Someone asked if I was enjoying it. Well it certainly is taxing and sort of satisfying in a way keeping the grey cells in work, but it’s not fun in the sort of way of being down the pub having had a few and then some 🙂

There is a level of difficulty to it but taken in parts there is nothing too complex that an average committed pilot (I guess) would not be able to cope with. However – but – although – mind you – the IR test is a short sector, some of which occurs outside of controlled airspace, so the Nav/RT massively ramps up the workload and does affect your ability to fly, maintain levels, headings etc. The same is true for the CPL.

If there’s one thing that the DA42 falls down on, its the inability (for a trainer) to have a nice A4 kneeboard placed on your lap without interfering with the stick. Your old A5 board is therefore used. Shame then you can’t go paperless and use the G1000.

You’ll see the above remarks borne out in session two from today. Incidentally a rough estimate to-date (inc today) for the IR has been about 14 sim sessions totalling around 24 hours. The course is structured for around 30 sim hours. So scarily I may be but a week away from the DA42 for the remaining 20 hours.

Tuesday 3rd July
Day 11

IR buddy is still away so two sessions for me today. The course is going faster than I expected.

Session 1

A little progress test. More of the same as the past few days. Depart Bristol for a Brecon 1Z SID, vectors back for hold, ILS approach for a go-around, engine failure, vectors back for a NDB DME approach still single-engine.

Of any points to make, again for the first approach I forgot to descend on the procedure passing the initial approach fix. Must have faith in making small changes when close to the ILS localiser or NDB; offset and wait for it to come back. Not doing so led to half scale deflections both right, left then right again. The finals check also includes a clearance Clarence, he tried to catch me out! We’ll also note that the ACA is above the DA, so theoretically you decide about single-engine committal to landing before cloud-break. In reality the examiner will have you flying down to DA.

Session 2

This is where it gets tough! Planned route is Bristol, SID to EXMOR, join the N864 airway, fly north to BCN, then break off the airway routing direct to OF at Filton. There do a hold, an ILS, go-around, engine failure, route West for general handling (two engines) i.e. base-turn/final stall. Then back to Bristol for an NDB DME (single-engine), missed approach and visual circle-to-land.

Apparently this was a test route at Bristol but is at present uncommonly used. I can see why 🙂

So this is simulating really a full test and cobbling the whole routine together. Had to do a full plog, create a CA48 Flight Plan vlaidating it on the CFMU website, research the airway levels using the AIP, print out all the possible terminal plates and this time include the aerodrome plate (having been starting from the hold before now). Headsets must be worn for the first time, to which I discover my DC squashing my swelled head and displacing my specs so affecting focus.

The start is made at Bristol Flight Centre (south side). Monitor ATIS, call Tower for start, shutdown avionics, start, request taxi, move northside crossing the active so it goes on as we are playing on a big boys’ field.

I could labour on about every point that went wrong, but I won’t. A cut to the chase therefore and notes I made from the debrief.

1. The active runway had a tailwind, the ILS if correctly identified would have shown this (not a deliberate challenge but a good lesson learnt).
2. Large altitude excursions, largely resulting I feel from doing other things other than flying e.g. paperwork and radio.
3. RT could be better, will have to delve into CAP413 when I have time and listen to e.g. liveatc.net.
4. Plan for the approach aids on the airway (I secretly dream about using the now-allowed autopilot on this sector)
5. Do pre-descent checks before descending, though I do remember do to them just after!
6. Filton ILS was messy and massively lost the glideslope about 1nm out. I explain that I didn’t know quite where the MAPt was on the plate (Aerad), so all went pear-shaped at a time when I should be devoting max concentration. Turns out the MAPt is inconspicuous so in the future I will highlight it in advance.
7. Planning ahead with the RT should be better. Busy busy aviating and navigating, but also having to sort the boys on the ground with Class G/D/airways trying to get details passed and airspace clearances. That mid-point sector over the Bristol Channel is just too busy with three airfields, two of them having own airspace and each with (at least) their own Approach and Tower frequency. Eeek.

Enjoying it? Well it certainly is taxing and sort of satisfying in a way keeping the grey cells in work, but it’s not fun in the sort of way of being down the pub having had a few and then some 🙂

There is a level of difficulty to it but taken in parts there is nothing too complex that an average committed pilot (I guess) would not be able to cope with. However – but – although – mind you – the IR test is a short sector, some of which occurs outside of controlled airspace, so the Nav/RT massively ramps up the workload and does affect your ability to fly, maintain levels, headings etc. The same is true for the CPL.

If there’s one thing that the DA42 falls down on, its the inability (for a trainer) to have a nice A4 kneeboard placed on your lap without interfering with the stick. Your old A5 board is therefore used. Shame then you can’t go paperless and use the G1000.

You’ll see the above remarks borne out in session two from today. Incidentally a rough estimate to-date (inc today) for the IR has been about 14 sim sessions totalling around 24 hours. The course is structured for around 30 sim hours. So scarily I may be but a week away from the DA42 for the remaining 20 hours.

Tuesday 3rd July
Day 11

IR buddy is still away so two sessions for me today. The course is going faster than I expected.

Session 1

A little progress test. More of the same as the past few days. Depart Bristol for a Brecon 1Z SID, vectors back for hold, ILS approach for a go-around, engine failure, vectors back for a NDB DME approach still single-engine.

Of any points to make, again for the first approach I forgot to descend on the procedure passing the initial approach fix. Must have faith in making small changes when close to the ILS localiser or NDB; offset and wait for it to come back. Not doing so led to half scale deflections both right, left then right again. The finals check also includes a clearance Clarence, he tried to catch me out! We’ll also note that the ACA is above the DA, so theoretically you decide about single-engine committal to landing before cloud-break. In reality the examiner will have you flying down to DA.

Session 2

This is where it gets tough! Planned route is Bristol, SID to EXMOR, join the N864 airway, fly north to BCN, then break off the airway routing direct to OF at Filton. There do a hold, an ILS, go-around, engine failure, route West for general handling (two engines) i.e. base-turn/final stall. Then back to Bristol for an NDB DME (single-engine), missed approach and visual circle-to-land.

Apparently this was a test route at Bristol but is at present uncommonly used. I can see why 🙂

So this is simulating really a full test and cobbling the whole routine together. Had to do a full plog, create a CA48 Flight Plan vlaidating it on the CFMU website, research the airway levels using the AIP, print out all the possible terminal plates and this time include the aerodrome plate (having been starting from the hold before now). Headsets must be worn for the first time, to which I discover my DC squashing my swelled head and displacing my specs so affecting focus.

The start is made at Bristol Flight Centre (south side). Monitor ATIS, call Tower for start, shutdown avionics, start, request taxi, move northside crossing the active so it goes on as we are playing on a big boys’ field.

I could labour on about every point that went wrong, but I won’t. A cut to the chase therefore and notes I made from the debrief.

1. The active runway had a tailwind, the ILS if correctly identified would have shown this (not a deliberate challenge but a good lesson learnt).
2. Large altitude excursions, largely resulting I feel from doing other things other than flying e.g. paperwork and radio.
3. RT could be better, will have to delve into CAP413 when I have time and listen to e.g. liveatc.net.
4. Plan for the approach aids on the airway (I secretly dream about using the now-allowed autopilot on this sector)
5. Do pre-descent checks before descending, though I do remember do to them just after!
6. Filton ILS was messy and massively lost the glideslope about 1nm out. I explain that I didn’t know quite where the MAPt was on the plate (Aerad), so all went pear-shaped at a time when I should be devoting max concentration. Turns out the MAPt is inconspicuous so in the future I will highlight it in advance.
7. Planning ahead with the RT should be better. Busy busy aviating and navigating, but also having to sort the boys on the ground with Class G/D/airways trying to get details passed and airspace clearances. That mid-point sector over the Bristol Channel is just too busy with three airfields, two of them having own airspace and each with (at least) their own Approach and Tower frequency. Eeek.

I can’t stress how behind the aircraft I felt, especially in relation to actual position so as to gauge proximity to CTAs. A tough exercise on the whole!

A good point made afterwards by the MCC instructor and former VC10 FO/RAF sim instructor. When you can, always think “WHAT NEXT?” repeatedly. Pays to stay ahead of the game.

Apparently it was a border-line IRT pass…

The CAA checked it yesterday and have issued a new certificate, do you think they might have missed something? 🙂

Day 8
Thursday 28th June

Another SID from Gatwick, a DME arc at Birmingham followed by a LLZ/DME approach to 05, go-around, engine failure and radar vectors for an ILS to land. All this with turbulence and a 25 knot wind for good measure.

Easy huh? 🙂

The SFD 8W SID was fairly straight-forward, there is only an ILS DME, a VOR and an ADF to tune. Unfortunately the Nav box on the sim cycles through the frequencies at .025khz at a time, so if you need a COM frequency in a hurry, forget it!

05 ILS/DME for Birmingham runway 05
DME arc at Birmingham first, not done one since first time practised them so initially I aimed the aircraft AT the beacon not 90degrees perpendicular to it. A few gentle turns keeps you roughly on the 10nm radius from Honiley VOR, nothing too taxing. The procedure though is fiddly, getting the ILS pre-tuned, identified and set on Nav 1 (which you are using for the arc) means you have to be quick in flipping over, checking and flipping back.

Glideslope fails so just a localiser LLZ/DME approach setting a rate of descent, cross-referencing the distances on the plate against altitudes. On the approach I try to get the gear and flap in earlier, seems a bit better but the power setting is elusive (modelling a PA34-220T). Will try even earlier say 1-1.5DME and holding level until 100knot is seen. A good approach leads to a good landing, but a good configuration leads to a good approach!

Engine failure after the go-around was a bit uggh. Spent too much time being quiet, getting the trim set properly before systems shutdown and thinking, rather than just doing blip-blip-blip methodically.

Single-engine ILS seemed a bit better and I pulled a greaser of a landing.

Approaches though still not within half-scale deflection all the way, as per test requires.

More of the same tomorrow, should also start using faux ATIS and entering onto a plog.

Day 6 Monday 25th

Progress test

The plan is to depart runway 16 at Halfpenny Green, track 270 on the WBA NDB until picking up the 360 track to the SWB Shawbury VOR. Upon approaching Shawbury, I will be vectored onto the southerly runway for an ILS. Then track outbound on the 110 deg radial from SWB back onto 180 QDM direct to Halfpenny Green for a NDB/DME procedure without hold to apporach runway 34. Then circle-to-land on 16.

All goes reasonbly to plan, however this is in Class G airspace so I am largely foxed by picking suitable flight levels based on track, it seems a large faff to keep adjusting your level by 500ft when intercepting a beacon. If you do too many things at once and don’t plan ahead enough, the instrument flying tolerances start to go out.

Tuesday 26th was a day-off, CAA inspection on the sim.