Despite the mild start to winter my flying has taken a back seat in recent times thanks to the usual combination of weather and a lack of funds, plus a cold that took ages to shake off.
The little flying I have done has been fun including advanced stalls in the Cessna 172 and a chance to fly Skythrills’ Super Decathlon to learn unusual-attitude recoveries.
My credit card statement can vouch that fiscal responsibility hasn’t got in the way of pursuing my dream. But I’d be lying if I said cost wasn’t a factor at the moment.
The advanced stalls went well, however, inevitably in my case, I started feeling the early signs of airsickness. I persisted but my stall recoveries started to suffer as I concentrated hard to keep breakfast in check.
I lasted till base leg and handed the controls to my instructor. After my rendezvous with the bag I gathered my wits and asked if I could complete the landing – I love landing. Through teary eyes I greased it – no matter what happens before, there’s nothing like a good flare and touch down to make you want to get back in the cockpit for more.
When I did go back up it was in Super Decathlon. This was the first time I flew an aircraft with a joystick and I absolutely loved the feeling as well as the great vision afforded single seat up front.
Despite this being a very nifty aerobatic aircraft I’d have been happy just flying around straight and level perhaps with the odd steep turn.
As detailed above I’m not built for aerobatics, but I wasn’t paying the extra hourly rate in the 8KCAB to sight see so it was time to do some rolls.
It was fun doing this for real rather than on a flight sim, but despite it being a gravity neutral manoeuvre I called the flight short as the cold sweats again provided those early signs and I decided not to kid myself that I could ride it out.
We headed back to Lethbridge and I sat back and enjoyed the ride as the instructor,
Lachie, brought it in for a dramatic crosswind landing (add a ride in a tail dragger to my list of firsts that day).
Since then I moved house and the associated costs have forced me to call time-out for a little longer. During my down time I have been thinking about what it is I want out of aviation and what flying is best suited to me and my lifestyle.
My credit card statement can vouch that fiscal responsibility hasn’t got in the way pursuing my dream. But I’d be lying if I said cost wasn’t a factor at the moment.
Flying will get cheaper once I’m not paying for someone in the right seat, but I’m in two minds what to do once I finally get my RPL.
When I first started flying I had dreams of taking friends on flights around this big brown land. But after two years I realise it’s more likely that most of my flying will be a couple of hours on a weekend alone or with a willing passenger with the occasional cross-country jaunt thrown in.
Going down the RAA path seems like a no-brainer, but I’d love the option to one day fly aircraft that don’t fall into that category.
Common sense tells me that I should continue down the PPL path first before reassessing what I want from flying and then doing the relatively simple conversion to RAA should I choose that direction.
But, based on my current progress, that could mean at least another year or two and thousands more dollars.
The alternative post-RPL is finishing off with a full RAA licence, enjoying the flying that comes with it and then using that experience toward finishing my PPL should I desire more.
Two different ways to get to the same destination – good thing is, they’ll both be by air.
After writing this piece for AOPA Pilot magazine in 2014, I persisted with GA training only for my flying school to close up shop just after I did my training area solo. I moved across to Ballarat Aero Club and continued training in a Piper Warrior but finances, weather and living far from the airfield meant I hardly got out of the circuit. So I gave things away for a about a year, only to finally go the RA-Aus route in 2017, which did wonders for my confidence and progress.