Helicopter Dreams

After a busy month with bad conscience about not finalizing the theory I’m finally done! Spent the last two evenings going through the AGN (Aircraft General Knowledge) part of the book “1000 questions” and then went to the flight theory school this afternoon. I didn’t knew what to expect when I started the exam since I’ve heard from many of my classmates that this was the most tricky test to pass. 35 minutes and 20 questions later I looked into the computer screen with a big smile, “PASSED” it said!

COM (Communication): QT (PASSED) LFV (PASSED)
HP (Human Performance):  QT (PASSED) LFV (PASSED)
AL (Air Law): QT (PASSED) LFV (PASSED)
OP (Operational Procedures): QT (PASSED) LFV (PASSED)
AGN (Aircraft General Knowledge): QT (PASSED) LFV (PASSED)
FPP (Flight Planning & Performance): QT (PASSED) LFV (PASSED)
PF (Principles of Flight): QT (PASSED) LFV (PASSED)
MET (Meteorology): QT (PASSED) LFV (PASSED)
NAV (Navigation): QT (PASSED) LFV (PASSED)

So, here I am, done with all the theory tests, waiting for an examination date. Need to call my instructor for some fresh up flying lessons, feels like ages since I was up there in my “bubble”!

Next step, examination and then we’ll see what happens…maybe I’ll continue with the Commercial Pilot Licence course that starts early summer 2009, why stop half the way?

Now I’ll get a plastic bag and put all my books in there for a while….nice!

I passed the Navigation test today so the status on the theory now is:

COM (Communication): QT (PASSED) LFV (PASSED)
HP (Human Performance):  QT (PASSED) LFV (PASSED)
AL (Air Law): QT (PASSED) LFV (PASSED)
OP (Operational Procedures): QT (PASSED) LFV (PASSED)
AGN (Aircraft General Knowledge): QT (PASSED) LFV (NOT DONE)
FPP (Flight Planning & Performance): QT (PASSED) LFV (PASSED)
PF (Principles of Flight): QT (PASSED) LFV (PASSED)
MET (Meteorology): QT (PASSED) LFV (PASSED)
NAV (Navigation): QT (PASSED) LFV (PASSED)

I’m waiting on a date for examination, scaaary! Just one more !”/#* test to pass, also the worst one, Aircraft General Knowledge. It’s easy to motivate your self though when you know that you’re soon done with the PPL(H).

Last friday I left work a bit earlier and headed for Bromma airport where I met up with Jon, my instructor. Knowing that we were going to fly for about 2,5 hours we had to leave as soon as possible to reach our destination before sunset. Our destination was a small village called Älandsbro to visit two friend (Janne och Micke) from the flight school. My flight plan worked well and the flight up there was pretty calm, UNTIL the low-fuel light wanted to tell us something! We had noticed a bit earlier that something strange was going on with the fuel gauge, it was jumping back and forth. The good news was that we only had a short distance left and that our friends had met up with us in the air in their almost brand new R44.

After an exiting end of the trip up there, we had a delicious dinner at Jannes house. Can you imagine a better after work, a beautiful flight over an autumn landscape, followed by a nice dinner and some bottles of red wine and a long discussion about helicopters…of course? Ahhh!

On saturday we inspected the hangar Janne and Micke were building before we flew to Sundsvall airport to visit a flight event that was going on there. I flew solo from Älandsbro to Sundsvall. After a hamburger in Sundsvall we said goodbye to our friends and headed back to Stockholm and Bromma airport.

After this weekend I’m more or less done with my flying before examination, can you imagine! I still have these 2 shitty theory tests left before I can do that though. Have to quit writing now and start study! I will add some photos and videos from the trip later on.

Accumulated flight time: 44.4 hours

080913 Flight time: 3.3 hours
080912 Flight time: 3.0 hours

FINALLY! Bell Helicopters have applied for a patent (CRASH ATTENUATION SYSTEM FOR AIRCRAFT) using an advanced system of airbags under the helicopter to minimize the impact when crashing the helicopter.

Really strange that no one have done this before. Would be interesting to see the tests of the airbag, I wonder where they got the kamikaze pilots to try it out!

The plan was to do a long distance navigation to Stockholm/Skavsta airport today, BUT, the weather wasn’t good enough so I did some solo flying north of the Bromma Control Zone, practising some take-offs and landings.

I got an interesting call from the Swedish Rescue Services today who wanted to send me to Haiti, on behalf of the Red Cross, to set up some radio and IT communications equipment in the worst affected areas from the hurricanes that passed earlier this week. I’m right now sorting out the practical issues so we’ll see tomorrow what happens. If I go I have to leave on Thursday, so I guess I, one more time, have a reason to postpone my theory studies

Accumulated flight time: 38.1 hours

080902 Flight time: 1.0 hours

So I passed the Meteorology test today so the status on the theory now is:

COM (Communication): QT (PASSED) LFV (PASSED)
HP (Human Performance):  QT (PASSED) LFV (PASSED)
AL (Air Law): QT (PASSED) LFV (PASSED)
OP (Operational Procedures): QT (PASSED) LFV (PASSED)
AGN (Aircraft General Knowledge): QT (PASSED) LFV (NOT DONE)
FPP (Flight Planning & Performance): QT (PASSED) LFV (PASSED)
PF (Principles of Flight): QT (PASSED) LFV (PASSED)
MET (Meteorology): QT (PASSED) LFV (PASSED)
NAV (Navigation): QT (PASSED) LFV (NOT DONE)

Will start to study for the last two during the weekend. Just want to get rid of them now!

Had a shitty day yesterday including the Meteorology test (for LFV) that I failed with one point after changing some of my my answers before finishing, NEVER do that! The process if you fail that test is that you have to write a MET test back at the theory school before you can write for LFV again, bah! Did that test today after my solo flight and had a jackpot 21/21 points, so I signed up for the test at LFV tomorrow, please!

Today was a better day. Made a long distance navigation from Bromma airport via Västerås and Eskilstuna airport and then back to Bromma, a trip of about 2 hours. It was good practice, much activity in the air, a bit turbulent, some parts with a bit difficult navigation. Here’s my track:

Visa större karta

So now I have 6.6 hours of solo flight, need 3.4 more hours! We’ll see if I can work on that tomorrow.

Accumulated flight time: 37.1 hours

080827 Flight time: 1.8 hours

Everything was planned when I arrived at the flight school this morning and the weather looked good (at least at Bromma airport). The plan was to do a long navigation solo Bromma - Västerås - Eskilstuna - Bromma (about 2 hours flight). BUT (to many BUTs when flying) the weather around Västerås wasn’t that good so we had to cancel it.

Instead we went south for some challenges, autorotations, spot landings etc. Tried to find one of the spot landings that I made on Google maps, one of the most difficult so far, but I couldn’t

Long navigation on wednesday instead I hope! BUT, before that I have the LFV test in Meteorology tomorrow, so I really have to study tonight.

Accumulated flight time: 35.3 hours

080825 Flight time: 1.1 hours

Had a great day in the air today. Before lunchtime I prepared my flightplan for Norrtälje airport (ESSN) and went away on the first solo flight of the day. As the last time I felt very relaxed and pretty much everything worked as I wanted it to do, and even if I haven’t been in that area before my navigation seemed to work since I managed to get back again

Here’s my track:

Visa större karta

After a break for lunch I was a bit short of time to do the other solo navigation to Västerås and Eskilstuna since Bromma closes at 5 PM. Insted I went out for some solo flying in Bromma contol area to get familiar with all the entry and exit point around the airport.Had a close encounter (not that close but anyway) with a small Cessna that apparently didn’t see me. Lessons learned from that is that it’s sometimes hard to see the traffic around and when flying in different directions everything happens very fast.

More flying next week, BUT, now I have to focus on the last theory tests, have to study tomorrow!

Accumulated flight time: 34.2 hours

080823 Flight time: 1.2 + 0.8 hours

Started my day with a coffee and some flight planning at home. Wanted to be really prepared for my first long distance solo flight…OK for me it was long distance, about 1 hours flight from Bromma airport to Trosa airport. Here was my track:

Visa större karta

I felt really relaxed during the whole flight, that was great! To celebrate I picked up Jon (my instructor) and we flew to Troxhammars golf course for some meat loaf and some bullshit talking. Spent the rest of the afternoon by practicing some autorotations, spot landings in a bit turbulent air south of Bromma.

Tomorrow I have a day off, no flying, but I will prepare a flight plan for Friday when I’m going to fly solo from Bromma to Norrtälje.

Accumulated flight time: 32.2 hours

080820 Flight time: 2.5 hours