FLYER Magazine November 2020

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November 2020

THE UK’S MOST READ GA MAGAZINE

Above 70k NEW DA50-RG VERSUS RIVALS BATTLE OF THE SUPER SINGLES

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THE GA PILOTS WHO GO TO WORK BEYOND FL700

DEVON AND CORNWALL

THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH WEST

Editorial

FLYER Club Telephone +44 (0)1225 481440 Email subscriptions@seager.aero Website www.subscriptions.flyer.co.uk

Ed Hicks

Don’t be ‘that pilot’…

Editorial Telephone +44 (0)1225 481440 Email editor@seager.aero Website www.flyer.co.uk Seager Publishing, PO Box 4261, Melksham, SN12 9BN

I

’m sure it’s not just me, but I like to make sure I’m prepared when it comes to arriving at an airfield. From making a note of runways and circuit directions, to paying attention to special procedures, such as those for noise abatement. We’d probably agree it’s all good regular planning for any cross country-flight, but for me it’s to avoid becoming ‘that pilot’. You know, the one that all the airfield regulars look up at, and grumble about under their breath when a visiting aircraft appears and is clearly doing something wrong.

Last week I made a quick run in the RV-3 to Oaksey Park. It’s my regular haunt for fuel, plus its fabulous grass runway is just a delight from which to operate. Oaksey has more than its fair share of noise sensitive neighbours, and operator Andrew Austen goes out of his way to engage with them to try and keep the peace for everyone. “We used to get complaints fairly regularly, so I decided to meet with the people who were unhappy, and then put in place some airfield flying guidance that made them feel like they were being heard. As a result our neighbours are now much more patient with us,” Andrew tells me.

The normally upbeat Andrew was feeling slightly frayed around the edges. “Lovely day, yes, but unfortunately a few too many pilots turning up unprepared today, and upsetting the neighbours.” That’s despite Oaksey having clear noise abatement procedures that can be found on the web, and are shown on SkyDemon. Andrew enjoys meeting new pilots that visit and says they’re important to the life of the airfield, but adds that it does take the shine off the day when they pay no attention to the procedures.

“This kind of thing has a habit of lingering on long after an errant visitor is gone, which is a shame as with just a bit of preparation it can be avoided in the first place,” says Andrew.

So don’t be ‘that pilot’. Take a little time to take a look at your destination and get a good understanding of any special procedures they might have. You’ll be doing everyone, including yourself, a favour.

EDITOR Ed Hicks ed.hicks@seager.aero NEWS EDITOR Dave Calderwood dave.calderwood@seager.aero PRODUCTION EDITOR Lizi Brown lizi.brown@seager.aero ART EDITOR Ollie Alderton ollie.alderton@seager.aero CONTRIBUTORS Mark Hales, Ed Bellamy, Jonny Salmon Paul Kiddell, Dave Hirschman Yayeri van Baarsen FLIGHT SAFETY EDITOR Steve Ayres steve.ayres@seager.aero PUBLISHER & MANAGING DIRECTOR Ian Seager ics@seager.aero PRODUCTION MANAGER Nick Powell nick.powell@seager.aero SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER Kirstie May kirstie.may@seager.aero ADVERTISING ACCOUNT MANAGER Zoe Yeo zoe.yeo@seager.aero EXHIBITION MANAGERS Darran Ward darran.ward@seager.aero Paul Yates paul.yates@seager.aero MARKETING COORDINATOR Joanna Woronowicz joanna.woronowicz@seager.aero FINANCIAL DIRECTOR Martine Teissier martine.teissier@seager.aero

ed.hicks@seager.aero CIRCULATION Worldwide, free to download digital edition from flyer.co.uk

Left It helps everyone when you pay attention to noise hotspots…

© Seager Publishing 2020

Mark Mitchell

At FLYER we aim to produce the best possible magazine for our readers. All correspondence is welcome and will be read, but we can’t guarantee a written reply. We welcome contributions from readers, and guidelines are available from us. We take great care to ensure what we publish is accurate, but cannot accept any responsibility for any misprints or mistakes. Our reviews examine what we believe to be a product’s most important points, but readers are advised to check a product suits their needs before purchasing. No part of this publication may be produced in any form without permission.

November 2020 | FLYER | 3

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Contents November 2020

Features 18 I Get Paid for This…

James Burgess

Topdresser ‘Jimbo’ Burgess applies aerial fertiliser over New Zealand’s countryside

26 Special Feature Stratospheric Flyers

We meet a small group of US Air Force aviators flying regularly from the Cotswolds, who launch themselves to the edge of space in one of the most unique aircraft ever…

36 My First Solo Ken Krueger

Even when learning to fly, Ken Krueger was already interested in aircraft design

39 First Look Super Singles

With Diamond’s DA50-RG fresh on the scene with EASA certification, we look at its nearest competitors. Ian Seager reports

46 Accident Analysis Trust is key

Steve Ayres examines why choosing an organisation to provide the best airborne instructional experience can be more important than many realise, and should never be taken on cost alone…

52 Flying Adventure Coast Busters…

Stratospheric flyers

26

39

36

Paul Kiddell and his mates fly the stunning Devon and Cornwall coastline…

64 Top Gear DJI Osmo Action

One of the latest action cameras put to the test

Regulars 3 Editorial 6 News 16 Pilot Careers 21 Dave Hirschman

23 25 48 68

Mark Hales Ian Seager Accident Reports

By Association

SIX Free Landings!

52

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Take-off

Aviation news from around the world – for the latest visit www.flyer.co.uk

Four hotspots in London airspace Four locations have been identified as hotspots for infringements in the London Control Area (LTMA) in the latest narrative on airspace infringements. Find the narratives here: http://bit.ly/airspacebusts They are (refer to chart above): 1. A 40nm line from Bovingdon (BNN) to Brookmans Park (BPK) to Lambourne (LAM) 2. Woodley (WOD) near Reading 3. Barkway (BKW) near Royston 4. A 90nm line Midhurst (MID) to Mayfield (MAY) to Detling (DET) VORs. The CAA said, “For those not familiar with the airspace it comprises 24 different areas across a volume of airspace extending approximately 100nm from west to east and, in some areas, 90nm from north to south.”

The LTMA is vast, covering the south-east of England from east of the Isle of Wight to west of Dover, then turning north and passing Southend, to Clacton. It then heads west passing south of Cambridge towards Milton Keynes before turning south to the 6 | FLYER | November 2020

east of Oxford, east of Southampton and back to the Isle of Wight. It overlays international airports, multiple civil and military aerodromes and private landing sites.

The LTMA is Class A airspace with the base in places as low as 2,500ft. The base levels rise away from the centre and provide joined-up controlled airspace to various Class D airspace.

In 2019 there were 279 reported infringements of the LTMA. The CAA points out that an infringement of the TMA requires the Air Traffic Control Officer (ATCO) to achieve 3nm or 3,000ft separation from the unknown infringing aircraft and often requires the issue of ‘safety intervention measures’ such as avoiding action.

“At first glance, the chart of the area looks complicated but careful planning before the flight, including formulating a ‘Plan B’ option, can assist with reducing the workload during the flight and the chance of an airspace infringement from occurring.

“Plan B should be an alternative route around controlled airspace when Plan A is denied due to traffic density or when the weather requires a track diversion.”

Take-off

f

Diamond Aircraft certifies DA50-RG, relaunches DA20-C1 Katana Diamond Aircraft has been busy. Not content with certifying a brand new aircraft – the DA50-RG – to compete with the Cirrus SR22, Diamond also relaunched its two-seat DA20-C1 into the growing and competitive training market.

The DA50-RG is Diamond’s single-engine flagship aircraft and it has just received type certification from EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency).

It is a five-seat aircraft, with retractable undercarriage, powered by a Jet A burning, EASA certified, twin-turbocharger, liquid-cooled six-cylinder 300hp Continental CD-300. The V6 engine has car-like Common Rail Direct Injection, with a dual redundant FADEC (full authority digital engine control) system, integrated 6 | FLYER | July 2016

gearbox and propeller governor.

European deliveries are expected to start in the first quarter of 2021, and FAA certification in the US is also being pursued with a target of the end of 2021.

Top-hinged doors provide access to a luxury car-like cabin with genuine leather seats, a 60/40 split folding three-seat second row bench, premium materials in several styles and colours, middle armrest, overhead LED interior lighting and many optional features. The panel is equipped with Garmin’s G1000 NXi with dual displays and standard three-axis GFC700 autopilot.

The two-seat DA20 was first launched as long ago as 1992 and there are more than 1,000 in operation around the world, mostly in flight schools, therefore the fleet has accumulated a whopping 7m flight hours. It’s cleared for spin training and also Night VFR.

Two variants have been on sale in recent years, the DA20i Katana fitted with a Rotax engine, and the DA20-C1 with a 125hp Continental IO-240 engine. The latest version has a Garmin G500TXi glass cockpit and new avionics.

Top Revised DA20-C1 Katana uses 125hp IO-240G Above Stunning DA50RG is just certified Inset left That’s a Garmin G500TXi EFIS in the DA20’s panel Below Luxurious cabin of the DA50

November 2020 | FLYER | 7

Take-off

Electric aircraft team sets five world records in long distance Pipistrel flight A team of electric aircraft enthusiasts has set five world records on a 453nm flight in a Pipistrel Velis Electro, the world’s only certified electric aircraft.

The flight was from Schänis in the Swiss Alps to Norderney, an island off the North Sea coast of Germany. It was over three days allowing for recharging stops along the route, provided by a ground crew driving two chargers ahead of the aircraft.

The results were documented by Swiss ElectroSuisse and have been submitted to the FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale): 1. Lowest energy consumption (kWh/100km): 22.76kWh/100km (average) 2. Highest average speed over 700km: 125.217kph 3. Fastest average speed over 100km: 136kph on the route from Lahr Airport to Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport 4. Smallest number of intermediate stops over a distance of 700km: 11 (without start and finish) 5. Longest electrically flown route in 24/48/56 hours: 24 hours: 326.878km on the first day (Schänis to Bad Dürkheim).

48 hours: 608.382km on the first and second day (Schänis to Münster-Telgte).

56 hours: 838.956km, the entire distance in this time! (Schänis to Norderney).

8 | FLYER | November 2020

Above left The route was easy by aircraft - a straight line - but harder for the two chase cars carrying electric charging equipment!

Top right The finish! A wet day on Nordeney Above right A Pipistrel Velis Electro, the world’s only certified electric aircraft, was used for the flight Inset Media interest high at the start in hyper-green Switzerland

Two other records they hoped to set, highest flight altitude ever reached with an electric aircraft and fastest climb rate, were planned for Norderney but could not be flown due to weather.

The team flew a Pipistrel Velis Electro belonging to Swiss flight school owner Marco Buholzer. His flight school, Pitch Power, operates the Pipistrel from the town of Schänis, deep in the Swiss Alps, southeast of Zurich.

Other members of the team included Morell Westermann, Malik Aziz, Tom Albrecht, Tobias Pape, Kerstin Zulechner and Stefan Pieper.

Other electric news

n German air taxi pioneer Volocopter is taking bookings for a 15 minute flight. The ticket costs €300 but the flight date and location have not yet been announced. n US startup Ampaire is flying its second hybridelectric prototype prior to starting trials in the islands of Hawaii with a local airline. The aircraft is a Cessna 337 inline twin with the front engine being replaced by Ampaire’s 200kW electric motor. A Continental 310hp IO-550 combustion engine is at the rear. n About 1,000 visitors turned up for this year’s COVID-affected Electrifly-In & Symposium at Grenchen, Switzerland in September to see 14 teams with electric aircraft projects.

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Take-off

Europe’s first CubCrafters XCub is UK-based Europe has its first CubCrafters XCub, registered and based here in the UK. CubCrafters has confirmed it has shipped the first new European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certified CC19 XCub. The aircraft, reg G-OBTO, is also the first EASA certified aircraft equipped with Garmin’s G3X Touch avionics.

The customer, Gerhard Oberholzer, intends to base the aircraft at Fowlmere Airfield, near Cambridge.

Gerhard said, “A key purpose of having an aircraft like this is to be able to travel across England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland on business, enabling very efficient access to often remote parts of the islands – using the aircraft as a working tool.

“The XCub, with its higher cruising speed and modern avionics, coupled with an advanced autopilot, made a lot of sense. I’m very pleased with where we ended up.”

CubCrafters was awarded EASA certification for 10 | FLYER | November 2020

Main and inset top XCub has been designed to deliver higher cruise speeds and crisper handling than traditional Super Cub pilots have been used to Inset right Panel includes certified Garmin G3X Touch

the XCub in 2018. The company then followed up the initial EASA certification with Garmin’s non-TSO’d touch screen glass panel avionics.

“The European market is very important to us in the continuing expansion of international XCub sales opportunities,” said Patrick Horgan, president of CubCrafters.

“There has been a lot of hard work getting to this point with EASA. We are extremely pleased to see the market has responded and the first new XCubs are now headed for Europe.”

Kamil Skorupski manages distribution of the XCub in Europe. He said, “Within a year we will have XCubs based in the UK, Iceland, Germany, and France.

“Interest is strong and will only grow as more aircraft arrive and European pilots can personally see the style, safety, and utility the XCub offers.”

CubCrafters Europe: www.cubcrafterseurope.com

Take-off

Blades commemorate Battle of Britain over WWII bases The Blades aerobatic display team – all former Red Arrows pilots – marked Battle of Britain Day in September by flying over former RAF bases that played key roles in defending England 80 years ago.

The Blades’ Extra 300 aircraft travelled 250nm on Tuesday, 15 September, flying over nine Battle of Britain Sector Stations including Duxford, Kenley and North Weald, as well as the former Fighter Command headquarters at Bentley Priory.

The Boultbee Academy Spitfire joined in the mission over Hampshire, and a Spitfire and Hurricane flown by Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar pilots formed up over the Kent countryside. A Mustang and Spitfire pair operated by Ultimate Warbird Flights escorted the Blades back to their team base at Sywell Aerodrome, Northampton.

At the route’s midway point, the team landed at the Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar to meet RAF veterans and guests for a RAF Benevolent Fund ‘8Tea Party’.

Blades’ Team Leader, Andy Evans, said, “It was an extraordinary day and what other way to mark the Battle of Britain anniversary than sharing the skies 12 | FLYER | November 2020

Above The Blades formate with a Spitfire and Hurricane over Biggin Hill Right … and were escorted back into Sywell by a Spitfire and Mustang from Ultimate Warbird Flights

with the world-famous British icons that took centre stage 80 years ago?

“For the first time in Blades’ history, we auctioned off the front seats of our Extra 300 aircraft on a passenger flight in and out of Biggin Hill to do exactly that – to fly alongside multiple warbirds, including a Spitfire and a Hurricane.

“Proceeds raised from this mixed formation flight are going towards the essential work the RAF Benevolent Fund undertakes to support the RAF family.

“As former military pilots ourselves, this charity is close to our hearts and has been for more than six years, so we were delighted to be able to offer our support.”

To donate directly to the charity, click here: www.rafbf.org/blades-donation

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Transitioning to Part-M Light Ed Bellamy explores the new rules and what it means for GA…

S

ome good news for General Aviation that seemed to slip out largely unnoticed in March was the long-awaited implementing regulation for EASA Part-M ‘Light’. M-Light sits within the wider package of EASA maintenance and continued airworthiness regulations and covers aeroplanes up to 2,730kg MTOW and helicopters up to 1,200kg that carry not more than four occupants. Sailplanes and balloons are also covered. The aim of M-Light is to bring a more proportionate system for the regulation of maintenance in GA. M-Light covers the applicable aircraft when not used by a ‘Licensed Air Carrier’ – essentially this means all operations other than airlines requiring licensing under Regulation (EC) No 1008/2008. So non-commercial operations, flight training and the various commercial operations not requiring an airline licence are within scope of M-Light.

Alongside M-Light there is a new organisational approval aimed at GA maintenance organisations. ‘Part-CAO’ introduces the Maintenance and Airworthiness Management Organisation – essentially combining the former Part-M Subpart-F (Maintenance) and Subpart-G (CAMO) approvals.

It allows organisations to maintain and/or manage aircraft up to 5,700kg MTOW. A reorganised ‘Part-CAMO’ remains in place for organisations overseeing aircraft above 5,700kg.

On the aircraft maintenance programme side, M-Light extends the provision for the programme to be declared by the owner if the aircraft is not used for commercial operations.

The Light Aircraft Maintenance Programme (LAMP) therefore disappears as the default CAA approved programme, something that happened for 1,200kg aeroplanes a few years ago. All maintenance programmes are now either declared by the owner or can still be produced under contract with a Part-CAO or Part-CAMO organisation. For commercial operations a CAO or CAMO airworthiness contract is required, and the programme needs to be approved by the contracted organisation.

There is not really any difference in the maintenance requirements between commercial and non-commercial, but a CAO approved programme needs to justify deviations from manufacturer recommendations, whereas an owner-declared one for non-commercial operations does not. Either way, the aircraft maintenance programme must comply with the ‘Minimum Inspection Programme’ (MIP) provisions as contained in M-Light and any mandatory items from the manufacture or design approval holder. The option to follow manufacture recommendations entirely also remains.

Overall this approach should bring greater flexibility to GA maintenance. Some people have been quick to point out that the MIP specifies maintenance intervals of 100 hours or Annual checks (whichever comes sooner), whereas the LAMP standard was 50 hours, 150 hours and Annual. Depending on the utilisation profile of the aircraft this could help or hinder, so I think this issue should be monitored to see whether the 100-hour check is proving onerous. Under FAA private rules only the Annual check is required, with the 100-hour only

14 | FLYER | November 2020

“This approach should bring greater flexibility to GA maintenance“ coming in with what we would know as commercial operations.

M-Light also gives more privileges to individual certifying staff – aircraft under M-Light and when used noncommercially can be maintained without the need for an approved organisation. An engineer with the relevant privileges can carry out the maintenance tasks and issue the Airworthiness Review Certificate for the aircraft. For commercial operations an organisation needs to be involved, which typically would be the Part-CAO contracted organisation.

Now as you will have noted, M-Light specifies certain requirements for ‘commercial operations’. The definition of ‘commercial’ in this context is the normal EASA one: ‘Any operation of an aircraft, in return for remuneration of other valuable consideration, which is available to the public or, when no made available to the public, which is performed under a contract between an operator and a customer, where the latter has no control over the operator’.

Despite its apparent complexity I find it a reasonable definition – essentially a scenario in which someone pays an operator to operate a flight in return for remuneration.

Questions have been raised over training organisations (ATOs and DTOs) and when the requirement applies to contract a Part-CAO organisation. Essentially it applies to training organisations run on a commercial basis. For example, a group established on a non-profit basis that provides flight training to its members would not be caught by the requirement and similarly neither would a pilot-owner completing training in their own aircraft under the auspices of an ATO or DTO, assuming the owner retains responsibility for the airworthiness of the aircraft and is not leasing the aircraft to the organisation for other customers to train in.

Pure self-fly hire should not count as commercial either, which happens to mirror the FAA approach.

Another discussion point is time between overall (TBO) periods for engines – under the LAMP regime aircraft being used commercially or for self-fly hire could go to 20 per cent over recommended TBO but no more, with indefinite on condition running only allowed for private operations. This is an area in which accepted practice may need to develop a bit – under M-Light there is no hard TBO limit for commercial operations or self-fly hire, but programmes approved for commercial operations must justify deviations from manufacturer recommendations.

For more information: www.caa.co.uk/Part-ML

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What now for the Multi-Pilot Licence pilot training route?

One of the many casualties in aviation from the COVID-19 pandemic could be the Multi-Pilot Licence – known simply in the pilot training world as the ‘MPL’.

The MPL was introduced to produce new pilots that are ‘cockpit ready’ to become a First Officer having trained using the Standard Operating Procedures of the sponsoring airline. easyJet and British Airways are two prime examples of airlines putting trainee pilots through an MPL course, and there are many more across

plan, which is then presented to a CAA inspector for approval. A plan will obviously be based on the progress the student has already made. It may suggest the student work towards a CPL (IR) or a full ATPL. “The main point though is that the approved plan is unique to the individual student and is not imposed on MPLs per se.”

One answer popular on the forums is to switch to modular ATPL training.

That would have the benefit of spreading out the training until the aviation industry starts to recover.

“So just what should a student pilot halfway through an MPL course do?”

Europe and Asia following a similar route.

But now many of those airlines have had to cut back on flights – and jobs.

Pilots in training have been told in many cases that the conditional employment offers – part of the reason for choosing an MPL – are no longer available.

So what does a student pilot halfway through an MPL course do? Does any of the course count? Should you continue the course and get through the exams? Switch to a more generic ATPL course? And what about the money?

These questions and more are being aired on pilot forums, with some answers and advice coming from ATOs in the industry.

First though, we asked the CAA for its position. “[Our] approach to this is based on what is deemed to be best for the individual student, rather than a blanket policy being imposed.

“Affected MPL students are working with their ATOs to develop a study 16 | FLYER | November 2020

Nigel Orme, CEO of Aeros Flight Training, described how they would handle a student pilot, part-way through an MPL, who came to them.

“We’ll need to have a discussion with the cadet to see what training they have completed in order to map out what can be done for them.

“Inherently with MPL, they complete their training in a way that doesn’t run concurrently with how integrated and modular programmes run, so you may find that some cadets

as starting flight training later on within their respective programmes), so they may find that they are further behind when compared to non-MPL cadets.

“However, this isn’t always the case and we treat each cadet as an individual. We would encourage MPL cadets to reach out to discuss their training options, as depending on where they were in their training may depend on what can, or cannot, be credited.”

One trainee, who does not want to be named, said he was offered a ‘white tail MPL’ – an MPL without a sponsoring airline. It would mean that he’d continue the MPL course, finish with an A320 type rating and be placed in a holding pool. That appears to be completely against both the spirit and letter of the EASA law regulating MPLs. Alex Whittingham, CEO of Bristol Groundschool and also the Wings Alliance, suggested a different route, “I would say complete the exams, then swap to modular aiming for a CPL (Commercial Pilot’s Licence) with an SE IR (Single Engine Instrument Rating). This will preserve your ATPL passes and licence in the most cost effective way.

“If / when the market picks up you need to do a ME IR (Multi Engine IR) and APS MCC (Airline Pilot Standard Multi Crew Cooperation) to bring your licence

“Their training may depend on what can, or cannot, be credited” have varying levels of training which will affect where they fall into the modular training route.

“The biggest hurdle is, of course, the flight hours, as MPL cadets complete less flight hours than integrated or modular cadets (as well

up to the point where you can apply for a job.

“That exercise will also mean you are current when you apply. The fact that you passed selection for an easyJet MPL cannot be taken away from you and will help your CV.”

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Pilot Careers

I Get Paid for This…

James Burgess Topdresser James ‘Jimbo’ Burgess applies aerial fertiliser over New Zealand’s rugged countryside. Interview by Yayeri van Baarsen

How did you get into flying?

I always knew I wanted to get into topdressing, from the moment I watched a yellow biplane fly over our house. I think I must have been about eight years old and seeing that aircraft once a month intrigued me. Agricultural flying looked like something I’d enjoy.

Tell us about your job?

I’m a freelance agricultural pilot. Based in Methven, on the South Island of New Zealand. I provide aerial topdressing services for different companies throughout the Flying CV country. The majority of the work is on the Agricultural pilot James Burgess North Island where there’s more farming. shows what topdressing in New Small airstrips are dotted all around New Zealand looks like on his YouTube Zealand’s countryside – if you don’t have one, channel Jimbo Burgess. chances are your neighbour does.

Started current job: 2012 My work varies hugely. Sometimes I Now flying: Cresco, Air Tractor Favourite aircraft: P-51D Mustang. “In all the topdress one paddock at the time, which takes movies I’ve seen and everything I still watch, it a few minutes, other farms use thousands of sounds right, it looks right, this aircraft just is tonnes of fertiliser, which takes weeks. The right.” terrain also varies. From the Southern Alps Hours at job start: Approx. 5,000 Hours now: Approx. 9,000 where you’re literally spreading up to the snowline, to the coastal farms in the North.

There’s never a dull day, although they are long, starting before dawn, returning after dark. When spreading What’s been your favourite flight? fertiliser you’ve got to concentrate. Flying back to the airstrip after It’s really hard to beat flying first thing in the morning, when the each load you can admire the views, which are often spectacular. sun just starts to beam across the hills, the air is still calm, and The aircraft carries a maximum of 2,200 kilos of fertiliser. Fully there’s not a bump in the sky. That’s how I start most of my days. loaded it’s definitely not an aerobatic aircraft, it doesn’t handle well so you’ve got to treat it gently. Flying is often done from short, And your favourite airfield? unprepared one-way airstrips. At 100ft above ground, it’s important Lukla, Tenzing-Hillary Airport. I’ve landed there hundreds of to pick your lines carefully, particularly if there’s a hill climb times and really enjoyed it. It’s a place that’s held in high esteem involved. Good stick and rudder skills are an absolute must. Also among aviators, even before it got on all the ‘craziest airport’ lists. important in this job is stock sense. As you’re flying over farms, you You have to treat the area with respect, but when you take all need to understand animal behaviour to avoid creating havoc. necessary precautions, flying among the Himalayas can be Topdressing comes with many challenges, but once you get into the thoroughly rewarding. Lukla Airport is also special for me because groove, it’s very enjoyable. of the New Zealand connection. It was co-founded by Sir Edmund Hillary, a fellow Kiwi, which makes me proud.

“At 100ft above ground, it’s vital to pick your lines carefully”

What training did you have?

With my CPL and taildragger rating, I towed gliders to increase my hours. I then became a loader driver, you learn lots while loading the aircraft with fertiliser, it’s like a topdressing apprenticeship. The company I was working for at the time was short on survey aircraft pilots though, so I did survey work in Africa for a year.

Afterwards I lived in Queenstown for a year, flying skydivers. I then was asked to go to Nepal to train local pilots on the P-750 X-STOL. Since they didn’t have enough pilots, I stayed for 2.5 years. Returning to New Zealand, in 2012 I started working as an agricultural pilot.

18 | FLYER | November 2020

Do you get to fly much outside of work?

Not so much. In my spare time I’m currently training for my C and E Cat flight instructor rating, which will allow me to instruct agricultural pilots. A mate has offered me his Cessna 180 to fly, so once I’ve obtained those ratings I’ll do some more private flying.

What’s the most valuable advice you’ve received?

Never stop learning. A good friend and mentor of mine told me that. He’s now retired, but he constantly kept acquiring knowledge.

Even when instructing younger guys, he was gaining new insights, learning from those he was supposed to be teaching.

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Column

Unusual Attitude Dave Hirschman

H

A big bet on yourself

ere’s a radical idea to improve your flying and make better aeronautical decisions: Cancel your aircraft hull insurance (and keep the liability part, only).

Doing so places a big financial bet on yourself, your flying skills, and your ability to fly safely in the future – and it may even alter your definition of acceptable risk.

Without hull insurance, sharpening your stick-and-rudder skills becomes urgent, your aeronautical decisions become more conservative, and your attention to maintenance details is heightened. A crosswind you might have regarded as challenging, but acceptable with insurance, leads you to find an alternative runway without it. An intermittent magneto problem that might have been deferred becomes a no-go item that must be addressed right away.

I used to own a single-seat Pitts aerobatic biplane with an insured value of $30,000, and my insurance premiums were $1,200 a year. At that rate, my insurance premiums would completely pay for the aeroplane in 15 years (assuming a five per cent rate of return on my savings).

Put another way, I could fly the aircraft for 15 years without insurance, then total it, and still come out even financially.

The arguments for self-insuring get even more persuasive when you think about how little hull insurance actually covers. A ground loop, for example, that scrapes the fabric on a wingtip and would cost $2,500 to repair – a fairly common Pitts mishap – doesn’t meet the $3,000 insurance deductible. And a pilot is unlikely to make such a claim anyway, out of fear that doing so would cause future premiums to go up.

The best argument I ever heard in favour of hull insurance, however, came from a fellow Pitts pilot who described himself as a notorious cheapskate. “I know myself, and if I had an aerial emergency and my aeroplane wasn’t insured, saving the aeroplane would figure into what I did next,” he said. “I might try to land on a road and save my investment rather than bail out. I pay for the insurance so that, if that moment ever comes, I can make a purely aeronautical decision – not a financial one.”

There are lots of horror stories of premiums doubling or tripling, even among exemplary clients who have seldom, if ever, made claims. The reasons that insurance companies give often have nothing do with general aviation. They point to the Boeing 737 Max debacle, floods, forest fires, and other massive events in which insurance companies are on the hook for billions of dollars in claims. Corporate aviation hasn’t been blameless, either, with a spate of high-profile jet losses (such as the August 19, 2019, crash of a Citation Latitude in which former NASCAR driver Dale

Earnhardt Jr. was a passenger). Insurance companies are also demanding that corporate flight departments add more simulator training in order to obtain insurance at all.

On the lighter side of the GA market, some insurers have been demanding that pilots over 70 years of age get FAA third class medicals instead of BasicMed, and they’ve been refusing to insure pilots aged 80+, regardless of their medical status, even though there’s no data to suggest these requirements will increase safety or reduce claims. As the insurance companies tell it, they’ve been losing money in a buyer’s market too long, and it’s payback time.

The lighter end of the GA market has largely been spared the worst of the price increases – so far. But anecdotal evidence indicates that that is changing. Amphibious aircraft are some of the most expensive to insure, for obvious reasons. If the pilot leaves the wheels down in a water landing, the aircraft is almost sure to flip over and wind up wrecked. There’s also the risk of a sudden, grinding stop on a hard surface runway if the pilot lands

Mark Mitchell

“Without hull insurance, sharpening your stick-and-rudder skills becomes urgent” with the wheels up – although the damage from such events is usually minor. Amphibious aircraft also are subject to the long list of normal hazards inherent in backcountry flying.

A friend with an amphibious Light Sport Aircraft valued at $120,000 recently cancelled hull insurance for which he was paying $6,000 a year, and now he’s going with liability only for $600. How does it feel to fly without hull coverage?

“I’ve been flying the aeroplane regularly for several years,” he said. “I keep it in top mechanical condition, and it’s a sport plane that only flies in good weather. In a sense, I’m betting that I’ll continue to fly safely in the future, but if there’s anything that aviation has taught me, it’s how to calculate and minimise risk.

This doesn’t feel like a stretch.”

Does it change the way he flies? “I didn’t anticipate this when I cancelled my hull insurance, but I feel like fully accepting the financial risks has made me a safer pilot,” he said. “I’m hyperaware of hazards, I do my best to hone my skills, and I really try to think things through. If I’m still flying my aeroplane 15 years from now, I’ll know I did the right thing.”

RV-4 pilot, ATP/CFII, specialising in tailwheel and aerobatic instruction dave.hirschman@flyer.co.uk November 2020 | FLYER | 21

Column

Full Throttle

Mark Hales

Mark Mitchell

I

Not just a flight, but an event…

was due at Castle Combe circuit for 0830 on the Monday, and I really wanted to go in my Messenger.

Sample the value of two years work, and travel to a job in a style not available anywhere else. I already knew though that there’s a big difference in actually using a vintage aeroplane you don’t know that well, and doing a few trips round the patch. I had flown for a couple of hours over the previous weekend without any problem, so I was confident about oil usage and could make a reasonable guess about the fuel consumption.

The weather was perfect and forecast to last, so I rang Garston Farm, my normal Combe-convenient strip. “Sorry, no visitors at the moment…” Ed the editor suggested Wadswick but that – and Gloucester – are at least 60 quid away by taxi. Then someone proposed Badminton, which is only four miles away.

Howard, who hangars his Commander there, said he’d give me a lift. Used to fly in a Messenger, he said, be good to see one again…

Monday 0430, and a quick look at the TAFs promised local fog in the South West, a possibility which had been thus far completely absent… Damn… It was forecast to clear by 0900, but I’ve been caught out like that on more than one occasion, kicking my heels for the whole day. Or I could just miss the shower and shave, drive like a madman and be similarly late.

So, I did what I would have done 20 years ago. Tugged Messenger out of the hangar, fired up and soared into a cloudless sky where Messenger rode the wind beneath its wings as only Messenger can. The sun began to warm the cockpit and the patches of fog I could see as I neared the West were scattered and thinning. An hour on and the gauges had stayed pegged where they should be, but then… the Blackburn began to surge. The rev counter would move 25rpm in one direction, settle for a moment and then go back, accompanied by a semitone’s change in the sound. All too easy to get preoccupied by this and find yourself 500ft from your cruise level, or inside someone’s space. There’s no carb heat, so I cycled the magnetos in case one was going down, but neither made any difference. I waited for the surges to get bigger, or smaller. It’s almost worse if they disappear all on their own.

I’m not sure how I found out, but the change in the engine’s note turned out to be a simple response to pressure on the rudder bar. The Miles has a neat arrangement where the pedals are on the ends of a swivel mounted on a pedestal and bolted to the wooden floor. Which makes a great sounding board… The rev counter surges all on its own, probably because it’s 70-odd years old. Problem understood, the rest of the flight was perfect. The murk which still lay over the Severn was clear of Badminton, Howard was there to meet me at a lush and beautifully kept strip – and identified the Messenger in which he’d flown many years ago, as the one which had just

landed. I made it to Combe bang on time. I finally got in touch with Sywell about lunchtime. Could I visit about six o’clock ?

“Sorry no, we’re closed on Mondays…” It’s OK, I only need the credit card pump? “No, sorry, it’s closed.” What, you mean it’s no longer available ? “No, only on Mondays…” Yes, I know.

How about Oaksey Park? Steven at Merlin Motorsport – who keeps another Commander at Gloucester – said they close at five, or about the time I would finish at Combe. The only choice, he said, was Gloucester, but be sure to ring for PP. Howard had kindly offered his taxi again and as we wound our way back through the leafy lanes to Badminton, I explained my fuel dilemma. Fenland is also on my route but since I hadn’t proved the fuel gauges, that would be a risk, especially as the headwind had now disappeared and the air was hot and still.

“Travelling to a job in a style not available anywhere else” Howard dialled up Oaksey Park on the Bluetooth. “Got a fellow flyer who needs fuel, can you sort it ?” Andrew replied politely, saying that he closed at five and besides, he was about to go out for a drink with his beloved. “Come on,” said Howard, “you can’t have him going to Gloucester. Besides, he’s flying a Messenger…”

I hadn’t been to Oaksey for a while, but it’s truly a model airfield, and the fuel turned out to be the cheapest I’ve seen for ages. Andrew swiftly turned it all round and I set off again, confident now that Messenger would do all it could to get me home, including turning at max continuous for the next two hours.

A mid-afternoon text from home reminded me that the sun set at 1915 and asked if I wanted car headlights to shine down the strip… I picked out the twin beams a long way before the thin green line emerged from the gathering gloom, backing out just as I wheeled on. Most helpful.

I’d made it, but it seems I never really learn the lessons.

The details wouldn’t have been much the same sitting in a Cherokee, but the experience was so very different.

As a friend of mine put it, flying anything like a Messenger isn’t just a flight, it’s an event…

Working vintage aircraft and cars make Mark particularly happy mark.hales@seager.aero November | FLYER | 23

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Column

Squawks Ian Seager

T

Fixing a lack of trust

he CAA has a serious problem. It’s getting worse, and it urgently needs to be fixed.

The dismay and frustration caused by its actions in some areas is quickly growing into a widespread and profound lack of trust between the regulator and regulated, and that will be dreadful for everyone.

This is not just another of those columns having a pop at one of the many easy targets that the CAA is currently presenting. Over the years I’ve both praised and criticised the CAA, and I want to point out there are many great people doing their level best within the organisation. The CAA’s GA Unit under both Tony Rapson and Rachel Gardner-Poole has brought numerous, previously unimaginable, benefits to GA and in many areas the CAA has worked tirelessly, and often at the very edge (and maybe a bit beyond) its remit, to keep pilots flying.

There’s a lot of good stuff being done by a lot of good people, but there’s a lot of bad and mediocre stuff being done too. I believe that much of that is the direct result of having no independent external scrutiny or recourse, and that’s what absolutely has to change.

If you want examples of the bad and mediocre, how about the CAA’s dangerous view on rule 11? I’ve gone into detail previously, but if you’re unfamiliar, essentially the CAA has ignored what has been very common and pragmatic practice over many years, and is insisting on an interpretation of rule 11 that is both dangerous and inconsistent with the rule itself. It’s trying to dig itself out of this self-made mess by proposing ridiculous solutions that are ineffective and currently invisible, presumably in the hope that we’ll all forget and it’ll blow over.

Then there’s the whole CAP 1404 airspace infringement process (which has been invoked after a few pilots broke rule 11, or other alleged misdemeanours). I’m happy to believe that it was devised with good intentions, but it has become an opaque and secretive process. One that has concentrated huge and significant amounts of power in very few hands, one in which you can be treated as guilty, punished, and then asked to prove your innocence – and one that has caused many individuals huge amounts of stress. It is a process that has fallen into disrepute and which has done nothing to improve the problem of infringements. Sadly, the diseased tentacles of CAP 1404 appear to have spread and contaminated the CAA’s understanding of Just Culture, as I believe is evidenced by their policy on danger area infringements, and probably their view on danger areas as a whole.

How about another example? The CAA recently consulted on the re-classification of controlled airspace. I thought the graphical representation of traffic that supported the document was so poor that I wrote to the CAA’s Richard Moriarty, asking

him to withdraw the consultation and try again. You won’t be surprised that he didn’t. The CAA has now published CAP 1934 which details its proposed procedure for reclassifying airspace. Again, perhaps well-intentioned, but basically a three-phase approach that involves them in a lot of considering amongst themselves and consulting with whoever is controlling the bit of airspace. It’s insular in the extreme, and will only serve to raise understandable suspicions regardless of outcome.

Elsewhere in the authority… the ATPL written exam syllabus is changing. Given that it can take up to 18 months to complete the 14 written exams, this poses a challenge for schools. Candidates usually study several subjects, sit those exams and then move on to the next set. It would make a lot of sense to allow people to change syllabus at one of these natural breaks. This is the way that some other authorities are dealing with it, but the UK CAA says NO; meaning that schools will have to teach two sets of students two different syllabi for perhaps the next two years or so. The decision has been taken without consultation, and seemingly to make its internal

Mark Mitchell

“The time has come for independent external oversight and scrutiny of the CAA” processes easier. The natural sequitur of starting the new syllabus later than other authorities and not allowing students to transfer mid-series means the UK CAA will fail to achieve full implementation by 31 January 2022, in breach of the EASA requirement (yes, I know that we’re no longer in EASA, but we’ve said we’re remaining aligned, and in the world of commercial pilots that’s going to be essential isn’t it?)

Maybe it’s an evolutionary thing, or maybe after Andrew Haines started to replace gold-plating with proportionality the pendulum is swinging back the other way. I think there are pockets of people who are just used to getting their own way, and of doing it without external scrutiny.

The time has come for independent external oversight and scrutiny of the CAA. The best parts of the organisation will be supported, the not-so-good parts will have to change and improve, the trust and relationship between regulator and regulated will improve and the CAA should become the kind of world-leading organisation that we all want.

Publisher, pre C-19 often found flying something new and interesting ics@seager.aero November 2020 | FLYER | 25

Electric reality?

San Francisco from around 70,000 feet…

26 | FLYER | November 2020

Stratospheric flyers Special Feature | The GA pilots who go to work at FL700

Jonny Salmon meets a small group of US Air Force aviators flying regularly from the Cotswolds, launching themselves to the edge of space in one of the most unique aircraft the world has ever seen PHOTOGRAPHY Jonny Salmon, USAF 501st CSW and Merc

M

erc is the 1,028th pilot to solo the fuselage and engine combination is squeezed between a 104ft, legendary Lockheed U-2, nicknamed the high aspect ratio wing. Add to that a single centreline Dragon Lady. “With most aircraft, once undercarriage leg with a steerable tailwheel at the back, and you touchdown, the hard work is often you’ve got a jet that wouldn’t look out of place at Lasham, let done and you can give a sigh of relief. alone at some of the USAF’s most closely guarded bases.

But in the U-2, once you land the aircraft A special fuel, known these days as Jet Propellant Thermally (considered the most difficult to land in Stable ( JPTS), was sourced for the U-2’s high operating the USAF inventory), you are still flying, keeping the wings altitudes. The source of the fuel, along with the quantities level until you come to a complete stop. After an hour in the purchased, caused a shortage of lighter fluid in the USA during pattern you’ll often come back soaking wet and exhausted.” the 1950s, as tanker loads were purchased in secrecy. Official Merc and his colleagues are part of the 99th Expeditionary government documentation from the 1980s confirms this. The Reconnaissance Squadron, flying out of RAF Fairford in U-2’s mission necessitates that it be a light aircraft, which comes Gloucestershire. This detachment of people and aircraft comes at the expense of many of the systems that other military pilots from Beale Air Force Base in Northern California. might take for granted. Merc explains one aspect of the Dragon Merc and his colleague Crash also own a share in a 1964 S35 Lady’s simplicity, “The U-2s main fuel tanks, in order to keep Bonanza, alongside Tom Rosen, a former TWA Captain. Merc weight down, are not fitted with any measurement devices. Like began his career flying King Airs fitted with remote sensing many general aviation aircraft, the fuel tanks are dipsticked equipment, visiting places like Iraq, before joining the USAF before flight and a fuel computer analyses the flow and tells me and flying the B-1 Lancer. Crash flew the KC-135 tanker and what I should have remaining. Only the 100-gallon sump tank spent four years flying the MQ-1 and MQ-9 unmanned aircraft contains a float valve and can give any sort of reading to the systems. Alongside the U-2, they also fly the T-38 Talon. pilot.”

Both Merc, Crash and their colleagues were able to tell their stories of flying the U-2, while drawing many parallels with ‘Two point’ landings general aviation flying.

The U-2’s tailwheel hangs from a vertically mounted oleo. The ‘tyre’ feels like a similar material to the polyurethane wheels Jet-powered taildragger found on a skateboard, so contact with the ground can produce First flown on 1 August 1955, the U-2 is a high-altitude / near strong vibrations. Lockheed ‘Skunk Works’ legend Kelly space reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft with some Johnson, who designed the U-2, initially thought that wheeler unique characteristics. The pencil-thin fuselage, which began landings would be the most successful way to land the U-2. life as the F-104 Starfighter, houses a General Electric F118-101 However, test pilots soon found this wasn’t achievable, so turbofan, a derivative of the F110, which powers the F-16. This two-pointer and tail first landings were decided upon. The November 2020 | FLYER | 27

Special Feature

Top Operating the U2 is a team effort. Aircrew Flight Equipment Technicians assist Merc with his suit preparations Above Breathing 100% pressurised oxygen before walking out to the U-2 Below A traditional departure farewell for the team before strapping in

taildragger pilots among us will be able to recall our first attempts at landing, with the benefit of two main landing gear legs, rather than just one!

Merc explained more about operating the U-2 on the ground, “Taxying is one of the hardest things that you do in the U-2. The wings are long and low so you have to be very conscious of clearance on the tips, which is made even more difficult with the tailwheel’s six degree turning radius either side of the central position.” No full swivel tailwheels that we’re used to…

The very small vertical stabiliser and lack of any power-assisted flight controls make the U-2 a very tricky aircraft to land, especially in crosswinds. The pilots all agreed that the Dragon Lady flies wonderfully in the high atmosphere, but down low is where you earn your money.

Crash describes, “Driving the aircraft at the ground can feel very unnatural. At idle the motor produces a lot of excess thrust. That coupled with the massive amount of lift the wings create requires you to hang everything out to develop enough drag to land. Since everything on this jet is manual and it stalls at such a slow speed the control inputs needed in the flare are massive. Landing this jet can truly be an athletic event.”

The U-2 also features the all-trimming tail, found in Mooneys. Instead of operating a trim tab on the elevator, the entire empennage is angled up or down.

This cleaner design allows for less drag as the pilot is optimising angle of attack, rather than deflecting a control surface.

GA expands skills Merc and Crash both agreed that general aviation flying helps their military careers. “You develop different skills and airmanship and through GA flying you expand your toolbox of skills and your overall perspective of being a pilot,” said Merc.

Crash agreed, “You certainly have to plan missions more thoroughly in GA. If you’re flying the T-38 you can light the afterburners and outclimb any mountain range but in the Bonanza you’ve

28 | FLYER | November 2020

really got to have a plan in place for that situation.”

For Merc, Crash and Tom, the Bonanza is great at moving friends and family around the States. Tom first locked eyes on one when learning to fly and always considered it to be the Cadillac of aircraft.

Their Bonanza is fully IFR equipped. “It really offers us a better instrument flying platform than either the U-2 or the T-38”, explained Crash.

With all these difficulties, what attracts these aviators to the Dragon Lady?

Goggs, a former C-17 pilot, explained that the community of people involved in the operation of the jet sold it to him. “It’s a team effort from getting you ‘suited up’ in the jet to landing back after a mission. You might be sitting on your own at 70,000ft but there’s dozens of people involved with every flight that have helped get you there. It’s a big human footprint for a relatively small jet.”

However, to be in the privileged position of sitting in that seat at 70,000ft you must pass an intense and comprehensive two-week interview process. It involves a corporate-style job interview, a 45-minute claustrophobia check in the $250,000 pressure suit, chase car rides to experience the U-2 up close, followed by three flights in the two-seat TU-2S. All the while your every move, word and reaction is being watched by everybody around you.

That first flight was ‘humbling’, said Touchdown, Top Merc lifts off using just two-thirds of Fairford’s 10,000ft of runway Above middle GA is the perfect method to explore the American West. This is Merc and Crash’s Bonanza at Samoa (O33) in California Above Merc (Left) and Crash enjoying the freedom of flying without a pressure suit Right Flying to work often gets you the red carpet treatment, even at a USAF base, though sometimes the other types on the apron are pretty unusual…

November2020 | FLYER | 29

Special Feature

Above Merc performs a touch and go at Fairford Right As flying group logos go, this one has to be one of the more unique ones…

Below The T-38 allows U-2 pilots to keep formation, low level and other key skills sharp

a former C-130 pilot. Cosmo recalled his experience, “It was like being water-boarded and punched in the groin at the same time. The pressure suit is so restricting and you’re pulling the yolk right into your body to land, trying to do things that don’t make sense, like stall the aircraft onto the ground from two to three feet up.” Merc explained the point of these check flights, “You’re not proving you can grease the landing from the first approach, you’re proving that you’re trainable, that you can become a student again.”

Merc was the only one of the group with a prior tailwheel endorsement on his PPL, with others having flown a few taildragger hours either with friends or flying clubs. Crash managed his first ever tailwheel circuits in an RV only a few weeks prior to his interview, but said, “Nobody can do it on that first flight. You can’t land it and it’s a totally different feeling in the pattern. But you’re just focused on your ability to show progression at the right rate.”

Occupational hazards It is a widely accepted belief that you lose 15 IQ points when wearing the pressure suit. “You have to consciously think about breathing, while working the systems, radio and flying the jet,” said Merc. For all it’s apparent simplicity, the aircraft actually warns the pilots when they are hyperventilating and the Cabin Environment Reduction Effort (CARE) upgrade maintains a cabin pressure equivalent to 13,000-14,000ft, down from 30,000ft before the upgrade. The CARE upgrade wasn’t just for comfort, it was actually necessitated due to a risk of decompression sickness as U-2 pilots began flying longer, more frequent missions.

And the bends isn’t the only threat. U-2 pilots even carry radiation dosimeters, as they fulfil the requirements for being classed as radiation workers.

Checking for ‘solar events’ is on the U-2 meteorological team’s checklist. Life in the stratosphere is very different from life in the circuit.

The Mobile From brakes-off to lift-off and short finals to brakes on, the pilot is shadowed by a chase car known as the Mobile. The Mobile is a high-performance car (in this case a V8 Dodge Charger) driven by another U-2 pilot who is fulfilling the ‘wingman’ principle found elsewhere in military jet operations. Your ability to turn and see your aircraft and surroundings is very limited in the U-2 so the Mobile acts as a second pair of eyes while taxying, taking off and landing, and they need to be sharp.

To be effective as possible, the Mobile needs to see what might be about to happen next, but with enough time for him to communicate it to the pilot and the pilot to react. That could be a drift off the centreline, or a sudden balloon that could bring the jet thumping down from 15ft.

If you’re reading this you’ll likely understand the importance of carrying out pre-flight walkaround checks before flying your aircraft. However, for U-2 pilots it works a little differently. So complex and

30 | FLYER | November 2020

Electric reality?

U2 pilots never tire of the view from 70,000 feet

The Mobile car, driven by one of the other U2 pilots chases Merc down Fairford’s runway

November 2020 | FLYER | 31

Special Feature

Left If you find yourself flying in Northern California, you may often hear a controller say, “Climb Level 600, Report reaching VFR on top.”

Left The Earth’s shadow, just one of the amazing sights that flying the U-2 offers Below In-flight catering at FL700 is tube rather than table service…

32 | FLYER | November 2020

time consuming is the process of getting into the pressure suit and the difficulty of moving once in it, the responsibility for walkaround checks is delegated to the Mobile driver. They visually inspect the jet all the way out to the runway, perform a FOD check along the first few thousand feet and then signal that all is OK to the pilot.

Staying occupied With missions lasting in excess of eight hours and not involving any dynamic manoeuvring like other single-seat military jets, how do U-2 pilots stay occupied? Lt Col Staniszewski, Commander of the 99th ERS, said, “The view is the best thing, seeing the Northern Lights and other spectacles like that is an amazing feeling. Also, the lack of sound surprised me the most, if you hold your breath it is serenely peaceful and the ride so very smooth.”

Other pilots describe the white-out when flying over horizon-to-horizon clouds, leading to a feeling of being stationary at 70,000ft. Even though you’re flying above 90 per cent of the atmosphere, certain events can lead to turbulence. Touchdown, an airline pilot and the only U-2 reservist, explained what can happen in Eastern Asia, “There is a local phenomenon where the outside air temperature in the stratosphere can suddenly change. If you translate that into the reaction of an autopilot, a temperature change can be regarded as a change in density and therefore altitude, so the aircraft can suddenly try to climb or descend.

“Turbulence, or situations like that, are often a time to hand fly the aircraft. Many of the older, wiser, pilots tell you never to look at the wingtips in turbulence…”

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Special Feature

Above Despite a design from the 1950s, the current U-2 fleet were built in the 1980s Left Though the U-2 is flown solo, Merc enjoys a co-pilot in the Bonanza Below The Stratospheric Flyers Group commissioned a painting depicting their prized Bonanza over the Golden Gate Bridge with aircraft flown by the pilots, including a flight of T-38s, a U-2, and a TWA 747 departing SFO

Food is of critical importance and pilots are provided with a wide range of tube foods, which are eaten through a straw that penetrates the collar of the helmet. Having sampled many, I can confirm that they genuinely taste great, especially the truffle macaroni cheese and apple pie!

Merc explained, “Everything is a chore when you’re up there. Moving is very hard and leaves you out of breath, so if there’s something in your bag that you need you starting thinking to yourself, do I really need that?

“We have a grabbing tool for items that we drop on the cockpit floor, it’s not uncommon to spend half an hour trying to retrieve something like a pen or tube food from near your feet. Another good activity is to keep track of diversion options by tuning ATIS for fields along your route. With a glide ratio of around 23:1, you’ve generally got a few options.”

On paper, at least, an engine flameout at 70,000ft could give a U-2 pilot two hours of glide time and cover over 240nm over the ground.

Those kinds of numbers give you a real appreciation for just how high these pilots are flying.

They are still regularly occupying a portion of the atmosphere that remains as unexplored and dangerous as parts of the deepest oceans. They’re doing so in an aircraft that, necessitated by the job it does, is no more technologically advanced than many of the light aircraft we fly.

They are a humble and proud group of aviators, just don’t ask them to level-off in a climb…

Thanks go to Lt Col Staniszewski and the officers and airmen of the 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron for their time in making this article possible.

34 | FLYER | November 2020

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My First Solo

Ken Krueger

Even when learning to fly, Ken Krueger was already interested in aircraft design.

Interview by Yayeri van Baarsen

Solo stats Former Head of Design at Van’s Aircraft and designer of the Vashon Ranger, Ken Krueger is currently designing aircraft the world needs at his company, Sky Designs Engineering.

When: 20 September 1980 Where: Bishop (California, USA) Aircraft: N9123J 1966 PA-28-180 Hours at solo: 23.3 Hours now: 3,000

How did you get into aviation?

Both my parents were pilots – my mother was pregnant with me when she learned to fly – and being exposed to aviation from a very early age, fostered my fascination. I learned more through building and flying model aircraft as a child. Even today, I still wonder sometimes how something that big can be carried by air.

How did your flight training go?

I started training at 16, in California’s High Desert region. We had very good flying weather and lots of open space, so I learned a lot about flying in the mountains and aircraft performance.

Bishop was a large airport, leftover from WWII, and almost deserted. There was no control tower within 100 miles and I usually had the traffic pattern to myself.

My instructor was a friend of my father who was kind enough to pass his knowledge onto the next generation. For me, the most challenging aspect was to be aware of many things simultaneously.

You have to keep your focus constantly moving, inside and outside the cockpit.

Tell us about your solo?

It was a nice calm morning, and I felt ready – the flight itself was uneventful.

My mother, who was watching, was in tears – for her, it was such a big deal.

That’s what I love most about flying, being able to share your achievements

and frustrations. No matter the age or experience, there’s a feeling of camaraderie between pilots.

Back then, I was already interested in aircraft design. The homebuilt aircraft revolution had just started, which was inspiring. I think flying and designing complement each other very well. In the early days, most aircraft designers were also pilots, which made aviation’s rapid development possible. As Igor Sikorsky said: “At that time (1909) the chief engineer was almost always the chief test pilot as well. That had the fortunate result of eliminating poor engineering early in aviation.”

What’s the most challenging aspect to designing an aircraft?

Balancing simplicity, functionality and good looks. You need to keep it simple in order to keep the costs down, yet you have to make it nice looking with good performance. With kitplanes, you don’t have to count the building hours, but these costs add on with factory-made aircraft. Achieving a good looking aircraft that flies well and is easy to build isn’t easy, but I think we struck a good balance with the Vashon Ranger.

Any new projects since Ranger?

I’ve been working on some new designs of my own; the SKY-4 Cloudtrekker, a four-seat high-wing, and the SKY-6, a low-wing two-seater. These are aircraft

“I want aircraft to be used as platforms to bring people together” 36 | FLYER | November 2020

the world needs. A Cessna 172 costs about $400,000 – far too much money.

With easy transfer of information and computer-controlled machines we can build these aircraft in any place on the globe, which provides development and educational opportunities. In the USA, aircraft are toys. In remote parts of the world, however, they can be lifesavers.

And your hopes for the future?

I want aircraft to be used as tools, and as platforms to bring people together.

For me, working alongside others is the most satisfying part. The person running the machine that’s building the aircraft parts has a wealth of knowledge that he’s willing to share if you’re willing to listen. This team aspect is so important. It might sound cliché, but one person alone can only achieve so much. Together, we can achieve so much more.

Is there another aircraft design that you admire?

Pipistrel. I’m amazed at the way they have grown over the years, innovating, producing electric aircraft and now cargo-carrying UAVs. I’ve always admired them for their vision and their great team of people.

What does flying mean to you?

Bringing together the technical aspects and experiencing the world. When test flying here in Washington, I am focused on the task at hand, but there are moments where I look out over the snow-capped mountains, the ocean with its islands and the trees below. Science, physics and the world we live in, when they come together, that’s magical.

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First Look

With Diamond’s DA50-RG fresh on the scene with EASA certification, Ian Seager takes a look at its nearest competitors

Super Singles

N

Diamond DA50-RG

Cirrus SR22T

G36 Bonanza

ew certified piston aircraft are rare beasts, and for good reason. They cost a fortune to develop, more to certify and yet more to put into production. When the manufacturer finally crosses the finishing line – often with performance, weight and price numbers that vary from the early marketing dreams – it still has to climb the mountain that involves getting the aeroplane into the hands of paying owners.

It’s no surprise that newcomers struggle when even the old hands have experienced failures, but both Cirrus and Diamond have a track record of new model success.

Diamond’s newly certified DA50-RG drops right in at the top of the piston single tree where it is up against the Cirrus SR22 and the Textron, (né Beechcraft) Bonanza. In terms of sales, Cirrus has held the crown for as long as most can remember, selling 331 SR22s last year against Textron’s seven (yes!) Bonanzas. There have been other contenders, Cessna developed something called the NGP (New Generation Piston), but it was only ever seen in a fly-by at AirVenture and as a mock-up on a trade stand. Columbia had the certified 400, a project later bought by Cessna where it was re-named the Corvalis TTx, but in February 2018 that line made its final landing. The TTx sold in better numbers than the Bonanza, but insiders told me that it was just too expensive to build. Slowly making its way through the certification process is the Pipistrel Panthera, a sleek looking, high speed retractable single, but that’s at least a year away from the finishing line.

And we all know that aviation project years aren’t the same as normal calendar years… Of course Mooney is looking like it might have a new lease of life, but right now is concentrating on supporting the existing fleet.

With travel plans difficult, thanks to you know what, we’ve taken a first look at Diamond’s big newcomer through the eyes of our French friends at Aviation & Pilote, who grabbed a flight at the Austrian manufacturer’s factory. We’ve also taken a look at how it measures up against the competition, and just as soon as we can get some decent stick and seat time in the big retractable diesel we’ll bring you an extended report.

November 2020 | FLYER | 39

Super Singles

Diamond DA50-RG Before the DA50-RG there was the Magnum, Diamond’s fixed-gear, avgas-powered high performance developmental aeroplane that went nowhere, apparently because the performance was, erm, not so hot. Then came another developmental DA50 fixed-gear aircraft that we flew with a bare carbon interior a few years ago. It was powered by a 170hp (ish) Jet-A fuelled engine. It was OK once it got to a high level cruise, but not so good at getting there. Then there was an SMA (remember them?) powered version that was also quietly sunsetted. Now, there’s the certified DA50-RG. Using the same fuselage as the DA62 twin, but with a single Continental 300hp Jet-A fuelled FADEC engine and retractable gear, this is Diamond’s entrance into the high-end piston market.

Emmanuel Davidson, Aviation & Pilote’s editorial director recently flew the aircraft from Diamond’s factory in Wiener Neustadt Austria and kindly gave us his impressions. “The aircraft is imposing, it’s not just the wingspan, but the height… inside it’s cavernous, there’s seats for five, and plenty of baggage space (although no separate baggage door) …interior trim is luxurious and feels like a big German car. It’s immediately obvious that a lot of attention has been paid to ergonomics, with everything falling to hand, and all the interior rests in just the right places… you can’t move the seats forward or aft, instead the rudder pedals are moved to the right position with an electric motor. As with all Diamond aircraft, there’s a stick instead of a yoke… the big 300hp Jet-A fuelled engine starts easily, as you’d expect, and the usual checks are done by just holding the test button. The big engine is geared and turns at about 5,000rpm with the big MT three-bladed prop turning at 2,300rpm. It’s amazing how smooth and quiet everything is. Taking off we climb at about 900fpm all the 40 | FLYER | November 2020

way to 9,000ft. At maximum continuous power we get 170kt TAS while burning 16usg, with the power pulled back to 75 per cent we see 160kt with a fuel burn of 11usg. The handling is exemplary, and landing a piece of cake… Max all up weight is set at 1,999kg, the magic number that avoids Eurocontrol airway charges. Maybe because of this, and to maintain load flexibility, tank capacity is 55usg, so at max cruise range is just 550nm, rising to 750nm if you adopt a more economical cruise speed. A well equipped FIKI DA50-RG will sell at about the same price as a Cirrus, and is probably the toughest completion the aircraft from Duluth has seen for a while.

Quick specs Cruise speed 160-170KTAS Stall speed 57kt Take-off distance to 50’ 2,427ft Landing distance from 50’ 2,100ft Max range 750nm Fuel burn 9-16 usg Airframe Composite Seats Five Useful load 559kg Engine Continental CD-300 FADEC Wingspan 13.41m/44’ Length 9.23m/30’3” Height 2.88m/9’5” Price From €769,900

Left Fuselage and wings are same as DA-62. It’s a big aeroplane so if you’re buying one, check the size of your hangar…

Above Ubiquitous Garmin G1000 NXi, but with remote panel in the armrest. There’s no forward or aft movement with the seats, so the rudder pedals are adjustable instead Right Super spacious interior with three genuine rear seats that are suitable for normal people Below The geared engine drives a custom MT prop through a reduction gearbox

November 2020 | FLYER | 41

Super Singles

Cirrus SR22T When the Bonanza was launched, Cirrus founders Alan and Dale Klapmeier were 12 and nine respectively. When, in 1994, they announced the SR20, complete with its rocketdeployed recovery parachute, the industry crusties and elders sucked their teeth, all the while shaking their hands and wishing them well. The brothers (neither of whom are still with the company) successfully brought the SR20 to market before launching the industry leading SR22.

Continual development saw aviation’s first all glass cockpit in serial production, FIKI (Flight Into Known Icing) protection, increased payload with a higher max all up weight, a fifth seat, greater range with increased fuel capacity and literally hundreds of other improvements and changes, all of which have combined to make the SR22 and SR22T completely dominant in the high-performance, personal business/tourer category, outselling everyone by a huge margin despite a price tag that’s pushing a million dollars $1m – before VAT. It’s not the quickest SEP, but it’s faster than most, and the fastest of this group. Despite being the only one with fixed gear, it’s got great handling, although it’s not quite as good as the Bonanza.

If touring’s your thing then this is the ultimate pistonpowered magic carpet, taking you from the UK to the South of France at a seemingly effortless and cosseted 180kt. Pilots and passengers enjoy a premium cabin with plenty of room, and while it has the same avionics as both the Bonanza and Diamond, Cirrus has done a better job of integrating the avionics, the aircraft’s systems and above all, the human interfaces.

The side stick, the curved panel, the switch cluster, the throttle placement, and all the detail touches such as the phone pocket that’s built into the seat, the drink holder and headset hooks all show that everyone who has a hand in the 42 | FLYER | November 2020

aeroplane’s evolution shares the same goal, that the features aren’t just layered on to an airframe when engineering has finished with it. This is an aeroplane that’s continually designed and developed by people who do a lot of GA flying and who are always looking to enhance the experience.

The SR22 has had the benefit of a clean sheet design that until now has been younger than the competition. It was also, until the SF50 Vision Jet, the figurehead product that received all the company’s attention. Cessna/Beechcraft – now Textron – have, for many years, had bigger, faster, more expensive and more profitable jets fighting for their share of investment and engineering time. It’s possible that the DA50-RG is about to give the Cirrus its first serious bit of competition in a while…

Quick specs Cruise speed 180KTAS Stall speed 60kt Take-off distance to 50” 634m/2,080ft Landing distance 359m/1,178ft Max range 1,021nm Fuel burn 16-18usg/hr Airframe Composite Seats Five Useful load 566kg/1,246lb Engine Continental TSIO-550-K Wingspan 11.68m/28’4” Length 7.92m/26’\ Height 2.7m/8’11” Price From $754,900

Left The SR22T almost looks small when compared with the DA50-RG Above Cirrus has done an excellent job with the interior ergonomics, making sure that all aircraft systems are well integrated and have been implemented with the pilot in mind Right Yup, there are three seats in the back of a Cirrus, but they’re nothing like as big as the DA50-RG’s - if there’s going to be five of you in the aeroplane you’ll want to want to choose your passengers carefully Below The SR22T is not the fastest single in production, but it’s the fastest of these three, and with completely dominant sales numbers, the market has definitely voted with its wallet

November 2020 | FLYER | 43

Super Singles

G36 Bonanza The Bonanza’s DNA goes back to 1947. It’s been in continual production for longer than any other aeroplane (you have to squint a bit for that to be true), 17,000 have been sold and it’s been years since doctors climbed aboard with any trepidation. It is by any measure (apart from current sales) a tremendous success.

It’s made from good old riveted ‘aluminium’, it’s spacious (if you don’t fill all six seats), looks good and performs well.

Current models are designated as G36s, but they’re basically A36s with Garmin G1000 avionics. Earlier Bonanzas had a single ‘throwover’ yoke that could be swapped between left and right seat, and a somewhat unconventional layout for the throttle, prop and mixture controls. Now a modern Bonanza has a very traditional look, in fact, it is the only aeroplane here with a standard yoke, the Cirrus having a side stick, and the DA-50, well just a normal stick.

If you are a traditionalist this is the aeroplane you’ll lust over, if you’re into Americana even better, the (factory new) model we flew had leather seats with what looked like alligator skin panel inserts. I’m sure a hat shelf for stetsons and a gun rack must have featured in the options list at some point in the model’s history.

More practically, the Bonanza enjoys fantastic, light, well-harmonised handling. It has the legendary Beechcraft solid feel. Max cruise speed is 176kt, but realistically a comfortable cruise that isn’t emptying the tanks and your wallet quite so quickly is around 155-160kt.

Of the three aircraft it has the narrowest cockpit but the most seats, although with a useful load of 468kg, you’re not going to be going too far once you’ve filled them all with friends and a few bags. Talking of filling the seats, there’s huge double doors that make getting in and out of the rear 44 | FLYER | November 2020

club seating pretty easy, and should you decide to remove a couple of seats to make room for more luggage, getting that in and out is a cinch. The same cannot be said for the front two seats as, the Bonanza has just the one door which is on the P2 side.

Sadly for Textron the number of people willing to pay the best part of a million dollars for a new but traditional G36 is limited. There are faster, more comfortable aeroplanes, and frankly there’s more than enough A36s that could be bought and completely refurbished for much less.

The Bo as a used aircraft has a long and happy future, but the G36 as a factory new aeroplane…

Quick specs Cruise speed 160-176 KTAS Stall speed 59kt Take-off distance 1,913ft Landing distance 2,417ft Max range 920nm Fuel burn 15usg/hr Airframe Aluminium Seats Six Useful load 487kg/1,073lb Engine Continental IO-550-B Wingspan 10.21m/33ft 6in Length 8.38m/27ft 6in Height 2.62m/8ft 7in Price From $914,000

Left It doesn’t matter that you can trace the Bonanza back to the 1940s, as those classic lines are just beautiful and timeless Above Yup, the Bo has Garmin too, but of the three aircraft here, the avionics and systems are not as well integrated, a result of new kit having to fit in with old airframe perhaps?

Right There’s seats for six, but take two out and that makes for a very comfortable and extremely relaxed four Below The G36’s biggest competition doesn’t come from Cirrus or Diamond, but from the thousands of used examples out there. Take an older A36, add new avionics, new engine, new interior and new paint and you’d still have enough left over for a lifetime spend (or thereabouts) on Avgas…

November 2020 | FLYER | 45

Safety Accident Analysis

When trust is key…

F

or most of us, those early days with our flying instructor are hugely formative. A close bond is soon created as we learn to trust them to get us out of that proverbial hole which we have carefully dug for ourselves. How then, might we ever imagine it to be our instructor who is going to be the very person who takes us beyond even their ability to recover the situation? The following recent events show that it can and does sometimes happen.

Accident 1

The commercial pilot, a flight instructor with over 2,000 hours instructional experience, and the passenger, departed in the aerobatic aeroplane to an area established by the operator for accomplishing aerobatic manoeuvres. Although operating as a flight training company, the operator described itself as an ‘extreme aviation attraction’, providing a series of aviation-related experiences that included aerobatics, simulated air combat, and flight training, during which passengers had the opportunity to fly the aeroplane. The accident flight was 25 minutes long, which included aerobatics, high-g manoeuvres, and a low-level bombing run simulation.

An aft-facing onboard camera, mounted in front of the passenger was recording throughout the flight and revealed that the aeroplane was performing aerobatic manoeuvres for about seven minutes, with both the pilot and passenger manipulating the controls. After the pilot completed a tumble manoeuvre, the aeroplane began to regain altitude. The

passenger then moved his hands away from the flight controls and appeared to be bracing his arms against the sides of the airframe in anticipation for an aerobatic manoeuvre. The aeroplane then pitched up and rolled right, and then rolled left, while the pilot made a ‘whooping’ sound, as the aeroplane transitioned into an inverted spin.

The passenger experienced negative g forces and reached up with his right arm up to secure the headphones which were pulling away from his head. The manoeuvre progressed, and its direction of rotation then reversed, until the aircraft transitioned into an attitude so that only the sky was visible in the canopy.

The wind noise began to increase, and a gap began to appear at the interface between the canopy frame and fuselage, indicating that the aeroplane was approaching its ‘never exceed’ speed. The passenger was then aggressively rocked from side to side.

However, the sun could be seen gradually transitioning across the canopy, indicating that the aeroplane was no longer tumbling and its attitude had stabilised. Up until this point, the passenger appeared to be enjoying the flight, but his facial expression changed, and he looked down and reached forward with his right hand.

At that moment, the pilot activated the canopy release handle and the canopy opened, although no bailout was attempted, before collision with the ground six seconds later.

The aircraft was subject to two service bulletins (SB) pertaining to the flight controls, neither of which had been performed. The first required

“A gap began to appear at the interface between the canopy frame and fuselage” 46 | FLYER | November 2020

replacement of the rudder cable to prevent premature failure, however the aeroplane’s rudder cable did not display evidence of failure in the area documented by the SB. The other SB required the addition of a safety clamp to the transponder after a report that a transponder had slid out of its rack and jammed against the pilot control stick during aerobatic manoeuvres. It could not be determined if the transponder had moved during the accident flight and inhibited the control stick. Federal Aviation Regulations do not require compliance with SBs for aircraft operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91.

The operator presented itself as a 14 CFR Part 61 flight school, and although it did provide upset recovery and tailwheel endorsement, flight training and all the company pilots held flight instructor certificates. The vast majority of customers (including the accident passenger) did not hold any type of pilot certificate, and bought flights for the aerobatic and air combat experience. By operating as a Part 61 flight training provider, the company was able to advertise its services, expose fee-paying passengers to high-risk flight profiles, while circumventing the regulations and oversight for operators who provide transportation for compensation or hire.

Review of onboard video footage from the accident pilot’s previous flights revealed that, although considered to be a mentor and conservative in nature by his colleagues, the pilot routinely flew aeroplanes beyond their operating limitations (specifically their vertical acceleration, or g limitations) and at speeds very close to the ‘never-exceed’ speed, all with passengers on board.

Review of footage taken with other pilots revealed a company-wide pattern of disregard for the aeroplane’s published operating limitations and the company’s own policies regarding airspeed and g limitations. Because both the accident aeroplane and other

Mark Mitchell

Choosing which organisation to provide the best airborne instructional experience can be more important than many realise, and should never be taken on cost alone. Steve Ayres looks at some incidents which might influence that ultimate decision…

aircraft in the company fleet had been flown beyond their rated g limits, it would have been required to undergo additional maintenance checks. There was no evidence that such checks had been performed on the accident aircraft, as such, the aeroplane was likely un-airworthy at the time of the accident.

Accident 2

The flight instructor picked up the private pilot and passenger for a cross-country flight. The instructor requested VFR flight following services from ATC and indicated a planned climb to 8,500ft mean sea level (msl).

However, the aeroplane continued to climb past that altitude. During the climb, the instructor indicated to the ATC controller, in separate transmissions, that he was climbing to reach ‘VFR on-top’, he was experiencing problems with an ‘unreliable’ attitude indicator, and that the aeroplane was ‘in and out of IMC’.

Based on weather sounding and satellite imagery, it is likely that the aeroplane was operating in IMC above 4,100ft.

About 20 minutes after the aeroplane departed, the controller declared an emergency on behalf of the pilot and provided multiple radar vectors for the aeroplane to return to visual meteorological conditions (VMC).

However, the aeroplane’s radar track showed that the aircraft continued climbing to 19,400ft msl before it entered a series of figure-eight turns followed by a steep, turning descent.

The pilot demonstrated several lapses in judgment. Specifically, the instructor did not appear to recognise the significance of widespread ceilings along his route of flight and planned a cruise altitude that took him into instrument conditions.

The instructor likely did not carry supplemental oxygen onboard the non-pressurised aeroplane and continued to climb the aeroplane to altitudes that required the use of oxygen. Without oxygen he risked becoming susceptible to the effects of hypoxia.

Further, another pilot who had flown the accident aeroplane, before the accident flight, stated that the aeroplane had a known problem with the directional gyro, yet the instructor flew the aeroplane in instrument conditions. Based on the instructor’s failure to follow the controllers’ directional instructions, it is likely the directional gyro was still not working.

Lastly, review of the instructor’s

“He wanted to show the student that there was more to flying than just training” logbook and an interview with another flight instructor indicated that the instructor was likely not ‘instrument current’, so his ability to safely manoeuvre the aeroplane in cloud during the flight would have been negatively impacted by the broken gyro and his lack of currency.

Accident 3

According to the flight instructor, they had planned a three-hour instructional flight to the training airfield. While en route, the flight instructor stated that he wanted to show the student that there was more to flying than just training. In his words flying was also ‘fun’. Subsequently, the aircraft was turned west towards a valley in the Olympic Mountain range. While flying in the valley, the flight instructor

stated that he believed their altitude was at least 2,000ft agl and that no wind or turbulence was present.

However, at some point, the pilots realised they needed to climb to avoid terrain and the flight instructor applied full power and pitched the aeroplane up into a climb. However, he realised that even with these control inputs, the terrain was rising faster than the aeroplane was climbing. The flight instructor instructed the student pilot to start a right turn. Shortly thereafter, he felt the turn was too slow and just as the student pilot was increasing the bank of the turn, he took control of the aeroplane. The flight instructor stated things were happening too fast for him to recover the aeroplane and he knew that they were going to crash. In due course, the aeroplane impacted terrain.

Ayres’ Analysis In the first accident there is recognition that lack of proper regulatory oversight made the accident more likely. That is surely the case, but it is as much about an organisation’s approach to safety that matters.

When this is lacking at the very top of a company then it will inevitably permeate throughout the organisation. Such flagrant and systemic disregard for rules and aircraft limitations was never going to end well.

In the two other cases, personal judgement is clearly called into question, but the reader is still left wondering how such events could occur in a properly run training organisation with such elementary aspects of instruction. Observance of rules and regulations have to be instilled and then reinforced from the outset, as must the absolute respect of airframe limitations – by staff and students alike. And hopefully, fostering in one’s student the sort of behaviour that is going to keep them safe and able to enjoy a lifetime of fun flying.

From an instructor’s perspective, demonstrating the sort of behaviour you would want your students to emulate, is key. This isn’t to say that those of us who instruct haven’t pushed the bounds of regulations at some time or another, but hopefully with good reason and with safety in mind. Forever mindful that a culture of ‘do as I say, not as I do’ will likely leave itself embedded in the consciousness of a student and may well perpetuate itself across future generations…

The aspect of trust is, of course, absolutely key in these accidents. The student or passenger in each case had very little aviation experience and was never likely to influence the outcome once they had paid their money and flight preparation was under way. Their only real prospect of doing so was well before that point; in their choice of training organisation and even, perhaps, their choice of instructor.

Time spent on carrying out due diligence of those training organisations under consideration has to be time well spent in making that airborne experience a memorable one for all the right reasons. And it is not just about the cost. It is as much about the feel of the organisation, the state of the hangar, the condition of the aeroplanes and the background and experience of the instructors. It all plays a part in making sure they turn out to be heroes – not villains!

November 2020 | FLYER | 47

Safety Accident Reports

When checking is key…

Steve Ayres summarises and comments on accident reports from around the world and puts his best foot forward with the Sparco race boot, which might help keep feet light on rudder pedals…

Stay focused…

Cessna P210N N3896P Detroit, MI Injuries: Two fatal, one serious

As the pilot approached his destination after a cross-country flight, the aeroplane’s landing gear did not fully extend. Over the next seven minutes the pilot attempted to troubleshoot the landing gear in the airport traffic pattern before he reported to the tower controller, “Well, I just burnt outta fuel, we’re totally out bud.”

The tower controller immediately cleared the pilot to land. However, there was no additional communication from the pilot and the final radar return was recorded about 180ft agl and about a mile north-west of the runway. The aeroplane impacted trees and an electricity service line in an urban residential area.

A post-crash fire destroyed most of the forward fuselage and cockpit area and the extensive impact and fire damage to the landing gear extension / retraction components precluded determination as to why the landing gear did not fully extend during the flight.

Although the pilot had departed on the flight with enough fuel to reach his intended destination, he did not have enough fuel remaining to adequately address the landing gear malfunction before the aeroplane had a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

Based on the recorded transmissions between the pilot and

the tower controller, the aeroplane only had about seven minutes of fuel remaining when the pilot first reported the landing gear malfunction to the tower controller.

Comment This emergency should not have ended the way it did, but in becoming preoccupied by an undercarriage that refused to lower, the pilot missed the real threat to life – running out of fuel. Of course, the pilot should have diverted due to low fuel well before this situation arose.

Even without the undercarriage emergency, a bulked approach or some other unforeseen event at the destination airfield may well have ended with the same outcome.

Unfamiliar approach Van’s RV-9 G-CDXT

Loose canopy

Private airstrip, Whippingham, Isle of

SubSonex

Injuries: None

N224P Latrobe, PA Injuries: None

The pilot reported that after take-off in a homebuilt jet, the canopy ‘shimmied open about two foot aft’ and that he immediately reached for the canopy with his left hand while his right hand was on the control stick. The aeroplane was a few feet above the runway surface when he applied slight forward pressure on the control stick. The aeroplane’s nose pitched down, and the nose landing gear impacted the ground.

The aeroplane veered right, the main landing gear collapsed, and the aeroplane then slid to a stop on the runway. The pilot reported that he did not complete the predeparture checklist to secure the

“While troubleshooting the landing gear problem, the aircraft ran out of fuel” 48 | FLYER | November 2020

canopy because he was adjusting the recently installed radio and headset.

The aeroplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing.

Comment Once airborne the pilot was faced with a choice of two evils, hold on to the canopy or risk letting it continue to open, where it most likely would have separated. As the aircraft was a jet, with the engine located on the upper rear aft fuselage, any debris from the separation may have been ingested by the engine.

Wight

The pilot had planned to fly on an overseas trip in G-CDXT, an aircraft owned by a friend. Most of the pilot’s flying experience had been gained on taildragging aircraft and he owned a Piper Cub, which he operated from a 580-metre long private grass airstrip on the Isle of Wight.

A few weeks prior to the accident, the pilot had flown G-CDXT with the owner to familiarise himself with it. The flight had taken place at Clacton Airfield which has a grass runway just over 500m in length.

The dual flight was uneventful and the pilot then undertook a solo flight in the aircraft, with no problems.

On the day of the accident, the pilot had flown in his Piper Cub to a private airstrip in Sussex to collect G-CDXT and fly it back to the airstrip he used on the Isle of Wight.

On his return, the weather was good with a westerly wind of about 10kt. The pilot positioned G-CDXT for an approach to the grass strip, which was orientated into wind. He reported he had been deliberately low on the approach and that just prior to landing the aircraft had

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Safety Accident Reports encountered wind shear, causing it to lose height. The pilot thought the aircraft would hit a low hedge situated at the boundary of the airfield and applied a nose-up elevator to avoid it. He did not apply power at the same time. The aircraft stalled, hitting the ground near the start of the airstrip sufficiently hard to cause the undercarriage to collapse and damaging the propeller, wing leading edges and fuel tank.

The pilot considered that had he flown the normal approach path he would have had sufficient height to lower the nose of the aircraft when encountering the wind shear in order to maintain speed. He further commented that the Piper Cub he normally flew had the throttle on the left, whereas the throttle on G-CDXT was on the right. He believes this contributed to him not applying power when he applied a nose-up elevator to avoid the hedge.

Comment Operating into confined strips brings with it a whole load of stress, and the pilot rightly commented after the event that ‘it may have been beneficial to have gained more experience at a larger airfield before trying to operate to the more challenging airstrip’.

Lowering the nose in the event of wind shear might have its place but only when height and a choice of touchdown point allows.

Forced landing…

Reims Cessna F152

“Having read about previous accidents he was not tempted to turn back” the flaps up in a slight crosswind. As the aircraft touched down he noticed a ditch crossing the aircraft’s track and decided to pull back on the control column to pass over it. Once clear of the ditch he brought the aircraft to a halt and shut the engine down. The aircraft was not damaged and the pilot was able to exit the aircraft normally.

The pilot reported that he had been trained to think through all possible outcomes and had considered different engine failure scenarios at the airfield prior to the event. He also always briefed himself on his actions in the event of an engine failure prior to each take-off.

He believed this helped him manage the situation on the day. He had recently completed ATPL ground exams and had read various articles and reports about managing engine failures and potential pitfalls.

These had taught him to treat a partial engine failure as a complete engine failure, not to try to turn back to the airfield, and the importance of flying the aircraft first.

The maintenance organisation recovered the aircraft and conducted

a detailed inspection. It was unable to identify the cause of the loss of power but suspected carburettor icing. The air temperature was 29°C with a dew point of 17°C, suggesting serious carburettor icing was likely at descent power. The pilot reported that he used the carburettor heat for at least 10 seconds while flying downwind and did not detect any icing. He selected the carburettor heat again before he reduced power for descent and kept it on until landing.

The aircraft was returned to flying and at the time of writing no further engine problems had been encountered.

Comment The pilot attributed the safe outcome to having planned and reviewed his actions in the event of an engine failure prior to taking off.

This freed sufficient capacity such that, when the event occurred, he could focus on flying the aircraft. He also treated the partial failure as a complete failure. Having read about previous accidents he was not tempted to turn back and instead selected a field ahead and focused on landing.

G-BTAL Shobdon Aerodrome, Herefordshire Injuries: None

The pilot had not flown for several months due to public health restrictions and on the day of the incident was planning to complete three circuits to regain recency.

The first two circuits were uneventful. He took off for the third circuit with the flaps up and full power. As the aircraft reached 300-400ft the engine lost all power.

The pilot described it feeling like ‘someone had pulled the throttle to idle’. He immediately lowered the nose and selected a field slightly to his left. He recalled that the power returned briefly then reduced again but he decided to close the throttle and treat the engine as completely failed. He made a Mayday call then focused on the landing.

The pilot landed the aircraft with 50 | FLYER | November 2020

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FLYING ADVENTURE

Coast Busters…

Paul Kiddell takes a trip down Memory Lane when he joins a few friends and heads to the South West for a tour that includes stunning scenery, friendly hosts and 15 airfields

52 | FLYER | November 2020

I

have always had a soft spot for Devon and Cornwall. This stems from happy childhood memories of 1970s family holidays spent on a Dartmoor farm with day trips to seemingly exotic destinations such as Torbay, Looe and Westward Ho! Following my RAF career, we put down roots at the opposite end of the country in Northumberland, but I’ve never forgotten those happy, carefree days.

In mid-July, with settled weather moving into the South West, I decided it was time to revisit my childhood haunts and rounded-up flying partner Alex Smith and EuroStar flying buddies John Parker from Fenland, Nick Stone from Leicester, and Jon Crook from Brown Shutters for a weekend of touring. We planned to fly the entire Devon and Cornwall coast while visiting around 15 airfields and farm strips. PPR, especially for strips, can take a while, but you do end up talking to some really interesting characters.

It was with considerable excitement that Alex and I headed south from Eshott in our welltravelled EuroStar G-CEVS on Friday evening to Fenland to overnight with John Parker, aka ‘JP’.

We spent the two hours journey dodging some very impressive, yet isolated, CBs with heavy showers, which made for some great viewing from our lofty perch. As ever, we received a wonderful welcome from JP who kindly hangared us for the night.

Fenland is a real favourite of mine; centrally located with cross 600m-plus grass runways, a great café and UL91 and avgas on self-service credit card pumps available 24/7. After a very comfortable night, we departed in beautiful weather at 0800 alongside JP in his immaculate EuroStar G-VORN for a flight to Chavenage strip just six miles west of Kemble.

Both our EuroStars have permanent Pilot Aware fits with external aerials and ADS-B out, which enabled similarly equipped Nick to spot us on SkyDemon some 30 miles distant as he got airborne out of Leicester. Plotting an intercept course, Nick soon joined our loose formation in his bright red EuroStar SL. Flying at 1,000ft agl, we enjoyed the many beautiful Cotswolds villages nestled in the rolling hills with their honey-coloured stone houses shining in the morning light.

We landed at Chavenage on the 550m westerly runway of this most picturesque strip, which resembles a French farm with its barn-style hangars. Jon and his passenger, Dave Woodward, were waiting to greet us, as was LAA stalwart David Hunter, who operates the strip on behalf of the Chavenage House estate. It was fantastic to see David’s classic VW-powered, Taylor Monoplane, G-BEVS, the winner of best homebuilt at the 1979 Leicester PFA Rally in which he has amassed nearly 1,500 hours. Alongside was David’s other November 2020 | FLYER | 53

Flying Adventure

Previous page Red sandstone at Holcombe Above Heavy showers over Newcastle as we leave Eshott for Fenland Right JP leaving Fenland en route to Chavenage Below Plenty of stored airliners including lots of Boeing 747s at Cotswold Airport Below right Jon Crook’s G-CFEL parked up at Chavenage

54 | FLYER | November 2020

aircraft, the very unusual Cvjetkovic CA-65 Skyfly G-CFVJ, a low-wing, wooden two-seat, side by side, retractable powered by a converted Subaru engine. Despite being designed in 1965, only around 20 have been completed worldwide. Sadly, I didn’t have time to park G-BEVS alongside G-CEVS for pictures and we departed as a fourship for the very short five minute flight to Kemble in search of food.

Nothing quite illustrates the current plight of the airline industry than rows of airliners parked up and arriving downwind at Kemble, we could see maybe 50 airliners in the care of Air Salvage International. In amid Airbus, Boeing and McDonnell Douglas’ finest were 11 Boeing 747s, with the most recent arrivals being the French Corsair examples. On short finals to the grass R26, we even spotted two Boeing 727s in bizjet configuration.

While it was very interesting to see the airliner ‘goings-on’, the main reason for our visit was food to prepare us for the busy day ahead, and it was without any sense of guilt that we took on a full burger and chips at 10am. Kemble had adapted well to COVID-19 restrictions and moved catering outside into a mobile van with picnic tables to keep everyone distanced.

Paying our £10 landing fee online, and with crews fully fuelled with a large calorific intake, we departed for Westonzoyland. Passing low-level under the Bristol CTA, we enjoyed a few orbits of Wells, famous not only for its magnificent 13th century cathedral but more importantly, as the location for the 2007 cinematic classic, Hot Fuzz… yaaarp!

Westonzoyland Airfield, which welcomes microlights, is 4nm south-east of Bridgwater (Somerset) and uses the northern half of the former RAF Westonzoyland, a most historic airfield that dates back to the 1920s. We joined for the 450m grass R33, a relatively complex join due to detailed noise abatement and the fact that the completely separate Middlezoy airfield operates on the southern half of the original RAF aerodrome.

Indeed, Middlezoy was having a small fly-in but de-confliction was facilitated by agreed procedures and both fields sharing the microlight frequency of 129.830. Westonzoyland is a hotbed of microlight activity and home to the annual scrumpy and cheese fly-in. We received a great welcome from the local flyers, many of whom were getting airborne to enjoy the excellent conditions. I met friend Dave Wallington who had flown his Skyranger Nynja down from Nottingham, and resident flexwing pilot Andy Oliver who I’d bumped into the previous week in Northumberland during one of his many epic adventures.

Departing Westonzoy, we headed north-west and joined the coast just west of Restricted Area

EGR153, which surrounds the huge Hinkley Point nuclear power station complex. The site first became operational in 1965 and is now on its second pair of reactors, which themselves will be replaced with two third-generation reactors scheduled to come online in 2023 with a planned life of some 60 years.

For the next 50 miles we followed the wonderful, but jagged, North Devon coastline at low-level, passing well-known tourist destinations like Minehead and beautiful Lynemouth nestled amid the cliffs at the top of Exmoor. Indeed, there weren’t many beaches to be seen until we reached Woolacombe and when discussing possibilities of forced landings, JP cheerily referred to the North Devon coast as the ‘cheese grater’.

Above Departing Kemble next to stored A320s

RAF Chivenor

At Barnstaple we picked up the River Taw and headed south inland, passing abeam the former RAF Chivenor, which is now home to the Royal Marines 3 Commando Brigade. After 12 miles we arrived at Eaglescott Airfield for a fuel stop, landing on the 600m grass R25, which is adjacent to the NATS Burrington radar. Airfield operators, and flying enthusiasts, Barry and Sue Pearson met us and after fuelling, showed us around their hangar which included their wonderful, partially restored Dragon Rapide. Resident David James showed us his smart Lambert M108 Mission. Apparently there are seven now flying in the UK with several more in build. Eaglescott is in a nice spot and is also home to a weekend gliding club and one of the two Devon Air Ambulance helicopters.

There was no time to hang around and we departed for the short 6nm flight to Eggesford Airfield, following the scenic Tarka Railway line that connects Barnstaple in the north to Exeter in the south. Of particular interest to pilots, I suspect, is the Tarka ‘Rail Ale Trail’ which links 11 pubs on the line – get a stamp from 10 and claim your free t-shirt – assuming you’re compos mentis by then!

Arriving downwind at Eggesford for the grass R29, we could clearly see Dartmoor to the south.

The 630m hilltop strip is undulating yet smooth with steep upslopes at both runway thresholds (and therefore good downslopes at either end too). You need to pay attention but it’s no drama for the experienced stripper. With all four Eurostar’s safely down, we parked among a varied crop of interesting aeroplanes. We received an exceptionally warm welcome from the farm owner and flying enthusiast, Nigel Skinner whose late father Emerson had created the strip in 1972.

November 2020 | FLYER | 55

Flying Adventure

Above Lynemouth looking resplendent Right Auster Autocar restoration at Eggesford Far right Paul with Richard Webber and Patch the dog at Eggesford Below Approach into Woodlands Roche Below right Tintagel Castle

56 | FLYER | November 2020

Today the airfield is home to an amazing array of historic aeroplanes. Well-known Auster guru, Richard Webber, is based here and he talked us through the incredible histories of the many resident Austers, including the bright yellow Auster AOP.9 G-AXRR which he’d just been flying. In 1969, Major Mike Somerton-Rayner somehow persuaded his Army Air Corps boss to lend him the AOP.9 so he could enter the BP sponsored LondonSydney Air Race. Mike left Gatwick on 18 December 1969 and arrived in Sydney on 4 January 1970 after 141 hours of flying. Richard’s latest restoration project is a civilian Auster Autocar, which started life as a locust-sprayer in Kenya in 1953, moving to Pakistan in the late 1950s, before being recently discovered on a street in Saudi Arabia! Other Austers include the last remaining Mk3 that served in Burma in WWII and Alpine G-ANXC that monitored elephants and rhino in Uganda in the 1960s. Hanging in the roof was Richard’s Luton Minor, a 1930s wooden design built from plans and the microlight of its day weighing in at 340kg and powered by a 40hp JAP J-99 flat-twin.

We spent over an hour listening to great flying stories from both Nigel and Richard outside the clubhouse caravan. Eggesford welcomes campers and there’s a shower available.

We could have spent all day chatting but we still had three more strips to visit, so suitably refreshed with large brews and fantastic flying tales, we taxied out. Jon and Dave had to return home so we said our goodbyes and our remaining three-ship departed for Woodlands Roche.

Marketing opportunity

We rejoined the coast pretty much where we left off at Westward Ho! The only British place name to be equipped with an exclamation mark, the village name comes from the title of Charles Kingsley’s 1855 novel Westward Ho!, which was set in nearby Bideford. The book was a best-seller and local entrepreneurs seeing a marketing opportunity, built a hotel named Westward Ho! As tourism grew and further development took place, the settlement and beach adopted the same name.

It really was the perfect flying day as we rounded Hartland Point, which marks the western limit of the Bristol Channel, and continued down the coast over the Atlantic Ocean. Entering Cornwall, Bude was very busy with tourists released from lockdown as were the many surfers at Widemouth Bay. Tintagel Castle was a real treat from 500ft. Forever linked with the legend of King Arthur, the site was a stronghold as early as the seventh century, although the current castle wasn’t built until the 12th century. For 500 years, visitors have had to climb up 100 steep steps from beach level to reach the ruins, but in August 2019 a new high-level

“Rounding Hartland Point marked the change from the Bristol Channel, to the Atlantic Ocean” footbridge opened, and this impressive, vertigoinducing crossing was clearly visible as our threeship orbited overhead.

On reaching Padstow, we turned inland down the River Camel, which isn’t named after a wayward dromedary but is derived from the Cornish ‘Dowr Kammel’, meaning winding river.

Ten miles south we arrived at the aptly named Woodlands Roche, landing over the dense trees on the 450m R33. Again we received an excellent welcome and tea and biscuits from the resident LAA and microlight flyers. The place was buzzing and among others we spoke to airfield owner Nick Lomax who was tinkering with his Vans RV-4, Peter Gibbs with his smart Murphy Rebel and Geoff Clayton with his SSDR Minimax.

By now it was 6pm and getting airborne for Truro, we flew over the impressively vast china clay (kaolin) open-cast mining and refining facilities at Hensbarrow, north-west of St Austell. The china clay deposits of South West England are world class in terms of their size and quality and have yielded over 165 million tonnes of clay since production began in the middle of the 18th century. The resulting slag heaps have formed a small range of hills above the mines and are known locally as the Cornish Alps.

After a short 15-minute flight we landed on Truro’s 530m grass R32. Another exceptionally warm welcome awaited from resident microlight instructor Gary Perry who operates Air Cornwall, training on the C42. One of Gary’s former students, Jeff Nudd, was also visiting from nearby Perranporth in his C42 as well as our great Eurostar pal John Cockfield. JP had been having some brake issues so John had very kindly flown over from his RNAS Culdrose base (great to have your Rotax 912 protected by armed guards!) with spares, and JP was soon sorted. This kindness is November 2020 | FLYER | 57

Flying Adventure

Above Right base, Porthtowan Right Henry VIII’s 16th Century Pendennis Castle at Falmouth Far right Nick takes on a the challenge of a Cornish pasty at Truro!

Below Eden Project Below right St Michael’s Mount

58 | FLYER | November 2020

Flying Adventure

typical of the camaraderie in microlighting with fellow pilots always willing to help out.

People were starting to feel tired and when Nick went to book in, he had to check where we had come from and where we were going! But Gary gave us a major boost when he produced some monster Cornish pasties from Bray and K’s in Redruth, which resulted in some rather epic ‘man versus pasty’ battles in the evening sun. We certainly felt we’d been fully indoctrinated into Cornwall proper. Revived by the full meal that is a traditional Cornish pasty, we thanked our gracious hosts and headed north to Porthtowan to overnight.

Porthtowan was only 4nm to the north-west and as soon as we were airborne from Truro, we established contact on Safetycom with strip owner Rupert Major who was waiting to welcome us. On right base we flew over a very visible reminder of Cornwall’s past, the ruined 19th century Tywarnhayle copper mine pumping house, before alighting on the 475m grass of R03. I visit many grass strips and even describing Porthtowan as ‘immaculate’ simply wouldn’t do it justice. The strip is around 30m wide and is an absolute credit to owners Rupert and his brother Tim. Rupert is a real character and incredibly hospitable and we all enjoyed a great laugh as we tied-down and pitched our tents for the night. The Major brothers have operated the strip since 1982 and currently fly a Condor and a Jodel DR.1050, while Tim also has a Jurca MJ-10 Spitfire (wooden 7/10th scale replica built from plans) based at nearby Perranporth. After ensuring we were comfortable, Rupert departed while we went for a walk. The sun was setting as we looked out to sea from the clifftop high above Porthtowan, deciding that while the walk down into town would be doable, the ascent in the dark was just too much after a long day. So we retired to our little campsite and enjoyed a bottle of red and some beer that John Cockfield had kindly supplied along with the brake spares… marvellous!

We all enjoyed a restful night only to be awoken at 0720 by our generous host Rupert who had returned early to fire up his generator to make us a brew – amazing! JP broke out his Coleman petrol stove powered by mogas from our fuel drain and proceeded to cook team breakfasts. There was a comedy moment as, when posing for a team picture, a slight fuel leak saw his stove catch fire and it was perfectly captured for posterity…

All too soon it was time to leave for another full day. Despite our protestations, Rupert wouldn’t take a penny for his Herculean efforts. He clearly enjoys hosting flyers from all over the country and wants nothing apart from a thank you, a good laugh and considerate flying. What a great guy, the sort of bloke who makes touring in the UK such a pleasure.

Heading west we passed RAF Portreath, a former WWII airfield but now home to a longrange air defence radar that forms part of the UK Air Defence system. It was a perfect CAVOK day with calm winds as we flew low-level along beautiful St Ives Bay, where numerous pleasure boats were already on the water. Cornwall is only five miles wide at this point and JP climbed away to 7,000ft to record a panoramic view of Penwith Peninsula on his 360° camera. Nick continued with us as we rounded Pendeen Lighthouse to fly over the numerous chimneys of the long disused Botallack copper and tin mines. Land’s End Airport is operated by the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group (primarily to support its Skybus Islander/ Twin Otter service to the Scillies) and remains closed on Sundays, so was not a factor as we passed west abeam. Land’s End is of course the most westerly point in mainland England though the honour for the most westerly point on the British mainland goes to Corrachadh Mor in the Scottish Highlands. We flew over the famous Land’s End hotel and visitors centre and talked about one day making it to the Scillies, some 30 miles to the west.

As JP returned from outer orbit, we turned east to follow the southern Cornish coast. At Penzance, the coastal 1935 art-deco lido Jubilee Pool looked wonderful. The classic outdoor swimming pool is now geothermally heated and maintains 35°C all year round. Further down Mount’s Bay is the iconic St Michael’s Mount which was absolutely stunning in the morning light. The tidal island, with its 12th century castle, is connected to Marazion at low tide by a man-made granite walkway. The castle saw bitter sieges in the War of the Roses and the Civil War, but these days it is a very popular tourist attraction operated by the National Trust. Simply wonderful, and for me, one of England’s finest aerial views.

Fishing villages…

The approaches to Falmouth are dominated by Henry VIII’s Pendennis and St Mawes Castles, which still look hugely impressive nearly 500 years after their construction. We experienced sensory overload as we continued low-level over yet more great sights, like several hundred boats moored in the River Percuil and the many traditional Cornish fishing villages like wonderful Portloe. At St Austell we turned inland for Bodmin and, by chance, came across the spectacular Eden Project which was built in a redundant China clay pit and houses thousands of plant species in its enormous eco domes.

After nearly 1.5 hours of exceptional flying in perfect conditions we landed at Bodmin. I always enjoy Bodmin, two good cross-grass runways and a friendly welcome guaranteed. We took on avgas and had a look at the many interesting resident aircraft. Martin Neve and friends were visiting in November 2020 | FLYER | 59

Flying Adventure

Above Tregantle Fort built in 1865 to deter French attacks against Plymouth Right Clipper at Bolt Head Below right River Yealm as it bends around the very picturesque Newton Ferrers Bottom Halwell with JP, Peter Cox and red barn built by US Army in WWII

60 | FLYER | November 2020

their C42s from their South Wales strip just across the Bristol Channel, while ‘Skyranger’ Simon Stoodley and ‘Flexwing’ Matt Howe were visiting from Priory Farm in Norfolk. It was good to catch-up with microlight gossip. Sadly, the popular Diner 31 remained closed due to COVID-19 concerns, but hopefully it will soon reopen.

We still had a long way to go so set-off to rejoin the coast at Looe. It was 1130 and the beach was very busy though, from our vantage point, people did seem to be making an effort to socially distance.

Approaching Plymouth we flew over Tregantle Fort, one of Palmerston’s coastal forts built in the mid-19th century to deter French attacks and is still in use by the RN today.

Crossing the River Tamar, we re-entered Devon.

We were careful to avoid the Devonport dockyard Restricted area EGR002 (SFC-2000ft) but still spied several RN warships including two Type 45 destroyers alongside. Just to the east, there was yet another huge concentration of yachts moored on the River Yealm as it bends around the very picturesque Newton Ferrers.

Strict adherence

Our next destination, Bolt Head, south-west of Salcombe, was using R11 and there were plenty of walkers enjoying the spectacle as we landed on this fantastic cliff top, 600m grass strip. This former WWII RAF grass airfield is operated by resident flyers on behalf of the landowners and being very noise sensitive, it requires strict adherence to the brief with all joins and circuits to the south over the sea. It was very busy with many flying in so they could walk the adjacent scenic coastal path, while popping into the nearby East Soar Farm for refreshments or to travel to nearby Salcombe. But again, we were on a schedule and we soon departed for Halwell, just 10nm to the north-east.

We landed on Halwell’s 480m grass R09 before being met by my old pal Peter Cox. Peter used to fly a Eurostar out of Cambridgeshire before retiring to Torquay and now co-owns a tidy X-Air Hawk, perfect for bimbling around the South West.

Halwell is a thriving microlight community and after meeting several happy locals, Peter laid on a wonderful picnic in the midday sunshine.

He also mentioned the barn at the airfield entrance. During WWII, the area was full of American troops preparing for D-Day and several roads had to be widened to accommodate large vehicles and convoys. On the road adjacent to the airfield, a farmer’s barn had to be demolished during the works so the Americans built the farmer a replacement the only way they knew how, and that’s how an American Midwest barn, complete with a red roof, came to be there.

Fully refreshed thanks to Peter’s generosity, we said our goodbyes and departed to rejoin the coast

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Flying Adventure

at Torbay, aka the English Riviera, spanning Brixham, Paignton and Torquay, where I spent many happy days as a boy on holiday – and it still looks wonderful, if very busy, from the air. Of course, the incomparable Fawlty Towers was set in Torquay, based upon a memorable stay the Monty Python team experienced while staying at Torquay’s Gleneagles Hotel in the late 1960s. The hotel was demolished in 2016 but we did a threeship fly-by of the retirement home that now stands on the site. It is appropriately named Sachs Lodge, and has a blue plaque, of course.

Impressive structures Above Passing Exmouth

Route Map 1

2

3 4

10 9

8

11

6 7

5 15 14

16

13 12

1 Eshott 2 Fenland 3 Chavenage 4 Kemble 5 Westonzoyland 6 Eaglescott airfield 7 Eggesford

62 | FLYER | November 2020

8 Woodlands Roche 9 Truro 10 Porthtowan 11 Bodmin 12 Bolt head 13 Halwell 14 Farway Common

15 Watchford Farm 16 Compton Abbas

Approaching Teignmouth, the cliffs turned to striking rusty-red sandstone, which continued all the way to Exmouth with coastal erosion making some very impressive structures. Next stop on the grand tour was Farway Common, just nine miles east of Exeter Airport. We landed on R36 (there is also an E-W, both are 550m) and taxied to the hangar. The strip is operated by the irrepressible Terry Case who lives in the adjacent cottage and has provided a warm welcome to flyers for many years while hosting many successful fly-ins. Terry hasn’t been too well lately so I popped over to the house for a brief chat. He is another proud strip owner who has done so much for aviation in his part of the world and we wish him all the best for the future.

Our last stop in Devon was picturesque Watchford Farm in the Blackdown Hills, operated

by Brian Anning. With calm winds we landed on the slightly undulating 550m R28 and were reunited with our pal Jon Crook who’d flown down to see us off the patch. It seemed an eternity since we’d said goodbye to Jon at Eggesford just 24 hours previously, but with the time now at 1500 we really had to push-on and quickly departed as four-ship for Compton Abbas.

It’s always a pleasure to visit popular Compton, and it was very well-organised and COVID-19 secure. The excellent café was open and Jon collected some cold drinks while we all took on UL-91 amid several vintage aircraft doing commercial rides. But all good things come to an end and it was finally time to say our goodbyes to our weary chums and head for home.

Alex and I enjoyed a relaxed flight home, making it back to Eshott exactly for the 1900 closing time after a truly wonderful weekend with brilliant flying friends.

In 14 hours of glorious flying, we’d visited 15 very different fields using exclusively grass runways.

We’d seen some amazing sights but most of all, had met incredibly generous and hospitable flying enthusiasts everywhere we went.

Flying in the UK really is fantastic – what an absolute tonic in a challenging year.

Top Gear

The latest aviation kit, impartially tested and evaluated

DJI Osmo Action HHHHH

B

Price £329 | Manufacturer www.dji.com

ack in the April 2020 issue of FLYER, our US columnist Dave Hirschman wrote a piece in support of using tiny ‘point of view’ video cameras, and pointed out the tremendous utility in flight training. Inspired by that, I figured that while I’m in my ‘getting to know you’ phase with the RV-3, I thought it might be educational to record a bit more of my flying to see what’s going on at key points like the landing.

Like Mr I Seager of this parish, I’ve found GoPros and their fiddly buttons and menus systems, a bit tedious in the past, and while I looked into buying a Garmin VIRB Ultra 30 as it has a built-in GPS, it’s still pretty pricey and is nearly four-year-old technology. A bit of Googling suggested the Osmo Action from DJI (yes, the same manufacturer that’s famous for its

64 | FLYER | November 2020

consumer and professional drones), which went on sale in August 2019 was worth a look, especially as a few teething problems had been fixed, and the reviews highly rated its in-camera image stabilisation. Plus, while the RRP is £329, I shopped around and found it for nearly £100 off, with some retailers throwing in a free charging kit, which provides two extra batteries plus a USB desk charger.

Handling-wise, the Osmo Action feels like it’s well built and the actions of the buttons – there’s three around the case – have a good positive click.

There are two screens, a 1.4 inch unit on the front and a big 2.25 inch screen on the back, which are both bright and easy to see outdoors. The rear screen is also the touch interface to all of the Osmo Action’s functions, by swiping from top, bottom, left and right. Touch sensitivity is spot on and it’s no fuss to browse and select the menus. The unit is also waterproof to 11m without a special housing, so

while you probably won’t choose to fly it in the rain, it should be OK if exposed to inflight moisture. A nice touch is the replaceable lens filter cap, which means it’s less than £20 to fix a scratched lens, not a total loss.

That same bit of design makes it easy to add a Neutral Density filter to reduce the light let in and slow the shutter speed, helping stop that ‘banana’ propeller effect. DJI’s filter pack, four filters for £45, is next on my shopping list.

The Osmo Action has two microphones, which struggle with wind and loud noise, so if you plan to use this camera in the cockpit, you’ll need a USB-C microphone adapter from DJI’s online store, or an external audio recorder.

To get up and running, pop in the battery, which has two latches for excellent security, add a microSD memory card, and you’re good to go.

Like all modern devices, don’t forget to check you’ve got the latest firmware loaded. The DJI Mimo

Main DJI’s Osmo Action impresses with build quality Top Big, bright touchscreen on the rear of the camera allows you to sweep from all sides to select multiple menus.

The user interface is easy to, well, use…!

Above A colour front screen allows you to see what the camera is seeing if you need that option. Lens cap unscrews for replacement if it gets scratched

Above That’s a still taken from one of the inflight video tests with the Osmo Action just handheld. Click to see the video Left Osmo Action shoots 12mp stills, like this one, in RAW and Jpeg format

App allows you to do this as well as providing excellent wireless control of the camera, so that you can start and stop recordings, and change settings remotely. Click the camera into its mounting frame, and as well as fitting to its own stick-on mounts, it’s also compatible with the same mount system as GoPro, giving access to a huge array of third-party cockpit and airframe mounts. As always, pay attention to safety and legality when mounting cameras anywhere on an aircraft…

RockSteady tech

For the technically minded the Osmo Action shoots up to 4K 4:3 at 30fps, or 4K 16:9 at 60fps, and 720p and 1080p frame rates reach as far as 240fps, though using the built-in RockSteady image stabilisation restricts this to 60fps irrespective of resolution. RockSteady also comes at a reduction in the field of view.

Photos can be captured in RAW and Jpeg at 12 megapixels and

there’s plenty of options for multiframe and time-lapse shooting. If you’re looking to capture a great inflight shot for your desktop background, the Osmo Action won’t disappoint. Battery life is good, giving around 90 minutes of continuous recording if you’re not using the wifi connection.

So, how have I got on? Well the plan to start recording those landings is on temporary hold, due to my lack of success in the short-term of finding a way to mount the Osmo Action inside the RV-3’s cosy cockpit. I had thought a RAM suction mount inside the canopy bubble might be just the ticket, but a trial run in the hangar suggested it was all a bit too close to my head. Ian S has suggested a headband mount, and I reckon that’s probably worth a try…

So with just a few flights and the need to buy some more kit, I’ve only used the Osmo Action handheld in moments of flight when I’ve got a hand spare. But what that’s done is

demonstrate that the RockSteady image stabilisation is impressive. I don’t know if you’ve seen or even tried handheld video in an aeroplane inflight, but it’s normally got a lot of ‘shake’ to it.

Panning around the cockpit and passing the camera from one hand to the other almost looks pretty seamless. I’m pretty sure that’s nothing to do with me and all about the technology. While RockSteady does mean no super-wide shots, I found that the field of view was wide enough for what I wanted. Take a look at the video and see for yourself.

I’ll certainly have a chat with my LAA Inspector about mounting it on a wingtip, as the Osmo Action looks like it should a produce a cracking shot from that vantage point.

Initial results are really encouraging though, and I’m looking forward to being able to hit record and let it do it’s thing while I concentrate on flying. And if do succeed in recording a half-decent landing, maybe I’ll share it…

Ed Hicks November 2020 | FLYER | 65

By Association Looking after General Aviation The UK’s flying associations at work

AOPA What’s the GA exit strategy?

We know we are leaving EASA at 11pm on the 31 December 2020, signalling the end of the EU/UK transition period under the withdrawal act.

We also know, from 1 January 2021 that the CAA will continue to accept EASA licences, ratings and certificates, as the plan is to retain existing EU laws until 31 December 2022. For PPL holders this means that your CAA issued EASA part FCL PPL remains valid (assuming you have the correct medical), as it meets the requirements of ICAO Annex 1 – allowing you to fly internationally.

As a minimum, UK aviation will still be able to fly into and out of Europe. What we do not know at this stage is just how easy it will be to move between EU states.

I think it is likely to cost more if you fly to aerodromes where customs and immigration are not readily available, therefore, it will be even more important for GA pilots to understand what these rules are and that you follow them. We are aware that the UK Border Force is looking at charging for what it calls a ‘premium service’ as it has been directed by the Government to recover its operating costs, similar as to how the CAA charging

scheme works. AOPA is seeking more information about its charging structures.

Another change is in relation to our withdrawal from the EU Customs Union, but what will change is still being decided.

It could be an opportunity for the UK, but at this stage there is a policy vacuum.

Martin Robinson

Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association www.aopa.co.uk

BMAA 450-600kg transition We have written before about the planned change to the microlight definition to raise the maximum take-off mass from 450kg to 600kg, also increasing the maximum stalling speed from 35kt to 45kt.

Finally, the actual work to achieve the regulatory changes needed has begun.

BMAA is engaged with the CAA and other interested associations and manufacturers in developing the airworthiness codes to which the aircraft will be built, the manufacturing approvals which will govern their production and the

pilot licensing considerations, which will allow pilots to fly the new breed of aircraft.

The key to the discussions is to keep changes as simple and minimal as possible, we don’t want to add to the already complex world of aviation regulation.

The changes cannot happen until we leave EASA, which means not before January 2021, and cannot be enshrined in UK legislation fully until the Air Navigation Order is updated, which is likely to take a further year.

In the interim the CAA plans to issue exemptions to allow the new breed of

aircraft to be built and used until the regulations catch up. Hopefully, all being well and fingers crossed, this will mean that we can start flying these aircraft in January or February 2021.

We’ve waited a long time, but the end is now turning onto base leg.

Geoff Weighell

of aviation have suffered badly in recent months, this welcome summer respite has allowed them to generate much-needed income, which will hopefully tide them over the winter.

So far at least, and fingers are firmly crossed, there appears no immediate prospect of the wider lockdown on aviation that we experienced back in March. That may change of course, depending on the trajectory of the virus infection rate, so perhaps it might be timely that owners consider planning in case they need to lay-up their aircraft for a protracted period?

Many owners do already plan their maintenance around limited or no flying in

the winter months, while others, including myself, will aim to keep the aircraft flyable to enjoy those gin-clear, icy winter blue skies days (in my open cockpit Currie Wot biplane, known as a hypothermic half hour!). In any case, I’ll be scheduling an oil change, protecting flying wires and other exposed parts against corrosion as part of my pre-winter planning, but still planning to get airborne!

Steve Slater

British Microlight Aircraft Association www.bmaa.org

LAA Déjà-vu The Prime Minister’s latest address to the nation on re-extending COVID-19 measures gives a worrying sense of déjà-vu. From a practical point of view, our processes to allow our LAA HQ engineering and administrative staff to work from home are now wellestablished and we’re confident that members will see little diminution in service.

From an aviation point of view, we’ve enjoyed a few weeks of excellent summer flying and it’s gratifying to see local flying schools, with appropriate precautions, appearing as busy as ever. While all sectors

Light Aircraft Association www.lightaircraftassociation.co.uk

Aviation associations Got something to say? You’re welcome to contribute to this page, email editor@seager.aero 66 | FLYER | November 2020

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Weather School

Welcome to YOUR Club update For the tiny sum of £2.50 a month, The FLYER Club provides access to a whole host of ways to save money towards YOUR flying

Y

es, I know that it’s not even October and we’ve already published, or should that be uploaded, the November issue. It’s a bit of a hangover from the newsstand days, and resetting things is on the ToDo list (it’s a very long list), but we’ll get there.

In the last four weeks we’ve uploaded another year’s worth of back issues, and in the next week we will have uploaded another, so feel free to log into the Club pages and enjoy the content (also on the ToDo list is a searchable content database).

If you missed Simon Keeling’s mini seminar on getting more from forms 214 and 215, club members can find it here (https://subscriptions. flyer.co.uk/flyer-club-members-home/weatherseminar/ ), watch for news of more interesting seminars throughout the winter.

With many fly-ins cancelled, overseas restrictions and shorter days on the way it can seem that aviation is getting a little more challenging, but October brings SIX FREE landing fees (Club members only) and plenty of opportunity to get out and visit a few of the tucked away gems that we’re lucky to have throughout the UK. Remember to take some shots of your flying for possible inclusion in these pages, send them to us with a short sentence explaining the who, what and where – and we’ll do the rest.

ed.hicks@seager.aero

November 2020 | FLYER | 69

The FLYER Club

Out & About As you can see in these photos, FLYER Club members are out there enjoying aviation and having fun, with many using our FREE landing fee vouchers.

These photos all come via the FLYER Facebook page, and if you’d like to get invilved and share your flying expriences, you can either post your photos there or send them directly to flyer@seager.aero If your photos are too big for email (about 10mb is the maximum) use a free file transfer such as wetransfer.com When you send us your photos – and videos – include a few words about who is in the photos, where and when it was taken, who took the photo/video, and any other relevant notes.

Sarah Philpott Our Grumman 50th Anniversary Fly-ln Bonn-Hangelar 21-23 August

Jonathan Bradford Evening flying at the Scottish Gliding Centre with Evan Skelhorn taken by… me!

Ben Atkinson Took Charlie Cooper (of BAFTA award-winning This Country fame) flying 70 | FLYER | November 2020

Martin Lee We made a nostalgic trip down to Cardiff so that B747 pilot David Alvarado could sit in his old office for the last time. We were very privileged to be able to park our 1965 C172 next to one of Dave’s B747s

Richard Tyler Flying home after the Vintage Airshow at Shuttleworth

Leia Fee Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Mick Ward Sunday Roast at Wallis International with Charlie 66

Jordan Penning Flying from Denham to Isle of Wight

Shona Bowman Fabulous fly-in at Turweston.

You simply can’t beat a Rapide at sunset!

Back in my happy place…

Callum Smith Passing Snowdon en route to Caernarfon

Keir Williams At Over Farm, near Gloucester

Rachel Ramsay Somewhere over the rainbow…

Paul Goring L4 Cubs at Old Hay

Steph Murchison Luscombe formation with Mark and Colin Chambers, Duncan Chambers and Andy Clarke

Liam Bennett Gliding in North Wales

Nick Stone Landing at a very picturesque Welshpool after a flight over Snowdonia

Peter Steele Took my wife for lunch at Turweston – first time for her in the Saratoga November 2020 | FLYER | 71

Free Landings In association with

If you’re a member of The FLYER Club, go to http://bit.ly/FLYERclub to print your personalised vouchers and save £41 by claiming one FREE landing at each of these airfields valid for November 2020, although not at an aircraft’s home field. No jets. Please contact the airfield before setting off If you’re not currently a member of the FLYER Club, but would like to receive six new free landing fees every four weeks plus other Club member benefits, then click here to join!

Castle Kennedy

01776 702024 | www.castlekennedyairfield.co.uk Castle Kennedy is centred between Northern Ireland, Prestwick, Carlisle, Blackpool and the Isle of Man. This Scottish airfield is unlicensed and used at the pilot’s risk and discretion. The airfield is strictly PPR, due to other activities, and is open during daylight hours only. In addition to fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, microlights and gyros are welcome to visit. The airfield can help with mogas supply, if advance warning is given.

A

PPR 01776 702024 / 07774 116424 Radio 135.475

Cromer

A

07886 264992 | EGTW | www.northreppsaerodrome.co.uk Cromer (Northrepps) is located 2.75nm SSW of Cromer. This friendly airfield has two grass runways, 04/22 (615m) and 15/33 (385m), and ample parking space. Cabin Crew Diner, open at weekends, distancing procedures in place but almost ‘back to normal’. There’s mogas on site, free wifi and a website providing weather data and webcams. The airfield is situated on the lovely north Norfolk coast and just a few minutes’ flying time from the tranquil Norfolk Broads.

Nearby attractions Cromer seafront is just a five-minute taxi ride away.

Tel 07886 264992 or 01263 513015 Radio 118.265

M

Radio Accepts non-radio light aircraft, but PPR

PPR Prior permission is required

72 | FLYER | November 2020

Refreshments Including restaurants and cafes etc

Microlights are welcome

A

UL

Fuel Aviation fuel available A avgas, UL UL91, M mogas

While you’re there When you visit these six airfields, why not show your support by enjoying a meal in the cafe or filling up with fuel?

It’s good to support GA in the UK.

Free Landings are for FLYER Club member use only – click here to join!

Fishburn

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07877 118280 | www.fishburnairfield.co.uk Fishburn is a pretty, unlicensed airfield with an 800m grass runway, three miles north of Durham Tees Valley CTR/CTA. Convenient for Durham and the university. Visiting pilots should join the circuit from the north. There’s NO deadside. Visitors welcome at any time. Avgas 100LL self service, pay at pump. Aviator Cafe open every day, 0900-1700, but check due to restrictions. Hangarage subject to availability.

Microlights welcome.

Nearby attractions The picturesque village of Sedgefield, Hardwick Hall Country Park and Durham city itself.

Radio 118.280

Sackville

01234 708 877 | EGPN | www.sackvilleflyingclub.co.uk Sackville Flying Club, based in a quiet, pleasant rural location in North Bedfordshire, is home to a lively group of aviators, all passionate about flying. Within the club are four groups, whose interests span the four disciplines of gliding, microlight flying, power flying and hot air ballooning. Tea and coffee are free, and snacks are usually available. Gastro pub (Fox and Hounds ) just a 10 minute walk away. Restrictions will apply. You can camp overnight.

Nearby attractions Bletchley Park, which houses a museum dedicated to WWII codebreakers. Worth the 30 mile drive.

PPR 01234 708 877 Radio 135.475

Sittles

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07773 777160 | www.sittlesflyers.com Sittles Flying Club was formed 22 years ago and has a new management committee which has invested several thousand pounds into a total renovation of the clubhouse with new decking and a sparkling new toilet. The kettle, coffee and tea are to hand in our luxurious clubhouse where you can make yourselves at home. PPR is required if you have not visited before and are not familiar with the site.

A

Nearby attractions The club is well situated in the heart of Staffordshire just a couple of miles from both Lichfield, and its beautiful cathedral and also the National Arboretum.

PPR: 07773 777160 Radio: 129.825

on a replacement g in rk o w e ’r e w ment due to Covid e n o p st o p te la y, Sorr

Yatesbury

07836 554554 | www.wiltsmicrolights.com Yatesbury Airfield is home to the Wiltshire Microlight Centre, a BMAA-registered school run by qualified professional instructors who ensure flight training is safe, progressive and fun.

Training takes place above the stunning North Wessex Downs and Vale of Pewsey. Visiting pilots should approach from the south, circuits at 600ft. Visit the website for pilot information.

Blind calls on Safetycom 135.475 MHz. Please call PPR before setting off. Microlights only.

Nearby attractions The countryside around the strip is truly spectacular.

PPR 07836 554554 / 01249 811000

Win! A print or digital Pooleys UK Flight Guide QUESTION: What is the distance between Sackville and Cromer in nautical miles?

To enter, post your answer, name, address and email details to Pooleys November Competition, FLYER magazine, PO Box 4261, Melksham, SN12 9BN or send an email to competitions@seager.aero The closing date is 4 November 2020.

The winner’s name and address will be passed to Pooleys, then deleted from Seager’s database. Pooleys will send the winner their prize and, in order to do so, also offer to supply them with further information about the company’s products and services.

A

1 Castle Kennedy 2 Cromer 3 Fishburn 4 Sackville 5 Sittles: POSTPONED 6 Yatesbury 1

3

5

4

2

6

The winner for September 2020 is: David Sibthorpe, Buckinghamshire.

November 2020 | FLYER | 73

The FLYER Club

Here’s why members love The FLYER Club We asked our Club Members to tell us what they love about The FLYER Club “Informative, entertaining, accessible, wide ranging, brave to embrace free, and worthy of support to make this a success – I would not have subscribed otherwise”

”

“The formation of a national club of pilots, its regular Thursday meetings, weather briefings and webinars (one so far) and the potential to meet other pilots, have fly-ins. It’s the social aspect that is the USP.”

“The collective GA community feel of the magazine”

” ” ”

“Exclusive events like Simon’s weather mini seminar is what I’ve liked most”

“I appreciate the involvement at a personal level of the editorial team, e.g. on the Thursday online ‘meetings’. I will be using the free landing vouchers in the future, that’s probably the main benefit.”

”

“I’ve been flying for just over two years (retirement), so not very immersed.

Read the first free edition and found it great and professional. You deserve to be supported, so I subscribed. Worth it for the magazine. The livestreams are drawing me in!!!”

“Free landing fees, That Worst Day, Safety Accident reports but mostly the columns”

“Friendly team, good value.”

” ” ”

“Digital Magazine archive looks promising”

“Best information direct to my inbox” “Great editorial about my kind of flying”

” ” ”

“Approachable format, content provided by people like-minded to myself.”

”

Thank you for all the kind words – we really appreciate all the support you’ve given us over the years and more importantly, in recent months.

We’ll continue to work hard to build the best Club we can for you.

Club membership is just £2.50 per month and brings you a wide array of money saving benefits and exclusive club opportunities.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE FLYER CLUB 74 | FLYER | November 2020

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November 2020 | FLYER | 79

QSY

From left: Keith Brooks, Nigel Hitchman, Alina Swietochowska

For the funny, the weird, the wonderful and the just plane strange…

Beagle Pup Prototype gets re-christened

E

choing the press day and original ‘christening’ of the prototype Beagle Pup G-AVDF at Shoreham in May 1967, members of the aviation press, along with some who had been involved in the building of the Pup in the 1960’s were invited to share a very special occasion at Turweston Aerodrome.

Gathered in the hangar around G-AVDF were those who had been involved in the five-year restoration programme as well as the test pilots, LAA’s Chief Engineer Francis Donaldson and Paul Shenton, and the Pup’s present owner, David

Above LAA Chief Engineer Francis Donaldson signs the Pup’s logbook as owner David Collings looks on Inset David Collings pours champagne with Steve Slater from the LAA

Collings and his family.

David invited Francis to sign the original log book where ‘Pee Wee’ Judge, Beagle’s test pilot, had recorded every one of the 326 flights between April 1967 and May 1969. In the the Spring of 1969 G-AVDF was modified and flown as a test bed for the Beagle Bulldog before being grounded and dismantled.

Since buying the Pup from Brooklands in 1993, David’s dream had always

deepest Central Africa in 1948, a few years after taking part in D-Day. Today, MAF operates 138 purpose-built light aircraft in over 26 countries and employs over 1,300 staff.

VILLAIN It’s one thing to complain about aircraft noise, it’s another to shoot the aircraft with a

Leicester Airport had a strange runway incursion on 16 September – an invasion of runaway cows. It prompted a tsunami of awful puns, ranging from ‘that’s a lot of moovements’ to ‘who’s going to clear up the FOD?’. Watch the video in this FLYER Livestream. https://youtu. be/0VkMZjumVCk

Cranfield appeal been to see her restored to flight. With thanks to the LAA for enabling the Permit to Fly and Alan Turney and all involved at Turweston in the restoration, the team were able to enjoy the re-christening with champagne, originally performed by Sir Tom and Lady Sopwith in 1967. This was followed by an impressive test flight with ‘DF in the safe hands of Francis Donaldson.

Future plans are to park G-AVDF, which is sponsored

by Vega Solutions Ltd, next to Old Warden’s Sopwith Pup to re-create the original 1967 photo shoot.

Anne Hughes

Heroes & Villains HERO Stuart Sendall-King, co-founder of Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), which operates humanitarian flights into the world’s most remote areas, has died aged 98. A former RAF pilot, Stuart was one of the early pioneers to take light aircraft from London to

The cows have it

hunting rifle. This PA-28 was holed during an approach to Moscow Airport. The shooter has been charged with ‘hooliganism’.

HEROES Blackmore Vale GP surgery who ran a drive-in flu jab clinic at Henstridge Airfield for a week in September.

Some pilots took up the offer and flew in for their jab.

Cranfield University is appealing to students who have flown in their aircraft to share their anecdotes and experiences.

The National Flying Laboratory Centre (NFLC) operates Cranfield’s three aircraft for research and teaching. The current fleet includes a Jetstream 31 turboprop – a flying engineering laboratory with 19 seats, and two tandem-seat aerobatic piston engine aircraft.

Professor Nicholas Lawson, Head of NFLC, said, “Over the years, we have had hundreds of students from Cranfield and other institutions. We would love to hear about their experiences and how it has impacted their future careers, as well as helping us build a social history of the NFLC.” This year Cranfield has bought a Saab 340B aircraft, and is modifying it for use as a flying laboratory and classroom to replace its existing Jetstream 31.

Contact: nflcmemories@ cranfield.ac.uk

Above NFLC Jetstream

Send your QSY submissions to QSY, PO Box 4261, Melksham, SN12 9BN or to qsy@seager.aero 80 | FLYER | November 2020

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