Shelbi Grist | Student diary | 29th July – Night Before First Real Lesson

I have that weird excited but nervous feeling again, everything is going through my mind, like how do planes actually get up into the air etc. However, I cannot wait to see what there is to conquer next on my list of things to do to be able to pass! – I realise I have quite a few books to read, but if I start as soon as possible I know I’ll get the exams over and done with sooner, which apparently is the best solution.

I absolutely loved being in the air last time despite trying to look for places to hold on tight to, seeing the world from high in the air was really breath taking, and I’m quite short so it was good to see it from a different prospective, I’ve been looking at the weather on the internet and television as much as I could, and been working out the pictures and stuff, and being like “oh we’d be able to fly today mum” over the past week, even at camp too.

So we arrived at the Airfield, it was a bit too cloudy and didn’t know whether I was going to fly or not, it was a big difference from the sunny weather the day before, but what more could I expect from the British weather? Exactly. However I did finally go up in the air, learnt about the effects of controls, things such as, if you turn the control column left, the plane will turn left, and if you push the control column forward then the nose of the plane will pitch down, stuff like that etc.

Then I started to read all my books, well I started book one first, obviously. And it just briefs you before and after exercises, so you’ll read about it, and then go and do it, and then talk about like what you did how it was etc.

30th July | Second Lesson

Arrived at the airfield bright and early about 9am, and done the walk around check with Michael and then set off up into the air, to learn the art of trimming, and using the rudders and flaps in the air etc, and about pitch attitude.

Then started reading Air Law and Meteorology book, which is chunky, so I read a few pages, read over them and made notes, the chapters are big too, so I think I’ve read loads, to find out I’m only halfway through one chapter of a specific part of the book!

That afternoon I went up with Dan and we worked on descending and climbing and reference points that you use in the air, and because I don’t live up that way it was all new to me, but I’m getting the hang of it now. The flights don’t seem like much but they do tire you out quickly. After the drive home I was completely shattered, and I was looking forward to my bed. Cant wait for next week either!

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