A story from the life.........Flight training at NAIA

This is MY story and impressions from a period that forever will stand as one of the hardest, but also one of the most rewarding and challenging periods of my life.

It is complete as of 11082003, and more will be added as I find more time to do that !
Anyone who has questions on the matter, feel free to email me, and I will do my best to answer.
Reprint only with permission !

I start with the beginning - as a student in the newly formed NAR ( now NEAR ) JAR / FCL programme.
NEAR and NAIA cooperates, so the first step was moving to south carolina, USA.....

The admission test - Advice before you go... Life at campus- Going to the states - NAIA - The airport - The planes at NAIA -
Life as a student PPL phase - Pictures from the ppl phase - The PPL checkride - Leaving NAIA - Checkrides - Back in Norway
How I spent my days preparing for the ATPL written - NEAR school tests - MCC course - Exam nerves... - The JAR exams
Pre exam procedures.. - Exam advice - Pre skilltest - Notes on the flightsim - Refresher simulator course - Rorosfly - Skilltest

JAA VS FAA instrument procedures - Some FAQ`s here - Where to train - Conclusion - In the end

August 2000, NAIA admission test .....
After a lot of thinking back and forth ...."shall I do this" type of questions, I finally gathered the courage to at lest attend
the admission test.
Before that, I had been to FMI, the aeromedical centre in Oslo, Norway to check out the physics ( and pshycics ?? )
A whole day with testing ( pretty scary ..... ) concluded with airworthiness approval......
For the NEAR intergrated programme, you HAVE to have a JAR FCL class 1 medical before entry.

There were 3 of us that joined the session in Bodø- Synnøve Egeness, Finn Ove Aandal and me + Wayne Davies of course.

Funny how things evolve, Synnøve and I shared appartment for 5 months, as she became a NAIA instructor.
Together, we flew some of the most challenging and best instrument flights I have ever made .....
with the " popcorn 1A departure" out of KRDU as a great example.
..... Jay at NAIA : " you guys come straight back at once !!!! Very bad WX down here .... !!!
" Yeah Yeah ....the return flight was totally awesome, how bout it Synnøve ?!

Finn Ove later became my student for the CPL and instructor ratings.....we know the Myrtle beach strip intimately from
"some cool flights ", and especially the last flight we did was ------( - : ......... right Finn .. ??
I also has to admire Finn`s ability as an "intelligence officer",
he could find out absolutely everything I ever was doing.... especially when there was girls involved...... ehmmm.....
Synnøve in Asheville ..low IFR....
Me and Finn Ove


There we were, pretty nervous, venturing into the unknown world of aviation......
I could not have had a better introduction as I met Wayne Davies for the first time.
Wayne is a retired USAF colonel, and really has a great personality. He removed all the remaining doubts,
and as I passed the tests
( witch I thought was pretty hard .. ) I was on my way...
Wayne later became a very good friend and he was always there with a friendly word or advice
when things got a little " rough " at NAIA... Just a hell of a great guy to say it straight...
( And his wife makes great LÆFSA, witch Wayne brings to school at Norwegian hollydays - great ! )

With a good, solid and well paid job in electrical engineering, it was a hard and thoroughly planned
decision to finally pursue my childhood dream of becoming a REAL pilot.
I have been flying all kinds of ultralight aircraft, and had more than 1100 + hours in hanggliders and paragliders before
I attended NAIA / NEAR, but the dream of of making flying my proffession never left me........

Life is very short, and this is your only shot at it - make every day count, take chances, do something scary -
if flying is what you want to do - go for it and never look back !

And reading my little article about the issue " Airmanship " will also help you on the way ...

May / June 2001
Quite busy time, as I moved out of the house, and preparing it for the new lessees.
I was able to get 1 week vacation wtich was good for body and soul
Some butterflies occasionally in my stomach....

June 17, 2001
After being delayed ALOT in Atlanta, I finally arrived at Myrtle Beach ( KMYR ) 3 am in the morning,
it was HOT and HUMID and I was TIRED .....
.... they were supposed to pick me up, but who in their right mind would wait for me at this time of day...??

Well now I met Donny from the school..... what .... did you really wait for me ???? WOW !
Donny is a retired Navy guy, and we instantly became good friends, he is one of those people who does way more for
others than he will ever recive in return.
I have great respect for him, working long hours on the line despite a back that was constantly hurting, never a no in his mouth.
... rare today...
IFR flight from Atlanta back to Conway ( 9 000 ft )
Marion County ( KMAO ), nice little airport to the north of conway

Donny refuelling one of the 172`s
Wayne at the introduction meeting at NAIA


As we drove to Conway, I got my first advice ... stay away from the XXX clubs..... roger !

Well installed in the appartment on campus 1 2 3, I had ample time to familiarize, as there was a full week before the
start of the program.
As a student, you are able to " backseat " other flights, and a backseated about 7 hours the following weeks.

NAIA
NAIA is situated at Conway, Horry county airport, north of Myrtle beach.
here you will find the school complex with the Aircraft maintenance school and facilities.
They do all the maintenance themself, and altough the planes are not new,
they are well maintained, and "usually " servicable.
The airport is public, but the school is the primary user, making it south Carolina`s most busy airport !!
You will know the southeast US well.....
Required item for a long flight....(-;

Conway, Horry county airport ( KHYW )
Short final to rwy 04 hyw
landing rwy 22 hyw
departing rwy 04
CRE in the upper right corner, looking NE
The conway triangle - HYW - MYR - CRE ............................................
KMYR looking north

The planes at NAIA

C 152
Cruise 105 kt / VS0 35 kt / Endurance 4 hrs / 110 hk
Spin approved, Agile, fun little plane used for primary training to
instructor training + XC.
Used for PPL checkride

1 radio / Mode C / 1 VOR, VFR only

C 172
 Cruise 110 kt / VSO 32 kt / Endurance 5 or 6 hrs / 160 hk
Spin approved in utility category. Used for instrument / XC /
Easy to fly, more sluggish than 152, very forgiving stall

Used for IR and sometimes PPL checkride + CFII
Bjørn Eilertsen in atlanta ( KATL )

IFR checklist front JAA style here / IFR checklist front FAA style here
IFR checklist back side here

My own design as used successfully through many IR flights and IR checkrides.

IFR approved / Dual RDO / Dual VOR / ILS / ADF / Mode C. Some has DME.

C 172 RG / Cruise 125 kt / VSO 50 kt / Endurance 7 hrs / 180 hk/ Retractable gear /
Constant speed prop. Not spin approved. Like 172 but more heavy controls, especially rudder. Strong left turning tendency !
Used for CPL + CFI checkrides

C 172 RG emergency Checklist here
Like 172 panel, in addition MP + CHT + Prop RPM + Gear controls

Piper PA 44 Seminole
Cruise 150 kt / VSO 70 kt /
Endurance 7 hrs / 2 x 180 hk
More complex aircraft, that is the most fun plane to fly of them all ! Delightful control harmony, and not very hard to fly once you get the hang of it You will get about 20 hours in this one.
Used for ME and MEI checkrides

Here you can find my own syllabus for the ME training at NAIA, as used in the JAR FCL program. It shows the content, and many points in ME flight. It comprises of 4 sessions of about 3 hours each.

Syllabus / Lesson 1 / Lesson 2 / Lesson 3 ( Including emergency checkl.)

Seminole checklist here
Piper panel has throttle quadrant, and dual engine instruments, Some has HSI, IFR approved

Life as a student at NAIA ( As I saw it )
Finally ! I was on my way on this adventure. Needless to say, motivation was good as it could get.

Initially, we were 4 who stayed in the appartment, 2 at each bedroom,
here I met Leonard P Thornton, who became my roommate for the next 5 months,
( until he could no longer stand the horrible mess our appartment became towards the end of the school period,
.... more on that later )
Leonard and I became close friends, and he is one of those who I probably will stay in contact with for a very long time.
We hung out alot, on campus, and on several hiking trips to the Appalachian mountains. ( ... and he had a car, and I diden`t, handy ! )
We also did a couple of flights together, especially the night flights is hard to forget....
His wife Melissa, and sister Carole, both very nice girls ... they almost became my " family " down here,
and I will certainly return to NC to visit.


Over west Virginia

Class 0701 - Excursion to MYR TWR / APP

Moments of peace - returning from a long XC


Downwind on Charlottesville CHO

Some tension and confusion arised during the first week at school.
The program was in its infancy, and unfortunately, there were issues with the price of the total package.
I was elected as some kind of representative in the negotiations.
Some tense days, and many worries later, we got to an agreement with NAIA / NEAR.
It was a good deal, and corresponding to the price we were being promised at the initial contact.
Unfortunately we lost a few guys, including one in my appartment due to these events.

In the world of aviation - always make sure that you have all the important things in writing,
and keep a healthy scepticism:
After all, money is the main issue and being naive will get you nowhere.
Also make sure that you CYOA ....... cover your own ass....

Life at campus.....
Life on campus is a rather interesting one !
The appartments are for 4 students, 2 sharing one bedroom and bathroom.
Each house contains 4 apparments, 2 on each floor.
They are old and rather worn, but will do if you don`t mind some scratches here and there...

Your stay will depend greatly on your fellow roommates, but also on yourself.
It can surely be a strange initial experience to share room with people from a wide variety of culture and nationality.
Just keep an open mind, and you`ll be fine.

You must be aware of the fact that a lot of students fall for the temptation of "party on" all the time.....
it can surely be easy to do this when you get to the US with A LOT of money available, and young roommates looking
for a good time. No doubt that the appartment you stay in will play a big part in your success.
Assuming that you will make the most of the stay, please do not fall into this pit, as you have the option to
change apparment if you do not feel that you have the neccesseary study environment.

If you have the right roomates, life at campus is enjoyable and very social.
You will for sure make a lot of new friends.

...And one thing that was easiliy recognised : Girl apparments and boys appartments ( They are separate.... )
as there are some differences in cleanliness and general order........

Our apparments got 2 new roomates after about 4 months, and order was not their strong side......
I remember the incident where I turned on the owen to make pizza.......some minutes later there were a "whoof" and the
thing was on fire.........or actually some food long forgotten in the owen caught fire...damn....
Leonard was the first who freaked out and left for good, about 4.5 months into the stay.
I followed a month later, as I just coulden`t stand the mess anymore.

Quite a few students buy their own car, and you can get one for as low as 500 US$.
I bought a 95 Chevrolet Metro for 2200 US $. That was a darn good car !
Insurance depends greatly on age, count on at least 1000 US $ a year for a small car. You need social security card
and US drivers license to get insurance. It has been more strict since 9/11, as you did not need this previously.
My insurance was 600 a year.

Some students choose not to live at campus, and you can do this if you like too.
If you can afford the extra cost, and having your own car, it is a solution you might want to consider.
Sharing a VERY nice appartment in Myrtle or the subburbs with 2 or 3 friends can cost you as low as 300US $ a month.
You pay 250 US $ at campus, and I was happy when I moved out ........

I did not buy my own car until the end of my student period, something I think was a right decision.......
a car makes a trip to Myrtle beach ( 30 min ) very tempting, and the books collects dust....

Our appartment at River Oaks



PPL phase
I was assigned Viggo Olsen from Bodø as my main instructor, but he was not ready and
Odd Inge Knutsen became my first ( of many ) instructors.
Flight training commenced, and I progressed pretty fast in the C152.
The only trouble I had, was keeping the nose straight with the rudders.....
I was used to the much more sensitive ultralights, and was reluctant to use enough control input, and needed some
time to overcome this.
Viggo Olsen ....
Depart at 0700 in the autumn, very nice..

For good directional control, look far ahead OUTSIDE, and use the rudders in an uncouncious way -
Forget about the plane, think outside and use the
pedals to keep the nose straight - Small precise inputs, not overcorrecting - YOU ARE IN CONTROL !

I also spent many hours ( to the amusement of the others ) often blindfolded until
I knew where every little thing in the plane was.
Chairflying, reading checlists and visualization of flight procedures are very important for speeding up your progress..
and a lot cheaper than practising with the prop turning......

After 11 hours I was ready for the P12 ... presolo stagecheck. This is where you have to prove that you can ( at least not chrash ... )
handle the plane on your own..Oral and flight portion......
My check instructor was Tina from finland....... nice girl , quite attractive actually ( - :
I remember when Finn Ove told her that her X wind landings were not so good..... then I realized she had a temper too....

so we went along very well and in no time, I was ready for my very first solo flight..... as the first in my class.
The conditions was quite bumpy during mid day, so the 3 laps in the pattern ( rwy 22 ) was quickly over,
as I concentrated so hard fighting the rather strong crosswind. Exciting and great experience witch they say one never forget .....

Something I diden`t forget was the following ceremony.... the one that is a tradition at most flight schools.....
I was starting to feel like a pilot .....

Leonard in the new UNICOM tower
NOte the original Chinese cap.... pretty cool !

Leonard had access to a Condo, witch was a welcoming break
from study........ spent some time down there..
"Full facilities "
Presolo written exam....

Leonard and Melissa teaching me how to roast marshmallows..
..... their supposed to burn....

As usual when we went hiking, wet and cold
Linville falls, Blue ridge mountains, NC

Pictures from mine + Leonards first solo...
In line for takeoff ..... Charlotte INTL ( KCLT )

Justin Reich and Leonard before the solo....
... and then we were pilots.....

After the solo, I teamed up with Viggo Olsen from Bodø. We came along well, and the flights were ejnjoyable.
Many of those flights turned out as friendly competitions, especially the landing contests were good fun!

My single most exiting experience from the student period .... the first solo XC
Conway - Hilton head - Columbia metro - Conway

We both enjoyed flying, so progress at this stage was tremendous, and after about 1 month,
I was ready for the first of 6 checkrides.....once again, first of my class !

Walking through the gates of hell....( Or the PPL checkride.. )
As Viggo was sending me off to Jim Holloways office, I could notice a grin on his face......
Clearly I was nervous, but I felt well prepared and definately ready for the checkride, so I walked in .....
The room was like taken out of a movie.... dark, and with strange, exotic things decorating the room....

... After dealing with the paperwork, he changed his personality completely, and I was stunned as he gave me the
first question of the oral exam...." What happens with the cruising speed as CG moves rearwards ? "
.... great, I know that !!! -- " It increases ! " ..... Holloway .... so You haven`t studyed have you ??
cause the answer is incorrect !!!!
?????????????? I knew that my answer was correct, and argued for my answer, and eventually he agreed, kind of laughing....
... and so it went on through the oral session... as I left the room, getting ready to fly, I felt rather shaky and stressed up,
obviously part of the plan.
Taking my time with the preflight, checklist reading and just trying to do as best as I could, Jim was not very happy with this.....
... he was not happy about anything ( that was my impression anyway ).

Finally we was ready to go, and I taxied out for rwy 22 and a short field takeoff..... as I gave full power, Holloway yelled STOP !!!!
??????..... I had forgot to close the little cover for the oil dipstick........ F...ck, I blew it...???!!
Anyway, soon we were off, and the shortfield was good... on the climbout he suddenly grabbed the yoke and
banked sharply to the right for unknown reasons.....
once again, I though I had busted the checkride ( Same feeling I had for about 50 times during the flight ... )
phase 3, solo xc, just cruisin...
JAR FCL instructor training, Me , Ole Pedersen, Douglas Titze

" On high downwind departure : THERE`S A POOL DOWN THERE ! WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR ?? .... ???
holy shit.... better think fast........... eeeeehh .... look for the girls ...????( Now I am screwed for sure.....)
... THAT`S RIGHT ! YOU`RE GONNA BE A GOOD PILOT !!!

Viggo and me used to do the "Norwegian version " of the emergency descent : 60 `bank, no flaps and full UP trim.
worked well....
Mr. Holloway though differently....... and I busted for the 46`th time.....
The FAA "bible"; the airplane flying handbook said 45 `bank and flaps...Heaven forbid not doing it that way.....

And so went the flight on witch I recieved more yelling and critique than I had recieved combined in my entire life....
The last item on the flight was short field landings ( select a point, and land at or 200 feet beyond )

As I was lifted by a thermal on short final, I saw that I was going to land long, so I went around ....
Holloway exploded.. litterally..... then my cup was full
..... Mr Holloway; I am the pilot in command, and I have just decided to go around whether you like it or not....
.....silence.......then laughter.......and the flight ended with at fairly good shortfield landing.

( Short field landings soon became one of my favorite manouvers, especially with the 152. With skill,
one can touchdown and stop on the Threshold markings........about 150 ft landing distance......)


Long final to rwy 22


MYR TWR

VFR over the top - 9500 ft


West virginia

Mr. Holloway left the plane " Hurry up and meet me in my office ! " I was not feeling good to say the least...
..... " That` was a very good flight, congratulations, you`re a pilot now... ??!!
Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde flashed before my eyes.

I left the room with a horrible feeling, a feeling so bad that I had to spend 2 extra hours solo down to Monks Corner,
just to somewhat get the good feeling of flight back again.
Holloway tried to test my my limits as far as stress tolerance was concerned.
OK, but I think he stepped a bit to far, and I actually had a report to the FAA scetched out.... but I was never submitted..
.... it was my last flight with Jim Holloway. ...

As time progressed, he eased off this attitude towards the candidates somewhat,
and it is a fact that I had many of my own students successfully do their checkrides with Jim,
and during my year as an instructor we actually had a very good relationship....

Now I was a certified private pilot.

CPL + IRA
Will do this part a little later.....

Becoming a flight instructor at NAIA
Will do this part a little later.....

Great moments !
Me and Brita after a CFI flight up to the grass field at Green Sea.
After lunch with Bjørn in Asheville...
Bjørn Eilertsen and me became the first from NAIA to fly a C172 into KATL ! This is the backroad where I spent countless hours running, clearing my head between studies...
sooooooo nice...
 Capt. Hans Tilrem and me at Varnes airport.
DHC 8 100

Sebastian, Synnøve, and me in Asheville,
Stuck for one day due to a leaking tank ....
Sissel Finnseth ( NOR ), Leonard Thornton( USA ),
Will Ripper ( UK ) and Todd Hinds ( USA )

Christmas at NAIA 2001 !
Bob Borroughs and me after the ME checkride !
Bob is a very cool man ! has done everything worth doing
in aviation !
Our most excellent groundschool teacher -
Monty Picket !
He made the theory lesson interesting and has a great
sense of humor !

Christmas at NAIA 2001.
Jay Lamb in the stairs
The seminole after I hit a pelican at 140 kt.....

Becoming a certified JAR FCL instructor
 Will do this part a little later.....

Leaving NAIA
I will make the story complete shortly, in the mean time, let`s just jump ahead a little ....

The last few weeks became a frantic race to get everything done in time.
Torgeir and John`s run for the IR took most of the time, and there were many nights I simply chrashed into bed.
We started the IR training just past mid november, finishing well before christmas, a feat rarely seen.
Honors to John and Torgeir for their drive and will to make it happen; you guys really impressed me,
as few could have endured the pace we kept - Great job !

Torgeir had his IR in the bag when there was one week left, John was supposed to follow closely, but bad WX delayed the
checkride, so just a couple of days before I left, he was off with Mike Marlowe.
John passed the checkride, and I had fullfilled the promise to finish the IR training before I left.

The last day, I cleaned up the appartment and handed off the Buick to rent a wreck at Myrtle.
Then picked up a new rental car at the airport witch I should drive to Atlanta.
Rushed over to school for pictures and hugs and farewells.

Saying goodbye was a mix of emotions, really looking forward to going home,
but at the same time a kind of sadness for leaving all the good friends at school.
In fact, time became so limited that I never reached some of the people; Tina, Sharyn and Dawn at the flight office
+ Donny especially.
I miss you all, and hope to see you again really soon !

At midnight, I had everything packed up up, and I had to leave in 2 hours for the 600 km drive to Atlanta.....
Chrashed onto the sofa, and before I knew it, I was on my way. Drowe hwy 378 through Lake city and direct Colombia.
Then interstate and cruise control...... 600 km in 5 hours 20 minutes ....

The trip went well ( ... a bit tired though ) and after only a minor navigation error in the frantic Atlanta traffic,
I arrived at the airport...

A very special era of my life was over, and a new was about to begin.....


Thanks Wayne..


152`s as long as you can see. You will spend
Many hours in this fun little plane..


TCU far down there.... sailing home at 11 000ft
About once a week each instructor had to do "closing"
Taking care of the school after 8pm
Torgeir getting ready for another
IR training flight.
Torgeir was one of the fastest learners I have seen, and a great instrument pilot !
Now a flight instructor himself !

Checkrides !
Signing off one of your students is a great responsibility, and a result of much work, both in the air and on the ground.
I think I was just as nervous as the student on the big days, hoping for the best.
I really admire the way you all handled the stress leading up to a checkride,
and when you came back handing me that white slip, boy was I happy, and I felt a tremendous sense of pride for
each and every one of you !

A tight bond between student and instructor developes, and me ( the instructor )
became closely attached to each and every one of you ! So thank you all for some great moments !
In the end, I had signed off 14 times and every one on them passed on the first attempt !
Brita Moe - CPL / CFII
Won`t forget that one - my first signoff !
Douglas Titze ( Bolivia ) - CFII
Kim Nordstoga - CPL
Paul Williams ( USA ) - IRA
Timothy Brown ( USA ) - IRA
John Spatz ( UK ) - PPL / IRA
Torgeir Navelsaker - PPL / IRA
Stian Voll - CFII + Brita in the back
Finn Ove Aandal - CFII
Hans Svendsen - CPL
And in addition Alpha Kriegsman ( NL )
took her CPL with me

And many more who I did part training.......

Susanna Buck - CPL training

Thomas Nesheim in Atlanta ( KATL ) - SPIC
Lars Erik Dale - SPIC
Inge Vaagsberg - SPIC

Thanks Y`all - I will never forget our adventures..(-;

Back home in the ol`country, Noreg again...
the race for the JAR FCL CPL certificate commences.....

Studying for the ATPL exam..... on my way to a great end result (-;
The change from mild SC winter to the ice cold weather at 68,5`latitude was enormous to say the least, but I really enjoyed it, as
winter has always been close to my heart, the unique light and atmosphere during mid winter is truly special....
....And to go skiing again ..... yiiiihaaa greeat !

A nice, traditional christmas break followed. and I enjoyed the ability to just relax..... totally.
Christmas is kind of special to me, don`t quite know why, but I have never been away from home at christmas evening.
Candy stockings and cartoons in the morning, a nice ski trip during the day, and then finally dinner and loooots of presents
in the evening..... nice !

New years evening !

Newyears was celebrated in true " Lars style" ....
Up at the highest summit where I had panoramic view of the aera on a cold, clear night...
Nature has always been the place where I gather strenght and inspiration, now, I was ready for the task at hand .
.. the ATPL exams in May.
I was totally aware of the amount of work ahead, so my plan was to relax totally during the hollydays,
and then start studying big time in 2003.

I was lucky enough to have our familys house out at Andoya available the whole winter,
and the oppurtunity to concentrate 100% and spend long days studying without any interference.
The backside of this was that living out here meant nearly isolation for long periods of time.....
Where I spent the winter !
5 km south of Andenes
Typical WX at Andoya .....

A typhical day at "work".....
- 8 am : getting up and trying to get going again, breakfast .
( Mornings were the hardest part of the day, inspiration usually gained as the day progressed )
If the Wx was good, I went out getting some air, waking down to the sea and back.
- 9 am : Simulator session where I usually flew 3 - 5 approaches, trying to maintain the procedures and instrument skills .
Using FS 2002 and usually the Baron twin, I felt that I kept myself up to date, and I cannot praise this tool enough !
Play with the sim as much as you can, it is great practice, with a fast PC, even landing skills are kept intact ...
and its fun too !
You can even practice DR / P as the landscape is exatly right, cool !
- 10 am : Studying a selected portion.
I usually worked 2 subjects at one time, trying to keep the subjects spread out, like MET and INST
avoiding interference between the 2.
As I at the time was not finished with the progtests, this dictated the scedule a lot.
As the last progtest was submitted to me 3 months overdue, this put quite a bit of extra workload on me...

So I studyed the "current" subject and reviewing one of the first subjects. At the time of examination,
I had covered each subject at least 3 times.
The very first sunrays in 2003 !
January 17 at 68,5 N latitude
Daylight at 3 pm is sparse,
but it can be very , very nice indeed .

The laptop became a great tool, as I made my own notes in ppt. format, partly from the CBT and partly by own notes.
Especially during the frantic exam period, this meant that I had easy access to everything I was unsure of.
Highly reccomended practice, ( + very time consuming to make ) and you can see a sample of the notes here.

After each chapter I ran all the questions I had on the subject, just to check, but I must say that I
probably use sample questions less than most students do.
I believe with the amont of questions in the JAA bank ( many thousands and increasing ) it is more important to
study and understand the subject rather than memorising questions.
( In the states this is the way to go, as the Gleim books cover about 90% of the exam questions )

So in my opinion, relying too heavily on questionbanks, like ABACUS and OXFORD can backfire on exam day.
I experienced increased frustration and insecurity during "question sessions" as there are so many of them,
sometimes the fasit is wrong, and the need to squeese your brain to get the right answer ( very few "easy " questions )
is hard work.
So I decreased the importance of sample questions and relied more on fundamental understanding of the subject.
I am convinced that this decision was a major part of the success in the end.

This way of study is extremely time consuming and is mentally demanding, but I believe that it will provide you with a better "tool" on exam day, when those tricky questions emerge.
The ability to use the knowledge based " cognitive" approach enables you to use logic and eliminate the wrong alternatives when you are not 100% sure of the right answer.
Many questions of the type where you have to regroup and put together a number of correct
( and sometimes incorrect ) answers,
favors this philosophy.

But this is of course a choice any one of you have to make - what approach to studying to use.
The important thing is that you DO have a plan of action, are phocused and not trying to do to many things at one time.

2 - 3 hour sessions worked for me ( Find your own pace )
The period without sun is a photographers dream...
Many a time, I was actually totally snowed in when a bad blizzard hit...

1 pm : Out to either walk the mountains, the beach, go skiing, run or fly my beloved paraglider !!
As drove in my car, I often used the MORSEPILOT program on my palm, listening and reading out the letters as they came.
Using the time effectively

Throughout my training, the importance of physical activity has been a cornerstone. Studying hard day after day,
your brain will "explode" if not relieved and refreshed. Getting your pulse going and a couple of hours of work out does just that.
So get out every day and get sweaty, and your studying will improve .... guaranteed !

4 pm : Dinner
5pm : Continued study of the selected subject, usually around 2-3 hours.

8 pm: Simulator session.
It`s fun and breaks the monotony of the books....... I`m reeeealllyy good at ILS`s on the baron........

9 pm : Continued study.
The late evenings were my best time of day, and the period where I felt quality study the most.
Loose schedule, and usually studyed the subject I felt like studying......often long into the night.
Funny how well I could do this day after day, night after night. I never really got fed up, and I think the fact that I really enjoy
learning made a big contribution. Study because you want to more than because you have to......

Before sleep, a couple of rounds with the morsepilot. Became reasonable good at it,
and eventually had no problem getting 100% on the exam !

I spent 2 - 3 weeks doing this routine, then being quite ready to go back to
Harstad for the weekend to see friends and get a change of environment.

This way of life is probably not right for everybody, but for me it was essential for the end result.
Study, study, study.....phocus on the task and never ever doubt your ability to succed !

Many have in reality failed even before the exam due to lack of self confidence, and negative groupthink
Avoid people who only see the difficulties and potential problems in their progress, as there are many of them !
Slow flight with full flaps in the 152.
it will fly down to 30 kt with full power.....
Torgeir Navelsaker in holding over CRE VOR:

Exam in may or ......not ????
There are 4 NCAA exam sessions during one year, and you must complete the school exams, and be submitted
by your school before being allowed to do the exam.
We were initially 6 students who aimed for the may exams.
( Bjørn Eilertsen, Peter Kjansinnko, Fredrik Wengelin, Fredrik Svennson, Kristoffer Havnegjerde and me )

As the group shrinked to 4 ( Bjørn, Fredrik W, Peter and me ) NEAR suggested that we waited until the
june refresher course, so that there would be more attending students.
For us, being ready to go with all progtests done, this was not a very good solution, and after a little back and forth,
we agreed on a course of action !
I made the suggestion that we gambled with our ability to pass the school exams with no refresher course at all.
NEAR accepted, and we were now 4 who were on our way to Vigra for the school exams.( Bjørn, Peter, Fredrik W and me )

NEAR school tests
I chose to drive down to Vigra, and then had to drive trought one of the last bad blizzards of the year,
the mountains almost being closed...
It was the 5. of may...

As always when I travel, I bring the tent and full outdoor gear along. It is a great way to save money,
and I pitched the tent a few miles south of Mosjøen in heavy snow.
The following night, I woke up as a car had pulled over where my corsa was parked... guess what...
the police was wondering about that little car in the snow.....
the officer were probably just as surprised as I was when he realized I was camping out in - 10 C and a fullblown blizzard... wery comfortable, believe it or not !
Mild spring weather at Vigra was welcome though...

We arrived at the cabins on sunday ....... pretty, well nervous about how the exams would work out.
( Now they have built brand new student housing ! )

Atle Aluwini at NEAR made the exams and off we went !


Standard equipped for just about anything....

66,5 `North, Saltfjellet..
3718,5 km from the north pole.....( 90`N )


Me and Bjørn study airframes and systems....


Morning glory ....

Fredrik W, Kristoffer; Peter in Alesund

The ATPL books can be used for more than reading ...

Takeoff from the "hill " at Vigra

At the summit ...

It soon became evident, that many of the questions were from the progtests we did,
and many of the anwers were known instantly...
As all 4 of us went through the week with exeptional scores, an uneasy feeling developed:
Are we fooling ourselfs with the belief that
the JAA exams would be easy, just because the school exams went so well.
Getting a 97 % average, I managed to maintain the respect for the " real thing " ..... I was right....
the final exams were far more difficult !
Here is a sample progress test !

The week at Vigra was actually good fun, the 4 of us and Atle having a good relationship, and a relaxing atmosphere developed.

The only bad thing was that we all got a pretty bad flu, and most of the easter break was affected by it.

Every trip to NEAR at Vigra has been a very nice experience, and I have always felt welcome and treated well.
Once you are there, NEAR is a very good place to stay and learn !
( And they have a very cool simulator .... or was it stimulator.... ask Cynthia ! )

I even made a couple of flights with the paraglider that week, and the spring sun was shining, almost like a vacation actually... Returned home for easter break!

MCC training
After easter, I was originally prepared to spend the remaining 2 weeks at Andøya just preparing for the exams
starting may 12.
I had just recieved a selected portion of the Jeppesen / Oxford ATPL books, and was ancious to start working through them.

Consider buying the Oxford / Jeppesen ATPL bookset from nakshop
These books are overall of very good quality and relevance for the exams. I had great help from buying them !

This plan was quickly altered, as the phone rang while I was on my way to Andoya ..... Svein Garnes on the line....
" Hey, we got a spare place for you .... wan`t to go ??? ... hmmmm well, as I like the rapidfire way of living,
I accepted and planned on leaving Sunday morning to arrive 9am on monday..... tight schedule !

Later that same day, I beat my personal altitude record with the paraglider on Hinnoya
.close to 6000 ft in the booming spring thermals !
Looking SV towards Vesteralen
Looking NE towards Harstad.

At this time, I was so used to travelling that I hardly needed to pack up ... everything I needed was
constantly packed up in the car, so off I went.
( My thrusty little Opel Corsa drowe 14000 km`s from january till may.... good job ! )
As it was raining hard as I approaced Molde at night, I slept in my car. The steak made on the stove was delicious ....
then zzzzzzzzz ... (-:

Instructors at the MCC course was Ole Jacob Kielland, Terje Andersen and Svein Garnes.
My fellow classmates were Torkel Jodalen, Ken Ove Wik, Robert Kjestad, Øivind Pettersen, and Kurt Solem.

Many have the impression of the MCC training as being boring and a waste of money.....
I must quickly say that the 2 weeks at NEAR really was much better than I anticipated, actually great fun,
and a good learning experience.
The instructors really did a most excellent job of creating challenging and realistic situations in the cocpit.
Poor Cynthia in the cabin, needed a long vacation she said......common answer from the captain;
" NOT NOW - Werè busy !"
Poor girl....
Oivind Pettersen in deep concentration...

During the 2 weeks at MCC training :
- 3 days initial theory
- 6 full days and 20 hours in the FNPT II

The 20 hours in the FNPT II beech king 200 sim, really put me to the test and like I said, the instructors proved to have
wast experience, Creating all kinds of usual and unusual scenarios......
Learning to work together and also to operate a more complex aircraft like the king air will force you to progress.

At the MCC course you.....

Excellent training and this is a part of the program you can look forward to. Carefully study the folder you recieve before training,
especially the part on aircraft systems, the autopilot and flight director is heavily in use...and nothing looks like the cessna anymore...
..... doensen`t even have carbheat ....

Some exam nerves arriving...
I was a little bit nervous about how the MCC training would affect the ATPL exam, just days ahead. I spent VERY late nights in the
cabin trying to keep up the studying, Navigation and flight planning was the selected subjects.
At the end of the 2 weeks, I must have been close to the saturation point, as letters and questions kind of floated around when I
tried to study some more....
It was 4 days to first exam, and I felt like I knew very little about flying andI answered wrong on most sample questions.
Despite this, I never lost the belief that I was as ready as I was ever going to be !

I knew from long obtained experience, how important it is to remain in control of yourself when facing dffiicult and important tasks.
The wast effort I had made during those long months at Andoya was there;
now I had to prepare myself mentally for the next 2 weeks, in order to be the best I possibly could be.

I strongly believe that failure or success is something highly affected by your own determination and will to survive....
I passed this daunting task mainly by my ability to concentrate and NEVER EVER give up on something I have set out to master......
and most important of all; BELIEVING IN MYSELF.

" If you wan`t it, you got it, you just have to believe - believe in yourself .... "

I was back home in Harstad Saturday night, first exam the following monday at Bardufoss........

The following sunday night,
I enjoyed the solitude and quiet meditation on a lonely beach, simply letting the mind driftwherever
it wanted to go .....
.... and finally knowing that I was ready....

The JAA exams at NAC, Bardufoss
I had a room booked at "Istind", the campus for NAC ( Norwegian aviation college ), this was very practical, as the exams
were held in the basement....... 30 secs travelling time ....
The students at NAC gave me a very warm welcome, and I felt instantly at home.
They seem to have a very good environment amongst the students, the best I have seen in any flight school.

Arrived on monday morning, as the first exam was 5 pm.
Rumours about insane questions, faulty fasits and general disaster and confusion leapt ahead of the exams, so I was
slighly restless to say the least, but somehow I managed to control the stress in a very decent manner.

Here is the testing schedule here are my notes about the different exams

At NAC`s classroom at Istind, Bardufoss
" Inside the lions den..."

30 minutes before another JAA ATPL exam....
.... a short walk, then go kick some ass....

I think the most has been said trough the assessment note, so I will just explain " how it felt... "

I believe in being organised when it comes to stuff like this, nothing must be left to chance !
Having all the necesseary equipment ready and serviceable ( bring 2 calculators, spare pencils and anything you feel you need )

Pre exam schedule:
- Up until 2 hours before the exams, I studyed as required, concentrating on weak aeras. No "hardcore" study now, will not work !

I was not using a lot of sample questions on this stage, reading the books and my own computer notes.
Then, when I felt ready:

- Organized all my materials in a neat way.
- 1 hour before, light food and coffee ( or battery energy drink...... it speeds up your head ! )
- Then a hot shower, wich relaxes your body, and calms you down.
- Short walk, just positive thinking, nice events and pleasurable moments recalled as they came to me.

In the beautiful spring weather, during one of these walks, I remember looking up into the mountains, who just were soo beautiful..
people riding their motorbikes, and having a good time. It was hard to endure the intense pressure and concentration when I really
wanted to go do some flying........

I told myself ;
"I am NOT thinking about the mountains, not the flying, just ONE thing; getting into that exam room and kick ass ...."

Allowing yourself to succeed is a cornerstone for success.
Often it is less mentally tiring just to give in and accept whatever the result.
Mental strenght can be improved by practice, but you have to BELIVE, deep down in your soul,
and tell yourself time and time again that you will succeed.
A great exam is like a long bicycle race, the one who endures and ingnores the pain all the way to the end,
will still be standing when the battle is over......

I strongly believe that it makes a difference.......

..... Then I gathered everything, and was ready to go.

What was the exams like ?
First, They are not the infamous, totally far out impossible the way the rumours described !
Yes, the questions are not easy, but I felt that both the answers and question were fair, for being the highest " ATPL " level.
If you are well prepared and up for it, you will have a good chanche ...... if you are NOT prepared ... you DON`T have a chanche...

Compared to the progtests you do, they are similar difficulty, slighly more " practical " in nature. Better questions overall as they
seem to relate more to real life flight in general.
You should be able to do any progtest comfortably with score in the high 80`s and well within the 45 min time limited ( No books ! )
Then you will have a fair chanche....

.... it`s as simple as that....

Pre checkride
I had been told that the results would be up to 3 weeks ahead in time, so I feared that this would be a long and anxious wait
for the results. In the US you got the result instantly from the lasergrade computer, a very good system.
But the wait was not long, already on thursday during the first week of testing, the first results showed up at NAC.
and a quick and fearful moment later ...... I was still in the game !
Especially the "air law" test was a bit unsecure, and I was very happy when I passed this one with a good margin.

Then about 1,5 week later I recieved the word from Ole Pedersen at NEAR .... All tests are passed.....
I will never forget the fantastic feeling of relief and triumph, all that time spent working for this moment ... passed ...
I was the only one from NEAR that went through.
No doubt one of my best feats ever...

Spent that night under open sky on the mountain, feeling absolutely intoxicated by the weight relased of my shoulders......
It was first of June

At this point, I arranged with Ole at NEAR for the flying at Rørosfly to start june 23, so I had 3 weeks to prepare.
However, I had the hard, time consuming studying behind me, and the flying part I regarded as the "easy part "
, so I contacted my old employer, the local electrisity company, where I had spent 11 years before....
Soon I was back in electrical engineering again, and although a big leap from aviation, it still felt good to work again,
making money, as the account was somewhat drained at this point..

What I did during those 3 weeks.
Believe it or not... this is a full grown black bear....
Picture taken during a late afternoon bicycle ride.
Cool !
At the "hill" at Vigra during the school exams in april.
1200 hours and 18 years after first flight, my passion
for this way of flying is stronger than ever !

About the flight simulator I used
My primary was microsoft`s 2002 version. It is THE IFR simulator, as it has 20000 airports and virtually every navaid out there
installed as standard. Very good "feel" when on instruments.
My computer is 1.2 Ghz / 512 Mb ram / 16 Mb ATI radeon. It is more than enough for a framerate at a steady +20 FPS
I usually restrict the visibility down to max 20nm for VFR and 3nm for Non precision / 2 for Precision approaches.
It seems that this is the major "framerate killer", so keep visibility down for smooth action.

I even tried a couple of dead reconing flights + diversions. The landscape and wind generation is so accurate that it is just like
the real world. Impressive.

The new FS 2004 ( A century of flight ) should be out there now, and as far as I can see, this is the new features worth looking at :

All in all, these are some pretty cool upgrades, and probably worth the money.
It is a serious tool for proffessional pilots, and will give keep you current on your instrument procedures.
This simulator made me virtually "fly" through the instrument training !

A little known simulator is the best VFR manouvers sim out there ... the FLIGHT UNLIMITED 3 sim is discontinued, but
if you can get a hold of a copy - buy it !
The landings actually simulates ..... landings... cool.
..Once you`ve been there, there`s no turning back !
My good friend and fellow instructor
Justin Reich in Charleston, SC

Refresher simulator course at NEAR ( Phase 5 )
Once more I loaded up my thrusty Corsa, and headed down the 1200 km`s to Vigra.
It is now able to autodrive down there, as it knows the way by heart....
This time, hopefully for the last time, as phase 5 simulator training and then actual flying at Rørosfly would end in the NCAA skilltests....

It were to become a way more busy week than I had ever imagined........

Arriving Sunday night, I pitched my tent on one of Vigra`s beautiful beaches, and enjoyed the beautiful summer night.....
..... The following morning, Elisabeth from NEAR called me up early morning to check if I was ready to go....
"where are you staying ? " - I am staying at Stranda....( Stranda is also beach in english, but she though I was staying at a town
nearby called....Stranda ) ...Lot`s of laughs when people realized I actually WAS staying at the beach or... Stranda..
Elisabeth is the training coordinator at NEAR, and a really nice girl, always smiling and helpful !

At 8 am I joined Kjell Magne Longva, who were to conduct everything for the week ahead, and like I said... what a week....
it even beats NAIA rushhour....
After an initial chat and briefing, I arranged all the charts and approach plates, and I went through my procedures and gear.
"the difference between a MAP and a CHART.. the MAP is more accurately drawn, while a CHART is for longer range nav"

I had flown the FNPT II simulator in BA 200 mode 20 hours during the MCC training, and was reasonable familiar
with it. This time it were set in Seneca V mode, and the sim was as stable as a runaway helicopter.......
I had my full share of workload just to keep it somewhat within limits during the first flight.
I look at myself as very competent on instruments, but this was hard....and very good for my scan...
Some computer problems slowed us down during the first flights, but for most it went OK.

"I never really get used to the feeling, when the instructor zooms you a bit closer or lower...."

On the second ( of 4) flight, I were to practice engine failures on the thing...
The first one went OK, then on the next one I was climbing out as on engine failed..... I tried as best as I could to keep it going
the speed around blueline and heading somewhat within...then all of a sudden the plane just rolled violently out of control and...
bang......WHAT ??????
I do NOT like the feeling of chrashing even a simulator, and especially when I diden`t take it out of limits. I was NOT happy...
Then on the next flight, it did the same thing on level flight one engine out, but speed way above blueline....
now even Kjell Magne realized that computer error screwed me up....... I was happy again !

Thank god that the plane is a little easier to handle than this.....

I look at the simulator as a really good tool for practising really hard manouvers and difficult plane handling.
It will make the actual plane feel like "piece of cake". Do not think it can be a substitute for the real thing.
It compliments the plane !

And please, do not feel too depressed if you are "all over the place" during the simulator sessions......
Hint.... Keep the feet OFF the rudders in the simulator.
I built a model J3 Cub like this .... ( Georgetown sc )
My hideout and favorite place to study...
Myrtle beach state park, on the beach....

The first day we did 3 flights, followed by thorough pre and postflight briefings.
Kjell Magne is good at this, and the atmosphere was excellent between us throughout the week !

The day ( witch was midsummers day ) ended with a visit to the people at Vigra TWR.
Full briefing on pertinent procedures when using Norwegian airspace and ATC procedures. They differ somewhat, so
I filled many holes and unanswered questions during this visit.
When we were done, it was past 2100 and I was tired....just a short walk on the beach before I headed for the hotel.

The following morning I was up for the NEAR progress test that you have to pass before allowed to start actual flying.
The flight went actually pretty good, apart from the common FL 9000`s.....
and the now famous Sletten 1A engine failure procedure.....ehmmmehhhøøø well well.... it is just a sim, right?!...

Having recieved the passing grades from Kjell Magne, a last post briefing, paperwork done and farwells to the
people at NEAR........." yeah , yeah, OLE, I WILL remember to reset to QNH when descending through transition level !!! "
I was on my own until the next morning at 0800 - Rørosfly next !

Rørosfly....
The drive from Aalesund to Roros takes about 5 hours, and is one of the scenic routes, especially Romsdalen is pretty cool.
I was pretty tired from the hard work at Vigra, so I arrived 7 pm at Roros ... still pretty tired..

A quick look at the planes , the GA 7 cougar and AA5A cheetah, witch the original plan was to run through the cocpit drill..
but after having recieved the reading assignments, I quickly reconsidered......Simply too much to do before morning,
including the questionaire for the Cougar. Finished off 1 am.

25 / 6 / 03
Spent most of the night plowing through the technical questionaire for the Grumman GA 7, so I was a bit tired when I showed up
for my first flight in just about 6 months...... wonder how rusty I am ???
My instructor, Knut Fjell gave a short brief, and off we went.
It was actually not as bad as I thought and soon I flew the Cougar like nothing at all.
Knut brushed off the rusty parts. 2 hours went like crazy ....

The second flight ended the flying for the day, but much work remained, as Kjell Magne and I worked long hours to make sure
everything was in order, both paperwork and poor me.....

I am really impressed the way Kjell Magne from NEAR worked for me during these days at Røros.
Feeling privileged, as he poured form his knowledge and made the "examinations" a good learning experience.
Great !



26 / 6 / 03
First flight in the Grumman cheetah..... what a fun little aircraft. Super responsive and good fun !

School flight exam followed, and this is in many ways the real skilltest or checkride, as it is supposed to be harder than
the NCAA ride, so do not underestimate this flight, as you are definetely not guaranteed a pass....

And the flight commenced with Tor Sandnes from Rørosfly and Kjell Magne Longva in the back.
This was indeed a challenging affair..... Actual conditions, and many appoaches was hard work.
We did like this.....

VFR manouvers - NDB holding ( RBU ) - ILS DME 32 - Missed app. then D Tolga at FL 090 -
DME arc to ILS 32 - NDB 32 - single engine missed app - pattern and full stop. 2:00.....

Kjell : ( after loong debrief ) It`s a pass !
I felt pretty sure about my performance, but it was good to get it confirmed !

Once again, a long long evening and night, first a session with Kjell Magne at the hotel, then
finishing off the flight planning .. planned an IFR flight from Røros and back + VFR flight around Aursunden -
Femunden and back to Røros.
... chrashed to sleep at 2 am..

 

A little " dirty trick " for the NDB at Røros .......
I am not gonna tell you straight, but give you a little hint...
I found this to be working great when practising on the flightsim, and it worked smooth in the plane too !
can you see the point ?

Ok, the ILS is offset 2 degrees to the left of the NDB track.....
....now you think about it.....(-;

The main differences when flying instrument in
JAA airspace compared to FAA..

27 / 6 / 03
The big day !
Got the wx and notams in the TWR, and luckily winds were calm and sky was blue !
Reidar Aunebakk ( the examiner ) checked the papers, and the oral exam commenced.

Read carefully up on the national BSL`s because they will most likely expect to see that you get your answers
from them, and not necceseary from the JAR regulations....

Then a long 2 hour flight followed. - VFR manouvers, NDB holding, ILS DME 32, NDB holding,
NDB 32, se missed, pattern work.

and I landed with a really good feeling about it, and he gave me the thumbs up -
PASSED !

It was kind of a surreal experience, as all my worries and efforts suddenly ended and a new era began instantly,
some days are needed to digest that stuff !

After lunch, the flight in the Cheetah for the SEP rating was just a joyride, and for the first time,
I could actually enjoy the scenery outside.
VFR towards Femunden and then a loong, straight in final to 32 at Røros ended my education at 1500 on june 27...

.... that night I was not touching the ground, kind of floating....
... how does it feel.... ?? well, I guess great is not enough to explain.....

My student days were over and I am now a liscensed JAR CPL pilot......
once more, the first in my class, and the first graduate of NEAR`s ATP program ..

In the end...
Now to the inevitable question......Would I have done it again ( with the knowledge I have gained )

The answer to that must be a definite YES !

Even though there has been a lot of hard work, or even struggle from time to time, the end result is the overall
objective and I have achieved more than I ever dreamt of. Have learnt to know my self intimately and gained
wast knowledge and experience.

Choosing the right place to train.
There are 2 main roads that leads towards your CPL. Through a national orgainsation, or going abroad, like I did.
Both has cons and pros.

National ( like NAC )

Abroad ( NEAR / NAIA )
.... And then I earned a break....
Britt Helgesen and I at Storhornet ( 722 msl ) at midnight..!
..and the flights were more enjoyable than ever before !

...... Please see this page later, as I will keep adding little bits and pieces as I figure out more good stuff to tell you !t

Hope you enjoy the reading, and remember ........ the aviator`s 10 commandments

" If there`s a will, there`s a way "


The best of luck to all of you !
Lars Sletten