WARNING: This firmware WILL brick your Sentry Mini or Sentry Plus. DO NOT use this firmware on a Sentry Mini or a Sentry Plus. In fact, do not use it on anything unless you know what you are doing. You WILL void your warranty when using firmware from unofficial sources.
Remember these? Don’t worry, uncle Dimme is back with the latest and the greatest!
My Sentry decided to update and of course I had to do some sniffy sniffy. Here is the latest firmware for those who are interested in being able to downgrade their devices:
And just in case this is the last firmware ever, here is the request sent by the iPad upgrade Sentry. It contains all information needed to perform a downgrade too.
WARNING: Do not use these firmware files on anything unless you know what you are doing. You WILL void your warranty when using firmware from unofficial sources.
Ah, ForeFlight (uAvionix cough cough) sure knows how to restrict your freedom when it comes to upgrading or downgrading your Sentry firmware.
But fear not, for Uncle Dimme is here to save the day!
By the way, I strongly advise against using any of these files for any purpose. I cannot accept any responsibility whatsoever… Seriously, I won’t take any blame.
Oh, and if you’re not a fan of the filenames, remember to direct your frustrations towards Alonzo!
Yes, I am alive. I know I haven’t posted anything in three years. There are many reasons behind this, but I will leave this for another time.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I got into this aviation thing back in 2015. Since then, I have taken it further and completed a commercial pilot’s license with multiple engine and instrument ratings and some other stuff. What does this all mean? I can now fly the big birds for money if an operator decides to hire me. But to the big question, how do you get an operator to hire you?
It is not a simple task; you have to submit countless applications and be prepared never to hear back from anyone. They say there is a pilot shortage, hmm…? If you are lucky, you might be called to an assessment. What? You don’t know what an assessment is? Don’t worry. I got you covered.
In the aviation industry, assessments are what job interviews are in any other field of work. But since pilots are rich (we are rich, right? somebody, please confirm?), assessments have to be complicated money and time-consuming processes. I was partially lucky and got called to an assessment for an operator called SunExpress. Spoiler alert: I didn’t get the job. I have nothing but good things to say about SunExpress. They are very professional in what they are doing and have high standards for their pilots. The reason I failed in my assessment is purely my own fault.
It basically works like this: You get a phone call, which is some kind of unofficial first interview. If they are happy with you after the phone call, you get invited to do an online ITEP English proficiency test. If you pass the ITEP test, you get invited to do some psychometric tests at SunExpress’s own premises. If you pass the psychometric tests, you get invited to do a simulator test-flight in a full-motion Boeing 737-800 simulator. The simulator was a lot of fun to fly, but this is as far as I got. If you pass the simulator test, you get invited to a formal interview, and if you pass the interview, you get the job! Phew…
Boeing 737-800 Full Motion Simulator
So what are the psychometric tests? They are the Mollymawk psychometric tests, also used by other operators like CargoLux and Pegasus Airlines. They are split into two categories: skill tests and aptitude tests. The skill tests test your knowledge in math, science, and English. Those were the easy ones for me. The aptitude tests test your memory, orientation skills, and ability to multitask, divided into three computer “games” named “Working Memory” “Spatial Orientation” and “Time Sharing”.
To do the Mollymawk tests, you have to purchase two packages: skill and aptitude tests. Each package costs 150€, and if you fail one subject or game in one package, you have to re-purchase the whole package to do the failed test again. The first time I did the Mollymawk tests, I passed the skill tests but failed the aptitude tests. Thus I had to re-purchase the aptitudes package to do the tests a second time. Luckily the second time, I passed. You only get one second chance. In total, I spent 450€, not counting travel expenses, as a part of what essentially is a job interview for a job that I didn’t get.
I felt that more practice would give me a better chance to pass the aptitude tests on the first go. The aptitude tests are essentially a form of primitive computer games. When you purchase the aptitudes package, they give you 10 practice runs in each game you can play at home. They argue that the learning curve is logarithmic and that after 10 practice runs, you have asymptotically reached your optimum ability in playing the games, but I doubt that. As anyone knows, practice makes perfect. So I decided to code my own version of the games and help other pilots truly reach the optimum before doing the final tests.
I have created a Mollymawk test practice website, where I have implemented my own version of the Mollymawk games. A user can register an account and purchase one of the three time-limited packages for playing the games. The games may be played unlimited times!
I have also implemented an interface for the users to track their progress as they are getting better:
Why do I ask for money and not put it out for free if I truly care about the other pilots? Somehow, I have to make back the money I lost during my earlier “job interviews”. After-all, pilots are rich. We rich guys, right? Do we have no problems paying 19€ instead of 150€ for doing the tests a second time?
Anyhow, if you are a pilot and in need of my services, I truly hope I helped and wish you the best of luck!
And remember, when in doubt, go around! (preferably above 1000 feet GND in IMC, unlike me).
BlackWing is a Swedish light sport aircraft manufacturer. They are based in Eslöv, Sweden, and currently have a couple of models available for purchase. One is registered as an Ultralight and the other one as Experimental. When the paperwork is ready, they will also offer the BlackWing as a CS-LSA.
The development of the BlackWing has been focused on creating a very efficient aircraft with great flying characteristics and high safety standards while still using modern cutting-edge technology. And did I mention that the whole thing is made in pre-preg carbon fiber?
Visit their website for more information and watch my video review below.
So I haven’t written anything on this website for quite some time. Nothing much has happened since my last post, besides one little thing. I took my private pilot’s license (PPL), which I am very proud of. I am certified to fly small single-engine piston (SEP) airplanes up to 5700 kg and land them on land, not water. This happened at the end of June 2015, so it has actually been a while. Since then, I have logged a little more than 70 hours of flight time, mainly on Cessnas 172 and 152. In September 2015, I started working on my night rating (NQ) to fly during the night. I still have one hour of flight left before I get this rating, but the school, some school in south Sweden (ha!) that I went to, had their teaching permission revoked due to some administrative hurdles. Hopefully, they will get it back sometime in March, and I will finish my rating.
One more thing that I have been doing is studying ATPL theory at TFHS, the aviation school of Lund University (I can’t seem to detach myself from this university). I’m still at the stage where I’m doing my school exams before moving on to the EASA exams. I should complete those sometime in early summer (ha-ha summer in Sweden), and then I should attempt the EASA exams. A really nice tool for helping me in my ATPL studies is the aviation exam. They are not paying me anything for writing about them here, I really find them useful, and I want to share my experience with other students.
So long people, be happy and enjoy life!
Oh, and by the way, here is a video of the first flight of the year in snowy Sweden:
My 30th hour in the air is approaching. The required hours for a PPL license are 45. I really like flying. It’s something that grows on you. So far, I have performed a few hours of solo flight, which means that you are alone in the cockpit flying the airplane. The cross-country solo flight is a longer version of a longer flight to navigate to a nearby airport. Enjoy the videos!
Finally, the weather got better, and I had time for a flight lesson. The aircraft was without a radio, but it is OK since we were flying in class G airspace. We just had to be extra cautious when looking out for airplanes. In the beginning, I did a few stalls, and later my instructor simulated engine failures where I should find a field for landing. Before landing, we also did a touch-and-go.
Last year in September, I started taking lessons towards a private pilot’s license (PPL) for airplanes. There is an aviation club nearby (http://www.eslovsflygklubb.se/) that also functions as a pilot academy. It is a great feeling seeing the earth from above =)
Here are some videos from my first few flight lessons. More will come. Subscribe to my YouTube channel if you want to get updates immediately.
