Take a hint...

Sometimes the world gives you subtle hints... sometimes its about as subtle as a brick wall across a motorway...

First up, a slight issue with one of the tyres looking like it had a flat spot... bit of canvas starting to show through, but getting the ok... as long as we go easy on the landing/brakes... we were planning on using the grass anyway... so not a big deal...

However, I really should have twigged when after taxiing down to the holding point for 03 and finding an AFS plane parked slap bang in the middle of it, that it was going to be an 'interesting' day...

So I just slotted in ahead, ran through my run-up and pre-takeoff checks and then looked around to discover that there were now six.. thats right SIX aircraft parked behind me and another taxiing out of AFS!

So after waiting for around 10-15 minutes for everyone to clear out in between the aircraft already in the circuit and others that were landing we finally got underway...

Lining up, no problems... full power... aircraft coughs a little (another subtle hint that I missed) and starts rumbling along and we climb into the blue... not that I could tell as Trevor handed me the 'Foggles' and said put these on...

And then I got another wicked case of the leans... man I swear that I was leaning left, but we were banking right... it really is the most surreal feeling...

Coupled with the turbulence running off the hills and relatively low cloudbase and I was working overtime...

We finally made it out to the TA, and found ourselves some clear air and attempted a FLWOP... spotted a nice ag-field strip, aligned into the wind and had myself setup nicely... although a touch close again... something I really need to watch...

Anyway, going for the engine warm, just to make sure this exercise stays as an exercise and not the real thing... engine starts coughing, shaking, vibrating.... Trevor and I are looking at each other and come to the same conclusion, we'll go around at 500' just to give ourselves some breathing room...

Last engine warm passing through the 1000' mark and then engine is really protesting... I decided to pull the pin as I'm just not confident the plane is going to play ball... so we head back home and decide a nice overhead join and shortfield grass is the ticket so we can at least get something out of the day...

Hah!

Come cruising into the field, call overhead and being descent to circuit altitude... another aircraft joining from the opposite end of the field calls "joining overhead, traffic (ie. me) in sight"... dont know why he bothered, as he then preceded to turn straight into me... clown... Trevor just said, climb and orbit... hahahahah! I just laughed as I pushed the throttle in and JBL started coughing like an 80 year old, pack a day smoker and I got a climb rate of around 100' minute...

Still, I put in an orbit, wishing I had machine guns or air to air missiles or something... counted to 10 and let it go...

Slotted into the circuit traffic and pulled off a really great shortfield landing.

Lessons learned? Shit Happens, remain calm, don't panic and deal with it...

This flight: 0.9 Dual
Total Hours: 63.3 (52.5 Dual, 10.8 Solo, 3.0 IFR)