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!
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!
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