Medium Level Turning

After two failed attempts at lessons last week (stupid weather), today I was back for a lesson on Medium Level Turns.

Medium level turns are the most basic and commonly used type of turn.

Elements of a medium level turn:

• Constant height
• 30 degree angle of bank
• Balance

When an aircraft flies, two of the main forces acting on it are lift (up) and weight (down).
When in a medium level turn, the lift force is tilted so it is no longer equal to the weight.

When turning, there are three main things to remember:

• Bank
• Backpressure
• Balance

Banking the plane moves it into a turn. The angle of bank for a medium level turn is about 30 degrees. When banking, the nose will start to drop and the plane will lose height. In order to maintain height, slight backpressure must be placed on the control column to keep the nose raised (increasing the angle of attack). During the turn the aircraft needs to be balanced with the rudder - when in balance, the ball on the turn indicator will be between the two lines.

When entering and during the turn, the work cycle ALAP has to be used:

• A - attitude
• L - lookout
• A - attitude
• P - performance

After the briefing, Jeremy told me to head out and preflight the plane and he'd follow in about 5 minutes. I wandered out to the plane and tried to remember what I'd been taught last lesson about preflighting a plane. I remembered to check the stall indicator (a small hole on the wing that you need to suck on to see if it whistles), the brakes, the flaps (bolts), the ailerons (movement and bolts), the elevator (movement and bolts), rudder (bolts) and checked the prop and the oil. The main thing I forgot was to check the fuel - to do that, you use a little tube to take some fuel from both the wing tanks and check that there is no water or anything in there. I felt pretty professional, walking around checking the plane!

We then climbed in and I got to do the startup. I ran through the checks, called 'Clear prop!' and started the plane. I taxiied us to the runway, ran through the next checks and gave up control for the takeoff.

After takeoff I got to take over the climb (I had mentioned during the briefing that I wanted to go over climbing & descending again). Even in that short time, climbing became so much clearer. I'll see how I go over the next few lessons, and I might still ask for another lesson devoted to climbing & descending.

Jeremy then demonstrated a left turn. First you lookout - in the opposite direction, in front then in the direction of the turn. Then is the turn - banking and applying backpressure and checking balance. We did a 360 degree turn back to a town that was the 'reference point' - when back to the town we rolled out of the turn. He then demonstrated again and then showed me some common faults of students when turning and what they would feel like.

Then it was my turn. It was (as usual it seems) harder than it looks, it definitely needed more backpressure on the stick than I expected. When turning left, the nose is just above the horizon. When I turned the first time, I totally forgot to look before turning - I remembered during the turn. After the turn Jeremy was like 'Just one criticism - you didn't look at all before the turn'. I was like 'haha oops, yeah'. I made sure I looked before every other turn! I did a few more left turns and it definitely got easier to maintain the height after a few tries.

Then we went through right turns. These are harder as I'm on the 'high' side of the plane so it's much harder to look out for other traffic. Jeremy demonstrated a few times and then it was my turn. When doing a right turn, the nose is quite a bit below the horizon, much further down than I expected. It was also a lot harder to look out, although I made sure I did so this time!

After a few more turns in each direction, it was time to head back. I got to go through descending again, although I still feel a bit vague on it. Jeremy did the landing and I taxiied us back and did the shutdown checks.

It is interesting, after last lesson I had lost some of my enthusasism for flying lessons but after today that enthusiasm is back. It's amazing how much difference someone's teaching style can make for my learning and enjoyment of lessons. I think I was lucky to end up with an instructor who's style works for me from my first lesson - now I just have to hope Jeremy doesn't dash off and join the airlines or something!

My next lesson is on Friday, and our mission is climbing & descending turns. Jeremy calls lessons 'missions' which amuses me no end, as it makes it sound like we're off to bomb Germany or something rather than just flying around Lilydale!

Climbing & Descending

Today I learnt about climbing & descending. When I arrived I found out that Jeremy was doing theory with someone, so today I was going to fly with Murray.

First we went through the theory behind a climb. A climb is, unsurprisingly, when the aircraft climbs up to a higher altitude. To do this, the thrust created by the propellor must exceed the drag created by the rest of the plane.

When entering a climb, first the power must be increased to full, the nose must be raised into a climb altitude, the plane moves into a climb speed (around 75kts) and then the plane must be trimmed. Like last week, we used PAST - power, attitude, speed, trim. When moving from a climb into a straight & level cruise, we use ASPT - attitude, speed, power, trim. The attitude should be around '3 fingers' - 3 fingers between the nose of the plane and the horizon - speed should be around 90kts, power to 2900rpm and then trim the plane.


The most commonly used climb is the 'best rate' climb, which is where the plane moves at the best speed, which is around 75-80kts. The 'cruise climb' is used where the pilot wants to cover a long distance and only gain a small amount of height - the speed for this is about 85kts. The 'best angle' climb is used where the pilot wants to gain a large amount of height over a short distance - such as when there are trees at the end of the runway (for example) - the speed for this is about 70kts.

Descending is, unsurprisingly, basically the opposite of climbing - going down! When descending at 70kts (known as the minimum rate of descent), the aircraft loses less altitude per minute. When descending at 80kts, the aircraft travels further but descends more quickly. When descending and then entering a straight & level flight, we use PAST again. Before reducing power, we put the carb heat on so the engine stays warm. The power is put at 1800-2000rpm. The attitude is '4 fingers' - 4 fingers between nose and horizon. The speed is 75kts. When moving into a straight & level cruise, the power is put up to 3000rpm, the speed is 90kts and the attitude is '3 fingers'.

We then headed out to the plane and this time I started learning how to physically check the plane before flight. Before flight, you do a walk around to check that all the parts are there and that there are no dings. Important parts to have - wings (2), wheels (3), tail (1), rudder (1), elevator (1), ailerons (2), flaps (2) and a prop. When doing the walk around, you check that all the moving parts are mvoing property and that all the important bolts are there. The fuel and brakes also need to be checked.

Getting in, I got to go through the checklist to start the plane. I managed to find pretty much all the switches and get through it, so I guess I can say I started the plane today!

Take off was the first time I noticed a large difference between Murray's teaching style and Jeremy's. Murray insisted that I keep my hands and feet on the controls at all times, even when he was in control. It was actually good to get an idea about how the controls feel during takeoff, which will make it a lot easier when it comes from me to learn to take off.

During the flight we went through climbing & descending at different speeds. When I fly with Jeremy, he does a full demonstration of what to do and then I take control and try. I like that approach because it gives me a full picture of what I'm trying to acheive and what effect it will have on the plane. Today, I didn't get a demonstration, instead I was given each command separately ('increase the power to 3000rpm', 'raise the nose') and it was a lot harder to work out what I was trying to do because I didn't have the overall picture. Also, by having a demonstration beforehand I can get an idea of attitudes, and where the horizon should be on the windscreen before I have to try. Today I didn't have that idea, so it seemed like I spent a lot of the time guessing about what the attitude of the nose should be.

I seemed to spend a lot more time looking at the instruments today. I don't know if that is just an element of climbing & descending or a different teaching style, but it felt like I was spending too much time looking at the instruments and not enought time looking outside the plane.

Also, during the flight, Murray talked a lot more than Jeremy which was hard to get used to. He spent a lot of time pointing out landmarks around the airfield, which is good because I need to learn about that, but also annoying because I was trying to concentrate on what I should be doing with the plane.

The main thing that irritated me today was, when I was doing something wrong, instead of telling me how to correct it, he would reach over and move the controls himself. It made it feel less like I was actually flying the plane myself. I mean, it wouldn't have been that hard for him to say 'move the stick left to make the wings level' instead of reaching over and pushing it himself

I also had my hands on the controls during the landing. Like take off, it is handy that I've experienced what it feels like before I do it myself.

Overall, I'm a bit disappointed in this lesson. I don't think I learnt as much as usual, mianly because I didn't have an idea of what effect what I was doing was going to have. I mean, I knew we were going to climb but knowing that, and having seen it done and seen the effects, is different. I'm not saying Murray is a bad instructor, and if I'd had him as my instructor from the start I probably wouldn't notice the difference, but having had Jeremy as an instructor as well I can see the differences in their teaching styles and see which one suits me better. I am considering though, depending on how the next few lessons go, asking for another lesson on climbing & descending with Jeremy.

I've got two lessons next week, with Jeremy again. Next lesson is going to be turning which should be fun. I also need to remember to ask whether I need to get some sort of student licence, as the temporary RA-Aus membership I have should have run out by now. Overall, I'd say that today was a good learning experience, if only to give me a better understanding of my own learning style.

Handy Dandy Glossary for certain readers

A few of my friends have been complaining that my blog is too long and too detailed. Well, as the blog's primary purpose is my education, the detail is going to stay. However, I'm going to make a small glossary of terms I've been using to make it easier...here we go.

This, give or take a bit, is what I see. This is the instrument panel.

These are some of the main crontrols:

This is the Control Column (aka 'the stick'). The red thing behind it is the brake.

This is the Throttle. Pushing it in increases the power, pulling it out decreases the power.

These are some of the main instruments:

This is the turn indicator. The goal is to keep the ball between the two lines. When the ball is between the lines, the aircraft is in balance.

This is the tacheometer. It is used to measure Power (in rpm). Normal cruise power is 3000rpm, Fast cruise is 3200rpm and Slow cruise is 2400rpm.

This is the Altimeter. It is used to measure altitude (height) above sea level (in feet). At Lilydale, it needs to be preset to 250ft as Lilydale is already 250ft above sea level.

This is the Airspeed indicator. It is, unsurprisingly, used to measure airspeed (in knots). The white area (80kts and under) is where flaps can safely be used.

Some other terms:

Roll: Also known as Bank. This is when the aircraft rolls/tilts to the side. This is controlled by the Ailerons.

Pitch: This is controlled by the Elevator. It is the angle of the nose of the plane.

Yaw: The turn of the nose to the side. The secondary effect of Ailerons is yaw.

I may add some more terms if I think of them. Hopefully this helps some people!

Straight and Level Flying

After two weeks of study/exams (ew) I was back to Lilydale for my next lesson... Today the topic was 'straight and level flying'.

First there was the usual briefing where we discussed what we were going to try today. First we talked about what straight and level flying actually is.

Elements of straight and level flying:

• Constant heading (flying in a straight line)
  
• Constant attitude
  
• Constant speed
• Constant height
• Balance (wings level)

Next we went over the different cruise types of the plane. There are three main types of cruise - normal cruise, fast cruise and slow cruise. Each one requires different power levels and a different nose attitude.

There's a formula for this: Power (rpm) + Attitude = Performance

We used Jeremy's perception of attitude since I hadn't tried it yet, but kept in mind that mine would be rather different since I'm about a foot shorter. Basically, attitude is the perception of where the nose is in relation to the horizon. For example, at normal cruise speed, the horizon for Jeremy is about 1/2 way up the windscreen.

Power is measured by the revs of the engine. The revs change at different cruise speeds. Jeremy asked me 'When moving to a slow cruise, do the revs go up or down?'. Bemused I replied 'down'. He was like 'You'd be surprised how many people get that wrong'. I was like 'You're kidding'. I mean, really, to go slower the engine goes slower and has less revs. That's obvious. Who, exactly, are these people who get confused and what are they thinking at the time?

Power for different cruise speeds:

• Normal - 3000rpm
• Fast - 3200rpm
• Slow - 2400rpm

However, as with most things it seems, the difference on the Jabiru is mainly comparative, but the differences become more obvious on other planes.

Then we went over the first 'sequence' (can't remember the proper word) to remember and go through when flying - ALAP.

A - Attitude
L - Lookout
A - Attitude
P - Performance

Basically, when flying (especially when starting new maneuvres like turns) you should go through this sequence. First, Attitude (where the nose is in relation to the horizon), then Lookout (look left, centre, then right looking for other planes, mountains, various other things to crash into), Attitude again, and Performance (airspeed, power (rpms) and balance).

Then it was time to head out to the plane. This time, we started going through the checklists for flight. First was the pre-start up checklist. This involved moving different switches for fuel pumps etc. Jeremy said that before starting the prop, the pilot has to yell 'clear prop' to warn others that the prop is about to start. He tells me this, then turns to the door and says (barely louder than normal conversational level) 'Clear prop!'. I was like 'nice yell :P'. I got to taxi to the runway again, then we went through the pre-takeoff checklist which involves checking the controls and the flaps etc. Then, takeoff.

We got to a cruising altitude of about 2000ft then I was given a few minutes to get used to the controls again. I'm definitely getting more confident with them which is nice!

First we tried straight and level flight at normal cruise. When doing this, you have to keep the wings level (balance), a constant airspeed and constant attitude. I discovered that, for me, the horizon is about 1/3 of the way up the windscreen when at a normal cruise At a normal cruise, the airspeed should be around 100kts (knots). After Jeremy's demonstration, I got to try and it was definitely harder than it looked. There's a lot of things to remember at the same time and it took a fair bit of concentration. I was definitely getting the hang of it though.

Then Jeremy demonstrated the transition from normal cruise to slow cruise. This introduced another sequence to remember - PAST.

P - Power
A - Attitude
S - Speed
T - Trim

First, the pilot needs to change the power of the plane (in this case, lessening the power from 3000rpm to 2400rpm. This is done by pulling the throttle out). Next is checking (and changing) attitude. When moving to a slow cruise, the nose needs to raise as the airspeed is less and therefore the wings are creating less lift. To compensate for this, the nose attitude needs to be changed which changes the angle at which the wings meet the air (also known as the Angle of Attack). Then the airspeed needs to be checked - at slow cruise, it should be around 75-80kts. Finally, the pilot needs to trim the elevator as they will be pulling it back quite far to raise the nose to the required level.

At slow cruise, for me, the nose is just above the level of the horizon. First I had to take it from a normal cruise to a slow cruise following PAST. It wasn't too difficult, I'm getting better at controlling the throttle. Then I had to try flying straight and level at a slow cruise. It's important to remember, that at a slow cruise, the angle of bank (roll of the plane) has to be less. It was definitely more challenging to keep it straight and level at a slow cruise, it has a tendency to roll and move a little more than at a normal cruise.

Then we took it up to a fast cruise, following PAST again. At a fast cruise, the horizon is about halfway up the windscreen. When moving into a fast cruise, the pilot has to push the elevator forward to lower the nose, and this needs to be adjusted with the trim lever. At a fast cruise, the airspeed should be around 110kts. It is far more challenging to keep it straight and level at a fast cruise as, at faster speeds, there is more turbulence and the plane bounces far more. I also found it harder to keep a constant altitude, it seemed to me that we were flying level, but according to the altimeter we were actually climbing a bit.

We then had to head back to the airport. I got to fly most of the way back, but had to give up the controls for the landing. I can't wait until I get to do the take offs and landings, although I'll probably be terrified when it actually comes!

Unfortunately it's another two weeks before my next lesson, since I have an internship during the week and Jeremy was booked up next weekend. I'm pretty disappointed because I had an absolute blast today!

Next lesson, depending on weather is either Turning (if it's cloudy) or Climbing and Descending (if it's a nice day).

Random things I learnt today:

• I'm actually managing to get the hang of the throttle
• It's a lot easier to fly with a cushion (sigh)
  
• The yell of Clear Prop doesn't actually have to be a yell

Effects of Controls

Today I was back to Lilydale for my first official lesson - but really, I suppose, my second lesson. After spending the week counting down to the lesson, I can safely say that I made the right choice in choosing to continue learning to fly - it appears to be addictive.

We started with a briefing again, again using a cute model plane although this time we had to use our imaginations somewhat, as the only model around had two wing engines rather than the single nose engine. Jeremy quizzed me on what I remembered from last time about the primary/secondary effects of the different controls. I remembered nearly all of them, except for a (soon corrected) slip about the secondary effect of the Rudder - I said it was airspeed instead of roll.

We then went over what we were going to work on today. Luckily, before we started Jeremy warned me that most of the stuff we did today really wouldn't make much sense at the moment. Since I'm pretty vague on it all already, I'm pretty glad he said that! Today we looked at the effects of airspeed on the controls, slipstream, use of flaps, trim and something else that Jeremy wrote on the board (he's a lefty!) that I've completely forgotten atm.

Now, let's see what I can remember. Slipstream is the flow of air down the fuselage of the plane caused by the propellor.

The slipstream flow of air has the effect of pushing on the left side of the Rudder/vertical fin which pushes the nose of the plane slightly to the left. Slipstream also has the effect of making the rear controls, the Rudder and Elevator, more responsive.

Airspeed also has an effect on the controls. Slower airspeeds, such as when climbing, mean that the Ailerons are less responsive as there is less air passing over them. The Rudder and Elevators are still responsive (or more responsive) because more air is passing over them because of the slipstream.

When lowered, the flaps cause the back of the wing to bend downwards, which means the air flows over the back of the wing is a more downward direction. Wow this sounds confused. Basically, they increase lift by increasing the strength of the upward force under the wing and increase drag which slows the plane.

This picture is a Cessna, but the basic idea of flaps is the same (the dark bits are the flaps if you haven't guessed already)

When lowered in flight, the flaps cause the pitch of the nose to raise and lower as the plane tries to find it's new cruising pitch, and the nose ends up slightly lower than it was before.

Finally, I was told that trim would be best explained while in flight. So, we headed off to the plane.

Here, I was given a new challenge - to taxi to the runway. 'Oh shit' I thought. Jeremy got us trundling, then I took over. Taxiing is controlled by the Rudder and the throttle. The Ailerons don't have any effect on the ground, and the Elevator is fairly pointless when taxiing. So, I had to control this plane, on bumpy grassy ground, using nothing but pedals and the throttle. We started heading off, and I managed to vaguely correct our course using the Rudder. Steering with my feet felt completely insane. Taxiing is meant to be done at a slow walking speed, which reminds me of music lessons and trying to work out what speed to play when told to play Andante (at a walking pace). I hate things described as 'a walking pace' because people all walk differently! Jeremy's walking pace (since he's about a foot taller than me) would be a hell of a lot quicker than mine I bet. It's like the 'reasonable person' in law, it's all vague guesswork in the end! Anyway, Jeremy told me to slow down a little and I looked at the throttle in dismay. The throttle is a knob that you pull out/push in to change the speed. Me, being observant, hadn't been watching Jeremy do it so I had no idea which way was which. So, I figured I'd find out through experimentation. I pushed in it a little. Bad choice. 'Oh shit' says I as we shoot forward, luckily not into anything. I also found out where the brake is and that if you use it while going too fast, you drive the Prop into the ground, which is a bad idea (oddly enough).
After a bit, I managed to get us to the end of the runway in one piece and Jeremy did the takeoff.

In the air, we went through what we'd discussed during the briefing. First the effect of slipstream where he put the plane into the climb and I got to experience just how much more responsive the rear controls are at slow airspeed. However, apparantly in the Jabiru, the controls are responsive anyway but there'd be more of a difference in something like a Cessna. Cool, I think I get it.

Then we did effects of airspeed on the controls. I would describe how it felt, but to be honest I totally can't remember.

Then, we looked at the effect of the flaps. He demonstrated how to lower the flaps (a switch you push down on the instrument panel) and showed me the guage which indicates how much the flaps are lowered. The guarge is located on the left side (my side) on the edge of the windscreen and has a little ball thing inside which goes up/down the tube as the flaps are moved. There is a line in the middle to indicate when the flaps are half lowered. It was interesting, the pitch of the nose moved quite a lot after the flaps were moved as the plane found it's new cruising altitude and the nose ended up noticably lower.

Finally, we worked on trim. There is a knob (in the Jabiru, a wheel in other planes such as a Cessna) which controls the trim. Basically, by adjusting the trim, it is possible to fly the plane without holding onto the stick. That doesn't sound quite right. Ok, in normal flight (when untrimmed) the pilot will need to push/pull the control column slightly to keep the nose at the correct altitude. By trimming the plane, it corrects this so the plane with fly at the correct altitude without needing to hold the stick. I think of it as being like a wheel alignment in a car - when the wheels are aligned, you can take your hands off the wheel and still drive in a straight line.

After all that, it was time to head back to the airport. I was allowed to head us back towards the airport, and to lower the flaps on the way. One thing I'm going to have to get used to it using clock numbers as direction indicators - Jeremy said "head towards 10:00" and I seriously almost needed to look at my watch to work it out!

Jeremy did the landing - a crosswind landing, meaning that to head straight down onto the runway, he had to point the nose towards the right on the approach. It was quite odd to be honest.

I got to taxi us back. Once again, we went slightly too fast and I had to slow us down. Did I remember what I'd learnt earlier about the throttle? Apparantly not, because I pushed it in slightly again. Once again I went 'oh shit'. Feeling frustrated I muttered 'I can't get that right, argh!' which prompted a chuckle from Jeremy I think (hmpf :P). Anyway, I managed to get us back and use the brake which was good.

Next lesson I get to buy some theory books and a logbook. Logbook = proper student, yay! I'm actually excited about the theory books too, if for nothing more than I can revise all the stuff I've forgotten today!

Random things I learnt today:

• Pushing the throttle in = FASTER
• Smaller sunglasses make the headset a lot more comfortable
  
• Without a cushion behind me I can reach the rudder pedals. However, as I discovered during the lesson, reaching the throttle, the brake and the flaps switch is not so easy. I think next lesson I'm going to have to look daggy and use a cushion and basically just accept the fact that I'm short (grrr).
  

Trial Instructional Flight

Today, I decided to finally start on my dream of learning to fly a light aircraft.

I've wanted to learn for years now and I figured it was time to take the plunge. Interestingly, this desire to learn began from flying commercially on holidays - I've always had this weird, unexplainable fear of oxygen masks on planes and I figured that light aircraft was a way to fly without having to worry about the oxygen masks. Now, a fair few years down the line, I just want to learn to fly for the challenge of it.

I did some research on flying schools in Melbourne and realised that it is far, far cheaper to learn at a little airport on the outside of the city than at one of the inner city airports like Moorabbin or Essendon. Luckily for me, Lilydale happens to be closer to my house anyway.

So today, having booked my flight last Monday, I headed off to Lilydale Airport. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I expected something different to a small building in the middle of a field surrounded by little planes. I didn't expect much, but I did expect a paved runway at least... Still, I figured they knew what they were doing!

I went in and met my 'pilot' for the day - now my instructor. His name (which I promptly forgot at the time but was reminded of later) is Jeremy.

First there was a briefing where Jeremy explained the basic physics of how a plane flies - using a rather cute model plane. The main parts of the plane we discussed that day were the Ailerons (flaps on the wings), the Elevator (horizontal flap on the back) and the Rudder (vertical flap attached to the vertical stabilizer - the tail). Each of these flaps has a primary and secondary characteristic. Jeremy asked if I knew that 'each action has an opposite and equal reaction'. I promptly replied that I failed physics at school (yay for Year 7 science!) and he said that he nearly did too. After my initial thought of 'well we're a good team', I figured that gave me hope since, in general, I'm pretty hopeless at physics. The primary effect of the Ailerons is to roll the plane to the side, the secondary effect is to yaw the nose down slightly and to the side. The primary effect of the Elevator is to control the pitch of the plane (move the nose up and down) with the secondary effect of raising or lowering the airspeed. The primary effect of the Rudder is to yaw the plane to the left/right with the secondary effect of rolling the plane.

With that sorted, we headed out to the plane, a Jabiru. My first reaction was 'wow it's small'.

Photo copyright Andrei Bezmylov

I managed to get in (bum in first, then swing legs in, incase anyone's wondering), got strapped in, headset on and, after a short description of each of the instruments (which I mostly promptly forgot), we were off!

We trundled across the grass and onto the (also grass) runway. After a warning that it would be rather bouncy, we headed down the runway and took off. It was pretty awesome, seeing the world get smaller but way better than a commercial airliner because you can still see the ground when you're up there!

We flew to the training area near the airport and Jeremy again explained about the different controls. Then I got to have a try. First one to try was the elevator, which is controlled using the stick control column inbetween the seats. By moving the stick backwards and forwards you can control the pitch of the nose of the plane. Interestingly, you don't need to move the stick much to get a fairly large response.

Second was the Ailerons. By moving the stick to the right/left you could roll the plane in that direction. Rolling the plane has the effect of causing the nose to yaw to the side and downwards, so to control that you have to pull the stick back slightly to keep the nose up while rolling. That was also easier than expected.

Finally, there was the Rudder. This is controlled using pedals on the floor (where the brake/accelerator pedals are located in a car). This was the hardest, as I found the pedals fairly stiff to push, although I think I was expected an easy response like a car pedal, which is illogical really. Pressing on the rudder causes the plane to roll as well so this needs to be controlled using the Ailerons at the same time. There is a turn indicator instrument which looks (and acts) rather like a Spirit level - you have to keep the ball between the two lines. I didn't quite manage that but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it.

That was the end of our (very speedy) 45 minutes, so we headed back to the airport and landed.

I didn't feel the way I expected to feel while flying. I expected a huge adrenaline rush, but I mainly just felt confused. That's logical though, I was fairly busy concentrating on doing what I was told and not doing something stupid and didn't really have time to feel the rush. I was a bit disappointed, but then I thought about it logically - when I started to drive I spent the entire time worrying about mirrors and indicators etc and didn't have time to feel the same joy I feel when I drive now, so why would it be any different when flying? I figured I'd have more lessons and see how it went.

Overall, it was an awesome experience and if anyone out there has ever considered flying, give it a go. Sure it's expensive, but it's a pretty cool experience to have!