Page 13 - Dear aviator...

when a “nick” goes from being cosmetic to being a hazard to the flight; you don’t
know if a drop of dark fluid next to the brake callipers is leaking hydraulic fluid or
oil that was spilled by the previous student as he was topping up the tank. What I
mean to say is that I would have greatly appreciated if, during training, an
instructor had taken the time to show us examples of what constitutes normal
wear and tear and what is damage that should be written up and that would
normally ground the aircraft.
I personally was under the impression that some of our instructors were so young
that they themselves had little to no experience as to what would constitute a
serious cut to the tire or what a ripple in the fuselage skins would look like.

Gear and equipment (aka the toys)

So you started training, have you? Good! Then let’s be clear on one thing. You will
be buying so much new (and expensive) gear. And you will justify it - to yourself
and/or your significant other - as being stuff that you absolutely, positively need
for the course. How do I know this? Because I did the exact same thing. But let’s
break it down, shall we?
First of all, there are some pieces of equipment that you will genuinely need. Based
on the type of course you will either have to purchase, or the school will give you a
protractor, a ruler tared to various nautical mile scales, a circular slide rule (also
known as computer or whiz wheel) aeronautical charts and a rather thick
document indexing airports and aerodromes (in Australia this is called the ERSA) -
these latter two items will have to be periodically replaced with up-to-date editions.
I would note that all these pieces of equipment are for navigation and you will be
using them extensively as you learn how to compute flight plans, fuel burns, wind
drift and so on. You will be doing plenty of this both at ground school and at home
(and obviously during the exams).
I would also probably add a kneeboard to write down clearances, record weather
information, hold airport diagrams and checklists whilst in the cockpit. You can
find the cheapest ones which are literally nothing but a piece of plastic with some
velcro straps all the way to the super expensive ones with iPad holders, integrated
calculators and intricate zippers, pockets and flaps, none of which you will ever
use.
And, strictly speaking, these are really the only things you will need for your
training. Total value, maybe, 100-150 bucks based on the quality of the equipment.
But let me tell you what you are likely going to be buying besides this.
A headset: you will certainly have access to these, either for hire for a nominal fee
or included in the course, as they are provided by the school; however, they will be
basic, scratched and not very flattering. Add to that that your instructor will
probably have a privately purchased noise-cancelling stylish and sexy-looking
headset. You will want that headset after about 30 seconds in your first lesson
(also because your instructor will probably enumerate the magnificent features of
their set, since they too will have spent a small fortune and so it is unsurprising
that they should flaunt their piece of kit). Seriously, though, there are several very
valid reasons to invest in a good headset. The school’s headsets have been, and will

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