You
have control!
Air
Cadet Microlight Course
I am Cadet Warrant Officer. Andy Lynn from 2409(Halton) Sqn, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire Wing, ATC. On Sunday the 17 September 01 at 18:45 I joined Flight Sergeant James Wright of Thames Valley Wing, my colleague for the next two weeks at RAF Halton. Our mission: to successfully complete 15 hours of flying training, with around 7 hours solo flying. We followed a training course for the Restricted Private Pilots Licence (Microlights), which limits solo flying within an 8-mile radius of the airfield and does not allow the carrying of passengers. The local RAFA Branch made a donation which helped pay for the additional exams required for the licence, the General Flying Test and the licence itself. Thank you for your contribution.
Selection for this course consisted of a competition among the rest of Central and East Region, being above 18 years of age, having achieved solo standard on another cadet flying course, and obtain Squadron and Wing nominations, with the final decision coming from HQ Air Cadets.
Joining instruction largely consisted of the Owner's Handbook for the aircraft we were to fly, the AX2000, which had to be read in full and there was plenty of it! The handbook consisted of operation of the aircraft including maximum and minimum limitations, a maintenance guide including the daily and pre-flight inspections, rigging and refuelling. When we had got this out of the way it left us both feeling confident about what we were going to do and how best to do it.
That Sunday evening consisted of a ‘meet and greet’ with those who had been crucial in the planning and implementation of the course. Wing Commander Stockhill (OC Herts &Bucks Wing), acted as representative for us, Wing Commander Wolton (OC Microlight Course) and fellow pilots. There was food, a tour of the AX2000 and of the Halton Microlight Club (HMC), our base for the course. When the preliminaries were over, it was time to get down to some hard and work.
Day 1 started promisingly with good weather and the introduction to the flying instructor, Tony Blackwell (an established instructor for over 20 years), who immediately made us both feel at ease. With his cool and concise style, flying got underway with F/Sgt James Wright, who reported the aircraft’s faultless handling and of its docile characteristics.
Throughout the first week, Ground School was very much the norm, partly due to the intermittent bad weather, losing around 3 days flying. The Air Law exam is compulsory before flying solo. So we sat this one first, this was followed by Aircraft Technical, Human Performance and Limitations, Meteorology and the finally Air Navigation. Exams were consisted of 10-25 multiple choice questions with up to an hour to complete them. Some exams did require more effort than others, but I found my previous cadet examinations were a lifesaver and made life a lot easier!
Flying the AX2000 is a pleasure; it is docile, manoeuvrable and very easy to fly - in the right conditions! As soon as the wind gets up the workload rises, because of its lightweight it is far more susceptible to the wind and this creates a challenge when trying to fly straight and level. Believe me I KNOW.
After 5-6 hours of flying training covering; Take off, Circuits, Landings, Forced landings, Straight and Level, Turns, Climbing, Descending and Unusual attitudes (which either meant you were in a stall, spiral dive or climbing like a rocket), it was time to take to the air and do it all by ourselves. It was Friday, a beautiful day to end a horrid first week; just after landing we had started taxiing for our fourth take-off when Tony asked, “You wanna go up on your own.?”. It suddenly boosted my confidence that the instructor felt I was capable, I was very excited and couldn’t wait, but I calmly replied, “Yes, I will give it a go!”. He unfastened himself, took his headset and got out at the hold next to the beginning of the runway. He stood and watched me all through the solo.
The solo felt strange, I felt really excited, but had to focus on flying the aircraft and maintaining a good lookout, its 110% concentration at all times. As soon as I had landed, taxied and parked the aircraft I was greeted by applause, series of handshakes and pats on the back, then it sunk in! I was overcome by it all. I was smiling all night and feeling good about the hard work finally paying off. To top things off there was a stunning display by a Spitfire over RAF Halton, with the finale of a low-level run and break which didn’t disappoint.
The weekend was free and allowed us to go home and talk about our amazing experiences with our friends and family, who were equally impressed with the course as we were. Early Sunday evening we reconvened with just enough time to preen our uniforms in time for meeting Group Captain Cross (Chief of Staff Air Cadets) and Squadron Leader Abbott (HQAC's Physical Education Officer) for the purpose of giving feedback on how the course was going so far.
The second week started off with the aim of getting as much flying done as possible. We were now behind and still had 2 exams to go. The weather remained bad and we were grounded. Ground school was top priority covering Meteorology and Air Navigation. In between showers we both managed to build up around 5 hours of solo time, with most of it spent flying around the local area. When leaving the circuit a whole new problem existed, other aircraft! There were plenty of them about needing to be kept a close eye on. We were in quite busy airspace and air traffic included other light aircraft (all of them faster than me), Air Ambulances, Puma’s, and plenty of other military aircraft. As long as you maintain a good lookout and always obey the rules of the air, you will be fine, however unnerving it may be.
The course ended with a Brevet Awarding ceremony from RAF Halton’s Station Commander, Group Captain Lilley, Squadron COs, Wing Commander Wolton, Wing Commander Stockhill, Squadron Leader Abbot, parents and the Station Photographer were also present. It was an excellent day with the added bonus of knowing you were the first to complete this new course.
This course has given me the opportunity to continue flying with a RAF Microlight Flying Association and civilian Microlight clubs. Without this course and the ensuing licence, this would not have been possible. I can now fly for as little as £25 and will soon upgrade to a full licence with another 10 hours, consisting of mainly Cross-country navigation.
The course has been excellent experience with plenty of flying and ground school (All 200 or so pages for the course text). This did require a lot of reading in the evenings, but was essential for passing those vital exams and flying safely in the air. There is a huge difference between what you knew when you got there and what you leave with, you understand thoroughly how a plane flies, the engine and instruments, weather considerations, how to navigate and human performance limitations.
I recommend the course to anyone, its exciting, fun and most of all practical. The more effort and study you put in, less work for the instructor to do on the ground and so you get into the air as quickly as possible.
Apply for the course, you won’t regret it!
Get accepted, you won’t forget it!!
Good luck and happy flying.