As promised an update of my flying to this date, you guys have to excuse me unfortunately because it is pretty difficult trying to explain all these things and write it down on paper, so just work with me while we go along.
I started the night rating during February and in the last letter you saw that I had to wear the evil foggles of doom. They are not actually that bad to tell you the truth and they had taught me a valuable lesson in flying. Even though it is such a small amount of instrument flying you learn to trust what your instruments are telling you. The last season we did with foggles was abnormal attitudes, in simple terms the aircraft has a high nose pitch or a low nose pitch.
With entry into these attitudes I had to close my eyes with the instructor doing a serious of steep turns, climbs and descends, it literally felt like you were doing a barrel roll, or you were flying inverted. It is probably the weirdest feeling you will ever feel. Then she shouts open your eyes, you glaze over at the airspeed 160knots and climbing !! You close the power, ease out of the dive and as you cross the vertical horizon you add power and climb out. Aaah yes very scary if you don’t watch your instruments, and good experience.
Next was for the circuit training 
I pre-checked the plane, made sure everything that should work is working, and of course both landing and taxi lights were fully functional according to the law. We pushed back just after sunset and started her up, making sure to switch on the Nav lights (coloured lights on wing tips, and rudder indicating aircraft direction in the air at night), and landing lights. We taxied to the holding point for runway 11 and carried out all our checks.
Cleared for take-off, we taxied onto the runway and was told to make a mental note of where the lights cut the windscreen, check. Add full power and start rolling down the runway, 55knots start rotating. Climbing away, eyes in the cockpit watching the instruments. Ha Ha this is so much fun !! We reached circuit altitude and turned onto crosswind and then on downwind. (Both reporting positions in the circuit)
My first landing was touch and go, I came down on the glide path and as we reach the runway eyes went to the end of the runway and checked the lights rising, just before cutting the windscreen, throttle closed and flare the aircraft and hold her off until she touch down. Booya, touch down, flaps up and full throttle, heading around for the next one.
The next few landings were uneventful and the next circuit I did abnormal approaches, these consisted of full flaps – much steeper approach onto the runway with near full throttle added to prevent stalling, no flaps – much shallower approach coming in at a high speed for crosswind landings, and then the fun one, landing with no landing lights. I carried out my normal checks on downwind and did not turn on the landing lights. You come in for a normal approach, flaps 20 degrees, approach speed 65knots, and on the glide slope. Upon reaching the runway you have no idea how high you are, the only reference you have is your edge lights.
So you come in at your normal glide slope, and just as you reach the runway you let the edge lights cut your windscreen, as they get to the point you visually marked you start to flare, holding her off. Still you cannot see the ground, and then suddenly you feeling this soft thud, you add brakes and keep the pressure off the nose wheel, Yes !! Managed to land a plane with landing light !!
So got some night circuits under my belt, and some night flying experience. Next on my list of things to do, one more circuit, a nav flight across Jo-burg at night, test prep and then my night flying test.
Also before I leave you I managed to get some circuits in on Saturday morning. Four to be exact on JVH. Unfortunately JVH is not my favorite plane and her movements are very quick which does not allow the plane time to stabilize.
My circuits were also shocking to say the least, every time I came over the threshold to land, my plane would catch a tailwind even though the surface wind indicated a headwind. This would cause me to float along the runway without landing, or I would come in at a nice 65 knot glide and then my speed would jump all of a sudden to 75 knots and then decrease to a dangerous speed of 55knots. So yes it was a very fun day in the circuits, very valuable lesson learnt.
Any way enough from me, hope you enjoy the post, if you did not feel free to tell me otherwise below, till next time happy flying !!!
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