... luckily on the ground. The plane has been fitted with a new starter as the old one was literally toasted. Me and my instructor didn't get the plane started today unfortunately. After many attempts, we had to pull it to the terminal to charge the battery and put on the engine heater. Now it's very important not to keep the key on the start position for a too long time, because if the prop just spins very slowly, it will generate huge amounts of heat. This had probably contributed over a long time for the starter to get toasted. However, when my friend (finally) after us managed start it, we actually believe that we didn't prime it enough maybe. Anyway my friend, Pin, got his last solo and then passed checkride after that today. CONGRATULATIONS PIN! :) The plane with the engine heat connected, just like a car. 
And tomorrow is my first flight in the DA-40 (OH-KAS) with a G1000 Glass Cockpit. I will use the DA-40 enough to feel safe and get the differencial training, but the DA-20 C1 will remain as my primary trainer. 
Stay VERY tuned for tomorrow! :)
Helge
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I finally counted my hours again today. My total time is now 23h and 39 mins! More than half of the 45h required. I have flown two flights since my last solo, both spin avoidance (dual) because the weather was really optimal for that (CAVOK both days!) And luckily, we don't need to do a fully developed spin! That would make my stomach bad I guess. What I have left for my PPL is simply three emergency flights, 2-3 basic instrument, some solos and the navigation and later cross-country flights. The two latest will eat most of the remaining hours. The very last part of the PPL is the solo cross-country that must be at least 150NM and where you must land at two additional airports than the starting airport (from Helsinki students typically fly Helsinki-Turku-Tampere-Helsinki). Sooner or later I will also fly the DA-40 (four-seater) to get the differencial training, but my primary trainer is OH-KAT, the DA-20 C1. The DA-40 can be really optimal on some cross-country flights, but the final solo cross-country will be in KAT. Flying OH-KAS (the DA-40) will also add more costs but when I have my PPL, I can bring three persons in addition to me there. The final flight of the PPL-course is the checkride, when an examinor from TraFi will join me to check that I'm ready. I will try to do that on my 17th birthday. Well, even though I have just passed half of the hours required, it still feels a lot and it is. The cross-countries will really eat up most of the remaining hours (the triangle between the cities will be flown twice, once with my instructor and once alone, giving around 6h). Thinking of the rest of the dual flights before and then with navigation (starting gradually with basic nav, radio nav, nav problems etc.)+the solos, 45h doesn't seem like an impossible target at all.  I would like to dedicate the same post to some pictures of moments that inspired me to start with the PPL :)      | Helge Sakkestad
Welcome to my road-to-PPL blog! First of all, PPL means Private Pilot License for all of you who didn't knew. Second, the language of the blog will be English because of the various nationalities of my friends and readers. ArchivesJune 2013 Categories |
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