What exactly is Low-Level?

More groundschool today; this time Airstrip Evaluation, Air Drops and Abort Points. Imagine a small dirt strip in the middle of the African bush. No control tower, no windsock, no runway markers and no published data. You mission is to fly to the strip and evaluate whether it is suitable for landing (and of course taking-off again). So how do you do this? By doing three 'passes' over the airstrip, and if all is well, land.

First you'd fly over it at 80kts around 1000ft (MAF call this a high pass), to assess the wind, surrounding terrain and any obstacles.

Next you'd fly over again at 80kts at 50-100 feet (MAF call this a medium pass) to work out the length (using a stopwatch and your approx groundspeed), the exact altitude of the strip and look for close in obstacles.

Now if you've been paying attention so far you may have noticed that a 'medium pass' is at between 50 and 100 feet. That is EXTREMELY LOW.

And so now for the low pass, again at 80kts. This one is to take a close look at the surface condition, look for yet more obstacles, and to assess the slope of the strip. And the height? 5 to 10 feet! At 80kts!!

One more day of groundschool, and then we start doing this for real.If you'd like to see what its going to be like, take a look at the video.

Happy Landings,

Steve

What do Passengers do just before Take-Off?

Day 2 of groundschool. Today's classes were: checklists, Take-offs and Landings, Emergencies and Terrain. In the Take-Off class we learned that after the normal departure checks MAF's operating procedures call for 4 further actions: a time check, a passenger check (that they are all strapped in and happy), a brake check (that the handbrake is off) and finally a check of the prevailing wind strength and direction. Collectively these can be easily remembered thus: 'Time for the Passengers to break wind'.Seriously, that's how we're supposed to remember it.

In 'Terrain' we learned that sometimes when flying low in bad weather you can come across a cloud type called 'Cumulous Granet' which can hurt a lot, so we are learning techniques to avoid that and get through valleys, mountains and other terrain safely.

After classes Stuart and I went down to the hangar to familiarise ourselves with the aircraft we'll be flying, and to pose with one. The Cessna TU206G is a single-engined high-wing aircraft. It has a turbocharged 300bhp engine, can cruise easily at 150kts, climb at over 1000ft per minute and can carry a useful load of around 1600lb (700kg). 

Oh, and we also tried on the helmets we'll be required to wear in and around the mountains.

Know your limits, and stay within them

Hi from sunny Nampa. Today was the first day of groundschool, and the above title is the basis of the MAF US safety policy. As you might imagine safety is a key element of the flying training that we will be doing. It is so simple yet manages to convey so much. Anyway more of the groundschool later.

First, here is the apartment where I'm staying for our month here. I'm sharing it with Stuart, another pilot from the UK who is joining MAF. The apartment is very new and has everything two temporary bachelors could want: a coffee machine, a big TV, a walk-in fridge, dishwasher, free wi-fi (skype me!) and air-conditioning. The best thing though, is that it is only a 20 yard commute to work, as the photo opposite was taken from the front steps of MAF HQ.

Stuart and I are in fact the only pilots on the course, although MAF can accomodate up to six pilots at a time. Since we will not be flying in the US or in a MAF US field of service, some of the procedures do not apply to us and so the course has been slightly modified as a result. The groundschool element is now due to finish by the end of this week, and we may even be flying by Friday!

In light of this, Stuart and I decided to try to get some practice in early...

(Caption competition: answers on the blog please)

Welcome to Idaho, have a nice Potato

Hi, it's been a while (a year actually) since my last blog post, where you may remember you left me in Spain, avoiding the rain in the plain, in a plane.

Since then I've joined Mission Aviation Fellowship as a pilot and am currently at the MAF US headquarters in Nampa, Idaho (see right) where I'll be taking a 'Flight Standardisation Course'.

The course starts on Monday and comprises two weeks of groundschool (pilot speak for classroom based learning) and two weeks of sheer pleasure, flying a small aircraft around the spectacular scenery of the Idaho mountains while learning bush and mountain flying techniques which I'll be needing in Africa.

I've been to the US a few times before, and so was expecting a robust but friendly process at Seattle's Sea-Tac airport to be admitted to this great nation. Imagine my surprise (and slight quickening of my pulse) when on arrival I was asked by the customs official to step into a side room, where he proceeded to slowly and deliberately place a pair of blue surgical gloves on his large hands. He then asked me if I was bringing any weapons, drugs or food into the country, to which I politely answered "No". He then opened my case and on the top was my secret stash of Earl Grey tea in a clear plastic bag.

After a long pause he looked me straight in the eye and said "Thank you sir, you can proceed". Like I said, robust but friendly.

It's good to be in the USA. Nampa is a friendly place. A fellow shopper came up to me at the meat counter at American Asda (or as they call it here, Walmart) and told me I had to buy a 5lb pack of chicken breasts because "they're a steal, my friend" at $7. The food is much cheaper than in British Walmart and all the portions are much bigger.

Oh, and there's the potatoes. Idaho is the home of the potato apparently. All the license plates say 'IDAHO, FAMOUS POTATO". Can't say I've met a famous one but I'm just hoping that after a month here I'll not come home looking like a potato.

More on Monday...

Badajoz

My last flight today, to Badajoz (loosely pronounced Barahoth), a town 2 hours north from Jerez, beyond Seville. On the way up a strange sight. The world's biggest solar power plant, just north of Seville. The suns rays are directed from a series of moveable mirrors towards a tower, through which water is pumped. The water boils, and this is used to create electricity.

Once again the wind was blowing quite hard across the Spanish plain, so this time I had a 20 knot headwind on the way up (2.5hrs) and a 20 knot tailwind on the way back (1.5hrs).

Badajoz itself is close to the Portugese border, and my plan was to fly from here over to Portugal and the Atlantic coast. However the winds were just too strong at the airfields where I would need to refuel.

And so ends the flying in Spain. I hope you've enjoyed reading about it.