OT: First Flight

[SADT]

Hi,

Who on SOH lives in New Zealand - the land of the long white (rain) cloud?
Even further - who on SOH knows if Mainland Air, based on Dunedin?

Well thats where yours truly is having his first (pilot training - have flown as passenger on ATRs, B737s,747s,AA 767s - Cramped!,ANZ 777s - even more cramped! as a passenger) flight - a 25 minute teaser in a Cessna 152. Anyone from down here or who's flown in a C152 - what is it like and what should I ask the pilot to do - e.g. fly down main street Dunedin, loop the loop-in a C152 mmm..., barrel roll. Any ideas please pipe up as I want to make this my first first class flight. i.e. not with the cattle at the back, with the elite - the pilot! at the front!

[MenendezDiego]

Ask to do high-rate turns...you'll love it

[txnetcop]

In a 152 that's pretty good suggestion MenendezDiego. Maybe it's because the 152s I flew were rental aircraft but I don't think I would risk a lot of aerobatics unless it is an A152 or FA152. It is a very forgiving and stable aircraft.
Ted

[Dimus]

Ask your instructor to let you fly the plane and do some turns, first with small banks and then try doing uo to 60 degree turns without losing height. It feels great and you feel some g. Then if it is safe in the area you fly you may want to ask him do a stall, which is fun. The 152 is a great aircraft and you will feel very comfortable in it.

[SADT]

Hi,

Thanks for the suggestions - is it possible to loop the loop or barrel roll an Aerobat or even the standard C152?

[falcon409]

The standard 152 used for Student training is not rated for aerobatics as far as I know. The Aerobat (as the name implies) is. MenendezDiego and Dimus have the right suggestions. If you are so inclined to do areobatics, talk to the pilot "after" your teaser flight and see what his suggestions are. There may be other aircraft there used for training purposes that fit the bill.

[SADT]

Hi,

Thanks for all the suggestions. At 12.30 (GMC+12) ZK-... will take off with me onboard!!!!!!!!

[LonelyplanetXO]

Welcome from land of the Aucks :P
Best advice I can offer is use your ears more than your mouth, the instructors job is to get you hooked so he'll be wanting to show you what fun flying is and tell you a few things along the way. Ask relevant questions if you dont understand. Most of all enjoy the flight. Btw most 152's in NZ are the aerobatic ones but instructors dont usually throw em about with ab initio crew, scares em off!
Say, do Cessnas down there have skis? hehe just kidding, I lived in Dunedin 4 yrs; Waverley, up that loong hill. Great spot.

LPXO

[bazzar]

I used to live in Wellington before moving to Auckland prior to Oz.

I do remember standing on the end of the runway in Wellington, watching F27s hover in the wind on finals...passengers practically had to get out and push to get the things down!

[SADT]

Hi,

As a South African living in NZ, I daresay I would have liked to have come here at an earlier date - all those awesome planes - B737-200s, B767-200s, Fokker F27s, and Boeing 747-200s. And guess what the one thing in common with all these aircraft is - Their noisy!!!!:icon30:. Loneley Planet: I also live in Vauxhall, Waverly.......

[d0mokun]

Can't give you any tips on the 152 there (I flew around TG, beautiful regardless of which way you fly) but if you can get a ride on the 732, do so. I had a seat down to Queenstown in 2008 for WoW- awesome ride.

Quite a sight to see coming in and out of TG too.. :ernae:

[SADT]

Hi,

The first flight was amazing!!!!!!! The instructor let me take off (I controlled the elevator and ailerons, and he controlled the rudder and throttle.), fly and land! We did several high rate turns, pulling about 1.5g!, and 2 stalls. The feeling of dropping in a stall is amazing!
I am still dazed after this flight.

[heywooood]

practice coordinated turns and heading/altitude holds with a few simulated waypoints....you might also ask about stall buffet - but then again not.

[LonelyplanetXO]

Well done Craig, sounds like we might have a new pilot in the making. If you're happy and can afford it, book a few lessons. But before you do take a look at what you want, what you can afford and set some objectives. Going joyriding's great but unless your super-rich, you'll get the most out of it by planning what you want to achieve on the budget you have. For many that means working in phases...eg phase 1. get to solo 30 hrs or whatever, cost @ $x/hr = $Y. Objective 2. PPL. hrs 00 (i wouldnt know) , cost $X and so on.
Take a look at where you would like to be & go for it.

LPXO

[Dimus]

Great!

As LonelyplanetXO says above, think about it seriously, plan it and go for it. Besides money, it will require commitment, focus and quite some studying of theory to get the PPL.

[Lionheart]

Your question about looping and barrel rolling a Cessna 152 Aerobat. Yes....

Found out first hand from my enthusiastic neighbor who owns one. I went flying with him and dang if he couldnt stop doing loops in it. Then he did a snap barrel roll (happened so quick I didnt think it actually happened). By then, breakfast wanted to return to the skillet (or lap) and I was done.

Then.... We had a Pitts biplane play with us, coming up from behind like he was doing strafing runs, so we started holding the nose up, full flaps, and he couldnt keep up with our slow speed, lolol... He sure tried. He would end up passing us each time. You could see him back there though trying to hold a slow speed. We must have been hanging at 45 degrees, lolol... What a crazy day that was. Well, morning...

[txnetcop]

The C-152 is an incredibly fun aircraft to fly. My favorite was a modified taildragger that a friend of mine had. I was going to trade my fully restored 140 but decided the cost of keeping the 140 was cheaper and I had diminishing time to fly anyway. Still wish I had done it! Happy landings and keep the commitment!
Ted