19/1/14: RA-Aus Pilot Certificate Flight Test

RA-Aus Pilot Certificate Flight Test... Take 2  :-)

Same aircraft today, J160 24-8229 with Mick and same active runway, 10L.

Having learnt from yesterday's boo-boo, in the run-up bay I went through the normal checks including the take-off safety brief and departure brief.

A normal takeoff tracking to the Eastern training area.  Basically, the flight manoeuvres covered in my Flight Test were:

• Slow cruise at 70KIAS with and without flaps
• Medium level turns, left and right
• Steep turns, left and right
• Powered-off stalls
• Forced landing simulation
• Headed back to YBAF requesting circuits on arrival - join downwind runway 10R for a normal touch-and-go
• Tower switched me to runway 10L
• Circuit 1 - normal 10L touch-and-go
• Circuit 2 - crosswinds were picking up a fair bit so called this a full stop - flapless approach 10L full stop

Throughout the flight, Mick quizzed me on various topics around aircraft performance, systems, engine and airspace and Class D procedures.

I taxied back to the apron and given it was the last flight for the day, parked the aircraft and tied it down.

I passed my Flight Test!!  :-)  Here's a pic of me just after parking and getting out the aircraft...

So what does the RA-Aus Pilot Certificate allow me to do?  Fly a recreational aircraft for which I am endorsed (Group A tricycle wheel) as Pilot in Command (PIC) within a 25nm radius from take-off point.  However with this Certificate alone, I can't carry passengers, fly further than 25nm (cross-country) or fly in controlled airspace.

On top of my RA-Aus Pilot Certificate, the Cross-country endorsement will allow me to fly as PIC to other aerodromes and the Passenger endorsement will allow me to take friends and family up with me  :-)

So the next chapter of my pilot training is the cross-country endorsement... navigation exercises to other aerodromes.

I'm likely to be doing these navigation exercises in a Cessna 162 Skycatcher with a Garmin glass cockpit...  cool :-)  I believe the navigation flights are also usually around 3 hours in length, so due to finances I'll be flying less frequently, probably every 2-3 weeks.

I plan to next fly in 2-3 weeks, probably for an hour to get familiar with the Skycatcher.

Until next time, have fun and fly safe!