What does this have to do with me, you might ask? A lot, it turns out.
After flying exclusively within the Recreational Aviation Australia (RAAus) sphere (i.e. aircraft with numbers on the side, rather than letters), there now was the opportunity to bring that aeronautical experience and credentials across and qualify for a Recreational Pilots Licence (RPL). Prior to this, I'd held a Recreational Pilots Certificate. If the naming convention is confusing you, don't fret - you're not alone!
There were a few limitations associated with the Pilot Certificate that weren't a big issue when flying from somewhere like Ballarat. However, moving to Moorabbin for work means that I'd have to travel a long way away from work (which is actually at an airport!) in order to fly. Why? Moorabbin is a controlled airport - there is a tower there and a pilot must be qualified in order to speak with the controllers. This option is not offered in the RAAus stream.
Under Part 61 and its new RPL, converting consisted of some comparatively straightforward paperwork, paying some fees, and one or two check flights with an instructor. If I was a student pilot, the RPL would be a test - however as I already have the experience in RAAus it's more of a check than a test. I could then also optionally qualify for a Controlled Airspace and Controlled Aerodrome endorsements. This would then unlock the rest of Australia's airspace - including Moorabbin! The aircraft types I can fly expand too - previously an upper limit of 600 kilograms, under an RPL I can fly an aircraft of up to 1500 kilograms. This greatly expands the aircraft types I could potentially fly.
So, in February of 2016 I set out to obtain an RPL. I had discovered that a little two seat trainer over at Avia Aviation was available. It was a quirky and out-there design with many technological advances compared to the Tecnam or Jabiru. Called the Liberty XL2, it was a rare certified piston aircraft with a full FADEC engine (Full Authority Digital Engine Control...or what is in practically every car today!). The computer (two of them, actually) constantly monitors engine parameters and works out the best settings, based on the desired power level set by the pilot.
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| The Liberty XL2 |
There were many aspects of the Liberty that were very closely related to the Tecnam Sierra. Low wing, bubble canopy, floor mounted control stick, conventional instrumentation. It also had some things I'd never had before; two radios, a modern GPS and a free-castering nosewheel. On the ground, the aircraft was steered with two finger-operated brake handles mounted on the centre console. Very different indeed.
In the air, it flew beautifully. Over the previous few months, it had received a reputation of being very difficult to land. Granted, it was much faster on final than the Sierra, but near to the ground it was very similar. All I had to do was treat it as the Sierra with a little less flap deployed and I had very little troubles while learning to land it.
I took a couple of flights to get used to the aircraft and Moorabbin procedures in general. It was a distinct advantage working on the airport, as I could listen to the tower frequency as I worked at my desk. Listening to how things worked when it was all working well was one thing, but the biggest eye-opener is when things aren't going so well. Whether the wind can't decide which way it wants to blow from, or a student pilot has muddled up their radio call, or even an experienced pilot doesn't follow instructions and turns at the wrong time - hearing how these scenarios played out gave me much better confidence to speak to the tower staff. A visit to the tower cab also helped a lot - to put faces to the disembodied voices heard on the radio was a great help. Something I wish more pilots get a chance to do.
A couple of weeks after completing the paperwork for the two check-flights (both including a stop and go at Essendon airport), I received my Part 61 licence in the mail. I was officially a GA pilot! Really enjoying my new-found aircraft, I began getting into it and starting to get to its ins and outs better.
On my birthday, I took my friend Shane for a local flight around the Mornington Peninsula. It was an overcast morning, but despite this it was perfectly smooth and a wonderful flying day.
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| Next in line! |
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| A little bit of cloud to keep clear of. |
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| Really starting to feel comfortable with this aircraft! |
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| Frankston Pier |
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| Cleared for a straight-in approach! |
Unfortunately, it turns out that the aircraft being readily available also meant that I was (nearly) the only client regularly renting it! The decision was then made to sell it. Even more unfortunate for me was the fact it sold quite quickly. It was a heck of a capable aircraft for the money!
So, once again I was on the lookout for an aircraft to fly.
I dabbled with Aeroprakt's latest model, the A32 Vixxen...but I never really felt as comfortable with it as I did with the Liberty or even the Tecnam Sierra.
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| The A32 Vixxen |
When a secondment came up in my work to administer Avia's flying school operations, I moved across to their building. Avia are Australia's largest operators of Cirrus aircraft - arguably, the most advanced and beautifully designed GA aircraft around today. After settling into the role, the time was right to also begin my Cirrus Transition training; which consists of an online course, some simulator training and several flights. All Cirrus aircraft come standard with a complete airframe parachute in the event of a catastrophic event - a very nice 'Plan C' to have up one's sleeve!
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| The sleek lines of the Cirrus SR20. |
Add to this feature, niceties like leather seats, tinted windows and.... AIR Freakin' CONDITIONING!!! The best invention in aviation ever! No longer does one have to perspire within a human-sized terrarium under the blazing sun. Engine start, air con on. Brilliant.
Tipping the scales at a little over a ton and being so smooth and slippery through the air presented some challenges for me. Firstly, it's quite a bit faster in almost every phase of flight. Climb out is 85-90 knots, versus 60-70 in the Tecnam. Cruise is around 135-140 knots versus the Tecnam's 100 (105 if I was lucky). Final approach is 85 knots, coming back to 78 knots over the fence. Contrast this to the Tecnam, which was 60. It did take some getting used to. Thankfully though, the training took me through the circuit standard operating procedures in great detail.
The Garmin Perspective avionics make all sorts of tasks really easy - from entering your flight plan to working out which taxiway you're currently on. That's if you know where to find the information! To my rescue came Avia's excellent simulator, where I'd slip in before work and practice some circuits and a short nav. I flew one or two extra circuit sessions in the real aircraft, just to consolidate the new skills I'd learnt.
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| The instrument panel is modern and clean, with design cues taken from the automotive industry. |
I elected to take a couple of extra circuit flights with a workmate aboard, just to make sure I didn't mess any operating procedures up. After one or two of those flights, I felt comfortable enough to strike out on my own. So, in November I flew a Cirrus SR20 solo.
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| Two thumbs up for a successful solo flight - I think the aircraft is even reusable! |
One little surprise that I noticed while entering my solo Cirrus flight into my logbook - I passed 100 hours as pilot in command!
One more small milestone in the journey.
* For overseas readers (or, for that matter, those born in the >2000's): In Australia, there is a famous non-alcoholic drink made by Claytons that has entered our vernacular to refer to near reproductions of other things. Even though the ad hasn't been on TV for many years.
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