What made you happy today?

[Kimbers]

Spent an hour or 2 driving the Exige out through Norfolk looking for routes to Cromer from Dunston Hall avaoiding the nightmare of the city.

Found one and it's absolutely blinding! A roads twisting and turning through the lowlands around Acle and through to the Marham road, then off towards Stalham on yet more A roads turning off towards Cromer on another blinding twisty turney smooth road!!

OMG Soooooo much fun!

[ramjet]

Got the seals so now I can get the machining done on my chargecooler pump and get the S4 back on the road. Yeehah.

[ramjet]

I also now have my test rig for my ABS brakes so now I can work out why the bloody light keeps flashing. Another Yeehah.

[Roger 912]

You are not going to believe this one, but I have two lives, just as vivid as one another. The one is when I am awake and the other is when I am dreaming, but the amazing thing is, I can remember my dreams vividly and in full technicolour.

Last night, I dreamed my green Esprit was pregnant and expecting. What a wonderful way to get some more Esprits. I often drive my Esprits in my dreams, but as I pull away from a set of lights it can change into an old skedonk or even a bicycle, but what is more amazing, I accept the change and carry on.

Wow was I happy when I woke up this morning thinking about the happy event. I was wondering if the red one was the father.

[Günter]

think your inner 'Ego' wants to tell your brain -*i want to have one more of those toys*. Maybe you will become an Esprit & Elise owner as some of us

...or you should add an Ducati into your collection, the other 'pretty common' thing in the LEF world -if i think about some signatures....

[Günter]

've got a nice little present-box today... that is making me happy!

[wookiecj]

I often wondered what they started out life looking like...... We just get to see manky, rusty, leaking(porous), sh*tty ones !

[Iain]

Well - yesterday actually - but too pished to post last night - and it's still making me happy today

Ever since I can remember I've stared skyward.

Always had a passion for aircraft.

Wanted to fly so much it ached...

Then - age 16 - RAF said - 'sorry - eyesight no good'...

Followed by asking about PPL - told - 'sorry - no way you'll get through medical' (one really good eye - one very poor - even with corrective lenses)...

Told basically to give up on the idea.

But the passion continued...

Few years ago was nagged to have another go and went through the JAR medical - failed.

Then I heard about the new National Private Pilot's Licence. Less stringent medical requirements - eyesight requirement equivalent to 'professional driving standard.

So - Dec 07 I join RAF Halton Aeroplane club and start flying. Love it - but very nervous.

Feb 08 - half hour - full display routine - sortie in a friends Extra 300 - that's it - I really want to be an aerobatic pilot!

March 08 I get my medical and pass Air Law (both mandatory before going solo)...

Then - mum diagnosed with terminal cancer - mind not on flying so I stop. Mum died June but at least she got to see me doing some circuits over Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

Now I've run out of money - so no flying...

Earlier this year joined the RAF Gliding and Soaring Association at RAF Halton and started flying the Grob 109 Motor Glider. Nice machine and good taildragger experience - but not able to get regular lessons due to shortage of instructors and weather.

Beginning June this year - had a weekend where I was told I'd inherited a little cash from my mother - but then also found out my father had a terminal Tumour. Depression sets in...

July we fly up to Norfolk in my buddies Vans RV6 and Adrian flies dad from Old Buckenham. Magical day.

Dad still around (even though he was given two weeks).

Beginning of September - sod it - have money - will fly - rejoin Halton Aeroplane club...

What's all the waffle leading up to?

Yesterday I re-sat my Air Law Exam (it had fallen out of currency) - 98% and...

Well - to quote the beautiful certificate I have on the table in front of me:

That I "did clatter off into the blue yonder and circumnavigate the airfield and land safely, proving the age of miracles is not yet dead."

I only bl**dy went SOLO!!!!

And I was able to send my father a text telling him I'd gone solo - meant a hell of a lot to do that whilst he's still with us...

Always dreamt of doing this - but until the advent of some less stringent medical requirements was always told it would be impossible.

Sometimes dreams do come true - and I'm still pinching myself!

With Bronwyn - my ace instructor...

I probably had the skills to do this back in April '08 - but it's taken Bronwyn, and a mad Rhodesian aerobatic pilot called Simon Abbott, to instill some self confidence and get me to 'jump'.

Iain

Edited September 25, 2009 by Iain

[Bibs]

Fantastic news and great to hear Iain, well done and congratulations

[Günter]

Ian -ever thought about the modern eye medicine technology -as it will probably not be so expensive nowadays. Have got an place in a 'testers group' some years ago. There it was all new stuff. So it wasn't that expensive as I've got discount for a newer technology tried on me. -> http://www.lasik-plus.de Dr. Rasch is a known medical person on this sector

Best medical operation (from point of operational time, hurt ,pain or ambulant cares needed) I've got in my life ! totally easy, as you will feel nothing.

[USAndretti42]

That's a great story, Iain.

I've always had a hankering to learn to fly but never strong enough to plonk down the 5 or 6 thousand dollars it would cost to get a licence to go and get a $100 hamburger. Not helped by my wife hating small planes so I know she would never go anywhere with me.

Must have been a big boost to finally go solo. If you get your licence will you be able to take your dad for a trip?

[molemot]

Well done, Ian!! My first solo was in a Chipmunk in 1971....done a few more hours since!! It seems that the progress im laser eye surgery now allows those who have it done to get a CAA Class 1 medical...that's the full commercial deal...and I think that even the RAF will allow serving pilots to have this surgery done at their own expense, as required. So things change...you could consider upgrading to a full PPL if this sort of Lasik surgery would answer your case.

In any event, good show and enjoy every second you're off the ground!!

[Iain]

Thanks for kind words guys...

Managed another 1.4 hours navigation yesterday - followed by 1.2 hours in an ASK-21 with the RAF Gliding and Soaring Association - and my confidence has grown hugely

As to laser surgery - my problem can't be cured with that. When small - because one eye was better than the other my brain trained itself to use the signal from the good eye and ignore the image from the poor - so even with correction - and even though the eye is otherwise perfect - the image is poor. Did find I have better peripheral than I thought...

However - I may contact CAA medics again once I have my NPPL...

Mind you - the NPPL is set to become the Euopean Sport Flying Licence at which point most of europe will be open to me. So only real limitation is max weight 2000kg - 3 passengers (in addition to me) and you can't do night/instrument ratings. But it means I can fly - so I'm not grumbling at all!

It will also allow me to do aerobatic training - which is another dream come true - here's me doing aeros with Simon Abbott in an Extra 300 last year - to say it lit the blue touchpaper in my head would be an understatement!!

As to flying my father - I really doubt that will happen. He was given two weeks back in June - and is now very infirm - getting him in and out of an aeroplane was really hard when we flew him in July. Hoping to head up to Old Buckenham, Norfolk, at some point in next few weeks on a practice cross country with my instructor - so, if he can make it, at least he'll see me fly in in/out in the P1 seat

My father always dreamt of being a pilot (his father was a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm and flew the Swordfish (amongst other things) and got into trouble for flying at ultra low level through Cheddar Gorge just before WWII) - but dad and I share similar eyesight issues - so he was never allowed.

Blue skies,

Iain

Edited September 27, 2009 by Iain

[USAndretti42]

Another one for a yesterday. Flew home to Charlotte for the first time since May. Great to see my (grown-up) kids and my dogs again. And the wife, of course. I had seen her when she came out to Albuquerque a few weeks ago.

[Kimbers]

Qualified for regional Poker finals last night!! Happy happy!!

[wookiecj]

Happiness is a nice sunny morning in late September where you can do a fry-up on the BBQ

and share it with a good friend

[TrapperJohn]

It's a lovely day. Last Wednesday, I was told that my job was being cut at the end of October. By Friday, I had found another position within the company, and this is a company that has been making drastic cuts, so an open job there is about as scarce as Esprit spares in the USA. Under the circumstances, one might be tempted to make a snide remark to the person who cut me, until I found out that this person had worked very hard behind the scenes to make that new job available.

As it is, I'll just shout at the devil of unemployment: Not this time, baby! Not this time!

[USAndretti42]

Thursday I was bitten by a tiger. Luckily it was only 11 weeks old.

Yesterday I rode a zip line for the first time and went climbing up a rock wall.

Today it was Charlotte cars and coffee.

A pretty good three days I think.

[USAndretti42]

Still happy today over things that happened yesterday.

Dario Franchitti won the Indy Racing League drivers' championship. Way to go, Dario.

David Brabham won the ALMS P1 drivers' championship.

Highcroft Racing won the ALMS P1 team championship. Great for the team of enthusiasts from Connecticutt to win. The owner, Duncan Dayton was a pretty good privateer driver but stepped out of the driving seat when they got involved with Acura to let David and other, professional drivers take his place.

Finally, Gil De Ferran won his last race before retiring. I know he's retired before but the thing is, he won his last race before that retirement as well. A pretty impressive record. No he's going to concentrate on running his team.

[esprit22]

Got ticket to see Morrissy in concert on 4th November, the man is a genius!

[USAndretti42]

Very entertaining Brazilian GP. We have had 2 crashes, a safety car, a pit lane fire, 2 drivers almost coming to blows at the side of the track and David Hobbs is doing impressions of the Queen. And it's only lap 3.

Who says that F1 is boring?

[Simon350S]

Lots of things have made me happy today...

As of today I've made it more than 1 month married and all is going strong, havin a fab time

This afternoon has ended with me having 2 new working light ciruits in the kitchen and dining room, progress at last, slowly managing to cut out all the crap and do away with the hundreds of junction boxes used. A much neater install... Tomorrow ring main

Feeling in such a positive mood I decided to give the old girl a good seeing too, the Esprit that is. Today was 1 month to the day since she was last started and the poor old girl has been sat out in the rain getting.... errrr... Very wet...

No trickle charger needed, she turned over and sparked up no worries, then took her out for a drive for half an hour and filled her up with

[Günter]

fuel-sender is working again, refilled the car for 95.9 cents per liter, fantastic spins on the streets with 9 year old summer tires and a lot of boost & acceleration. No leaks or losses -yeahhh!

[Kimbers]

Everything. The tablets are working.

[Simon350S]

It's sunny....

Should I go for a drive or work in the kitchen???

Difficult choice!!

Tablets? What tablets? Sounds like fun can I pop a few please Mr K?