Bitten

[Bibs]

I had a gift flight yesterday in a microlight aircraft, what a load of fun!

I used to be a C Catergory gliding instructor and fly every weekend but that was some time ago but it's been a while but had a great time yesterday and I'm looking at lessons which appear to show an ecomomical route into hobby flying!

Here's a clip of the low level, erm, 30 feet bit!

http://www.glcforum.com/bibs/MOV00274.3GP

Here's the microlight, they are

[Splashout]

Looks fantastic Bibs

I dont have any personal experience but Toni's dad used to fly gliders and have seed some fantastic pics from that.

[sephyr]

I was bitten by that bug a loooong time ago! I work at a full-size helicopter simulator, and in my spare time I go paragliding

This is me when my wing was brand new bright and shining, doing some wingovers Much cheaper and more fun than flying an aircraft!

Edit: Btw, the paraglider barely fits in the trunk of my Lotus, that was my biggest concern before buying her

Edited October 30, 2006 by sephyr

[Kimbers]

You gotta be insane to trust a piece of cloth. Might as well jump outta a plane with a big silk canopy attached to you....................................

OK my wife says thats called parachuting! Like I said you gotta be insane!

I fly once a year to go on my hols and then I need sedation and a bottle of whiskey!....not to drink, you have to hit me over the head with it

Seriously tho, I have flown all over the world and was fine till that crash (in the previous flying post). Maybe if I was in control it would be different.

Bibsy, is that like flying a plane or are the controls different? If you can fly that can you make the jump easy into normal planes?

[Bibs]

Erm, it is a plane, just a small and light one!

I'll fly up to yours and take you for a spin in a year or two, will be fun

[Kimbers]

PARP!

[Jonathan]

I used to do stuff with air cadets (we chatted once about it when you were scaring the shinola out of me in your car) - now I have a fear of flying so you wont be getting me in an aeroplane with yous !

Did you fly over brands hatch way at about 3:30 ?

We saw a very small but large winged aircraft flying over, wondered what it was.

[Red]

I work over the other side of the road to Rochester airport. Get to see all sorts from our office window.

Let me know if you're down one lunch time in the week

[tinywillyuk]

Absolutely love flying.. about a quarter of a way through a PPL(A)..

I will finish it next year.. finances permitting!

Bibs you should do an NPPL - its cheaper and easier than a PPL.

Guessing we have some professional flyers on here too.. be interesting to hear how many?

[WayneB]

Thats a coincedece

I too was bitten by a flying bug again

[USAndretti42]

For a long time I've thought about and talked about learning to fly but never put my hand into my pocket to do it.

First plane I ever went up in was a Cessna 152. A friend of mine at the time got his PPL at Shobdon in Herefordshire. As we went up it was a bit choppy and we were quiet for a bit. I remember looking out the windows and recognizing nothing. I thought to myself, "There's more to this than I thought. I've no idea where the airfield is." Just then, my mate broke the silence by saying, "Trev, have you any idea where we are?"

Eventually he navigated his way round by sewage farm and we found our way back.

[Bulk Paint]

Absolutely love flying.. about a quarter of a way through a PPL(A)..

I'm about 7 hours in to my PPL(H). But then I ran out of money. Still, when things pick up here again I shall return. Either that or take 3 months out, go to the States and do it there where it's considerably cheaper.

But yeah - flying == cool although flying helicopters == fecking tricky.

[WayneB]

Love planes, mad about flying , live opposite Canadas largest military airfield, but I have not got aviation type money (it would have to be the cars or a plane)

Maybe I should have joined the RAF?

Oh thats right, didnt join due to lack of respect for authority

[Goose]

Looks great! I used to go when I was in the cadets at school - used to fly 2 seater Chipmunks from Hurn airport in Hampshire. I remember the instructional video and the way you always had to hand over control... "You have control" ... "I have control" . Never got quite used to the engine sounding like it was about to die whenever the plane did anything strenuous! Lots of fun

[SMAC67]

Hi guys, I fly professionally. I did my PPL (A) in the late 80's, followed by my ATPL in the early 90's (just in time for uncle Saddam to invade his neighbour and kill the aviation industry). Esprit ownership v flying, it's a close call, but I would say that flying (especially in this country) is a very expensive business. We also have an unhealthy attitude to GA and people seem intent on closing all airfields in this country. I find this a little bit strange as we have always had a very active aviation industry. Go to the Brooklands museum and you will find that motor racing and flying were practically invented here. Shame we don't build many cars or planes anymore.

Stuart

[iainskea]

Add me to the list - wish I had real wings!

Gliders, Ultralights but most fun I had was Terrain Following Radar (TFR) Test flights in the RAAF F-111 - 30 flights baby!

damn things were older than my car...

Iain

[Red]

wish I had real wings!

You need to get one of

then B)

[islandbloke]

I also had a first flight as a kid in the Air Cadets in a DH Chipmunk at RAF Woodvale (Southport). 30-odd years later I produced a TV series about the place and ended up filming from a Chinook over Kosovo!

In between I learned to fly in 1985 (when it cost around

[slade]

My dad's a private pilot... Own(ed) a 65 Mooney and a 76 Piper Warrior.

He took the Mooney in for servicing, the dude who's been giving the thing annuals for nearly 15 years uhh has forgotten to inspect the elevator controls every year since he's seen the plane , and as a result on takeoff they finally snapped (they had rusted shut and the elevators moved only on virtue of the rods flexing rather than the joints pivoting)... took off straight up, and smashed into the runway from about 50 feet up.

My dad's only injuries are scratches on his nose from his sunglasses hitting the control stick and smashing into his face, and a sore back from them keeping him on the backboard for hours as they helicopter lifted him to the hospital.

The plane landed tail first on its belly and crushed the landing gear and fucked the prop. The FAA guy said it was a miracle he managed to even get the plane level before it slammed into the ground... (he cut power when the nose went up, and gradually put it back on)

The only reason my dad didn't get in his other plane and continue his journey is because the runway was blocked by his first try My dad's something

I have to admire my dad sometimes. I'm the only one he's told the (whole) story to so far... because he knew I wouldn't really care That's not quite the truth, but everyone else would overreact...

Anyways... it happened on his 60th birthday, so some gift

The funny thing is my dad's actually glad cuz he gets a free plane... he was in the market for a new one anyways, seeing as the Mooney was due for a new engine anyway

I'm waiting for him to send me pics of the wreckage still...

...not scaring me away from flyin'. Still beats traffic. Or waiting in lines at the airport. I'm still taking sporadic lessons. Might as well, seeing as my dad will give me free use of his planes... Anyone up for Vegas