• Home |
• News |
• Photos |
• Diving |
• Flying |
• Travel

Flying Training

Lesson 39: General Handling (Tomahawk) and Photos

Saturday 23 December 2006, 2.30pm in Tomahawk G-BMKG. Instructor: Douglas Gilmore. Location: Leading Edge, Cumbernauld, Scotland.

Weather: cool, overcast over Cumbernauld, clear over Stirling

The last time I flew a light aircraft in Scotland was in 1985, out of Dyce (Aberdeen). On that occasion it was a Trial Instructional Flight in a Cessna 172, and I enjoyed it so much I thought I might learn to fly before I bought my first car. I would never have imagined it would be over 21 years before I took the controls again in my own country.

I heard good reports about Leading Edge in Cumbernauld on PPRuNe, the Professional Pilots' Rumour Network (Yes, people other than professional pilots are welcome in some areas of the site) so I drove through on Thursday to meet them and see if there was a free slot. I eventually found Cumbernauld Airport (A80 from Stirling to Glasgow, take the second exit to Cumbernauld, turn left under the dual carriageway, then follow the signs to the airport) and met the crew.

The original slot booked was 3pm, but I turned up at 2pm hoping we might be able to get away earlier, as by 3.30pm in the middle of a Scottish Winter it is getting pretty dark. Luckily a previous student had cancelled so we were able to get airborne by 2.30pm after a quick preflight briefing.

Being a nosewheel aircraft, the feel on the ground was very different from what I was used to, but of course it went where it was pointed without fuss. Douglas made the radio calls, and I did the pre-takeoff checks as prompted. We backtracked the entire length of the runway (there's no separate taxiway) and turned around to line up towards the west. Acceleration wasn't quite as brisk as the Citabria but we took off without fuss and climbed initially to 2000 feet, turning crosswind and then departing the circuit to the north. Cloud cover was pretty much 100% over the airport, and haze obscured the view south and west to Glasgow.

Fortunately it was clearer over Stirling, and as we climbed higher to 3000 feet the Ochils and the mountains behind were bathed in light from the low winter sun. As we approached Stirling the first landmark was Cambusbarron Woods, then the Castle and the Wallace Monument. I flew up to Dunblane before turning back and handing over to Douglas while I took some photographs of the Ochils the Wallace Monument, Stirling Castle and Cambusbarron.

Following this we did some general handling, including steep turns and stalls (which were gentle as befits a primary trainer). We then set course back for Cumbernauld and flew a few circuits. Douglas had me follow through on the first approach (and asked me afterwards to hold the controls with a lighter touch!), and then he helped me with the next two. I didn't do an unassisted landing, but he said a few more circuits and I would have got it. I found the pitch control difficult, probably a combination of the unfamiliar yoke, and the fact that the tailplane is high on the fin, out of the prop wash (why is that?).

Photos

Dunblane Hydro	Ochil Hills	Wallace Monument	Wallace Monument	Stirling Bridge
Stirling Castle	Cambusbarron Woods	Northird Reservoir	Quarry	Quarry
Cambusbarron	Hayford Mill	Piper Tomahawk

Back Next