFR which is a tremendous
help to knock off the rusty spots. Don't worry about the rudder aspect
in that sense. But as others have mentioned. if you can find someone
with a taildragger to practice in, your feet will quickly get educated
and the experience is invaluable in flying the actual aircraft no
matter what size it is.
I smiled at your mention of the jackal....I have a jackal kaross that I
picked up many years ago. While crop dusting in Moz in the early 70's
for Avex Air with the company called TextAvex, I remember one time
having to make a pass on a remote strip, fire my machinegun out the
storm window to chase off the herd of impala so I could land to put in
the emergency fuel. I suspect few reading this will either believe or
understand what that means.
In any event, if you happen to see Mike Van Ginkle or Nick Turvey (if
they are still alive) at Avex Air please pass on my regards.
Fly safe and have fun in a beautiful country.
Ol Shy & Bashful

Another thing to try that will teach rudder usage...
While flying on a calm day (or early morning/late evening) trim the
aircraft for level flight and take your hands off the yoke.
Use only your feet to turn by pushing the rudder pedals.
You can also experiment with climbing and descending by using only the
rudder pedals.

Question 2: Does anyone really benefit from a PC Flight Simulator - I
have done quite a number of hours in mine, but I found that the lack of
rudders in my sim is quite a disadvantage - I am INCREDIBLE lazy with
the rudders - especially when on final and moments after landing.

Hi Johan, many thanks for taking the time to respond. I will discuss
this with my instructor tomorrow. This morning's rudder-work was not
all that bad - but there is still some co-ordination problems that I
need to get sorted - but I will mention this a little later - or in
another posting. Take care! Ettienne

Hey Zatatime! Thanks for your mail. I guess that the rudder-work is
coming on - maybe I am making too much of an issue of this - and needs
to relax a bit more. See a later posting - on the same subject. . . .