Well, what can I say? Thanks very much mate, I’m very flattered. 😀

From the left hand seat perspective, throughout the flight I was very aware of the fact that I was flying the thing more professionally than I usually do. Little things, like constant trim adjustments, keeping the aeroplane within 50 feet of my nominated height, running through the PFL and pre-landing drills as we flew our ‘approach’ in to Gravely, putting a call out to ‘Wyton traffic’ to keep everyone informed of who we were and where we were, doing my FREDA checks and explaining what I was doing and why. I just felt very switched on throughout the trip, very conscious of the fact that I had to get it right because this time it wasn’t just MY ass on the line….

And on reflection, I learned a hell of a lot on Saturday. Having someone on board who a) already knows a little about how it all works, b) has a high degree of enthusiasm, and c) has an apparently high level of trust in me, really made it less hard work than it could have been. So muchos creditos to you too mate.

Having a plan helped too – the solo flights I’ve done post-PPL have been out of Cambridge, bimble over to ‘A’, and then bimble back again. Always with a route marked on the map, always with waypoints planned, always with the log sheet filled out, always with frequency changes pre-planned. Saturday was no different, and the PFF Tour (which I’ll explain in a seperate thread to everyone else when I get home and get the photo’s downloaded tonight) I think just added to the sense of purpose. Yes, it’s fun to fly, but aimless chugging around gets a bit tedious after a while, which is why many PPL’s get their licence, get bored, and then let it lapse. Which is a shame. It’s also why I’ll probably be making a call to Clacton later today to book my Cub course – stops me getting bored with the whole flying thing.

Anyway, glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for being Passenger #1 on YoungyAir flight #1. If the rest of ’em are as easy to fly as you were, it’ll be a breeze. I just hope the bird enjoys herself when she comes up with me on Thursday. Bonjour Calais… 😉