MORE CIRCUITS AND A NIGHTIME CROSSCOUNTRY

THURSDAY 26th AUGUST

It isn't often I get to go flying twice in one day but today was the day - great stuff!!!
I had booked Robin/Alpha WKF for a couple of hours in the morning.  It was one of those cool but humid late Winter/early Spring Waikato mornings with a bit of mist early on but clear around the airfield by mid-morning with a lot of low cloud and mist patches still lingering all around the outskirts of the city and the hills with no wind (variable 3 knots was the call on the ATIS).  Circuits then thought I.
Now, I hadn't flown an Alpha for a good few weeks and it showed at first.  The 160hp engine in these little birds produces a fair bit of torque and needs (subjectively at least) a fair bit more right boot on the rudder on the take off roll than a Cherokee or 172.  I was a bit wimpish on the rudder on the initial take off, drifting well to the left and to add to my embarrassment on instructor Ash was lining up behind and gave a quick, "More right rudder, Barry" over the intercom.  Thanks, Ash, I was just getting around to that, honest!!
After that, things were fine.  I did six pretty decent circuits, including a flapless and glide approach with all landings OK so was quite pleased.  The weather appeared to be improving, too so maybe my booked night cross country to Auckland was going to happen.......

1645: phoned the club, with the weather report in front of me and spoke to Ash.  He quizzed me on my thoughts on the weather, the only possible problem being the predicted cloud in the Tamaki (Auckland) area at 2000 feet.  From the Auckland ATIS this had yet to arrive so I said I thought it was OK to go and Ash didn't object.

1745: after an early dinner I packed up my gear (headset, cellphone, headtorch, spare torch and batteries, map, AIP volume 4) and headed to the club.  The place was deserted but I had been given the code for the gate and went in to preflight WAM.  Everything OK - just some fuel needed.

1815: Ash had arrived and gave me the key to start up the plane and get some fuel.  He had phoned Auckland - no chance of a landing there due traffic and it had started to rain; still all clear at Hamilton, however.  As a compromise we would do a short x-country to the North on track to Auckland and turn back if and when the weather started to deteriorate.

1845: gassed up, started up and cleared to depart over the city 2500 feet or below, we left off runway 36R.  Ash had got me to set up the track to Auckland on the GPS as a guide.  I set the course I had written down on my flight plan, 305º magnetic, having allowed 9º drift to the East (right) and it turned out to be an underestimate of the wind as I needed to track 300ºM to stay on course.  Not that it was a problem - the lights of Hamilton city were bright and clear leading my eye northwards to the parallel ribbons of yellow light marking the course of highway 1 to Auckland

1900-1930: Past the familiar landmarks of the lake and hospital (bright lights by a "black hole"), Te Rapa dairy factory and racecourse (another "black hole"), I could recognise the lights marking Horotiu (quite faint) and Ngaruawahia (bright).  It took me a moment or so to pick out Taupiri - to the right of Ngaruawahia and could the see the flashing red light on Huntly power station.  We carried on past Huntly dodging around a small patch of isolated cloud downwind of the power station - ? due to effluent from the station chimneys.  We were just north of Te Kauwhata and thinking of turning back when Ash decided to have a little "fun" with me.

"I have control,  put your head down and close your eyes while I fly around a bit", said Ash.  After about a minute I was told to open my eyes, head up and take control.  "Right, get us on track back to Hamilton".  A quick look at the DI showed a North-easterly heading so I reckoned Hamilton was to our right (South) and it only took a quick look around to locate the power station and a steady right turn to get us on track.  That was all fine and the Ash asked me where we were.  I thought we were at either Rangiriri or Te Kauwhata.  I could see Springhill prison (very bright - good landmark) and we were just South of that so should be at Te Kauwhata but I couldn't locate the small town - why?; because I was right overhead and couldn't see the lights.  Took a minute of so to work that out, duh!!

Then a bit more fun.  I was head down again, unusual attitude this time.  While head down, I got my brain focused to look at the AH (artificial horizon) as soon as I was head up as that should give me an instant idea of the plane's attitude.  This worked - as soon as Ash said, "Head up, you have control", I focused on the AH which showed a steep angle of bank to the left and nose down = spiral dive. Checked throttle closed, wings level with aileron and ease back the column out of the dive.  We had been descending at > 1000fpm and pretty soon were climbing at a similar rate once I put some throttle on again.  I levelled out to a gentler climb rate and was soon back at 2500' where we had started.  I had got it all sorted out without delay and think (?hope) Ash was suitably impressed.
Ash had one other tip for night cross-country regarding terrain avoidance;  if you can see lights below you, you are clear.

1930-2000;  It was now time to get back home and we set course to the South.  We could see the mist starting to form around Hamilton and had seen the deteriorating weather further North (rain in Auckland).  We finished with a couple of circuits which were OK but not enough flare on the landings probably because I have done all my previous night flying in the Alphas (which you don't flare much or you can strike the tail - they have a ventral fin).

2015;  Home, time for a beer!  Great fun tonight and thank you very much, Ash.  Must do it again next year and maybe we will get to Auckland then!