A long break, the new instructor did not last long and his replacement could only work week days. No good for me with all the work on at the moment. So it was a six month break before I got back into the air. This time another new instructor at Soloflight, Stewart.
I had booked a Friday off work but then came down with a cold. So I postponed by a week and booked the following weekend. The weather all week was not looking good. High winds, a cold front, not good at all.
Waking up Sunday morning I jumped out of bed and grabbed the laptop to check the weather TAF and METAR.
EGNJ 090650Z 20013KT 9999 FEW030 03/01 Q0979
Well the METAR looked reasonable, 13 knots wind and few clouds at 3000 feet, but how about the TAF.
EGNJ 090658Z 090716 20013KT 9999 SCT025 TEMPO 1116 5000 SHRA BKN014 BECMG 1316 34008KT
Not so good. Deteriorating to 5000 meters visibility and broken cloud at 1400 feet.
Oh well, lets hope with my lesson at 10:30 would go well.
I met Stewart in the office, looking a little odd in his Russian style winter hat! Sandra had been having fun making fun of him, but in this weather it is practical. We had a discussion over my record and it was decided we would have a session in the circuit.
I did five touch and goes, and apart from the first one, I had a little trouble controlling my speed, wrong attitude and I was chasing the speed, not setting my attitude for the speed I wanted, until Stewart reminded me of the picture I should have fixed in the windscreen.
The rest went fine, a few errors, but nothing to worrying. The second time round I was fixated on getting my downwind call in, and waited and waited. By the time I managed to get the call in, as the radio was busy, I was turning onto base leg and had still not done my checks!
The first three were also left of the centre line on the runway. I had also forgotten to turn off the Carb heat. Not good if you need to go round and need full power. The last two were great. On the centre line, checks all correct, and touch down as the stall warning cheeped. Perfect! And that in lowering cloud and light rain. Yep the weather was changing and so with with the last ones being so good I thought better call it a day.
Back in the office Stewart pronounced my flying fine and that it was time to get back to the cross county training.
Next time a nav trip and my first ever land away. If the weather is suitable!