The end, or just the beginning?

Hours: 288
Position: Larvik
Heading: Torp for full stop landing

One month ago I passed the FI(A) skill test, and I started working at my first job the day after. I now work at the club I originally took my PPL(A) at, and if that is not enough, I am also to start instructing at Luftfartsskolen where I took my CPL/IR/ME. I will be flying C-172R's with Garmin 1000 on their PPL(A) programme.

So, I've landed my first job(s). So one might say this is the end of my education. Some say that newly earned licences are just "a licence to learn". Then I reccon I will never be finished. What is the end really, when you are flying a jet for an airline? When you are a captain?

Goals are important, but being happy with the current situation is essential, or you'll never be satisfied.

Way long time, no write

Last time I wrote, I had yet to begin my multi-engine training. I have since then completed all of my VFR and IFR training in the Piper PA-34 Seneca V, and passed the CPL/IR/ME Skill Test. The completion of this education left me with a total of 238 hours, including 121 hours of pilot-in-command.

I am currently flying the Grumman American AA-5A Cheetah and the Grumman American AG-5B Tiger in Røros, Norway. These aircrafts are to be flown a total of 30 hours towards my Flight Instructor (Aeroplane) License. I have now flown 23 of those hours, and I am having a great time and learning a lot! My instructor has in his logbook completed 26,000 hours of total flight, so there is a great deal of experience to be taught.

I will be back to share my experience as a flight instructor, hopefully someone will give me a decent job. I can't wait to teach others how to fly!

Approach into Stockholm City

A short update on my educational status:

19 hours VFR Single Engine
40 hours IFR Single Engine (7 hours to go)
6 hours VFR Multi Engine
15 hours IFR Multi Engine


Departure: Torp, Sandefjord Norway
Destination: Bromma, Stockholm Sweden
ETD: 06:30 LT
ETA: 08:45 LT

Fuel was arranged the night before. We where leaving so early, waiting for fuel in the morning was not an option. Me, my dad and a friend boarded the aircraft after the pre-flight inspection. I soon completed the checklists for start-up, and we got a taxi clearance for run-up.

After rotation at 55 KIAS, we lifted off into smooth morning air. Convection has yet to start, and the wind was calm, as it usually is in a high pressure system. We where cleared FL 95 direct AKIBA, an IFR reporting point placed on the FIR boundary between Norway and Sweden.

Tønsbergfjorden

After passing the Swedish border, we continued in the "butter-smooth" morning air, getting rid of about 8 US GALs of fuel an hour. With the one axis autopilot engaged, the only thing I needed to think about heading-wise was to adjust the directional gyro for apparent drift. The earth continues to rotate at 15º of longitude an hour, which is corrected with a "latitude nut" in the gyro system. The nut is adjusted according to the aircraft's stationed latitude, and precesses the gyro in the same direction as the earth rotation, canceling apparent drift. But there are other errors, like real drift (friction and such), and with the latitude shifting, it needs to be adjusted often.

High pressure subsidence keeps the polluted factory-smoke in low levels

Karlskoga Airport

Coming up to Stockholm TMA, we got our descent clearance inbound Bromma. The airport, being placed in the middle of Stockholm city, was filled with restriction areas. Condoleezza Rice visited the city this weekend, and there was a total of five restriction areas to dodge on the approach, which opted for an exciting landing.

Target rate-of-descent: 500 fpm

This is the turn for downwind

Before landing checklist complete, setting 10 degrees of flaps on downwind as we were cleared to land. I set the LLZ frequency to confirm the right runway, which is a nice safety feature on unfamiliar airports.

Downwind

Turning base, enjoying the freedom of traffic free air, while seeing the traffic jammed highway

Final Approach

We landed 08:50 LT, giving us five hours of shopping and eating in this beautiful city. A bus gave us easy transport to several large shopping centers, no more than 5 minutes from the airport! Enjoy the last picture.

PA-34-220T Seneca V

My program is the following (CPL IR ME at Luftfartsskolen AS):

19 hours Single-Engine VFR
40 hours Single-Engine IFR
6 hours Multi-engine VFR
15 hours Multi-engine IFR

The bold text shows the program I am finished with as we speak. I am 5 hours into the second phase, instrument training. But that is not what I wanted to show you. What I wanted to show you was our school's new Seneca.

Turbo-charged six cylinder piston engine, rated 220 HP each. It holds two Garmin 430 GNSS', an Avidyne glass cockpit featuring a Primary Flight Display and a Multi-function Display, Airborn Weather Radar with tilt enabling mapping and two-axis autopilot with Control Wheel Steering.

Parked at GA Apron North at Torp

This shows (from top down, left to right) the annunciator panels, audio panel, autopilot panel, the two GNSS displays (GPS) and the multi-function display

The Primary Flight Display

Activity at Torp, showing the Dakota trying to parallel park between a Seneca and the Harvard

"The Norwegian Triangle"

I have gotten to know this route a lot! Collecting more than 50 hours in two months, the last month giving over 35 hours, needed a more clever plan than circling holding! So I came up with what I would call "The Norwegian Triangle". No, there is nothing mysterious about it, and as far as I know, no aircrafts have disappeared during a certain war! Still, there is something magical about it; The ability to give fast hours in my logbook, combined with minimum fatigue and amazing view.

So, starting off at Torp, I would fly direct SKI, direct ZOL, direct SVA then direct TOR. This would give me 3h 15 minutes exactly (plus/minus 5 dependant on wind). To get some variation, I would do the so called "reversed triangular collecticus". Start off at Torp, direct SKI, direct SVA, direct ZOL, direct SKI and back to Torp.

I will not mention how many times I flew this route, but I will say that at some point it was flown twice on one day.

Collecting hours is all about experience, learning more. Combining the now well known "Norwegian Triangle" with low level VFR flying, some sightseeing and some local circuits has been way more experience-giving that I could imagine. But it can be a fall in the learning curve if you are not interested in learning more. Because "strait-ahead-flying" doesn't require much piloting skills if you don't challenge yourself.

With 150 hours of total flying time in my logbook, I was ready for my morse code exam before starting CPL/IR training. Norway uses the same Oxford educational books as many other countries in Europe, but unlike these countries Norway still required pilots to know morse code. After 3-4 days of hard work, I took the test and passed. Now a Garmin 1000 equipped C-172R awaits as I take my last step in the Frozen ATPL(A) education.

Some pictures as usual:

I love contrasting weather situations

First time I saw the rainbow from the air. I tried to chase the "chest of gold" at the end of it, but the rainbow kept moving! Stupid rainbow

Some clouds, among Altocumulus Castellanus showing instability

Firing sky as showers pass by

Last flight of the old Hercules in RNoAF, here passing low over Rygge for the last time!

Northern Sea, covered in low stratus

Exam results are back, and.. wait for it...

...wait for it... Nah, what do you care if some random guy from Norway passed some exam?
But FYI, I did pass my ATPL exam, and now I will be spending the rest of my education above ground. I love it!

But I do try to help people in the same situation as me, which is kinda why I started a "blog" in the first place, so I'll elaborate on the JAR-FCL ATPL exam and what it takes to pass.

First of all, you need motivation. There are 15 books to read through, and study, some more interesting than others.
The number two tip is to act like all the text in each book is important, fun and interesting. Which I can guarantee, much of it ain't! But most of it can be, with the right attitude. There is not one word in any of the books I did not read and study, and that served me well for a thorough general understanding of the field, even though much of it will never see the light of day in the examination room. But one has to think one step ahead of the exam, since one will be working in this field afterwards. And a passed exam don't mean much if you don't know squat in the cockpit!
The third and final tip for a passed exam is BRISTOL. Buy access to the question bank a couple of months ahead of the exam, and go through all of the questions in each subject (preferable more than one time). You will, and I can almost guarantee you this, flunk one or more subjects if you don't touch this question bank!

A post is not complete without pictures. Here are a few from my cellphone, the times where my Canon was at home resting:

On a trip to Oppdal [ENOP]

This was taken today, overlooking Tønsbergsfjorden. Torp can be seen in rainy conditions in the middle of the picture

Rygge [ENRY], a Norwegian 737 can be seen taxiing for take-off

Homebound from Oppdal

Drammen at night. I love the night, although the cellphone camera does not!

"Maintain altitude, traffic passing 1000ft below you"

..and on a reciprocating track. I was maintaining 5000 ft inbound Torp, while a Piper Archer was instructed to maintain 4000 ft. I managed to get a shot of the aircraft, and some other photos as well from this trip from Torp to Notodden:

The aforementioned Piper 1000 ft. below us

LN-ALT

The second VOR CDI in this C-172R, the first one was set at "GPS" with the 1 axis autopilot set in "NAV" mode. Did not work as well as I had hoped, so I went back to using the heading bug after some time

The lighting panel

Electric Turn Coordinator

I love the sight of fading hills in the horizon, here an obstacle can be seen near Skien

Sensational flying!

Lately the flying has been sparse. I attended a three week school course which totaled 120 hours of ATPL curriculum, passed my pre-examination and am now practicing for the exam. There are a ridiculous amount of questions to practice (I'm guessing 3-5000 questions), so that would explain the lack of updates and general absence of flying. I promise more of both towards the end of April and throughout May, when I will be collecting 50 hours of flying time to total 150 hours before starting my CPL / IR training.

Last time spreading wings took place between the usual airport Torp to Sola airport in Stavanger. This was a very good opportunity to widen my horizon.

Navigation references on this trip was in prioritized order: Terrestrial navigation, Radio navigation (VOR/DME) and GPS.

Artistic photograph taken by my brother somewhere over the south-east coast of Norway

Southward view over Skagerak, towards Denmark

On short final RWY 36 at Sola, Stavanger. First time in this city, so it was a really exciting experience. We had navigated coast wise via Kristiansand and Mandal, the most southern city in Norway

After take-off from Sola, in a hurry to get into the air. There was a forecast on showers of snow and a visibility of 4000 metres, not my cup of tea. We are climbing to FL95, just below the airway Z17 which joins ZOL VOR (Stavanger) and SKI VOR (Skien). We are also referencing the GPS on the same track, while assuring correct track on a 1:250 000 M517 VFR map

One of many beautiful valleys on the westcoast

C-172R

Clouds where few Cu with a base of about 6-8000 feet

The flying conditions could not be better. I like the sky to be contrasted by the occasional cumulus

Some showers as we are approaching Torp for landing

Cleared to land well in as we have parking in a hangar placed at the far end of this runway, I am seemingly high on the PAPI lights. I am of course on a perfect three degree approach path to the intersection W2. Of course..

Don't drop it! Don't drop it!

So there I was, holding the window of a C-172P open with one hand, and an 995 dollar camera in the other hand, realizing I forgot to put the neck-strap.... any place, really. Any place at all that would keep that camera from falling into the lakes of Norway if I where to let it slip out of my sweaty hand!

Any who, it might be slanted, it is sure to make you dizzy, but I risked my camera for it and you sure better take a look at it!

Hangin' out the window

Inside warming my cold hands (you know, 100 kts of winter air dried the sweat off pretty fast)

Notodden

Long Final RWY 30

Guess where? You got it, SHORT final, same RWY

Turning downwind RWY 30

On a rather steep base

Turning ditches lift, and S' uses distance. Both excellent methods to get rid of excess height on short final

Wished you lived in Norway, didn't you?

First A380 picture overhead Norwegian Soil?

Well if not, then it's pretty darn close!

The mighty A380 is on a short visit in Norway to test it's anti-ice capabilities in freezing fog. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depends on which way you look at it), Gardermoen in Norway experience this frequently in the autumn and winter time.

It was spotted as soon as it hit the coast of Sandefjord, and I snapped this picture. If not the first picture in Norwegian FIR, or even in Norwegian continent, I would assume the first overhead firm Norwegian soil:

Registration: F-WWEA