In my last post, I said I wanted this series to show what pilot training is really like — not just the best photos and flying videos, but the lessons, challenges and everything that happens along the way.
So, here we go.
The next stage of the journey is underway, and the first two days have already given me plenty to think about.
Day 1 — Getting to Know the G1000
Day 1 was all about getting everything set up and becoming familiar with the G1000.
Moving into the DA42 means adapting to a very different cockpit and learning how to properly set up and use the systems in front of me.
It wasn’t necessarily the most glamorous part of pilot training — but that’s exactly the point of this series.
Before you can start using all of the capability available to you, you need to understand what’s sitting in front of you.
Day 1 was about building those foundations.
Day 2 — Following the Needle
Day 2 moved things forward.
The focus this time was tracking to and from an ADF beacon.
On paper, the idea sounds fairly straightforward: use the ADF needle to work out your position relative to the beacon and maintain the correct track towards or away from it.
In the aircraft, there’s obviously a little more going on.
You’re watching the needle, maintaining the aircraft, thinking about your heading and making the corrections needed to stay on track.
It was one of those lessons where something that looks simple on the ground becomes much more interesting once you’re actually flying it.
And that’s exactly what I’m beginning to enjoy about this stage of training.
Two Days. Two New Challenges.
Day 1 was about understanding the technology in front of me.
Day 2 was about using navigation techniques to get the aircraft where I wanted it to go.
Neither makes for the dramatic 15-second clip you might normally see on Instagram or TikTok — but both are part of becoming a better pilot.
That’s what I want Flight Log to capture.
Not just the milestones.
The learning that happens between them.
Two days down, plenty more to come.
On to Day 3. 
Follow my links below to join the journey and keep up with the next stage of training.
Gliding Central