Flightygirl finds Goulburn and Mittagong and makes it home! First solo nav!

[flightygirl]

well guys... i did it!

 

took off for goulburn from wollongong at 1200 today. conditions at ywol were lovely... bit of a sea breeze nice and clear and smooth. I overflew the airport and flew over the escarpment and the whole flight from there on in was like being in a washing machine. it was bumpy all the way to goulburn. I managed to keep accurate time (something i thought i would not do properly) and was able to fly map to ground all the way. Whilst i am familiar with the area, being up there all on my own was certainly nerve wracking!

 

the most difficult thing i found was flying straight and level. a task i find difficult enough while managing maps. but the wind made it almost impossible... so my flight to goulburn was up and down (the video will be proof of that!.. it will be posted in next day or so)

 

my clearoff checks were all fine and i think my very meticulous planning really helped to steady some of my nerves. i had pretty much every bit of information i needed on my map, and all details highlighted in yellow, which was great as the bumpy ride made it even harder to read the map!

 

i have to admit that i was relieved to see ywol and landed beautifully with a big woohoo on landing. i hadnt realised how nervous i had been until i was to get out of the aircraft and found that i was shaking quite considerably. it was scary being up there all alone, but it has made me realise i can manage a long trip and that i have learnt more about navigating than i had thought.

 

next nav will be on a less bumpy day.... im glad i did it but could have done without the bumps!

 

 

[Spin]

Well done Flightygirl, that's what it's all about!

 

 

[Tomo]

Well done Rach, great to hear. :thumb_up:

 

 

[Vev]

Well done FG ... like so many things in life, practice and determination to win will get you there ... you are well on the way.

 

Cheers

 

Vev

 

 

[Guest disperse]

:big_grin:

 

 

[facthunter]

You are there because your instructor had done the essentials.

 

You pulled it off and good on you. As I said earlier you wouldn't have been cleared to do this trip if Rob hadn't been happy with your progress. It is a big responsibility to be on your own but as someone who has put people in that situation many times I am sure that your instructor was relieved when you came back confirning his judgement.. Nev

 

 

[motzartmerv]

Good onya Rach. Didn't need that lost procedure after all:keen:

 

 

[Powerin]

Well done FG...another milestone reached in the journey!

 

 

[Neil_S]

Hey! Well done FG I'm sure the nerves will subside as you do more solo trips....

 

Cheers

 

Neil

 

 

[dazza 38]

Well done Rachael, Top stuff.

 

 

[Ultralights]

and now with video proof of said great achievement

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uevEllnqFR4

 

 

[Relfy]

Excellent vid flighty, very dramatic!! (music that is). I love the timing at the end with the music stopping as the wheels touch down. Nice work!

 

 

[flightygirl]

Excellent vid flighty, very dramatic!! (music that is). I love the timing at the end with the music stopping as the wheels touch down. Nice work!

thanks Relfy,

 

though cant take credit for the video or the music... all done by my instructor. i just get to do all the flying!:big_grin:

 

the landing was a good one though hey!

 

 

[Tomo]

That landing was awesome Rach! :big_grin:

 

 

[robinsm]

Well done Rach!!! Great filming (what did they use?), great music. You can't dispute the nav with proof like this. Congratulations.

 

 

[Wangaratta]

Great Job, I really liked the video.

 

I'll have to rig on of those up onto the aircraft, when I have lessons in the future.

 

:D

 

 

[Ultralights]

Gday Blackrod, yeah, the camera is a Gopro HD Hero, and i used Imovie on my Mac to edit them.

 

On the timelapse movies, the camera is set to take a single frame every 2 seconds then use Quicktime Pro to create a movie from the image sequence the camera takes, on the tumut trip over the snow, there was about 5000 images.

 

for the video above, the camera was on its lowest resolution setting for the 2 and a half hours flying, and the file was 7.8 GIG on a 8 gig memory card.

 

 

[pilotdave69]

Gday Blackrod, yeah, the camera is a Gopro HD Hero, and i used Imovie on my Mac to edit them. On the timelapse movies, the camera is set to take a single frame every 2 seconds then use Quicktime Pro to create a movie from the image sequence the camera takes, on the tumut trip over the snow, there was about 5000 images.

for the video above, the camera was on its lowest resolution setting for the 2 and a half hours flying, and the file was 7.8 GIG on a 8 gig memory card.

Rob, this is unreal! I just purchased one myself, have a 32 gb card and 16 gb card came with camera. Have you used the camera inside cockpit much?

 

I am flying again on Friday, might see if i can try it out.

 

Well done on the video.. Bianca has a MAC< so will be able to edit..

 

Dave

 

 

[Guest Dick Gower]

Worse than first solo flightygirl?

 

Probably because you had time to think about it whereas the first solo was sprung on you somewhat unexpectedly. Instructors can be tricky like that.

 

Best wishes.