Where have all the blogs gone?

It's been 2 weeks since my last blog. I can't believe just how slack I've been about updating my blog since I got back from the states. I know I've had to spend more time at the airport - even though I've done about 10% of the flying I would have done at Goodyear - but have I really not got enough free time any more?
Anyway, here's a quick update. This week saw Toddy and myself start with a new Instructor, Brian Rogers. So far I'm quite impressed - he definitely knows his stuff alright, and his bedside manner is a little bit easier than our previous instructor. Although, to be fair to our previous guy, if it wasn't for him we wouldn't have done our RT test. He was really pushing Toddy and myself to get it done ASAP, and he eventually went ahead and booked it for us last Friday. So with 30 minutes warning I was sat taking the Radio Telephony Operator License test with a CAA dude. Fortunately I passed, as did Toddy when he sat the test after me. So far nobody else on our course has sat the test, and I don't think anyone on the previous course to us have either. Feels nice to get it out of the way, even though at the time I could have put our instructor through a blender.

So this week I managed to get in a sim session and a beautiful early morning flight. I've uploaded an album to my website - showing a few piccies of me starting up, taking off from Oxford, and flying past Blenheim Palace. It was a great day, and I really finally felt back in the swing of things. I just hope I can keep that positive mood going.

Hopefully now I'll have something decent to report on the blog, and once we start flying airways over to Bristol, Bournemouth, Cambridge etc, I'll have some more nice pictures.
My good buddy Jeroen starts back at Oxford on his First Officer course on Monday - hopefully I'll get chance to buy him a coffee in Starbucks - it'll be the first time I've seen him since he dropped me off at Phoenix Airport in November.

One last thing - I have no idea these days who (if anyone) is actually reading this waffle, so I'd really appreciate it if you could leave a comment for me - just so I know whether it's even worth keeping this going or not.

Thanks

Simon

Some flying done...

... But mostly sitting around waiting for some good weather. 2006 is gone, and we're now 2 weeks into 2007. I've now flown the aircraft twice, and been in the sim twice. Back at Goodyear I was flying at least once a day, so this is a bit of a shock - and very disappointing.
Some of the other guys have been getting a lot of sim time in, but our instructor seems keen to do things by the book - which means being scheduled for a flight, but then having to cancel because of bad weather. Aside from the course taking longer than planned, and therefore costing more money, it means I am getting a little bit ground happy. I feel my flying skills had rusted over somewhat in the 3 weeks or so between leaving Goodyear and starting flying at Oxford, but now that it's been 2 months since leaving Goodyear, and I've flown twice...... and that's not taking into account that what I was taught in Goodyear seems to be different to what is expected here. *shrug*
I can't complain too much - the view out of my 'office' window is still much better now than it ever has been.
Anyway, here are a few piccies taken out of the back of the aircraft the other day. I didn't have my camera with me, just my mobile - but the piccies aren't that bad. Hopefully soon I'll get some decent piccies and videos.

Just popped through a gap in the clouds

A lot of rain had fallen the night before (pic taken 10th January)

Right base entry to runway 01