the Cancel Sarwatch Podcast

Today Luke flies his first flight test, gets his first license and then drops a clanger. Will he continue on his piloting journey? Flight tests have been known to make the bravest of pilots break into a nervous sweat. In fact its probably one of the most humbling things a pilot can do. The facade is put to the test of the (hopefully) unyelding, unbiased standards of a formal test. Think driving test but at least an extra dimension worse — literally. Today we talk through tests old and new and find out what Luke’s thinking about in terms of his future. All this and more on today’s show. Our Learn more Show Links: Wikipedia’s article on ‘Aviation in the pioneer era’: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviation_in_the_pioneer_era First Australian Woman Pilot License Holder: Nancy Bird-Walton: http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/early-austn-aviation First Aviation License awarded to William Hart of Sydney, NSW: http://collections.museumvictoria.com.au/articles/3105 First Suspension: From National Archives: http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/NAAMedia/ShowImage.aspx?B=32078349&T=PDF And the dangers of an early flight test: https://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/ww1-flying/

On today’s show the freedom of the sky is replaced by the necessary tedium of ground theory and examination. Before a pilot gets to fly free with their own license there’s a bunch of theory they have to jam into their heads. This ranges from aerodynamics, to meteorology, to aircraft systems to air law, morse code, human physiology and psychology, dangerous goods, risk management, human factors, and the list goes on. As a matter of fact I laid out all the reference books we’re supposed to know as pilots and they filled my double bay garage floor. So its quite a feat to get all that stuff in your head and a even greater feat to pass all the relevant exams many of which have pass marks of 70 or 80 percent. Today we talk through the trials and tribulations of Luke’s first ground exam as well Sam’s first ground exam 40 odd years ago and mine some 20 years ago. Plus, in our retro-salute, we chat about how aviation ground exams were first carried out and discover an ironic new word: ‘picayune’. Visit the website at: www.cancelsarwatch.com Visit our facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/cancelsarwatch/ Our learn more show link from Flying Magazine 1982:https://books.google.com.au/books?id=filryD-DNz0C&pg=PA70&lpg=PA70&dq=early+pilot+exam+from+1920s&source=bl&ots=kXBkhlc60q&sig=GQK2imIAY53wEyEhbxdCnpUyaF8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjZtazQg7nSAhXEipQKHZhcD7UQ6AEIRzAH#v=onepage&q=early%20pilot%20exam%20from%201920s&f=true

On today’s show Luke experiences the fun, the coolness and the challenge of an advanced manoeuvre - in this case a short field take off in his little Tomahawk. Advanced manoeuvres require good judgement, common sense and practice — lots of it… Today we discuss Luke’s first experiences while Sam and I also talk about the good, the bad and the ugly of our own first experiences trying out advanced manoeuvres 44 and 22 years ago. Sam shares about the might Pilatus Porter while I reminisce about a crazy unusual attitude in my CT4B Aerotrainer. Plus, in our retro salute we harken back to the pioneering days of flight where, on the 14th November 1910, the first take off from a ship occurred - that definitely registers as an advanced manoeuvre and a short field take off in our book so we salute Eugene Ely on his very cool ‘first short field takeoff’ achievement here a century later on the Cancel Sarwatch Podcast. Our Learn more ‘show links’ from today: http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/uncategorized/eugen-ely-makes-naval-aviations-first-shipboard-launch/

Today, the umbilical cord is cut and Luke commands his Piper Tomahawk beyond the comfy but rather closeted skies of his home aerodrome. No more just taking off, circling and then landing back at the aerodrome for Luke. Today its solo out into the blue and green yonder of the area where runways are scarce, instructors are out of sight and its just Luke, his aeroplane and the big blue Aussie sky. We chat with Luke about his experience and at the same time Sam and I talk about our first area command experiences 22 and 44 years ago. Plus, in our retro salute we share an epic first area command not in the blue yonder but the black yonder of outer space. This salute’s in honour of the recent passing of John Glenn, NASA’s first man to orbit the earth. We wish we could have miked him up, bought him a coffee and chatted about his legendary area command but alas that was beyond the humble budget of our little podcast so we’ll just make do with reminiscing. Today's learn more links: John Glenn: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/mark-and-scott-kelly-john-glenn-our-hero/2016/12/16/d4a09dce-befe-11e6-94ac-3d324840106c_story.html?utm_term=.c2175b8989cd