Changing the language to English

I've decided to change the language of my blog from Finnish to English. This is mainly because I want my posts to be easily accessible and understandable to readers from everywhere in the world and because I think that English would suit this blog better.
This also allows me to gain a fair bit of good practise on my English language skills, which are quite essential in the world of aviation.

Since I don't yet have too many blog entries and for the sake of consistency, I will be randomly translating my previous posts. This will of course take a while and I don't plan to rush it.

Bad weather has been a bit of a problem lately and I sure hope that it would be possible to fly on thursday and friday. Well see then :)

Flying continues..!

The long-awaited flight period finally began this week! Last year we managed to fly about the same flights corresponding to the PPL flight training (which includes about 50 hours). Actually just the two last cross-country flights to controlled and uncontrolled aerodromes were all that I didn't get to fly last year because of weather and the beginning of our theory course.
So now we are supposed to continue where we left from. Our flight instructors have made a rehearsal programme to us, which includes one flight in the traffic circuit, one training area excercise, one basic instrument flying excercise and one cross-country flight. Last tuesday I flew the first two of these and now I am qualified to fly solo in traffic circuit and training area again.

Cessna-flights continue! I sure missed these little birds :)

Our CPL flight syllabus includes a total of 185 hours of flying divided into four different phases (not to be confused with the phases in the index I made). Last year we completed phase 1, which included all the flights up to the point where you are qualified to fly your first solo flight. Before the beginning of the theory course, we got almost into what's the end of phase 2. Phase one and two combined match the requirements for the private pilot's licence. So now we're about to enter phase 3, which begins with the familiarisation training to the Cessna 172 and ends to the point where we are ready to begin flying with the Piper Turbo Arrow IV. So phase 4 includes all of the Piper flights.

I bought a nice and handy case for my pilot's logbook :)

However, my course's familiarisation training for the 172 is delayed a bit further and for the meantime we'll continue to fly happily with the 152. Tomorrow, if weather allows, I am about to fly a couple of solo flights. Flying sure feels very exiting after such a long period of theory studying!

CPL theoretical examinations

For the last two days we have been sitting and doing the CPL theoretical examinations at the Finnish CAA, called TraFi. I must say that it hasn't been easy at all.. When you combine the facts that there's a huge load of subjects to master, very little time and a fast pace and the fact that most of the exams and some questions are ridiculous and unfair, it's fairly apparent that this is no easy task. We have students with background from a university (like I do) and universities of applied sciences and everybody agrees that the studies are comparably challenging.

So we had two days to sit through the 13 exams and apparently we were the first course to do the tests with a computer, that randomly selects different questions to each examinee. Most schools don't do the CPL exams at all, since the usual way is to go straight to the ATPL phase after basic theory and flight training. I think doing the CPL first, although it doesn't save time or money, is nice since you get to know the books and subjects before diving to the ATPL exams. I'm no longer afraid of the ATPL since now I know what's ahead, and we are going to have a lot more time sitting through the ATPL theory lessons (about 500 hours compared to 200) and after all, there's really not that much new things in the course compared to CPL theories. I'd say the CPL includes about 75% to 85% of the ATPL subjects.

We'll have to wait a while for the results, but to be honest I am fairly sure that I did not manage to pass them all in one go. The computer generated nothing but complex mathematical questions for me in general navigation and I just didn't have enough time. At least now I know what to do differently in the ATPL. And ATPL is the one that counts. I'm aiming for a first-time pass with at least 90% average.

Flying will start next week with a litte rehearsal flight programme created to us by our flight instructors.

Theoretical exams around the corner...

Tomorrow it begins. In the morning I have to head for the main building of Finnish CAA (TraFi) and do the CPL theoretical examinations. So today is the last day of our studying break and I think I should do some quick rehearsals with the flight computer and answer some random questions from the bank. There's so much to remember and I definitely don't feel ready enough..!

Editing the blog a little...

All right, my training's going well and now I've managed to make this blog a bit nicer. I've changed the layout a bit and I'm going to make some slight changes as soon as I figure something out. I've also finally started adding pictures to my posts and I'm going to add more to all the old writings too when I find suitable ones :)

CPL classroom studies over!

Now I have sat through all the lessons included in the CPL theory course and ahead is a two-week break intended for self-studying before the examinations. They're supposed to be held on the 10th and 11th day of this month after which flying finally continues on monday the 15th. I'm very eager to get back on the saddle of a Cessna!

Today was our last school's theoretical exam in the morning and tomorrow I am going to Joensuu (some 450km away from Helsinki) to spend easter with my girlfirend and her parents. However, it seems my laptop is going with me since I have to do some question bank rehearsals there also. The commercial pilot theory course lasted 17 weeks, of which the two last ones mainly included exams and random lessons related to general things and the beginning of the next flight period.

I now have quite a good feeling about the ATPL theories. After all, we'll have the same books as material, some new subjects and stuff to learn but not too much, over twice the number of hours in classroom and the same question banks. In addition, now I know what to do differently when the ATPL theories start. ATPL's the real deal and I want to get good grades to put in my future CV.

Cloud flying theories at Kotka

Once upon a time my friend from Nummela airfield called and asked if I wanted to take part in a sailplane-related cloud flying theory course that would be held in the city of Kotka. I of course answered yes, since the subject is very interesting, and over 200 hours of CPL-theories surely can't be enough, can it?

Some material. I also got to rehearse some basic gliding theories in addition to new subjects.

The organising party of the course was the Karhula Aviation Club and our teacher was one of the core members of the club and maybe Finland's most diverse aviator guru, Jyrki Laukkanen. He has flight experience from basic wooden open-cockpit Harakka-gliders to Hornet fighter jets and everything in between including more than 170 types flown and from the thousands of total hours over 800 just flying inside clouds in a glider. Whoa!

So, as an addition to a glider pilot's licence, you can get a cloud flying rating, which enables you to fly legally in developing cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds in a glider. The idea is that, when normally you gain altitude rising below a cloud circling in thermals this rating enables you to continue that circling inside the cloud, where the thermal strenghtens and can be over twenty meters per second (yes, we don't use feets per minute in gliders here in Finland). Cloud flying is a very special and wonderful part of gliding being kind of like instrument flying... ...only without the instruments!

There's no artificial horizon and you are supposed to control the plane based on only five instruments, which are the airspeed indicator, altimeter, vertical speed indicator and a combined turn co-ordinator / slip indicator. In addition, since anti and de-icing is nonexistent, each of the instuments become gradually inoperative while flying inside a total void without any visual reference. Naturally, the philosophy of flying here is something totally different than say, in conventional instrument flying with airplanes that have engines. Very incredible and adventurous and totally legal!

So we headed to Kotka to complete the theory course. The theories included eight hours of classroom instruction and four subjects, which were glider instruments in cloud flying, meteorology, human performance and limitations in cloud flying and operational procedures. Alas, there were also four examinations which were not that easy. Many kinds of different aviators were present from 15-year old juniors to airline pilots.

In the free time we hanged out in our hotel at Kotka, went eating at Amarillo restaurant and spend the evening drinking a few pints of beer. In addition, the local young pilots introduced the facilities and gliders at Kymi airfield and we also got access to the wonderful museum situated at the field. Inside were old fighter jets, experimental aircraft and vintage gliders.

All in all a very memorable and nice trip and I sure learned something new! Gotta complete that flying part also. The theories are valid for five years so there's no hurry!