To Fly to Serve!

What a great start to the season, check flying a microlight for a friend, a pleasure and delight.

To spend Saturday flying with friends is welcome start to a weeks break from work. I look at this picture and it makes me warm inside, Phil to the left who I have flown all over the UK was a student pilot who has proven decision making skills, you can find these referenced on my blog on his go around on the club Fly out to the River Wye, gets my award for Go Around of the Decade!

Bill on the right I have had the pleasure of knowing for a short period, the last 6 years! He is truly the spirit of exploration, in his retirement he puts us all to shame with his flying and exploring, he has a well developed dry sense of humour and recount's some of the best tails I have had the pleasure to hear.

The photo taken by Miguel, who is so generous & kind with this spirit, what a great day to share. \

Oddly I don't recognise the guy in the middle, he is older, and on occasion none the wiser for it!

BMAA Spamfield 2014 - Early results put Flex-wing arrivals ahead!

Bruce & Rebecca - The Proposal

I met Bruce about 18 months ago and Rebecca not too long after. For some time my flying had been slowing down and the machine sitting in the hanger for more of the time than it has been flown. In 2012 season I managed to fly just over the 100 hours the lowest tally for some time. Bruce and I decided through a set of circumstances to share G-CERW, and so, just after the February permit in 2013 we did a deal to own "RW" together.

I was apprehensive sharing a toy not having not done so before, however I look at it, it has been a delightful experience. Bruce has been so easy to be around, so relaxed and sharing has brought far more experiences than I could imagine - boating - biking are just two, and then there has been the sharing of the flying which seems to add something which I had not expected. However, without too much of a public display of affection :o), I have to say gaining a new friend has been the very best part of sharing.

To see "RW" used to Propose Marriage made the best use of our toy, that I have seen so far, and sharing in this moment in time was such an honour and pleasure - Bruce, Rebecca - Congratulations, I am so very happy to be among your friends.

I am not mad, I am LIVID!

Dave and Clint Weld new clasps at Thorney Island 

Its the first time in our history, well as far as I can recall that we have suffered a break in at the barn, well that was true on Thursday, but the second visit was less than 24hrs after the first on Friday or early today. The Barn where we keep our Microlights in behind a recently secured security gate, which one might suppose would prevent this sort of things, alas. 

Are they a they or are they a single? are they men or are they women, are they boys or are they grown up? Are they cowards, yes, they are cowards. They are thieving cowards. Do they have a backbone, no they dont, and if ever the thieving cowards read this (Assumption is they can read) please accept it as an invitation to prove to me your not a coward, just a thief. 

Mad, yes I am mad, I am mad because yes they stole £2k's worth of my kit, but more because Thorney Island and our Barn was my sanctuary from a mad, mad world, a place to be carefree and enjoy the freedom of flight and great friendship. Its a place to blow off some steam. They stole more than my tools+gps, I feel like they stole a little of my freedom, and boy am I going to get that back. 

As for these two in then picture, you dont want to meet either of them Mr Thief, but for completely different reasons.  

Turkey! Goodstuff

Balloons - Chichester Harbour

 

What a scene tonight, lifting our of a field near the Witterings, I am guessing at 20 balloons what  spectacle, one of them was a single seat! ;-) 

Commemorative Games Maker Relay Baton

Not every Games Maker had feet on the street, but we all helped to make the Olympics fun & a little safer. I still cant tell you what we did, but its was fun ;-) I shall cherish this, and pop my story inside of it for you to read in 25 years! 

It is a Games Maker Relay Race Baton, with a short note from Sebastian, now is that a real signature! 

Spit!

Lancaster Lucky!

I can't tell you much, if anything, about how we came, as a group of Microlight Pilots, to be stood in front of a Lancaster after our VIP tour of the Battle of Britain Flight. However, if it was you on that small airfield, unable to fly this summer I can say it was more than likely we met once before. As VIP guests we allowed to walk up-to, touch, breath and feel the history of these fine Aircraft, and what a highlight of 2012, these war machines are magnificence and to be this close was very significant, a feeling that one was reaching back able to communicate with what had been before. As flying machines these are basic, they have all the wires, string, some fabric and dope too (Mr Dell's - Hurricane). 

To say this was the highlight of 2012 is not true, it was a fine second to the mission we flew, which was defiantly No1 and will be for a long while to come. To be invited was a honour, to fly was a once in a lifetime experience, and to have the opportunity to see the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight in such close proximity was a childhood dream. Wow I am solo looking forward to the 2013 Season! 

  

Andrew Marr - Microlight Flyer!

Re: Pop - Bang - Shudder

Daryl we use this method at work.
T D O D A R

T How much time do we have.
D Diagnosis
O Options
D Desistion
A Actions
R Review

It works, the most important one is the review, failure to finish the review
was a major factor in the Kegworth BMI crash.

Pop - Bang - Shudder

Farway Common

So nice to be back at Farway Common for the first time this year.

Catching up with dear friend and looking thought the logbook offers some perspective, I see my first flight here was on 06-00-2003, just over 9 years ago.

A lot had change, with more change on the Horizon.

My last thought

This is a picture of my spine, for those of you that know what your looking at, its L2 or Lumber 2 that has a compression fracture. Ouch! After falling backwards off a scaffold onto my backside, I was doing 19mph at impact and the force was around 18g running up the spine which is why L2 is a little busted! I know your impressed with the numbers, alas I can't claim I know these I simply supplied the data to be entered into the formula by my Father in Law Barry, who was a Physics Teacher. 

People have asked what was going though my mind on the way down, well I don't know, I recall slipping, the rest is a blank, the next I know was the pain running through my body like a the noise of a MIG21 taking off, Afterburners on, its all consuming. 

Sitting in the Hospital, thinking about the fall from 10 feet and how much it hurt (s) my mind flips over the flying scenarios, your slowed to 60mph on finals, coming down from circuit heights 1000 feet up, controlling the touch down to be gentle kiss. What happens if you get it very wrong? 10 foot hurts so much, Well 10 foot and 19mph. Perhaps for the first time I am thinking about how much it would hurt falling out of the sky any considerable distance? Would it hurt at all? I guess the trick is to fall so far that there is no waking, falling not far enough would be a disaster. Suddenly I can see why 20mph is a good idea in built up areas, and why doing 40 in a thirty is such a bad idea. 

I am told that the bones will be knitting together in 6 week, which is when Fly France 2012 starts! Here's hoping for any advice that will speed the knitting of the bone? If you have any do let me have it! 

And finally, if your wondering how many bits of my body I can get scanned or X-rayed and posted here, I sincerely hope this is the last! 

UPDATE - October 2012: I did not make Fly France 2012, which was just as well as they ended up in Scotland! The 6 week time frame is only to keep one going, I was hardly moving at 6 weeks, but to hear the news that in another 6 you will be able to walk was a relief, I am still taking painkillers every day, but I am up and about and as you can see from the rest of the blog flying and doing well. 2012 will be a year to forget for me, its time to press ahead! 

At Last! An end to Carb Icing..

On two occasions in my flying I have had bad carb icing, not only does it effect the engine, it stresses the heart too! I will let the good, the great and the brave test the new ECU for a few years before I invest....however, this is a no brainer for me! Even if mine, via the photo evidence on this blog proves that I have one and it goes all the way to the sides ;-)

I have to do this.....

Chinese Scenes from BASE-Book - Matt Gerdes on Vimeo.

Low Level Nevil

Lundy - SkiFlyBri

Steve Sebastian

Sandra called tonight, do you know, I could tell in her voice straight away, it was that same voice that I heard on the 18th January 2010. It just wasn't the same usual Sandra voice, something had changed, and it wasn’t good. I was sitting talking to Charlotte and the kids, and so leaping up I left the room to take the call. We exchanged small talk about today’s flying about the fly ins and still I could hear it in the tone, hear Sandra trying to find then silence, I knew within a few moments of "hello" this was a call I didn’t want to take, and I filled those seconds with an exchange to stall that moment. Eventually, the silence came, Sandra asked, did I know?

I purchased my first Quik from Steve, G-CCHH was a fine aircraft, although it had tried to have its way with Steve who ended up in the field after all the oil spewed out of a poor pipe connector. I needed straps to get HH home and  I still owe him the £15. The every time we met the joke was that as I had sold CCHH to another friend, it was now he that owed Steve the £15 quid!

Steve I will miss you. I will miss your chaotic self, I will miss your legendary shaving skills and I will be thinking of your Wife and Daughter.

Wait with Martin for us will you? We won’t be long behind.

QSY


http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2011/09/24/1175359-villemur-sur-tarn-un-pilote-meurt-dans-le-crash-de-son-petit-avion.html

France - Day one

The goodbyes were more difficult today, I don't know why but arriving at the Hanger the aircraft was fully inspected and trusted! Loading up took a while and the fronts that passed though did so in time with the forecast. Set off at 1600hrs landing in Calais 2 hours later the crossing was easy, fun almost, as I relaxed at 5250 feet with Brian and Richard off my wing tips.

Tomorrow we planning 6 hours to Beaune ( pronounced bone ), to arrive Sunday in the Alps.
M