Light at the end of the tunnel 🔦
- Connor Raven
- Aug 17, 2017
- 3 min read
So it's been a while since I last posted, but to update, I've just finished module 2 passing all 4 exams which I'm over the moon about!!
Standard Saturday afternoon revising.
So in module 2 we studied Aircraft Performance, General Navigation, Radio Navigation and lastly Basic & Advanced Instruments. My favourite subjects by far were Instruments, in particularly the advanced instrumentation found in the modern airliner and Radio Navigation. Some people say module 2 is easier than module 1 however I disagree. Getting back into the swing of things after having a few days off at the end of mod 1 was very hard, especially after the amount of effort you in put in ready for the exams and then it's essentially back to square 1 starting fresh with new subjects. However, after a week or so and once back into the routine of studying I finally started to enjoy the new subjects, albeit I found them more challenging than the ones studied in the first mod.
Performance was by far my least favourite subject of mod 2. It's only a small exam, 35 questions to be precise, but the weight that each question carries means you really cannot afford to drop many mark's. Its kind of like the Mass & Balance of mod 2. Performance was interesting; learning about the affects temperature and slope has on takeoff and landing distances and how V1 (the decision speed) changes depending on a number of different factors. But I am very glad I have passed that exam; with over 140 different safety factors or numbers to remember I'm delighted it is done and dusted with regards to being examined in.
General Navigation was an interesting subject, the most practical so far, which I really did enjoy. It was great to finally get to use the charts in our Jeppeson manual and I'm definitely looking forward to more chart work in flight planning in the final mod.
Radio Navigation was again an interesting subject. Having prior knowledge from my PPL studies really did help in certain aspects of this subject, especially when it came to reading VORs (Very High Frequency Omni-directonal Range) and getting my head around the different Q codes for VDF (Very High Frequency Direction Finding). RNav did have it's moments however, for example I found GNSS (Satellite Navigation) a challenging topic to get my around as well as the general principles of radio theory.
Leaving my favourite until last... instruments. Basic instruments was exactly as you'd expect, a subject detailing the principles of the basic flight Instruments such as the VSI (Vertical Speed Indicator) and Attitude Indicator. *(Note: not an indicator to determine someone's cheekyness 😜). Again, my prior knowledge from PPL helped a lot with basic instruments and enabled me to be able to focus more of my time on Gyro's... Probably the trickiest part of Basic. Half way through mod 2 we then progressed onto Advanced instruments which I really did enjoy. Advanced went into detail on topics such as the autopilot and how it functions as well as the basics of the glass screen, which I am relatively familiar with having been instructing on the flight sims prior to ground school. We also studied the different types of TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance System) and how it operates using the SSR transponder (Secondary Surveillance Radar) as well as GPWS/TAWS (Ground Proximity Warning System/ Terrain Awareness Warning System) which gives the infamous 50, 40, 30, 20, 10.... Retard callouts just before touchdown. (Retard is an audible callout to remind the pilots to reduce the thrust back to idle). The main reason I enjoyed Advanced so much was due to just how relatable it is to the aircraft we are being trained to fly and with it all being new to me I really did enjoy it.
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Plane spotting at Birmingham before exams.
So that's it, a relatively quick overview of the last 9 weeks in mod 2. I'm nearly there now, only 9 weeks and 6 more exams left until I'm finished with ground school and then I'll get to lay my hands on the controls of an aircraft again... I cannot wait!!
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