Intro to type

First flight since my flight test and it was awesome... I've started my 172 type rating and it was the perfect end to the weekend.

With all the crazy weather, I honestly did not think that I would get in the air, but by around 4pm on Sunday, large chunks of blue were showing, the cloudbase was up over 2000' and the wind had died down to around 5 to 10 knots...

I had already spent Saturday doing all the groundwork (learning reference speeds, weight and balance, p-charts etc) so all that was needed was to cover basic handling, stalls, EFATO, FLWOP and some circuits... then an 'All up weight check' and some solo circuits and I am away laughing.

As the weather had fined up, I headed out to Ardmore and started pre-flighting DXJ. It is a 1970's (1976?) Cessna 172M. Visually, it is a little rough around the edges (the owner is apparently getting it repainted and the interior done this winter), but it has just had a new (not reconditioned, but brand new!) engine put in... and it just purrs...

Thought I had a problem with my homemade headset during startup, as it was crackling and lots of static etc, but it did the same thing with my 'proper' headset, so I guess the intercom has some gremlins in it.

Headed out, and while I should have expected the Engine Failure after TakeOff, I was too busy enjoying the different (and very spacious compared to the 152) aircraft... I handled it OK, and actually found some good paddocks to use...

Then down to the Training Area for some standard stuff, medium turns, steep turns, stalls and a FLWOP... which I totally nailed!

The biggest difference (aside from costing more ;) is just how smooth the aircraft is... even with the odd shower passing through and the breeze coming over the Hunua Ranges, the aircraft just seemed to glide through the air... whereas the 152 is best described as 'squirrely' :)

Back to the circuit for an overhead join, then a couple of normal approaches, a flapless and a shortfield... You really notice the difference in attitude here... the nose of the 172 slopes away, whereas the 152 is quite flat... and with 40 degrees of flap vs. 30 in the 152, you get to see an awful lot of ground on approach... its somewhat disconcerting as you get the impression you are nosing into the ground!

Now all I need is the 'All Up Weight Check', which is some circuits with a couple of passengers so the aircraft is fully loaded + some solo circuits and I will be rated for the 172.

This flight: 1.3 Dual
Total Hours: 90.1 (69.3 Dual, 20.8 PinC, 5.1 IFR)