Road to the Right Seat 24 – Going Inverted

Nov 28, 2016 – Now that I finally passed my CPL checkride, I can focus on something completely different. It’s time for the upset & recovery training in the Extra 300L a real aerobatic airplane! During the two-day training, we learned to handle potentially dangerous situations. An extremely interesting and fun experience!

Upset & Recovery

On November 17 and 18, I joined a few of my fellow students to Gateway Airport, which is located southeast of Falson Field. Our first day started with an extensive briefing about the school and courses we were about to get. We were all looking forward to it!

The purpose of the first flight was to familiarize ourselves with the airplane. We did some basic turns, stalls and even went inverted for the first time! The theory we got in the briefing was put into practice and after an hour of flying, we returned to the airport.

Once everyone returned from their flight, we got a debriefing. We discussed some crashes, watched some interesting videos and went over the schedule for the next day.

Our second day started with a short video in which the schedule for the day was explained. Not much later our instructors arrived again. Off to the airplane for our first flight of the day. Some quick rehearsal of the last course we got and on to the next part!

Between the second and third flight, we got a chance to eat something and get some rest. The G-forces and brute maneuvers of the airplane didn’t do much good for our stomach. We finally understood why there was motion sickness medication available at the front desk.

During the third flight, all the learned techniques were tested. To finish of the day, we did some spectacular maneuvers to show the limits of the airplane (and my stomach).

What an experience!