Week 14: Rest and recuperation

After a pretty intensive few months, it was a welcome relief to get 6 days off from lectures to enjoy the Christmas holiday season. For the first time in a long time I was able to stay in bed beyond 8am without feeling guilty for getting behind on my studies; that's not to say I didn't do any during the week off, but the pace was a lot more leisurely, more to keep my brain ticking than anything else.

Unfortunately for most the time off didn't start brilliantly, the terrible weather Britain experienced being the main culprit. The drive to my parents normally takes about 2 hours, but 4 became 6 due to the high winds/driving rain closing the QE2 bridge at Dartford, forcing 8 lanes of motorway traffic on the M25 onto just 4 for both directions. For some of my course mates journeying further afield, their flights were cancelled, a trip up to Heathrow their only hope. Not the best start!

Meanwhile, on Christmas eve Gatwick experienced a major power loss due to flooding, which inevitably caused chaos for anyone trying to get away before Christmas day. Fortunately for Gatwick the loss was restricted to the North terminal, but given easyJet's significant presence at the airport and the fact they have to split their operation between the two terminals, just over 80 flights had to be cancelled. Apparently at one point there were Police Officers manning the information desks in an attempt to achieve some semblance of order, as customers became increasingly frustrated (as is expected) as some had lost out on flights the previous day due to the adverse weather. Not a good day to be in the firing line at Gatwick airport!

This week the MPL students received their first Ops newsletter that goes to all crew at easyJet. For the moment a lot of it goes well above our heads, but a section about the various anti-icing scenarios at airports was quite interesting, and it gently demonstrates the number of factors a crew balances when chasing an on-time departure. 

So back to lectures tomorrow where cp112 continue with Radio Navigation, chomping into another big module 2 subject. This week we're fortunate to have New years day off (Wednesday), but given the fact we've just had a week off most are staying in Southampton, and by the sounds of things the majority of the course will be in Oakmount Avenue to celebrate the end of another year. I'm a big fan of that plan.....my walk home will be a matter of metres! Happy New Year all, and you'll hear from me early in 2014.

Week 13: Pressing on and results

During week 13 we continued with General Navigation, finishing up the first of our module two subjects on Friday. In a similar vain to to the first week there were a few more concepts to get our heads around, but again thanks to our instructor Steve everyone seems to be fairly confident of the subject material. However, as engaging as he is, nothing could prevent the inevitable constant email checking on Friday, the first day exam result could be expected!

Basically to cover themselves the CAA (Civil aviation authority) who conduct the exams stipulate the results will be posted a minimum of 10 working days from the final exam, and there is no allowance to collect in person as it would be unfair to those with a "geographic disadvantage". Therefore we were reliant on the Royal Mail bringing their 'A' game, and the millions of Christmas cards not slowing Postman Pat down........and for the patient we were rewarded with our results at 1430 on Friday. I am very chuffed to say I got an average of 96% across my seven exams, and many of my course mates received similar scores proving that hard work pays off. Now about the next seven.....

In addition, for those on the easyJet MPL course (EZM03) we also found out that following our exams we'll be visited by our liaison pilot prior to heading off to New Zealand, and on our return we'll also have the opportunity to tour headquarters up at London Luton, gently bringing us under the bright orange banner. This may seem something of a non-event, but given the monotony of ground school it's very easy to lose sight of the end goal, so a chance to visit my 'office' for the next 30 years can't be bad!

Finally, today I actually had lectures (yes on Sunday) for our first day of Radio Navigation. As horrid as it was to have a one day weekend, our new lecturer Caroline kindly offered to teach today and tomorrow so we get Tuesday (Christmas Eve) off. Unanimously the class thought this was a brilliant idea, so tomorrow afternoon ill be heading straight to my parents for six days off to celebrate Christmas. I intend to eat too much, catch up with friends, and probably enjoy a few jars at the pub, leaving me only to say Merry Christmas and I hope Santa's good!  

Week 12: No rest for the wicked

After a rather boring week of revision, followed by an equally dull week of exams, it was a welcome relief as mentioned to take a weekend out and think of anything but ground-school. My housemate Andy and I found that we were having dreams about exam questions, which has got to be anything but healthy! However all good things come to an end, and on Tuesday cp112 were back at Nursling where we started general navigation. Yippeeeeeeee!

   'GNav' is different to many of the subjects we completed during module one, as there is no way near as much to learn so quantity isn't an issue. That said, what you do learn can at times be complex, or so easy your brain finds a million and one ways to the answer because you refuse to believe it could be that simple! On a personal level, I hadn't used Trigonometry or Pythagoras for probably 10 years yet amazingly my brain still remembers it, so clearly my teachers did a great job hammering it in........and for those of you considering joining, yes i'd recommend reminding yourself how it all works!

As a class, we've also been lucky enough to be taught by one of CTC's newest ground school instructors, Steve Barnes. Without any doubt he's one of the best instructors we've had, not just due to his knowledge of the subject, but also the fact that if someone's wearing a face that says "I have no clue what's going on", he'll spot it and get everyone up to speed before moving on. The other nice thing about GNav is the necessity to draw diagrams rather than just trying to work things out in your head; you don't exactly need to be Michaelangelo, but a picture really does say a thousand words...

On Friday, CTC again had their doors open but for a very special occasion, Pilot Graduation. Given the effort graduates put in to completing the course it's nice to see that at the end there is a celebration of success, as well as an opportunity to show family around the facility. The highlight for most was probably the fact Carolyn McCall (easyJet CEO) was the guest of honour, making a speech and also handing out the various graduation prizes. Unfortunately I was in lectures so couldn't listen in, but it's nice to see the pomp and ceremony that await me in the tail end of 2015. After the ceremony there's a black tie evening affair with guests which is normally held in the function hall at Nursling, but given CTC's increased use of Airbus simulators, by next years ceremony the hall size will have been halved as a new fixed base simulator will be taking up real estate. Therefore by the time I graduate the graduates dinner will be off site (likely in a Marquee), further sugar-coating a special occasion. 

As with module one I find myself back at my desk, either working through notes, Bristol Computer lessons, or using one the question banks for testing. It's not all doom and gloom though; given I've completed  module one plus a week i'm over halfway through ground-school and therefore only a few months from disappearing to the southern hemisphere. Hopefully by the end of next week I will also have my module one results in hand, so Christmas this year could go one of two ways!

Week 11: module one finally over

Finally the week of exams arrived and has passed, and as a course cp112 appeared to be in good spirits with regards to how things went. There were a few questions that the group as a whole struggled with (myself included!), but nothing hideous so hopefully the results aren't too devastating! What I have learnt is to stick with my original answer; in the final question of the final exam I managed to talk myself into switching answers, only to find out 30 seconds later that was a massive mistake!!

As we got a long weekend off I came back up to Essex to see my family, whilst also popping to my old rugby club to watch my friends play (followed by a few cheeky beers). So another day of relaxation, and module two starts with a bang on Tuesday introduced with a monster subject, General Navigation. On the upside, the quicker we get going, the quicker our departure for the Southern Hemisphere arrives! 

Week 10: Revision and the end of Movember!

This week has been completely dominated by revision for the main exams, which start at 0930 tomorrow morning. For most students the question bank seems to be the main method of revision, but given its repetitive nature, revision becomes incredibly monotonous. I personally chose to go into Nursling each day to study, purely because I would find anything and everything to distract me! I wouldn't like to guess how many questions I completed, but hopefully some of them appear in the exams with no nasty surprises!

Away from CTC, yet still relevant easyJet (my eventual employer) posted a 51% increase in profits, equating to a pre tax profit of £478million. I know to some this may seem a dull comment, but given the fluidity of the aviation industry it's a good idea to keep up-to-date, especially when the airline posting the profit is where ill be working! Unfortunately the record profits have also led to parts of the workforce striking as they feel undervalued, proving that even when the going's good not everyone's happy.

As I have two exams in the morning (Principles of flight and Aircraft general knowledge) i'm off to get a bit of last minute revision in. But as promised, below is the final result of my Movember moustache. So reach into your pocket, find a charity box and drop some coins!

Wish me luck!