DECEMBER UPDATE

December - the month when the geese are getting fat and also a trifle nervous!  (Seriously does anyone reading this either have or know a family who has the traditional goose for Christmas lunch! - We have turkey; after all, we are poms).

Haven't posted for a while for two reasons - not much interesting flying done and busy with Christmas, etc.  So, an update:

2nd December:  Up in the 180 again with Roger - much of the same as before, lots of circuits at Matamata and (sort of) beginning to get it with rudder control on the ground but somewhat inconsistent with my directional control.

13th December: circuits in Archer, WIT.  A quick 4 circuits for currency and all went well - a bit off the centreline on the first landing but I wasn't too concerned as the others were all good.  The reason for this bit of practice was a planned cross country on the 19th with a work colleague.  However, the warm-sector depression weather was already starting today with lowish cloud and very high humidity and continued for the whole week.  Sunday 16th was particularly bad with low cloud and rain so it was a "no-go" for flying and Christmas shopping became a "go" instead.  We will try again in the New Year.

27th December: Birthday flight.  The missus said I could go, birthday present, as long as I was back in time to go out for lunch.  I took WAM for a short cross-country over to Rotorua (NZRO) and back.  Technically a very good flight with pretty accurate navigation and timings by me, a touch and go on seal 36 at RO and back to Hamilton. Mind you, the navigation from HN to RO is pretty easy - East over Karapiro to its dog leg, then straight on to Tirau, picking up Highway 5 there and following that to Ngongotaha which is just inside the control zone on the West side of the lake and the airport is directly across the lake from there - piece of cake even on a very hazy day.  I heard a couple of Ag pilots chatting to each other on the way back - they seemed to be discussing the next load drop.  Oh well, whatever turns you on; as a townie I don't find fertiliser all that exciting!!

A still of Mokoia Island on Lake Rotorua from a bit of (pretty awful) video I shot

29th December: We escaped Hamilton to the beach at Papamoa for New Year and a chance to go up in the Stearman.  The weather was lovely, clear skies and just a light wind, left to right on runway 07.  Classic Flyers Chief Pilot, Pete, let me preflight and took me through the start up sequence with me in the rear (pilot's) seat for the first time.  I seemed to taxi reasonably well but was lazy on the rudder for take off and wasn't very straight.  Pete took over on downwind and we left the circuit to track South towards Omanawa to overfly a property where Pete had been helping out planting daffodils the previous day.  I took over to fly up the valley and, once over the paddocks in question, Pete took over to do a couple of steep turns overhead and then we were away to the airport for a few circuits.  Not too bad, but I am not nailing the climb out (65Kt) or approach (70Kt) speeds consistently and was somewhat "lazy" with the rudders on landing (for more on this, see the next post).  All in all, though good fun and I am beginning to enjoy the Stearman (I think!!)