Finally! The weather is promising all weekend long, our agendas match for once, we have booked good old PH-NSC and we have both completed our yearly check flight last week. It looks as if finally we will be taking off together again! And funnily enough we realize: in the two years that we know each other and fly together, this will be the first time ever we are going with just the two of us!
Waking up in the morning it seems that karma strikes again: IMC conditions all over the Netherlands – and still at lunch when it was supposed to be cleared up it is still milky soup all around. But hope dies last and finally at 3 o’clock the sun breaks through and we head to the airport.
The Chicks are ready for departure @EHRD
Maasvlakte 2 – busy as ever
EHMZ here we are
The route is quickly decided as our neighbouring airfield Midden Zeeland (EHMZ) starts the season with an offer of unlimited Touch & Gos. Once more we discuss how tasks should be shared during flight: PIC is flying and crew is doing the radio as this is “common” when two pilots are flying? Somehow this does not work for us. PIC is flying and doing the radio, crew is allowed though to set frequencies and fiddle with the garmin. Navigation tasks along the route are also limited. We both just flew it often enough already, so listening in and watching for other planes (surprisingly with this lovely weather we simply meet…..nobody….) is what we do….apart from chatting, chatting and chatting in good old chicks’ style.
It’s a nice flight heading over the impressive harbour at Maasvlakte 2 and along the coast – beautiful in the sunshine and an added bonus for our trip. Kajsa is taking the first leg and practises a few T&G’s while I am watching the haze. We might want to reconsider our return route a bit to have the sunshine from the back as it is absolutely no fun to fly against the sun.
Soaking up the sun – can life be any better?
But before heading back it is time for a drink in the Zeeland airport restaurant soaking up just some more sunshine.
After half an hour we are in the air again with reversed seats and roles. One quick T&G to say good-bye and keep the radio guys from EHMZ awake (also here we have been the only flying gang. Where is everybody?) then we are heading back to Rotterdam, this way going inlands returning via Romeo route giving us some lovely views on the first tulips fields of the area and Dordrecht in the evening sunshine.
Dordrecht in the evening sunshine
Back in the club we feel that we just need dinner for a good ending of a perfect afternoon. Added bonus: we see our latest club addition, a Cessna 172 arriving! Wohoo – finally! We are absolutely sure we will be one of the first to book our check out on it and will use it regularly. Not only did we catch the “Cessna virus” in South Africa, the C172 is also one of the most used planes at other locations. It will be great to have training possibilities also locally now to not lose the hang of handling it.
But how often do you need to train? How rusty do we get after a break from flying? Who can judge on our abilities as pilots in general, in handling different plane types and how fit we still are after the winter break?
One could argue that every pilot has to make the decision themselves. But is this really fair? Are we all working with the same level of “I am ok to fly”? How about our responsibilities towards the plane owner (most of the time our clubs), fellow pilots on the ground and in the air and last not least everybody along the route should something happen?
Well deserved dinner after a good flight
Our club has the policy of 1 check out per year in general plus type check out if you want to swap from the training Robins to e.g. the Pipers or in the future also the Cessna. These check outs are not simply “Rounds around the church”but include checks of all relevant advanced flying and emergency procedures. Annoying?
“I know that I feel fit to fly when I would take my two kids along!”
For some this might be true – but if we are honest: when we fly alone just to be up in the air and enjoy our hobby, how often to we practise these so important tasks ourselves? And when we have not been flying for the long winter months and take the Robin for a check ride are we then also still able to handle more complex planes with their changed performance? Surely this is also depending on experience in general, but once again: who is setting the rules as we are not only responsible for ourselves?
We discuss these questions with the club’s chairman who landed shortly after us. There is no perfect solution and we all know stories of people who clearly overestimated their own abilities. Tight rules might annoy more experienced pilots, but isn’t the “weakest link” (thus the fresh, rather unexperiences pilots) the measurement to ensure that we are all safe?
“No risk no fun definitely does not work in the air. It is rather: no risk is fun!”
Between Kajsa and me it is pretty clear: we are both rather conscious about safety and have with around 150 flying hours only limited experiences so far. We are both happy to catch up with our old instructors from time to time for a round together, not only for the necessary check outs but also in between. We can always learn and improve even further and there is no harm done to say: “I do not feel comfortable on my own right now”. But a lot of harm can be done by overestimating oneselves.
Let’s finish with another question to see parallels: Would you today still pass your driving test?