Flight Simulator // Old School

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So having broken up for my summer holidays I thought I would really try and knuckle down with my flight training, as a result of this I concluded a flight simulator of some sort would be really useful. There was just one catch, I had no money to buy one, the result was a super old school PC with Microsoft Combat Pilot 2 being hooked up.
The Entire SetUp

Was this a good idea? Yes, to be honest I was very surprised as to how good such and ancient piece of technology was. The graphics aren't great but that doesn't really matter that much, what I found most impressive was its closeness to actually flying. I was fortunate to find  a sidewinder joystick and so my flight sim was complete.
The SideWinder Joystick


I figured that of course a flight simulator of such an age is not going to teach you to fly but, it my just help you become a little more familiar with the effects of controls as well as letting you fly in a much more extreme fashion, really pushing the limits of your aircraft without harming yourself. So far I have stalled the plane numerous times on the Sim and for each time I do it I gain a little more understanding on the plane and where in its flight envelop the plane is likely to stall and how much pressure you can apply to the stick to get out of it.

All in all it is a really useful product which has cost me very little, for a huge saving in flying time that I would have to spend in the air to gain a similar level of experience. Don't get me wrong, I don't feel that a flight simulator is in anyway a substitute to actual flying but it is a fun game/activity which may help a little when flying.
The old beast which is running it all.

Thanks for reading this article if you enjoyed it please leave a comment below or share it using the bar below. If you have any queries about the blog or the flight Simulator I built please drop a comment below, I really appreciate it.

Thanks.
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Red Arrows // Display Guide 2014 // Dartmouth

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First things first I realise that the most recent post have strayed away from flight training, this is due to the current bad weather here in a England and so I figured a post is better than nothing.

This is the first in a series of which I will me documenting my personal tips on watching the Red Arrows display, and locations from which they are best seen. The first in this series is for Dartmouth Royal Regatta in which the Red arrows display every year (Friday 29th August 2014).


Dartmouth is a right on the coastline and sits at the mouth of the river dart, this creates a valley like display stage which is awesome to watch the air displays from.
Dartmouth, looking out towards the Sea.
So, where to watch from? Of course watching down on on the rivers edge is where the display is designed to be viewed from, however this is always incredibly crowded and the jets seem a little to distant for my liking, but it does give the best impression in terms of how the display was designed to look.
A map showing where Jawbones hill is relatively to the river front.


Personally, I watch from the top of Jawbones hill. This means that you are practically at the height the jets are flying at (or evens sometimes above them) as they soar past incredibly close to you. This may not be how the display was designed to watch but for me it really is the ultimately experience, you could almost be flying along in another aircraft as you sit level with the display height.

If you want to view the display from the river front I recommend you get there a little early so you don't end up squashed in the crowd and possibly aim to stand further along the front towards the river mouth as it is usually a little quieter there. If, on the other hand you choose the view it from Jawbones you may want to wear some grippy shoes as it is a little bit of a climb to the top and also bringing a picnic mat to sit on as you are sitting a field, which I find is very cool, with the roar of the jets as they blast past.
The view from Jawbones


View from the river front

To finish it all of here is video of the display to give you a feel for the display in such a great setting for it!

There we go, I will be continuing this series with a review on the red arrows display with another post tomorrows. If you liked this post why not share it using the bar below, or if you feel I have missed something out or need to ask a question about the display leave a remark in the comments sections below. 
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Twitter Launch

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Just a quick note to let you know that @trudgeaviation has launched on twitter and I would be delighted for you to head over and follow. I will be posting as often as possible on all things flying from weather to recent flights and new post.

Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it. If you enjoyed this article why not share it using the bar below. I will be following back people I know use this website so just leave a comment below and I will be sure to follow you back.
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Hawk T2 // Good or Bad

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If you are not aware, the RAF over the course of the next few years are planning to replace the fleet of  81 T1's with a smaller lot of only 28 T2's.
Now, a little bit of background to this subject. Hawks are used as a training aircraft across the services train fast jet pilots, all of this is done at RAF Valley. The Hawks are also used to 'play the enemy' to let front line squadrons practice, and this is done out of RAF Leeming. Finally, the Hawk is used by the RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine as a test bed for their research, their jets are the only ones in the RAF allowed to pass 9G in testing.
Hawk T1 cockpit view
Having said this I would put all the roles, other than the Centre of Aviation Medicine, in a critical category which as a result needs keeping. I believe 100 squadron at RAF Leeming will remain unaffected and will simply receive new Hawk T2's once its current T1's reach retirement. The training role within the RAF is currently being reduced quite considerably, and so I believe the 28 Hawk T2's currently at RAF Valley are all that will be used, along side the replacement of the Tucano's for Pilatus PC-10's, also in much smaller numbers. The RAF centre of Aviation Medicine will use a simulated of some sort rather than requiring its own flight of fast jets.
Hawk T2 Cockpit view
In terms of capability the T2 is a completely different being to the T1, the T2 has complete LED screens as you would expect from a modern day fighter, whereas the T1  remains still back in the 1970's, also a change in engine to the T2 to the more Rolls-Royce Adour 951 engine. These changes make the T2  what the T1 was in its day, so all in all the change simply brings the training fleet back to the modern day but in a smaller numbers. 
Arguably it has just got to be accepted that the numbers of jet fighters will reduce in the coming years and there is no longer the requirement for a large training programme for new pilots and that is what we are seeing with the relatively small number of Hawk T2's ordered. 
Hawk T2
Hawk T1
 My Thanks to everyone that has read this article if you have an opinion on this topic please leave a comment below and share using the bar.
Which of the jets if the better looking? I definitely have an opinion have your say in the comments below.
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Tribute Post // Best 5 Blogs in Aviation

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I am undeniably an avid reader of numerous aviation blogs and that fundamentally is the reason I started this blog. As a result I feel it only necessary to credit those blogs which I have inspired me so much and also to allow new blog readers to this area to gain a wider library of great blogs they can read.
So here we go my top 5 in the aviation blogging world.


From Private to Professional Pilot
martinsaviation.blogspot.com
From Private to Professional Pilot: Flight Training, Tips, and Advice
From Private to Professional 

Now this really is fantastic blog and got me into the blogging world, I'm not quite sure how I stumbled upon it but I'm glad I did. The blog tracks Swayne's progress from a comprehensive training log up to his personal flights now, its great to look back and learn from his lessons and see how far he has come in a relatively short period of time. A definite recommendation to you.


Aviation Guy
aviationguy.com
Aviation Guy

This blog is fundamentally different in the fact that it is able to cover a much larger section of the aviation world rather than just training flights and I like that. David posts everything from air displays to his own flights and being a navigator in USAF makes these post very interesting. All in all it certainly worth a read.


Flight To Success 
karlenepetitt.blogspot.com
Flight to Success

What a massive audience this blog appeals too! Karlene must be doing something right! A very well composed blog with interesting topics and issues raised, which other bloggers wouldn't touch, a truly unique and insightful view into the world of aviation from a professional pilot. Perfect.


The Student Pilot Blog
thestudentpilotblog.com
The Student Pilot blog

A very well run blog with a very nice website design (something I aspire to) it follows the progress of Chris as he tackles the challenges of being an easy jet cadet pilot, his blog as I said earlier, is very well run and so regular informative posts are there along with a good selection of pictures to keep you interested. If you are looking into the commercial side of the aviation industry this is the blog for you.


Bush Flying Diaries, Indonesia
indopilot.blogspot.co.uk
Bush Flying Diaries, Indonesia: Spitfire, Harvard and Tiger Moth flying
Bush Flying Diaries, Indonesia

The key to blogging is telling an interesting story, right? Well if this is the case then boy, this is one awesome blog. Matt, is basically working in Indonesia flying smaller planes around some of the most incredible landscapes in the world. What a job. Having followed a similar path as Matt so far (being in the air cadets) I feel an alliance towards his blog, but having said that who wouldn't! What an epic thing to write about. Give it a look, seriously!



Well, there we go, my top 5 in the blogging world. Thanks can only go to the authors of these blogs for putting them together and keeping them up to date.

Thanks for reading, if you enjoyed this post why not leave a comment below, or if you think another blog (including your own) should be included leave as a comment also.

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Pilots log Book // Arrival

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My flight log book has just arrived, and I really am very pleased with it, however crazy this may seem. I'm sure you all have different feelings towards your log book but, for me it can act almost as a diary to ensure that each and every flight I take can be remembered and drawn upon when need.
The Log book
So, I'm surprised with the amount of detail you can go into when recording each flight, you really can log everything. I'm not sure if I will use every single detail that the log offers, so if you have any recommendations on which details you would and wouldn't log then please leave a comment below. I was also wondering on how long these books last on average (it seems to me that they will last forever) if you have any idea I would really love you to comment below.
The details that can be logged.

Well thanks for reading this post and if you enjoyed it why don't you share it using the bar below. 
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New Gear // Flight Equipment

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I have been accumulating new pieces of kit recently as my requirement for navigation and map plotting has increased and so I thought it was about time that I made a post logging all the new equipment.
The new equipment
So, a quick run through of each piece of kit will follow below and hopefully over time I may be able to do a more detailed look at each piece once I have had more experience with it actually in use.

Pilots Bag

The new flight bag I have got which should be able to carry the rest of the gear of have.

Mapping Equipment 
1:500,000 map with ruler and bearing measurer which I proved in-valuable for quick route planning

Flight Computer
A good product, but I don't really know how to use it.

Stop Clock
Really useful, I would definitely recommend it to you.

All in all the gear should see me for quite a through years and I hope it all serves me well, if anyone wants any advice on how the gear is performing over time and if its worth it please leave a comment, and on the note of the flight computer if you know a good guide or video it would be really helpful if you could leave a comment below.

Thanks for reading.


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Best Aviation weather App

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Where to begin? Thats the question that hits you when you first search for aviation weather apps on the app store. Within this article I will seek to make sense of the vast range of apps and narrow them down to the one I feel are the best and worst for each discipline.

I started my search by downloading the following apps from the apps store, they were all free to download however, some of them charged in service costs for the app to run. If this was the case they were eliminated from the selection process.

After a short look through each app it became clear that there were only really two contenders within the review, the rest either offered in app purchases in order for the app to actually function as it should, the rest had such bad functionality or interface that I couldn't make sense of them. Only AeroWeather and AeroPlus were left in the competition and warranted further investigation. 

AeroPlus Aviation Weather
Now, this app definetly gave the best interface of the lot, allowing you to drag yourself around a map and then touch the specific airfield you wished to check the weather for. It really was very intuitive to use and I'm sure anyone could just about learn it functions however, despite its great positives all this expensive software development means that there must be catch somewhere and in the case of this app it is in the fact that only the decoded METAR can be seen without a subscription fee being payed. For me this isn't to much of  downside as I don't really use the TAFS to such a great extent and so I can do without them if it is going to cost me.


AeroWeather Lite
This app seems to offer the opposite design to the other, rather than a map being used and very smart graphics simply gives you all the functionality for free whilst the compromise has been made in the interface however, its simple interface does not effect its functionality, you have to enter the call sign for the airfield you wish to gain the records for and then they are presented to you. It gives you both METAR and TAFS which therefore give it a slight edge over the AeroPlus app but it is a little less flush to use so that leaves us with a dilemma.


Which one to go for? 
Well, I think it depends on your personal needs form the app and how much you value a good looking app over the functionality. They are both free of charge so you could just get both but, I feel this rather defeats the point of the review so if I was asked I would probably go for the AeroWeather Lite due to its additional functionality which I may find useful one day and so, I'm better having the capability than not. 

If you have any comments please leave them below and if you feel there is anything else that may benefit the reader of this article please do comment below. 

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Sky Demon Mobile MD and iPad App // Review

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So recently I have been able to borrow the Skydemon set up from my flying club and with the backing of a good few flights (including the Norfolk Expedition in previous article) I feel it is time to set out a decent review for the item.

Mobile MD

The main piece in my opinion is the Mobile MD, in the box a suction mount was included which was easily placed on the screen in the plane, as we had two GPS systems running side by side whilst on the flight it made for easy comparison between the two. The Skydemon was much easy to see in bright light which is often experienced whilst in the sky and made the other system look almost un viewable in comparison. The SkyDemon was quick to acquire its satellites even though our flight took us to some rather remote areas with the UK (Fenland being one). The flight route selected was a difficult one, with weaving between controlled airspace a key feature. For this the Skydemon was a God send, informing us the frequency of the towers which we would need to speak to, to cross the airspace and also warning us when we strayed a little towards the airspace. Without it, I'm sure are flight wouldn't have been so safe. Having send this a little after 2hours flying as we departed Weybourne airfield the Skydemon ran out of battery, it had been charged fully the night before so this seemed at little disappointing. The numerous flight reading the Skydemon gave you whilst flying were also highly useful, its ability to give accurate bearings and speed could be used to confirm the planes dials were accurate and also allowed a second opinion when un-sure of a bearing (which are so important when flying across open areas). So for £399.99 is it worth it? I honestly believe so it is a step forward in the aviation GPS market and is very useful for less well equipped aircraft for which a fully screened set of dials are not in place,  its small size means it is not a distraction when in flight yet, it is still easily seen, perfect.

The SkyDemon Mobile MD in box.

All the gear that comes in the box of the SkyDemon mobile MD


 iPad SkyDemon App

 For me this acted much more as a planning instrument than a flight GPS, if you are an iPad user then the interface of the app seems much more familiar and intuitive than the Mobile MD, the app uses the simply pinch of two fingers to allow you to zoom in or out on the map and changes between various map scales in the process. This feature is great for planning your route as you can find details and points of navigation which would be not shown on your standard 1:500, 000 map. The ease with which a route can be planned is also very impressive as by simply tapping on consecutive airfields a route can be formed, from this NOTAMS and weather is formulated for the route giving you a much more personalised set of notices rather than the quick glance you may throw at the clubs notice board before you set off. Also, by holding down on the symbol for one airfield the plates for that airfield will appear along with other information you may need including fuel prices and phone numbers, this really does allow for quick and effective planning of your route and honestly halves the time you would spend trawling the internet and guide books to find the same volume of information. Finally, one of my favourite features is the cross sectional view of your flight plan shown along the bottom of your screen, giving you the altitude needed for each part of the flight and even where radar and towers are placed along the route. The total package for the app is also a lot more affordable if you own a smart device already, at £89 you get a years subscription to the service which can be used on any device, if your device isn't 3G you'll also need to buy a GPS receiver which can be linked to your device to inform it of your position, these will cost you around £100 but, I pretty sure the future of flight navigation is in the field of app based services such as SkyDemon and so the investment in a GPS receiver is a smart one which could serve you for years. Currently SkyDemon are offering a 30 day free trial of the service which I highly recommend to test it and also as a free bit of kit, even if it is just for a short period of time.



The SkyDemons Mapping View

Showing the cross sectional view of the route along the bottom
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Norfolk Sortie

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So after a long period of exams and revision the day finally arrived where I could just relax and do something fun for once. I was fortunate enough to be offered a day out around Norfolk on the south east of England. The flight totalled 4 hours, which I was pretty pleased about and definitely gave me a good taste of flying in general. We took off at around 9:30AM after a couple of circuits just ensuring he plane was flying as it should. We also did a couple of engine failures after take off, which were highly enjoyable, as ironic as it sounds. The first leg was from RAF Henlow to Bourne airfield. Bourne is a very quite farm strip and as we flew over there was pretty much no activity on the ground, the decision was taken to just do a touch and go for the sake of preserving time. We then climbed back up to 2000feet and followed my next bearing to Conington airfield. On the contrary to Bourne this was a very busy and active sight, more importantly it was the first time I had landed on a tarmac runway, awesome. After a quick cup of tea we watched an R-22 helicopter depart at great speed and then glanced around the local aircraft, all in all a very interesting base, the landing fee was 10 pounds which may be considered quite high relative to other airfields in the area but, for the facilities and planes there I think it can be justified. The next stop was Fenland, an incredibly difficult to find grass strip which we only noticed when it was right on our nose. despite its camouflage it is still a reactively busy strip and the £5 landing fee made it even more enticing. As we parked up I saw a very nice Jodel D117 along with others. A quick cup if tea later and we were flying along the wash right by the sea, there was pretty much no wind and awesome visibility, it couldn't have been any better.
The Jodel D117 and Trago Mills at Fenland
We followed the coast line at just below 2000feet all the way to weybourne strip, probably the quietest strip in Norfolk. No radio, just fly in, and right by the sea. A short walk to the local village for lunch and we were off again. As we took off the Flight demon GPS we were using died so it was back to maps, dam.
The view from the runway at Weybourne
We had to feel our way around Norwich City airspace and into Old Buckenham, an old USAF bomber base, as we flew the approach you notice that only half the runway is still in use, and its still the longest runway I've ever flown into, we taxied over to the fuel lorry, and saw (in my opinion) some of the nicest aircraft about. A crisp RV-8 sat in the hanger sat along side numerous ex-U.S army planes all in perfect conditions.
Another beauty at Old Buckenham 
The crisp RV at Old Buckenham
We then left Old Buckenham swiftly as it was about to close and made a heading straight for Henlow, narrowing avoiding two airspaces. I had control for most of the way back and for this reason it was my favourite leg of the trip. Quite honestly the most useful tip I learn was that to stay on a constant bearing find a point (or building) right on the horizon and just keep it at the same area on the screen, that way you can't go wrong. We landed back at Henlow at just before 6:00PM after a highly enjoyable day. I encourage everyone to jump at the opportunity to fly for a day it really is a memory.










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First Training Flight | April 2014

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So after I was told that the plane was out of action for weeks it suddenly is fixed, apparently the spark plugs and gone and it wasn't the magnetos after all. Anyway, I'm not complaining! After arriving at RAF Henlow I was quickly briefed on the flight and I decided to focus on trimming as I had previously flown lessons on straight and level flight and effects of controls. The flight was only 30 minutes long but I will be flying again tomorrow. I did the pre-flight checks and we taxied down to runway 20 we used the right hand side and took off, the flight was very enjoyable as we flew across the countryside.


After about 5 minutes we had reached a steady altitude of around 1500 feet and I was handed control, I did some climbing and descending and practised my trimming. It seems the knack is to trim out the forces in the stick which are required to keep the plane level, I think you need to learn to understand the feel of the forces whilst concentrating on the horizon in front.

We arrived at the way point and our altitude had increased a bit, this was due to the high level of thermals today and as an unexperienced pilot I hadn't noticed these so had been pushed up. The other pilot took control and lowered our altitude before some tight turns at around 2G, we then set of on the return leg, this included a stall and a dynamic stall at around 4G, unfortunately I wasn't able to catch these on film.

On arrival to Henlow airspace we did a circuit in which I was following through, although by this point I was pretty worn out and not really paying enough attention. We landed and I was expected to do another circuit. This was pretty abysmal on my behalf, I floated us in on roughly the right heading and then pulled us over to the right just before the landing meaning the other pilot had to take control.

All in all the flight was very enjoyable and I can't wait to do it all again tomorrow, please feel free to browse the blog and watch the video. If you have any comments you wish to raise please leave a comment below.
Thank you
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Damm.

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So just as the weather is picking up here in the UK and the sky is full of planes and gliders soaring over, the plane in which I was hoping to fly in this week has broken. The Trago Mills is side by side trainer and is usually very reliable. Unfortunately the right magneto has in essence broken and so is going to have to be overhauled. This in turn requires parts from america which will take a while to arrive so my flight also will be set back a week or so.
The Trago Mills aircraft I will be flying in.


I guess I can take this set back in one of two ways.

  1. Either, sit back and get increasingly annoyed as I watch all these planes fly over head or,
  2. I could try to focus I gaining a little more knowledge from the text books so I am able to get more out of the lesson when the plane is fixed. 
I think the second is advisable. If life's a challenge then you must attempt to over come the little announces and set backs and this is the perfect opportunity for me to do this. 
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My Aims| Flying and blog

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Although this is definitely early days for my blog I would like to set out a few goals for which I will try to reach throughout the course of the rest of this year.

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  • 10 flying hours before September.
  • Solo a powered plane also before september (this does seem rather optimistic my I figured it might as well set my targets high)
  • Grasped a good understanding of the theory side of the licence so that I am in good stead for the written exam. 
  • 1000 views for the blog before the end of april, once again this might be a little optimistic but you never know. 
  • I also would like to have flown in a larger variety of aircraft by the end of this summer so a gain a greater understanding of the different handling qualities that each aircraft can have. 

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All in all this check list will certainly keep me busy for the months to come and I will be able to record if and when I reach these goals through the means of this blog. 

Thanks for reading. 
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The Books

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So, after you have taken the leap into the unknown and decided that learning to fly is for you unfortunately the next stage is to purchase some books. Although I was reluctant at first to read through the boring pages it really does help when it comes to your in flight knowledge. Don't think that this is solely what a pilots licence consists of because it isn't, it just is a relatively small but vital part. Also, the books act as a good introduction guide for the course to come, if you decide to take lessons. Just a quick flick through the books and you can get a taste for what's to come.
The books I have been using in order to supplement my flying. 
Having read through a chapter in the book you will be prepared to go through the corresponding lesson with much more fluency and also will have the basic concept already under your grasp. During your lesson its only the practical side of it that you need to learn whilst up in the air. There are some excellent diagrams within the books which can help you get to grip of the manoeuvres and the procedures you will use as well as where the relevant instruments are usually located.
The diagrams used within the manuals.

I am sure that the books will also prove useful when revising for the exams that will come later in the licence and I will post on this when I reach that point. 

If you would like to purchase an updated version of the manual I am using click here. There may be better guides on the market at the moment so it might be worth investigating. 
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Sea King XZ 591 Flight

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Last summer I was fortunate enough to fly in a search and rescue Sea King over the Northumberland  coastline in northern England. My flight seems to bear more relevance due to the fact that sea Kings are coming out of service very shortly and I will have been one of the last passengers to have flown in a SAR (search and rescue) SeaKing for fun.

After a few hours of waiting around inside the squadrons crew room for the helicopter crew to become free to be able to take passengers we were led to collect a helmet and then walked across the helipad towards where the Sea King was hovering, after a short brief from the winch man we were hooked in and winched up. The sheer force of the wind was incredible and the noise also was loud to say the least.
The SAR Sea King I was fortunate to fly in.
As I was winched up the short distance the smile on my face grew, eventually I reached the side bay and was unclipped and then ushered to a seat on the left hand side the helicopter looking directly out of the open bay door. The view was incredible and the sensation of hovering was something I wasn't expecting to be note worthy but  it was. I had flown in a light aircraft before this flight, however this is not really comparable to anything I have ever done before.
The view form the seats out of the open bay door whilst hovering.
After being plugged in to the crews radio and advised not to talk through it unless necessary (i.e don't start screaming) we set off. After a couple of minutes of getting use to the sensation of flight in a helicopter with door open I was offered to go and stand at the front of the helicopter with the pilots to observe. What initially struck me was how relaxed they were flying, for them, it seemed, this flight was just like driving car and  required very little attention as they talked on about how their week end went, this is certainly not a criticism and in all honestly I was in ore of their ability . As we flew down the coastline on a beautifully clear day I couldn't think of anything better I could be possibly be doing. It was awesome. How lucky were these pilots to be doing this as their job. Five minutes later my time at the front was up and I returned to the very rear of the helicopter and sat in a observers seat. We started are return journey back to base banking quite hard to our right before continuing on are relatively straight and level flight back.

As we landed I felt disappointed that this flight had come to an end and noted how unlikely it is that I will ever do something like that again. Unfortunately, I can't comment on the quality of the landing as it was my first ever helicopter flight but, all in all I can't fault the quality of flying I experienced. 
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