International Communication Code

Let me share something for a basic learning about International Communication Code.

In Pilots' Life, this Communication Code is necessary and vital for pilots to master it. Why? Firstly, in radio telephony (RT), this is important for representing information such as Aerodrome Terminal Information Service (ATIS), Radio Beacon Identification such as VHF Omni-Directional Range (VOR) ,Instrument Landing System (ILS) and Non-Directional Beacon (NDB) identification. For example, Langkawi island has a VOR situated behind of Runway 21, which has an identification of VPL. Normally, pilots will call the station Victor Papa Lima instead of VPL. 

Secondly, in RT, communication is difficult. Therefore a careful and clear presentation is necessary for a pilot. Some pilots may confused over some words and it's more difficult when they are in busy airspace. 

So, the below is the list of International Communication Code. Let's MASTER IT.

A- Alpha

B- Bravo

C- Charlie

D- Delta

E- Echo

F- Foxtrot

G- Golf

H- Hotel

I- India

J- Juliet

K- Kilo

L- Lima

M- Mike

N- November

O- Oscar

P- Papa

Q- Quebec

R- Romeo

S- Sierra

T- Tango

U- Uniform

V- Victor

W- Whiskey

X- X-ray

Y- Yankee

Z- Zulu

This is the International Communication Code. Remember, Practice Makes Perfect :)

Memory Building? It's that possible?

Hey guys, it's me once again to update my life to you guys on how's going on nowadays. And yes, I'm delighted enough to express my life once again in our school this week. But I would like to make a topic regarding on memory building today. As I mentioned earlier, I had my final PPL Exam in exam hall on Wednesday (24 October 2012), marking the historical exam paper for my piloting life. Let's cover a little about this exam~

This exam was comprised of 5 sessions, 1st session, Aircraft General,  was consisted of subjects like Principle of Flights, Engines, Instrumentation, Airframe, Electrics and Mass & Balance. 2nd session was Nav/Met/Radio Aids, where the subjects are mentioned, Navigation, Meteorology and Radio Aids. 3rd Session was HPL, which means Human Performance Limitations. 4th Session was Air Law and lastly, Radio Telephony, short form would be RT.

So, is the exam hard? Well, it's easy if you made your study effort day by day. You can't build a house in a day, but it's perfectly constructed day by day. Most of the people might say, "My memory is quite bad, I can't remember things well" and etc. There're various ways to increase your memory, but how to improve your memory relies upon your effort would like to prevail upon. But one caution I would like to emphasis, some subjects do require your understanding, and some subjects do require your memory function. I will try to explain how you can improve your memory in my way.

Pre-Reading, Reading, Writing and Test Yourself
This requires your pre-reading, where you study your topic ahead before lecturers or instructors teach you. What I would like to explain is you study the topics first before you go in the class, where you haven't start the topic because the pre-study on the relevant topic will help to increase your memory and understanding ability. After your instructor had taught you the topic on the respective day, go back to your room, start revise and read the topics where your lecturers/instructors went through.

Of course,  basic HIGHLIGHTERS are very important to you. How many kinds of highlighter colors it would depend on your liking. But for me, yellow highlighter has provided me significant attention to the point required for me to study. I still remember that when I was young, I don't even dare to touch my sister's highlighter pen because I had a thinking that those highlighters were meant for secondary and university students, but eventually it's opposite. Most kids would like to use those highlighters as coloring pencils, as to make the drawing more colorful. Hahahaax

Highlight the points which's important to you. Yes, about highlighting, I would like to CAUTION to my readers. You highlight the points ONLY. I saw some of my friends highlighted the whole book as if you are coloring the book instead. High-lighted markers are used to pinpoint the important points you like to remember and emphasis. I might advice you not to highlight the books if you think the points inside are important, but this method won't work without a proper writing actually. I will try to prominent it upon the tactics to counteract the points which is comprised in a page. As far everyone knows, a page in a book, is quite significant, but the points whether to study or not is another dominant factor for each and every students. So, that's where I would like to carry on the next method, which is writing.

Let' say a topic I covered in the subject, Radio Aids. In our PPL Radio Aids subject, you will encounter yourself 2 pages from the topic of Distance Measuring Equipment (DME). This subject might be hard for some cadets since it's all about radio and etc. But for me, I do love it a lot. How are you going to love it depends on how many interest and determination to score it well. It still comes to the basic point where I previously blogged before. Motivation About Being A Person Readers, before I commence my way of note making, I won't force you to follow my way, but there's lots of ways to improve your memory, and this is part of my creation on how I improve my memory myself. So there's a term call summary, where you don't write exactly like from the book. As I had mentioned above, not all points are important. Below is a sample of my DME note. It's compiled into a page, where I summarize the whole topic other than reading the whole book. There are many books you have to study, not only one of them.

When you combine your instructor/lecturer's teaching, it's a perfect and simple note for you to study instead. For my way, I will write it on A4 paper, enhanced it with Reinforcement Rings, file it in a folder. That's how my study is. But for your information, I study on another way as well, which is the usage of colors. According to some research, different colors can improve a lot on your memory, especially on your right side of your brain. So, what I did was to buy the Stabilo's color pen actually. Remember, it's not color pencil, it's color pen. How does it look like?

Well the picture above is the materials used to make my notes. So how it really works with the color? Let's say from the note I had made from the subject of Hydraulics:

But the combination of Stabilo's pen and Highlighter makes a great combination actually when you want to make the liquid separate or diagram sketching.

So, it's depending on how you look and how creative you are, when you are using those materials. One Stabilo Pens might cost you RM 2.10 each and Highlighters might cost you RM3.50 each, but it's worth it when you make use of it every single day and every single note.

Lastly the Test is about testing yourself whether you are up to the knowledge required. Nowadays, exercises are mandatory for everyone to keep on track. Google is your helpful friend to search for questions and answers. Yet most of people don't really make use of it. There are plenty of questions out there, forums discussion and article publications, but not most of them really make use of it. However, testing is not only applicable to yourself but discussion and questionare among your friends. It's not restricted to ownself, but oral conversation provides better memory building from audible perception. So, do ask questions along with your friends, they might be the most helpful one.

Cheers, and any doubts, please do comment below. I will try my best to answer your questions. xD

Stay tuned as I will make another interesting blog about the life for previous days, today and the next few days. See Yas...

Tripppllleeee Rider~

Hey readers, today's a good day for me back Kota Kinabalu once again, and say goodbye for a while to the prison island. I will be riding on a Triple Seven back to Kota Kinabalu. What's a Triple Seven anyway? It's not the lottery you had found in the casino. It's a Boeing 777, which I always called it Trippllleeeyyyy.  Today, I will be flying on a Boeing 777-200ER which is owned by Malaysia Airlines, operating on flight MH 2640 inbound from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu as an upgraded flight from Boeing 737-800. I had overnight over KLIA though and it came to a very good time for me to spot morning flights. Here are the spotting I had made today.

Group of Malaysia Airlines' Boeing 737-800 fleet say good morning :)

Compilations of Boeing 777-200 Series

9M-MRG

First Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 , 9M-MRG

Surprisingly Qatar Airways sent their Boeing 777-200LR come to KLIA. Rare Scene~ A7-BBF

Thai Airways also sent their Boeing 777-200 come to Kuala Lumpur this morning. HS-TJV

My first successful Malindo Airways Picture too, 9M-LNH

Thereafter, I had myself into a sleep since I didn't really sleep well since I had overnight myself in KLIA. Found myself a long bench around EDEN Corner and lay myself onto that bench for about 2 hours quick nap. Surprisingly, I had woke up around 11 am. You can hear Hari Raya songs around the corner though. However, I had woke up myself and went to Anjung Tinjau once again to check out any special aircraft. Afterall, when I reached there, I saw this aircraft was towing from the MAS Hangar Building towards Main Terminal Building (MTB).

And Surprisingly, this is my aircraft flying to Kota Kinabalu, 9M-MRO

Malaysia Airlines Retro Livery, 9M-MXA. Really feel Nostalgic though.

After I finished spotting some planes, time for me to have lunch though. While having my lunch in KLIA, a senior friend facebook messaging me that he was in KLIA too. So I ate the meal quickly and dashed myself to the standby counter. He was so different than before. Big size, tall and even good looking. I was wondering, whether I could be like him too. We walked and talked together since he's going to Penang and my gate was around his corner. Therefore, we had chat quite number of things, such as his work, my studies and many jokes though. Long time didn't see each other though, around 6 years of no contact with each other. Since his flight left early, I started to look around and proceed to my gate, B6. Parked with this enormous and huge plane from the terminal, it was fantastic. Windmilling engine which makes the plane so wonderful. My seat was on 19A, so normally the rear cabin board first. 

Not to forget all the details:

Date: 04 August 2013

Airline: Malaysia Airlines

Flight: MH-2640

Aircraft: Boeing 777-2H6 ER

Aircraft Registration: 9M-MRO

From : Kuala Lumpur (WMKK)

To: Kota Kinabalu (WBKK)

Scheduled Time Departure: 1540

Scheduled Time Arrival: 1805

Seat: 19A

Class: Economy

Not to forget my picture with the Trippplllleeeyyyy

So 25 minutes before departure, as usual, chime sounds and they invite all Enrich Platinum, Gold ,One World Privilege members and families whom bring senior citizens, disabled peoples and kids to board first and others will remain seated and wait for further announcement. After boarded, it's time for me to board. Surprisingly, there are quite few of them already. I bet this flight got a lot of kids around. Therefore, expect some children noise. Hahax. 

While Boarding, the morning flight MH 2604 to Kota Kinabalu was parked at gate B4 using Airbus A330-300 on 9M-MTG. In hari raya season, expect most number of flights will be upgraded to a bigger equipment, therefore, it's a rare chance for you to try a big aircraft running on domestic flights.

Check out the front fuselage, this is so wonderful where you can see two aerobridges connected to one aircraft. 

This Big Engine, Rolls Royce Trent 892 can power a 282 passengers, plus crew members and cargo. Imagine how much thrust it can produce and times two, since Boeing 777 is operated by a two engine aircraft. You may see how many passengers were boarding on this flight. Cool.

The moment when Flight Stewardness asked my boarding pass and showed me to the first walkway of the cabin. Air conditioning sound can be heard though. Luggage bins are like Boeing 737-800 new series, making the place look spacious, except the lighting which is not as beautiful as the sky interior does.

Seating myself on Seat 19A, with most of the passengers were Muslims, having their fasting. I could barely see their tiredness though, including me (though I'm tired not because of fasting, but tired from depriving of sleep), but the Boeing 777-200 made my flight more elegant and awake enough to see the beauty of its wings.

Check out the wing of the Boeing 777. It was so massive compared to a Boeing 737 series. Never thought such a massive aircraft would operate a 2 hours 40 minutes from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu, even though they deploy schedule flights of Airbus A380-800 on short route from Kuala Lumpur to Hong Kong. However, let's check out their entertainment system. Their Entertainment system, was rather a older version of AVOD, which uses remote control stowed and latched on your seat.

Here's me taking a DSLR Camera. You can adjust the brightness of AVOD. For long travelling passengers will feel comfort on the seat as it's spacious, with generous legroom except on window seats, whereby they have seat electronic box under the seat. Cushion and wide spacing above head make passengers even comfortable in terms of environment and its lighting. I strongly agree that the ambient was quite suprisingly quiet compared to other aircraft like older version Boeing 737-400 and older.

In Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200, they do not have First Class, but they have Business Class which are of Cucible type seats, whereby my friend, Chin Ja Hur, had his trip on Business Class back to Kota Kinabalu on the previous day, on same flight. (Credits to Chin Ja Hur)

You may look their seat was much spacious compared to Economy Class (definitely of course). However, I
would like to cover my trip on my economy class trip. In this Boeing 777-200, Malaysia Airlines uses Rolls Royce Trent 892 to power the aircraft. So I would like to present some information such as the Safety Card which is below of it:

Page 1 of the Boeing 777-200 Safety Card

Page 2 of the Boeing 777-200 Safety Card

Pushback was done about 3:45pm and I had upload a video in facebook, and here's the link for the video on engine startup. Calm and ready for the departure. I spotted some pictures while aircraft taxied to Runway 32R.

Boeing 737-800 Fleet

Check out this Antonov. It's so huge where it's parked on the remote bay though.

This logo, it's really meant for Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER engine. Imagine this engine had powered thousands of flights over continents. Compared to other aircraft, Boeing 777 is simply a magnificent design.

Some several aircraft were in front of us, giving way to other small aircraft for departure as big aircraft like us had to delay for 3 minutes departure due to wake turbulence generated by our aircraft. After Airasia's Expedia  Livery Aircraft (9M-AFG), blasting off the runway, it's time for us to line up and ready for the departure. Takeoff was quite smooth and even. No baby crying and uneventful flight proceeding us to the destination where the Land Below the Wind. Here's a youtube video uploaded for the view. You may hear the spool up of Boeing 777-200. Enjoy :)

The takeoff was uneventful. Gears Up and we continued our takeoff to our destination, Kota Kinabalu. I seriously like the sound of Rolls Royce, the flexibility of wing and the scenery with such big wing. Carrying more than 200 passengers to Kota Kinabalu, its indeed a comfort flight for 200 passengers, with comfortable seat and IFE onboard this flight. Some of them started to sleep, some of them playing the IFE while some of them fasten off seatbelts after seat belt sign was switched off for toiletry.  I had posted about this picture, which was so beautiful. Clear blue skies, accompanied with patches of clouds.