Leaving Cairns

IMG_0322.JPG, originally uploaded by hangflyer.

I love Cairns. Did I mention that? The view from my balcony on Thursday morning was great, lots of blue sky and a few clouds. By the time I left the airport there were a lot of clouds and a few small blue holes. I had to circle up thought the blue holes to remain clear of cloud and it was a new experience to be surrounded by hills and clouds and be in a tight turn at vx. The controller even noticed! I have to thank the Cairns controllers for their helpfulness and patience in their dealings with a low hours pilot who was dealing with all this stuff for the first time.
Once I got above it it was all smooth sailing. I am so glad I got my night rating, the ability to navigate with confidence based solely on instruments is of great comfort when you are VFR on top of cloud.