------------------------------------------------
A HARPENDEN air cadet has spoken of his exhilaration after flying solo in a Royal Air Force aircraft.
Eighteen-year-old Cadet Sergeant Alex Taylor-Gates, of 795 (Harpenden) Squadron Air Training Corps, has just completed his Air Cadet Pilot Scheme, which saw him receive the necessary training to take control of a Grob G115D2 Heron light aircraft – the type of plane in which RAF pilots undertake their initial training.
Alex, who had already flown solo in a glider with the ATC, was picked to take part in the prestigious scholarship scheme up in Scotland.
Flight Lieutenant Tim Hatton, commanding officer of 795 (Harpenden) Squadron, said: “A place on the Air Cadet Pilot Scheme really is one of the top honours in the Air Training Corps as there are only a limited number of places each year. It’s great that one of our Harpenden cadets has got this brilliant opportunity and completed the training to fly solo.”
Cadet Sergeant Taylor-Gates said: “Flying solo in the Heron was probably the largest boost of confidence I have ever had. The feeling is almost indescribable. All I can really do is thank the ATC for giving me the experience of now having flown solo in two aircraft types, the Grob G109 Vigilant glider and now the Heron, quite a rare achievement.”
The following is Alex’s personal account of his experience taking part in the ACPS.
I applied in December 2006. In May 2007 I received a letter saying that I was one of seven cadets selected for a scholarship, and after sending off my medical I waited until October, when the course was due to start.
On arrival at Dundee’s Tayside Airport, the two week course seemed very well laid out, organisation was pristine from the start, you knew when you were flying in advance. Lessons were easy to understand and with the books that are lent to you, studying for the exams was easy.
You are shown around the aircraft and led through the start up and checks around the aircraft, and these you have to revise too. You are given a checklist of your aircraft to do this, in my case a Grob G115D2 Heron, a very similar aircraft to the newer G115E Tutor.
My first flight was on my third day, and I completed 3 hours of the 12, being allowed to take off and land and going over stalls. Learning why stalls happen and how to avoid them is a very interesting experience.
The hotel I was put up in is well maintained and the people there are very nice. They provided the 3 meals a day and after dinner it’s free time when I could do whatever I pleased, although I suggest studying for the exams. Going out and visiting the town is a good experience and a nice way to socialise with the other cadets.
I finished all my lessons and started circuits after 9 hours in the air, getting myself into a routine. I felt that I learnt more about the aircraft, I learned my radio procedures by heart and could do a circuit by myself after about half an hour and landings were getting easier and easier the more I tried.
I eventually proved myself on my pre-solo flight, starting with a perfect take off and ending with a ‘greaser’ landing (one where you can barely feel the wheels touch the ground), I was then told jokingly that one good landing doesn’t make you a pilot and I was sent on my way, given nothing but a call sign - ‘Student Tayside 2HG’. It was my time to solo, I was very nervous, shaking in fact. I went through all the cockpit and power checks to cool my nerve, I radioed in, ‘Student Tayside 2HG ready for departure’. After being told my runway and my taxi point to which I was to enter the runway I made my way up to the big stretch of tarmac.
Two commercial planes landed and one in front took off. Inside the Grob I was tiny in comparison; it really gives you the shakes. Authorisation to take off at runway 28 was given. I lined myself up on the white centre lines and put power to full. The build up of speed was far greater without the extra body and the push of right rudder needed to keep it straight was far greater with the higher acceleration, the world around me was blurred, 60 knots was achieved and I was flying - I was flying!
A climbing speed of 70 knots, 200 feet, and the first turn was initiated, flaps raised and at 300 feet and an 80 knot climb, the bank was increased to 15 degrees. I levelled off at the circuit height of 1,000 feet and then finally I got to see the surroundings. I was 1,000 feet up, the runway was a thin line on the ground at 8 o’clock, the orange afternoon sun was lighting up the river below me sending thousands of little sparkles up into the sky. I was free.
But moments like that you don’t get to appreciate for long, it was time to initiate my downwind turn, calling in ‘Tayside 2HG, downwind to land’. I started to do my downwind checks when a reply saying ‘Tayside 2HG, you are number 4, circle at end of downwind leg’ sent my mind into overdrive. I’d never heard of that before, and it took a while for it to click in my mind what that meant. I initiated a circle at the end of my downwind leg, and was stuck doing that for probably 6 rotations.
It’s easy to get confused and overwhelmed up in the air, constantly looking out, holding a turn, airspeed, height and thinking what you’re about to do next in advance, all the while hanging onto Air Traffic Control’s every transmission in case they are talking to you. I actually started to break into a sweat over the amount of mental effort I was putting in, and when I finally received transmission from Air Traffic Control I was so relieved. I was now number one, but had to be aware of 2 commercial aircraft that were also on their downwind, I turned onto my baseleg as fast as I could, the wind had pushed me a good 200 feet downwind, thus I had to totally change the circuit I was used to and improvise. It was all very taxing, I hit my 500 foot point heading towards the runway at 400 feet, which was not good at all. Using the throttle I decreased my rate of decent and called ‘Tayside 2HG, finals to land’.
The next 15 seconds I don’t even remember, I landed, it was a very shallow angled landing, I rounded out, and flew along the runway at about 10 feet, slowly and lightly settling the wheels on the ground, my heart was in my throat and the pounding in my head would just not go away. It was probably the biggest adrenaline rush I’ve ever had.
Braking, taxiing to point Charlie, and stopping at the double yellow lines I actually felt sick. I could feel the blood pumping through my eyes, and it took a couple of seconds to calm down. I did my after landing checks, radioed in requesting taxi instructions to Tayside and was met with a roar of congratulations from the Air Traffic Control staff and some of the instructors, all I could do was grin.
It has probably been the largest boost of confidence I have ever had, and I cannot even start to tell you how it made me feel.
All I can really do is thank the ATC for giving me the experience of now having flown solo in both Air Cadets aircraft types, the Grob G109 Vigilant glider, and now the Heron, quite a rare achievement.
Cadet Sergeant Alex Taylor-Gates
795 (Harpenden) Sqn ATC.
The previous media courses had been of one day duration, but it was generally felt by previous candidates as well as directing staff, that it would be worthwhile covering more subjects as well as go more thoroughly into some of the delivered subjects.
2 teams of cadets led by Sgt Sowden and Sgt Tierney navigated their way around a circular route of approximately 30km near the Halton area. With the weather holding out for them and carrying the required kit, the teams completed the task in just under 7 hours.
