Sunday, 25th June, 2012.
And finally! After 6 months of no flying I was back up on the air again! I must say the familiar scent of my aircraft's leather sits sent chills down my spine as I open the canopy to enter the cockpit. The joy and excitation of being up one thousand feet up in the air is back again.
Flew my first flight with our Myanmar Instructor , Captain Nay. An Ex Air Force and Ex Airline pilot back in his homeland Myanmar. I was very much looking forward to fly with him as it would also be my first time flying with him.
Throughout the entire flight yesterday, I was given a good one hour lesson of how to fly using our cockpit's instruments. To refresh , I am flying a Diamond DA 40 with a 'Glass Cockpit' feature and hence the instrument displayed on my cockpit were 2 large screen, the Primary Flight Display, and the Multi Function Display. The layouts are pretty similar to the ones used in Commercial Jets nowadays by airlines.
Back to my flight,flying base on what I've learned yesterday was not easy at all. Procedures were so different as how I used to fly back 6 months ago. Captain Nay had a very distinguished style of flying, which is to fly base on our instruments and a very unusual way of landing, which is deemed useful when experiencing crosswinds while landing.
I won't be afraid to admit I was given a 'tough' treatment up in the air, the reason of not flying for 6 months was deemed more like an excuse than a reason, and Captain Nay will not have any of it. And hence, I braved through the flight for one hour and was given thorough lessons up there. Finally when we touch down, I could'nt wait for him to debrief me as I had many questions about his flying techniques.
Finally after our debrief, I finally understood his way of flying. And I have come to a conclusion that every time before I fly , I MUST practice mental flying ( simulating real flying conditions in a private manner ) . Sounds silly, but effective.
Oh before I forget, to the cadets who will be reading this post. Just to let you guys know Captain Nay is a one-of-a-kind instructor. He might scream or shout at you, but what I have learned is that he is also training our mental stability. Our readiness of facing a stressful or tough situation while flying. Our determined will to keep flying till the end and never give up. Flying with him is truly only for the strong willed. So guys, are you one?
Captain Nay: -Do not rush. Relax.
-Breathe. I always catch you not breathing when you land.
- One mistake. One cup of Coffee.
- Do you study on ground?
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