Job Shadowing at AFB Langebaanweg

Woaw! This has been a very busy three weeks indeed! I worked really hard at school to get my marks where wanted them and I believe that my hard work did pay off. In the process it kept me from doing blog entries and I got quite behind with it. To really shortly sum up what happened:

Langebaanweg Job Shadow - This entry
Working on Fire Hueys - When our mountain burnt down and they used them to transport firefighters
Langebaan Lagoon Festival - My first time experiencing a show by the Silver Falcons
Coffee with Maj. Scott Ternent - The start of a great friendship and future!

You might also notice that my blog's background has changed. It now has clouds, well, for the obvious reason and also a checkered flag that symbolises the goals that I want to reach!

Lets go ahead with the Job Shadowing... Please bare in mind that this happened 20 days ago and that I would try and remember it to the best of my ability! Unfortunately I was not allowed to take photos.

Tuesday, 8 March 2011

It was a cold and partly clouded morning. I was so happy that I weren't going to school as the bus drive would be freezing as the morning frost covers it and makes it a refrigerator! On our way to Langebaanweg my Father and I had a few chats about aviation in general and I tried to make him understand why I love flying so much... It was quite successful as he also showed interest in this passion of mine.

The R27 road from Cape Town to Langebaan is truly amazing. It reminds me of the Northern Cape but with a touch of "home".  If only I could see it from up there... But I'm positive that I will in the near future! There were quite a few "Stop and Go's" and we had to make up some time on the long straights or I would be late for my appointment, and that's the last thing I want to happen! Fortunately I was there right on time and could meet with Col. Jaco Labuschagne at the gate.

I had to sign in at the gate as a visitor otherwise I would not be allowed on the premises. My father decided to stay in the car as he wanted to finish another one of his library of books from Louis L'Amour. Col. Labuschagne and I got into his vehicle and drove off to what I guessed was the main buildings. He took me to Lt. Theunissen who would be the person that I would shadow. Lt. Theunissen immediately took me into the Chief Flight Instructors' office. There I met the Silver Falcons and received a poster that was signed by them which also had a encouraging sentence on it that said:

Jaco
Alle sterkte met jou keuring!
Beste wense, Span 71, 2011

I had a chat with all of them and they truly inspired me to reach for the sky and live out my dream! After that we went to the briefing room where he explained to me what happens in the mornings and pre-flight briefs etc. As he was talking to me I noticed some of the pupil pilots entering the room, salute and sit down. How I wished that I could be in those orange overalls, waiting with a tummy wanting to explode with butterflies for my pre-flight briefs...

He showed me around in some other buildings where you have to log in when you will fly a sortie. There were some boards about aircraft maintenance and inspections which I found quite interesting. We then headed to his office where he showed me how the admin work is done. I never quite understood why everyone always said that you are kept very busy by doing admin work but now I do.

The next stop was the flight simulator! He showed me the previous one and said that it was out dated and that they received a new one. I could not understand why it was outdated because it looked as if it was in perfect condition. We then went to the newer one and I understood why he said that it was old. It is a big room with a flight of stairs leading up to a platform that looks out over the simulator. It is also where everything is controlled and assessed during flight. The Astra cockpit itself was surrounded by a concave screen that stretches about 270 degrees around it and was about 3 meters in height.

He started her up and I could not believe how realistic it looked compared to previous flight simulators I have played. He bolted down the runway and took of straight into some aerobatics. As he did rolls it felt like my head was spinning because of the realism. Langebaan was so beautiful from the air even though it was only a simulator. He showed me how the plane responds to certain stick and rudder combinations and I was amazed by the agility of it. Lt. Theunissen then asked me if I wanted to have a try. I wasn't sure if it was legal for a civilian to use the simulator but I guess he wouldn't let me if it was illegal. I got into the seat and tried to familiarize myself with all the buttons and knobs. All I had to know at that time was throttle, stick and rudder. I first did some turns and then went into some steeper knife edge turns. By instinct I gave some counter rudder as I felt the Astra slowly losing altitude in the steeper turns. I then tried to do some aerobatics. As I was going up for a loop the plane pitched to the left. If I can remember correctly I was told that it was caused by the momentum of the propeller. It is also why you would rather do a stall turn to the left than to the right as the plane has a tendency to rather yaw to the left. After a few instructions I am happy to say that I was able to do a near perfect loop. I did a few stalls as well. Pitch the nose 80degrees up, lower engine power, give a lot of rudder to the left, wait for it to start yaw around and voila, increase the engine power again. (Please correct me if I am wrong) I then tried a hesitation roll but was astounded by the difficulty. Once you are knife edged you have to give a lot of counter rudder and once you are inverted you have to push the stick forward to counter a nose down tendency as well. I did not succeed after three tries but I am sure that with a little bit of practice it will be perfect!

We then went on to the Air Traffic Control room where they explained to me how everything works. It was quite a windy and overcast day but it cleared up in the afternoon and I was able to see the planes take off from the ATC room. I also saw how these guys go about doing their jobs and it seemed like they really enjoy doing it. They have a system that they follow once a plane taxi, takes off, gets rerouted and lands. How these guys keep up with everything and not mess it up is amazing. It would be awesome to be a Air Traffic Controller but I would much rather be flying!

As the planes taxied out to the runway we headed towards a hanger. Close up the Astra was a bit larger than what I thought but it was still a beautiful plane! I was allowed to sit in it and Lt. Theunissen said that if I wanted him to he can take a photo with my cellphone. Here it is:

We then went to the apron where Lt. Theunissen was able to snap this photo of me with Falcon 3, Cpt. Buti Tsebe's plane:

It was the end of my Job Shadowing opportunity and with a lot of sadness in my heart I had to leave AFB Langebaanweg. At least I know that we will be reunited in a few years and I hope that Langebaanweg would be ready for me! It truly was a day to remember and I really learned a lot.

 Another side note - I just realized that the last time I have flown is 4 and a half months ago! Unfortunately I did not have any opportunities but I am trying my best to find someone that is willing to take me for a flip. If anyone knows of somebody that is willing to help me out, please leave a comment. I would really appreciate it a lot!

"For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return." - Leonardo Da Vinci

...Jaco over and out...