Fighter Pilot Episode 5 -" Chopped "

This episode had me on the edge of my seat. It covers a topic that all of us in some way fear " failure" or as the RAF call it " chopped ". One of the trainee pilots is having trouble landing the aircraft. The rest of the circuit is fine. I could imagine this could be any of us as these planes are a little slippery and are very unforgiving on the touchdown ( not like the Cessna 152 ). With limited flying hours the RAF put the guy on review and try and help him through. I wont spoil it for you, watch for yourself.

Get ready for the fourth installment of "Fighter Pilot". This is where the action starts. The trainee pilots get their first taste of flying the Jet Provost. I find it amazing to see the incredible aptitude of these guys. Sadly not all of them are going to fly, but just to get this far they have done so well. It takes a certain type of person to fly a fighter jet, some would say the perfect type of person. I have no idea myself about how difficult this course is , but I am pretty sure these guys will be taken to their mental limit.

I have been practicing my circuits in the JP5 and I must say they are getting better. I have found that understanding the nature of the engine and power settings give me extra time to fly the aircraft and the whole circuit becomes a lot easier.

There is no doubt this little exercise has relly improved my flying.

Well here it is BBC Fighter pilot Episode 4

Enjoy!

Flight Simulator- BBC Fighter Pilot Episode 3

In this episode we get the first look at the jet provost the aircraft I am flying now. You wont see it until right at the end when the instructors perform a fly past at the passing out parade, but now most have become officers, the selected aircrew tainees will get their first taste of a jet fighter trainer.





 

This episode called "Graduation" dicusses some of the
qualities the RAF are looking for in potential candidates


Enjoy!

The jet provost JP5 download

Being critical on your flying

To improve my flying skills I have become very critical on every thing I do. There is a saying in the RAF, “ accuracy is everything” and I here what they are saying. Don’t fly 50 or 10 feet above your assigned altitude and if your speed is supposed to 150 kts make sure it is 150 kts not 103 or 105 kts. In other words……………… nail it. Since I have started on this notion my flying has improved considerably. I usually fly a few circuits in the jet provost with the voices of the instructors echoing in my head about not having the altitude right or the speed right, then I will fly a circuit at KAI TAK in the PMDG 737 and apply the same techniques.

You will be surprised how this will change the way you fly.

Here s a picture of the aircraft I am using , it is freeware and you can get the Jet Provost JP5 here.

I am also using the Linton on Ouse freeware scenery which you can get here.

Get used to this aircraft, it is a great trainer and a great piece of freeware. You can download it here

I am having a lot of fun with this simple to fly little jet. For freeware it is very well made. The Viper engine is very powerful so you will encounter over speed issues if you do not power back well before your target speed. 


Practice level flight trimmed out at 150kts at about 1000 feet above round level ant note your power setting. Mine is about 7500 rpm. If you are learning to fly knowing you power settings for certain situations is a must. In the climb I reduce power to 8000 rpm at a pitch of about 10 degrees I then adjust the pitch until I get 150kts...... Then trim.


Have fun.

Flight Simulator- 007 at Beaulieu

Went to the Beaulieu Motor Museum In Hampshire UK . The James Bond 007 show is there at the moment. Found a few treats . The main one for me was the BD5 Acrostar Microjet used in the film Octopussy and then right net to it “Little Nelly” from You Only Live Twice.

There is also a BD5 for FSX by IRIS Simulations which looks quite fun. There is a short video for this addon, take a look it looks quite fun.

Now take a look at the real thing

This little bird really did fly