Training and Vacation-On-The-Job

So We finally made it to what will be my home for the next 4 weeks or so. After leaving North Bay in the morning we spent another almost 8 hours driving to the small mining town where the airplane was. We got there by late afternoon, and checked into our motel, which was actually a quaint little lakeside cabin resort.

The plan was for the Chief and I to spend the required 3 hrs getting checked out in the airplane, and then another 5 learning how to do actually fly the surveying.

I also had a bunch of exams to fill out - again. Before I left London I was sent all the exams, and I had them all filled out and ready to be signed off, but it turned out they were the outdated versions, so I had to spend some time completing the proper exams.

All told we were there for 2 days, and it was actually a very relaxing time. The lakeside cabins were beautiful, and we had gorgeous warm sunny weather. The cabins all had fully equipped kitchens, so rather then going out for breakfast, lunch and dinner the three of us went to the grocery store to stock up on enough food to cook for ourselves for the next two days. The first night after dinner the Chief and I hung out by the little resort beech swapping aviation stories and watching the sun go down. I snapped a few pictures, and also eyed up a paddle boat that had been pulled up on the sand. I got the okay from the front desk and went down to push it into the water and hop in. Other than getting a wet butt when sitting down it was great to be out on the water with the fresh air and evergreen smell. I could get used to this.

The next morning the three of us were up early to go out for breakfast and then the Chief and I started my flight training. The first 3 hours consisted of the typical stuff - slow flight, steep turns, stalls, the different types of landings, and finishing off with our emergency procedures. It didn't start so well. We started our takeoff roll with about a 10 knot crosswind and 10 degrees of flap set. As we taxied out I asked what speed I should rotate with, but the Chief said he wanted me to feel the airplane off the runway. Fair enough, I recall the 206 I used to fly to have a tendancy to just rise off the runway on takeoff. This time it didn't quite happen as I remembered it. We began our takeoff roll well enough, but as we approached takeoff speed and the weight came off the wheels I pulled back ever so slightly. Nothing happened. I pulled with a little more pressure, but we were still rolling along, now at significantly higher speed. By this time the crosswind started to force the airplane to drift to the side of the runway, and it was clear I was starting to lose control of the airplane. The Chief reached up to take control at about the same moment I found the proper amount of brack pressure on the controls to bring us off the runway. Great first impression. I could just imagine what was going through the Chief's mind at that moment - this knob can't even get us off the ground without screwing something up! I did my best to shake it off and move on.

It didn't take long after that for me to get my flying legs back under me again, and I managed to shake the rust off of my skills quickly enough to avoid making a further fool of myself. We ended up doing the 3 hours of basic training all in one flight, and then took a break for lunch. We went back to the cabins where the operator was putting lunch on.

After lunch I got my first taste of actual survey flying. The guys at the office had put together a sample survey block for us so I could get a feel for what its like to do a real survey flight. We fly the block in a back and forth grid pattern, like plowing a field, with IFR style hockey-stick procedures turns to turn around and set up for flying the next line at each end of the block. Flying the lines with precision is critical, so the airplane is equipped with a special digital course deviation display on the top of the dash right at eye level which shows me how far off the line I am, down to less than a meter. Sitting next to that is the radar altimeter so I can follow the slope of the terrain as closely as possible. The lateral limits for flying the line are typically +/- 15 meters on either side of the line. Our drape altitude, which is the term for how high above the ground we follow the terrain, is 230 ft, meaning we have to try to follow the rolling hills of the earth as close as possible to 230 ft above ground. My first line I got a taste of how precise those requirements really are. We set up the tracking device, and I started into flying my first practice line. I intercepted the line, noting the display showing 900 meters off the line, then 800, 600, 400, 300, 200, 100, and then I blew right through it as the display showed 50, then 100, then 150 meters out the other side. I corrected slightly to re-intercept, and once again blew through it by 100 meters. And that is how my first line for the next 5 minutes went, as I'm thinking "holy moly, I have to stay within 15 meters?!!".

Luckily I quickly improved. In 15 minutes I had my track nailed down to within +/- 40 meters, with the odd excursion out to 60 or 70, and then soon it was within +/- 30 meters, until by the end of the first hour crossing back and forth over the wilderness at 230 ft agl I was finally starting to get my limits for the most part within 15 meters. But that was about as good as it got. As time went on I started to wander a little bit again. My hand was sweaty, my neck stiff and sore from staring so intently at the displays, and my brain fried. This isn't anything like normal flying, it takes it out of you really easily. The Chief likened it to flying an ILS for hours on end, and thats exactly what its like. It takes that much sustained focus. Every couple minutes during the 180 turnaround to start the next line I get a chance to climb up a few hundred feet and relax a bit before heading into the next line. Its a welcome mini-break. During our turns we climb up to 400-500 ft agl, which is normally considered extremely low for most other types of flying, but after you come up from skimming the tree-tops at 230 ft, 500 ft seems plenty high!

After just over an hour and a half I called uncle. I was toast, and any more practice wouldn't do much good, I needed a break. This is very challenging flying, also REALLY cool. Its far more challenging and far more demanding than flying freight back and forth up the coast. Everyone is patient and are stressing the fact that I don't have to worry about performing perfectly right away. The Chief said my boss isn't expecting a whole lot of production out of me right away, because there is a fairly steep learning curve to it. I lasted about an hour and a half flying the lines, before I started to lose my will to live, but eventually I'll be able to work my way up to about 4 hours flights without wandering outside the limits.

We landed and taxied in to secure the airplane for the night. The next day I assumed we'd go up again for more practice, we had initially planned for 5 hours of survey practice on top of the 3 hours of basic training, and I felt a little bit that I could still use more practice, because I was still wandering outside the 15 meter limit every now and then, but I guess the Chief is confident enough in me that we're not going to bother.

Today we finished up a little bit of paperwork still needed, and then the operator and I headed north to the work site, where I am now, checked into my motel room. More blogging to come later on our trip up.