Week 5: The Earth's Orbit, Charts and The Cockpit Environment

Finishing off HPL and GNav has been the main focus of this week's lessons, as it's now less than 7 days until our first set of mock exams!

We've covered quite a few different areas of GNav this week, starting with the solar system, and how the Earth's orbit of the sun influences the seasons and the amount of daylight and night-time that  different areas of the world receive. The main reason for this is the 23.5° axial tilt of the Earth,  meaning that as the earth orbits the sun throughout the year, the area of the earth that the sun is directly overhead changes by up to 23.5° north or south of the equator (at the tropics). Converting between time zones is also something we've learnt, allowing us to accurately determine for example, the local time in a westerly location compared to an easterly location depending on their distance from Greenwich (GMT). 

This probably explains it better than I have!

The most interesting topic by far this week has been an introduction to radio plotting on charts, which is important for plotting an accurate, real-time position of the aircraft in relation to navigation aids such as VORs and DMEs. As you can probably guess, it's a hands-on topic, which took a little while to understand but became a lot easier after a bit of practice. We've only briefly covered charts, but will come back to them in Flight Planning in much more detail later on in ground school. All that's left now of GNav is a bit on fuel calculations which we'll do on Monday.

Later on in the week we got to the end of the HPL syllabus (phew!), with the majority of information being in relation to the cockpit environment. A lot of emphasis in the aviation world is put on having a "synergistic cockpit"; one with effective leadership, teamwork and cooperation of the flight crew. This allows a positive, professional and most importantly SAFE cockpit atmosphere to be maintained. It makes sense being taught about it now, as it's going to be repeated to us again and again during our future careers!

Finally, I capped off the working week with a trip to Bournemouth Airshow on Friday night with a few of my course mates. I've been to a lot of airshows before, but never in the evening, which makes it even more impressive to watch when there's neon lights and fireworks involved!

Week 4: Continuing with GNav and HPL

Well this week we have continued to plough through more of General Navigation and Human Performance + Limitations, as we reach the halfway point of module 1! CP136 arrived for their meet and greet on Thursday and start ground school tomorrow, meaning we are no longer the babies of CTC!

We've done a further 3 days of General Navigation this week, focusing mainly on various types of charts such as the Mercator, Lambert's conformal and the dreaded POLAR STEREOGRAPHIC charts. These are all types of charts used on a day to day basis in aviation, and as such, we are required to understand not only their properties, but also calculate things such as the distance and direction between points on the graphs (very simplified explanation..) and calculate the changes in scale across the chart, building on the basics of convergency and departure that we learnt last week. I've personally found this rather difficult as I'm not a natural mathematician and some of the questions require a decent amount of maths to come to the answer. However, General Navigation is a very hands-on topic, so I'm hoping that practice and perfecting the technique is the key to success!

This more or less sums up Polar Stereographic Charts for me!

To finish off the week on Friday we had another day of HPL, which is in essence, "100 ways to lose your class 1 medical"! The causes of diabetes, hypoxia, stress, errors, the effects of alcohol on the body, the properties of the eye, nervous system, vestibular system and cardiovascular system are all things we have been learning about this week (to name a few!..). I'll be honest, these aren't the most interesting topics to learn about, but our instructor seems to have a story for almost every single one so that has definitely made it more enjoyable!

We have just over a week of lessons left from tomorrow onwards, and then following this is a couple of weeks of revision, so the first exams are getting closer by the day!

Week 3: Introduction to GNav and HPL

Week 3 has now come to a close, and it still feels like we only been here a week!

As I mentioned briefly in my last post, this week has seen us make a start on our second mammoth-sized subject of module 1; General Navigation. We've had 3 days of GNav ground school so far this week covering numerous topic areas, most of which involving our other new friend; the CRP-5! This clever piece of kit allows me to do a multitude of things, such as calculate wind speed and direction, and convert between different units of measurement and speed. Following this was an introduction to latitude and longitude, and how we can find the distance between locations on the earth using a number of different formulae; (Convergency= Change in Longitude (Degrees) x sine mean latitude) being my favourite..

The magic calculator, A.K.A Pooleys CRP-5 Flight Computer

On Thursday morning we made a start on our 4th and final topic of Module 1; Human Performance and Limitations. Although there have been vast safety improvements in commercial aviation over the years, pilot error is still to blame for over 70% of accidents, so learning our physical and mental limitations is key to understanding how accidents involving human factors can be avoided in the future. On Friday afternoon, we were fortunate enough to be given a presentation on spatial disorientation by Dr Rollin Stott. A rather fun way of showing spatial disorientation in action was getting us to wear a pair of glasses that reverse your horizontal vision, making it seem like you've had a few too many pints down the pub!

It's crazy to think that we've been here nearly a month already, as we will soon no longer be the babies of CTC! CP136 have their APD next week, so if I'm around I'll try and say hi when they arrive on Friday. Although the workload is still very high, relieving stress is key to staying on track throughout the 6 months I'm here, so I did manage to have a rare night out on Saturday and subsequent BBQ with some of the guys at our house on Sunday evening as well, before it all starts again on Monday morning.

Week 2: Principles of Flight

As another long week comes to an end, so too does Principles of Flight, meaning us cadets can breath a momentary sigh of relief!

Having started our second topic last Friday, this week has been solely focused on continuing to squeeze as much information into our heads about Principles of Flight as possible. Starting off the week by learning about drag and its effects on aircraft, stalling (something we want to avoid..), all the way through to learning about flight controls and how they are used to manoeuvre an aircraft around the air.  Interestingly enough, we've also been learning about the basics of supersonic flight and how shockwaves form on an aircraft as it passes through the transonic speed range and becomes supersonic, although it may be quite a while before I ever get the chance to fly an aircraft capable of this!

It's been a mixed bag of both interesting principles, and also enormous numbers of facts and formulae that simply have to be committed to memory for the sake of our exams. Taking it all in whilst learning an abundance of new material everyday AND keeping up to date with M&B has proved to be rather stressful, but still enjoyable.

The ATPL question bank, one of your new friends during ground school. 

Unfortunately there's no time to relax, as tomorrow we plough on with the start of our third (and enormous) topic, General Navigation! Strangely, this is the topic I've been both dreading and really looking forward to, so I'll let you know how it's going at the end of this week!

Week 1: Maths and M&B

Well, that first week went quickly, we're 1 subject down, 13 to go!

When people say that ground school at CTC is intense, they aren't lying... it's been a very busy first week. Studying 9-5 in a classroom then going home and doing 3-4 hours more in the evening at home has taken some getting use to but I'm now starting to get into the routine, which makes things a lot easier going forward.

We started off the week with a maths refresher day on Monday, which although not overly difficult, took a while to take in as it's been a few years since I've really done any proper Maths (and I was never brilliant at it, if I'm going to be honest...)


The following morning marked the start of our ATPL theory study, beginning with Mass and Balance, which was taught to us by Nathan Powrie, a former CTC Wings Cadet himself. This lasted from Tuesday until Thursday, and I think I speak for everyone when I say what a large amount of information we've learnt in a matter of days! Although it may not be the most interesting of topics, M&B has significant real world importance. We learnt about the components that make up an aircraft's mass and how they are determined, also how the centre of gravity of the aircraft is measured and adjusted for performance and safety reasons, amongst other things that must be taken into consideration when loading an aircraft for flight. If an aircraft were overloaded or loaded too far forward or behind the centre of gravity limits, there could be disastrous consequences...


Moving on from that slightly morbid note, yesterday we began our second and much lengthier topic, Principles of Flight, which as the same suggests, teaches us the various principles that allow an aircraft to fly. We've only covered a days worth of material so far but have already learnt how lift is generated and its effects on the aircraft. It's fair to say that there is a LOT more to learn than in M&B and frankly the amount of information yesterday came down on me like a tonne of bricks (an interesting tonne of bricks though..). This will last all of next week and after finishing will mark the halfway point in our module one studies.


As I've said, it's been a tough first week, but still thoroughly enjoyable and I can't wait for next week! In the meantime, here's a photo of CP135 and CP135G after finishing M&B on Thursday:

Meet + Greet and APD 1.

After all this waiting, I'm happy to say that I'm now officially started at CTC after finishing my Airline Preparation Day this afternoon!

Meet and Greet

Tracking back a bit first, it all started yesterday with my meet and greet with the other Cadets starting on CP135, CP135G, CPN06, and QA23. This was my first chance to meet the other cadets before starting our ground school studies on Tuesday morning (CP135 and CP135G that is, the others are straight off to NZ.)   This was followed by a short presentation outlining the structure of the programme, after which we were given our epaulettes, hitting home that I was finally at CTC!

Whilst our families were given a tour of the centre, we received our uniform and flight bag, meaning we now looked the part!

After having been given the keys to our accommodation, myself and the 3 other guys I'll be living with; Eren, Jake and Ollie, made the short drive to our house out by the airport. I'll be honest, I'm very happy with the house we've been given (I've even managed to get an ensuite!)

Myself, Ollie, Eren and Jake outside our new home for the next 6 months!

APD 1

The following day, we had the first of our Airline Preparation Days which will be staggered between the various phases of training. This was a great chance for us cadets to further introduce ourselves to one another, learn what is expected of us during our time on the course (Working hard being the main thing...) and also some fun group exercises which capped off quite an enjoyable introduction to the course before the hard work starts next week!

The Beginning...

Well, let me start by telling you a little bit about myself..

My name is George Hayward, and as of writing this, I'm 20 years old, having just had my last shift as a barman less than 2 weeks ago. I'm about to start as a CTC Wings Cadet on course CP135G, and I'm in the final process of getting ready to move down into my house in Southampton with some of my fellow course mates. I'm embarking on what I'm certain is going to be the toughest, yet most exciting 18 months of my life, and I'm hoping to provide you all with an insight into what it's like training to become a commercial airline pilot, whilst also completing a BSc Degree in Professional Aviation Pilot Practice at Middlesex University.

Ever since I was 6 years old, I've always dreamed of becoming a pilot. Upon attending the Eastbourne Airshow for the 1st time in 2001 and seeing the Tornado F3, Harrier and most importantly the Red Arrows perform their displays, I knew that becoming a pilot was what I wanted to do when I was older. I've never wanted to do anything else, a mindset that has stuck with me to this day. After having been a member of my school's Combined Cadet Force and completing my A-Levels in 2013, I was lucky enough to be awarded an RAF Gliding Scholarship and gained my solo wings, which gave me my first taste of flying an aircraft. This reinforced what I already knew: that becoming a pilot was the career for me.

Me after completing my RAF Gliding Scholarship at RAF Kenley with 615 VGS in August 2013.

After unfortunately being unable to pursue a career in the RAF as a pilot, I immediately started to research the opportunities available to me in the commercial side of aviation. CTC's Wings course stood out to me as the most impressive route available, most notably because of their ability to place cadets with a broad number of airlines. So, after much consideration, I started my application..

Application

I started to fill out my application form back in December 2014, a straight forward process which asked for simple details such as my qualifications, work and flying experience. After having submitted my application, I passed the first stage and was invited to an assessment day in the first week of February, and frantically increased my preparation for the big day!

Dibden Manor, where CTC's assessment days take place.

Assessment Day

After staying overnight at CTC's assessment day facility, Dibden Manor (Having eating very little that morning!), I waited nervously with the other 8 hopefuls waiting for the day to begin. It started with a presentation by one of the members of the selection team, outlining the CTC Wings Programme, what to expect during the day, answering any last minute question we had, whilst also trying to keep us as calm and stress-free as possible!

After the presentation, we were split into 2 groups. Whilst the other group went off to start the PILAPT and maths tests, our group started off the morning with an problem solving exercise of sorts, allowing us to demonstrate our teamwork, communication and leadership skills. Now I'm not really allowed to tell you what the exercise involved,  but it was actually an enjoyable start to the day having a discussion with the other guys, almost forgetting that there were people at the other end of the table assessing us!

Following that we moved on to what I had been the most apprehensive about: the PILAPT and maths tests. PILAPT is a collective term for the computerised tests that CTC use to test your natural aptitude, spatial awareness and multi-tasking ability among other qualities that pilots must have to perform their job properly. Now again, CTC probably wouldn't be very happy with me spilling the details on all of their tests, but let's just say they weren't easy! Each test required me to use a keyboard, joystick, or on one occasion even both to complete to complete the various tasks. After finishing the tricky PILAPT tests, I moved on to the maths. This was fortunately much more straight forward: 15 multiple choice GCSE level maths questions in 15 mins, which after completing meant it was time for a well-deserved lunch break.

Interview

The final stage of the day was a 1 on 1 interview with a member of the selection team, discussing things such as my motivation to become a pilot, the experiences I've had in the past which demonstrates the qualities they're looking for, and even how I would cope with a difficult scenario on the flight deck working as a pilot. Again, I was made to feel relaxed and had what seemed like a calm discussion, rather than being grilled like I can imagine many other interviews to be like! It was after the interview that I wished the other cadets good luck, and started to make my way home, absolutely shattered but feeling happy with how the day went.

Aftermath

I can honestly say that in my life so far, I have never had a weekend go slower than the one following my assessment day! After waiting for what seemed like an eternity and refreshing my email inbox about a million times, I got the email from CTC saying that I had been successful and was offered a place on the Wings Programme. After I had calmed down, I accepted the place on their July Course (CP135) which gave me just enough time to get all the finances and other fun stuff sorted so I was ready to start!

A short while after agreeing to join as part of CP135, I was given the option to complete my basic flight training out at CTC's new training facility in Phoenix, Arizona rather than in Hamilton, New Zealand. Because of the excellent, reliable weather, the training in the USA finishes 2 months earlier than in NZ, so I chose Phoenix instead and would be joined by 5 other cadets on my course, which meant I was now part of a smaller group known as CP135G (I still don't know what the G stands for by the way..)

CTC's training facility at Goodyear Airport in Phoenix, AZ.

So, here I am now, with just a week left to go, doing lots of pre-studying to try to ease myself into ground school as much as possible. I am nervous, yet excited about the 6 months of studying and exams that lay ahead, and I hope to keep you updated with everything that's going on as much as I can!