Flyer Summer 2018

DIY ANr MAke YouR own heADSeT
oSei CryStal miCrophone kit teSt
Summer
2018
£4.25
flyer.co.uk
SIX
Free Time ExclusivE FirSt
Travel
FLight in amazing
Landing Fees JunkerS F 13
Save £54 re-creation
ClASS RATIng The DAY

InSTRuCToR STRIPPeR
learn how to Five StripS
teaCh otherS in Six hourS
IF YOU WANT ACCESS TO THE
AIRSPACE IN EUROPE, YOU NEED TO START
ASKING FOR IT WITH 8.33 kHz.
e
Sav
$50on0 ant |
ompli 1
kHz C Comm |
8.33 SOLUTIONS FOR SINGLE EUROPEAN SKY (SES) COMPLIANCE | 8 .3 3
| GTR
225A
STAND-ALONE COMM RADIO COMM AND VHF NAV RADIOS ADVANCED GPS NAVIGATOR WITH MFD
GTR 225A GNC® 255 GTN™ 750/650 SERIES
To learn more, see your Garmin dealer or visit Garmin.com/833
© 2018 Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries. 1Limited-time offer: Incentive pricing applies to GTR 225A purchase made by 31 Aug. 2018.
Editorial
Subscriptions
Telephone +44 (0)1225 481440
Email subscriptions@seager.aero
Website www.subscriptions.flyer.co.uk
Editorial Ed Hicks
Telephone +44 (0)1225 481440
Changing of the guard

Email editor@seager.aero
Website www.flyer.co.uk
Seager Publishing, 9 Riverside Court,
Lower Bristol Road, Bath BA2 3DZ
T
EDITOR
Ed Hicks ed.hicks@seager.aero
NEWS EDITOR here have been a handful of very special moments in my aviating
Dave Calderwood dave.calderwood@seager.aero life, witnessed at the strip where I’m based, but a few weekends ago
PRODUCTION EDITOR
I had the privilege of being present for one that really stands out.
Joss Hutton joss.hutton@seager.aero I’d been driving past on my way home from a day’s building work on
the RV. It was early evening, and the sun was slowly setting – it was
ART EDITOR
Ollie Alderton ollie.alderton@seager.aero
too nice to be indoors, which was reason enough to grab a quick cuppa and catch
up on the day’s activities.
CONTRIBUTORS Pretty soon after I rolled up, my friend Nye, who generously loans me his
Mark Hales, Dave Hirschman
Rod Simpson, Paul Kiddell,
beautiful Piper Vagabond to fly, popped round the corner of the hangar with
Nathan Barley, Yayeri van Baarsen his son, Keir, who I mentioned here a year ago. Keir had just gone solo and
I pondered the 24 years it’d taken to add a sub-twenty-year-old to the ranks of
FLIGHT SAFETY EDITOR the strip’s pilots. Well, Keir plugged away at his PPL, and passed his Skills Test
Joe Fournier joe.fournier@seager.aero
in February. After some weather interruptions, he completed his tailwheel
PUBLISHER & MANAGING DIRECTOR conversion in early May and then it was just a case of soloing the Vagabond.
Ian Seager ics@seager.aero Well, I say just, but Keir viewed it as a moment bigger than his very first solo. “I
PRODUCTION MANAGER don’t want to bend Dad’s aeroplane, after all…”
Nick Powell nick.powell@seager.aero Father and son flew a couple of circuits together, and after a short break for tea,
ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER while the sun moved directly off runway heading, Keir headed out for one more on
Simon Moss simon.moss@seager.aero his own. The Vagabond jumped off the ground one-up and the strip officially
ADVERTISING SALES EXECUTIVE
added a new young pilot to its ranks.
Zoe Yeo zoe.yeo@seager.aero It was a slightly bittersweet moment as, earlier that day, I’d stood outside the
workshop while painting a piece of RV, and watched a Groppo Trail fly down
ADVERTISING SALES EXECUTIVE
Debbie Wylde debbie.wylde@seager.aero
the nearby valley. In the cockpit was another friend of mine, one who I knew
was making his last flight as a pilot – it was a little poignant to watch.
EXHIBITION SALES MANAGER The low note of the Vagabond’s burbling Continental brought me back to the
Darran Ward darran.ward@seager.aero
moment in hand. Just as the sun began dipping below the horizon, Keir flared
EXHIBITION SALES MANAGER the Piper back onto the grass with a deft touch. “Not bad,” said Nye. Both had
Paul Yates paul.yates@seager.aero
matching grins, although his Dad’s was probably the biggest. We turned to follow
EVENTS COORDINATOR Keir back to the hangar, and although the day’s flying might have been at an end,
Victoria Smith victoria.smith@seager.aero it was a pleasure knowing that I’d just watched the first of many adventures for the
ACCOUNTS MANAGER Vagabond’s newest pilot.
Kirstie May kirstie.may@seager.aero
FINANCIAL DIRECTOR
Martine Teissier martine.teissier@seager.aero
PRINTING
William Gibbons & Sons, West Midlands ed.hicks@seager.aero
CIRCULATION
Newstrade Distribution UK and
Left The strip’s newest pilot takes off… under watchful eyes
Rest of the World by Seymour
More…
www.seymour.co.uk
At FLYER we aim to produce the best possible magazine for our Keep up with FLYER via our
readers. All correspondence is welcome and will be read, but we can’t
guarantee a written reply. We welcome contributions from readers, website, on Facebook and
and guidelines are available from us. We take great care to ensure via Twitter for the latest news,
what we publish is accurate, but cannot accept any responsibility for
any misprints or mistakes. Our reviews examine what we believe to be reviews, gossip, discussions,
a product’s most important points, but readers are advised to check a
product suits their needs before purchasing. No part of this
videos and good old flying fun
publication may be produced in any form without permission.
Mark Mitchell
/flyermagazine @Flyer_Magazine
© Seager Publishing 2018
Summer 2018 | FLYER | 3
ENQUIRE TODAY
+44 (0) 1865 587370
BECOME A PILOT
FLY IN THE UK AND SPAIN
Airways Aviation offers EASA accredited pilot training at our

purpose-built academies at London Oxford Airport, UK and
Huesca – Pirineos Airport, Spain. We offer integrated and
modular pilot training with an airline focus.
Call us today to discuss your training options and career

pathway with our friendly, experienced staff.
airwaysaviation.com
� /AirwaysAviationUK � @airwaysaviation � @airwaysaviation
Contents SUMMER 2018
Features
14
News Extra
Cost-Sharing
Why the CAA’s recent guidelines marked
a turning point for the likes of Wingly
17
Show Report
Popham Microlight Trade Fair
Highlights from this year’s event
20 I Get Paid for This…

Phil Mathews
A very experienced GA instructor who’s
given over 1,000 people flying lessons
28
Flight Test
Junkers F 13
Thomas Borchert flies a fabulous re-creation
of the first all-metal airliner
38
My First Solo
John Torode
The founder of Dynon and Vashon Aircraft
40 Training
Class Rating Instructor Course
David Kelly takes a CRI course at Andrewsfield
48
Accident Analysis
Junkers F 13 28
State of Control
Joe Fournier on why it’s more a state of mind
56
Flying Adventure
Day Stripper
Paul Kiddell and a friend from his EuroStar
syndicate visit a fine selection of Scottish strips
66
Top Gear
OSEI Crystal Mic
Make your own headset by fitting a
microphone to a pair of headphones
Regulars
3 Editorial 27 Ian Seager 17 40
6 News 50 Accident Reports
18 Pilot Careers 68 By Association
23 Dave Hirschman 70 That Worst Day
56
25 Mark Hales 82 QSY
SIX Free Landings!

72
SAVE £54
Six great airfields to visit!
n Beverley n Holmbeck
n City Airport, Barton n Sandown
n Fishburn n Walton Wood
PLUS
Win a Pooleys
UK Flight Guide
July 2016 | FLYER | 5
Take-off
Aviation news from around the world – for the latest, visit www.flyer.co.uk
Pilots flying on a CAA Medical

Declaration banned from Ireland
Main Carlingford UK pilots who hold an NPPL
Lough, on the border or PPL and have a CAA Pilot
between the irish
Medical Declaration cannot
Republic and
Northern Ireland. Pilots legally fly to Ireland. The Irish
flying on a medical Aviation Authority (IAA) requires
declaration will now all pilots to hold a minimum of
have to stay out of an ICAO Class 2 or EASA LAPL
Ireland’s airspace
Part-MED certificate.
This requirement only recently
came to light, though it dates back to
7 April 2017, when the IAA issued
‘Revision 3’ of Aeronautical Notice P21.
That’s the notification the IAA
requires when a pilot plans to fly in
Ireland on the basis of a third-country
licence, eg a UK national licence.
The IAA position is in direct
contradiction of the stance taken by
many European states, including
France, where national licences and
medical requirements are accepted
under an agreement negotiated by
Paul Kiddell
the European Microlight Federation.

However, since the IAA requires all
its resident pilots to have a Class 2
or LAPL medical, that’s unlikely to able to influence a change of view, legally in Ireland, unless they pay
be adopted by the Irish. but my understanding is that unless around £200 to get a medical.
“The UK change, from a there’s some common EU standard The majority of pilots will be over
GP-countersigned declaration to a of medical assurance for microlight forty and require a medical every
simple pilot’s declaration, has caused pilots, or other sub-ICAO licences, two years.
the IAA to change the requirement they won’t change their minds. By “As a result, I fear most UK
for all visitors to be inline with the the way, it isn’t just UK pilots who pilots will choose to go elsewhere,
IAA resident regulations,” says are affected, it applies to all visitors primarily France, for a foreign
Geoff Weighell, CEO of the British flying any type or class of aircraft.” adventure, and avoid the medical
Microlight Aircraft Association UK microlight pilot Paul Kiddell, burden and associated cost
(BMAA). “It’s difficult to argue that the FLYER contributor who brought required to fly in Ireland.
a visiting pilot should be able to fly the matter to our attention, said, “The impact is much more
on a lower level of medical assurance “The removal of acceptance of significant across the border in
than a home-based pilot. the UK self-certification medical Northern Ireland, as many self-
“I’ve been in discussion with the will prevent the majority of UK certified medical pilots routinely
IAA about this. I had hoped to be microlight pilots from operating cross over for fly-ins and days out.”
Get lost with D&D Build a BushCat

If you’re lost, just squawk The new UK agent for the
0030 and call D&D. That BushCat kitplane and the
and other useful info is Aerobility charity, which helps
contained in a free guide disabled people fly, are to build
issued by the RAF’s Distress an aircraft over six days at this
& Diversion (D&D) Cell. July’s Farnborough Airshow.
Download it from www.tinyurl. Make a build donation via www.
com/RAFDandDLeaflet tinyurl.com/BushCatChallenge
6 | FLYER | Summer 2018
Take-off
CAA and NATS

accused of lower
airspace stitch-up
The All-Party Parliamentary aviation sector,” said Grant Shapps
Group on General Aviation (APPG
on GA) has accused the CAA and
MP, the Chair of the APPG on GA,
“and unbeknown to the APPG in
Extensions to
NATS, working with regional
airports on a redesign of lower
advance of the meeting, happens to
understand GA too, as a current FAA
licences and
airspace, of stitching up the licence holder. 8.33kHz funding
General Aviation community. “These airfields have been built and
Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate, maintained at vast public expense and are The UK CAA has issued two extensions to
Parliamentary Chair of the Airspace a national resource. They’re practically deadlines which many thought had passed.
Working Group, said, “We understand irreplaceable and should be recognised Firstly, the requirement to hold an EASA
that an agreement has been reached as such in Government policy.” PPL or LAPL to fly an EASA-certificated
between CAA and NATS on how at aircraft – such as a Cessna C172, Piper PA-28
least a significant part of the lower Other airfield news or Cirrus SR – has been postponed again,
airspace will be redesigned by a number Businesses on Wellesbourne Airfield this time until 7 April 2019. Therefore,
of airports working in collaboration, are anxiously waiting for a judgement, holders of a UK national licence can continue
using a CAA process which will include following a court case which took place to fly EASA Annex I aircraft. The reason for
Airspace Change Proposals. in May, between them and the Littler the extension is because the EU has delayed
“On the face of it, this appears to be a family, which owns the site and wants publishing the relevant aircrew regulation.
plan within which CAA, NATS and to develop it for housing. The details are in the CAA’s ORS4 1269,
fifteen airports will decide what the A shortage of ATC staff has delayed which can be download as a PDF from
airspace should look like, and then the re-opening of Carlisle Lake www.tinyurl.com/CAAORS41269
collaborate to make it happen. We’d like District Airport for scheduled air Secondly, following negotiations by the
to understand the strategy behind the services until September. Loganair UK CAA, last year’s EU-funded scheme to
plan, how this redesign is being governed, had planned to start flying from there encourage aircraft owners to install an
and how the CAA intends to ensure GA on 4 June. Flights are planned to and 8.33kHz-compliant radio has been extended
needs are understood and addressed.” from Southend (also owned by the to 30 September 2018. The scheme
Stobart Group), Belfast and Dublin. provides a twenty per cent rebate on radio
Military sell-off Duxford is also looking for a and associated equipment, and includes
In a separate initiative by the APPG full-time Flight Information Service support for the purchase of handheld units.
on GA, the Government’s plan to sell Officer (FISO). More information at “The final call period is now open,” said
off fifteen military aerodromes around www.tinyurl.com/DuxfordFISO the CAA. “This will close on 30 September
the UK for housing is to be reviewed. Visitors to Arran Brewery – on 2018 and supports the impending change
The Defence Minister, The Rt Hon the Isle of Arran, naturally – can now of law, on 1 January 2019 when, if your
Tobias Ellwood MP, has pledged to arrive by helicopter. The Brewery has flight mandates carriage of a radio, then
look again at the sell-off. opened its own helipad and is building it must be 8.33kHz-capable.”
“The Minister clearly understood a terminal for arriving guests. Details of the scheme can be found at
the issues facing the £60.6bn wider www.arranbrewery.co.uk www.tinyurl.com/CAA833rebate
Worldwide ADS-B Gosport turnaround

NATS has taken a $69m stake in According to developer Peter
Aireon, the space-based air traffic Day, Gosport Borough Council’s
surveillance company, to help Planning Officer “rigged” a
accelerate the worldwide roll-out May meeting of newly-elected
of ADS-B through a network of 66 councillors, persuading them to
satellites. Although aimed at the vote down previously agreed
airlines, ADS-B will also help GA permission for five live/work
implement electronic conspicuity. hangar homes at Solent Airport.
Take-off
First flight of
Diamond’s
GE-powered
DART-550
Main The British
gliderFX team set a
Diamond Aircraft has flown a
world record for
new variant of its DART military rolls-on-tow in a glider
trainer series. The DART-550 is Inset Sevenair’s
equipped with a General immaculate C152
Electric GE H75-100 turboprop
engine, rather than the Russian
Ivchenko turboprop fitted to
the original 450 model.
According to Diamond, the
Rolls and racing at the
DART-550 has completed a
basic flight programme,
including low approaches,
Portugal Air Summit
system checks and landing-gear A world record for the number of rolls timed lap,” Molarinho explained, pointing out
operation at different speeds completed by a glider on tow and a that they had to meet stringent regulations to
plus a short-field take-off. brand-new form of air racing were just maintain separation from watching spectators.
The DART-550 turboprop two of the highlights of the Portugal Air One of the Reno race bosses, Rick Vandam,
is from General Electric’s new Summit, staged at the Ponte de Sor was on hand to help with the organisation, and
H range, produces 550shp and Airfield in central Portugal on 24-27 May. explained that they hoped to expand the ARC
has an electronic engine and The record, set by Brit Guy Westgate in the concept to other events around Europe.
propeller control (EEPC) gliderFX MDM-1 Fox, was for 100 rolls behind a Several British pilots were among the
system, a five-blade, full- tug aircraft. Guy said that he was okay during the competitors, who came from all over the world
feather MT propeller, Martin rolls and landing, but was unable to get out of the and prepared at the Pylon Racing Training
Baker Mk16 ejection seats and aircraft for a few minutes afterwards, while his Camp. Ponte de Sor is the ARC’s preferred spot
a Garmin G3000 integrated balance stabilised. A special iPhone app counted for holding this international training camp due
avionics system. the rolls in real-time and Guy’s feat been to its unique features and weather conditions.
The expected maximum accepted by the Guinness Book of Records. The Portugal Air Summit combined the
speed is 247ktas with a max The new Air Race Championship (ARC) ARC with an air display – which included
weight of 2,400kg, and and concept mixes elements from the Reno Air gliderFX team performing its night-time
endurance of eight hours at Races and the Red Bull series. ARC organiser pyrotechnic routine – an exhibition of aviation
loiter speed. Nulo Molarinho said it was impossible to stage companies and a conference. In addition, the
The DART-550 will be at Reno outside Nevada and too costly to try and training company Sevenair showed off an
the Farnborough International produce a Red Bull event. immaculately renovated Cessna C152, complete
Airshow on 16-22 July. “This idea combines racing round a circuit with modern avionics and a glass cockpit.
www.diamond-air.at of pylons with an aerobatic display round a www.portugalairsummit.com / www.airrace.pro
Just enough Tecnam’s hybrid

It’s back to bare essentials for Just Tecnam, Rotax and Siemens
Aircraft with its latest type, the Just have teamed up to develop
103. It conforms to the US Part 103 hybrid propulsion for light
ultralight category, with a single-seat, aircraft. The three-year H3PS
a weight less than 254lb and a top (High Power High Scalability
speed under 63mph, and will Aircraft Hybrid Powertrain)
probably meet the UK’s SSDR criteria. project is being financed by
www.justaircraft.com the EU. www.h3ps.eu
Continental PRIME
YOUR SKY.
OUR OEM
CYLINDERS
FOR LYCOMING®*
ENGINES.
WE ARE
CONTINENTAL
Prime ™
©2018 Continental Motors Group. All rights reserved.
Get out there, with Continental Prime™. We make a full range of Parallel or
Angle Valve cylinders certified for your Lycoming®* engine, all manufactured to
the same exacting standards that make ours one of the most respected names in
aviation. After 110 years we know what pilots need, so we maximise your time in the
air by ensuring our parts are always in stock, available for immediate delivery, and very
competitively priced. For OEM-quality cylinders and parts for your Lycoming® engine,
ask for Continental Prime ™. WWW.CONTINENTALMOTORS.AERO
AOG 24-HOUR WORLDWIDE DELIVERY AVAILABLE

FOR DETAILS AND ORDERS CONTACT YOUR AVIALL DISTRIBUTOR AT 1-800-AVIALL-1 OR VISIT: WWW.AVIALL.COM
*LYCOMING® is a registered trademark of Textron Innovations Inc. Any reference to LYCOMING® or associated trademarks, word marks, and products is only for purposes of identifying engines with which ontinental parts are compatible,
or for which Continental offers maintenance services. Continental parts compatible with LYCOMING® engines are aftermarket parts and are not original equipment parts. Continental is not connected to, affiliated with, or sponsored by,
or endorsed by Textron Innovations Inc. or Lycoming Engines, a Division of Avco Corporation, or any of their affiliate companies.
Take-off
Right Pipistrel’s eVTOL
Inset Ivo Boscarol,
founder and manager
of Pipistrel
NASA-Uber
air taxi plan
NASA and Uber are to work
together, to explore concepts
and tech for future city air
transport, under the name
of the uberAIR project.
Uber will share its plans for
an urban aviation rideshare
network, while NASA is to
use the latest in airspace
management computer
modelling and simulation to
assess the impact of small
aircraft, from delivery drones
to VTOL passenger aircraft,
in crowded environments.
“Urban air mobility could
revolutionise the way people
and cargo move in our cities,”
says NASA’s Jaiwon Shin.
NASA wants to ensure that
small aircraft, such as those
Pipistrel’s amazing electric
proposed for uberAIR, operate
safely, with acceptable noise
levels and without burdening the
VTOL Batmobile project
current national ATC system. This is Pipistrel’s extraordinary highly aerodynamic wings results in a new
May’s second Uber Elevate proposal for an electric Vertical Take class of eVTOL that maximises high-speed
conference saw the firm show its Off and Landing (eVTOL) air vehicle cruise performance and dramatically lowers
designs for Skyports – passenger for the uberAIR project (see sidebar). the cost of operation.”
terminals with aircraft recharge Uber plans to operate a network of small, Pipistrel has also announced a partnership
points – to leading aircraft electric aircraft in numerous cities around with Elan, a fellow Slovenian company,
manufacturers plus industry the globe, to enable four-person ridesharing one which has been producing composite
and government officials. flights in densely-populated urban regions. materials and structures on a massive scale
Dallas and LA will be the “Pipistrel isn’t trying to reinvent the for over fifty years.
launch sites for uberAIR’s first helicopter by giving the vehicle many “Building in automation, building in
flights, expected in 2020, and rotors,” says Ivo Boscarol, the company’s digital manufacturing [and] high speed
the company is seeking a third, founder. “Instead, we’re embracing dedicated RTM [resin transfer moulding] composite
non-US city to join the project. propulsion solutions for cruise and vertical construction and other things,” explained
The commercial launch of lift, with built-in scaling capability for a Pipistrel R&D Director, Tine Tomazic,
uberAIR is planned for 2023. family of vehicles with two to six seats. “This is how we believe we stand a chance
www.uber.com/info/elevate/ “Pairing an innovative integrated vertical of going from where we are today, with the
cities lift system, which is quiet and efficient, with concept design, into the future.”
Embraer shows eVTOL Winged chariot

Brazilian regional and business jet An Anglo-French team is also
manufacturer, Embraer unveiled working on an eVTOL aircraft.
its eVTOL air taxi concept, right, at Neoptera Ltd, which has bases in
the Uber Elevate conference. Bristol and Toulouse, is developing
Embraer, Airbus, Bell, Boeing, a winged eVTOL type capable of
Pipistrel and Mooney are all aiming transporting 3-5 passengers,
to have flying air taxi prototypes for with a central pod which swings
the launch of city trials in 2020. through 90°. www.neoptera.aero
GNC 255A VHF NAV/COM
AERA 660 Next-Gen Aviation Portable

GTR 225A VHF Transceiver
GTX 335/345 ADS-B Transponder
D2 Charlie Aviator Titanium Watch
G3X Touch Display
G5 Electronic Flight Instrument

Visit our website to see our full and comprehesive range of aviation products.
Take-off
Main HondaJet Elite

Right Bombardier Global 7500
Right centre Beechcraft King Air flightdeck
Far right Socata TB-30 Epsilon
HondaJet
Elite announced
at EBACE
Honda Aircraft Company revealed a new upgraded model,
the HondaJet Elite, at this year’s European Business Aviation
Convention and Exhibition (EBACE), which was held at Inbox
Geneva Airport, Switzerland, at the end of May.
The HondaJet Elite has 17 per cent more range (396km/200nm) so it’s All quiet on the CAA front
now capable of 1,437nm, claimed to be the best in class. The Elite is also
equipped with newly-developed noise-attenuating engine liners, to reduce We’ve all been inundated by GDPR emails but,
high-frequency noise. The Garmin G3000 flightdeck has also been tweaked, surprisingly, have had nothing from the CAA.
with extra performance management for optimum flight-planning, including As Andy Haigh, pilot and operator of Maypole
airspeed, cruise altitude, fuel flow, required runway, V-speeds and climb/ Airfield, points out: “The CAA holds and makes
approach gradients. It also has automatic stability and protection, which stop publicly available all sorts of information I regard
the Elite flying outside its performance envelope. There are fresh colours too as personal. This information is passed on to
– Ice Blue, Ruby Red and Monarch Orange – plus a Bongiovi audio system. other, third parties, who then exploit it for
commercial gain. Using these combinations
More from Geneva of data sources, anyone, including the
EBACE also saw Bombardier take a share of the limelight, announcing troublemakers surrounding our airfield, can track,
that its eagerly-awaited flagship Global 7000, which is due to enter service record and attribute every aircraft movement.
later this year, had exceeded its performance targets during flight tests and so “The CAA informed me that the right to
was being renamed the Global 7500. It has a 7,700nm range, full-size kitchen have my data removed from their systems was
and four living areas. Bombardier also announced the Global 5500 and ‘not absolute’ and that they were required by
Global 6500 models, with 5,700nm and 6,700nm max ranges, respectively. the Civil Aviation Authority Regulations 1991
TAG Farnborough Airport is to be the site of Gulfstream’s new UK to make the UK Register available for inspection
service centre, with full maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities by any person.
and a hangar for thirteen large-cabin types plus apron and car parking. “I’ve always been uncomfortable about
The top-of-the-range Beechcraft King Air 350i/ER twin turboprop G-INFO and have witnessed many (mostly
will come with Integrated Terrain Awareness and Warning System (iTAWS) unfounded) complaints about flyers which
as part of its Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion flightdeck. iTAWS adds aural were clearly facilitated by that database.
and visual warnings to the primary flight display and multifunction displays, “I think that the data G-INFO contains is at
and eliminates the standalone TAWS unit. Over 7,300 King Airs have been least as private as car ownership information,
delivered since 1964, making it the best-selling business turboprop. yet I don’t see the DVLA publishing any data
Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT) is gaining emphasis of that type. So, why do aircraft owners and
in business aviation. Apache Aviation, which operates the Breitling Jet operators have to accept the flagrant abuse of
Team, is to offer UPRT using six Socata TB-30 Epsilon military trainers. our similarly private information by the CAA?”
The instructors will be members of the aerobatic jet team!
ATPFlightSchool.com
News Extra
Cost-sharing
reaches a
turning point
Wingly and other sites matching pilots with passengers for cost-sharing flights
have now been endorsed by the CAA and EASA. Dave Calderwood reports
W
ingly, the online cost-sharing Above Recently endorsed by the UK CAA, Wingly allows
service, held its first fly-in pilots to share costs and fly to more interesting destinations
at Wolverhampton Halfpenny
Green Airport at the end of May.
The event marked a coming of Germany, where the company has been operating for
age for the France-based company and followed longer, the numbers are five times greater.
what was effectively an endorsement by the UK “It’s really unfortunate that due to bad communication
CAA in April, when the regulator’s Head of and misinformation, many pilots in the UK are being
General Aviation, Tony Rapson, issued new denied the opportunity to fly more by sharing costs on
guidelines for cost-sharing by private pilots. Wingly,” said Adiji. “Fewer young people are taking up
Wingly launched in the UK two years ago and has flying as it’s become more challenging for today’s generation
slowly built a following among British pilots who to fly or obtain a PPL. The costs of flying have clearly
are looking to fly more. Crucially, Wingly has also increased. Moreover, many GA airfields are threatened
attracted non-pilots looking to fly in a light aircraft, due to people no longer finding them useful. We feel that,
either just for fun to go somewhere in particular. with Wingly, we can help bridge this gap.”
However, that isn’t to say Wingly’s progress has been We spoke to several Wingly pilots who, without
entirely smooth. Several airfields have banned the exception, praised the service. Bagby-based Nathan
company’s operations, and the service has existed in a Missin told us, “I joined Wingly simply to be able to fly
kind of limbo between being legal but not exactly welcome more often by sharing the costs. This has enabled me to
and merely tolerated. With the UK CAA’s guidelines and fly to more varied and interesting destinations that I
endorsement, Wingly and its lesser known rival, Coavmi, wouldn’t otherwise have been able to without finding
have become part of the General Aviation establishment. passengers willing to fly and share the costs.
“At the end of nearly every flight I’ve done through
Saving money, not making a profit Wingly, the passengers have commented that, ‘Wingly
So what exactly is Wingly and what does it offer? Firstly, is such a great idea, why wasn’t it around sooner?’
and Ahaad Adiji, the boss of Wingly’s UK operations is “As a pilot, there’s no commitment to complete the
clear about this, it isn’t an air charter or air taxi service. flight. I’m able to cancel it any time and the passenger
The CAA’s guidelines are equally clear: there must be no gets a full refund, therefore removing any pressure that
element of making a profit when the pilot shares the cost the flight must be completed. For a passenger, joining
of operating the aircraft with the passengers. someone on, say, a local sightseeing flight, to see the
What Wingly does is put its members, private pilots Yorkshire Dales, the moors or a trip to Barra, isn’t an
with access to an aircraft, in touch with those who are option unless you know a pilot or are willing to pay a
looking for a flight. Wingly does charge a fee for doing flying school a lot more than a cost-sharing flight.
that, it isn’t a charity after all, but as we all know, no-one “Every passenger who’s joined me through Wingly
makes a fortune from GA. has had a great experience and some even return. Every
“Our goal at Wingly is to democratise General Aviation passenger enjoys different aspects of the flight. Some like
and allow a larger audience to experience the incredible staring through the window at the scenery, others ask
thrill of flying,” explained Adiji. “Moreover, we allow pilots me technical details about the flight and aircraft, and
to share their passion for flying while sharing their costs. some like to hold your chart and assist navigation by
“Over the last year, since our launch in the UK, we’ve identifying features.
had nearly 1,500 passengers share costs with a Wingly pilot, “If I’ve had to cancel a flight due to weather,
collectively saving them nearly £50k in flying costs, most of availability or technical issues, they’ve always been
which is reinvested into getting more ratings, and increasing very understanding. I believe this is because Wingly
flying for the pilots. That accounts to 1,500 hours flown in a does a great job of informing passengers how GA operates,
light aircraft during this period. All these numbers are but a pilot has their part to play by keeping their passengers
growing and bringing even more people into GA.” informed and to remind them how cost-sharing works.”
However, the limbo that Wingly has slipped into in North Weald-based pilot, and FLYER subscriber,
the UK has slowed its growth here. In France and Ian Brierly says, “My motivation is to share the flying
News Extra
experience. I like taking passengers and they love to fly. “For a pilot starting cost-sharing on a platform,
I feel it is rather selfish flying a four-seater as I do, and taking up passengers you have never met for the first
not trying to fill up the spare seats. time can be a little daunting,” reasons Nathan Missin,
“I offer Wingly flights when I have spare seats for a “and I don’t believe a pilot, only just having passed their
destination I’m already flying to. So for me it’s an skills test, is in the right position to do so. They need to
opportunity to get some recompense for the flight. be fully comfortable operating the aircraft in varied
For passengers it’s an opportunity to experience light airspace, making a go/no-go decision and telling
aircraft flying at an economic rate. passengers the flight is cancelled before they fly with
“Wingly ties this all together well. There’s been some people they’ve never met.”
club backroom talk, that perhaps Wingly intrudes on Paul Buckley agrees with Nathan, opining, “There
flying school activity. My experience is contrary to that. are many different elements of a potential flight which
All my passengers are ‘punters’ who just wanted to fly, may be new to a pilot – eg flying to an unknown airfield,
they aren’t looking to become pilots themselves.” across water, to a foreign country, a new aircraft etc – all
Andrew Hyett used to fly from Elstree, until the of which stretch them.
airfield banned Wingly ops. As one of the first to join “A twenty-minute local sightseeing flight close to a
Wingly (and its predecessor, SkyUber), Andrew became home airport is quite different to, say, a 200nm cross-
an ambassador for the service. He says, “For the pilot, it country to France or the Channel Islands. I’d always
dramatically reduces the cost of the flight, as the costs are recommend that pilots not do something with someone
split equally between all the people flying in the aircraft. else, especially someone they don’t know, until they’re
“As an addition I personally get a great sense of very comfortable doing it by themselves.”
satisfaction introducing members of the public to the great
benefits of private aviation and showing them that it isn’t Further change ahead?
difficult. It’s very enjoyable and the easiest and fastest way All the pilots we spoke to think Wingly is doing a great job
to travel distances in the UK and Europe – four hours to in matching them with passengers. However, there is still
the south of France, for example, brakes to brakes. potential for tweaking the service. One change would be to
“For my passengers, they get the best ‘Monday the costs which are allowed to be charged, although that’s
morning coffee machine bragging rights’. ‘What did outside Wingly’s control.
you do at the weekend?’ ‘Oh, we flew to France for lunch “As a sole owner of an aircraft, I’m disadvantaged by
in a private plane.’ I know a few of my passengers who the cost-sharing rules,” says Ian Brierly. “I can only share
are now training to be PPLs. The more people who are fuel, oil and landing fees. The insurance, hangarage and
aware of GA and its benefits the better so, to my mind, maintenance costs are not allowed to be included for me.
Wingly is excellent.” On the other hand, a pilot renting an aircraft can share
For his part, initially, Shoreham-based Michael the rental cost as well – which obviously includes a
Childs was cautious, as he explains, “At first I was a proportion of those costs – so the rules favour the renter.”
little unsure as it seemed to be a bit like a commercial However, perhaps the biggest welcome change would
operation so I put it to one side. After a short while, be to the attitude of some in the GA industry.
seeing Wingly’s adverts, I decided to look into it more “I’d like to see some airfields and insurance companies
in-depth and joined up. I was contacted by the company’s take a more accepting approach to cost-sharing,” says
Ahaad Adiji, which was great as I still had questions. Nathan Missin. “For the airfields, this will surely bring
He explained the rule changes and sent all the CAA them more money, and perhaps even inspire some
guidelines to me. I passed these on to the owner of the passengers to take up and learn to fly at their schools.”
plane that I fly, for him to review, and he was happy for Michael Childs summed it up nicely by reasoning,
me to go ahead. “Wingly is opening up the world of GA to the masses and
“Wingly has brought me endless enquiries from allowing them to experience what we as pilots really enjoy.
people who want to experience flight. In fact, it’s It’s a win-win situation for everyone in the GA sector.”
renewed my enthusiasm for wanting to realise my dream
of becoming a commercial pilot and has now made it
financially viable. I’m now able to clock up many more Wingly’s take-off
hours and fly further than I was able to before.
“Being able to fly regularly and stay current is what What prompted the start of Wingly and similar
makes safer pilots. It also prepares you better for your flight-sharing platforms was a change in the
future, if you choose to go commercial, as there’s a lot regs, notably European Regulation (EU)
more to it than just flying the plane. In the real world, No 379/2014, dated 7 April 2014. Pilots are
you have passengers and all their associated issues to allowed to share flights as long as the aircraft
deal with. It also gets you thinking about other aspects, doesn’t exceed six seats and is non-complex.
like aircraft performance. Anyone can fill the tanks of Wingly has written confirmation from EASA,
a plane and go flying for an hour, but when you start to stating that flight-sharing and advertising flights
do longer trips, you need to start doing more in-depth is totally legal, as long as the costs are shared
calculations which, again, makes you a safer pilot.” fairly. The company has also signed a Safety
Charter with EASA.
Experience counts Wingly requires both pilots and passengers
All of the pilots FLYER contacted agreed that a minimum to provide ID, such as passport details, upon
level of experience – P1 hours – is desirable before listing registration and also offers additional cover
flights on Wingly. No minimum is set by Wingly, although on top of the aircraft’s standard mandatory
it does have restrictions for pilots with fewer than 100hr insurance via Allianz Global Corporate &
as P1, but it makes sense to make sure that you’re Specialty SE (AGCS).
comfortable flying with passengers, dealing with ATC www.wingly.io
and Controlled Airspace, and arriving at new airfields.
Popham Microlight Trade Fair
More for less 01
01 The EuroFOX 120
has an aftermarket
Rotax 912 engine
conversion with
fuel-injection which
provides 120hp at max
continuous 5,500rpm.
It’s intended for glider
towing operations.
02 Airplay Aviation
showed its sub-70kg
‘nanolight’ Snake
single-seater, which
actually needs no
licence to fly, though
both BMAA and
manufacturer certainly
recommend training.
David Broom, the boss
of Airplay and a British
microlight champion, is
offering five free hours
of training, valued at
£600, for a limited
time. The Snake can
cost as little as £7,400
(+VAT & delivery), fully
built and fitted with a
27hp Cisco engine.
03 You cannot be
serious! But apparently
FlyLight is, as the 02 04
Sywell-based firm
was showing its
float-equipped
Dragonfly SSDR trike.
04 PilotAware has
launched its latest £256
Rosetta unit, which is
self-contained so it can
be swapped between
aircraft. PAW is also
working with a start-up, 03
Aircrew, on a panel-
mounted traffic display
(inset) which can also
function as an artificial
horizon with slip ball or
a direction indicator
with heading bug. The
Aircrew display is still
very much under
development – the
on-screen annotation 05
is too small at the
moment – but it’s
expected to go on
sale later this year
for around £400.
05 The EuroFly
MiniFox is an SSDR
with a 33hp Cisco Bull
Max engine, available
from Airplay Aviation
as a kit for around
£14k, or ready-built
at £16k. The wing can
be removed by one
person, or there’s a
wing-fold option for
easy hangarage.
Report and photos

Dave Calderwood
Pilot Careers
MARKETPLACE
www.pilotcareernews.com The definitive source for pilot training, career and industry news
In brief Main L3 European Airline Academy staff

with two new Diamond DA40 aircraft
and the latest batch of UK cadets
Helicentre Aviation Academy

has opened applications for its
2019 UK EASA Professional
Helicopter Pilot Scholarship
Programme. Previous winners
have been fully or partly-
funded through the training,
which led to jobs in utility and
HEMS roles, and other sectors.
www.helicopter
scholarships.com
May saw the Irish regional

airline CityJet open the
application window to twelve
more applicants for its Climb
High mentored pilot training
programme. Selected cadets
will complete an ATPL
Training Course at CAE
academies in Oxford, UK L3 CTS opens
Europe’s biggest
and Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
airline pilot academy

Over 300 days of sunshine a space for L3’s European Airline during our visit, and will go into
year makes central Portugal Academy to expand even further. service immediately, providing
an ideal spot for VFR flight The ATO’s current facilities ab initio training for the first batch
The world’s first Bombardier C training, and that’s one are impressive, and include of cadets from L3’s UK Airline
Series virtual simulator (VSIM) reason why L3 Commercial brand-new classrooms, recently- Academy at Southampton. Once
has been installed at airBaltic’s
Training Centre in Riga.
Training Solutions (L3 CTS) installed ALSIM FNPT II they’ve passed the VFR flying
“The new virtual simulator has settled on an airfield just simulators, and a business stage, and obtained a PPL, the
will serve as an advanced level outside the little town of hotel-standard accommodation cadets will return to the UK for
of training,” commented Ponte de Sor for its new block for cadets. With catering multi-engine and instrument
Vilmantas Mazonas, the MD
European Airline Academy. and leisure facilities also on site, rating training.
of airBaltic Training.
L3 acquired G Air, the the Academy will be able to train “The L3 European Airline
Approved Training Organisation 500 pilots per year. Academy is a truly world-class
(ATO) which previously occupied L3 is expanding its fleet at environment, and we’re excited to
the site, in January of this year, Ponte de Sor, to twelve Diamond be investing to expand capacity,”
and is now busy re-branding the DA40D aircraft and a quartet of said Mário Spínola, L3 Airline
company’s assets and aligning all single-engined Cessna machines. Academy Director, Europe.
of its training materials. The first two new DA40Ds arrived www.l3airlineacademy.com
Ponte de Sor Airfield has
Four years is an ambitious
recently been spruced up with
schedule to develop, build,
certify and deliver a new
hybrid-electric airliner but
the help of an EU grant, and
hosted the Portugal Air Summit
“Ponte de Sor’s current
that’s the target set by
Boeing-backed start-up
at the end of May (see News).
The airfield is located in Class G
facilities are impressive, and
include brand-new classrooms
Zunum Aero. The launch
customer for the twelve-seat
airspace, has its own tower, an
ZA10 is JetSuite, a small 1,800m runway, a sizeable apron,
charter airline backed by
JetBlue Airways and Qatar
Airways. www.zunum.aero
two large hangars, maintenance
facilities, an Instrument Landing and recently-installed ALSIM
System at one end of the runway,
VOR, and, crucially, plenty of FNPT II simulators”
They’re waiting for new pilots.
What are you waiting for?
There’s never been a better time to become an airline pilot with CAE. Each year we recruit and
train one thousand men and women, successful graduates beginning their flying careers with
more than 70 airlines worldwide.
Start your journey right, and right here.

Contact us today at www.cae.com/becomeapilot
Follow the global journeys of recent CAE graduates on Instagram @caepilot

and follow #caepilot
Your worldwide
training partner
of choice
Pilot Careers
I Get Paid for This…

Phil Mathews
One of the UK’s most experienced GA flying instructors,
who has given more than 1,000 people lessons since 1984
Interview by Yayeri van Baarsen
How did you get into flying?

In 1967, I visited an airshow at Gloucestershire
Airport, which was then called Staverton.
That was the start of many afternoons leaning
over the fence, watching aircraft take off.
I also helped out at the nearby Skyfame
Aircraft Museum, and for my thirteenth
birthday, my Dad bought me a trial lesson.
The next summer, I joined Cotswold Aero Club,
doing odd jobs and getting paid in flying time.
Tell us about your job…

I’m the owner of and CFI at Cotswold Aero
Club, which has four aircraft and five
instructors. We offer everything from trial Flying CV
lessons and PPL training to advanced ratings
“Over time,
Phil Mathews owns Cotswold Aero
and aerobatics. Apart from teaching, my job Club and as CFI handles PPL courses,
advanced ratings and check flights.
my job has
also involves an awful lot of paperwork and the
usual stuff that comes with running a business. Started work 1984
I prefer teaching – it certainly beats sitting Now flying Piper Arrow , Robin R2112
behind a desk! The best moment is when it
suddenly clicks and the student masters
and DR400
Favourite “The Arrow is good for touring,
become a
way of life”
whereas the Robins are better for training as
whatever they’ve been struggling with, which they’ve good visibility and nice handling.”
can vary from landing to map-reading – Hours at job start 500
everybody has different peaks and troughs. Hours now 23,500
Over the past thirty years, GA has evolved,
especially in terms of volume. Also, previously,
flying clubs mainly relied on private owners allowing their aircraft to became a QFI. Afterwards, I went on to get my CPL, ATPL and
be rented out, whereas nowadays they have their own. Gloucestershire became a Flight Examiner – every course adds something to your
Airport has changed dramatically, from a sleepy little place with only repertoire. Nowadays, instructor training focuses more on classroom
fifteen aircraft on-site to the UK’s busiest GA airfield. Last year, it saw stuff, whereas back in my day it was mostly about flying the aircraft.
over 82,000 movements, predominantly of light aircraft. On a
nice sunny day, we get between 400 and 500 movements – more than What’s been your favourite flight?
Heathrow! For us, busy days just mean that we need to plan in more Low-level flying in the Elan Valley, mid-Wales, pretending you’re a
detail, but for new students it can get a bit tricky. For example, delays Dambuster. I do it every now and again and it’s always pure fun!
on departure or arrival can make a lesson longer, which has an impact
on the cost to the student. Sometimes it’s more convenient practising And your favourite airfield?
circuits on a nearby airfield. Another challenge Gloucestershire Other than Gloucestershire, I don’t have a favourite. Every airfield has
presents novice pilots is getting to grip with the radio, as there’s so its plus points and although a few have some minuses, everywhere is
much traffic. It’s hard work, but we get them there in the end. worth visiting. Gloucestershire is home – I live on the other side of the
An FI’s job revolves around communication. You need to develop the fence and on average spend eleven hours a day on the airfield. Over
ability to let students make mistakes and not take over too soon or they time, my job has become a way of life – more a vocation than a career.
won’t learn. Also, you really need to consider how you deliver the
information. For example, most pilots say ‘pitch the nose down’ but that Do you get to fly much outside work?
isn’t actually what you’re doing – it should be ‘pitch the aeroplane in a Not a lot. I do try and go on one long European trip every year.
nose-down direction’. They’re small differences but particularly relevant It was Eastern Germany in 2017 and this year we’ll fly to Poland.
in a tandem aircraft. During new FIs’ first fifty hours of teaching, they
learn almost as much from their students as the other way around. What’s the most valuable career advice you’ve received?
I couldn’t think of anything specific, things have just unfolded with the
What training did you have? passage of time. My advice for people wanting to run a flying club
I got my PPL, flew the required 150 hours PIC, obtaining my IMC would be to put in a lot of hours and be prepared to invest quite a bit of
and Night rating in the meantime, and then did my instructor course. money. Also, it’s essential that you’re good at talking to people, even on
After 200 hours of instructing, I got my restrictions removed and busy days. Students need to feel like people, not numbers.
Airline Pilot.
Now training in:
UK New Zealand
We make it happen.
London Gatwick Hamilton
Southampton
Bournemouth USA
Coventry Jacksonville, FL
Orlando, FL
Our Airline Academy is a worldwide provider Portugal
Ponte de Sor
of pilot training, with links to airlines around
the globe.
Career opportunities for our graduates are Airline Pilot career programs
greater than ever.
Full-time & modular
Airline Pilot training courses
Discover more
L3AirlineAcademy.com
pilotcareers.cts@L3T.com
+ 44 (0)23 80 742 400
@L3CTSAirlineAcademy @L3_Academy
LX Avionics, in partnership
with Akki Aviation Services,
is delighted to have been
appointed Full Garmin dealers.
Please contact us to discuss
your Avionics requirements.
(currently we are taking
bookings for installations from
April this year).
GTN 650 GPS/NAV/ 8.33 COMM MFD G5 Attitude Indicator or HSI
GMA 342 Audio Panel GMA350C Audio Panel
GTN 750 GPS/NAV/ 8.33 COMM MFD

GFC 600 Digital Autopilot,
for high performance Aircraft GFC 500 Digital Autopilot for GA
Single Engine Aircraft
GTR225A/B 8.33 COMM GNC255A/B NAV/8.33 COMM
Aera 660 Portable GPS

Working with Akki Aviation Services, our
EASA Part-145 partner, we are able to
supply the full range of Garmin products
and carry out installation at Turweston
Aerodrome. Installation capacity is
available from April this year. For further
details, please contact LX Avionics. D2 Charlie Pilots’ watch GI-106 CDI
We will match any like for like written quotation.

Sales and Support 01280 700020
info@lxavionics.co.uk www.lxavionics.co.uk
Column
Unusual Attitude
Dave Hirschman
Creatures of habit
P
ilots tend to do things the same way for some just proves that you aren’t thinking about the critical stuff which
very good reasons. Our habit patterns help us actually has the potential to do us harm.
spot things which are out of the ordinary and Another time, a fellow pilot and I were on a long trek through a
build consistency during such critical phases of remote part of Canada and we boarded our Piper Super Cub shortly
flight such as take-offs, instrument approaches, after breaking camp at dawn. We’d spent a chilly night at a deserted
and landings. But doing things by rote, time airfield, then loaded our gear into the Cub on a wide, windswept
after time, has a downside – mindless repetition ramp. Out of sheer force of habit, the other pilot startled me by
can put our brains on autopilot, dull our senses, yelling “Clear!” at the top of his lungs just before engine start, even
and distract us from more important tasks. Here’s a case in point: though there wasn’t anyone else around for miles.
I was recently checking out a fellow CFI in a new-to-him aeroplane Maybe it was just a pre-flight ritual, and it wouldn’t have felt
– a very basic Piper Cub – and as part of that process I had him right for him to start an aircraft engine without shouting first.
perform a series of touch-and-go landings. The landings were well I suppose that’s legit, I like ritual as much as the next pilot, but
within tolerances, as I expected from this veteran pilot, but every let’s just recognise such actions as the goofy, anachronistic habits
time we were on a downwind approach he reminded me to ensure they are, without sanctifying them with the explanation that a
that my seatbelt harness was properly fastened. I was okay with it checklist always has to be completed. Be a PIC, not an automaton
the first time he asked but slightly annoyed the second time. When – sometimes the stuff on checklists doesn’t make any sense.
he told me to buckle up a third time, I barked at him. A friend owned and flew a Cessna C170 with a maladjusted
From my seating position, directly behind him, I put both hands carburettor which consistently ran too rich. When he applied
on his shoulders and told him, gently but firmly, that if he
told me to fasten my seatbelt again, I’d strangle him.
“What’s the problem?” he protested. “It’s on my
pre-landing checklist, and I tell my students to ask
“I told him, gently but firmly,
that if he told me to fasten my
that question before every landing. Because of that,
I make sure to do it myself, too.”
Consistency and strict checklist discipline is
admirable, but robotic repetition of irrelevant items
isn’t, and that, to me, seemed like useless clutter,
especially since the question already had been asked
seatbelt again, I’d strangle him”
and answered, twice.
“Tell you what,” I said, peevishly. “I’ll let you know if I ever carburettor heat, usually on downwind, as part of his pre-landing
decide to unlatch my seatbelt in flight.” checklist, the engine would stumble, run rough and sometimes quit
I regretted snapping at a fellow pilot’s innocent question, but it on rollout. And yet he couldn’t bring himself to change his procedure,
got under my skin because it reminded me of other brain-dead things or fix the carburettor, during all the years he owned the aircraft.
we do just because they’re written down somewhere. Another fellow The checklist in a Bonanza I sometimes fly says to inspect the
pilot, a longtime friend and colleague, used to tell me to “extinguish vacuum suction gauge and turn off the air conditioning before
all smoking materials” during every run-up in his aeroplane. I let it take-off. Fair enough, except this particular glass-panel aircraft
go the first few times we flew together, but I finally couldn’t take it doesn’t have either of them. The checklist probably should’ve
any longer. been modified long ago to reflect those changes, but it hasn’t been.
“Look, you’ve known me a long time,” I protested. “You know So, obviously, there isn’t any reason to read those irrelevant items
that I don’t smoke, and I never have. So why do you tell me to put out loud, just like there’s no need to tell a non-smoker to put out the
out my cigarette every time we get in your aeroplane?” cigarette he doesn’t have, a fellow pilot to fasten the seatbelt he’s
He shrugged and pointed to a checklist item which he was already confirmed that he’s wearing or yell a warning at a deserted
reading verbatim. There it was, in black and white, on the factory airport when there’s no-one around to hear it.
checklist in his 1968 Mooney. How could I possibly find fault with Flying is hard enough when you only do the myriad tasks that
that? Easy: engage your brain and use common sense. you’re actually required to. There’s no reason to make it harder by
As pilots, we judge ourselves on our ability to build and maintain adding needless busywork which gives the illusion of adding safety
“situational awareness” (SA). Behaving as though there’s any chance without actually doing anything of the kind.
Mark Mitchell
that your non-smoking friend is about to light up just moments

before take-off shows poor SA. Do pay attention to the flap setting, RV-8 pilot, ATP/CFII, specialising in tailwheel and aerobatic instruction
your fuel selector and the elevator trim, but telling me not to smoke dave.hirschman@flyer.co.uk
Fuelling
your passion
At Total UK we believe in thinking differently.

We do this by committing to better energy and helping towards a greener future.
We invest in refineries to produce biojet and unleaded fuels and we are
dedicated to supplying cleaner fuels wherever we can. Look after your engine and
the environment with Total UK and UL91.
total.co.uk
Column
Full Throttle
Mark Hales
Mercury rising
T
he Miles Gemini which has consumed so many “I was sat at the end of the runway on my island,” he said, “and
hours of my time over the last ten years has a suddenly it just sat down. Maybe I did something but I’m just not
new owner but it’s still parked in the hangar at sure. The propeller was chewing a big groove in the grass…”
North Coates, which is both good and bad. Stu Hans said they’d checked the runout on the crankshaft but
has lavished a huge amount of time and effort couldn’t find anything wrong with the retract system which, together
on his new toy so it looks particularly shiny, and with the flaps and speedbrake, is operated pneumatically via a pump
perhaps as a measure of appreciation, it seems on the engine and a large reservoir behind the rear seats that looks
to be running very nicely for a change. Ah well, like a bomb. We rolled the Mercury outside and ran the engine,
if a parting of the ways has been hard, at least its continued presence which started first blade and sounded strong – mag drops and oil
means that I still get to fly a Miles from time to time – it could so pressure good. However, Stu was looking pensive. Maybe we should
easily have gone to France, Belgium or Germany. I also seem to have go for a flight? Hans thought it was a good idea, then revealed that
discovered someone with an equal passion for Miles aeroplanes, but his SEP licence had expired, so he couldn’t assist, and besides, the
rather more means to indulge. Hardly a week goes by without an Mercury has only one set of controls. “But,” he said, “I’ve added you
email revealing the acquisition of another book or brochure. to the insurance, so you can take it...” Hans then added that although
“So, what you really need,” I suggested, over the inevitable mug of its C of A was still current, it hadn’t really flown for a couple of years,
Flying Club tea, “is another Miles aeroplane. Maybe a single that’s so maybe it wasn’t a good idea to retract the undercarriage. And that
easier to pull out of the hangar and just fly.” the AI was the only thing he thought didn’t work but it was a nice day
And so it was that Stu and I found ourselves on the KLM red-eye so we wouldn’t need one anyway, and if we turned right from R09
shuttle out of Humberside, heading for Denmark, to inspect the and headed up the fjord, we’d have a nice view of his island.
world’s sole surviving Miles Mercury. Miles
“What you really need is another

built six of the single-engined, retractable
M28 model as a potential training and
communications aircraft at the beginning of
the forties, but other commitments to wartime
production saw it progress no further.
G-AHAA, the last surviving M28, was
Miles aeroplane…”
modified in the mid-fifties, by none other than
George Miles at his Shoreham facility, before disappearing to So let me see… I hadn’t flown a Mercury before and it hadn’t
Germany, where it eventually found its way to the back of a flown much in the previous two years, other than when the gear
hangar, to gather dust, before being rescued and trucked to collapsed, and there were things that didn’t work, to which we could
Denmark, returning to the air in the late-seventies. It had been now add the radio. And the brakes, which were pretty limp – they’re
for sale relatively recently and I’d even been to see it at Stauning, common to an Auster, which has a steerable tailwheel, unlike the
but since Hans didn’t really need the money and I hadn’t got Miles. It would’ve been very easy – even sensible – to say no, but
enough, it looked likely to stay where it was. there was no-one in the tower and what wind there was wafted
Stauning was just as I remembered, which is to say delightful. straight down the slot. So we didn’t. The Mercury lifted off at about
Once home to a huge annual fly-in celebrating the history of KZ, 50mph and we rumbled above the water’s edge for forty minutes or
Denmark’s home-grown aircraft marque, it also used to be a so, gear down and nose up.
commercial airport, with all the attendant space and facilities, but is The Miles brothers’ design genius swiftly filtered back to the feet
now home to the spectacular Danish Air Force museum and a fair and fingertips, the pressures and temperatures all stayed where they
collection of vintage aircraft as well as the usual metal Americans. should, and the flaps and airbrake worked perfectly – the stalls were
And there, in Hans’ private hangar, parked next to his Beechcraft a non-event. I even pulled off a passable landing. A touch fast at
Premier 1 twinjet, was the Mercury, looking perhaps a little less silvery 60mph maybe, but better that than drop out of the sky at ten feet.
than I remembered, but complete with its signature gull-wing doors, We’d enjoyed much the same the kind of adventure as we would
elegantly rounded fuselage and twin fins. It couldn’t be anything other have seventy years earlier, and in a world where everybody knows
than a Miles. Something though, was definitely shinier. everything within minutes, it’s ever harder to find that kind of
“Is that a new propeller?” Hans confirmed that it was and had experience. And… a Miles Mercury will be coming back to England
been expensive. “So what happened ?“ There was a brief pause, after six decades away.
Mark Mitchell
devoid of eye contact.

“Do you want the truth,” he replied, “or some fiction?” We settled Vintage aircraft and cars make Mark particularly happy
for the truth, which turned out to be less revealing than it might. mark.hales@seager.aero
Column
Squawks
Ian Seager
Avionics sweet spot
F
or a while now, I’ve been banging on about certified world, has been trapped by regulation and monopoly,
modern avionics to anyone who’ll listen (and quite recently broke free and can now modernise and evolve.
a few people who won’t), and I’m about to do it Sadly, it’s a sign of aviation’s glacial speed of change – and the
again… it seems to me that General Aviation high cost of buying and installing new kit – that you probably don’t
spent untold years in the avionics wilderness. have to go much further than your local airfield to find examples of
Some ‘modern’ aircraft had those orange gas early radios, or a Pilotosaurus Rex becoming misty-eyed as they
discharge displays which resembled early school reminisce about the revolution that was the KNS 80 (I know, it was
calculators, while older mechanical versions revolutionary for its time, but so was eight-track tape). The majority
meant turning clunky knobs that then changed physical numbers in of the GA fleet still has analogue instruments, most relying on
windows. When it comes to navigation aids you’ll find a few pilots and vacuum pumps and fragile graphite vanes to stay the right way up,
instructors who insist that using an ADF to track an NDB is the only and those have such an insidious failure mode that there’s a good
thing that’ll make your chest hairy, and I bet some of them, after chance they’ll lead you astray, with possibly tragic consequences.
having only just got over the change from the P12-style compass to Increasingly reliable equipment and progressive regulatory
the vacuum-driven DI, still feel a bit threatened and uneasy around change, driven by avionics manufacturers who aren’t anchored in the
VORs, the things that looked a bit like compass roses on charts. palaeolithic era, means that modern, reliable alternatives are now
Those at the cutting edge enjoyed a bit of ‘modern’ with the more affordable and appropriate for older airframes. Certified
Bendix/King KNS 80 as, among other things, as it enabled a pilot to aviation still isn’t quite in the same league as homebuilt aviation, but
‘move’ a VOR to a desired location and then follow guidance. it’s much closer than it has ever been.
Then came along early GPS
“We were all encouraged to stick to

sets, the first ones combining
single-channel receivers with
screen resolutions and display
tradition, shun technology and travel

graphics which were put to shame
by Pong, the seventies arcade
game. The batteries would usually
last long enough for the unit to
find itself, but extra-expensive
long-life AAs would often only
to the airfield by horse and cart…”
make it as far as the threshold, if it
wasn’t too cold. Some pilots loved them and realised their potential, As the lines of capability and affordability converge,
but the CAA, the Royal Institute of Navigation and many instructors manufacturers and installers will be hoping that an increasing
saw GPS as an evil, existential threat. We were all encouraged to number of people will be ready to invest in avionics upgrades.
stick to tradition, shun technology and travel to the airfield by horse Everyone will have their own sweet spot, but I decided to pull the
and cart. Well, maybe not that last bit, but almost. trigger after the arrival of Garmin’s G5 in AI and HSI format and
By the time GPS technology had improved enough to become the certification of the GFC 500 autopilot.
genuinely useful, an entire generation of pilots had been told not to Within the next few days I’ll be leaving my C182 with GAMA in
trust it. To this day, there are still some tribes – starved of contact Fairoaks, and before too long I should have a modern and capable
with the modern world, and Part-NCO – who believe that if you use version, after having spent significantly less than I would’ve had to
a GPS with a moving map while not taking a paper chart, it’ll invert just a few years ago. The decision process, planning, work and, most
your wing and render a heavier-than-air flying machine inoperable. importantly, the result will, as you can probably imagine, be the
But the magic pixie evangelists persevered and persuaded those subject of an upcoming feature.
electrons to power an increasing range of clever things in increasingly So far it’s been a fascinating process, a lot of which has been about
smaller packages. It wasn’t long before we had integrated displays, (not always successfully) resisting mission creep. I can’t say I’m
solid state attitude indicators, digital radios and transponders which looking forward to the part when my Cessna looks like it’ll never fly
squitted something or other while not needing to be turned to again, nor the almost inevitable call which will start, “Erm, I’ve
standby before changing a digit or four. To replace those flickering found a bit of a problem with…”, but in GA, as with much of life, the
temperature and pressure gauges, there are now graphs, bars and journey itself is the reward.
Mark Mitchell
numbers in bright colours with programmed warnings and lots of

stored data to analyse and agonise over. Publisher often found flying something new and interesting
Even the autopilot, that brilliant piece of equipment which, in the ics@seager.aero
Flight Test | Junkers F 13
Time
Travel
The ‘mother of all modern airliners’ first flew in
1919 and was the first to have an all-metal airframe.
Now the Junkers F 13 has been re-created and
certified for the modern world, and you can buy one…
WORDS Thomas Borchert PHOTOGRAPHY Cornelius Braun
Junkers F 13
O ne of the first things my flying
instructor taught me during training was that I only needed
one hand on the flight controls, but with the aircraft I’m
flying today, both my hands fall naturally on the polished
wooden handles of this machine’s control yoke, and it feels
entirely appropriate. The engine currently needs no
attention anyway. With the power set at 1,800 rpm, the
Wasp Junior is a gentle, steady rumble. Not loud at all. Its
nine cylinders can make 450hp, but this machine doesn’t
need anywhere as much as that.
The flight, in the fabulous re-created Junkers F 13, feels
like a surreal journey through time. As we glide over Lake
Zurich, surrounded by Alpine views, the spring sunshine
spreads out across the landscape. I feel a mixture of awe and
amazement in this incredible aircraft – the Junkers F 13
marked the point where air travel entered a new era.
When German entrepreneur and engineer Hugo Junkers
Opposite Family
portrait. The F 13 at commissioned the design of the original F 13, which would
Dübendorf, with a first fly in 1919, he caused a sea change in airliner airframe
JU-AIR Ju 52 behind technology. An aluminium alloy (duralumin) structure was
Above It’s a steep entirely covered with Junkers’ characteristic corrugated and
climb, but worth it.
Spot the kick-step
stressed duralumin skin. In the world of air travel, which
in the fuselage side, had previously been used to the bracing wires and fabric of
to help with climbing biplanes, it was a revelation. Junkers’ first commercial
into the cockpit aircraft, the F 13 became the world’s first cantilever,
Left So many fabulous
details on display
all-metal airliner, and a robust, reliable machine whose
Below The wheels and cabin seated four passengers in comfort, with a table, heat
brakes are from a T-6 and electric light. Comforts which, nearly 100 years later,
Texan, while oleo- are taken for granted by as many as 500 people per flight,
sprung gear and
lockable tailwheel
and a total of over four billion passengers per year.
are practical for Early F 13s were powered by a 185hp BMW IIIa upright
modern-day operation inline water-cooled engine, though as the aircraft was sold
overseas, variants also used the Armstrong Siddeley Puma,
Gnome-Rhône Jupiter and Pratt & Whitney Hornet
radials. During those formative years of commercial
aviation, rivers, lakes and seas were also common route
stops. That wasn’t a problem for the F 13, as the ability to
mount it on floats was incorporated into the design.
By 1926, 9.5 million miles had been flown by F 13s and
eventually, fifty operators would use the type in 33
countries ( five were registered in the UK – Ed ) . While the
pace of development in aviation was racing ahead, the
F 13 proved an enduring design, with the last commercial
example retiring from service in Brazil in 1951.
Back to the future

For close to seventy years there’s been no flying example
of this “mother of all airliners.” Of the 348 F 13s which
were built, just four complete machines remained,
Junkers F 13
“For a hundred-year-old design

it flies great. It’s forgiving at low
speeds, and isn’t the least bit twitchy”
Opposite page preserved in European museums. That fact was not lost on The changes have meant a new name – Rimowa
You might be sitting private pilot Dieter Morszeck. In 1931 Dieter’s father, Aircraft Works is now Junkers Aircraft Ltd, which is
outside, but it’s in Richard, had been influenced by Junkers’ corrugated headquartered in Dübendorf, near Zurich. Morszeck
beautifulliy crafted
surroundings. The
aluminium when he was looking for a material to make a is particularly proud that he’s cooperating with Bernd
cockpit is strictly VFR. strong lightweight suitcase from for his company, Rimowa. Junkers, the grandson of Hugo, who’s given consent for
An airspeed indicator, Dieter, who’d become Rimowa’s CEO, was increasingly the use of his family’s name.
altimeter, compass and keen to build a replica F 13. The company had supported The F 13 which we’re flying isn’t going to be the only
slipball are the only
JU-AIR, which operates a brace of its successor, the example. There will be more, handmade in the factory and
flight instruments
you’ll find. Spot the three-engined JU 52, one of which crossed the Atlantic for a finished exactly to each buyer’s wishes. Morszeck believes
modern engine North American tour in 2012. The issue was, although eight that the US offers the largest potential market for his
monitor at the base airworthy JU 52s remain, not even a complete set of re-creation, so work is already underway to get FAA approval
of the centre panel drawings for the F 13 existed. So Morszeck partnered with of the certification already gained in Europe. The second
– there are a radio
and a transponder
Bernd Huckenbeck, chairman of the Association of Friends F 13 is already under construction and will be ready by
in there too of Historical Aircraft (VFL), and Kurt Waldmeier, the head June 2019, while a third is scheduled for January 2020. Even
of JU-AIR, on a project to return an F 13 to the sky. Their with a plan to build 20-30 aircraft, with a price tag of €2.5m
initial thoughts were to restore an original airframe, though each, it’s hard to imagine that the costs will be covered.
the lack of a donor and incomplete historic drawings soon Test pilot Oliver Bachmann, who’s been responsible for
indicated this would be a near-impossible task. the F 13 replica’s flight-test programme is sitting to my left.
However, the curator of the Musée de l’air et de l’espace It ‘d be fair to say we feel a bit like we’re carriage-drivers
at Le Bourget, France, was willing to offer its complete F 13 rather than pilots, up front here in the open, behind our
for inspection and, critically, gave permission to dismantle small windscreens. The beautifully upholstered seats look
and laser-scan the airframe, externally and internally. The like aviation armchairs. They’re comfortable, but low,
resulting data allowed technicians to create a 3D model, which means that you’re well protected from the wind,
right down to each rivet’s location. Combined with the data however, your visibility – especially forwards – is limited.
from the historic drawings, that meant a re-creation could A sliding window separates us from from the spacious
be engineered, and an application to the Swiss Federal cabin, and my companion on today’s trip, Christina
Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) was made in 2013. Schunemann is first passenger ever to fly back there –
The new F 13 isn’t a reproduction of a specific model, previously, it’s just been flight-test ballast. The cabin’s lined
it’s an amalgamation of some of the best features of all the with fine, cognac-coloured leather, and offers panoramic
marks built during the fourteen years it was in production. views through large windows. There’s only one potential
Although early F 13s had a small, triangular fin and rudder, drawback, there’s no heating, but that isn’t significant today.
the re-creation uses a bigger fin with a horn-balanced Enough of cruising in level flight – I gently roll the F 13
rudder found on later models. There’s also a mechanically- into a right turn, and suddenly the view couldn’t be better, as
adjustable horizontal stabiliser for trim, with horn-balanced the landscape appears above the leather trim of the cockpit’s
elevators, like the W33 and JU 52. There were also engine edge. The F 13 is a solid, stable machine but somewhat
and undercarriage changes, more on those later. sluggish through the turns, as you’d expect of a passenger
The reconstruction effort was led by Dominik Kälin, a aircraft. The controls are heavy but not unpleasantly so.
young Swiss engineer with extensive experience in historic Only when you go beyond 25º bank do you start to need
aircraft structures. Kälin and his team turned 2,000 sq ft of rudder, but when you do, be prepared to use plenty.
duralumin into a finished airframe over the course of two “It handles a bit like a big glider,” says Bachmann,
years and 12,000 man-hours. After being revealed to the “Wear your big boots, not fine ltalian shoes.”
aviation world at AirVenture Oshkosh in July 2015, the F 13 Personally, it reminds me of the time I flew a Stearman
made its first flight in September 2016. As with many and, oddly, Lufthansa’s full-motion 747-400 simulator.
complex projects, final certification took a little longer than “For a hundred-year-old design, it flies great,” notes
expected, but was finally achieved in April this year. Bachmann. “It’s forgiving at low speeds, and isn’t the least
bit twitchy.”
Passion, not profit Over 25 hours were spent flight-testing the F 13.
In the intervening time, Morszeck left Rimowa and retired. “The stall shows no break to either side, unlike so many
“We’re building aeroplanes,” he says, with a glint in his older designs,” he continues, “There’s plenty of buffet and
eyes, adding, “My concern now is not about profit, but high sink, then she just drops the nose and picks up speed.”
about passion.” He still didn’t let me try…
FLY08.flight test_Junkers.V8_EH_JH.indd 32 04/06/2018 12:02

Turbine Maule
Grumman Widgeon
M-7-420AC
“The F 13 feels
like it could be a
Christina Scheunemann
practical, usable
aircraft today”
Our take-off had been equally uneventful. Lock the

tailwheel, throttle fully forward. The tail lifts quickly, keep
a little back-pressure passing 50kt and rotate. You’re off in
just under 250m at ISA conditions, then climb out at 60kt.
Levelling out into the cruise, I have to wind a fair few turns
on the elevator trim wheel which is located between the
seats. A comfortable cruise is 80kt, with the Pratt &
Whitney burning 86 litres per hour. The two tanks hold
400 litres, but its payload isn’t the largest, at 444kg, so if
you’re taking your friends, just plan on a fuel stop – after
all, the F 13 is about arriving in style, so enjoy it. Original,
late-variant F 13s operated up to 2,318kg, but a maximum
gross weight limit of 2,000kg for the modern re-creation has
made it much easier to obtain a ‘Historic’ class approval.
“The Swiss aviation authority, FOCA, was a strong
supporter and always helpful,” says Morszeck.
Top The crew sits low, each seat
has its own windscreen, and plenty
Practical, usable
of fresh air Perhaps the thing which surprises me the most is that such
Above Ride in style – a sumptuously- an old design feels like it could be a practical, usable aircraft
upholstered cabin for four today. I can easily imagine that a private owner could roll
passengers with big windows
this out of the hangar for an afternoon flight, as vintage
Left The grin which shows that
Dieter Morszeck is righly proud of enthusiasts might do a with a Stearman or Bücker. But, of
his project. He hopes that others course, this is no accident. After all, the modernised F 13 has
will join him in owning an F 13 been carefully modified in this respect, which hasn’t stopped
Below The 1919-style rudder a few critics getting riled up about the lack of originality.
pedals now have toe-brakes,
for modern ease of operation
Why not an inline engine? Well, the BMW IIIa or Jumo L
5 found in original F 13s can now only be seen in museums.
During the twenties, the F 13 was available in the US with a
Pratt & Whitney, albeit the now rare Hornet. “I like the shape
of the nose so much better,” said Morszeck. More importantly,
Christina Scheunemann
the R-985 Wasp Junior is common and easy to operate and

support – just check out most Beavers, and many a Stearman.
Components for the main landing-gear come from the
North American T-6 and the undercarriage’s appearance is
different to the original. Rubber suspension has given way
Junkers F 13
TECH SPECS
Junkers F 13
1919 style, 2018 practicality
In the beginning, the F 13 had
an inline engine and triangular fin
Above The cockpit makes pilots feel akin to carriage-drivers.

The F 13 is easy to fly, if a little slow on the controls, and more
importantly, is practical for the modern world
to hydraulic damping and, unlike the original, there are Performance Spec
now wheel brakes, operated with your toes at the top of the Max speed (Vne) 122kt (226kph) Airframe Aluminium
rudder pedals. A tailwheel patterned after that fitted to the Max cruise (Vno) 97kt (180kph) Engine Pratt & Whitney
Stall speed 51kt (95kph) R-985-AN-14B
Junkers W33 now sits at the rear – the F 13’s tailskid having Fuel burn 19gph (86lph) Max power 450hp
been deemed impractical for modern airport operation. Take-off distance 250m Prop Two-blade, fixed-pitch
Theese changes mean the new F 13 can easily be operated Hamilton Standard aluminium
on both tarmac and grass without any problems. However, Weights & loading Undercarriage Fixed, tailwheel
critics fail to understand Morszeck’s ultimate intentions. Seats Two (cockpit) & four (cabin)
“It should just be an everyday aircraft in which it’s safe Max take-off 4,409lb (2,000kg) Manufacturer
Empty 3,430lb (1,556kg) Junkers Aircraft Ltd
and easy to fly,” he explains. “We plan to go touring with it
Fuel capacity 88gal (400l) Überlandstrasse 255
this summer, flying around Germany and further into 8600 Dübendorf
Europe. I want people to see this plane in the air.”
The result of these minor changes is an aircraft that really
Dimensions Switzerland
www.junkers-f13.com
Wingspan 48ft 9in (14.85m)
is fun, not a museum piece which needs a multi-member Wing area 450sq ft (41.8sqm)
ground crew to fly every few months, and they haven’t Length 31ft 6in (9.6m) Price
diminished the magic of flying this aviation pioneer one bit. Height 10ft 2in (3.11m) €2.5m
The wind has picked up, and I can sense that Oliver
Bachmann is a little nervous: “She takes a bit of handling in a
crosswind.” On Dübendorf’s grass R29 we’ve a 10kt wind
80º from the left. Not being one who wants to risk this
machine, I hand control back to Oliver. We approach at
65kt, there are no flaps. The approach and landing is perfect,
but Oliver’s arms and feet are busy. Morszeck is smiling as
we roll his baby back onto the apron. The Pratt rumbles to a
stop. Yes, this is definitely a machine that’s about the pleasure
of travel and the style in which you arrive. Just make sure
your dismount from the cockpit looks confident – although
it’s easy to get out, there’s a kick-step each side, that wing-
walk is steep, and the step down from it quite large.
As soon as we’re on the ground, Morszeck delights in
pointing to details all around the airframe. He stops, resting
one hand on the aircraft: “There’s over 35,000 rivets in it, all
set by hand.” His pride in the team and the aircraft they’ve
produced, test-flown and certified is evident, and one senses Above Fly an F 13 and you’ll be sure to arrive in style, everywhere you go.
that Morszeck can’t wait for the world to see his F 13. You’ll just need €2.5m, which we reckon is a bit of a steal…
SkyEcho
SEE & BE SEEN
SkyEcho is a portable Electronic

Conspicuity device designed to provide
enhanced awareness. SkyEcho features
ADS-B out, ADS-B in, GPS, and more.
SkyEcho connects to your preferred
electronic flight bag via Wi-Fi.
TRAFFIC AND WEATHER

Receive real-time traffic and weather.
Free in-flight weather services provided
by uAvionix in the United Kingdom.
EXPANDABLE
See the full picture with
optional support for:
DroneAware
uavionix.com/products/skyecho
My First Solo
John Torode
The founder of Dynon Avionics and
Vashon Aircraft finds his first spin,
from 6,000ft, to be much more
memorable than his first solo flight
Words Yayeri van Baarsen
Solo stats
John Torode thinks the $100
hamburger is too expensive
and aims to make General
Aviation much more affordable
When 30 March 1968
Where Arlington Municipal Airport,
Washington, USA
Aircraft Cessna C150
Hours at solo 10
Hours now 2,150
How did you get into aviation? and aircraft noise. I don’t remember much $400,000 – how many pilots can afford that?
At school, when I was eight years old and about that flight, only that it went well. Back in 1960, a brand-new aircraft would cost
supposed to be paying attention, I was My first spin, which happened much later you about a year’s salary, but today $400,000
drawing pictures of aeroplanes. I’ve always in my training, was more memorable. At the is ten times as much as a fresh-out-of-college
been fascinated with aircraft, ever since I time, I did a lot of mountain climbing, and kid earns in a year. Add in the rising costs of
was a little kid. Had I not needed to wear flying over a peak at 6,000ft, to look for the training, fuel and maintenance, and it’s no
glasses, I’d have joined the USAF, but as best climbing route, I asked my instructor, surprise that GA is dying.
I did, I went into engineering instead. “Wouldn’t this be a good time for a spin?” Currently, only about 1,000 new factory
As soon as I could afford it, aged 22, and he agreed. Seeing the ground rapidly piston aircraft are sold a year, worldwide. In
I started working towards my PPL. coming straight towards us, with the 1976, it was 17,000. That’s a shame, as flying is
aeroplane spinning, I thought I was going such a great hobby. There’s still a lot of work to
How did your flight training go? to die. the recovery went fine, but for me it do, but we’ll get there. A big part of it is volume
I learned to fly at Paine Field, home to the was a pretty dramatic affair. That flight will – if we sell 25 Rangers every year, we won’t
Boeing Everett factory and back then, still a be imprinted in my brain forever. make any money, but if we sell 250, we will.
USAF base. I was flying in the same pattern
as the Boeing 747 prototype did on its first Why did you found Dynon Avionics? What are your hopes for the future?
flight, but in a small Cessna C150. On every Having had my own aircraft since 1967, I was With Dynon Avionics and Vashon Aircraft, I
landing, the tower told me my gear was down, astounded by how ancient the equipment was, hope that we can positively influence the future
which was quite funny to hear in a C150. and in most cases still is. With my background of GA. There’s an ongoing revolution, both at
I loved learning to fly and spent all my in physics, engineering and computer science, the FAA and EASA, to reduce the bureaucracy
spare money on it. There were no big holes in I thought, “Let’s see if we can build something of aviation regulations, while keeping safety at
my training, perhaps apart from those caused that’s useful for the average pilot…” the same high level. We fit into this shift with
by the Seattle weather – I started my lessons We produced a 4in EFIS which displayed our affordable aircraft and avionics, because
during winter time. all of the primary flight instruments and safety that isn’t affordable isn’t safety. When
introduced it to the market for $2,000. It really I’m gone, I want to leave this planet a little
Were you nervous before you flew got the attention of home-builders and caught better in at least one area: private aviation.
your first solo? on in a way that even surprised me. Now, seven
Yes, very nervous. I think everyone is, as it’s per cent of the world’s planes use our avionics. What do you love most about flying?
a pretty big deal – you have to be ready to Freedom! The aeroplane is such a freedom
perform. For my solo we flew over to Why did you start Vashon Aircraft? machine – it does the same as the automobile,
Arlington Municipal Airport, which was It was my goal to produce an aircraft which but in three dimensions. There’s no need to
quieter and had a nice big runway. would cost about the same as a fancy car, stay in your lane, just go wherever you want,
Arlington didn’t have a tower, so there and that’s the Ranger R7. I think cost is an look at a mountain or land on a lake.
wasn’t any need to worry about radio use important parameter that’s keeping young For my 40th birthday, my wife paid for my
which, back then, was more challenging as people out of GA. The price of a brand-new floatplane rating, and two-and-a-half months
we didn’t have any headsets, just a loudspeaker basic aeroplane, like a Cessna C172, is later, we’d bought one of our own. There are
few places in the world where it makes sense
to have one, but here in Washington State it’s
“I want to leave this planet a little

astoundingly convenient as we live on a lake.
Me, my wife and our dogs all hop into the
Cessna C180 for regular commutes to our
better in one area: private aviation” mountain cabin, which is also on a lake.
Flying a light aircraft is just so much fun!
Electric reality?
Training
Ever wondered what’s involved in becoming

a Class Rating Instructor? David Kelly did,
and before he knew it, he’d taken the plunge…
Becoming a
Class Rating
Instructor
Fly your own
Training
F
ollowing delayed boarding at
Shannon Airport, darkness and To the Millibar!
rain descended as we lined up on Safely in Essex, to my relief, the previous night’s drizzle had
R27 – I may never have been so given way to a crisp, bright Monday morning. Although
apprehensive about a commercial most of the CRI course is classroom-based, it includes three
flight. The throttles were opened, hours of flying and the weather looked like it’d cooperate for
the runway lights blurred in the the rest of the week. Having carefully negotiated five days
drizzle and we were shoved into the murky skies. away from our toddler with the Head of Domestic Ops,
We were committed to the flight, as I was to the I didn’t want to have to return to Andrewsfield at a later
upcoming week, ready or not… date because weather had stopped play.
The flight was heading for Stansted but my final My instructor and classmate were already getting to
destination was to be Andrewsfield Aviation, just a few know each other as I breezed into Andrewsfield’s bright
miles down the road at Saling Airfield, where I was Millibar lounge. Bob Gardner, my instructor for the week,
signed up for the Class Rating Instructor (CRI) course. is highly experienced, with a range of knowledge which I
We pilots are largely a self-assured bunch but as I hadn’t come across before. He’s flown for the airlines, been a
thumbed through the notes that Andrewsfield had sent training captain for a large corporate flight department, has
me weeks earlier, I really wasn’t sure that I’d done enough piloted Gulfstreams in the US and now, when he isn’t
prep work. There were technical revision questions, instructing, tours and aerobats his Citabria around Europe.
briefing notes, learning theory and ‘patter’ notes to be As an instructor, nothing escapes Bob and he’s a mine of
read. At home, I’d prepared my first long briefing on wisdom. My classmate, Alex, was a local lad with a Piper
tailwheel operations as best I could. But, really, what Arrow who had significantly more time in his logbook than
did I know about briefings? As for my flying, I had the I did – that would be evident throughout the week.
required 300 hours but what seemed to have been the Andrewsfield likes to run its CRI course with two
longest winter ever and life’s general exertions meant students, where possible, and I think it’s an excellent idea.
that I really wasn’t as sharp as I should’ve been. Having someone else in the classroom is great as it
I’d first heard of the CRI rating on the FLYER Forums promotes discussion and aids learning – for instance, it’s
many years earlier, long before I was eligible to take the really useful to have an another person participating and
course. The CRI isn’t a common qualification in Ireland critiquing your briefings. It also means that each student
so I went off and did a bit of research, finding it an gets an opportunity to act as observer on the other’s
interesting rating, in that it’s significantly less costly and training flights, again maximising the learning
time-consuming than the Flight Instructor (FI) course, but opportunities, and I learned quite a lot from watching
it does have limited privileges. The greatest of those is you Alex at work in the front.
can’t teach ab initio students but, surprisingly, that still With the introductions over, there was just enough time
leaves quite a bit you can use the rating for – SEP training for me to order a coffee and head to the classroom. On
and revalidations by experience, and tailwheel and complex paper it seemed like a short course but there’s a lot to get
sign-offs can all be done by a CRI. With suitable training through and so there would be very little time for loitering
and approvals, a CRI can also provide aerobatic training. and nattering in the Millibar. One FLYER Forum user
Above My CRI instructor, Bob Gardner (left), and fellow student, Alex, enjoying one of my “hilarious” jokes
Training
“SEP revalidations
by experience,
and tailwheel and
complex sign-offs
can all be done
Above Andrewsfield, home to the B-26 Marauders of the
USAAF Ninth Air Force during WWII and my berth for the week by a CRI…”
mentioned being stood in front of the classroom whiteboard For most pilots, three hours of regular flying isn’t much
within an hour of his arrival, and he wasn’t far off the mark. but on the CRI course, you’re learning during every minute
Bob started out with a general discussion of the CRI and of each flight. The most attention is given to manoeuvres
our likely roles and responsibilities, then it was straight into which pilots may not have recently practised but have the
how to brief a lesson. Before we knew it, we were up front greatest influence on safe handling. We spent much of the
and delivering briefings ourselves. I’d always expected that course looking at stalling, steep turns, PFLs, power loss on
the course would be an intensive few days but those first take-off and also reviewing circuit work. The CRI course
hours in the classroom really opened my eyes to the work doesn’t cover the entire PPL flight syllabus so emphasis is
which every instructor goes through to earn the right to given to those key flight areas. However, during the CRI
teach, whether be they be a CRI or an FI. Completing the training you’re certainly developing the teaching skills to be
CRI successfully would require a lot of focus on my part. able to address other parts of the PPL syllabus, as required.
Our first flying sortie was to look at the teaching of
stalling but we started to learn before a key was even put in
the ignition. Bob ran through the checklist meticulously, Armchair flying
narrating or ‘pattering’ through each item carefully, calling Back on the ground after the airborne session, I had lunch
out not just the check but what exactly we were checking and then it was back to the classroom for more briefings,
for. One of the ideas that came through very strongly, early theory and discussion. We typically finished around
on in the course, is that CRIs are role models so we should 1700-1800 but for me, at that point, the day was far from
strive to be exemplary in our approach to flying safely, from over. I’d head for nearby Braintree, for dinner and to make
our use of checklists to maintaining an excellent lookout. some phone calls home, then return to the airfield and hit
Above Definitely not on holiday! This was my evening, bedtime and breakfast reading for the week…
Training
“I struggled with the If your memories of classrooms are of nodding off in stuffy
lecture halls or doodling to pass the time, you’ll find none
of that on the CRI course. Discussion and active
patter and flying the participation by everyone in the room means that by
1800 you’ll find yourself wondering where the day went.
aeroplane, and after

The course was going well and I was thoroughly
enjoying being immersed in an environment I love, that
is until I appeared to hit a wall on the Wednesday
two or three circuits morning. We climbed into the Warrior, to do some

circuit instruction, and everything quickly unravelled for
it became very
me. I struggled with the patter and flying the aeroplane,
and after two or three circuits it became very apparent
that I simply wasn’t able to get ahead of myself.
apparent that I Bob and I agreed it that it was probably best for Alex
and I to swap seats, to allow me to regroup. Sitting in the
simply wasn’t able to

back as Alex ‘instructed’ Bob around the circuit I found
myself fighting massive self-doubt; questioning my very
abilities as a pilot. The brain is funny thing – I think my
get ahead of myself” subconscious desire to do well and pass the course was
fuelling my self-doubt but it was the same motivation
which allowed me to remain PIC of my own head and
to come up with a plan.
the books – revising the day’s materials, preparing briefs The ever-patient Bob agreed that a bit of circuit work,
and ‘armchair flying’ the various flight manoeuvres. just spending time with the aeroplane, would be a good
I was staying in Andrewsfield’s new mobile home idea, and after another session in the classroom that’s
and being on the airfield all of the time really helped exactly what we did. That afternoon, we got back into
to keep my mind on the course, although I’m sure Mike Golf for some circuits. With the departure briefing
that Millibar’s punters were a little bemused to see complete, I lined up on R27 left and advanced the
an Irishman walking circuit patterns in the dark, throttle. Switching into my old PPL student mode, I
mumbling his patter to imaginary students. focused on my attitude flying, as Bob suggested, and
The format of the each day was largely the same just narrated my way around the circuit as I used to
– classroom, airborne detail and then back to the with my old FI. By the time I was climbing away from
whiteboard in the afternoon, for more discussion and my first touch-and-go I was feeling much, much happier.
briefings. Despite the greater proportion of the course When we’d reached the second downwind leg, Bob was
being theoretical instruction it’s in no way ‘dry’ and the asking why I hadn’t just done exactly the same thing in
whole thing is a very practical and engaging experience. the morning. Even my old student narration was just the
Right My early attempts at briefing

a PFL exercise
Training
Above Every minute in the air during the course was utilised – here Alex (right) is demontrating to ‘Student Bob’ (left) how to
make a nice stabilised approach
right amount of patter. With the ‘real’ David back in the

right seat, we continued flying the morning’s training and
when we finally shut down down for the day I was feeling
much more confident.
I spent that evening preparing as best I could. Using
the last bit of the sunset, I climbed aboard the resting
Warrior, imagined myself at 3,500ft and then pattered my
way through lessons on steep turns and stalling. Talking
through the exercises in the slowly shadowing cabin, I
made note of the importance of having a clear picture of
the lesson sequence to maintain a logical flow, not just for
the student’s benefit but also to make my workload easier.
The dew was forming as I patted Mike Golf goodnight
and headed back to the mobile home, to practise and
polish my long briefing.
The big day dawns

I was up bright and early on the day of the test, had Above Carol Cooper, Andrewsfield Aviation’s CFI & Head
breakfast and took a short stroll around the airfield, of Training, who also possesses some fine acting skills!
and it was back to the books for some more study before
my final classroom session with Bob and Alex. We spent which I duly channeled. Briefing complete, it was out to
the morning delivering our long briefs – mine was titled my new best friend, Mike Golf, then Carol slowly but
Introduction to Tailwheel Operations and Alex’s Factors conscientiously went through the start-up checks. I’d been
Affecting Student Learning. very attentive to Bob during the week and it paid off as I
Before we knew it, lunchtime arrived, making it almost gently picked up Carol’s deliberate omissions.
exam time. Alex, who lived just up the road, was scheduled Carol stayed ‘in character’ all the way to the local flying
to take it the following week – oh, how happily I’d have area – she was being ever so slightly slow, as a rusty pilot
swapped. We had a bit of lunch together, wished each might be. It was a little unsettling how well she played the
other good luck and farewell, and then it was time. part but at the same time it made the flight test easier for
My examiner was Andrewsfield’s renowned CFI & Head me as it allowed me to relax fully into the role of CRI,
of Training, Carol Cooper. Having given over 20,000 without feeling the pressure of assessment. I really shouldn’t
hours of instruction, all in light aircraft, there isn’t much have been at all surprised, given Carol’s experience, but
that needs to be said about Carol’s talents except that she’s the flight test itself truly was a masterclass. ‘Student Carol’
a most convincing actor. With the CAA examination made good progress through the steep turns and so we
formalities dealt with, Carol easily slipped in to the role moved on to other portions of the test, including various
of a rusty, less-than-confident PPL who was apprehensive stalling exercise, a practice forced landing and engine
of steep turns. And so the scene was set… failure on take-off.
I started by giving a lesson brief on steep turns, one I could hear Bob’s voice in my head quite a bit, especially
that had been delivered by Alex earlier in the week, when I tried to explain something to Student Carol while
Training
Above she was flying, which is a teaching no-no. As Bob had Next, Student Carol asked me to demonstrate a circuit
Having a explained, if you want to teach your student a point, you to her and then had me patter her around it. One last
quiet word
fly the aeroplane, thus giving them back some brain circuit, and a less-than-perfect flapless approach from me,
with my first
PA-28 steed, capacity to process what you’re saying. So I did. I took and we were back on the ground. After one hour and thirty
Mike Golf, on back the aeroplane from Student Carol with the necessary minutes of flying, I was still a good bit away from finding
the morning “I have control” and explained the point again. In any out whether I was good enough.
of the test assessment situation, it’s always better to acknowledge an
Above right
error and rectify it than hope an examiner didn’t notice.
I passed! All
that was Routing back to the circuit, I asked Student Carol how The debrief…
left was to she was feeling after the exercise, mindful that she’d spoken Back in the briefing room, Student Carol and I discussed
navigate the earlier about a lack of confidence, rather than a lack of and debriefed the lesson – by the way, she was feeling
Irish Aviation
knowledge. It’s a question I would naturally have asked much more confident about steep turns.
Authority’s
paperwork but Carol’s approach to role-playing the student meant Next up was my long briefing, which was indeed a
that she elicits the very best from you as test candidate. little lengthy and so I just spoke quickly – something
which comes easy for an Irishman!
The various oral exam theory questions included
asking me to explain that old chestnut the Standard
More training options like this… Overhead Join. I have to admit I fumbled the details a
little but it clearly wasn’t a disaster because, after all the
There are a number of excellent locations study, the walking around in circles talking to myself
around the country offering CRI training but and my horrendous performance the previous morning,
if giving instruction isn’t for you there are Examiner Carol informed me that I’d passed! I was so
plenty of other ways to develop your skills. relieved, incredulous, proud and humbled, all in one,
The Night Rating is a popular post-PPL and produced a sighing smile.
rating which allows you to explore the I certainly didn’t give a perfect performance and
magic of flying after dark. It builds on Examiner Carol chided me for missing some of her
what you’ve learned on the PPL course Student errors while being ‘red hot’ at spotting other
and if you’re thinking of turning pro, the omissions. During her test debrief, Carol’s learning
Night Rating is a mandatory requirement. points and feedback were well made – along with the
I think that every pilot should try at least one observations made by Bob during the week, they’re
aerobatic lesson and if you like it, take some more and work already being incorporated into my flying.
towards your EASA Aerobatic Rating. There’s nothing like It had been a demanding few days and I definitely
looking upwards, above your head, and seeing the ground! could’ve been more prepared before starting but the
Should you encounter more challenging weather conditions CRI course is one of the most rewarding things I’ve
when flying under Visual Flight Rules (VFR), the IR(R) Rating, done as a pilot, and to develop my flying skills, even
which is commonly referred to as the ‘IMC Rating’, allows you if I never actually get to train a student.
to continue your flight and land. My flight back to Shannon that Friday evening was
While there are now a number of places offering ‘Advanced so very different to my outbound trip. Exhausted but
PPL’ courses, don’t forget, you don’t have to wait until your satisfied, my notes stayed in my bag and I just drank in
revalidation flight to book a session with your local instructor. the sunlight and cloud-foam scrolling past my window.
The chances are that your original FI still has lessons which Craning to catch the last heat of the West Clare sunset
will benefit you and much wisdom to impart. As my granny during our final approach, I realised that, apart from
used to say, “Education is never a waste”! when departing on our honeymoon, I’d never felt so
proud while boarding a commercial flight.
life cover
for pilots
Without specialist advice pilots
can often face expensive premium
FIRE
NOMEX
loadings when applying for life cover. Retardant
We can usually secure standard rates
with no aviation exclusions. Pilot Flight Suits
With or without knee pockets.
• Life assurance for your family,
mortgage or business
• We help recreational, commercial,
Pilot
PLB’s &
instructor and student pilots Trackers
• Cover can be arranged
over the phone
• Our insurance advisor holds a PPL
• Online quotes
stein pilot insurance

Pilot Fire
Parachutes Extinguishers
FREEPHONE
0800 5999 101
www.flyingcover.co.uk
Transair
Lifejackets
Designed for
General Aviation use,
in particular use in
light aircraft.
4-6 Man Liferaft

Designed with the European
general aviation pilot in mind.
Solo Pilot
Liferaft
Safety Accident Analysis
State of control
Just what does it mean to be in control? Joe Fournier reasons that,
when you’re talking about being in control during an emergency,
it’s more a state of mind, one from which pilots must try to look
past any distractions and manage an aircraft at the most basic level
P
ermit me to go a little Jedi Therefore, the final separation likely prevent the right cowl door from coming
Master on you. We usually occurred during the impact. completely open. However, when he turned
think of control or being Although the pilot was instrument- on the left crosswind leg, to return to the
in control, as a measure of rated and had recently completed runway, the right cowl door opened
an aircraft parameter such as pitch, instrument currency training, the night completely, and the aeroplane wouldn’t
roll, yaw, airspeed, position. When conditions present at the time of the maintain altitude even with full power, so
those get out of limits, we say that accident, combined with a further lack of he “put the nose back down”. The aircraft
we’ve lost control. But take it deeper, visual references due to the aeroplane’s struck trees, then pancaked and slid
be a little more Jedi Master and location, over a large body of water, sideways, coming to rest in the front yard
‘control’ becomes a state of mind, presented a situation conducive to the of an abandoned house.
one which puts aside all other development of spatial disorientation. The private pilot and one of the
distractions and focuses on what’s ATC had issued instructions to turn passengers suffered minor injuries. Two
most important. This mindset southwest after take-off. However, the passengers received serious injuries, with
encompasses an understanding that, pilot continued past the intended course, one of them being found out of her seat,
in most conceivable circumstances, and the steep bank angle and excessive unconscious, on the floor of the aeroplane,
you need to look past the distractions rate of descent are consistent with a loss shortly after the accident – she died about
and manage the flight of the aircraft of control due to spatial disorientation. six months later. During the investigation,
at the most basic level before you it couldn’t be determined if that passenger
address anything else. had properly used the restraint system, as
Accident 2 it was found unlatched, with the seatbelt
On the day of the accident, a line service portion of the assembly extended.
Accident 1 technician had disconnected the aircraft Examination of the wreckage revealed
The instrument-rated commercial pilot from a battery charger. Then, as he no evidence of any pre-impact failures or
departed from an airport next to the Gulf always did, the technician left the right malfunctions of the aeroplane or its
of Mexico with IFR clearance for a access door open, which provided a path engine which would have precluded
cross-country in night VMC. The pilot to the fuel control unit, fuses, fuel line, oil normal operation. However, it was
continued south-southwesterly, climbing line, and battery charging port. He then discovered that the right access door
to about 900ft over the Gulf, then entered towed the aeroplane from the storage hadn’t been closed and latched by the
a steep right turn. The aircraft then hangar and parked it in front of the pilot before take-off. Examination of the
descended at a steep rate and hit the water airport’s terminal building. right access door’s latches and clevis
in a nose-low attitude. Post-accident The three passengers turned up first, keepers found them to be functional.
examination of the recovered wreckage, and about thirty minutes later the pilot There was no indication of overstress or
including flight controls, engines and arrived. He uploaded his navigational deformation, which would have been
propellers, revealed no evidence of charts and did a pre-flight check, “which present if the access door had been forced
pre-impact failure or malfunction. was normal”, as were the engine start, taxi open due to air loads in-flight, or during
Although the outlet fuel line from the and engine run-up. The wing flaps were set the impact sequence. Further examination
left auxiliary fuel pump was found to be to 10°. After lift-off, the pilot “retracted the also revealed that the battery-charging
separated and there was evidence that the landing-gear” and continued to climb. port cover, which was inside the
B-nut was loose and had been only Shortly thereafter, the right cowl door compartment that the right access door
secured by the first two threads, recorded partially opened, and started “flopping” up allowed entry to, hadn’t been placed and
data from the engine monitor revealed no and down by 3-4 inches, in both directions. secured, indicating that the pre-flight
loss of power from either powerplant. The pilot reduced the torque, to try and inspection wasn’t properly completed.
A checklist which was supplied by a
simulator training provider was found
“Look past the distractions and by the pilot’s seat station. Examination
of the checklist revealed that under the
section titled, ‘Exterior Pre-Flight’,
manage the flight of the only one item was listed, and this stated,
‘Exterior pre-flight… complete’. Both
Mark Mitchell
sides of the checklist also stated that it

aircraft at the most basic level” was ‘FOR SIMULATOR TRAINING
PURPOSES ONLY’. A copy of the
aeroplane manufacturer’s POH was found
in a cabinet behind the pilot’s seat, where
it wasn’t accessible from the pilot’s station.
“The pilot had allowed
A review of the POH revealed that it
contained detailed guidance regarding himself to become distracted
by the open access door”
the aircraft’s pre-flight check procedure.
Additionally, it was discovered that the
landing-gear was in the ‘down and locked’
position, which would’ve produced excess
drag, degrading the aeroplane’s ability
to accelerate and climb. The findings flight. Based on witness descriptions and the open baggage door during the flight
indicated that the pilot hadn’t retracted physical evidence, it’s likely that the pilot and, as a result, didn’t maintain adequate
the landing-gear, as he’d thought that failed to ensure that the forward baggage airspeed while on the downwind leg, which
he did, as the handle was still in the compartment door was closed, latched and resulted in the aeroplane exceeding its
down position. secured during his pre-flight inspection. critical angle of attack and then going into
A review of recorded data from the The pilot likely became distracted by an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude.
aeroplane’s avionics system also indicated
that it had roughly followed the runway
heading while climbing, until it reached Fournier’s analysis
the end of the runway. The pilot had then
entered a left turn and allowed the bank With all of these accidents, if the pilot could have looked past the distractions, they would
angle to rise to about 45°, and angle of have realised that each aircraft was still capable of safely completing its flight. That’s why
attack to increase to about 8°, which you might think of control as a state of mind, but for it to be so, you have to know exactly
caused the airspeed to decrease below the what you want from the aircraft and the inputs required to get the desired results.
stalling speed, which would’ve been Developing this type of clarity will mean that, if there’s any deviation from your
around twenty per cent higher than intended path, you’ll be able to spot it. Taking the concept further, when you aren’t
normal due to the increased load factor meeting your targets, more time must be spent on maintaining control and less on
from the steep turn. everything else. Follow that to its logical conclusion and if you’re struggling for control,
The aeroplane then entered an you drop every task which isn’t related to maintaining it, so no radio transmissions,
aerodynamic stall, indicating that the troubleshooting or making rushed manoeuvres to facilitate a quick return to the runway.
pilot had allowed himself to become Conversely, if things are going normally, you’ll be able to devote a fair bit of your
distracted by the open access door, rather time to tasks which aren’t related to maintaining control. However, when things do
than concentrating on maintaining start coming apart, remember there’s no future in worrying about problems which are
control of the aircraft. sixty seconds ahead of you when there are issues to be tackled immediately.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t touch on these accidents’ prevention angle, but we aren’t
going to dig too deeply into the concept as it deserves its own treatment, another time.
Accident 3 The causes of all three of them are entirely foreseeable or preventable.
The private pilot was departing on a Night take-off over dark terrain/water should scream spatial disorientation risks.
cross-country flight when, shortly before Doors and hatches, although they’re probably on a checklist, need to be inspected during
rotating for lift-off near midfield, the your final once-over of ‘killer’ items. Of course, a problem which has never existed is the
forward baggage compartment door easiest to fix, but we all make mistakes, and we have to be ready to recover from them.
opened. The pilot continued the take-off Spatial disorientation is its own class of loss of control. It’s easy to say, in effect,
on the runway heading to about 100ft ‘straighten up and fly right’, until the day where up seems down and your grip on
AGL before entering a left turn. The maintaining control is slipping away with every passing second. Although instrument
aircraft continued to turn left until it was flying proficiency is vital for those with instrument ratings, and a basic understanding
on a downwind heading, and then entered of the subject is a good idea for all pilots, it’s interesting to consider what role automation
an aerodynamic stall/spin and descended plays, both in helping to counter and provoke spatial disorientation.
nose-down, hitting the ground. Automation can be a factor in causing spatial disorientation when it results in something
Flight track data revealed that the unexpected. More often than not, this is caused by the pilot making an incorrect GPS or
aeroplane’s ground speed had decreased autopilot input, and results in something which is unexpected but not necessarily unsafe or
from 84kt to 1kt during the final four out of control. The classic response is to revert to hand-flying the aircraft, which can work
seconds of the flight, which was consistent but might be a tall order for a pilot who may already be struggling to maintain control.
with it entering an aerodynamic stall/spin. Just as when you’re flying without automation, you have to know exactly what you want
None of the witnesses reported hearing and how to push the right buttons to get the desired result. In reality, that doubles your
any engine anomalies during the flight. training burden as you have to learn with and without the automation. However, if a pilot is
The post-accident investigation skilled and proficient with their autopilot, it can be a powerful tool to help maintain control.
determined that the forward baggage For example, engaging the autopilot in heading and pitch mode for the climb would be a
compartment door had separated during powerful tool to help keep the bank in check and thus allow you the necessary time to
the aeroplane’s impact. The door manage the aircraft’s systems and stay in total control.
mechanism was found unlatched and There are many moments where quick thinking is needed but the actions required
unlocked. No anomalies were found with aren’t usually so time-critical. With the two hatch-opening accidents, the final straw
the forward baggage door’s latch was the pilots’ abrupt actions. While there may be occasions when acting quickly can
mechanism, key-lock or frame’s catch/ help, experience suggests it’s more likely to lead to a loss of control.
receptacle which would’ve precluded it So although it may feel like you’re doing nothing in these kinds of situation, focusing
from being properly secured before the on maintaining or regaining control is actually everything.
Safety Accident Reports
Flare factors…
Joe Fournier summarises and comments on accident reports from
around the world, and takes a look at Garmin’s inReach Mini, which
offers real-time satellite-tracking, emergency alerts and messaging
How did that happen? outside air temp along the route had been and re-latch the canopy to no avail and
Piper PA-28R-200 Cherokee Arrow high, and so he’d “increased the mixture to decided to return to his departure airport.
G-RACO cool the engine down multiple times”. After extending the landing-gear on
Manchester/Barton Airport As he approached his destination, the final, the Lancair lost speed, and the
Injuries None engine began “coughing for three-to-four descent rate increased. He applied full
The pilot was receiving instruction as part minutes” before stopping. The pilot power, but landed hard and short of the
of a type conversion to the PA-28R, having intended to land at his destination airport runway, and the landing-gear collapsed.
previously flown the Focke-Wulf P.149 but was unable to reach it, and so made a The pilot reported that the Lancair
and Yak-55. During the first circuit, he forced landing in a mud-filled drainage had an aftermarket, drop-down step kit
configured the Cessna for landing and channel about half a mile north. which had been removed – however, the
maintained a small amount of throttle An inspector examined the Cessna’s brackets which extended into the baggage
once over the threshold. The pilot reported fuel system at the crash site and reported compartment had been overlooked. Those
that when he flared the aircraft he realised that both fuel tanks were found empty, were attached to the canopy latching
he was too high and lowered the nose, as with about half a cup at the bottom of the mechanism, and he believed his dog
directed by the instructor. left tank, after removing the sump drain. accidentally hit the protruding brackets,
The PA-28R abruptly pitched nose- The pilot said that the accident could have inadvertently opening the canopy in flight.
down, hit the grass runway and the nose been prevented by the use of dipstick “for NTSB Probable Cause The pilot’s
landing-gear collapsed. The wing structure better measurement of fuel quantity”. inability to maintain the landing flare
deformed around the main landing-gear NTSB Probable Cause Improper resulted in a hard landing, short of the
mounts. The pilot assessed that he’d stalled pre-flight fuel-planning, resulting in a loss runway. The cockpit canopy opening in
during the flare, which caused the abrupt of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. flight contributed to the accident.
pitch down. However, the FI considered Comment Fuel-planning is just a series Comment It doesn’t take a bad dog to
that it was caused by a too pronounced of assumptions. From quantity to caps, to make a flight more interesting than it
forward input, also stating it wouldn’t have rate of consumption and everything in needs to be. Take a critical look around a
been possible to react in time to avert between. Even with the best of equipment, typical cabin and a baggage compartment,
the accident. Both considered that a we make assumptions, and it goes and it isn’t difficult to spot unsecured items
contributory factor to the high flare was downhill from there. Testing and which could pose a hazard.
that most of the pilot’s experience was on cross-checking assumptions is vital to
types with much higher seating positions. ensure that a false one doesn’t bite you.
Comment As with many handling Hats off
errors, this situation developed quickly, CGS Hawk Ultralight
which deprived the pilots of time to come Bad dog! N618ER
to a shared understanding of what was Lancair Legacy St Mary’s, Kansas, USA
happening and, importantly, limited the N145JG Injuries Two serious
time the FI might’ve had to respond. Friday Harbor, Washington, USA The pilot and passenger planned a short
Injuries Minor flight around the traffic pattern. Shortly
The pilot reported that, before a local after take-off, as the pilot turned
Fuellish assumptions flight, he placed the aeroplane’s wing and downwind, he heard a “crack” and the
Cessna C177RG canopy covers, and his small dog, in the engine started to vibrate then lose power.
N8053G baggage compartment. During the initial He applied power, but it didn’t respond.
Byron, California, USA climb, after retracting the landing-gear, He turned sharply left and then tried to
Injuries None the cockpit canopy, which tips forward for stop the turn and descend, but the Hawk
According to the pilot, he was flying entry, came unlatched and opened to continued down until it hit the ground.
400nm cross-country. He reported that the about a 45° angle. He attempted to close A witness saw two objects fall from
the Hawk just after the engine sound
“stopped” and both were subsequently
“The pilot believed his dog retrieved. The first was the passenger’s
knitted hat, the top of which was “chewed
accidentally hit the brackets,

up” and had a line burnt/melted into it,
while the other was one of the prop blades.
NTSB Probable Cause The loss of
opening the canopy in flight” engine power due to a prop failure when
the passenger’s hat left the cockpit and hit
Fuel system components for amateur built and certified aircraft
-designed for performance, engineered for reliability and built to last.
FUEL SELECTORS PUMPS & FILTERS

GASCOLATORS CHECK & DRAIN VALVES
Telephone: +44 (0)23 9247 3945

www.andair.co.uk
www.facebook.com/AndairLTD
www.armstrongaviationclothing.com
New 100% cotton pilots shirt
Supplying uniform clothing to the aviation industry.
Call: +44(0)115 850 8130
Email: enquiries@aacuniforms.co.uk
www.armstrongaviationclothing.com
· 100% cotton · Quality ‘Minimum Iron finish fabric’
· Short & Long sleeved - slimmer fit style
Available Now
Contact us on 0115 930 5290
Safety Accident Reports
“The first object was the
the three-bladed pusher propeller,
separating one of the propeller blades.
Comment Classic flying helmets and the
like may seem a bit over the top, but
accidents such as this illustrate the point
that appropriate flying gear has a purpose.
passenger’s knitted hat, the
top of which was ‘chewed up’”
Just pull the breaker…
Cessna T210M
N1215M Comment Going off script, especially Post-accident examination didn’t find
Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, USA when dealing with system malfunctions any anomalies which would’ve precluded
Injuries None and procedures, needs to be done very normal operation. The wreckage
The pilot reported that, before the cautiously. The unintended consequences distribution and impact damage indicated
accident flight, the Cessna had been of pulling breakers and disabling systems that the C23 collided with the trees in a
experiencing intermittent landing-gear can catch us out when we least expect it. nose-low attitude consistent with a loss of
problems and its purpose was to take the control. Damage to the wings precluded an
aeroplane to a maintenance facility for accurate measurement of the fuel onboard
examination. He added that, before the Full-flap take-off but some was found in the carb bowl and
flight, the landing-gear circuit breaker Beechcraft C23 fuel pump, and the damage to several tree
was pulled out, “in order to keep the gear N20087 branches was consistent with the engine
in the down position and eliminate the Osage Beach, Missouri, USA still operating when it hit the trees.
gear warning horn” for the flight. Injuries Two fatal The flaps were found fully extended,
While landing, the pilot noticed that The commercial pilot was flying his which is the proper setting for landing.
the left wing dropped slightly after newly-purchased C23 home, cross- For take-off, the flaps should have been
touchdown, and corrected with aileron country. After a flight of about 560nm, fully retracted, consequently, that would
to maintain the runway centreline. which would’ve taken about 5hr and have added a significant amount
Shortly thereafter, the pilot could feel consumed at least 51 of the 58.8 usable of drag and degraded the C23’s climb
the right main landing-gear (MLG) gallons of fuel, an airport employee performance. It’s likely that the pilot
slowly collapse. He was unable to keep heard him on the CTAF, announcing forgot to retract the flaps after landing
the Cessna on the centreline and it left his intention to land. The Beech landed and took off with them extended.
the runway, coming to rest upright with but didn’t taxi to the ramp. The employee NTSB Probable Cause The pilot’s
the right MLG collapsed, and a bent tried to communicate with the pilot over loss of control while manoeuvring,
right horizontal stabiliser. the CTAF, but the return transmissions shortly after take-off. The pilot’s attempt
During a post-accident examination, were garbled. The Beech then departed to climb with the flaps fully extended
the landing-gear was retracted and on R04, and the employee heard no contributed to the loss of control.
extended many times. Each retraction further transmissions from the pilot. Comment Although properly
proved normal but repeated gear extension No witnesses to the subsequent configuring for take-off is on the list of
cycles resulted in the left MLG and nose accident were identified. The wreckage ‘killer’ items that need to be checked,
landing-gear extending and locking, and was discovered in a heavily wooded area making this error doesn’t have to end
the right MLG extending with no about 1,000ft east of the departure end of in a loss of control. Treat it as you would
movement from the downlock actuator. R04, a location consistent with the pilot a low altitude go-around with full flap,
The latter was removed for examination, turning right during initial climb before managing your airspeed at all costs and
which proved difficult After removal, the the Beech descended and hit the ground. carefully retracting the flaps.
actuator released, and its internal spring
mechanism freely moved the actuator.
The actuator was disassembled and no
internal problems were noted. Safety kit
According to the Pilot’s Operating
Handbook, Section 3, ‘Emergency Garmin inReach Mini
Procedures, Landing Gear Malfunction £260 RRP | www.garmin.com
Procedures’, the landing-gear pump
circuit breaker was to be positioned to the Satellite communicators have gone from a high-end
‘in’ position for all malfunction scenarios. device to something which a pilot who makes long
NTSB Probable Cause Malfunction of flights might find useful and affordable. Operating in
the right main landing-gear actuator, for three distinct roles, they function as emergency comms
reasons which couldn’t be determined devices, sending an SOS at the push of a button,
because post-accident examination providing an electronic breadcrumb trail and allowing
revealed no mechanical anomalies that two-way text messaging. The inReach Mini is an
would’ve precluded normal operation. evolution of Garmin’s line which, at roughly half the size
Contributing to the accident was the of its predecessors, eschews the larger map-friendly
improper decision to disengage the screen and just focuses on core functions, namely
landing-gear system circuit breaker before emergency alerting, real-time tracking and messaging.
the flight, which was contrary to the It’s good to see Garmin contining to refine its offerings.
manufacturer-recommended procedures.
PROVIDING
INSURANCE
SOLUTIONS...
SIMPLY
AVIATION INSURANCE BROKERS
HAYWARD AVIATION
+44 (0)20 7902 7800 | www.haywards.net
Hayward Aviation is a trading name of JLT Specialty Ltd. Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. A member of the Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group.
Registered Office: The St Botolph Building, 138 Houndsditch, London EC3A 7AW. Registered in England No. 01536540. VAT No. 244 2321 96. © May 2018 • 276986
Day
Stripper
FLYING ADVENTURE
Paul Kiddell and a fellow member of his

EuroStar syndicate prove that you can have a lot
of fun visiting some Scottish strips on a sunny day
S ometimes the UK’s weather surprises
you, with a forecast that isn’t only flyable but is also
positively outstanding. After a very wet winter, a period
of settled high pressure resulted in much chin-rubbing
among pilots – where to go and what to do? Faced by a
forecast of light winds and horizon-to-horizon sunshine,
it’s easy to fly the well-trodden path to your favourite
lunch destination, but for me, it’s an opportunity to be
adventurous and explore pastures new.
The second week of May has been wonderful, and after
discussing options with my flying partner, Steve Biglands,
we settle on a day of stripping in northeast Scotland. Steve
and I are part of a four-man syndicate with a 2007 EV-97
EuroStar, G-CEVS, based at Eshott in Northumberland.
He’s a former RAF QFI who’s well-known for his role as a
Victor Captain in Operation Black Buck, the bombing of
Port Stanley on Falkland Islands, by Vulcan XM607 on
1 May 1982. The 6,800nm mission was then the longest
bombing raid in history and required eleven Victor
air-to-air refuelling tankers. Steve was programmed as
the long-slot tanker but while refuelling amid a powerful
electrical storm over the South Atlantic, the tip of his
refuelling probe snapped off in extreme turbulence. Steve
and his crew had to give their fuel away to another Victor
and returned to Ascension Island with very little reserve.
After eight years on Victors, Steve instructed on Jet
Provosts, and then Strikemasters and PC-9s in Saudi
Arabia, before finishing his career on Grob Tutors at
Leuchars. And that would have probably been that for
Steve’s flying, until he discovered the highly affordable
and somewhat wacky world of microlighting, which has
seen him add such new experiences as beach and small-
strip landings to his extensive aviation repertoire.
At Eshott, G-CEVS is soon pre-flighted and fuelled
from jerry cans with standard garage forecourt unleaded,
our 80hp Rotax 912 preferring UL-91 or Mogas. It’ll take
100LL but prolonged use does cause issues with lead
fouling and, as result, reduced service intervals.
Strip-flying requires careful planning and prior contact
with owners is absolutely essential. We’re briefed on slope,
the latest ground conditions, grass length, livestock and
noise-sensitive properties. Some of our targets are in the
VFR flight guides but others aren’t – happily, northern
and Scottish flyers are a pretty tight-knit community and
contacts are easily made.
A gin-clear day
Steve flies the first leg as we set off for Hatton, a farm strip
south of Peterhead on the Scotland’s northeast coast. It’s a
gin-clear day and we climb to 2,000ft as we head up the
glorious Northumberland coast at 95mph, burning a measly
ten litres per hour. We fly over 1,000 or so Atlantic grey
Flying Adventure
Previous page Insch

Above Dunnottar
Castle, south of
Stonehaven
Left Berwick-
upon-Tweed
Right Hatton airstrip
Bottom left Penan
Below right Bass Rock
Bottom right Steve
at Boyndie
Flying Adventure
seals basking on the sandbars in Holy Island Bay, which is a

good indicator that northeast fish stocks are healthy as each
one consumes about 25lb per day.
“We’re surprised
England’s most northerly town, Berwick-upon-Tweed, is
looking good as we pursue an East Coast Main Line train to discover three
large hares on the
that’s going over the magnificent Royal Border Bridge of
1850, with its 28 arches, each of which spans some 60ft.
The flying is very smooth as we talk to our friendly
controller, Paul Aspin at Scottish Information. The
procedure at Scottish Info is a very relaxed affair and
certainly a far cry from the exceptionally busy London
edge of the strip”
Information which, to be honest, I’ve only ever used to open
a flight-plan. Paul knows many of his regular customers well Cleared to route northbound offshore, not above
and we exchange pleasantries as he updates us on danger 2,000ft, we pass over a large number of brightly-coloured
area activity, weather and known traffic on frequency. North Sea supply vessels, which are sitting off the coast
At North Berwick we climb to 3,500ft to cross the like a modern day D-Day invasion fleet.
nine miles of the Firth of Forth and switch to Leuchars,
which can offer a LARS. We pass Bass Rock, a small A hare-ey landing
volcanic island which extends to some 351ft above the After two hours of relaxed flying, we approach Hatton, just
water. Now uninhabited, it was once a 6th century inland from the exceptionally beautiful Cruden Bay, home
hermitage, then a medieval castle which was used as a to one of Britain’s most scenic golf courses. The 650m strip
gaol for King James I’s many political enemies and, is owned by enthusiastic flying farmer Jim Anderson, who
more recently, a lighthouse. Bass Rock is now home to currently pilots a 1976 Robin DR400/140. Today, Jim and
the world’s biggest colony of gannets and a large proportion pilot son, Angus, are away at a Flying Farmers event in the
of its 150,000 resident birds seem to be doing circuits today. Channel Islands but we’re fully briefed and Steve does a
I wouldn’t recommend a low pass! clearing pass for wildlife before setting up for R07. Two
Leuchars has a flight calibrator DA-42 in the circuit small local wind generators tell us it’s an easterly, which
so we’re asked to pass over the MATZ at 3,000 ft. works well as R07 has a two per cent upslope.
Despite Leuchars being handed over to the Army in We’re soon down, and avoid the bottom of the slope
March 2015, it remains an active military airfield and where water may congregate. However, as we go over the
we spy several Tucanos on the pan as we pass over this brow of the slope, we’re surprised to discover three large
historic former fighter base. hares on the edge of the strip. They all decide to make a
After passing over the Royal Marines’ D604 firing run for it across our path until the third one decides to
range on the north side of the Tay, we descend to 1,000ft stop mid-strip and reverse his route. Both hares and crew
for coastal sight-seeing. The coast from Arbroath to are relieved when he makes it to safety.
Aberdeen is very scenic, with rugged cliffs punctuated With Jim away, we don’t hang around and I take off
by small fishing villages, all framed by the Grampians to downhill with a bit of a tailwind. As always in strip flying,
the west. The land is very fertile with many horticultural there are decisions to be made when balancing the slope,
polytunnels growing berries and other soft fruits which approach and departure paths against the prevailing
end up on the shelves of your local supermarket. wind direction and strength. Some decisions may initially
Just south of Stonehaven, we come across the impressive seem to be against conventional wisdom, coming from a
ruins of the 13th century Dunnottar Castle. Perched on an traditional airfield environment, but it makes for an exciting
isolated headland, Dunnottar is another Scottish fortification challenge. At 650m the strip is large and we’re off in no
with a bloody history. William Wallace captured the castle time and head north, to pick up the Moray coast at
from the English in 1297 and reputedly set fire to the church Fraserburgh for a 25-minute flight to Banff.
where the entire sassenach garrison of 4,000 had taken The waters of the Moray Firth are crystal clear as we fly
refuge, burning them all alive. We’re certainly hoping for a low-level along the jagged coast. The picturesque village of
somewhat better reception as we continue north… Pennan looks fabulous. It’s famous as the fictitious Furness
By now we’re talking to Aberdeen Approach, as the in the 1983 film, Local Hero, and still attracts many tourists.
Aberdeen CTA extends to just south of Stonehaven, from I launch into Mark Knopfler’s classic theme, Going Home,
1,500ft to FL115. Aberdeen, the centre of the North Sea oil which is still played at Newcastle United home fixtures.
industry since the mid-seventies, remains very busy and the Steve shows his appreciation for my musical talents by
cheery controller was working hard with multiple North turning his headset volume down.
Sea helicopter arrivals and departures, mixed in with Our next strip, Boyndie, the former RAF Banff, will
regional airliners. Aberdeen has well-established GA potentially be the most challenging of the day as it’s now
coastal transit corridors, running north-south through its home to a large windfarm. From September 1944 to the
CTR, with the northbound Stonehaven corridor taking end of WWII, RAF Banff was home to the Banff Strike
traffic just off-shore and the southbound Peterhead corridor Wing, which consisted of six squadrons of Mosquitos and
routing traffic shore-side, over the city. Beaufighters. They combined with the Beaufighters of
the nearby RAF Dallachy Strike Wing to launch mass, lower our groundspeed. With a tailwind and holding off the
ultra-low-level attacks on U-Boats and German shipping nosewheel, the longer grass and gentle slope stops us in less
in the North Sea and Norwegian fjords, using cannon and than 200m without the need for brakes.
salvos of three-inch rockets. They enjoyed spectacular After taking some pictures, we’re keen to get on and
success and made a significant contribution to the defeat of Steve takes off into wind on R10, passing the turbines a
Nazi Germany by limiting U-Boat operations and denying few hundred metres to the south. To be honest, the turbines
Hitler’s industry such vital raw materials as iron ore. are imposing but with calm winds or a favourable wind
RAF Banff closed at the end of WWII, though there direction they aren’t really a drama, if you have a suitable
was a small revival in the seventies, when the Banff Flying STOL aircraft and make sensible decisions. They do,
Club was formed. To mark the re-opening, in June 1976, however, provide some great pictures to support tall flying
the late, great Neil Williams flew Mosquito RS712 in from stories in the bar! Huge credit to Nigel and Jimmy for
the Sir William Roberts Strathallan Collection. A video keeping flying alive at this historic base.
of the day shows a typically spirited low-level display by
Williams. Interestingly, flying with him was a certain Old comrades
Dick Richardson, then chief engineer at Strathallan, who The next leg of our journey takes us further along the
went on to manage wonderful Popham for some 26 years. Moray coast, to Shempston Farm, which is located over
Today, RS712 is owned by Kermit Weeks, and for the past the fence from RAF Lossiemouth, just short of its R03
few years has been in the EAA Museum at Oshkosh. threshold. The strip is centred on a former Lossiemouth
Sadly, Banff Flying Club had disbanded by the WWII dispersal hangar and, naturally, operations require
early-eighties. In 2006, a windfarm of nine turbines was close co-ordination with Lossie ATC, though today the
installed on the airfield and flying at the site seemed to be RAF station is having a ground-training day and the
finished forever. However, in 2015, Nigel Smith, a Jet2 pilot circuit is quiet. RAF Lossiemouth is also home to the
who flies a rather smart, self-built Murphy Elite, powered Northern Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) force, which has
by a diesel Wilksch WAM-120, and his friend, Jimmy, two live-armed Typhoons that are ready to launch at a
established a grass field on the south side of the disused few minutes’ notice, to react to Russian Air Force activity
R10/28, cutting and rolling to make a smooth 320m x 18m and potential airborne terrorist threats. As a result, we’re
strip, although the TORA/LDA is actually 590m. prepared to be waved off at any time and have plenty of
Clearly, the wind turbines need respect. Positioning diversion fuel.
overhead shows that we’re lucky today as the easterly wind is The wind is strengthening and Lossiemouth reports a
moderate and, importantly, the rotor turbulence from the 10kt crosswind as Steve positions for Shempston’s uphill
windmills to the south of the strip is being carried well away, northerly runway. As expected, we encounter some
out to the west. One turbine is on the extended centreline roll-over turbulence from the trees to the east of the strip
for R10, around 700m short of the threshold. In addition, but land without drama. We receive a fantastic welcome
there’s an uphill gradient of 1.79 on R28. As a result, I opt from our pals, resident flyers John Farquhar and Steve
for the clearer approach on R28, downwind but uphill. Ludman, who’ve prepared a wonderful spread for lunch.
A clearing pass shows that there are no sheep grazing Like many strip-based flyers, the Shempston group
and also allows us to see the two cones marking both ends has endured a long, hard winter, with its two resident
of the smoother surface. We can also judge the grass length Aeronca Champs being firmly grounded for several
on the cones, which is a little long but perfectly do-able. I fly months. But that seems a distant memory as we enjoy
Below Easterton a STOL 55mph approach, instead of at the usual 60mph, to sandwiches, tea and cake in the sun, protected from
the easterly wind by dense trees.
All too soon it’s time to leave our generous hosts, who
kindly supply us with twenty litres of unleaded to get us
home without further refuelling. We have two-way radio
with Lossie on the ground, who report a 14kt easterly.
Taking off downhill, I’m prepared for the strong wind to
hit us as we leave the sanctuary of the tree screen and I’m
not disappointed. But we’re safely off and enjoy a short
low-level flight to Easterton, just ten miles to the south.
Easterton is home to the Highland Gliding Club, the
UK’s most northerly. I’ve PPR’d with its chairman, Robert
Tait, who it transpires also flies a Europa from the site. We
aren’t expecting gliding today but calling on 130.1, are
informed that a classic Pietenpol Air Camper and Fournier
RF-5 are airborne in the local area. We land near the
threshold of the expansive 950m R08 and find that the
strip has recovered really well after the wet winter.
Popping open the EuroStar’s canopy, a chap with a
handheld radio immediately recognises Steve and asks,
Flying Adventure
Top left lunch at

Shempston
Above Iain McDonald’s
1946 Cessna C120
at Easterton
Left Climbing out
of Boyndie
Below middle left
Toni Hauser’s Fournier
at Easterton
Below Pietenpol Air
Camper at Easterton
Bottom left Approach
to Shempston Farm
Bottom At Shempston
Farm – left to right,
Steve Ludman,
Steve Biglands
and John Farquhar
Flying Adventure
“We pass over many more After even more tea in great company, we depart in the
bright sunshine and head for Insch, 35 miles to the southeast.
of the fifty or so distilleries An Insch of whisky

Shortly after take-off, we come across the Coleburn
located amid the beautiful Distillery. Its kilns are topped by the familiar ‘pagodas’
which are synonymous with Scottish distilleries and are
actually called the Doig ventilator. Named after Victorian
rolling hills of Speyside” inventor Charles Doig, their function is to efficiently draw
smoke up through the kiln chimney from the fire that was
drying out the malt (barley) below. Today, only a handful
of the 126 licensed Scotch whisky distilleries boast
“Biggles, what are you doing here?!” It turns out that operational kilns but the pagodas have been retained as
Rick Phillips is a former RAF Buccaneer pilot who also a picturesque nod to the industry’s past.
finished his career flying Grobs from Leuchars with We pass over many more of the fifty or so distilleries
Steve. The old comrades enjoy a catch-up while I wander located amid the beautiful rolling hills of Speyside, before
around and chat to other enthusiastic local flyers. There’s coming across the huge Chivas Brothers bonded warehouse
a wonderful mix of gliding and powered machines at site at Mulben. To qualify as a Scotch whisky, the spirit
Easterton, including Iain McDonald’s brightly-coloured must mature in Scotland, for at least three years, in an
1946 Cessna C120 taildragger. I meet David Kelly, who oak cask. According to the Scotch Whisky Association,
has a Wittman Tailwind and is standing by to chock his there are currently twenty million whisky casks maturing
group’s C90-powered Pietenpol, G-VALS, which arrives in bonded warehouses, with around 1.25 million in the 56
in the hands of Iain Bright. G-VALS is owned by six warehouses at Mulben. It’s no wonder that Scotch Whisky
members and is perhaps the most active Air Camper in accounted for some twenty per cent of all UK food and
the UK, having already flown 35 hours this year, despite drink exports in 2017.
the wet winter. Bernard Pietenpol originally published After an aerial whisky trail, we spot Insch in a gentle
plans for the Air Camper as a four-part serial in the valley about 2nm southwest of the town. Steve joins left base
Flying and Glider Manual of 1932-33 and his timeless for R13, to avoid the nearby village of Leslie. The grass
design is still being built by enthusiasts some ninety strip looks magnificent but as we touch down, a gentle
years after its first flight, which took place in 1928. rumble reveals the runway’s hidden secret. In 2017, after
As we chat, Toni Hausler lands in another aviation many wet years, airfield owner Ken Wood took the plunge
classic, the Fournier RF-5B motor-glider, G-KCIG. and invested heavily in a tiled runway reinforcement
Toni and its co-owner, John Bisset, talk me through the system, CellPave AP from Groundtrax UK. With the grass
features of the 1976 Fournier, including the spoilers and having grown back through the tiles, the resulting runway
Below The Auchroisk the Limbach 1700 engine, which was based on the is very impressive and exceptionally smooth.
distillery, with the ubiquitous air-cooled VW flat-four. Toni plans to do her The airfield is quiet today, but as we’re parking,
bonded warehouse CPL and find work in flying while building experience, Ken pulls up and opens the modern clubhouse. A three-
of Chivas Brothers at
Mulben in the distance
not only in the Fournier and the Club Robin glider tug time Scottish rally car champion – in classic eighties
Below right Coleburn but also in the second Aeronca Champ at Shempston, Triumph TR7 V8, Rover SD1 and MG Metro 6R4 – he
Distillery, Speyside which she again co-owns with John Bisset. established the airfield in 1984. In 1994 Lottery funding
Flying Adventure
helped finance the magnificent clubhouse, which is home to 1830, having enjoyed a wonderful day of stripping with
members of the Grampian Microlight and Flying Club. nearly six hours of challenging and varied flying, meeting
Insch’s hangars are full of around twenty interesting old friends while making new ones.
aeroplanes, ranging from a Pitts and a Luscombe to My good friend, John Stubbs, who’s just visited his
flexwing microlights. A keen pilot, Ken has owned a Jodel 500th different field in his Dynamic, and I estimate that
DR1050 for many years and clearly takes enormous pride there are perhaps 1,500 fixed-wing landing sites in the
in this hotbed of sport aviation. He explains that the UK. Many are in the AFE and Pooleys VFR flight
runway reinforcement was put in during November 2017, guides, Lockyears’ UK ‘Farm’ Strips Guide (though the
to counter the soft ground, and that a small roller was used, latest, sixth edition is now somewhat dated), the internet
which took enormous patience. Of course, even the success and, of course, on SkyDemon but many aren’t. Local
of the reinforcement doesn’t make it bomb-proof and there knowledge pays dividends.
are strict operating restrictions during wet periods, to With a bit of imagination and some research, there
maintain the outstanding surface for the benefit of all. are lots of new and exciting flying adventures which can
We really enjoy Ken’s many interesting and highly be had close to home. Of course, some strips require a
amusing tales of starting, developing and operating a suitable STOL aircraft or microlight but many are
small grass airfield, and resolve to visit again soon. With appropriate for your average club machine.
a day of tea drinking taking its toll, I visit the little boy’s Be honest about your current capabilities and your
room before I fly us home. Insch is just west of the Aberdeen aircraft’s performance, practise your short-field
CTA so we again call busy Aberdeen as we head south, techniques, and if you lack strip-flying experience,
over the hills and under its 3,000ft base. consider finding a suitable instructor to help you to
develop your skills. Very importantly, speak to the
Challenging and varied strip operator, get a detailed brief and adhere to it,
Below returning home With the late-afternoon thermals settling down, we enjoy which will not only keep you safe but also ensure that
over the River Tweed a smooth, 1.8hr ride home and arrive back at Eshott at you receive a warm welcome. Have fun stripping!
Route highlights
4 3
5
6 2
1 Eshott 3 Boyndie 5 Easterton

2 Hatton 4 Shempston 6 Insch
JODEL
Wheels & Brakes

Complete Kit
Piper PA-46
Meridian - Matrix - Malibu - Mirage
EASA STC (FAA STC pending)

Tubeless tires
High performance brakes
Positive pedal response
Progressive brake action
Bolt-on replacement
Other kits available :
STC Piper PA-28
Diamond DA42 UK dealers on :
Cirrus SR22 www.beringer-aero.com
Extra 300/330 +33 492 201 619
Pilatus PC-6
Average saving on the airplane: 3,5 sales@beringer-aero.com
Top Gear The latest aviation kit, impartially tested and evaluated
OSEI Crystal Mic

HHHHH £199 (plus cost of headphones) | www.amazon.co.uk
01 You start with

your choice of
ANR headphones,
and the OSEI
microphone kit
02 The microphone
boom is attached
using strong
magnets which
simply stick on
03 Plug the mic
lead into the audio
connection on the
headphones, and
make sure they’re
01 02 fully charged
04 Go flying! This
is a good way to
repurpose
consumer
headphones if you
already own a pair.
We wonder how
robust the set-up
would prove in
the long-term, as
unlike a dedicated
aviation headset, it
wasn’t specifically
designed for use
in an aircraft
03 04
F
rom time to time, we Assembly was simply a case of With the ANR turned on, the
see FLYER Forum chat plugging the various components headphones were effective at reducing
about using the type of together, and attaching the microphone the in-flight noise level. However, the
ANR headphones you’d boom to an earcup by sticking on a microphone was prone to rotating on
typically find plugged strong disk magnet, which is also a clever its own a little too much for my liking
into an iPod or a phone in a GA way of providing adjustment. Using a – OSEI told me there’s a hexagonal
cockpit. These conversions have mirror, I figured the best position for magnet in the works to fix this – but
been popular with airline pilots, this before permanently fixing it. gave clear audio, and as long as I had
but I haven’t encountered anyone Apart from charging the phones (ours the volume turned up most of the way,
using a set in the GA community. promise a 19hr battery life with the ANR comms were easy to hear.
With several conversion kits on the operating), it’s a case of plug in and use, This set-up is definitely a bargain
market, we went online and picked up just like a regular headset. The way to get low-cost ANR, particularly
the cheapest one we could find, the Sennheisers just about fitted over my ears if you already have over-the-ear
Crystal Mic from OSEI. The company and did a good job of passively sealing consumer headphones which you use
recommends Sennheiser HD 4.50 ANR out noise. I don’t think my ears are any for an iPod or phone, and there’s no
headphones as a combination of best bigger than the ICAO standard, it may question, it can work for GA. They
value and quality, and we picked up a be that aviation headsets are more won’t be for everyone though, and I
pair from Amazon for £139. Searching generously-sized. Over-ear is definitely know some pilots for whom magnetic
around, you can find unbranded units preferable to on-ear, otherwise I can booms and plug-together connections
for £30, but OSEI told us that it’s tested imagine problems with ambient noise may not be robust enough in the long
some in this price bracket and found leakage. The Sennheisers were comfy, term. That said, OSEI offers a five-year
that the noise-cancelling tech was but the narrow headband felt like it might warranty, which covers the replacement
overwhelmed by loud GA cockpits. be a source of pain on longer flights. of up to three units. Ed Hicks
Grypmat Trio Pack
HHHHH £117 | www.airpart.co.uk
W
here do you put aren’t cheap but then good tools never
your tools when usually are. Alternative solutions, such
you’re working on as an old towel or random piece of
your aircraft in the cardboard might get you by, but they
hangar? It’s great to don’t look too professional. If there’s one
be able to take them right to the job, else obvious benefit, it’s that Grypmat helps
you’re forever wandering back and forth keep tools and hardware accessible,
to the toolbox. You can risk putting them secure and as visible as possible. In a
down on some part of the aircraft that’s world where a lost tool can have serious
near to the task, but there’s always the consequences, I’ll happily spend a few
danger of marking or damaging surfaces. extra quid for that alone. Ed Hicks
Plus, unless you own a Zenair 701, there’s
Top Grypmat is
never usually anywhere flat enough to made of flexible
prevent tools from sliding away. polymer-silicone
Dreamt up by US Air Force and conforms and
Engineer, Grypmat is one of those grips to surfaces
at up to 70°. Put
products which gets a universal response items in the tray,
of “Why didn’t I think of that?” The and they stay
mats are made from a flexible polymer- there, too
silicone rubber which doesn’t scratch Above right
The high-quality
paint and holds onto surfaces at up to a mouldings are
70º angle, while keeping tools and chemically-
hardware firmly in place. We twisted, resistant and
rolled, stretched and pulled ours with no washable
Right Three sizes
signs of distress, and if they get dusty or
of Grypmat are
grubby, just throw them under the tap currently available.
and wash with soap and water.
They come in three sizes, from
15 x 30cm to up to 56 x 30cm, and
Top Gear
SEHT SH 40-10 Headset
HHHHH £199 | www.seht.co.uk
C
arbon-fibre is a strong, Right To some,
lightweight wonder carbon-fibre may
look like a gimmick
material, but is there really
but here it’s not
any benefit in making a and makes for an
headset out of it? SEHT extremely light
obviously pondered that and with the headset
Below Shiny!
new SH 40-10, proved there actually is.
Hopefully, that
Apart from the headband’s steel top, glossy carbon
pretty much everything’s carbon-fibre, won’t mark too
and there’s a smaller microphone on a much in use.
thinner boom. All that helps the SH Only the upper
headband uses a
40-10 tip the scales at 300g, around sixty steel part, while a
per cent the weight of comparable plastic smaller mic sits on
and steel units. Picking a pair up for the a slimmer boom
first time, you’ll expect them to be Below right
The headset is
heavier and really notice the reduced
well-constructed,
mass when you move your head. The and its synthetic
synthetic leather ear seals feel great and leather ear seals
are comfy – I’d have liked it to be used on are comfortable
the headpad, which although it does does
an adequate job, just doesn’t look or feel
as nice to the touch. Well, I suspect you
can’t have it all when something’s built to
this price point. Although they’re only
passive-attenuating, the noise reduction is
rated at 22db, typical for a non-ANR
unit, and the audio quality was good
when making and receiving calls.
The headset certainly feels like it’ll
last, though how good that shiny finish
will look after a few hundred hours will
depend on how careful you are. Would
I buy a pair? If I only had £200 to
spend, definitely. They’re easily worth
the extra £50-60 over the most
common low-cost passive units. EH
RunwayMap Auster
Free | www.runwaymap.com £39.95 | www.air-britain.co.uk
O G
ne thing which is obvious etting straight to the point,
from social media outlets, should you have any
is that GA pilots like interest in the Auster and
sharing their flights its history, then buy Tom
online. RunwayMap is a Wenham, Rod Simpson
new mobile app and community which and Malcolm Fillmore’s book, which is
promises info on over 20,000 airports subtitled the Company and the Aircraft.
worldwide, and also gives pilots a place Having once had a share in a J1N
to share photos and videos, specific to (the one illustrated on the cover) I thought
trips and locations, along with ways to I knew a bit about Austers. Well, it turns
pool data about things like places to eat, out I didn’t, and that all sorts of weird
car rental and hotels. There are also and wonderful variants were either built,
links to aviation weather, 3D images of designed or dreamed of before Auster’s
the airport surroundings, webcams and absorption into Beagle Aircraft in 1960.
more. Even better, it’s free to download Fascinating story, fascinating
for iPhone, iPad and Android. EH aeroplane, fascinating book. IS
NFC Half Page Advert B.pdf 1 09/03/2018 14:56
t
.
cers,
e c o m e a n
B t
l i n e P i l o
Air
C
30
3 1 628 29
OW : + 3 5
CALL US N
Y
CM
MY
s CY
National Flight Centre,
Weston Airport,
CMY
ld Leixlip, Co. Kildare

* JUST 20 MINUTES
FROM DUBLIN CITY *
facebook.com/nationalflightcentre
APPROVED twitter.com/nfcops
www.nfc.ie Flight Path To Your Pilot Career operations@nfc.ie
Elevate
your flying
Mobile FliteDeck VFR is the only app
designed strictly for VFR pilots.
• Integrated airport diagrams,
area and enroute charts.
• Easy access to NOTAMs
and METAR/TAF reports.
Visit jeppesen.com/flitedeck-vfr10
for more information.
New South Africa

coverage available.
By Association Looking after General Aviation The UK’s flying associations at work
AOPA Better regulation

Recently, the national press has been and Regulatory Impact Assessments produced. It’s appalling that businesses cannot plan
awash with the UK-EU argument over Ironically, Brexit is likely to have the biggest ahead without any degree of certainty. UK
our future relationship with Galileo, impact on UK aviation but, currently, we politicians need to begin to put this country
Europe’s GPS system. Indeed, the UK have no clear idea how the Government is first, rather then their own ambitions.
has even proposed that building its own approaching this major change. With the country still split on the question
system may be the answer, but where A recent UK Government communication of Europe, in my honest opinion, no party
would the money come from, given the sets out the legal position for March 2019, can hope for a majority in Parliament unless
current concerns over NHS funding should no firm post-Brexit agreement be in it puts ‘the good of the country’ first!
and police and defence budgets? place. Effectively, the UK Government is Martin Robinson
The Cabinet Office is (or was) responsible saying, ‘Aviation is too important, there will
for the maintenance of ‘Better Regulation’, be a solution – trust us’ and I really dislike Aircraft Owners and
which means that the Government amends or that approach. I fear that we’ll see UK Pilots Association
publishes its intentions with regards to rules. and the European Union blame each other www.aopa.co.uk
Firstly, the available options are examined over the eventual outcome.
BMAA Positive engagement

The BMAA 2018 AGM was held on a an opportunity to question and suggest changes year was one of the really good ones. I’m hoping
very flyable day during the Popham and receive guidance. Our AGM proved no that we have equally excellent weather for our
Microlight Trade Fair and Fly-in. different, which isn’t a complaint – it was good SSDR Rally at Enstone over the weekend of
Both proved a great success, with the that this year saw some positive engagement, 13-15 July. The event is open to all, but features
AGM drawing over seventy members after several years of passive acceptance. the Single-Seat Deregulated (hence SSDR)
into a very warm marquee which had Meanwhile, it was lovely outside and aircraft aircraft which now are booming in popularity,
been made available by Popham (our flew all weekend with very few problems. partly as a result of more relaxed licensing
gratitude to Mike Pearson) and free There’s no ATC during the Fair, just a radio requirements. If you’d like to find out more,
BBQ tickets for the first fifty attendees, service and mostly very aware and sensible just visit our website. Geoff Weighell
sponsored by CFS Rotax (huge thanks pilots. I don’t have the final figures to hand, but
to Jon Freedman and his team). I believe there were several hundred aircraft in
British Microlight
An AGM is an opportunity to hear what attendance on the Saturday and a good number Aircraft Association
a governing board has been doing for an the following day. The weather always plays a www.bmaa.org
organisation’s members, and it gives the latter significant part in Popham’s success and this
LAA Endangered species

A recent TV series, The Secret Life of Owls, for plants, insects and associated wildlife. hares break cover when disturbed by a taxying
demonstrated that our airfields are The land surrounding an airfield, although aircraft. Even if there are tarmac runways, the
important assets, in terms of wildlife appearing green, often consists of one or two longer grass around them provides nesting
preservation. It was filmed at Stow intensively-farmed crop species which are cover for such birds as larks and lapwings, as
Maries in Essex, which is home to a ground-sprayed with a cocktail of fertilisers well as mice, voles, and butterflies, bees and
small community of dedicated pilots and insecticides. In contrast, it isn’t in an moths. They, in turn, create an eco-system,
as well as the tawny, little and barn airfield owner’s interest to add artificial and such protected species as sparrowhawks
owls featured in the programme. fertilisers to make the grass grow faster. An and owls take advantage of the food chain.
In the face of ever-increasing planning airfield with grass runways has a mixture of Let’s get the message out there, our airfields
threats, perhaps it’s time to make a stronger longer grass meadowland and shorter mown are now the endangered species! Steve Slater
case for UK airfields’ role as ‘open green runways, which is about perfect for wildlife.
spaces’. Nature and environmental surveys Almost all of us will have heard skylarks in Light Aircraft Association
have demonstrated that they’re very important the summer, seemingly unaware of the sound www.lightaircraftassociation.co.uk
as a low-insecticide, low-herbicide, sanctuary of aircraft around them. Others will have seen
Aviation associations Got something to say? You’re welcome to contribute to this page, email editor@seager.aero
68 | FLYER | Summer 2018 December 2016 | FLYER | 71

LONDON NOW
Friday 2-Saturday 3 TWO
November 2018 DAYS!
Sofitel London Heathrow
Terminal 5, Heathrow Airport
THE FIRST STEP

TOWARDS A
PROFESSIONAL
PILOT CAREER
EUROPE’S LARGEST INDEPENDENT FLIGHT TRAINING EXHIBITION
Book online to save money! In association with
www.pilotcareernews.com/live
That Worst Day
Twin trap
Having been checked out on a friend’s classic,
hipster-fashionable twin, and armed with an
iPhone full of flight-planning tech, Pilot X
has a long day of flying ahead of him…
Words Nathan Barley
T
his was a good day – it had nature and, in the cruise, he even found downwind ‘abeam the village’ for a touch-
certainly been a busy one and time to have a bit of a play with its ancient and-go. This new bit of information would
was proving to be pretty long weather radar. Life was good, and it only hopefully make the traffic easier to spot.
too… That morning, when his got better when he pulled off two equally X turned downwind, a mile or so farther
alarm went off, Pilot X had top-notch landings at the ends of the next out than where he’d expected the traffic to
rolled over and picked up his iPhone to check legs. So that was three landings and every be, but there was no sign of it ahead. He
the weather. He’d looked at the TAFs and one a peach… dropped the gear and some flap, but still
metars, and used a new app he’d discovered With just the last flight to go X was on a couldn’t see the traffic. He thought about
to check out some Skew-Ts, to get a rough roll. Thanks to the GPS he knew exactly climbing away to the south and coming back
idea where he’d find the cloud tops. It was where the airfield was, but nonetheless it for another go, but with the other aircraft
looking perfect, and so X filed his first was good to see it emerging from the milky, staying in the circuit that mightn’t help.
flight-plan of what was to be a multi-leg day, high-pressure haze, even if it was a little Running out of ideas, he decided to drop
requesting an emailed briefing pack as part sooner than he’d expected. Realising that down to 500ft, in the hope that the circuit
of the process. And he’d achieved all of that he was both a bit high and a mite fast, X traffic would be silhouetted and easier to see.
without even leaving the comfort of his bed. brought the power back smoothly, if a little Eureka! There it was, late downwind,
Over his first coffee, X marvelled at the quicker than he would’ve liked – descending turning a tight base and no factor at all.
software tools which pilots now had at and slowing at the same time is always a bit Having found the traffic, X wasn’t going to
their disposal. Not that long ago, what
“Realising he was both a bit high

he’d just done in minutes would have
involved multiple phone calls, fax messages
(remember them?) and, of course, whole
stacks of paper. Times were good…
X’s friend had been letting him fly his and a mite fast, X brought the
power back smoothly…”
Cessna C340 for a couple of months, and
despite the ‘burnt orange’ velour interior
and an instrument panel which was bang on
trend if you were a vintage-craving hipster,
he loved it – the airstairs, the pressurised of a challenge in a big piston type, if you let it out of his sight, and only when he saw it
cabin and the performance. He wasn’t quite leave it a bit late and want to be kind to the climbing away did he turn all of his attention
so keen on the cost of filling up, nor the engines at the same time. X had a quiet to what he hoped would be another greaser.
complexities of the fuel system, “But, hey,” word with himself before getting on with X extended downwind a bit, to give
he thought, “nothing’s perfect.” the last approach and landing of the day. himself time for his pre-landing checks.
Although X had a couple of dozen He reasoned, at that time of night the When he turned onto final he checked the
hours on the aeroplane, all but three of airfield would probably be deserted, there’d reds, blues and greens before going to full
those had been with the aircraft’s owner be no students in the circuit and the A/G flap. Thanks to his traffic-spotting tactics,
sitting alongside. He liked the company operator would be at home with her feet up. he was flying a low, flat approach and needed
and enjoyed the mentoring, but X really Consequently, he expected his blind calls to to add some power, but that just resulted in
loved flying alone, and today he’d be the go unanswered and so was a bit surprised yaw and no decrease in descent rate, and
only pilot on all of the legs. when someone announced that they were applying more brought increased yaw and
X felt on top of his game. His pre-flight crosswind, a location X knew meant many roll. The needle was the wrong side of the
had been meticulous, the first short hop to things to many people. As he searched for red line so X brought the throttles to idle,
the local ‘big airfield’ resulted in probably the traffic, X instinctively slowed a bit more, braced and landed in the undershoot, wiping
his best-ever landing, his radio work when the radio crackled and the traffic announced off two of the three gear legs as he did so.
picking up airways clearance had been
slick and the he’d felt way ahead of the
aeroplane the whole time. Questions
He began the longest flight of the day
feeling very good indeed. Climbing out 1 What caused the yaw when X added power?
at 120kt, he was up at FL200 in less than 2 Why did one engine fail?
Mark Mitchell
half an hour, where he trued out at just 3 What’s the red line?
over 200kt, burning 140lph. The C340’s Answers on page 82
fuel system was starting to become second
NORTH
Saturday 7 July 2018
Concorde Conference Centre
Manchester Airport
THE FIRST STEP

TOWARDS A
PROFESSIONAL
PILOT CAREER
EUROPE’S LARGEST INDEPENDENT FLIGHT TRAINING EXHIBITION
Book online to save money! Supported by
www.pilotcareernews.com/live
Free Landings
In association with
Here’s a great chance to visit a new airfield – for free! Simply hand
in a voucher on arrival and enjoy a new destination. The vouchers
are valid from 15 July to 14 August 2018, although not at an aircraft’s SAVE
home field. No jets. Please contact the airfield before setting off
To use the Landing Fees from FLYER for iPad and Android, simply email a screenshot of these pages to
£54
freelandings@seager.aero. You’ll then be sent a PDF with your name on, to print and show at the airfields
Beverley
Free Landing
Valid 15 July to 14 August 2018
01964 544994 | EGNY | www.hullaeroclub.co.uk
Beverley Airfield hosts Hull Aero Club, which Nearby attractions Beverley town,
BEVERLEY
is a thriving mix of enthusiasts who fly light minster and racecourse, Hornsea,
aircraft, helicopters, microlights, paramotors Scarborough, Bridlington,
and model aircraft. The airfield is situated in Withernsea and the Humber Bridge.
quiet Yorkshire countryside, where you can PPR 01964 544994
relax, meet friends and enjoy the fun of flying. Radio 123.050
Qualified pilots, aviation enthusiasts and those
who just pass by are all welcome. Avgas 100LL
and mogas available during operating hours. A
M
Overnight parking available.
City Airport, Barton

Free Landing
0161 789 1362 | EGCB | www.cityairportandheliport.com

City Airport (licensed as Manchester Barton) is a Nearby attractions Just five miles
BARTON
busy grass airfield and encourages all forms of from Manchester City Centre,
business and GA, including microlights. It offers close to the Intu Trafford Shopping
an efficient and friendly service, including avgas Centre, AJ Bell Stadium, EventCity
100LL and UL91, and Jet A1. FIS, callsign ‘Barton and MediaCity.
Information’, is on 120.250. Non-radio aircraft PPR 0161 789 1362 or via website
welcome, PPR by telephone or website. In Radio 120.250
summer, it’s open seven days a week, from 0815
until sunset or 2000, whichever is earlier. The A
UL
Runway 26 cafe-bar is open daily, 1000-1900.
M
A
UL
While you’re there
When you visit these six airfields, why
Radio PPR Refreshments Microlights Fuel not show your support by enjoying a
Accepts Prior permission Including are welcome Aviation fuel available
meal in the cafe or filling up with fuel?
non-radio light is required restaurants A avgas, UL UL91,
aircraft, but PPR and cafes etc M mogas It’s good to support GA in the UK.
Free Landings
Fishburn
Free Landing
07747 795447 | www.facebook.com/fishburnair
Fishburn is a pretty, unlicensed airfield with an Nearby attractions The picturesque
FISHBURN
800m grass runway, four miles north of the village of Sedgefield, Hardwick Hall
boundary of Teesside CTA, and is convenient Country Park and Durham city itself.
for access to Durham city and the university. PPR 07747 795447
Visiting pilots should join the circuit from the Radio 118.280
north – there’s no deadside. Visitors welcome at
any time, with avgas available throughout the
week. Refreshments can be bought at the
Aviator Cafe seven days per week. Hangarage A
subject to availability. Microlights welcome.
Holmbeck
Free Landing
A

01296 681816 | www.facebook.com/HolmbeckFarmAirfield
HOLMBECK
Holmbeck Airfield, opened 1985, is a 500m Nearby attractions Ascott House
grass farm strip in Buckinghamshire, 1nm NNE and gardens, the Three Locks
of the disused Wing Aerodrome and 2.6nm Golf Course, Aylesbury and
west of Leighton Buzzard. Owners Bob and Leighton Buzzard.
Rita Perkins live on-site so a warm welcome PPR 01296 681816 / 681925
and a cuppa is usually available. Tie-down Radio 129.825
spaces available, microlights welcome. PPR by
phone. Wing village is a short walk away and
has two popular pubs. There’s also a self- A
service tea cabin with toilet facilities for visitors.
Sandown
Free Landing
01983 716926 | EGHN | www.eghn.org.uk
Sandown Airport is on the Isle of Wight, Nearby attractions The beautiful
SANDOWN
a mile from the town itself, and is operated Sandown Bay and town are very
by its owners, Sandown Airfield Ltd. near, with their golf course, pier
The Air/Ground radio frequency has a and sandy beaches.
radius of 10nm and a max altitude of PPR 01983 716926
3,000ft. If the station isn’t manned, Radio 119.275
please make blind calls on that frequency.
For PPR, contact the cafe on 01983 716926
or Dan on 07900 894044. A
Walton Wood
Free Landing
01977 620631 | www.amltd.co.uk
WALTON WOOD
Walton Wood Airfield, operated by Aero Nearby attractions include the
Maintenance Ltd, is probably one of the UK’s market town of Bawtry, Yorkshire
best-situated private fields. Competitively- Wildlife Park and Doncaster
priced Jet A1 and avgas 100LL available. PPR Racecourse, the home of the St Leger.
required for all visitors and you can have either PPR 01977 620631
a ‘Splash ’n Dash’, rotors-running visit or shut Radio 129.700
down and relax in our lounge while we do the
rest. Limited hangarage available on request.
There’s a choice of local hotels – details on the A
website. Note: This offer is for helicopters only.
1 Beverley
Win!
2 City Airport, Barton
Here’s the chance to win a 3 Fishburn
Pooleys UK Flight Guide 4 Holmbeck
5 Sandown
6 Walton Wood
QUESTION: What’s the distance from Fishburn Airfield 3
1
to Sandown Airport, in nautical miles? 2 6
To enter, post your answer, name, address and email to
Pooleys Summer Competition, FLYER, 9 Riverside Court, 4
Lower Bristol Road, Bath BA2 3DZ, or send an email to
competitions@seager.aero The closing date is 14 July 2018. 5
The winner for June 2018 is Colin Burns from Warrington.
3 issues
FREE!
Three issues for FREE and then £7.50 every quarter
We’re confident that you’ll love the magazine so we’ll send you
your first three issues for free. That’s right, free!
Why subscribe? Our strengths Your offer*

■ 13 issues a year delivered to your door ■ Honest, independent high quality content 1 Sign up by Direct Debit (UK only)
■ Full digital access via iPad, iPhone, ■ There’s no sponsored or paid-for editorial 2 Get the next three issues sent to you for free
Android or PC in FLYER, in print, online, anywhere 3 Carry on because you’re enjoying the mag
■ FLYER readers receive at least 65 free ■ Written by pilots, for pilots and we’ll only charge you £7.50 a quarter
landings a year, worth £852 over the ■ We test everything we review 4 If you don’t think FLYER is for you, cancel
last 13 issues. Enough for that new ■ Stunning photography within a week of receiving your third issue
ANR headset! ■ Award winning articles and we won’t charge you a penny
includes
FREE
access via iOS,
Android and
computer
Subscribe today!
Phone 01225 481440
* for full terms and conditions visit https://subscriptions.flyer.co.uk/

............................................................................................................... Advertisement ............................................................................................................
Out P ost-flight
check-list…
to
Fuel, landing fee,
cuppa, bacon sarnie!
Whether you're looking
to enjoy a full cooked
Lunch
breakfast, a light lunch
or an evening meal,
here's some ideas for
great places to eat
when you next fly-out.
Runway 26 is a café and bar

situated at the historic City Airport
Barton, Greater Manchester. With
a unique atmosphere and views
across the airport it is the perfect
place to make a pit stop, relax,
socialise and enjoy the atmosphere.
Email: www.runway26.co.uk Tel: 0161 707 0423
Great Food - Great Coffee Wings Cafe is located on an historic airfield.

Come and view vintage aircraft and the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance.
• Friendly Club
• Landing Fees Taken
• 10% off purchases
with this ad.
www.flyingshack.com wingscafe.co.uk 01992 523588
01452 690046 Wings Cafe, North Weald Airfield, North Weald, Epping, Essex.CM166HR.
Great home-cooked food

at sensible prices!
Check out the menu and Sunday specials on the website.
Monday - Sunday
www.henstridgeairfield.com/ 08:00 - 17:00
Cafe open weekends 10-2 Last Food Order 16:30
Blackbushe Airport Camberley GU17 9LQ
Could you take on the “Big Breakfast Challenge?” Tel: +44 1252 861 513 www.thebushecafe.co.uk
MARKETPLACE
Shares for sale & group flying Aircraft for sale Helicopters for sale Aircraft for hire Aircraft wanted Land for sale
1941 J3 Piper Cub Ireland Supermarine Spitfire 90% Scale Bristell NG5 (2016) PA30B, 1966
Hangared at Enstone Oxon. 0ne twelfth I am offering my beautiful Bristell NG5 with
J3 Piper Cub 40,000 Sterling share in a great friendly and very competent new LAA permit. 80 hoursTTSN PA30B, 1966, TTAF 4660, TTSMOH L&R
LAA Permit. AF 3908. Eng. 1028. syndicate. Permit to fly 2016 and low hours Full Garmin avionics with Dual G3X Touch engines 410, props 440. Paint/Interior 7/10.
Refurbished 2000. Winner of Best Piper so far. £60 p/m. £35ph + fuel at c 30 ltrs an screens, Mode S Transponder, autopilot and Tip Tanks, well maintained, Gami Injectors,
Cub. Best vintage Aircraft and Best Restored hour, 150 knts cruise so about £50 an hour back up battery. 125kt cruise and superb Many options. EDM760, Shadin F/flow.
aircraft at Kemble in 2004. New Hercules no fuel. Tail wheel experience needed. aircraft to fly. Always hangered. Garmin 430, SL40, GI-106B. Bargain at
prop. fitted. Contact A Taylor 07855524266 or Price reduced to £85,000 for quick sale £29,500. PX possible.
allisont17@gmail.com to view. No time Bill Allen: 07779 505707
Contact Adrian 00353834553003 wasters please. £30k. She’s ‘ a delight to fly’. Contact Alvin Rich 07973 452682 billallensworld@gmail.com
Email: Adrianecorcoran@gmail.com As featured in the May edition of Flyer. Alvin@reallondonproperties.com
Robin DR 400/140B 160HP Bristell NG5, Kemble. Speedwing £9,950

One third share in small friendly group based
at Fenland Airfield Nr Spalding, Lincs.
Robin DR 400/140B 160HP Engine hours
since complete overhall about 450hrs
Re-covered in 2005
Total airframe hours 3710hrs
Costs: £9,500 plus £150/month – covers
insurance, hanger and annual (just)
No charge for flying, but pilot covers fuel Bristell NG5, Kemble. 1/5 share £22,000. Avid Speedwing for sale. G-NANO. Possibly
Rotax 912iS, electric VP, dual Garmin G3XT, the newest Avid out there as built in 2012.
(100LL) Mode S, Garmin autopilot, Powerflarm Easy folding wings for storage or transport.
traffic. 110Kt cruise @17.5 L/hr. £40/hour Only 15 hours from new. Rotax 582 and
£122/month. Google “AFORS 39562”. ground adjustable prop. Permit to Jan 2019
Comprehensive spares package available
separately. (or if you need any avid spares,
Please contact David for further information: For further details please contact: please also get in touch)
David Peralta: 07921246172 Contact Glenn: 07801 639489
07747698468 david@theduffins.org.uk david.peralta@siemens.com. or 07960 873827
11AC £13500 Tobago TB20t Supermarine Spitfire Mk26 80% Scale Replica For Sale: Sportcruiser (2010).
Aeronca 11AC Chief ⅛ share in a Beautiful Tobago TB20 Supermarine Spitfire Mk26 80% Scale G-HAYY. Factory-built aircraft. EASA Permit
one owner and 308 hours on airframe since Aircraft £7,500 (no vat). Replica, 2 Seats. 30 hours from new. Fitted until September 2018. Blue exterior with
total rebuild. Always hangared, A65 engine Engine TT 1050 Hrs, Airframe 5200 Hrs with a Jabiru 8 cylinder engine. MT 3 blade grey leather. Standard analogue instruments
315 hours since top overhaul. 85 hours since Superb IFR Avionics including GNS430 constant speed prop. Bendix King KY97A display, GARMIN 496 GPS, mode S,
new slick mags fitted. and Century 21 autopilot TSO Radio. Garmin GTX320A Transponder. 8.33 radio, BRS, ELT. Hours since new 458.
Permit to September 2018. Based in Wiltshire. Hangered at Shoreham Airport Skyforce GPS. Superb aircraft to fly. Kemble.
£15000 or near offer. Friendly group with excellent availability - £48500
£120 per month, £60 per hour dry. Contact Paul Fowler, current Spitfire agent Please contact:
Please contact John: 07590 496627 Contact Stuart on 07590196372 or for demo 01608678204 Brian Hay on 07968 753495
figment161@gmail.com stuartrturner@me.com skipper@enstoneflyingclub.co.uk Peter Satchwell on 07768 600540
Groundschool Robin DR400 Major 160hp
Hangared at Peterborough Sibson Sporty 4 seat tourer

Lovingly cared for in friendly group seeking 4th member.
Flies perfectly Major engine overhaul Nov 2012.
Avionics overhaul June 2017. VOR, ADF, Narco Area Nav
£8,500 for qtr share £140/month
£70/hr wet
Contact:
Hamish: 07977 505583
Mike: 077117 20700

Advertising Sales Crew
Simon Moss: simon.moss@seager.aero Zoe Yeo: zoe.yeo@seager.aero Debbie Wylde: debbie.wylde@seager.aero
FLYER Advertising Department, 9 Riverside Court, Lower Bristol Road, Bath BA2 3DZ
Tel: 01225 481440 | www.flyer.co.uk
Groundschool
“For the best results,

train with the
best people –
Bristol Groundschool, Europe’s leading EASA Bristol Groundschool.”
ATPL modular distance learning specialist. Jamie Dickson,
EasyJet First Officer
• Outstanding results
• High quality and cost effective training
• Professional, dedicated instructors
• Supportive and caring staff
• Regularly updated question bank
• On-site EASA examination centre
www.bristol.gs | info@bristol.gs
Tel: +44 (0)1275 340 444
Registration
southern aircraft
consultancy
Talk to the professionals and register your aircraft on
the FAA ‘N’ Register with complete confidence.
Established for over 18
16 years.
+44 (0)1986 892 912
www.southernaircraft.co.uk
info@southernaircraft.co.uk
Aircraft Sales
Competitive wet rates Aircraft for exclusive use
Reims Cessna including EGLK by members. Online Piper Arrow IV
F150M Landing fees. booking system. PA28RT-201T
Reims Cessna Mooney

F172M M20K
Blackbushe Flying Group
£85 p/h wet 07580 848484 £195 p/h wet Contact us today for details and your request.
Call James on 07812521645
dan@eglk.co.uk
Reims Cessna Piper Warrior III Beechcraft Duchess

F150M PA28-161- Diesel BE76
£125p/h wet £195 p/h wet www.flywithmeaviation.com

fly-withme@hotmail.com
Piper Archer Reims Cessna
PA28-181 F182Q
FLY WITH ME AVIATION HAS THE
£85p/h wet £130 p/h wet £315 p/h wet LARGEST PORTFOLIO OF USED PIPER
AIRCRAFT IN THE UK FOR SALE.
Reims Cessna Piper Arrow III
F150H PA28R-200 Where will We have a full range from the small PA28 Cherokee 140
you go?
series up to the complex Arrow and Saratoga series.
£130 p/h wet £195 p/h wet A Fleet of aircraft.
One monthly membership. With over 10 years experience in Piper aircraft ownership -
we can provide advice from engineering to flying advice.
£85p/h wet £175 p/h wet eglk.co.uk
Derrick Ings Aircraft Sales PO Box 1559, Gillingham, Dorset, SP8 4WB, England / If you are a Seller – don’t forget to check the WANTED page on the website: www.derrickings.com
We offer a professional, friendly and individually tailored service to both business and private clients to suit your specific requirements & budget
2007 Seneca V Avidyne EFIS 8.33, Mode S, Traffic 1981 Beech BE76 Duchess Very well equipped 2007 Cessna T182T Turbo Skylane G1000 equipped 1978 Arrow III (the non-Turbo variant)
GBP£495,000 No VAT GBP£79,950 Plus VAT GBP£266,000 No VAT (EUR€299,950 equivalent) £49,500 No VAT
1982 Beech BE58 Baron Based in Kenya USD$180,000 1983 Piper Archer II Based in The Netherlands EUR€49,950 + VAT
Tel: +44(0)1747 825378 Mobile: +44(0)7836 708564 eFax: +44(0)1747 440322 Twitter: DINGS_Aircraft Email: sales@derrickings.com Web: www.derrickings.com
MARKETPLACE
For more information on getting the best from your flight training see our website www.flyer.co.uk
Insurance
Aircraft Insurance Visicover is a unique TRAFFORDS

service that lets you
buy and manage your AVIATION INSURANCE
Are you paying too much? aeroplane or helicopter Competitive rates for aircraft insurance
insurance online
• Get an instant quote online • Spread your premiums for free
whenever it suits you. Aircrew Medical Insurance including
• Select the cover you want • 24-Hour claims hotline service Training and Hour Building
Personal Accident Cover
TRAFFORDS LTD
7 Doolittle Yard, Froghall Road, Ampthill, Bedford MK45 2NW
Tel: 01525 717185 Fax: 01525 717767

2.90x130 hayward
To find classified
out more ad C 0117:Layout 1
go to Visicover.com 2/3/17 15:37 Page 1 e-mail: info@traffords-insurance.co.uk
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority www.aircraft-insurance.co.uk
Managing aviation risks Life cover for Pilots

stein pilot insurance
01793 491888
www.flyingcover.co.uk
We understand aviation risks - we design
and deliver aircraft insurance solutions for you. NEXT MONTH’S ISSUE
On sale from
Call Nigel, Tim or Anthony on + 44 207 902 7800
or e-mail info@haywards.net 12 July.
Aviation insurance people, we understand the risks! Finance
HAYWARD AVIATION IS A TRADING NAME OF JLT SPECIALTY LIMITED
THE ST BOTOLPH BUILDING • 138 HOUNDSDITCH • LONDON EC3A 7AW

TELEPHONE: +44 207 902 7800 • FAX: +44 207 928 8040
JLT SPECIALTY LIMITED IS A COMPANY REGISTERED IN ENGLAND

REGISTERED OFFICE AS ABOVE • COMPANY NO 01536540 • VAT NO 244 2321 96
Looking to fund
A MEMBER OF THE JARDINE LLOYD THOMPSON GROUP • AUTHORISED AND REGULATED BY THE FINANCIAL CONDUCT AUTHORITY
HAY/0117/1063
an aircraft?
A BETTER DEAL £
We’ll get your finance off the ground
ON AIRCRAFT
INSURANCE
£
WE KNOW THE WAY

£
Whatever you fly, call for a quote

+44 (0)1420 88664 General and business aviation
Fixed wing aircraft
info@sydneycharlesaviation.co.uk Rotary aircraft
Corporate jets (up to 19 seats)
www.sydneycharlesaviation.co.uk Aircraft to be registered in the UK (CAA), USA (FAA),

Isle of Man or Guernsey
Paragon, The Crown, London Road, Westerham, Kent, TN16 1UT
01959 588 504 aviationfinance@paragonbank.co.uk

www.paragonbank.co.uk/asset-finance/aviation
Sydney Charles Aviation Insurance Brokers is a trading name of Sydney Charles UK LLP
Sydney Charles UK LLP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Paragon Business Finance Plc. Registered in England number 01497411.
FCA Firm Reference No. 471046. Sydney Charles UK LLP is a Limited Liability Partnership Registered Office 51 Homer Road, Solihull, West Midlands, B91 3QJ. ACORN16042 (02/2018)
registered in England and Wales Registration No.: OC320079 Registered Office: 7 Old
Aylesfield Buildings, Froyle Road, Alton, Hampshire, GU34 4BY.

Advertising Sales Crew
Simon Moss: simon.moss@seager.aero Zoe Yeo: zoe.yeo@seager.aero Debbie Wylde: debbie.wylde@seager.aero
FLYER Advertising Department, 9 Riverside Court, Lower Bristol Road, Bath BA2 3DZ
Tel: 01225 481440 | www.flyer.co.uk
Flight Training
• IMC
• Glass cockpit training
• GPS flying
• Advanced radio navigation
• Strip flying
Pilot Gifts & Supplies
MARKETPLACE
For more information on getting the best from your flight training see our website www.flyer.co.uk
BGC.FlyerAdd.AeroEx.196.5x50mm.qsd_Flyer Add 95x50mm 01/05/2018 17:17 Page 1

Training
Discover Gliding See us at AeroExpo
Experience the purest most natural way to fly n Trial Lessons

n Courses
n PPL Conversions
n Group Events
2 &5 Day
weekday courses
Booker Gliding Club Wycombe Air Park Marlow Bucks SL7 3DP A great week’s holiday
t 01494 442501 www.bookergliding.co.uk
Full Time SEP Flying Instructor

required at RAF Halton Aero Club.
Preferably unrestricted but
SPORTYS.COM would consider a restricted instructor
Re-manufactured PA28 aircraft
PHONE: 1 (USA) 513.735.9000 for suitable candidate.
5 day working week, 4 weeks holiday Warrior, Archer or Arrow
FLIGHT Flight Training • Flight Reviews and bank holidays. Avgas or Diesel
SCHOOL Instrument Proficiency Checks Retainer and hourly flight pay.
Courses • DVDs • Headsets
Please send your CV to G500 Glass Cockpit
PILOT Buster Jeffrey CFI.
SUPPLIES
GPS • Radios • Flight Bags
Kneeboards • iPad accessories Email: bustjeffrey@gmail.com
www.rebornaviation.com
FLYER 60mm x 40mm classified_18.indd 1 2/26/18 11:30 AM
Advertising
Advertising Sales
Sales Crew
Crew
Simon
Simon Moss: simon.moss@seager.aero Zoe Yeo: Moss: simon.moss@seager.aero
zoe.yeo@seager.aero Debbie Wylde:Zoe Yeo: zoe.yeo@seager.aero
debbie.wylde@seager.aero
FLYER
FLYER Advertising
Advertising Department,
Department, 9 Riverside
9 Riverside Court,
Court, Lower
Lower Bristol
Bristol Road,
Road, Bath
Bath BA2BA2
3DZ3DZ
Tel:Tel: 01225
01225 632180 | www.flyer.co.uk
481440 | www.flyer.co.uk
Aircraft Maintenance
Covers Aircraft Services
Kit Planes & Engines
www.zenair.uk
Now available with UL350iS 130Hp
Simon Moss: simon.moss@seager.aero

The one-stop shop for your Zenair Zoe Yeo: zoe.yeo@seager.aero
Flying on your own Debbie Wylde: debbie.wylde@seager.aero
wings need no metalseagulls.uk Tel: 01225 481440 | www.flyer.co.uk
longer be a dream... 07502 593 671
3 BEDROOM HOUSE WITH HANGAR
Property on
Atlantic Air Park in the Vendee area of France
Traditional style 3 bedroom house located just inside the
entrance of the Air Park with beautiful views of the
runway and surrounding countryside.
Plot size 3040m², area of building including hangar 260m².
SOLD FURNISHED
ENQUIRIES TO: TREVOR HOUGHTON

Email: newbarn_flier@hotmail.com
Tel: +441474 706470 Mobile: +44 7867803108
QSY For the funny, the weird, the wonderful and the just plane strange…
Richard Browning, Britain’s real-life Iron Man, set

Inside a pilot’s mind…
to fly at the Farnborough International Airshow
W
What goes through a pilot’s
mind when they’re flying?
iltshire- Anything? And is it printable?
based A study being conducted
Richard by universities in Drexel,
Browning Pennsylvania, USA, and
and his Toulouse, France, is using
‘Iron Man’ jet suit have come wireless headbands to scan
a long way from the lopsided pilots’ brains while they’re
take-offs and painful tumbles flying, to measure the oxygen
of just two years ago. level changes in different areas
This July will see Richard and indicate which parts are
give a flypast at the Farnborough working harder.
International Airshow, one of Perhaps unsurprisingly, pilots
the world’s top aerospace events, who are flying for real show a lot
wearing his latest self-designed more activity than when they’re
Gravity Jet Suit, which is said to on a simulator, particularly
have cost £250k to develop. when mistakes are made. One
Richard calls his suit possible use of this research is
Daedalus and describes it as a to help identify when a pilot is
mini-Harrier aircraft, with four overloaded and may require a
small jet engines mounted to rest. The study is also looking
each arm and behind his back. at why pilots sometimes ignore
The suit can produce 144kg of alarms, such as ‘gear up’, and
thrust to achieve vertical take-off go on to make a landing.
and flight. Using his body as the
airframe, Richard’s arms control Warbird wallets
speed, thrust and direction. Main Richard flying his
Swiss company Boschung
The former City of London Daedalus jet suit Global and FlyingGroup has
oil trader, entrepreneur and Inset Blimey, he looks normal! launched a warbird investment
Royal Marine Reservist founded project, reasoning that “the
Gravity Industries in April 2017. market is a very healthy one and
Since then, the company has particularly among military in a body-controlled, jet expanding at a promising rate”.
grown rapidly as Richard’s and special forces types. engine-powered suit. In addition to the fun of
refined the jet suit, which has Last November, Richard Watch a video of his owning such a beast, Boschung
now reached the point where set a Guinness World Record record-setting flight at points out that an excellent
it has commercial potential, for the fastest speed achieved www.tinyurl.com/IronManRecord future profit can be made.
www.boschungglobal.com/
aviation.html
Heroes & villains
That Worst Day
HERO Sacha low level, to follow the migration 35-year RAF career in May with answers (from p70)
Dench (left) of Berwick swans. a sponsored WingWalk in a
1 What caused the yaw when
has been VILLAIN John Bruce was Breitling Stearman, which raised
awarded jailed for 26 months in May, more than £2,100 for Aerobility. X added power?
The following the illegal dumping VILLAIN Televangelist Jess One engine had failed, but
Britannia and burning of 26,000 cubic Duplantis believes that if Jesus X hadn’t noticed at the very
Trophy by metres of hazardous materials were to descend from heaven
low power setting.
the Royal at Throckmorton Airfield, and set foot on 21st-century
Aero Club Worcestershire. The airfield, Earth, he’d pass on the donkey. 2 Why did one engine fail?
for her three- formerly RAF Pershore, Instead, “He’d be on an X neglected to switch back
month Flight of the isn’t open to pilots but, aeroplane preaching the to his main tanks for landing
Swans expedition, from the until recently, hosted Gospel all over the and ran the auxiliaries dry.
Russian Arctic to the UK. The the Throckmorton world.” That’s why
3 What’s the red line?
award is given for the most Airshow. Jesse is asking his
meritorious flight during HERO Warrant followers for $54m VMC, the speed at which it’s
the previous year. Sacha Officer Jenny to buy a Dassault possible to maintain control
flew 7,000km by paramotor, Olivant (right), Falcon 7X, his with one engine on full
in all weathers and often at who finished her fourth private jet.
power and one inoperable.
Send your QSY submissions to QSY, 9 Riverside Court, Lower Bristol Road, Bath BA2 3DZ or email qsy@seager.aero
IF IT’S GETTING SERIOUS,
IT’S TIME YOU MET THE FAMILY.
Seriously, we know you have history with your current aircraft. Maybe a lot of “firsts,” but you’ve outgrown that
relationship. You deserve a cabin class pressurized aircraft with seating for six. Great range. Retractable gear.
Garmin flight deck. Between the piston M350 and turboprop M500 and M600, you’ll find your perfect match in the
Piper M-Class family. Let us help you with your next set of “firsts.” Contact your Piper partner for a demo,
or experience The Freedom of Flight™ at piper.com.
piper.com
M-CLASS : M350 | M500 | M600 1.772.299.2403
FREEDOM OF FLIGHT

Flyer Summer 2018

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Flyer Summer 2018

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Flyer Summer 2018

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

DIY ANr MAke YouR own heADSeT

oSei CryStal miCrophone kit teSt

ClASS RATIng The DAY

To learn more, see your Garmin dealer or visit Garmin.com/833

Changing of the guard

Airways Aviation offers EASA accredited pilot training at our

Call us today to discuss your training options and career

20 I Get Paid for This…

SIX Free Landings!

Pilots flying on a CAA Medical

the European Microlight Federation.

Get lost with D&D Build a BushCat

CAA and NATS

Worldwide ADS-B Gosport turnaround

Just enough Tecnam’s hybrid

©2018 Continental Motors Group. All rights reserved.

AOG 24-HOUR WORLDWIDE DELIVERY AVAILABLE

Embraer shows eVTOL Winged chariot

AERA 660 Next-Gen Aviation Portable

GTX 335/345 ADS-B Transponder

D2 Charlie Aviator Titanium Watch

G3X Touch Display

G5 Electronic Flight Instrument

Main HondaJet Elite

Report and photos

In brief Main L3 European Airline Academy staff

Helicentre Aviation Academy

May saw the Irish regional

airline pilot academy

Start your journey right, and right here.

Follow the global journeys of recent CAE graduates on Instagram @caepilot

I Get Paid for This…

How did you get into flying?

Tell us about your job…

GTN 650 GPS/NAV/ 8.33 COMM MFD G5 Attitude Indicator or HSI

GMA 342 Audio Panel GMA350C Audio Panel

GTN 750 GPS/NAV/ 8.33 COMM MFD

GTR225A/B 8.33 COMM GNC255A/B NAV/8.33 COMM

Aera 660 Portable GPS

We will match any like for like written quotation.

that your non-smoking friend is about to light up just moments

At Total UK we believe in thinking differently.

“What you really need is another

devoid of eye contact.

Avionics sweet spot

“We were all encouraged to stick to

tradition, shun technology and travel

numbers in bright colours with programmed warnings and lots of

Back to the future

“For a hundred-year-old design

FLY08.flight test_Junkers.V8_EH_JH.indd 32 04/06/2018 12:02

Our take-off had been equally uneventful. Lock the

the R-985 Wasp Junior is common and easy to operate and

Above The cockpit makes pilots feel akin to carriage-drivers.

SkyEcho is a portable Electronic

TRAFFIC AND WEATHER

“I want to leave this planet a little

Ever wondered what’s involved in becoming

aeroplane, and after

20 I Get Paid for This…