Skills Test Part Three

The gap between parts one/two and three was a day. One day.

Using my PA28 Pilot's Handbook acquired after the initial briefing, I crammed as much as I could and it was barely enough.

Again I learned as much from Martin as I demonstrated. The PA28 has some technical idiosyncracies around trim tabs (there's only one) and the stabilator (it has an all moving tailplane with an antibalance tab). In addition to this the oral test covered every single part of the plane from the tailplane to the prop spinner and plenty in between. The techno geek in me will always be satisfied with the antibalance tab details, the gas strut suspension, the differential (but not Frieze) ailerons and the torque link on the nosewheel. But the anecdotes and insight you get from these chaps who've been around aircraft for most of their lives is priceless and just might save mine one day. If a tree does jam by stabilator, it's handy to know how to stay alive.

Somehow I passed the tech oral and that was that - PPL training complete, PPL Skills Test complete. From that moment the next time an instructor needs to be sat in the right hand seat is as far as two years. On walking out of the club house at Barton, I was qualified to fly as a PPL, as pilot in command, solo, anywhere - passengers would have to wait until my licence gets back from the CAA in a few weeks.

Immediately I booked out G-LACA, my new aircraft shaped friend, for the next weekend; it went in the book as 'Sharpe/PPL'.