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Amazing RAF rescue

image Jim O’Neill suddenly lost his sight, as the result of a stroke, at 5,500 feet last week. He was guided into RAF Linton-on-Ouse by Wing Commander Paul Gerrard, flying a Tucano T1 training aircraft.

The story made headlines but what’s really extraordinary is the audio recording of the conversation between the RAF officer and the pilot.

That calm reassuring voice you hear on the radio when you talk to RAF controllers for a LARS service or when you visit an RAF base – here it is saving a man’s life. Quite extraordinary. I hope they give Wing Commander Gerrard a medal.

San Francisco fleet week air show

image I’m in San Francisco and it’s Fleet Week. This means a big airshow – today is the practice day and tomorrow is the main event.

The weather is CAVOK with virtually unlimited visibility. I’m staying in the Mandarin Oriental and my room has a panoramic view of the flying area (roughly the Golden Gate bridge over Alcatraz to the Bay Bridge).

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I’ve already seen an Osprey, a Pitts Special, a Virgin US Airbus and a four-ship Extra display. I’m looking forward to the Blue Angels, due later on. I didn’t manage to do any flying on this trip. But last time I was here, I flew from KSQL in a Diamond for a few hours and it was great fun to fly over the bay.

Stibbair pre-flight planning checklists

Pilots love checklists. I use this one to plan my flights. I fly an N-reg aircraft on an FAA CPL/IR so it’s geared to IFR trips in airways but other pilots may find it useful for different kinds of flight (e.g. VFR channel crossings). Anyway, no guarantees, no support, use at your own risk but enjoy!

Stibbair Pre-flight Planning Checklist

Currency

  • JAA PPL Medical
  • FAA CPL Medical
  • JAR PPL
  • RT licence valid
  • JAR SEP Land
  • UK IMC
  • BFR CPL Checkride
  • IR currency (6 IAP, VOR, hold)
  • PLB registration
  • 90 Day Rule (Day / Night)

Route planning

  • Update charts in Flightstar
  • Plan route in Flightstar
  • Crosscheck Standard Route Document (Available from Jeppesen)
  • Review route on VFR charts
  • Identify alternates
  • Check NOTAMs in AVBRIEF and/or NOTAMPLOT
  • Check official night and night currency
  • Complete weight and balance form
  • Check fuel requirements (30m day VFR, 45m night VFR, 45 IFR at alternate, 123 rule for alternate)
  • Check flight plan with CFMU validator.
  • File flight plans with HOMEBRIEFING (or fax and call to check it arrived. Heathrow: Tel: +44-(0)20-8750 2615 / 2616, Fax: +44-(0)20-8750 2617 / 2618, Manchester: Tel: 0161 499 5502 / 5500, Fax: 0161 499 5504, Scottish: Tel: 01292 692 679 / 692 663, Fax: 01292 671 048)

Paperwork

  • Book plane!
  • Check timezones and prepare schedule
  • Check customs PPR, handling and customs at destination.
  • Fax handling request if required
  • Complete GAR in plenty of time (EU: 4 hours before inbound, Channel Isles, IOM, Eire and Northern Ireland 12 working hours inbound and return) and fax to Denham 01895 833486 or to GAR central on 0870 240 3738 or by email to ncu@hmce.gsi.gov.uk or call on 0870 785 3600
  • Print plates, plogs, W&B, GAR, flight plans, schedule
  • Confirm details with passengers
  • Pack in plastic folder trip kit

Day of flight

  • Print SIGMET, wind, synoptic, TAFs METARs, radar picture, satellite cloud (Note that Homebriefing has a SIGMET with cloud tops on it unlike the Met Office version)
  • Check freezing level
  • Complete risk assessment and print
  • Check passports
  • Call destination for customs, handling, PPR as required
  • Call Red Arrows and Royal Flights 0500 354802 if VFR or check www.raf.mod.uk/reds
  • Call French ATC to close flightplan if arriving at a non-IFR French airport +33 810 437 837
  • Arrive one hour before flight
  • Don’t forget: passport, Euros, phone, flight plan docs

Stibbair boarding card

I recently set up a site with information for passengers at a new address, www.stibbair.com.

On Saturday, on a trip to Rotterdam, my passengers had their first boarding card.

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What I particularly like is the the carrier: “UFO”.

Now all I need is an AOC and I can start my own airline!

Why I’m not flying in Florida this year

Every couple of years I make the pilot’s pilgrimage to Florida to do some flight training: PPL, instrument rating, CPL. This year I had planned to go do my multi-engine rating.

However, I’ve decided not to go. Why?

  • Poor standard of flying schools. I’ve trained with different schools in Florida and none of them have been great. The last one was absolutely awful – enough to put a newcomer off flying for good, in my opinion. Picking a flying school is an act of blind faith. While I did get two good references for Fly EAA in Naples (my first choice this time) it was difficult to get detailed answers to my questions over the phone and I got no reply by email. 
  • I don’t want to fly a Diamond anymore. EAA train on DA42s and I had planned to fly that rather than fly a 30-year old Aztec or Seneca somewhere else. I’ve had demo flights in the DA40 and DA42 and liked the handling (but not the performance – especially compared to the Cirrus). However, the recent engine problems with Thielert make me nervous about plane availability and, frankly, I’m not sure I want to train for an aircraft I am now unlikely to buy or rent. As I write this, I note that EAA have stopped doing ME training on the DA42 so even if I wanted to go do the course there, I couldn’t.  Just as well I didn’t buy my tickets.
  • My wife doesn’t want to go to Florida. We’ve done all the tourist stuff and, frankly, visiting Florida again holds little appeal.
  • The whole bloody visa business. I just don’t fancy spending a couple of days of my life filling out forms and waiting in line and being treated like a suspect at the airport just to get permission to spend my dollars in the USA. On its own this isn’t the deciding factor but it tips the balance.

So, I’ve done a checkout on the SR22 Turbo and I’m going to fly some more Cirrus hours this summer. The travel money will go towards holidays in San Francisco and the Maldives. If Diamond sort themselves out, I may look again at the twin rating. But I’ll probably do it in the UK on my JAR licence.