It's been awhile since I last updated my blog. Many apologies to that, I lost track of time ever since I graduated from flying...
YES!! I GRADUATED FROM FLYING!
I finally completed my flying course as of January 5th 2014, and I must say it's been quite a journey. My days as a Cadet Pilot are officially over and I would like to give thanks to the instructors of Asia Pacific Flight Training for helping me ''shape my flying wings''.
For each flight you complete with your instructors, a feather is presented to you as it slowly shapes your wings. At the end of the day,all the hard earned collected feathers will form your very own wings and from there and then, you are ready to fly.
Here's a recap to what went on from October 2013, until the day I complete my course:
Simulator phase:
Meet Capt. Khin from Myanmar. He was my designated Simulator Instructor. Very very nice man and an excellent pilot to learn from. He made my flights pleasant and at the same time productive.Always creating a comfortable atmosphere in the simulator. Because of him, I learned a lot about instrumental flying procedures and how to decipher an airways chart and an aerodrome chart. Thank you sir!
This is one of the many flight path I flew to land in Ipoh. It was very challenging. This arc you are looking at is a procedural turn to enter an approach to an airport. The final straight line you see, is a straight in approach to land. The catch to fly this arc is to consistently be 10 miles away from a navigation station near the airport. Base on the distance from the station, it is called a '10 DME arc'.
Requirements to fly this: accuracy,consistency,concentration,and thorough navigational instrument understandings.
Meet one of my early partners, Azri. One of the best flyers I've flown with. A generally fast learner and a confident flyer, he is a great person to fly with. This picture is one of our rare selfies during a 13,000 feet cruise. In this exercise, he was my Co-Pilot and I was the Pilot-In-Command. Route: Kuching to Kota Kinabalu.
Of course, at the end of all phases of flying and even the simulator, there's always a Test, or an Exam. In this photo, meet Capt. Goyal. Former pilot for AirIndia. A great man with great experience as well. He was my examiner for my Flight Navigation Procedure Test.
It was crucial to get his: 'Congrats! You passed your FNPT!' *indian accent
Meet Hasbullah aka Bull. My partner and Co-Pilot during my FNPT test. He did a brilliant job assisting me and I can't thank him more enough for contributing to my pass in the test. He was a very good flyer himself and he proved to be one of the most 'on the mark' accurate flyer I have ever flown with. Give him a heading and altitude, he'll give that to you ON THE DOT. No Autopilot.
*Bull was to be my Twin Engine partner from beginning till the end. We've been through a lot together. From doing our Type Rating Test together till our Instrument Rating Test. Flying to Penang and Ipoh via Subang with him was one of the good moments I had with him.
A rear view of our cockpit in the simulator.
Twin Engine Phase:
Meet my academy's pride, (from left) : Diamond DA42, Piper Seminole PA44, Piper Seneca PA34.
I flew the Piper Seminole.
Preparation for a night flight.
Night Flying in Kota Bharu.
On December 14th 2013, I was sent to our academy's detachment in Subang. Due to bad weather, me and Bull were sent here to undergo our Airways Exercises. Thank goodness it only took us 6 days to finish our entire exercise. Here's our parking area at one of the hangars we rented. I was really excited to be able to fly at my own home ground.
After take off en route to Ipoh, climbing to 10000 feet,the part I was looking forward to most was flying overhead my own district, USJ 6. My Playground. My home. I always see Firefly Airline's ATRs fly overhead my house commencing turns to the right. I had the honor to do the same, but only in a smaller plane.
Taipan, USJ 5, USJ 11, USJ 6 petrol stations. Ahh, that homie feeling.
Arrival in Ipoh. Early morning flights there were very pleasant. It was cool and the weather was splendid. No time to stop for dim sum or hor fun though.
Welcome to Sultan Azlan Shah Airport in Ipoh. On the left is Bull, and right is Captain Zarni of Myanmar. Another good instructor to fly with. Another instructor who created a comfortable atmosphere in the cockpit. I must admit during my first few flights in Subang, I had a tough time replying messages relayed by the ATC's (air traffic controllers). Lucky I had him to reply for me and at the same time teach me to reply. I had a firm grasp of it after that and became comfortable replying the Controllers. Was always looking forward to communicate with them since then.
Returning back to Subang, at 7000 feet.
Multitasking is what we always do. As you can see in the picture, left hand was controlling the plane, right hand was setting our instruments, and even our laps had to be used as a table to support our airways log/navigation log.
This hangar belongs to Aerotree. And the red planes you're looking at are acrobatic planes.
Welcome to Penang International airport. As you can see, this is the parking space for aircrafts like the Boeing 747,767, the DC 10,DC8, Airbus A310. This flight was the most interesting flight as it had to be done at night. By the time we reached Penang, it was already late evening.
Bye Penang..
Departing Penang after a half an hour wait on the ground. Sunsets scenes were a great bonus.
Familiar sight for Penangnites.
Sunset at The Straits Of Malacca.
Although beautiful, the sun was blazing at the same time.
A more later part of the flight. A more soothing ambiance in flight.
As I was new to Subang at night, I had a tough time looking for where the runway was. Thanks to the instruments in the cockpit, we were able locate and set ourselves up for the approach to Subang. You can see how beautiful it is flying at night.
And I couldn't resist not putting it into Instagram.
On Chirstmas Eve, I received a call from the Subang Detachment flight ops office. They told me I had to fly back to Kota Bharu on Christmas day itself. It was a bit of a rush and it left me a heavy heart to leave Subang and not being able to spend Christmas with my family. But, that is my priority at the time and I continued with my flight the following day. This picture shows the schedule of my expected arrival in Kota Bharu. My callsingn: APAC4757.
Flying to Kota Bharu at 11,000 feet. En route, we flew overhead Genting Highlands. What a rare opportunity that was. Not many cadets were lucky to fly through there.
This Picture was taken by my Father as of Christmas in 2013, just after take off in Subang. Noone has ever taken such good shot of me flying before! Thanks Dad..
After arriving in Kota Bharu I had to wait for awhile to get clearance to do my final flight test, which is the Instrument Rating Test.
Instrument rating refers to the qualifications that a pilot must have in order to fly under IFR (Instrument Flight Rules). It requires additional training and instruction beyond what is required for a Private Pilot certificate or Commercial Pilot Licence, including rules and procedures specific to instrument flying, additional instruction in meteorology, and more intensive training in flight solely by reference to instruments.
And thankfully, on the 5th day of January, I passed the test and officially completed my flight training with Asia Pacific Flight Training. Thank you APFT!
Post flight test after knowing I have passed. A traditional kiss to the nose gear to thank my plane for being trouble free.
And here's the best part,
What better day to receive your Commercial Pilot Licence? ON YOUR BIRTHDAY. 21st February 2014, marks the day I am finally a qualified commercial pilot. With me here is Capt. Badrul, DCA's licensing officer. Very nice gentleman. Couldn't thank him enough for approving my licence in such quick notice. And also a nicely timed issuance of my license. Thank you ,sir!
The journey of a cadet pilot may have reach its end here, but now here comes part I look forward to most. Job hunting. Not easy of course, a lot of patience and hard work has to be continued. Although course completed from the academy, the persistence to continuously study and revise resumes. Keeping physically and mentally fit everyday, and when the time comes, soon enough, I will be up and ready to fly in the commercial world. Can't wait to start flying again!
Present for Firefly's 7th Birthday. Happy Birthday Firefly!
*I will continue to update this blog once I found a job. Let's hope it'll come soon enough!
