HELLO!!!!
Well the last week or so has certainly been worthy of an update. September's Month of Action is over, I once again have a current IR, and the month certainly went out with a rainbowsplosion of epic proportions. I also had a really nice surprise... read on to find out more.
BG10K
I haven't spoken about my 101 list for a while, but that's what the whole project and this blog is about, and #48 on my list is 'Run a 10k'. A few months back, I heard about an event being organised by a charity in London, the same charity that ran the gay youth group 'OutZone' that I was a member of for several years. The event, the 'Big Gay 10k', was a 10km run, walk or mince around the sights of London. I booked the day off work, and had been doing some training runs on and off over the last few months. About a fortnight ago, I did a long run around Crawley, the longest I'd done yet at 4.5km, but damaged a muscle in my left leg. Having read up on the best way to treat it, I decided not to do any further runs for a while, until the day before the event. Annoyingly, a change in work schedule meant that I was working the night before, so I didn't manage to get a run in.
On the day of the Big Gay 10k, I overslept (surprise, surprise). All my previous runs had been logged with a GPS fitness app on my phone, but I'd left my charger at the folks' in London the last time I was home, and all three of my phone batteries were dead. I looked at going home to charge them, but after working out how long it'd take, I decided to head into London and do the run without the app to record it. I was a little disappointed, but didn't see the point in missing the run just because I didn't have a way of recording it.
I rushed into London on the train, and managed to get to the park just 10 minutes after the runners had set off. I met my friend Andy (the youth worker that used to run OutZone), who looked after my bag, and I quickly got changed and set off in pursuit of the runners. Not wanting to be left lagging behind for the entire 10k, I didn't bother stretching (yes, I know, IDIOT!). I also had no idea of the route, but Andy advised me to 'follow the South Bank'.
After five minutes of jogging through Vauxhall's backstreets, I managed to find the riverbank and got going. 10 minutes in and I was already feeling pain in my legs. I decided to stop and stretch before continuing. Unsure I was even following the right route, I soon noticed large pink arrows directing the big gay way. The route took me right past the London Eye, a challenge as there were about a thousand people crowding round it that I had to dodge (I was later told that the other runners just yelled "GET OUT THE WAY!"). I continued past the South Bank's restaurants and street performers and on past the Tate Modern. After what seemed like at least 5km, I saw a sign indicating that I was at the 3km mark.... WHAT!?!? The pain had pretty much subsided, although I had started to combine bursts of jogging with walking to conserve energy. Before long, I found myself crossing London Bridge and turning back to head West on the other side of the Thames. Through the banking area of London and past St Pauls, I soon reached the 6km mark. By now, I'd passed some of the slower walkers & runners. 6km to 8km felt like an eternity, but took me right to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. It seemed weird running past these massive landmarks amongst hundreds of tourists... most of my runs had been done in the middle of the night around Crawley when I hardly saw anyone. The last 2 km were a combination of short runs and long walks! I had 3 main tunes on my running playlist, one of which (Party Hard, by Andrew W.K.) got me moving at a good pace - I find 160bpm is just about right for me. Crossing Vauxhall Bridge on the home straight, I decided to jog the last half a km, under the tunnel at Vauxhall and around to cross the finish line back at the Pleasure Gardens, with Andy & co to welcome me back :) Although I didn't have the phone to log my progress, I did get a rather funky map of the route...
My total time was 1h 18m, and I got my little goodybag and t-shirt. I hung around at the event for a little longer before heading to see the folks in London. My legs ache a bit, and I think I damaged a muscle in my left leg, which has been really painful at times, though I'm really pleased I completed the entire circuit - I genuinely wasn't sure if I'd make it all the way round. #48 on the list is to 'Run a 10k', and although I didn't run the whole thing, I know I can complete the distance, so I just need to work towards being able to run the full course now. The event is being held again next year, so my aim will be to run it without stopping. My next challenge is in less than 4 weeks though, when I'm signed up to the 10-mile Great South Run in Portsmouth, scary! I also found out last week that I didn't get a place in next year's London Marathon, although I feel that may be a blessing in disguise, so I'm not particularly disappointed!
IR Renewal
Yesterday signalled the expiry of my 'Instrument Rating'. For those unfamiliar with flying, the Instrument Rating, or 'IR' is part of a pilot's licence allowing them to fly solely using the instruments in the cockpit (the dials and gauges that is, not saxophones and pianos), as you would do in cloud. It's said to be the hardest part of a pilot's training, and also a good contender for the most expensive. It also happens to expire after a year so if, like me, you don't have a job as a pilot, you have to renew it at great expense. You can alternate how it's renewed each year between the aircraft (pictured) and the much cheaper simulator. Thankfully this year it was the simulator for me, this being my FIFTH renewal since finishing my initial training back in 2007. The IR is essential for most pilot jobs, certainly to work on large jets, so although the temptation is to let it expire and save money, it's important to keep it valid in case any jobs come up. My friend John also had his expiry date coming up, so we booked to sit in on (or 'backseat') each others lessons last week. On Tuesday evening, I headed over to Stapleford to meet John. We spent a while preparing and I was up first for my lesson.
The test doesn't really change much... you take off, climb into the airways (the motorways of the skies), route to another airfield, in this case Cambridge. Descend down and do a precision approach called an ILS (Instrument Landing System). Think of it like flying down a cone, while trying to stay centred in the middle of it. It's quite an accurate system, and as the cone gets narrower, slight deviations from the centre put you closer to the limits of the cone both vertically and laterally. On reaching the point where you decide whether to land or climb back up, the instructor simulates cloud cover, meaning you can't see the runway and need to climb back up. In the climb, the instructor will simulate a failure in one of the two engines. You deal with this, then enter the holding pattern, followed by a non-precision approach called an NDB (non-directional beacon). This is much less accurate and I personally think a lot more difficult. You have the lateral guidance in a slightly more basic form, but horizontal guidance is based on what the printed guides to each airport say. On getting to the decision point on the NDB approach, the instructor might get you to land or climb up again to land afterwards. When the test is done in the aircraft, there are also a few other bits added like general aircraft handling, failure of certain dials and recovery from unusual attitudes.
My lesson didn't go greatly, having been over a year since I'd had my hands on the controls. My main issue was not using my time wisely to get ahead of the game. My ILS went ok, the engine failure and hold was a bit dodgy, and the NDB didn't go too well either! Still, the whole point of the lesson was to make the mistakes then, rather than on test. Sitting in on John's sim was a big help, as he was much better (although I hate to say it!), and I picked up a lot of tips and ideas from what he was doing.
On heading back home, I was quite gutted, almost sure that I was going to struggle and probably fail the following day. After moping around for a bit, I decided that I could sit and be grumpy, or help myself by preparing as much as I could before the test, writing down useful checklists and preparing charts with predicted winds.
The following morning I headed back to Stapleford for my 8am test. In the sim, I was much more ahead of the game than the previous day, trying not to let myself have any 'downtime' where I wasn't going through checklists, setting up the next radio frequencies, picking up weather broadcasts, etc. The ILS procedure went well, and the engine failure not too bad either. The holding pattern went ok, and the NDB procedure fine, although I almost lost it at the last moment. 1h 20m after starting and I was out, having passed. A big sigh of relief and that classic comment again from my examiner "It's about time you got a fucking job!". I couldn't agree more! Anyways, thankfully it's over, my IR is valid for another year and my wallet just £635 lighter for the privilege! Stay tuned for an interesting development on the job front.
An unexpected bonus
One evening last week, getting back to the staff car park after a flight, I found a £1 coin on the floor. I picked it up, considering myself quite lucky. That weekend, I took part in the Big Gay 10K, managing to complete it, also quite lucky considering my injury beforehand. Then things really took a turn for the better. I got home a couple of days ago to find an email from a company I help out with as a volunteer. Although I can't give out a great deal of info, I get expenses of £60 a year for the help I offer. The company had recently come into a bit of money, and to say thanks to the volunteers, they'd decided to give each of us a gift of £1,000! I couldn't actually absorb it at first... it was completely unexpected, and it still hasn't quite sunk in. An extra £60 would have been awesome, but a grand. A grand!? I'm in awe of the generosity and am yet to decide what to do with it, but I've been looking at a really cool tablet PC recently, which I think I may treat myself to. That coin MUST be lucky. In a complete turn of events though, I since took the lucky coin to work, and LOST IT!!!! I have an idea where it might be though, so am gonna check it out when I'm next in. Still, a 10k run and a £1,000 gift wasn't bad going while I had it!
In other news, September's Month of Action is over... I achieved a fair amount, getting rid of all the videos I had, training and completing the 10k, renewing my IR and generally getting a bit more organised. There is still a lot to do though, and I'll be moving house again at the end of November, so I'm going to nominate October as a Month of Decluttering. I have lots to get rid of, including lots of stuff for eBay, 80kg of aviation magazines, lots of easyJet whistles from Brighton Pride and other junk. Let's see if I can be rid of most of it by the end of October.
Sorry this was such a long post, but as you can see, a fair amount has happened since my trip to Berlin. Speaking of which, my best mate and his other half are off to Dubrovnik tomorrow morning on my staff travel, so I may join them on Saturday for a catch-up (I have been invited, I'm not just hijacking their hols!).
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next 101 update :)
After five minutes of jogging through Vauxhall's backstreets, I managed to find the riverbank and got going. 10 minutes in and I was already feeling pain in my legs. I decided to stop and stretch before continuing. Unsure I was even following the right route, I soon noticed large pink arrows directing the big gay way. The route took me right past the London Eye, a challenge as there were about a thousand people crowding round it that I had to dodge (I was later told that the other runners just yelled "GET OUT THE WAY!"). I continued past the South Bank's restaurants and street performers and on past the Tate Modern. After what seemed like at least 5km, I saw a sign indicating that I was at the 3km mark.... WHAT!?!? The pain had pretty much subsided, although I had started to combine bursts of jogging with walking to conserve energy. Before long, I found myself crossing London Bridge and turning back to head West on the other side of the Thames. Through the banking area of London and past St Pauls, I soon reached the 6km mark. By now, I'd passed some of the slower walkers & runners. 6km to 8km felt like an eternity, but took me right to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. It seemed weird running past these massive landmarks amongst hundreds of tourists... most of my runs had been done in the middle of the night around Crawley when I hardly saw anyone. The last 2 km were a combination of short runs and long walks! I had 3 main tunes on my running playlist, one of which (Party Hard, by Andrew W.K.) got me moving at a good pace - I find 160bpm is just about right for me. Crossing Vauxhall Bridge on the home straight, I decided to jog the last half a km, under the tunnel at Vauxhall and around to cross the finish line back at the Pleasure Gardens, with Andy & co to welcome me back :) Although I didn't have the phone to log my progress, I did get a rather funky map of the route...
My total time was 1h 18m, and I got my little goodybag and t-shirt. I hung around at the event for a little longer before heading to see the folks in London. My legs ache a bit, and I think I damaged a muscle in my left leg, which has been really painful at times, though I'm really pleased I completed the entire circuit - I genuinely wasn't sure if I'd make it all the way round. #48 on the list is to 'Run a 10k', and although I didn't run the whole thing, I know I can complete the distance, so I just need to work towards being able to run the full course now. The event is being held again next year, so my aim will be to run it without stopping. My next challenge is in less than 4 weeks though, when I'm signed up to the 10-mile Great South Run in Portsmouth, scary! I also found out last week that I didn't get a place in next year's London Marathon, although I feel that may be a blessing in disguise, so I'm not particularly disappointed!IR Renewal
Yesterday signalled the expiry of my 'Instrument Rating'. For those unfamiliar with flying, the Instrument Rating, or 'IR' is part of a pilot's licence allowing them to fly solely using the instruments in the cockpit (the dials and gauges that is, not saxophones and pianos), as you would do in cloud. It's said to be the hardest part of a pilot's training, and also a good contender for the most expensive. It also happens to expire after a year so if, like me, you don't have a job as a pilot, you have to renew it at great expense. You can alternate how it's renewed each year between the aircraft (pictured) and the much cheaper simulator. Thankfully this year it was the simulator for me, this being my FIFTH renewal since finishing my initial training back in 2007. The IR is essential for most pilot jobs, certainly to work on large jets, so although the temptation is to let it expire and save money, it's important to keep it valid in case any jobs come up. My friend John also had his expiry date coming up, so we booked to sit in on (or 'backseat') each others lessons last week. On Tuesday evening, I headed over to Stapleford to meet John. We spent a while preparing and I was up first for my lesson.
 |
| 2007, having just passed my initial test |
My lesson didn't go greatly, having been over a year since I'd had my hands on the controls. My main issue was not using my time wisely to get ahead of the game. My ILS went ok, the engine failure and hold was a bit dodgy, and the NDB didn't go too well either! Still, the whole point of the lesson was to make the mistakes then, rather than on test. Sitting in on John's sim was a big help, as he was much better (although I hate to say it!), and I picked up a lot of tips and ideas from what he was doing.
On heading back home, I was quite gutted, almost sure that I was going to struggle and probably fail the following day. After moping around for a bit, I decided that I could sit and be grumpy, or help myself by preparing as much as I could before the test, writing down useful checklists and preparing charts with predicted winds.
The following morning I headed back to Stapleford for my 8am test. In the sim, I was much more ahead of the game than the previous day, trying not to let myself have any 'downtime' where I wasn't going through checklists, setting up the next radio frequencies, picking up weather broadcasts, etc. The ILS procedure went well, and the engine failure not too bad either. The holding pattern went ok, and the NDB procedure fine, although I almost lost it at the last moment. 1h 20m after starting and I was out, having passed. A big sigh of relief and that classic comment again from my examiner "It's about time you got a fucking job!". I couldn't agree more! Anyways, thankfully it's over, my IR is valid for another year and my wallet just £635 lighter for the privilege! Stay tuned for an interesting development on the job front.
An unexpected bonus
 |
| Errr, no.... not exactly |
In other news, September's Month of Action is over... I achieved a fair amount, getting rid of all the videos I had, training and completing the 10k, renewing my IR and generally getting a bit more organised. There is still a lot to do though, and I'll be moving house again at the end of November, so I'm going to nominate October as a Month of Decluttering. I have lots to get rid of, including lots of stuff for eBay, 80kg of aviation magazines, lots of easyJet whistles from Brighton Pride and other junk. Let's see if I can be rid of most of it by the end of October.
Sorry this was such a long post, but as you can see, a fair amount has happened since my trip to Berlin. Speaking of which, my best mate and his other half are off to Dubrovnik tomorrow morning on my staff travel, so I may join them on Saturday for a catch-up (I have been invited, I'm not just hijacking their hols!).
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next 101 update :)
