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Learning to Fly - Newbie Drive Report "You have escaped the cage. Your wings are stretched out. Now fly." - Rumi The cage was the immaterial one represented by one's insecurity in oneself and in his mechanical mean's full potential, as well as by the command of one's yet undeveloped skills to face different desert challenges. The wings were those stretched out through learning about both the theory, but most of all the practice, of overcoming straight climbs, side slopes, approaching ridges, and crossing dunes, in a safe, secure, and effective manner. And flying we did, after the initial schooling, not devoid of stucks, recoveries, pop-outs, redirections, throughout an uninterrupted rush back to the starting point, from the southernmost reaches of drive. To me, this last part of the drive, when the element of speed was added to all the challenges the terrain would throw at the convoy, was the most satisfying. I did not hear any communication over the radio, and did not see any hesitation throughout the convoy. The driving was smooth, accomplished, and devoid of any mistakes or hesitancy. Clear indication that drivers had safely taken off from their Newbie's nest, and had not fallen to the ground. The drive's statistics are the telling tale of the learning process, and successful implementation, that was necessary to accomplish the goal - 61.3 Kms were covered in 4:26 hours, of which however, "only" 2:11 were actually driven. Almost 2 hours were spent on a detailed briefing, guiding drivers through a number of well done self-recoveries (where both @Brette and @munkybizness showed their calm and competence), some rope recoveries, and fixing a pop-out. All the proper off-roading recovery equipment was displayed and used. Thanks to the planned, and unplanned, learning moments, the last stretch of the drive, flawlessly executed, allowed the convoy to clock a moving average speed of 27 Km/h, one of the fastest I have recorded with Newbie drives. Very well done to the whole convoy, with the Fewbies ( @Mike., @george charbel and @Nitin Mohan ) aided by with the invaluable @Brette and @munkybizness, further tutoring the Newbies ( @Yogesh Chaudhary - very good Second Lead - @Anirudh Dayma, @Zubair, @Jaro Tuzinsky, @Azam V2.0 and @Jad Moussalli ) in finding the right lines, patches of clean sand, and showing the proper momentum. Looking forward to flying with you all again in the desert.

Astonishing drive we had yesterday thanks to @Gaurav Soni good planning and preparation we touched the tips of the 7+ dunes. At some points our hearts racing louder than our engines 😰😬 ( I don't think this includes the V8 Guys 😂) A nice drive a lot of adrenaline, excitement and laughter with some of the best drivers to be with. @Daniel Rodas , @Tom B, @Chris Wing, @Chinthaka Ruwan, @Ranjan Das and for sure a special thanks for @Looper for sweeping the convoy . @Chinthaka Ruwan i hope your car is fixed and ready for the next week . *** an advice when doing wheel balancing or fixing your tires at any shop. ask them not to grease the tire before installation ( it makes their life easier ) but it will for sure cause a pop out like what happened with me yesterday. Looking forward to see you all soon in the sand soon My Friend @Daniel Rodas pajero's are meant to fly 😂

@M.Seidam As usual enjoyed the drive under your leadership regardless of the level. I always like to revisit Pink Rock as my first drive with Carnity was at Pink Rock. @Zixuan Huang - Charlie Thanks for supporting the drive as CF. I hope you managed to resolve the car issue. @Jonny90 I had fun following your Y61 and you drove like a seasoned Fewbie. @Alfred Alinazarnice meeting you. @Sam K I am very impressed with your neat diy job and your FJ rocks @TT_Dubai good to see you again and glad that you joined the FJ clan. Thanks for keeping the convoy in order @Rajiv Sam thanks for sweeping and then CF. Hope to see you soon @Amr Aydin nice to put a face to a name. Thanks for the intro @JERINE_B @Pieter Potgieter @Senthil Kumar didn’t get to chat with you guys but for sure you guys drove without any issues. Have a great week ahead everyone. I have shared some photos in the gallery.

Dear Sand Sailors. Thanks for joining up for drive. Was a beautiful outing on sand - awesome terrain, not so hot weather and an amazing convoy. It truly fulfilled my Need for Speed..😂 Starting off at 5:30am the convoy Zig zagged through the beautiful bowls of Sweihan to cover a distance of 57km in 3.5 hours at an exhilarating moving speed of 25kmph, ending spot on at 9:00am as planned. The fact that not even once we had to use the ropes is true testament of how well the whole convoy managed the challenges. Refusals were nicely reattempted to success and stucks were nicely self recovered with minimal use of shovels. Ofcourse the credit for this also goes to an awesome support team @Zed @Ashok chaturvedi and the master himself @Srikumar Thanks all for your support. @takeshi sobue - Takeshi San, a perfect first FB drive with only some minor refusals, which eventually were well handled during reattempt. Very well done 👍 Just try to be a bit more responsive on radio. It's surely not easy especially while mind is busy maneuvering the vehicle - key is just take things easy and if need be stop, communicate and start again.. 👍 @Indra Ozola your past driving experience and 700hp of power under that hood was very much clear through the drive. There wasn't any challenge that challanged your Ram today. Just try to go a bit easy on the gas and let your ship sail smoothly through the dunes, it's fun to hear that roar however the smooth soft rock has its own charm 👍😊 @Shahid Mehmood First drive in Sweihan and that too after a long break from off roading, surely wasn't going to be an easy day out- still you managed to handle it gracefully. A few more drives and eventually the rythmn will catch up..😊 @Imran Kashif very nicely driven. Just be a bit more cautious with criss crossing. FB is where we start to learn these things so i am sure over next few drives you will catch up with it - till then if not sure steer down (NO counter steering and no fighting gravity). @Pascal - a perfect day on sand for you and your 4Runner. I didn't had direct visual, based on radio i believe you had no refusal or stucks today. Even your control through the criss crossing was really good 👍 Thanks again and looking forward to see you sometime soon..

@M.Seidam, thank you for today’s ride and for the opportunity to be second lead. Looking forward to ride again with you soon.

Drive report Dear Friends Sam K @Sam K Jonny90 @Jonny90 JERINE_B @JERINE_B TT_Dubai @TT_Dubai Alfred Alinazar @Alfred Alinazar Senthil Kumar @Senthil Kumar topgear @topgear Pieter Potgieter @Pieter Potgieter Amr Aydin @Amr Aydin Rajiv Sam @Rajiv Sam Charlie @Zixuan Huang - Charlie What a wonderful day it was and the drive was no less which speaks for how great you all were today. I really appreciate of being on time and more of adhering to the tips we all agreed about which made our day so enjoyable safely. Starting slowly from Tawi Nizwa aiming toward pink rock and that was the warming up part through side sloping and gentle criss crossing preparing for what comes next . lining up at the base of pink rock where every one climbed it up with flying colors Behind the rock now while enjoying our coffe break @Zixuan Huang - Charlie did smell a burning fluid / oil like odor. car off and the battery pole disconnected to check it out. There was no apparent gross leaking other than little from the power steering cap. Sealed it with Teflon tape and we agreed to exit our friend safely at sec Dec cafeteria. Making little change in the convoy where our late edition of @Rajiv Sam taking now Charlie’s Center forward position where Tim @TT_Dubai took the sweep. from sec Dec Cafe our real quest started toward big red passing pink rock to our left side combating the remaining time. The convoy response as if was telling please “ feed us more “😅 And it was . along the way maybe couple refusals came about with successful reattempts. reaching big red ahead of my expected time plan ( bonus to the whole convoy ) and we had ample time to play around its eastern as well as southern parts and that was the climax of the day. probably the only crest of the day was just before the exit and bit of proper shoveling and A track @Rajiv Sam managed to slid it like an ice cream 🤣 It was a challenging drive at least the end part of it and every one did more than great keeping the spirit always up @Sam K it was pleasure meeting you for the first time and as a second lead you did the job to perfection . Well done 👍 @Jonny90 first time we meet too , pleasure. As your first Fb Drive you drove very well and managed your SWB y61 like a walk in the park . Well done @topgear always pleasure having you in any drive . No issue at all today 👍 @Alfred Alinazar it seems now you understand the Pagero very well . Great driving and reattempts 👍 Our wrangler boys today @JERINE_B And @Pieter Potgieter pleasure meeting you guys for the first time too.excellent driving and communication . @Senthil Kumar and @Amr Aydin guys you rocked today . @Rajiv Sam and @TT_Dubai the black FJCs thanks for all the help and excellent communication as well as the nice driving as CF and Sweep . last but not least thanks @Zixuan Huang - Charlie for supporting the first part of the drive . I hope nothing serious and you sort the issue if any soon . till we meet next time take care and drive safe . Seidam

@M.Seidam many thanks for the fantastic drive today. Very much enjoyed it and also found the criss cross tutorial extremely helpful before we took off. Today was my first drive at Fewbie level so concentration levels were through the roof. Apologies to the whole team on the last climb, I think my refusal caused everyone a problem as it was impossible for cars behind to keep momentum. Evident still lots to learn…… Thanks to @Sam K for SL and @TT_Dubai, @Rajiv Sam for the support. Top convey all great guys. Great to meet you all!

Thank you @M.Seidam for the great drive and the amazing brief/demonstration 🚗🚙before hitting the dunes (below is a reference 😅) Also thank you @Sam K for the SL, @TT_Dubai for the sweep and @Rajiv Sam for the sweep and taking over the CF, good to see you again my friend. @Zixuan Huang - Charlie Thank you for your support for the first half of the drive, I hope you are sorted with the car and we will be able to drive on the sand together soon. Always happy to see old friends and meet new ones, thank you @all and hope to see you soon on the sand.

Thank you @M.Seidam for a wonderful drive. so exciting, I joined late yesterday evening. It would have been a loss missing this drive. Everybody was at the meeting place on time and we had moved out also at right time, In this climate condition, this is extremely important. @Zixuan Huang - Charlie hope you have a normal overflow on steering oil in your car, nothing major. @Sam K Stunning second lead. All convoy was amazing, all drove well, nice meeting you all.

These are superb @Simon Dawood. Well done !

@Gaurav Soni some videos of the amazing yesterday drive below

I had an absolute blast this morning; learned a tonne and now my cheek muscles hurt from grinning ear-to-ear the entire track. Thank you everyone for the amazing drive, advice and even the odd rope tug off that pesky crest 😆 Can't wait for the next one. See you in the sand!

Cant agree more with @Thomas Varghese! @Islam Soliman What a fantastic drive! I can for fun today and I learnt a LOT! It was by far for NB drive and 10/10 to @Brett Eicher the way he steered through action packed 4 hrs!! @george charbel Brilliantly handling and managing the ridges🤘🏽! Good to connect with you Jeep boys😎! @Thomas Varghese Thanks for being the sweep, and those point to point clear instructions on minor refusals. Glad that your daughter too had Camel visuals😃👍🏻! For me : It was a fantastic, all inclusive package drive with Shovels, single rope and double roop tugs, self recoveries and (thankfully) NO popouts 😂😎! see you all again sooon!

Thank you @Islam Soliman for a wonderful Newbie drive. I never expected the Newbie drive to be so exciting when I joined late yesterday. It would have been a loss missing this drive. Everybody was at the meeting place on time and we could move at the scheduled time with ease. @DP1011 , Deepak wrangler as 2nd lead was perfect for the role. He could sense when to stop, when to drive even before the lead could announce on the radio. Perfecto. @Brett Eicher in his Jeep drove effortlessly considering he hasn't driven much in the sands. Couple of refusals and a crest but that is all part of the game. @george charbel was also good in handling his Jeep. Small fine tuning on throttle control and he would be a good offroader soon. I was enjoying my position as sweep watching the jeeps tackle all the challenges Islam threw at the convoy. @Islam Soliman had really made a good track selection and for sure the pace, the challenges was a notch above and everybody performed very well. Made me go back to my Newbie days when I would announce I have a refusal, I have a stuck, please I need assistance. This convoy fortunately had not much stops and we exited the drive uneventfully at the scheduled time in Qudra Lakes. Uneventful I said because considering the terrain of soft patches here and there and really good climbs, crisscross & ridge riding the convoy performed very well. No mechanical issues, no pop outs and Islam had to give us breaks occasionally as there was no stoppage due to any of the causes mentioned above. It was my honor and pleasure to meet new faces and get to know each other and drive on challenging terrain. The advantage with a short convoy is very soon the drivers get accustomed with each others style and adjust very fast. See you all soon for another drive in the sands.

As rightly said by Daniel at the start of the drive, once u learn to use the pajero power on the dunes, it makes you a better driver as it is one of the most underrated and slightly underpowered car among the many that we see off-roading. You guys @Simon Dawood @Daniel Rodas we’re simply beautiful!!! @Simon Dawood please share any front cam videos if u have!!

@munkybizness thank you for keeping a eye and guiding through the challenging areas. Ridge riding is definitely a game of maintaining balance and a lot I suppose mind game. Looking forward to more drives ahead. @Ale Vallecchi it's only the second time riding in your convoy. I would say both were different experiences learning something new each time. Thank you for keeping the convoy safe as well.

Congrats @JeromeFJ 👍👍👍💪

Thanks @GauravSonifor an exhilarating drive, one that I did not experience in many a days for now. Loved the seven dunes that we climbed and then some more. If not for the pop out and breakdown we had an excellent time to show for how fast paced the drive was. But then pop outs and breakdowns are common occurrences in our hobby so there’s no qualms about them. Today’s drive was an excellent demonstration of “Pajero Power” with @Simon Dawood as a excellent 2nd lead and @Daniel Rodas on his first intermediate drive keep up pace with you onto every sand mountain you chose to climb. @Tom B was pushing hard in the first half of the drive, with uneven pace so I fell back a little, but by the second half I could see he was settled with a predictable pace, and certainly he enjoyed his drive. @Chinthaka Ruwan hope your ride is back to being fit once again and see you soon. Towards the back @Chris Wing and @Ranjan Das were quite a help with the support and hope to see you guys doing a lot more in the near future.

Like a fresh university entrant, who's been away from it for some time, I've been auditing Newbie drives over the past couple of weekends. Where last weekend was a double feature in the sands of Sharjah, this weekend too came in twos - except that it was the pleasure of joining @Ale Vallecchi on two extreme ends of the spectrum. Having averaged 27km/hr this morning vs. the 28.1 km/hr in the IM drive, I think the Newbies showed us up. And with good reason. With fresh knowledge from the master himself, the drivers today could see exactly what practicing theory looks like. Therefore, a return to the classroom - in the field - with Ale, as a cool breeze wafted through Al Qudra this morning was the perfect pick-me-up after he had washed us through almost 90 kms last evening. I came away from today, with a lot of my fundamental knowledge bolstered through affirmation and new information that had previously been more hand-me-down than academic. So many drivers just jump into the seat and get driving, but it is only when you truly break apart the individual physical forces, the effect of the prevailing winds, the context of where you are, only then do you realize that there's more science to this than just pushing a pedal and swinging a wheel. Thank you Ale, for firstly just taking the immense amount of time that you do to host these drives, but then to also leave us at the end, enriched by it all. This morning, we also had the extended honour of @Brette joining our convoy. Having driven with him last weekend, and seeing him again this morning, I recognize now why he's the gatekeeper for Newbies. Cool as a cucumber and a calming force in the convoy, he immediately helps take away any of the nervousness that you are bound to face when you're just starting out. Where last week he was far up ahead in the distance finding fresh tracks, sitting a few cars behind him today meant I also got to see his lines. They mirror his personality. Soft, confident, and collected. For my cross-crested situation, he was on the radio in a heartbeat, having given me the adequate amount of time to do a self-recovery. And as soon as my hand went up, he was there, lining up to pull me out. Sweeping in the back gives you plenty of time to contemplate about life. Up front, the elasticity of the convoy feels almost electric as it heaves and thrills. And where the marshal defines where to go by seeking fresh sands, the sweep sees the wake of what this herd is leaving behind. This is a unique opportunity, and one I enjoy in great detail. It also enables me to live out that naughty side of me that I couldn't muster to showcase in a strictly academic environment. Here, in the back, I'm up to my monkey business. If there's anywhere where the academic importance of the concepts of "momentum" were felt the most, it was in the bottom end of the convoy. With the day coming upon us, the sand began to lose any remaining moisture, and softened up even further under the blending motion of the wheels running through it. This practical experience of how much power is enough power was an excellent lesson for the drivers in the back. @Azam V2.0 and @Nitin Mohan both had to deal with their share of losing steam - either due to hesitation or simply not choosing a cleaner line. Neither of you should feel anything about this. This is completely natural, and every driver has been through it. As you get more adept with your machine, you'll find where those limits really are. Currently, your mind is imposing even bigger limits. In most cases, as you gents did, reversing and trying again is the best solution. I would only advise that unlike tarmac, where you will get instant grip and traction, increase the length of your run-ups. After backing down, give yourself an additional 10m to 20m if it's available to you. It will make all the difference in carrying more rolling momentum as you ascend. @Jad Moussalli, after the last weekend where newbies were limited from climbing higher due to safety, sitting behind you and seeing the lines you were choosing was a nice comforting place for me to be in. In most cases you had enough momentum, and even if you didn't you reversed and gave it another shot. This is good presence of mind. You're going to be scaling through these next drives quite quickly. For the gents in the back, and up front, the only lesson I can implore you to practice more and more in your subsequent drives is to get comfortable riding the ridge. Regardless of the steep drops on either side, the day you crack riding the ridge, with just enough power to gently coast through, it will become the most pleasurable experience of your drive. And it will make criss-crossing even more fun. You should feel completely levelled out at the top of the ridge. If you're leaning in either direction by more than 5 degrees, you should be preparing to exit out or quickly levelling yourself up. Once again, thank you @Ale Vallecchi for correcting some of the incorrect notions I've been carrying with me with that informative classroom session. For the rest, thank you for a wonderful day out. See you all out in the sands again soon [ 🐵 ]

My dear friends! The adrenaline rush is still on. I felt like going to the Top Gun academy with the captain @GauravSoni"Maverick". This is literaly a flight school now 🤣, I did fly few times... 😎 Thanks for the great drive and memories. See you on the sand soon.