4 SORTIES TILL FIRST SOLO!

Well, our flying progress has been very well so far. If all go according to plan, we'll be flying our first solo flight after for more sorties! We're currently doing our circuit exercises. Here's some info about circuit flying.

Circuits are divided into five legs:

• Upwind/Take off leg
• Crosswind leg
• Downwind leg
• Base leg
• Final leg

There are four types of circuit that we practice:

• Normal circuit
• Flapless circuit
• Glide circuit
• Low level circuit

Circuit legs

View from crosswind leg

View from downwind leg

BAD LUCK INDEED.......

Well, the first day of flying didn't go quite well for me. Funny things happen.. LOL.. Malu betul.. First sortie was the Area Familiarization or Famil. We were shown around the training area and we had our own personal map which was laminated. Well, the Piper had a small storm window at the PIC's side for ventilation. The suction through the window was very strong in flight, similar to that of in a car when you're driving.

Well, nak dijadikan ceritanya, waktu aku tengah kat pilot seat tu, tetiba map tu kena sedut keluar tingkap yang kecik tu. Haha... Lawak betul. I don't know how in the hell that happened, but it was VERY fast. Tapi benda tu jadi macam slow motion. Haha... Well, my instructor at that time was Captain Jackie (APAC 20). Terkejut beruk dia tengok. Haha.. Lepas tu sempat lagi dia buat lawak. "Well, let's turn around and look for your map. Maybe kita boleh land ambik kejap." Haha... Kalau ada orang jumpa training area map kat Bachok area coastal tu, sure aku punya lah tu.. Haha...

 Well, my second sortie on the day was Effect of Controls or EOC, also with Captain Jackie. That was when the second 'thing' happened on that day. Captain Jackie was flying the aircraft at the time and he was demonstrating the effects of power on the controls, and he was very focused on doing it. While I was observing his flying, suddenly a red warning light on the annunciator panel lit up. It shows "ALTERNATOR INOP" which means Alternator Inoperative. I was shocked with the warning and immediately told Captain Jackie who was unaware of it. He immediately assessed the situation and immediately do the alternator failure procedures. He notified ATC immediately and they gave us priority landing for straight in Runway 28 instead of the usual Runway 10.

Captain Jackie handling alternator failure

Note the red warning light on the annunciator panel

Well, luckily all went well. Apparently, it was no big deal for Captain Jackie. He said that it was the 4th time it happened to him. Well, alternator failure kat Piper benda biasa jadi je according to Captain Mani. So, better BEWARE!

Piper Warrior III

Here's some info about the Piper Warrior III that our batch is currently flying for our PPL and CPL Single Engine Stage. The aircraft is relatively new compared to the Diamond DA40D. APFT bought the aircraft somewhere in 2009. The difference between the new Warrior III and the old Warrior II is the cockpit layout. The Warrior III features new avionics including the Garmin GNS430 GPS. Unfortunately, the GPS database is outdated. Tak hairan pun.. LOL..

Well, other than that, it's almost the same as the Warrior II. Here's some technical data about it...

• Lycoming 320-D3G 160HP @ 2700RPM
• 50 US Gallon fuel tank (25 US Gallon/wing)
• 6 hours endurance
• Cruising speed - 95 knots
• 4 seater



Garmin GNS430 GPS

Piper Warrior III Cockpit

So far, all I can say is that the aircraft is very stable in turbulence compared to the DA40D. Some cadets complained that the DA40D is quite tricky to handle since constant adjustment is needed. Besides that, Piper has the advantage of simplicity compared to the DA40D. Since the Warrior III is a conventional training aircraft and doesn't rely heavily on electrical system, an alternator failure doesn't present any fatal hazard since it's engine will continue to run even when the battery is drained. The worst you can expect is electrical failure. The Diamond DA40D's engine on the other hand, will die out as soon as the battery is drained since it relies on the ECU. The design simplicity makes the Piper Warrior the most popular training aircraft.

Piper Warrior III Instruments

So, in the end, PIPER ROCKS! :D

FLYING AT LAST

Well, it's been a while since I've last updated this blog. Sorry... It was very hectic lately. Well, we're done with our PPL and JAA 1 exam already. The results are out already. Well, I'm very proud to say that my batch managed to pass both tests in one go. Now that we're done with ground school for a while, it's time to move on to FLYING PHASE! The moment that we've been waiting for...

Well, it was bitter sweet to hear that we'll be flying the Piper Warrior in Kota Bharu. I was glad that we've been directed to stay in Kota Bharu instead of being sent to Terengganu or Ipoh detachment. How ever, I was kind of sad in the beginning when they announced that we'll be flying Piper instead of Diamond. For me I would prefer the Diamond since it has full glass cockpit and a joystick instead of a yoke. The Diamond is also sexier compared to the Piper. However, after flying the Piper for a while, I've started to fall in love with the Piper and I've learned that Diamond is not practical for Ab-Initio Cadets like us. So, in the end, I LOVE PIPER.

Well, so far I've logged 0715 hours on the Piper in 3 weeks. I only have 5 sorties left until my first solo flight, insyaAllah...