A relative newcomer at Goodwood, my name is Sam Redfern and I’m currently working towards my private pilot's licence with Goodwood Flying School. I've been asked to write a series of articles, which I hope will give an insight into the experiences that I have encountered as I progress through the early stages of learning to fly. My eventual goal is to attain a commercial pilot's licence.

Having had a long-standing interest in aviation, the trial lesson I first had here at Goodwood in August of 2017 proved to further the fascination I had surrounding flying. The various commendations of the Goodwood Flying School that I received from those I knew encouraged me to pursue my interest here, whilst an opening in a local pub for a part-time job also motivated me to begin to learn to fly.

Now a fair few hours into the early stages of the course, I'm slowly getting a feel for how different elements of the planes are combined together in different manoeuvres. After a long winter consisting of sodden runways and cancellations, the warmer weather in June and July provided more opportunity for flying. Therefore on the 17th and 31st July, I was finally able to brush the dust off my logbook and progress with flying after a brief interlude due to weather and oh-so-important GCSEs. Having departed the circuit area in Goodwood Cessna 172 G-LOOC, exercises learnt in previous lessons (such as medium level turning) were practised to shake off the rust, whilst repeated climb and descents could also be practised owing to the high cloud base that morning. These exercises were then culminated in an imaginary “circuit” in the skies that were flown over the Sussex coastline.

Although the aforementioned bad weather did squander any hopes of flying for a good while, the respite that was created allowed me to focus on studying for the various exams that are part and parcel of learning to fly. The study of air law is completely necessary for the safe operation of an aircraft and, whilst some of the information learned is somewhat lacklustre content-wise, it does form the basis of various important topics such as ‘the rules of the air’; moreover, it provides the opportunity to get into the good books of your instructor by showing off your newly learnt knowledge!

Now as the summer draws to a close, I am awaiting an appointment for a class 2 medical certificate in preparation for my trip to Tayside Aviation, Dundee, in the autumn. Whilst we cannot expect the glorious weather that we had back in July, here’s hoping to a winter full of benign skies and ample flying conditions!