Ground Procedures
Airways clearance obtained, taxi calls made, taxi speed watched, feathering and prop check properlly carried out. Standard callouts made. Everything was to standard. No glitches. No complaints. 

Take-off
Take-off clearance obtained. Cleared 240/1500. SID departure. 120kts. IF scans. Above LSALT, 136 kts, TITed nav1, nav2, dme. partial clearoffs. departure time. ETA. YCUN NDB. Everything was to standard. No glitches. No complaints.

Enroute
RMI lag was a problem. Leading to tracking problems. Inherent plane problem. Can't be helped. 10 min markers. TOD. MELCEN and YCUN CTAF call. ETA. Traffic was a LTJ. Kept hounding him for intentions when he is inbound for letdown. Asked to standby. But continued to hound. Wrong. He was on NDB B. I prepared NDB A. Shit. Recalculated heading/drift allowances in my head. Rebriefed plate. Rethought what runway for visual circling. LTJ inbound NDB A letdown. descending from 253/2200 to 253/1700 and joining runway 23 (isit?) That was weird cos prevailing wind is 140/12. NDB B missed approach is to climb 3000. AB asked me to ask J if its ok to descend to 3000. We initially wanted to descend to 3500. Must ask. But dun hound. Else, everything is to standard.

NDB Work
From A change to B. I trying to recalculate where the wind is coming from. But i just fly and see. Did 1 NDB hold. No glitches. Proceeded to do B Letdown. standard callouts made. RT calls made. when inbound, Port engine pulled. Handled well, but went out of tolerance. Did 2 more letdowns, got pulled outbound and inbound before getting back tolerance. AB pleased. haha i also pleased. Missed approach. single engine go around. departed YCUN for BIU. Departure call missed altitude passing. Told to track direct to the station and not to track to intercept. his method a bit different. I last time track outbound to outbound. Otherwise, all to standard.

Enroute Diversion
Given 2 minutes to do diversion once 30nm N of YCUN. DIV considerations done. Nav aids TITed. Track on the VOR once tuned. If diverting to CKL, remember to track direct, and not fly the track plotted. track is 215. But remember to account for RMI lag in G. PH ATIS obtained. CKL tuned. nav1 and nav 2 flags away tuned 113.7. DME tuned. Airways clearance obtained. 24 ILS U/S. expecting 21 ILS. sweet.

Overhead Clackline
Station passage. Tuned HSI to 245. flew VOR to PH. No glitches. Everything to standard. Tracked to PH. A while later, given Radar vectors. Immediately TIT 109.5 on Nav 1, 329 on ADF. 195 on nav2 to prepare for ILS. Clearoffs again. Fuel log. Easy peasy.

Enroute Perth for ILS
Given step descend to 2500. Sensing Im gonna be too goodamn high. i initiated a descent from 18 DME from 4000 to 2500. G is very powerful, i gotta pull back 14/2300rpm for last 1000ft loss at 1000fpm. Made a pilot intercept of 21 ILS with current heading. Localizer swang! Too fast for me to catch. But i caught the glideslope first. Gears down to go down. Established both in time. Then Port engine is pulled on me. Calm. Executed emergency drill, all within tolerances. RT calls ok, everyhing ok. onwards clearance Canning Bridge JDK 1500 visual. Last 200ft of ILS, G too powerful, didnt retard throttles in time. G oversped. went above GS. But still in tolerance.

Landing at JDK
JDK in sight, ATIS copied. Gears down to go down. Never overshoot centreline. Base to land. base 110kts. finals 105-95 kts. PUFF checks on lining up wif extended centreline. Good landing. Brakes on. vacated in time. Relief.

Taxi back
Got 2 aircrafts didnt follow rules of the ground. But still we gave way. taxi-ed back.

I passed. But not passed an alphabet. Passed my P4. 215. With a respectable 3/5!!!!!!!!! :))))))) Technically 5 flights to home. Will be in time to celebrate the later half of the festive season. Hopefully. Just hopefully. :)))

Till my next exuberant entry about my homecoming, focus.. focus.. and focus. I'll get there! :))))!

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Fifteen months and I'm still in the grind.
Yes, as I fly I admit I am a little bit behind.
Sure, I've been demoralized, down and out.
But really, that's not what i must care about.
For I'm running my very own marathon my very own race
cos I know i gotta leave here and arrive back with grace.

And so everyday I shout out loud
Last Burst of Fire!
That's my warrior's cry.
Last Burst of Fire!
I've came so far to learn how to fly!

Everyday i can't stop thinking of that precious gold
That glorious pair I yearn so much to hold.
Something not everyone will ever get to wear
As not many has got the chance to take to the air.
Yes I'm running my very own marathon my very own race
Forget about the festive season, I'll just hasten my pace.

And so everyday I shout out loud
Last Burst of Fire!
That's my warrior's cry.
Last Burst of Fire!
I'll just do what it takes to make me fly!

My dear buddies are going back soon
I'll miss the times we used to commune
And now I'll be left alone to weather the storm
But I swear I'll mental fly until super on-form!
Yes I'm running my very own marathon my very own race
Nothing can stop me from giving up my relentless chase

And so everyday I shout out loud
Last Burst of Fire!
That's my warrior's cry.
Last Burst of Fire!
My home's in the sky, and I want to fly!

I'll allow absolutely nothing to stop me now.
Pls go ahead and pull my engine, I'll never raise a brow.
I will strive and sweat along to earn my coveted license
And you know what? I really can't wait to do my clearance.
Yes I'm running my very own marathon my very own race
In time I'll show you guys that me, too, can be an ace.

And so everyday I shout out loud
Last Burst of Fire!
That's my warrior's cry.
Last Burst of Fire!
Dearest all, I'll show you how i fly!

My Heaven’s in the Sky

Recalling the time when I was four

Grandpa pointed them out as I watched them soar.

I wanted to be like them; they seemed so carefree

I tip-toed until my legs felt like jelly.

But I enjoyed my very first aerobatics display

That’s the time when pilots come out to play.

I wanted to be Superman from then on. Will I ever be?

Que sera sera, whatever will be, will be.

 

Remembering the time when I was eight 

I stood at attention as the anthem was played.

With my right fist to my chest I recited out loud,

Then I heard a thunderous roar in the Kallang crowd.

With eyes to the skies I saw them fly

I yelped in great joy as I waved goodbye.

It was my very first National Day Parade

Would there be the day I am up there instead?

 

Reminiscing the time when I was ten

Fighter jets screamed past as I watched them land.

Crewmen of all sorts seemed to have so much fun

They had a standing ovation in the morning sun.

Took pictures with aviators and so much more

I just wished to be beside them as they soar.

It was my very first Asian Aerospace

I was indeed enthralled at that magical showcase.

 

Recalling back the time when I was twelve

I was promised a trip if I aced and excelled.

So to Changi we went and we took to the air

Honestly the takeoff roll gave me a nasty scare.

I saw the pilots at the end of that flight

My eyes followed them till they are out of sight.

It was my very first flight onboard a plane

The sheer bliss I felt was hard to contain.

Remembering the time when I was eighteen

I was humbled when bestowed my C3 wings

From then on I got to interact with planes

I guided airmen to ground when weather’s a pain

I loved to chide my pals as it’s in the mountains they belong

For me? No sweat!  Aircon strong, sit in tower bua-long-long!

And yes, I was trained in the Singapore Air Force

I was such an obedient soldier, I worked like a horse.

 

Reminiscing the time when I was twenty-one

The arts canteen was my favorite haunt.

Beo here beo there beo-ing everywhere   

I beo-ed till my grades gave me a wakeful scare.

Play hard and study hard, that’s what they all say

Luckily I received upper honours on my graduation day.

And yes, I was mugging for a degree at the NUS

How I wish studying wasn’t such a pain in the ass.

 

Recalling the time when I was twenty-five

I earned a good salary, I started feeling alive.

Kaizen and lean six-sigma was what I did all day

But still I missed that green belt, no matter how hard I prayed.

They wanted to send me overseas, they held me in high regard

But still I made that fateful decision; I played my very last card.

And that’s the time I was being trained for aircraft engine repair

But still, I believed that my office was really up there.

 

Remembering the time when I was twenty-six

Trekking and camping brought me back to basics

But food was scarce; that briyani serving was never enough

Where to find energy to trek terrains that were all so rough?

As we rowed, we prayed for wind cos we were stuck in the ocean

But XXX cracked us all up; in the sea he passed his motion.

Lumut was the first hurdle to beat if I truly desired to fly

Honestly, I rowed till I really almost wanted to die.

 

Still at the time when I was twenty-six

We buried our heads in books, we felt like convicts.

A four-year degree course squeezed in just six months

Mugging with brethren has never really been so much fun.

All those ABBAs I wished I could burn and drink

Luckily six months of hell was all over in a blink.

And that’s when I was striving at Seletar

I also started flying, I felt like a star.

 

It’s getting a bit lame; I’m still twenty-six

 I flew once in a while; I started to learn the basics.

Seeing all my pals ring the bell; I felt so hollow

Sometime later I smiled as I slept, I cleared my first solo

After conquering the Cessna, I’m now taming the Baron

Engine failures were always given out of a sudden.

I was at Jandakot; place of many different cliques

And it’s just like army; this place’s full of dicks.

 

Now, I am at the golden age of twenty-seven

I’m earning my golden gift soon; it’ll sure feel like heaven.

It’s humbling to be part of this crème de la crème.

For it will mean the realization of a childhood dream

Though first officer’s still a long way away

Everyday, I’ll still look forward to that glorious day.

Even if I had to repeat everything, with all my might I’ll still try.

With eyes turned skyward, my heaven’s in the sky.

With less then 2 hours worth of sleep, I dragged myself out of my sleepy slumber and got changed in preparation to witness one of the greatest races on earth, the Red Bull Air Race. This race grandeur showcases the aerial skills of the world's best, most prolific, and the most skillful pilots. It is like the F1, every year, they travel to places like Detriot, San Diego and London to pit their skills against each other. This year, Perth happened to be the last track for the 2008 season. And so, over the weekend, both the world champion and the Perth champion will be unveiled! Sounds exciting?

Ok la, actually I wasn't like very excited over this event, as I have already been to the race the previous year. And this indirectly means that I am in Perth for far too long already! In fact, one of my coursemates, who been to the race with me last year, totally refused to go to the race this year, to absolve reminding himself of the loooong training span here. haha! Nayy.. this doesn't work for me man. This is something that won't take place in Singapore, not until 2009 at least, as there has been ongoing talks with the organizing body to bring this great great race to Singapore in the 2009. Well, until that really happens, why not just go out and enjoy fully while I can still catch it in Perth?



And so I went!

Enroute.. I was really still half awake half dreaming. We reached our first stop at Langley Park at around 945am. The moment I got out of xiao hong, I was greeted by the screeching afterburner of this F18 Hornet, which did many reallllly impressive acrobatic manouveres.



I was so totally AMAZED. Woke up instantly. The hornet did stunts like inverted flights, super slow cruise with super high attitudes, and antics such as falling out of the sky and just recovering after kissing the water surface, and also the normal spins and barrel rolls.. SUPERB! I was commenting to AA if only the race was for jets instead of the propeller planes, the world will smell a new kind of adrenalin rush!

Reached Langley Park, and saw the all-to-familiar control tower. All my life since 18 I've been affiliated to all sorts of towers..Tengah.. Paya Lebar.. Air Force School.. Sudong.. Jandakot.. real lucky.. Now this is just one of them...



Langley Park was the launching pad for the lean mean flying machines. We were just in time to be there for the so-called pit-lane walkaround, where we took photographs and requested for autographs from the race pilots. This one is with Peter Besenyei, the brainchild behind the Red Bull Air Race World Series. Even got an autograph from him. Cool~



This is what he flies, a Zivko Edge 540, a variable pitch, 200+hp aerobatics aircraft specially equipped with a G-Meter. This aircraft can withstand up to 10+ Gs!



And this is Peter prior to the take off roll. The decals on the plane.. ain't it nice?



He didn't secure any podium finishes this year though, although his flying display was indeed breathtaking.

This one is with Kirby Chambliss, the specialist from the USA.



And this is Nigel Lamb from England..



I think his plane is the nicest of them all, with the Brietling Logo spread across the plane's wingspan.



And watch him soar!



These hotshot pilots are very calm, energized and steadfast when I first set eyes on them. One can't help but sense the immensely steely determination from each of these guys. Before the competition, they even had the extra nerves to settle down and mingle with the crowd. This is indeed, admirable, given that this Perth leg is the last leg of the 2008 season, and therefore should be the most nerve-wrecking for these acrobatic specialists.

The three of us next drove over to Mill Point Road, South Perth to catch a better perspective of the race. And that was where I stumbled upon the 128/129 guys.



And yeap, there was also another control tower there..





Amid all the camwhoring, we turned around, and were greeted by the screeching engines of the Russian Roulettes! With highly disciplined formation flying, these aces did a series of jaw-dropping manouvres.



Really thought that this segment was the most entertaining part of the whole airshow.



And this following pic is my most favourite of all, with the aces doing the final stately salute.. Bomb-burst.. Bomb-burst.. GO!



In retrospect, most of us, airline-pilots-to-be, are like secretly asking ourselves, will we ever get a chance to grace the skies in this air race? Ever? And this ignited something in me to find out more, about the requirements to even get shortlisted to be a race pilot.

The requirements:

1) Participated in an European Aerobatic Championships (EAC) - finished among the 1st half of the overall ranking in the Unlimited category / in the past 5 years
                                                                                        or
2) participated in a World Aerobatic Championship (WAC) " finished among the 1st half of the overall ranking in the Unlimited Category at least once in the past 5 years
                                                                                       or
3) participated in any aerobatic World Grand Prix (World Cup) organized by the FAI - finished among the 1st half of the overall ranking in the Unlimited Category at least once in the past 5 years
                                                                                       and
4) be an active aerobatic air show display Pilot
5)have a communicative English language knowledge.

I only got (5). Haha.. Well, this is gonna be a very elusive thing I guess.

Concluded the day by splurging on some merchandise, both for me and my lil bro.







And so that's how the day went. But, as I walked back to the car, I started to feel unwell. Guess it was a mad case of baking too much in the sun, from 9am to 4pm. In fact I can feel the UV rays like piercing right through my skin. Haii.. regretted not putting enough sunblock. Now when I laugh or smile or frown, my face cringes and contorts in a painful fashion. I feel like shit.

But lucky I'm not alone.. there're in fact lots of pandas walking around the college right now, cos most of us wore shades during the race.. and we're like laughing to see who is cuter! HAHAHA. Its not funny. Its damm painful..  =(

Anyway, I'm on Aloe Vera Overhaul right now. Hope things will get better in time to come.

Well well well.. that's it for this entry. Now that I've been to 2 Red Bull races, its really time to go home soon. Hope to be back by Xmas to catch the festive season with loved ones. Will work hard to achieve that objective.

To conclude, it has been a great air race with many astute performances. Personal favourite was the acrobatics display starring the Russian Roulettes.

Really, less the sun, less the heat, less the UV, less the peeling and less the pain,

Today's been great to see them ace-ing the skies!

PS: credits to Kianhong for some of the wonderful shots used in this entry.

As I drove to the airport alone that fateful day in my old green mazda 323, the oil temperature SPIKED on me again. CRAP. That happened on Tonkin highway, how far away from Jandakot is that. CRAP. And so, I allowed the engine to cool down as I hibernated in the car, watching cars whizz past me by, my car shaking violently with each passing car, owing to what's it called? The Venturi Effect. I was really cursing under my breath. 1234567! 7654321!

And so, as the engine cooled down after I sprayed some water over the engine, I limped the car back. street by street, traffic light by traffic light, all the way back to Jandakot. I drove while the temperature was still ok. But once it SPIKED, i switched off the engine, free-wheeled for the maximum glide distance along the highways. With hazard lights on. And I think I did like 10+ of these start-stop cycles. It was really irritation to the MAX. CRAP. I think running would be faster.

Lucky I made it back to Jandakot. But the next day, AM and EL took the car out and the car died on them again. They had to tow the car back. Then, we all decided it was time to bid farewell to the old bitch. We will be scrapping this worthless piece of metal for $50. To think that we bought the car for $1200 last time!

Standby for photos of my worthless bitch.

And so the three of us were stuck without our own transport. Which means, no more grocery shopping, no more leisurely drives, no more Uncle B. No more Metro. No more Utopia! CRAP. One of us really hibernated in college for like what? 5 weeks without going out? That's really remarkable. And the remaining two started their borrowing spree.. borrowing cars around the college like FARKING LEECHES.

This gotta end.... we thought... LET'S GET OUR OWN CAR..! we chorused..  And yeah, the cars we borrowed seemed to think the same way too. Why? Because, remarkably, Car #1 got a punctured tire after we drove in it, Car #2 went out of fuel along the highway owing to a faulty indicator, and we had to tow it all the way to the petrol station. I nearly lost my wallet then too. Car #3 didn't have power steering, so U-turning was really using our bull energy.

Standby for photos of the cars we borrowed.

One fine day, I decided that enough was enough. We borrowed the red car, and went around, scouting for deals. Went Wong's, Curtin, called a few people.. test drove a few cars. and I landed my eyes on my new baby after a long awaited search! ... MY NEW, OLD, 1989 MAZDA ASTINA..! LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT TOOK a whole new meaning for me! All thanks to Anton! Its so good you're graduating soon! Now let us have your car!



For a whole 9-10 months or so, I have been on the constant lookout for cars like that. Finally I got the chance to own this baby.



Looks so much like the AE86 with those fliplights and hatchback chassis. But I dun really like the 86. Too overhyped. Too 'act'.



This Astina is just for me. Sunroof. Woofers. DOHC. 4-door. Spacious. MP3 player. Red-white interior. Straight-through exhaust. LOUD and POWERFUL engine. Semi-bucket seats. Well-maintained. What more can I ask for??? Super my-type!



Why can't Singapore have more of these old RETRO cars for old-fashioned people like me?



Look at those subwoofers! MAZDA SPEED!

And so after driving around, AA and me decided that its time to get the cabin light and the direction indicator fixed. Done at a mere cost of <$5. Way cool. We even decided to get RED LEDS to spruce up the look of the car at night! And we installed these cheap LEDS!



Way Beng!



Illuminated dash and meters!





I even gave it a name. 小红.. AA calls it  Red Devil. Haha..



小红 came at the right time. After my P3 check, flights will get more infrequent. So now, even if we can't fly, at least we can now all drive around in style!

Please, would someone in Singapore sell me an Astina like that?? I am so going to get such a red-retro-sunroofed-woofered-hatchbacked-4 doored-loud sports car in Singapore.

 Driving with 小红 ... A NEW WAY TO DRIVE INDEED! 

Magic, Whizwheel, Rocker and myself planning for the Albany flight, looking all raring to go.



And so the fantastic four launched their flights the next day within an hour or so of each other, ready to embark on the supposedly best adventurous navigation solo flight ever in Jandakot. We were excited, cos it also means that 'we are finishing our stint in Jandakot', as what the seniors would say. No man. Hell no.

In fact, this flight wasn't as scenic as the Margaret River flight, as we were traversing over the empty bushlands.. seeing the usual farms.. cows.. and small little houses and towns. It could actually be a boring flight if we were to fly there individually. Now at least we have each other for company for the duration of the flight. Hm.. if not I think I would really have to fight it out with the Z monster..

An interesting thing we came to see enroute were the Stirling Ranges. All these while, we were mostly flying over barren land. So when these mountain ranges sprang out of nowhere, it caught our attention immediately. In reality I thought it really looked like a snapshot of the mountain ranges depicted in the Lord of the Rings. Well.



Gandalf could fit in the above picture really well.



We were lucky weather conditions were great that day, owing to the fact that it was winter. Should there be clouds or high humidity in the air, low stratus clouds might form and blanket the lower altitudes of say 1000-2000', funnel clouds might hug the mountain peaks, thereby plaguing our visibility and posing a real risk to our flying. But even in the good conditions that day, we were getting turbulent conditions when flying near the ranges.

The next, and the last interesting thing we saw, were these big gigantic windmills off the coast of Albany. Could see them from as far as 10nm away.



And I couldn't resist coasting out south to catch a glimpse of the windmills from another angle, from 3000'.



Blue waters.. great surfs.. giant windmills.. that was really the whole highlight of the whole expedition. The only one.



After camwhoring enough of the windmills, i finally came in to land at Albany, where the rest were already busy camwhoring themselves, camwhoring the airport, and camwhoring their planes. One stark contrast to the other fields I've visited is the lush greenery of Albany airport, in comparison to just barren dirt strips.



And so after landing, I taxi-ed and parked my plane right to the end, and joined in the camwhoring session with the rest of the guys.



Amazing Albany.. amazing gigantic windmills.. whaoo..



I've arrived at Albany airport..! Its time to go home soon..! ...Not.



An airport with no passengers. No ground crew.



Closed cafe.



No stewardesses. Just four rookie pilots.

Even the fuel guy was late by an hour or so!



And so I was feeling touristy and took a snapshot of myself with the most interesting thing I found inside the passenger holding area.



A collection of tourist cards. How interesting.

And AA took a picture of the most interesting thing he saw outside the holding area.



A retired wind radar????

Albany... How amazing!!!

Ok la, to give credit to this adventure, it was the one and only chance to do a solo full stop landing on any of the aerodromes during our Jandakot stint here. And the best thing in this sortie is that four of us could fly within like half an hour of each other.

After Albany, enroute back to Jandakot, we encountered a super strong headwind! And even at high power settings, we were getting something like just 80kts groundspeed. So it was a long long ride back. The last waypoint was Bunbury, and that was where we did our CPL requirement, a touch and go there. Conditions were so bad, I think that was the most challenging touch and go I had to overcome, with strong crosswinds and turbulent conditions.

After that, it was just a noneventful ride back to Jandakot, where it was getting real dark already...

Although this was really a long and tiring flight, but we really had fun!

Flying with the Fantastic Four..

Its a Fantastic Way to Fly!

"Never stop being a kid. Never stop feeling and

seeing and being excited with great things like

air and engines and sounds of sunlight within you.

Wear your little mask if you must to protect you

 from the world but if you let that kid disappear

you are grown up and you are dead."

- Richard Bach, 'Nothing by Chance,' 1963.

It was another calm and wintry Saturday night. While others are drinking themselves silly and partying their asses away from college, I'm indulging in my very own full moon party up in the sky!  The setting was perfect for a first night solo: a great starry night, a big round moon, light winds, cool temperature. and a great instructor!

Now let the story be told...

And so I walked to the apron to check my cessna to ensure everything is in running order.

Checked the lights..



Checked the flaps..



Checked the control surfaces..



Checked the avionics..



LD joined me not long after and we proeeded to taxy to the engine run-up site, following the green taxyway lights all the way.



Final checks completed, and we taxi-ed to the holding point, and did the usual look-out for traffic on the final approach path..



Got my clearance..switched on my strobe lights.. and cleared for take-off!
(standby for picture)

And by the way, I always get an instant HIGH when I readback the words 'Cleared for take-off!'. I seriously don't know why.

And so I took off in the darkness of the night. On initial climbout, eyes were trained on aircraft instruments only as I flew blind, we were not supposed to look outside the plane in this phase of flight. But I could still see lights rising into view from the corner of my eyes. Had to resist the temptation to look outside.

Turned crosswind (90 degrees to the left), continued my climb, and this time looking outside in the turn. This view is from the rear of the plane.



And this was what I saw out of my starboard window by the time I established downwind (another 90 degree left turn).



The darkness of the city suddenly came alive. Look at that blanket of lights littering the night. Beautiful.

And this is the view from my port wing.



With the runway edge firmly in sight. If the lights do go out, as they sometimes will, we can reactivate them using our inflight controls.

And so I made another 90 degree turn onto base..

 

And lastly I established myself on final approach and did a touch-and-go. In all, I did 2 normal approaches, 2 flapless and 1 go-around before I was sent solo.



And that marked my very first night flight. Alone. Into the darkness of the night sky.

It was simply ecstatic. Absolutely magical. Nothing will ever equal that sheer moment of exhilaration which consumed me when I flew into the night. All was glorious - chasing the twinkling stars, embracing the full moon, a most delicious view around. It was not mere pleasure. It was perfect bliss!

Night flying.. that's a Great Way to fly!

Friends and family have spoken of Margaret River and her famed wineries, stunning beaches, majestic forests, and her spectacular caves.. And Busselton for her famed 2km long jetty jutting out into the open Indian Ocean, the lighthouse, underwater observatories, strong winds and beautiful surf beaches.. and the scenic coastal drive down south.

In fact, these have always been the places I've wanted to explore since I've been here 6 months ago. Now the time has come! To experience the longest navigation flight I've conducted and to soak in the sights from 4500 feet! SONG!

And so.. after my planned flight to Margaret River came true, I was ecstatic! So, I spent the better half of yesterday night planning for this scenic flight..



Juice and chocolates to go with the flight.. Won't go wrong with this!



All set!

Fast forward to today. Morning. Great weather. CAVOK (cloud and visibility ok). Pre-flighted aircraft. Briefed instructor. Prepped barang-barang. Strapped in. Taxi-ed to holding point. CLEARED FOR TAKE OFF!

And so I flew down south the scenic western coast.. For most of my training sorties, I flew over land. Now I get to fly over the sea. The sea never looked more beautiful.





Hugging the coastline as I flew, I saw many stunning picture-perfect beaches all the way. I flew lower and lower occasionally, hoping to catch a far glimpse of some beach babes basking in the sun.. But no luck lei..



First attraction.. on the left, I saw this SUPER LONG jetty jutting out from the ocean front. Its called the Busselton Jetty, its around 2km long, it has railway tracks, and was in use for shipping circa 1839 -1972. To just walk this jetty, one gotta pay A$5. And at the end of the jetty, there is an underwater observatory to marvel at colourful fishes and reefs. But it costs A$15 to in! EX La~!



I'll rather indulge in this attraction of another kind.. Marvelling at the deep blue sea and relishing the sights from 4500'. Best of all, Its FREE! =p



As I flew nearer to the shoreline off , the shallow and gentle surfs of the ocean beachfront could be seen. The waters also seem clearer down south. Perfect for windsurfing!



Now, if only the oil-spill reeking and dirty beaches of Singapore.. like the east coast park and Sentosa, were a tad like THIS! Why can't Singapore have perfect beachfronts like these?



But, one thing is missing from all these pictures lei..



Certainly its lacking of the beach life of East Coast and Sentosa.. Where are all the beach-goers?



Flying really made geography lessons come alive.. Sec 2's Mr Ong suddenly flashed through my mind when I saw the transition from constructive to destructive waves..



Maybe geography majors should be given excursions as such?.. geography lessons from a cockpit.. I know this sounds damned lame.. haha..



Could really see the furious waves lapping and lashing out at the oceanfront, carving out unique rock formations as such..





This one looks quite strange, looks like toes of a feet to me..



The same 'toes'..  viewed from another angle..



And this is the Margaret River Airstrip, one of the waypoints for the sortie. It is a non-controlled aerodrome, meaning that there is no tower to regulate air traffic since intensity is quite low. There are minimal lights, and no navigation aids like ADFs, ILSs like normal aerodromes do. These countryside airstrips are mostly used for day VFR operations only, and they are especially utilized by the Royal Flying Doctor Service of WA, and to ferry rich tourists who wanna escape the 4/5 hour car drive down south.



And this is the town of Margaret River, viewed from 2000'.. must visit someday..



And after Margaret River, I continued my journey down south, to the most southwesterly point of Australia - Augusta. This was supposedly the most picturesque of all, since it bears the full brunt of the destructive waves, leading to more unique rock features.







And I saw this too, the Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse, which has been erected since 1907.



And this is the last waypoint down south.. Augusta Airstrip.



Seriously, I've never heard of Augusta before. But now I know, and I will remember, for she has one of the most spectacular coastlines I have ever seen. Untouched by mankind. Unspoiled by commercialization. Perfect.






Throughout the entire journey to Augusta, there were minimal clouds. Weather was good. But I spotted this cluster of stratocumulus clouds at around 3500' at the southwestern tip of WA. Had to keep well clear of them because there is an IFR traffic operating in the vicinity. Which means that this fella is not looking out for traffic as his head is constantly on his instruments, and therefore poses a risk to me!



Indeed this flight was very scenic and breathtaking. Its the sort of flight that we will want to bring our loved ones along up with us, to soak in the sights of such exquisite pieces of mother nature together with us. If only that could happen one day, just one day.. just one flight.. I'm sure it'll be magical.

Although I've posted so many pictures, I think I really cant aptly describe the flight, as what I have etched in my mind is a playing movie of what I saw, did and felt at that particular moment of flight. Words, no matter how decriptive, and pictures, no matter how illustrative, do have their limits.

I really enjoyed this romantic flight down south. Margaret River and Augusta.. Lets go there again!

And yes, flying along the coastlines and hugging the seas..

Its a Great Way to Fly!

Embarking on a pilot cadetship is more than a career to me. Essentially, its a lifelong journey that starts from the time we had to endure the rigours of mountain trekking, enduring leech bites, endless canoeing, to the late-night cramming for our ATPLs, and to the time we are all transported down south for our flying training right here in Jandakot. The journey continues all the way to the time we are bestowed that precious pair of golden wings on our chests, to the time we get our first bar.. second bar.. and the culmination of our career arrives when we are conferred the title of aircraft commander, with four precious golden stripes imprinted on our sleeves.

What most of us wanted was to create virtual portals of which we could share our amazing journey to those people who really mattered to us. Its really that simple and innocent. For me, there's nothing compromising, nothing unlawful, nothing degrading, and ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that aims to paint the company in a bad light. Less to say for a few black sheeps around. And this gotta happen, because of this.

All it took was just one blatant, thoughtless, and callous act by an irresponsible netizen. All she needed to do was to randomly browse through facebook, happily see something unusual that catches her eye, such as pictures of SIA cabin crew in uniform, and post it on the ever-popular and copyright-infringing portal called STOMP, and ask the public a super-insensitive question like.. "Are SIA crew allowed to post pics of uniform online?" 

WORST STILL, STOMP gotta write in to the company to ask that exact statement, leading to uncle sia issuing a blanket ban for all staff concerned... WALAO!  How Bagua can STOMP be?

And VIOLA! Like MAGIC, people suddenly stand the risk of losing their jobs, and others are coerced to take down whatever that's being perceived to the public as 'work related issues", as well as "images of the Airline's logo, aircraft and trademark, pictures of the Airline's training facilities or equipment, and materials detailing internal work processes, and safety and security measures".

And suddenly, relative to us flying cadets here, virtual avenues for us to share our amazing journey to those who really mattered to us, such as: (1) our apprehension and adrenalin rush when we first took flight to the skies during our first solos, (2) our excitement and exhilaration when we first took off into the darkness of the night, (3) our joy and state of mind when we first attempted to circumvent the globe through cross-country navigation flying, (4) our elation when we cleared important milestones in our training here, such as progress checks, suddenly must be shrouded away from online presence by being locked away for good, only to be accessed by a worthy few. =(

Being a cadet pilot, not only am I living out my dream, I am also living out the dreams of many many many  other flyboy wannabes out there, who sadly didn't make the cut for the program. For each of us who got in, there are at least another 10 who wanted to be in the cadetship program as much as us. Now because of this compromising act, a portal to chart the journey of our lives suddenly are kept away from their view. This is absolutely unjust.

Haiiiiihhh..

~Don’t Quit~

 

Yup, I find this poem very meaningful, and very pertinent to all of us here..

YouTube Direkt

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing down a bit,
Rest, you must-but don’t quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck out;
Don’t give up, though the pace seem slow-
You might succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor’s cup.
When he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out-
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt-
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when its seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit-
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.

~~~Author Unknown~~~

But.. Sometimes I feel like I'm like that snail in that video.

Press on...! Endure...!