Carbonfibrecompositeandfullysealedcontrolsurfaces-applyingthebestlow-drag glider technology to powered flight.
year’s LAA Rally in this issue it was, after all, a very successful event, and one blessed with perfect weather. Having been involved with the organisation of the Rally in its latest iteration at Sywell, since it was re-established, | know that much of the success of the event depends on volunteers giving their time for free. Without their help, the sums simply would not add up and the Rally wouldundoubtedlybecomeafinancial liability. So many thanks to all of our Rally volunteers!
Elsewhere in this issue, Steve Slater poses an analogy of the famous JF Kennedy speech, ‘Ask not what your country can do for you...’, and it’s one which rings true for many a member association like the LAA.
The truth is, people now have less free time than ever before whatever happened to the extra leisure that the digital age was supposed to give us? No doubt it went the way of the paperless office. Clearly, the
Luddites sometimes score a win!
ByBrianHope
more help during the three-day Rally set up the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday before the gates open and the event gets into full swing. The fact is that we need just a few more people to help with the physical jobs, such as marking out the site and setting up the infrastructure.
We're already lucky to have an amazing team of guys and gals, who have a great time and work really hard, but truth is, none of us are getting any younger and a few extra forty, fifty or even young-at-heart sixty-somethings would certainly ease the load.
If you can help, please drop Penny Sharpe atHQaline viapenny.sharpe@laa.uk.com, or ifyouwanttochataboutitthengivemea call on the number shown below.
This issue’s Flight Test (page 38) is of a pair of Stinson Voyager HW-75s, which are rare in the UK and both possess an interesting history. The type was developed just prior to WWII and spawned the more
popular Stinson 108. Piper bought Stinson
Francis Donaldson also continues his feature about the wisdom of getting a proper checkoutwhenmovingontoa differenttype for the first time (page 34). Please take note as, every year, we lose perfectly serviceable aircraft due the folly of pilots who consider themselves an ‘ace of the base’ but discover, all too late, that not all aircraft are equal!
And while we’re on the subject of Safety, the autumn and winter is when GASCo holds its excellent Safety events, which are usually, but not always held at a flying club and start at 1930. I’ve included the first few November events in Where to Go (page 67) but keep an eye on the GASCo website, at www.gasco.org.Uk/ events/safety-evenings, for full details of these and its other
Brian Hope
But what has this all to do with the price of in 1949 and another of the great names of upcoming events. EDITOR spuds?Well,|wanttomakeapleaforalittle USaviationslippedintohistory. Besafe! bfjjode!@talktalk.net
Head Office Turweston Aerodrome, Nr Brackley, Northants NN13 5YD
Telephone 01280 846786
Editor Brian Hope, 60 Queenborough Road, Sheerness, Kent ME12 3BZ
Telephone 01795 662508
Email bfjiode/@talktalk.net
06 NEWS
Lasham to challenge Farnborough ACP decision, VAC Liz Inwood Scholarship, LAAassistsAir Race E
10OBITUARY & LETTERS
Richard Haywood remembers Laurie Price. Letters: the Whittaker MW6
| | MEMBER BENEFITS
Chrystelle Launai ofAir Courtage Assurances explainswhy pilot training could see you saving money
12OSHKOSH 2018 PART 2
Nigel Hitchman with further highlights of this year’s EAAAirVenture event
|4PROJECTNEWS
ScintexCP1310-C3,Supermarine SpitfireMk26,BristellNG5Speed Wing, New Projectsand ClearedtoFly
I8EDWIN SHACKLETON
Peter R March pays tribute to a flying enthusiastextraordinaire
20 LAA RALLY REPORT
Brian Hope with allthe highlights of this year’s exceptional event
26 TOURING ADVENTURE
Martin Ferid heads to Lolland-Falster, two Danish islands in the Baltic Sea
32 VIPER SSDR
Brian Hope takes a closer look at Barry Conway's exciting jet design
34 CONVERTINGTOTYPE #2
Francis Donaldson concludes his feature on why it’simportant to get properly checked out on a new type
38FLIGHTTEST
Clive Davidson enjoys the Stinson HW-75(105), a rare classic pre-WWII UStwo-seater
46 SAFETY SPOT
Malcolm McBride with cautionarytales for pilots, builders and maintainers
54 STRUTS 4U
Anne Hughes profilesthe LAA Rally WorkersStrut,plusStrutevent listings
56 CEOTHOUGHTS
Steve Slater talks volunteers and asks areyou a Kennedy or a Trump?
58 ENGINEERING
Brian Hope on the new M65starter motorfor Rotaxtwo-stroke engines
6| WHERETO GO
Forthcomingeventsfor LAAmembers
62 LAA CLASSIFIEDS
Aircraft, parts & services for sale
66LANDINGVOUCHERS
Onefree,two half-pricelandings and free coffee & cake for November
reflective mood as this is my last contribution to the magazine as Chairman of the LAA. |’m also writing this just after soending three glorious days at our annual Rally at Sywell. That event encapsulated everything which is good in our Association. Our volunteers worked alongside our LAA staff to plan and deliver by far the best GA event in the UK.
We all turned up in force to attend the event, man the stands, show off our aircraft and everybody had a great time. Everyone | have spoken to, both during and after the Rally, was impressed by and happy with the event indeed, exhibitors are already trying to re-book for next year.
IN ROBUST HEALTH
On amore general level, our Association is in robust health, with sound finances and stable membership.
Our Association has achieved a great deal in recent years in the area of being able to use our aircraft in new ways, such as in Night/IFR, if they’re suitably equipped.
Notably, we can now hire out our aircraft, meaning it’s more cost effective to own a Permittype and to make them available to a wider group of pilots. Flying schools are taking a keen interest in this development, and the possibility of using Permit aircraft for paid ab initio training is on the horizon. That will improve the residual value of our aircraft and attract more, possibly younger, members to the LAA.
It’s now much easier to operate LAA types throughout Europe without the need to apply for individual permissions note that this is independent of the EU so will be unaffected by Brexit.
We've also been focusing on improving our membership benefits, arranging discount arrangements with major suppliers and exclusive insurance offers from Air Courtage. But at the same time we’ve been careful to keep the cost of membership in check.
Our educational offering has been expanded too, with extra courses and new facilities, and there’s much more to come on that front.
Overall, we’ve a good scorecard but we must not become complacent. There are many challenges ahead and much to do, in order to remain relevant in an increasingly competitive and demanding world.
EXPECTATIONS & CHALLENGES
The needs and expectations of our members (our paying customers) are changing. They expect fast service, good communications and simple, easy-to-use processes.
Our involvement with more commercial organisations, such as flying schools, will sharpen the focus in this area.
The LAA’s IT systems will also need to be upgraded, including our website, which is the public window to our world as well as a key point of contact for our members. In addition, our use of social media needs to be more comprehensive and professional.
Above all we need to find ways of being more professional and customer-focused without losing the vital LAA membership volunteer spirit quite a challenge.
We also face external challenges with major threats to our access to airspace and airfields. If we have no airspace to fly in nor airfields, our activity will wither and die over time. We must find the expertise and financial resources to fight for our future.
GET INVOLVED!
Your Board of Directors (unpaid member volunteers) are working hard to meet the future challenges and need your support.
Our Annual General Meeting will take place at Sywell Aerodrome on Sunday 21 October and is the last major LAA event of the year, Sowe always try to make the whole day interesting, with good speakers, notable aircraft and a member's forum. The latter is your opportunity to discuss items of interest to you with the Board in an informal setting. The papers for the formal part of the day, the AGM, are with this magazine. Please don’t throw them away. Exercise your right as a member of our Association to vote on the various Motions. If you’re unable to attend in person please use the Proxy Voting Form, also attached, to express your wishes or give your proxy to the Chairman to vote on your behalf.
| look forward to seeing you at Sywell.
Mike Clarke writes, “The CAA has not
Lasham Gliding Society (LGS), the world’s largest gliding club, is seeking financial support in order to mount a legal challenge against the CAA’s recent approval of TAG Farnborough’s Airspace Change Proposal (ACP).
LGS says that Lasham Airfield, which has twice the movements of Farnborough, will be badly affected by GAtraffic and gliders being squeezed into airspace choke points. In a press release, LGS Chairman
published any data or evidence to support its decision that the new arrangement will be safe (or that the existing arrangements are not safe), and it has not published analysis of the impact on Lasham Gliding Society or General Aviation traffic inthe choke points. Further,the measuressuggested by the CAA for mitigatingserious safety risk are inadequate and ill conceived.”
LGS has already sought legal advice andlaunched a fundto helppayfora legal challenge. If you want to support the fund, full details are available at
www.lashamgliding.com/pages/airspacecampaign
Meanwhile, in a letter to the CAA, the General Aviation Alliance expressed its opposition to what it believes is a flawed decision. The Alliance, which includes nearly all the UK GA organisations, also commented that it’s supportive of others’ efforts to formally challenge and stop CAA decision, which will otherwise increase a known safety risk as well as unnecessarily and inequitably impact on the majority of airspace users.
THEVAC LIZ INWOOD SCHOLARSHIP GOES TO...
The 2018 Liz Inwood Taildragger Scholarship has been awarded to Jon Hartle from Worcestershire.
award, which was established in 2015
Aircraft Club (VAC). The Scholarship was set up in memory of Liz Inwood, who originally trained as an artist, but
became a passionate aviatrix and flying instructor who proved an inspiration to many fledgling pilots.
Jon was presented with the scholarship at the LAA Rally by the VAC’s Chair, Anne Hughes.
Details of the Scholarship can be found on the VAC website, at www.vintageaircraftclub.org.uk
(Left)Jon Hartle being presented with the Scholarship by Anne MichaelMiklos) Hughes. (Photo:
BLACKBUSHE AIRPORT REDUCES ITS FEES
Following a busy summer and meeting pilots who have been using the vouchers from LA and FLYER magazine, Blackbushe Airport has announced that it’s reducing its landing fees.
“We’ve listened carefully to the feedback,” the Airport states, “and have understood that cost is a big factor in deciding where to visit. We are therefore pleased to announce a reduction in our visitor landing fees, effective immediately.”
The landing fee for aircraft up to 750kg falls from £19.20 to £12, or £9.60 with a 30L fuel uplift. And the fee for aircraft weighting 751-1,500kg falls from £28.80 to £18, or £14.40 with a 30L fuel uplift.
This year’s Royal Aeronautical Society Light Aircraft Design Conference, which is entitled On the Lighter Side, is due to take place at RAeS HQ (4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ), on Monday 19 November, between 1030-1730.
Admission for members of the LAA, BGA, BMAA, BBGA and IMechE is £60 + VAT.
The key speakers, and the subjects they'll be covering, include Oliver Gibbs (Wingsuit Flying, Experience and Technology), Dr Bill Brooks (Flycycle Design and Development),
lan Currer (Skywalking, Foot-Launched Flight), Mike Whittaker (Whittaker Aircraft Designs), David Stanbridge (Use of X-Plane for Light Aircraft Design), Norman Wijker (Volts and VTOLS, developing a VTOL Hybrid Electric BizJet) and Martyn Ingleton (Hurricane 315 SSDR Design and Development).
The winners of the RAeS Design Competition will also be announced during the course of the Conference.
ERRATUM: VAN’S AIRCRAFT RV-12 FLIGHT TEST...
Full details of the event, including how to purchase tickets, canbefoundatwww.tinyurl.com/RAeSdesign
Unfortunately, last month’s Flight Testfeature on the Van’s RV-12 and RV-9Acontained a couple of errors regarding the former. Our sincere apologies for these inaccuracies.
As supplied by Van’s, the standard seat harness for the RV-12 is actually a five-point static version, not a lap strap and diagonal shoulder strap, as described in the article.
In addition, the fuel tank introduced with the RV-12iS upgrades is mounted across the fuselage, at the front of the baggage bay, rather than per the original design, where it sits in the right-hand side of the baggage bay.
Further details on the differences introduced with the RV-12iS
Our Association has committed its support in developing the technical regulations and potential design oversight for the sport of electric aeroplane racing, which will be sanctioned by the Formula Air Racing Association (FARA) and its French counterpart, the Association des Pilotes D’Avions de Formules (APAF).
The LAA is also to offer expertise in supporting the design and build process for the new formula’s aircraft, which are to be purely driven by electric power.
“Electric-powered aviation is going to become ever-more important in the future and many innovations that we will see years from now will trace their roots back to the Air Race E platform,” AAAS a)
NEWWORLD RECORD AT BROOKLANDS MUSEUM!
BrooklandsMuseum’AviationDay,on 16September,was the perfect setting to gather the largest collection of pedal planesthat the world has ever seen.
The previousworld record, achieved at EAA AirVenture, Oshkosh, earlier this year, was beaten by a healthy margin!
Thanks to the attempt’s organisers, Andre Faehndrich and the Joystick Club of White Waltham, a total of 31 pedal planes made itto Brooklands. Members of the LAAYES (YouthEducational Strut)were also in attendance, working with Brooklands and other organisations to inspire young people and promote an interest in aviation.
CAATO TRANSFER RADIO LICENCE ISSUETO OFCOM
The UK CAA and Ofcom have begun contacting holders of aircraft and ground station radio licences with information about the forthcoming transfer of the service to the communications regulator.
From 2 November 2018, aeronautical radio licences will no longer be issued by the CAA. Ofcom will take over the service’s day-to-day admin, issuing radio licences directly to aircraft owners and ground stations. Licence holders do not need to take any immediate action.
The CAA will continue to issue frequency assignments and ANO safety approvals, as normal.
says LAA CEO, Steve Slate. “It’s importantwehavea clearlydefined, safety-first approach to the rules and designs in electric air racing and we will work with Air Race E, the manufacturers and the pilots to make sure that this innovative series runs smoothly.”
For his part, Jeff Zaltman, the CEO of Air Race E, added, “This is a huge contribution in the development of Air Race E and we are grateful to the LAA for its continued support. The Associationhasbeena fantastic supporter of formula one air racing in the past and long may that continue.”
For more information regarding Air Race E, please visit www.airraceE.com
LAA ARMSTRONG-ISAACS BURSARIES 2018
Five LAAArmstrong-lsaacs Bursaries worth up to £1,500 each are on offer to student pilots under thirty years of age who are already in training, and offer finance to supplement personal funding in the later stages of their courses.
Applicants must have reached ‘first solo’ standard and have completed a minimum of five hours of solo training, hold a valid medical and should’ve passed the necessary ground exams.
Applicants must complete the form available from our Association’s website, www.laa.uk.com, under the ‘LAA Bursaries tab’,thenemailitto office@laa.uk.com with ‘Armstrong-Isaacs Bursary’ in the subject line of the message. Emails should arrive on or before the closing date of 1 December 2018.
Successful applicants will be notified during February 2019. We look forward to receiving your application.
(Above) Steve Slater with Air Race E’s CEO, Jeff Zaltman. (Photo: Neil Wilson)
ermit to Fly, issued December2017)
See the full flight test report on page 36 in the January 2018 issue of LAA magazine. The new SuperStol redefines short-field performance Check our website for the latest SuperStol news
TaeESSETETae eeeTF Pye ed A PronFae6otios “2s Baeage
aurie Price passed away on the 7 September, after an eight-year battle with cancer. He was 67, and leaves his wife, Barbara, and two sons, Matthew and Alex.
Aviation was in Laurie’s blood, his father having been the Director of Elmdon Airport in Birmingham. Laurie was a member of 1069 (Wimborne) Squadron ATC in Dorset and qualified for a Flying Scholarship through them. He learned to fly at Hurn Airport and maintained very close links to 1069 Squadron throughout his life.
Laurie cut his teeth in the commercial world as a graduate trainee with British Caledonian Airways (BCAL). He rose to become the airline’s youngest General Manager, at the age of 35. The Airlink helicopter operation between Gatwick and Heathrow was his brainchild, which he went on to develop and run.
Laurie fulfilled various roles at BCAL, including being responsible for government affairs and the company’s Aircraft Trading. He was instrumental in strategic planning and in the operations of BCAL’s North American routes.
After twenty years with BCAL, and subsequently with British Airways, Laurie went into consultancy for a while, before joining Mott McDonald and becoming its Director of Aviation Strategy until his retired.
Dear Brian,
The article by Francis Donaldson in the September issue of LA [Converting to Type] contained much food for thought and wise council. Indeed, all aircraft are different in their behaviour in the air, particularly in their stability characteristics and control responses.
It is therefore sound advice that any pilot taking up a type new to themselves should get a briefing from someone familiar with the type, or if it is not possible, to proceed with due care and attention as they feel out the aircraft's behaviour for themselves.
In his article, Francis referred in detail to his own experience with an MW6S Microlight, which had caused some anxious moments and a hurried return to base. There was also sufficient information in the article to identify the particular aircraft involved and its builder, a much-respected early member of the MW Club, who’s now sadly deceased. Following the article, | feel there is another side to the MW6 story which should be told.
Together with Steve Slade, | built the prototype MWE6in a shed in my back garden.
It was the first two-seat microlight to be built in the UK through the PFA system and first flew in 1986.
Six weeks later it was adapted for hand-control only and flown by Steve, who's paralysed from the waist down.
Over the years, it has had many adventures, been flown by upwards of forty different pilots, taken up many hundreds of passengers and never hurt anyone. It has now flown for over 2,200 hours and has a current Permit.
Subsequently, many further MW6 aircraft, both tandem and side-by-side, were built and successfully flown. So, | think the record shows that although the MW6 may feel a bit different at first acquaintance it has no characteristics which are fundamentally unsafe or particularly difficult to master.
Speaking personally, I’m very grateful to Mike Whittaker for providing a design which
Outside of his daily work, Laurie was aviation adviser to the House of Commons Transport Select Committee from 1997 to 2005. That was followed by the role of an adviser to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Aviation, until 2015. Grant Shapps invited Laurie to be Chairman of the Red Tape Challenge Panel between 2013 and 2015, and then followed up by asking him to be adviser to the All Party Parliamentary Group on General Aviation (APPG on GA). Grant commented, “Laurie was an extraordinary man, whose judgement | trusted completely. | will miss him greatly.”
Laurie held a Masters Degree in Transportation Planning, was a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport. He was a valued member of the Council of the Air League and was frequently called upon by the media to comment on aspects of aviation economics or policy.
Almost thirty years after the demise of BCAL, Laurie still cared deeply about its ethos and spirit. Like so many, his own life was changed forever by the experience of working for that inspirational carrier. At his instigation, and with his persistence, two light aircraft now fly in that iconic airline livery, with the golden lion on the tail. One, G-CHIP, which is based at Shoreham, will be named Spirit of Laurie as a lasting legacy to a hugely talented yet modest man.
has given me more pure ‘Flying for Fun’than any other aircraft I’ve ever owned. And | know that there are other oddballs like me out there!
Kind regards, Eddie Clapham
Thank you, Eddie, for your reasoned response to Francis’s comments regarding the MW6, and your interesting anecdotes about the aircraft.
In Francis’s second part of the Converting to Type feature, which is contained in this issue of LA, he certainly acknowledges the excellent qualities of Mike’s designs.
It’s unfortunate that one or two people misunderstood Francis’s intention and took his comments as slighting a much-loved microlight. He was simply relating his personal experiences, as a young and inexperienced pilot, of foolishly not having a check out or thorough briefing before flying a different type of aircraft to that which he was used to. Ed
hen it comes to insurance, the main question which everyone tends to ask is, “How much is it going to cost me?” However, insurance issues are complex so the price of coverage is influenced by a number of factors.
Although the European Regulation sets the minimum level of liability insurance which should be taken out, the cost of it usually depends on the aircraft’s insured value, the pilots’ experience and the aircraft's intended use.
Nevertheless, as everyone is aware, the leading cause of fatal aircraft accidents is the human factor, therefore, greater emphasis is put upon the pilot. That’s the reason why Air Courtage has decided to implement a pilot-focused insurance programme, rather than a traditional aircraft-attached insurance.
WHY TRAINING IS GAINING
As a result, the insurance pricing grid within the LAA Member Insurance Programme takes into account the pilot’s propensity to challenge themselves, to train regularly and be aware of their limits.
The pilot’s willingness to take part in LAA training, coaching schemes and GASCo Safety Events is therefore promoted and discounts are granted accordingly, once the courses have been attended.
Participation in the training associated with flying or building an aircraft are rewarded under the LAA Member
Post-PPL training with the LAA Pilot Coaching Scheme is a no-brainer with Air Courtage Assurances, when your skill levels go up, the premiums come down!
Insurance Programme, as the pilots who attend these courses are more likely to consider decisions wisely and to fly safely.
Enhancing and encouraging safety initiatives through insurance is very important from a long-term perspective, as the General Aviation insurance market is tiny and fragile, compared to that of commercial aviation or other classes of insurance.
Therefore, it's essential to demonstrate to insurers that the pilots they’re covering have a sense of responsibility, and that premiums should be correlated to their perceived propensity to suffer an accident.
SUSTAINABLE PREMIUM LEVELS
Should the Europe-wide numbers of GA aircraft losses increase, there’d be a direct economic impact. An increase would lead to a significant hike in insurance premiums, which could quickly make coverage unaffordable for many private pilots.
However, over recent decades, the insurance premiums for GA aircraft have significantly decreased, as a consequence of a reduction in the accident rate.
Therefore, maintaining sustainable premium levels is somewhat in the hands of every pilot. But only partly so, as although
the frequency of major claims is clearly decreasing, the severity of indemnities follows a reverse trend, mainly due to the increased litigiousness of our society.
HOW TO EARN DISCOUNTS
Training is essential for every pilot and we invite you to learn more about the LAA Pilot Coaching Scheme and training and education courses.
As noted, participation in these training initiatives can bring you premium discounts through our insurance programme, which is dedicated to LAA members. Furthermore, those who hold a LAA Wings Award will also benefit from preferential rates.
For more information regarding educational training programmes, the Pilot Coaching Scheme and LAA Wings, please check out the LAA website at www.laa.uk.com or contact your Association’s HQ by emailing office@laa.uk.com or calling 01280 846786.
HOW CAN WE HELP?
For details of our insurance options and discounts, please visit our website, www.air-assurances.com/laa.asp
Alternatively, if you’d like to discuss your insurance requirements, contact us by calling our English phone line, on 03306 845108, or by emailing laa@air-assurances.com.
Air Courtage Assurances is duly authorised by the Financial ConductAuthority as an insurance broker in the United Kingdom.
(Above)There were over 1,100 ‘Experimentals’ present at Oshkosh, and over half were Van’s RVs, including some truly fabulous examples. Butthere was also a wide variety of other types in attendance, including this Workhorse Group SureFly manned rotorcraft, which is a two-seat, electric-powered, eight motored machine. Interestingly, although it has five minutes of backup battery power, the electric motors are driven by a petrol piston engine which runs two generators. The SureFly is estimated to have a one-hour range at 7Omph.Itwas supposed to take part in the Monday display, but the wind was too strong to risk it, as the SureFly is still in the early stages of test-flying. www.workhorse.com
(Right)The LX7 kitplane is a modified Lancair IVPwith a new wing and empennage, which produces a slower stall speed, 260kt cruise and 25,000ft ceiling, all for ‘only’$550,000, but that’s on top of the cost of the Lancair IVP airframe! www./x7aircraft.com
(Above)The Samson Switchblade was promoted as being the world’s first flying sports car, and its inaugural flight was planned to take place this summer. The high aspect-ratio wings fold forward for driving, as does the tail. The Switchblade is said to have sports car performance, and Samson’s website states, “The wings are set at the correct angle so you literally fly the plane off the runway! Landings are similar, in that you simply fly the vehicle onto the runway to land.” www.samsonsky.com
(Above) The Revolution Aircraft RAI-6 is a four-seat long-range tourer developed from the two-seat Tango kitplane. Able to carry over 200 gallons of fuel, four people and baggage, it has a range of 2,900 miles! www.revolutionaviation.net
(Above)The only really new US-produced aircraft at Oshkosh this year was this Vashon Ranger, an all-metal, two-seat design,
(Above)N60LC is a FLS Microjet from BD-Micro Technologies and powered by a Continental O-200Dand with Dynon avionics. is a development of the BD5. There were six BD5 variants present Marketed as falling between a tired secondhand Certified aircraft over the week, which is by far the most I'd ever seen at one show. and expensive European LSAs, its basic sale price is $99,500. www.bd-micro.com www.vashonaircraft.com
(Above) This year’s Grand Champion Plans-Built prize went (Above) ...andthe Grand Champion Kit-Built was Florida resident to Pitts S-1SE, N834T, constructed by Curtis Cumberland of Steve Schreiber’s Lancair Legacy, N6154S. Woodbine, Maryland...
(Above) The Timber Tiger Ryan ST replica is a 95 per cent-scale Ryan ST.Itcan be made to represent any of the Ryan ST variants and is being sold as a kit, with the proposed engine being a D-Motor or Rotax 912. www.timbertigeraircraft.com
(Above)Something new in the airshow, and a change from the usual numerous Extra/Edge/CAP aerobatic displays, was the (Above)TheKLA-100isanew,two-seatkitplanefromKorea,which—_Yak-110,whichistwoYak55sjoinedtogetherwithajetengine is reputed to have already flown a few hundred hours. Itappeared inbetween! More details at www.yak110.com under the ‘Flight Designs’banner at Freidrichshafen in 2017, but there was no mention of that company on the stand of its Korean Nextyear’s EAA AirVenture Oshkosh will take place on 22-28 July manufacturer, Vessel. www.vessel21.com/eng seeyou there!
ways five people will send me information in six disparate formats, often progressively revealing a little bit at a time, and sending in pictures, to slowly tell the full story of their project, just like a curtain being drawn gently back. And so it was with David Hammersley’s Emeraude project, which is a stunninglooking aircraft with an equally interesting past.
As custodians of older aircraft, it’s often difficult to imagine what adventures the aeroplane may have taken its previous pilots upon. The modern format of airframe logbook reveals little of an aircraft’s journeys, but the older-style logs are often more telling. Consequently, David has been able to piece together the past life of his Emeraude and found that it took its first owner half way around the world!
| must say that | do find the lines of aircraft like the Emeraude and HN 700 Menestrel most pleasing maybe it’s the amount of dihedral, or the aesthetics of the wing profile which just quietly whispers ‘Spitfire’. | love working with wood but have never built,
flown nor had anything to do with that type of aircraft. In the past, | possibly took too much notice of clubhouse wisdom, which was often unreasonably biased against the maintenance and durability of wooden airframes. Now I’m older and wiser, | hope to experience the joys of a wooden aircraft before the Grim Reaper comes calling!
The Emeraude is reasonably numerous on the UK Register, although only a handful have been homebuilt, so what a coincidence that this month’s New Projects list should include another. Looking down that very list, there’s a healthy collection of fresh projects, split fairly evenly between new and old-school, quick and slow-build. Good luck to all of those who are embarking upon their new constructional adventure, may those drill bits run true and your fingers not stick together.
To get in touch with Project News, and tell your story, report a milestone or just to send a picture, please email projectnews@ laa-archive.org.uk. Do share your news your fellow members justlovetohearhowyou'regettingalong!
MIKE VICTOR is a Scintex Aviation-built Emeraude which last flew in 1992.David purchased the aircraft six years ago, after its previous owner had disassembled her and placed her in a Dutch barn for storage. So, by any reasonable expectations, this was going to become a project of significant dimensions. Following the purchase, David underwent multiple and repeat hip replacements, and progress on the project was further hindered by him moving house.
Not unusually for this configurationt, the Emeraude has a one-piece wing, which presents some fairly significant man-handling issues when covering and finishing, as the builder will require frequent and easy access all around, both above and beneath. To make life as easy as possible, David created a single-piece wing-rotator. Now, it’s by no means unique in concept for individual wings, or indeed motor vehicles undergoing restoration, to be mounted on a balanced pivot point at either end so that they freely rotate, rotisserie style, greatly easing all
(Above)The single-piece wing rotator, which is up for sale if someone has a similar need. (Photo:DavidHammersley)
round access. However, | have to say that this is the first time I’ve seen such a handling device for a single-piece wing, where it attaches as the fuselage would and allows access to all the areas of the wing which are being covered. Needless to say, its use is a bit ‘one time only’ so David intends to put it up for sale now that ’MV is flying.
Previously sporting a red/black scheme, ‘MV has been refurbished, recovered and reassembled in a very attractive silver/blue livery with some important detailing on the tail. David is very modest regarding his work on the aircraft and points out that the real story belongs to her first owner, Ken Vos. In 1964, having owned ’MV for less than one year, Ken flew her single-handed and without publicity or support, from Elstree, Hertfordshire, to Darwin, Australia. He had no ground-crew or modern aids, just a map, compass, stopwatch, VHF radio, VOR and perhaps a Bendix ADF. By way of tribute, the tail artwork depicts Ken’s route. Upon reaching Perth, the Australian authorities wouldn’t let Ken fly
home, so the aircraft had to be crated and returned to the UK by sea. Unfortunately, there’s no known account of the trip.
A friend of Ken’s, who he visited in Dubai on his way to Australia, has been in touch with David and this has led to contact with the intrepid pilot's daughter, who’s now living in New Zealand. Both are being kept up to date with the project's progress.
From the aircraft logbooks it can be seen that Ken’s longest journey leg was some Qhr 15min, from Ceduna on the shores of Murat Bay to Perth in Western Australia. David said that these logs are just about the only record of the trip and they make fascinating reading he notes that some of the locations are no longer known by the same name or have been amalgamated into other countries.
‘MV is an attractive aircraft with fantastic provenance and test flying started on 9 August with Dave Wood at the controls. I’m sure we'd all like
to report that | successfully made the first flight of G-CJWW at Duxford on 8 May this year.
This is the first example of the Mk26 to fly with the Rotec liquid-cooled head conversion fitted to its eight-cylinder Jabiru engine. Rotec also supplies this kit for the Jabiru four- and sixcylinder engines, and several six-cylinder conversions are already flying successfully in the UK.
The main aim of the conversion is to improve the cooling of the cylinder heads, which some installations have had trouble with in the past.
Another advantage is being able to delete the air intake above the spinner, which | always disliked on the Jabiru-powered versions. A smaller volume of air is still required to cool the cylinder barrels and crankcase.
(Above)David's tribute to the epic flight undertaken by Ken Vos in 1964. (Photo:DavidHammersley)
Pa Sika talabe
(Above) Martin taxying out at Duxford for the maiden flight on 8 May. (Photo:JoMalkin)
(Above) A fantastic shot, which sees Martin’s aircraft looking totally at home with a trio of original Spitfires. (Phofo:Co!Pope)
An electric water pump provides cooling via an underwing mounted The initial test flights of G-CUWW have gone well, with only radiator, and a back-up pump is switched on automatically, in the minor adjustments having been required to the underwing radiator event of an over-temperature situation. Rotec’s 45amp, belt-driven fairing, in order to improve airflow when the undercarriage is down. alternator conversion has also been employed, to provide the extra It's an issue on the genuine article which, accidentally, | seem to power needed for the pumps and a two-stage electric carb heat. have faithfully recreated!
BY CHRIS SIMPSON
beginning of 2017 | was looking for an aeroplane to replace | didn’t want to build another aeroplane, having already done three. my Van’s RV-9A, which |’d sold four years earlier, after | lost my That said, during February 2017, | happened to be talking to Farry medical. With medical restored, | thought an RVof any type would Sayyah, one of the partners in Bristell UK, and he said that they’d be just fine, however, it seemed very difficult to find a good one got a kit coming in shortly, for stock ie it hadn't been allocated to plus their prices had gone through the roof. anybody. | thought about it and whether | really needed to rush
“| estimated that | could build months how wrong | was!”
around at 140+ knots, with the attendant expense, and decided that | didn’t. Therefore, | said that |’d have the kit and it duly arrived two weeks later! | estimated that | could build an aeroplane from the kit in six months how wrong | was!
After a few ups and downs, | eventually completed G-OJCS in June 2018, after some fifteen months. | was working on the project almost every day, except for two months when my sister was terminally ill with cancer. So, the actual time to complete the project was thirteen months, which seemed par for the course when it comes to a Bristell build. One factor which increased the building time was that | didn’t do the construction at home, as the fuselage length with engine wouldn't have fitted into my double garage.
At the beginning of June 2018, G-OJCS was pronounced fit for flight by my LAA Inspector, Farry, who was going to be the test pilot.
The day of the first flight arrived, 5 June, so after the usual inspection of everything possible, G-OJCS took to the air and, from the ground, appeared to be flying nicely. After landing, Farry confirmed that she flew very well, and the only problem was that the electric elevator trim was working the wrong way around. I’m afraid that was down to me, as |’d done that bit, but it was easily rectified by swapping two wires round. It was then my turn to have a ride, as observer, and we accomplished the whole test schedule that same day.
I'm very pleased with the aircraft and the way it flies. It isn’t quite as sensitive on the controls as my RV but it is more stable you can let go for more than a few seconds without it going completely off course! A pleasant surprise has been the Rotax engine, which I’d never used before, as it’s exceptionally smooth, completely free of vibration and, of course, very economical on fuel. All-in-all, I’m very glad | built a Bristell, but this is my fourth and definitely last aircraft building project as I’m getting too old for any more!
Finally, very many thanks to lan and Ann Charlton for letting me utilise a corner of one of their barns for the first nine months of the project, and also to Farry for all his advice and guidance and the use of his specialist tools. Thanks also to the many people who visited the project, both at the farm and at Goodwood, and generally cheered me up.
(Below)The port wing during an early stage of the project. The kit quality is excellent.
(Photo:ChrisSimpson)
PROJECT NEWS
lf your aircraft has featured in the New Projects list, please let Project News know of your progress at by emailing projectnews@laa-archive.org.uk
dwin Shackleton, who was known worldwide as having flown as a passenger in more different types of aircraft than anyone else, died on 7 September, aged 91. He was a familiar figure at air events around the UK, and travelled widely across Europe and to the USA and Australia, in search of new types to fly in.
Many PFA/LAA members gave in to Edwin's persuasive charms, to help him add another aircraft to his growing list. Van’s, RANS, Jodels, Robins, Europas, Aeroncas, Pipers and Cessnas and many, many more types were in his log...
In 1990 Edwin was recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the ‘world’s most experienced passenger’, for having flown in the most types of aircraft and, to date, his achievement still stands.
He took to the air in his last ‘new’ type, his 879th, the Dyn’Aéro CR100C, at Wolverhampton Halfpenny Green Airport in February 2015. How many pilots and aviation enthusiasts can even name over 800 types of multi-seat aircraft, let alone have flown in a fraction of them?
A LIFELONG LOVE
As a sixteen year old ATC cadet, Edwin had his first flight in an RAF Dominie from lpswich Airport in March 1943. Thanks to the Cadet Corps, during the next two years he went on to fly in a Hudson, a Ventura, a Beaufort, a Martinet and even managed to get on board a USAAF B-17 Fortress!
Post-WWII, a brief spell working at Miles Aircraft and two years of RAF National Service was followed by 38 years at Filton with the Bristol Aeroplane Company. Edwin retired as a structural test engineer with British Aerospace in 1987.
He’d been a dedicated aviation enthusiast since his ‘Spotters Club’ days of WWII and although a regular air display visitor for many years, Edwin didn’t become actively involved in airshows until 1973, when he joined the team organising the first Air Tattoo at RAF Greenham Common. He also helped to organise the four Avon Air Days at WestonSuper-Mare in the early seventies. Edwin took on the commentator’s role for the first PFAWessex Strut Fly-in at Henstridge and this led on to a regular slot at the Badminton Air Days from 1981.
Looking back through Edwin’s flying log, his first civil aircraft trip was in an Airspeed Courier, then there was the Bristol Sycamore helicopter flight with his wife on the BEA service from Southampton to London. Edwin’s first commercial airliner flight was in a Caravelle, and the list ultimately extended from the
(Above) Edwin got the rare opportunity to fly in the Avro Avian VH-UFZ came after the Woodford Air Show in June 1998.
(Photo:PeterRMarch)
(Below) Edwin’s last ‘new type’was in this rare Dyn’Aéro CR100, which he flew in at Wolverhamption Halfpenny Green in February 2015. (Photo:PeterRMarch)
(Bottom)Getting airborne in the Nick Grace Spitfire, ML407, at the Badminton Air Day in 1985 it was ‘Edwin’s finest hour’. (Photo:PeterRMarch))
(Above) Edwin Shackleton in front of the Vickers Vimy replica at Kemble in 2006.
twin-engined Dove to Concorde and the mighty Airbus A380 some ninety very different types.
The memorable highlights of his log include a demonstration flight in an Islander, taking off and landing back on to the deck of HMS Hermes, flying in the Goodyear airship Europa and in the last of the big flying boats, a Short Sandringham.
The number of aircraft types Edwin flew in gradually grew over the years, until he reached 200. That had to be marked by something very special. Nick Grace was invited to take part in the 1985 Badminton Air Day in his newly restored two-seat Spitfire and Edwin flew in it!
Three years later, Edwin shocked his wife when he returned from the 1988 Badminton Air Day, telling her that he’d been ‘flying’ on the top wing of a Stearman biplane which had performed some gentle aerobatics!
Edwin's aircraft list grew and grew, and included helicopters and autogyros, microlights and homebuilts, gliders, balloons and airships, flying boats and amphibians, and even military jets. He flew supersonic in Concorde G-BOAF on a flight to Cairo and had a nostalgic look back inside when he visited the then new Aerospace Bristol museum at Filton, Bristol, in December 2017, which was to be his last aviation outing.
BALLOONS AND BEYOND!
Living in Bristol, the ballooning capital of Europe, it’s hardly surprising that Edwin had flown in many of Don Cameron's products, ranging from the little Cameron D96 hot air airship to the mighty Cameron N850 balloon, which carried a record 45 people. Among the plethora of specially-shaped balloons Edwin travelled in, his favourites were the Rupert Bear and Bertie Bassett.
Edwin’s 31 short glider flights included both winch-launched and aero tows. The lightest ‘flying machines’ featuring in his logbook, meanwhile, were six different powered parachutes (paraplanes).
He flew in 59 different helicopters, from the little Rotorway Executive to a big French Navy Aérospatiale Super Frelon and an RAF Chinook and a Merlin. After he'd flown in the latter, at RAF Fairford in 2005, Edwin was presented with a new, framed Guinness World Records certificate.
Always an admirer of the late Ken Wallis, he was proud to fly with him in his two-seat WA-122 autogyro near the inventor's home in Norfolk. Edwin also always enjoyed flying in local designer Mike Whittaker’s latest microlights, along with the growing variety of flexwings and three-axis control, rigid-wing machines in the Bristol area.
WARBIRD ROLL CALL
Edwin was fortunate to fly in a significant number of restored warbirds, such as the RN's Swordfish, Brian Woodford’s Lysander and Lufthansa’s Junkers Ju 52. However, his greatest success came in the USA, with visits to the then Confederate Air Force (CAF) at Harlingen, Texas, and subsequently its base at Midland.
CAF Colonel Russ Anderson ‘adopted’ Edwin and went out of his way to enable him to fly in as many new types as possible - a P-51 Mustang, B-24 Liberator, A-26 Invader, B-29 Superfortress, B-26 Marauder, CASA2111E (He 111), C-46 Commando and SB2C Helldiver were all added to his logbook.
Edwin’s flight in the P-38J Lightning required a change of trousers after he'd landed. The aircraft developed a hydraulic leak during the flight, which sprayed hot fluid over him it wasn’t a pretty sight!
With the help of benevolent private owners Edwin also flew in a number of ex-military jets in the UK, including a Meteor, Vampire, Jet Provost, Gnat, Hunter and Czech Delfin and Albatros jet trainers. The RAF provided flights in a Canberra, Nimrod and C-17 Globemaster Ill. He also had a five-hour sortie over the North Sea in an RAF Shackleton before the MR/AEW veteran was retired from service.
Writing about some of his most memorable flights, Edwin highlighted the MATS-marked C-121 Constellation and C-54 Skymaster, which flew from the USA for the Berlin Airlift 50th Anniversary; the Avro Avian that Lang Kidby flew solo to Australia to commemorate Bert Hinkler’s 1929 flight; the Vickers Vimy replica, a veteran of the UK-Australia and UK-South Africa flights; and the ‘new’ Zeppelin airship.
In 2007 Edwin was diagnosed with bowel cancer but came through it after a successful operation. Undeterred, and not content with his achievement as aircraft passenger, 2009 saw him embark upon a new record: to travel in/on as many different types of transport as possible.
Edwin aimed for 100 and quite quickly became the ‘Ton-Up OAP’, as a local newspaper proclaimed him. However, he didn’t stop there and he went on to notch up a grand total of 200!
Sadly, Edwin’s health began to fail after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2016, which meant that he was less able to get out and about independently. After several falls, chest infections and hospital visits during 2018, he declined rapidly.
There are so many people who will happily recall Edwin’s enthusiasm for all things aviation-related and his dogged determination to get airborne in, and occasionally on, every different multi-seat aircraft he possibly could. A flying enthusiast extraordinaire, indeed. !
20 LIGHT AVIATION | OCTOBER 2018
here are times in life when all the ducks actually do line up in a row, and our 2018 Rally weekend was one of them! Although the previous Sunday had been so wet that ducks could’ve swum across the race track at Silverstone, which caused the British round of MotoGP to be cancelled, when we rolled up at Sywell on the Tuesday before the Rally, it was sunny and warm, and the Aerodrome was, as ever, in perfect condition. And so it stayed throughout the build-up, the Rally itself, and the tear down on the following Monday. The weather gods were well on side and we even had the wind pretty much down the runway for most of the time.
The revised Exhibition layout worked well and we had more exhibitors than any year since we brought the Rallyback in 2010, and we were blessed with almost 1,000 visiting aircraft and approximately 4,500 attendees. Without doubt itwas the most successful Sywell Rallyto date and a huge thank you goes out to everyone who worked so hard as part of the Rally team and those who attended, to make it the fun and happy event it always is.
(Above)The RAA (Canada) Trophy for Best Kit-Built went to David and Sheila Broom for their recently completed and very colourful Van’s RV-7,G-RVDB. This is their second RV,as they previously built and flew RV-6,G-RVAN. (Photo:Nigel
In this, the first of two Rally reports, we're going to look at some of the aircraft and people who won awards at the event, plus a smattering of what makes it So unique, namely the diversity of aircraft we’re so fortunate to have flying,
often on an LAA Permit. It’s impossible to do justice to our Rally, as every aircraft which attends is rightly the pride and joy of its owner(s) but | hope this selection provides you with a flavour of a wonderful long weekend...
(Above)This overhead shot was taken by Neil Wilson on Saturday afternoon, when over
400 aircraft were parked on the Aerodrome. (Photo:Neil Wilson)
Hitchman)
(Right)Phil Burgess’ Pitts S1S, G-OSIS, received the Prince Michael of Kent Trophy for the Concours D’Elegance. He also received a Commendation Certificate in the Best Plans-Built category. (Photo:Nigel Hitchman)
(Below) If you fancy a bit of bling then how about Marc Lhermette’s RAF 2000 GTX-SE F1, G-CBIT? Marc, who hails from Kent, was awarded the Ken Wallis Trophy for the Best Homebuilt Gyroplane. The aircraft was exhibited on the BRA stand over the weekend. (Photo:Nigel Hitchman)
EVENT REPORT
(Left) The Air Squadron Trophy for Best PlansBuilt went to Phil Cozens for his delightful Comper Swift, G-ECTF, which was featured in the Race Marquee. Phil was also awarded the Wilkinson Sword for the best Replica Aircraft. Stuart MacConnacher caught up with Phil a week or two later and took this picture of him with the Comper and his welldeserved trophies.
(Photo: Stuart MacConnacher)
(Above) Nigel Hitchman caught José Carlos Martinez Barreiro landing his Jodel D92, EC-ZCZ, which he’d flown from Cerval, northern Portugal. José built the aircraft himself and it flew for the first time in 2001, since when it’s amassed over 1,100 hours. The aircraft has two fuel tanks, giving it an endurance of six hours.
The trip over took José two days. He made Alencon in Normandy by the end of day one, after poor weather en route forced him to turn back. José’s final leg, which included him coasting out at Cherbourg for the sea crossing to the Isleof Wight, saw him airborne for four hours and fifty minutes, direct to Sywell. José was awarded the Malcolm Allan Trophy for the Most Meritorious Flightto the Rally, and the Wilkinson Sword for Best Jodel.
After the Rally, José planned a tour of England before returning home. (Photos:Nigel Hitchman & Stuart MacConnacher)
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Welcome to the LAA Sywell Rally and LAA CEO _ Steve Slater at the entrance to the Exhibition marquees, which celebrated the company’s forty years of excellent service to the aviation industry.
(Photo: Neil Wilson)
(Above) This German RV-8, finished in the colours of a USAAF P-51, was flown in from Gunzburg, east of Stuttgart, by Hermann Schiele in 3.5 hours of flying time. (Photo:Neil Wilson)
(Above)Baroness Sugg, the Transport Minister for Aviation, was an honoured guest at the Rally on Friday afternoon and visited a number of exhibitors. She subsequently wrote that she’d had a great day and that the Rally was a great indicator of just how innovative and passionate the GA sector is. She’s seen here pulling a blind rivet on a Zenair CH-750 Cruzer fuselage with Patricia Porter of Metal Seagulls Ltd.
(Photo: Neil Wilson)
Tom Carter won the Best Vintage Aircraft award, the John Randall Trophy, for his very nicely turned out Luscombe 8E
(Above) This Robin ATL, F-GFOR, is something of a rarity in the UK and this example is owned by Paul Bird, who flew in from Haverfordwest. The early-eighties Avion Robin design was intended as a low-cost trainer but its initial promise faltered when the single-ignition JPX VW engine conversion proved unreliable. Sadly, although the problem was resolved, by changing to a dual-ignition Limbach VW, the writing was already on the wall and production ceased, when only the final ten of the 130 production aircraft had received the new powerplant. Like the British ARV Super Two, if it’d come along ten years later, when the 80hp Rotax 912UL was on the scene, it might’ve been a very different story. (Photo:Neil Wilson)
(Above)
Silvaire, G-AJKB. (Photo:Nigel Hitchman)
in August 2016. (Photo:Nigel Hitchman)
(Right)Some of the most important people on the airfield during the Rally are the air traffickers, led by Jeff Bell, and the marshallers, helmed by Nigel Kemp, who keep everything under control airside. They even manage to organise the different categories of aircraft into the appropriate parking areas. Well done to one and all! (Photo: Nei! Wilson)
(Left & below left) Mike Whittaker has been an active designer of microlights and ultralight aircraft for a number of years. In fact, he received the Best Original Design Award in 1976, for his MW2, a twin-boom, ducted-fan single-seater which today hangs in the Trago Mills store near Newton Abbot, Devon.
His latest, and Mike says final, design is the MW9 ‘Plank’, a flying wing which falls into the SSDR category, although it’s a one-off and there are no plans to make construction drawings available. The design was inspired by American Jim Marske’s flying wing glider and features the trademark Whittaker four-inch diameter alloy tube wing spars, which slot into a bushed, larger-diameter centre section tube, thus enabling easily removable wings. Plywood wing ribs with spruce cap strips are fibre-glassed to the main spar and there’s a wooden trailing edge.
The fuselage is built from foam and glass-fibre, with carbon-fibre reinforcement where necessary, and is sprung via glass-fibre main undercarriage legs. The steerable nose-leg is adjustable for height, in order to change wing angle during testing it’s currently set at 5.5°.
Thus far, the aircraft has been hopped down the runway with Mike at the helm, and he’s delighted with the feel of the controls, which he says aren’t at all twitchy.
Achieving the correct C of G for the weight of the pilot is vital with a flying wing and on the MWS it’s affected by a simple calculation which provides a figure for the amount of lead which needs to be placed in the nose. For Mike’s relatively light weight, the amount of lead required is 15lb.
Power is supplied by a 35hp Polini Thor, although Mike’s original choice was a Konig radial. Unfortunately, the Konig engine he acquired proved to be unserviceable, and one he borrowed wouldn’t make sufficient power.
The plan was for Eddie Clapham to commence test-flying the MW9 soon after the Rally so, all being well, we should soon receive news on the aircraft’s performance. Mike’s calculated the performance figures and they come out at a very creditable cruise speed of around 90mph.
Mike was awarded the Tiger Club Trophy for Best Original Design. Well done to Mike and we wish him good luck with the test programme. (Photos:Daniele Roversi/BrianHope)
(Above)Sven-Erik Pira hails from Sweden and has been a (Above)OY-ALW (G-AHAA) is a Miles M28 Mercury which has regular Rally visitor for over forty years, having attended recently been acquired by Stu Blanchard and returned to the his first one at Sywell in 1975. He flies in using either his UK from Denmark. It’s based at North Coates with Stu’s Miles Thorp 118 (pictured) or his Ercoupe. (Photo:Neil Wilson) Gemini, G-AKHP. The Mercury was Miles’replacement for the Whitney Straight and is a four-seater powered by a 150hp Blackburn Cirrus 111.
Itfeatured in the Air Racing display, having formerly been flown by post-war racing pilotAlan Dunkerley, who lowered the top of the fuselage and cabin to reduce drag. OY-ALW won the 1951 Challenge Trophy at Wolverhampton, with a speed of 161mph and was subsequently sold to Germany in the mid-fifties. In 1990 itwent to Hans Kolby Hansen at Stauning in Denmark and was restored.
Stu is interested in receiving any photos of OY-ALW taken in 1946-1956, when it was in the UK, and from then until 1976, duringwhichtimeitwasactiveinGermanyemailoffice@laa. uk.com and your message will be passed on. (Photo:Mick Bajcar)
(Above) Nigel Huxtable’s Auster Mk 5 Alpha, G-APBW, picked up the Auster Altimeter Trophy for the Best Auster. The aircraft was built in 1957 and is powered by a 130hp Lycoming O-290-3. (Photo:Brian Hope)
(Above) G-AFSV is the fourth of the original Chilton DW1 Monoplanes, and the first to feature a 44hp French Train 4T engine, rather than the 32hp Ford Model Y auto conversion.
In August 1939, Andrew Dalrymple, one of the company’s
(Above)The Fleamarket is always a popular destination for two owners/designers, flew G-AFSV to win the Folkestone builders and flyers who are seeking out that bargain or a Aero Trophy race at Lympne with an average speed of 126mph. difficult-to-find component. As you can see, there’s plenty to Later that month, Ranald Porteus flew the aircraft and broke the sift through... as the saying goes, one man’s junk is another International closed circuit 100km speed record at 124.5mph. man’s treasure! (Photo: Neil Wilson) (Photo: Neil Wilson)
ecently, | came across some rather nice Art Deco posters from the thirties, promoting motoring holidays in Europe, and their tantalising imagery still conveys the promise of discovery and adventure. Of course, at the time they were published, such holidays were strictly the province of the wealthy and although such cars and motorcycles as the 1938 Phantom Corsair,the 1938 Delage D8-120S Saoutchik, the 1936 KJ Henderson Westfall, and the 1934 BMW R7 may not have been affordable to the general public, but they certainly typify the opulence and extravagance of the period.
The privilege of ‘motoring’ didn’t really filter down to the masses for another thirty years or so, but when it did the ‘family’ car was born. With the affordability of the motor car came the ability to choose a journey’s end, and decide on the route itself, the time which would be taken and the stops along the way, providing significant individual freedom.
The wonderment which the ‘golden age of motoring’ prompted has now all but
(Above) Maribo’s Radhus was its town hall, until its merger into the Lolland Municipality. (Photo:Hubertus45/Wikimedia)
disappeared and the humble car is seen more as a functional tool, one which the more learned display their algebraic knowledge by describing itsfunction as simply a method of getting from ‘A to B’. The everyday people who went on motoring holidays in the sixties must've been filled with the kind of euphoria which those of us who fly experience when we land on a new stretch of grass or tarmac, hundreds of miles away from our original starting point.
| think ‘wanderlust’ must either be in you or it simply isn’t. Had |joined the RAF after the ATC, it's possible that my thirst may well have been quenched, especially if they’d let me loose in the service's aircraft. As things transpired, | had to wait until | could afford to learn to fly, then another age before finding the PFA(the LAA’s precursor) and discovering an affordable route to touring, in order to sustain some continuity.
“The exhilaration of flying is too keen, the pleasure too great, for it to be neglected as a sport” Orville Wright
THE ELEPHANT IN THE COCKPIT
Personally, the learning curve involved when becoming a pilot seemed steep and almost insurmountable at times, but slowly the worst of the worry began to subside and the wonderment really began to take a hold.
The fact is that the reality of flying is actually nothing like we imagine it to be, especially during the earlier stages. Lots of would be pilots drop the baton just before making their first solo, others before the solo land-aways and many more within the first couple of years or so of qualifying.
The reason is sometimes pecuniary but there’s also another more common one, which is somehow a well-kept secret.
The truth is that most of us are, well, how can | put it? Actually, we’re scared! There, I’ve said it, the elephant in the cockpit has been outed!
These feelings are simply in-built safety mechanisms which won't really leave us unless we fly regularly enough to allay them. lf you get feelings of apprehension en route to the airfield, or a sense of relief wnen some external factor prevents the flight, you simply aren't flying enoughto overcome the perfectly reasonable fears which have been prompted by your psychological make-up.
That said, within the LAA, there’s another dimension, insofar as people can simply build, restore or tinker around aeroplanes without actually getting airborne. If this is the goal itself, that’s fine, as there are umpteen other attractions within aviation, but if it becomes an excuse ‘not to aviate’ you need to turn that corner and, believe me, when you do the addiction begins.
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing” Walt Disney
During my own transition from novice to experienced pilot, it’strue that the world may not have been my oyster, but most of Europe certainly was, and still is luckily, it’s right on our doorstep. By dint of a share in an old wood-andfabric aircraft, it became possible for me to experience some of the pioneering spirit enjoyed by our predecessors. The first step was a cross-Channel check-out, closely followed by tentative forays to Calais, Le Touquet and Deauville. Next came Midden-Zeeland in Holland,and gradually,as my confidence began to build, the restricting factors apart from the obvious weather and technical issues were reduced to time, money or, at times, both.
Once your fear of the unknown subsides, that initial toe-dipping tends to become a full-on immersion and those pilots who get aroundabitwillhavesynergywiththedesire to seek-out more esoteric places, whether they be remote strips or unusual places to visit.
WAY OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
Well, the Danish islands of Lolland-Falster (www. visitlolland-falster.com) are way out there, off the beaten track, light aviation-wise. As far as I’m aware, this pair of Baltic islands, which are separated by the Guldborgsund strait, don’t host any fly-ins, and no-one else | know has visited them. The main reason for doing so is because they're somewhere different and, well, simply because you can!
Oddly enough, in comparison, the nearby Danish island of AErg@ is reasonably popular with flyers. Lolland-Falster is more of a nature lovers’ paradise, along the lines of Alderney or the Isles of Scilly. The islands aren't actually that far away and their charms are subtle, rather than providing instant gratification.
Lolland-Falster Airport, which is also known as Maribo Airport, is situated on the former island and takes about five hours to fly to from southeast England. ?
There are several reasons why Denmark isn't as popular a destination as France with UK aviators. First and foremost, France is close, or parts of it are, at least. In France it’s easy to find picture postcard towns and villages, and the weather is generally more settled than in Denmark. Not insignificantly, Denmark is also expensive, some things exceptionally so. Despite these factors, on occasion it’s nice to venture somewhere different, meet people from other lands and sample their cuisines.
The most logical routing to Northern Germany or Scandinavia is through Holland, but the Dutch authorities’ attitude to GA appears to be to increase regulation, which results in an even greater need for enforcement. With so many other countries having a more relaxed attitude, | must admit that Holland’s approach to GA (pun intended) has left me somewhat disenchanted with a country which used to greatly enjoy visiting. In future, may well retain this routing but not
land until Germany, which doesn’t seemingly feel the need to stifle GA in the same way.
A WARM WELCOME
The airfield manager at Lolland-Falster Airport (www.lollandfalsterairport.dk) is a helpful chap named Hans Mouszynski, who used to run a busy field in Iceland. However, upon meeting his wife, Hans decided to swap his hectic work schedule for a more tranquil pace of life and raise a family. If you decide to visit, drop him an email via hamo@lolland.dk, mention the LAA and I’m sure he'll do his best to be of help.
Apartfroma stiffheadwind,theweather there and back was fine, but by the time of our arrival all flying had ceased for the day and pretty much everybody had gone home. Luckily, a couple of guys from the Parachute Club (www.faldskaermsklubben.dk) were still around and gave us a hand to find somewhere to stay, and they kindly dropped us off.
We stayed at a hotel called the Factory Lodge (www.factorylodge.com/uk) in the
(Left)The Factory Lodge hotel was originally constructed to process sugar beet.
(Photo:MartinFerid)
(Right)Maribo’s a very pleasant town for a wander.
(Photo:www.visit lolland-falster.com)
(Below)The gothic-style Maribo Cathedral was originally part of Maribo Abbey and its earliest portions date to the 15th century. (Photo: Sir48/Wikimecdia)
nearby village of Holeby and if you arrive early enough in the day the No 723 bus stop is five minutes away. If not, the 2.5k walk from the Airport takes around forty minutes.
By pre-booking, the hotel offers a pick-up service from the Airport, but it’s best to send them an email first. For late arrivals there aren't any staff on hand at the Factory Lodge and entry is via a key code.
As the island’s bus service had alread ceased when we arrived, the only alternative for us to get into the town of Maribo, which is 10kmfromHoleby,would'vebeena taxi,had it not been so eye-wateringly expensive. Consequently, we were restricted to whatever was available locally. Unfortunately, after wandering around Holeby for a while, at 9pm, it became apparent that even the takeaway pizza place had closed up for the evening and so it looked likely that breakfast would be our next meal.
Happily, upon returning to the Lodge, my partner perused the literature in our room and
found that food was always left for guests in the main kitchen, along with fruit, tea and coffee! It mightn’t have been a meal in a cosy restaurant with a nice bottle of wine, which was what we were after, but having not eaten all day it was still most welcome. Although the situation was nowhere near as dramatic, it did conjure up images of log cabins in inhospitable areas which are left stocked with enough essentials to facilitate survival!
The Lodge has an interesting past and is, in itself, somewhat of a dichotomy. Its interior is ultra-modern and almost a personification of minimalistic Scandinavian style, while the building was constructed as a factory in 1874, to facilitate sugar production.
In the mid-19th century, Erhard and Johan Ditlev Frederiksen’s father owned Nebgllegarden Farm in Holeby. Being a forward thinking chap he sent his two sons away to gain agricultural training, both in Denmark and around Europe. On one of the brothers’ trips they saw how sugar beet was
cultivated and decided that this would be a good way forward and the family business began to diversify.
In 1960 the building was converted into the Hgjoygaard Paper Mill, which continued operation until 1993 and, after years of decay, the derelict factory was bought by a private investor who converted it into a state-of-the-art Climate Change Centre in 2011. Using virtual reality, the climate changes from 19,000BC to 10,000AD canbesimulated.TheLodgewasalater development and opened in 2014.
MARY’S HOME & WILDLIFE
Maribo is the nearest town, with a population of around 6,000, and started life as a small village known as Skimminge. The name translates as ‘Mary’s home’ and was allowed due to special permission from the Pope, after a cloister of the Bridgettine order was started there by Saint Birgitta (1303-1373), whose
Also known as the Cathedral City, it sits on the banks of the S@nders@ Lake and beside the Maribosgerne Nature Park (www.naturparkmaribo.dk), which is the name given to the four lakes that make up the reserve. The area can be explored by car, on foot or by bicycle, and features many true beauty spots which overlook the lakes and make for ideal picnic locations. The lakes themselves can be accessed by row-boat or kayak and are dotted with small islands. lf you prefer things on a more organised basis, there’s also a boat, the Anemonen, which offers regular tours throughout the summer months. Apart from the rich variety of flora and fauna, the area’s birdlife is of particular note and twitchers come from all over Europe to see grebes, pochard, osprey and greylag geese plus white-tailed eagles, which have been an interesting success story. The area only became a nature reserve in 1994 and, almost immediately, the rare white-tailed eagle started to return to the OCTOBER
There are several reasons why Denmark isn’t as popular a destination as France with UK aviators. First and foremost, France is close, or parts of it are, at least. In France it’s easy to find picture postcard towns and villages, and the weather is generally more settled than in Denmark. Not insignificantly, Denmark is also expensive, some things exceptionally so. Despite these factors, on occasion it’s nice to venture somewhere different, meet people from other lands and sample their cuisines.
The most logical routing to Northern Germany or Scandinavia is through Holland, but the Dutch authorities’ attitude to GA appears to be to increase regulation, which results in an even greater need for enforcement. With so many other countries having a more relaxed attitude, | must admit that Holland’s approach to GA (pun intended) has left me somewhat disenchanted with a country which | used to greatly enjoy visiting. In future, | may well retain this routing but not
land until Germany, which doesn’t seemingly feel the need to stifle GA in the same way.
A WARM WELCOME
The airfield manager at Lolland-Falster Airport (www.lollandfalsterairport.dk) is a helpful chap named Hans Mouszynski, who used to run a busy field in Iceland. However, upon meeting his wife, Hans decided to swap his hectic work schedule for a more tranquil pace of life and raise a family. If you decide to visit, drop him an email via hamo@lolland.dk, mention the LAA and |’m sure he'll do his best to be of help.
Apart from a stiff headwind, the weather there and back was fine, but by the time of our arrival all flying had ceased for the day and pretty much everybody had gone home. Luckily, a couple of guys from the Parachute Club (www.faldskaermsklubben.dk) were still around and gave us a hand to find somewhere to stay, and they kindly dropped us off.
We stayed at a hotel called the Factory Lodge (www.factorylodge.com/uk) in the
nearby village of Holeby and if you arrive early enough in the day the No 723 bus stop is five minutes away. If not, the 2.5k walk from the Airport takes around forty minutes.
By pre-booking, the hotel offers a pick-up service from the Airport, but it's best to send them an email first. For late arrivals there aren't any staff on hand at the Factory Lodge and entry is via a key code.
As the island’s bus service had alread ceased when we arrived, the only alternative for us to get into the town of Maribo, which is 10kmfromHoleby,would’vebeena taxi,had it not been so eye-wateringly expensive. Consequently, we were restricted to whatever was available locally. Unfortunately, after wandering around Holeby for a while, at 9pm, it became apparent that even the takeaway pizza place had closed up for the evening and so it looked likely that breakfast would be our next meal.
Happily, upon returning to the Lodge, my partner perused the literature in our room and
(Left)The Factory Lodge hotel was originally constructed to process sugar beet.
(Photo:MartinFerid)
(Right)Maribo’s a very pleasant town for a wander.
(Photo:www.visit lolland-falster.com)
(Below)The gothic-style Maribo Cathedral was originally part of Maribo Abbey and its earliest portions date to the 15th century. (Photo: Sir48/Wikimedia)
found that food was always left for guests in the main kitchen, along with fruit, tea and coffee! It mightn’t have been a meal in a cosy restaurant with a nice bottle of wine, which was what we were after, but having not eaten all day it was still most welcome. Although the situation was nowhere near as dramatic, it did conjure up images of log cabins in inhospitable areas which are left stocked with enough essentials to facilitate survival!
The Lodge has an interesting past and is, in itself, somewhat of a dichotomy. Its interior is ultra-modern and almost a personification of minimalistic Scandinavian style, while the building was constructed as a factory in 1874, to facilitate sugar production.
In the mid-19th century, Erhard and Johan Ditlev Frederiksen’s father owned Naballegarden Farm in Holeby. Being a forward thinking chap he sent his two sons away to gain agricultural training, both in Denmark and around Europe. On one of the brothers’ trips they saw how sugar beet was
cultivated and decided that this would be a good way forward and the family business began to diversify.
In 1960 the building was converted into the Hgjbygaard Paper Mill, which continued operation until 1993 and, after years of decay, the derelict factory was bought by a private investor who converted it into a state-of-the-art Climate Change Centre in 2011. Using virtual reality, the climate changes from 19,000BC to 10,000AD canbesimulated.TheLodgewasalater development and opened in 2014.
MARY’S HOME & WILDLIFE
Maribo is the nearest town, with a population of around 6,000, and started life as a small village known as Skimminge. The name translates as ‘Mary’s home’ and was allowed due to special permission from the Pope, after a cloister of the Bridgettine order was started there by Saint Birgitta (1303-1373), whose
Also known as the Cathedral City, it sits on the banks of the Senders@ Lake and beside the Maribosgerne Nature Park (www.naturparkmaribo.dk),whichisthe name given to the four lakes that make up the reserve. The area can be explored by car, on foot or by bicycle, and features many true beauty spots which overlook the lakes and make for ideal picnic locations. The lakes themselves can be accessed by row-boat or kayak and are dotted with small islands.
If you prefer things on a more organised basis, there’s also a boat, the Anemonen, which offers regular tours throughout the summer months. Apart from the rich variety of flora and fauna, the area’s birdlife is of particular note and twitchers come from all over Europe to see grebes, pochard, osprey and greylag geese plus white-tailed eagles, which have been an interesting success story.
The area only became a nature reserve in 1994 and, almost immediately, the rare white-tailed eagle started to return to the
TOURING ADVENTURE
region, not having been seen there for a hundred years.
As for food, | found the steaks to be thick and cooked the way | like them, but it’s also worth trying some local dishes. There are three restaurants in Maribo, each in a different price band, and the national dish appears on the menu as stegt flaeskmedpersillesovs og kartoffler (fried pork with parsley sauce and potatoes): Cafe Victoria (www.victoriamaribo.ck), RestaurantB (www.restaurantb.dk) and atthe Ebsens Hotel (www.ebsens-hotel.dk).
We didn't have time during that visit, but on a future trip, less than an hour away by bus, there’s Sundkgbing on Falster (www.middelaldercentret.dk), which has been created to replicate an authentic medieval town. The residents are volunteers with a passion for the period who have been especially trained in all aspects of day-to-day life during the time period.
Once on site they ‘live the part’ for the duration and the Middle Ages come alive in sight, smells, taste and sound. The enactors don’t enter into any conversation which would suggest that, in any way, the period they’re temporarily living in isn’t genuine. There’s even an inn which serves food from the era, although I’m not sure how it deals with payment, especially if you’re using a debit card! | guess that, in any other context, the staff of the Middelalder Centret would be considered barmy for keeping up the
pretence, but in such surroundings the fantasy can be carried out with impunity, in aid of historical accuracy.
Ifyou’replanning a triptoanywherein Denmark, expect the total bill to be higher than normal and possibly approaching double the cost of a similar weekend in France. Oddly enough, in this year’s rankings, Denmark came third in the chart of the happiest
countries in the world to live in, only being beaten by two other Scandinavian nations, Finland and Norway. Part of Danish and, in fact, Scandinavian culture is ‘hygge’, meaning ‘snug’ and suggests being ‘cosy’, so for that reason alone, it has to be worth the trip.
Next month, Martin recounts an adventure to Sandown on the Isle of Wight.
MARTIN FERID is a Class Rating Instructor and Revalidation Examiner who specialises in helping qualified pilots expand their horizons by introducing them to the splendours of flying in Europe, both asdaytripsorforafewdaysata time.
Ifyoulackalittle confidencein crossing the Channel, touring in general or indeed in any aspects of flying, please contact Martin using the details below
Shouldyoubelookingforalittle inspiration or new destinations, simply visit www.lightaircrafttraining.co.uk, which should offer enough ideas to quench most thirsts, all of which can be discovered Cruising at a relatively sedate QOkt. You can call Martin on 07598 880178 or email lightaircrafttraining@yahoo.com
AS PART of this monthly series of Touring Adventures, throughout the year we’ve been arranging fly-outs to destinations in both the UK and abroad. The idea is to get pilots to take part in adventures which are almost literally on their doorsteps dust off those hangar queens!
Picture a weekend away in a nice town, with good food, a glass or two anda bunch of like-minded people. If you'd like to join us on any of the fly-outs, you would be most welcome. It makes no difference whether you're a Seasoned tourer or have never crossed the Channel before, there’s enough support and experience around to help allay those fears.
Drop me an email and I'll add your name to the list and keep you informed.
Liteal lileleyWks) i oirBa ce) awildlife,total1,140hectares*and are oneofDenmark’slargestfreshwater~ systems.(Photo:www.maribo.dk)
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ertainly one of the most extreme new aircraft at this year’s LAA Rally was Barry Conway’s sleek, carbon fibre, four-engined, jet powered SSDR Viper, which took centre stage in the Homebuilders Marquee.
The project has appeared at the Rally a couple of times in recent years but this time the completed fuselage was presented, and what an impressive piece of work it is. Built entirely from carbon fibre, the structure was made using the resin fusion process, where the cloth is laid in the mould dry, with a final layer of thin mesh known as the flow media. It’s then vacuum-bagged and the mixed resin fed in via a pipe, with a tap to control flow.
The resin is drawn through the lay up and the tap turned off, once the cloth is fully wetted out. The beauty of this system is that it allows time to build large components, eliminating the pressure of resin going off before the lay up has been completed.
(Above) Barry’s Viper is certainly very sleek. The green nose cone is removable and the canopy was supplied by Todd’s Canopies in the US. (Phoio:Neil Wilson)
Barry’s fuselage tub is made from only four separate pieces, rather like an Airfix kit. And talking about kits, Barry was a keen radio-controlled modeller, before going on to build a WAR replica Fw190, which he’s been flying for a good many years indeed, he flew it into the Rally this year. No doubt the expertise gained in both disciplines have helped in the design and build of the Viper!
The Viper’s undercarriage is mechanically retractable the main gear via cables with a hand brake lever to raise and lower, plus an up-lock to ensure they won't droop when in flight. The steerable nose gear is retracted via a separate lever under the instrument panel.
The four motors are Jetcat P220 model jet turbines, similar to those used by Yves Rossi, the Swiss chap who performs with a short wing strapped to his back. Each weighs only 2kg and produces around 52lb of thrust. They'll be fitted into a simple slot at the rear of the fuselage. The turbines have automatic starting, and Barry has a neat bank of four throttles and ignition switches with which he'll be able to operate them very simply.
COMPUTER ANALYSIS
With the help of Flitzer designer, Lyn Williams, Barry has been able to use computer analysis and ‘fly’ the aircraft with X-Plane. The Viper is showing a top speed in the region of 150mph and a climb rate of around 1,000fpm, and with its high-lift wing profile promises a satisfactory stall soeed to meet the 35kt SSDR requirement.
The fuel consumption is relatively high, at 0.75 litres per minute, per motor at full power,
(Photo:BrianHope)
and some flight experience will be necessary before Barry is going to know the Viper’s maximum endurance, but he anticipates it will be in the region of thirty minutes. However, as he says, it was never designed as a ‘go places’ aeroplane, rather it’s a ‘go and have some fun’ machine.
Weight-wise, the completed fuselage with the engines installed will come to 130kg. The wings Barry has completed one and is part way through the other weigh 15kg each, so the complete aircraft should come in at 160kg. Full tanks allow for a pilot of 80kg ie Barry weight.
Completion of the Viper is planned for next summer, when flight testing will start from a suitably long and hard runway.
Well done to Barry on his exciting design, which takes the SSDR concept in a completely new direction. He was awarded the Albert Codling Trophy for the Best Part-Built Aircraft at the Rally.
(Left)The rear view, with the ‘engine bay’, which will take four small jet turbines.
(Photo:Neil Wilson)
(Below) Barry receives the Albert Codling Trophy from Steve Slater, with Rally Awards team members Harry Hopkins (right) and Dave Sentence.
(Photo:NeilWilson)
uring the first instalment of this two-part article, which appeared in last month’s LA, | recounted a lessthansatisfactoryflight| made many years ago, in an MW microlight, as an example of how not to introduce yourself to a new aircraft type.
Unfortunately, some readers took this to be a criticism of Mike Whittaker’s MW6 design, rather than an admission of my own failure to check out on it properly. With hindsight, | should've rounded-off the tale with a happy ending, by mentioning that I’ve since enjoyed several wonderful flights in the MW6 and other Whittaker types and soon became quite at home operating a Rotax two-stroke.
MW aircraft which, unlike many other types, benefit from coming from the drawing board of a professional aircraft industry designer, rightfully enjoy a loyal following of very satisfied owners and flyers.
(Above) Rather too many early Avid and Kitfox types ended up in trouble due to their adverse yaw and rapid acceleration on take-off. (Photo: LAA Archive)
Therefore, | apologise to any LA readers who may have felt that my article implied fault on the aircraft’s part or disrespect to its owner/builder.
A MATURE APPROACH
This two-part article has been written to explain why any aeroplane needs to be approached in a mature manner at the initiation phase, in order to avoid a bad experience or, worse, an accident if not at the time, then possibly later.
It was motivated by several serious and sometimes fatal accidents over the years, involving different types of LAA aircraft, where a poor approach to the initial
check-out (‘familiarisation training’) may have been causative, and to explain what the rules are around that and why they exist.
Naturally, pilots tend to take the transition to a heavier or more complex type than they’re used to seriously, and of course, in these cases we often find ourselves led down the path of righteousness by having to comply with the dictates of the aircraft in question’s insurance company.
However, insurance brokers don’t always appreciate the nuances of moving to anew type of aircraft and pilots shouldn’t take the lack of specific check-out requirements on the policy as an encouragement that no familiarisation training is needed
Likewise, it’s a folly to think that moving to a smaller, lighter and outwardly simpler aircraft is going to be easy it may not be. There’s as much if not more to learn when transitioning from a Cessna single to an MW
(or Kitfox, Rans, etc) than going from a Cessna to a Mooney, Bonanza, Cirrus, etc.
Lightweight types like the MW are fine flying machines, with unique capabilities, but you have to learn how to adapt to them. On take-off, a traditional GA trainer typically takes twenty seconds or more from opening the throttle to leaving the ground, giving you enough time to make a radio call, scan the instruments, check your watch and perhaps give an encouraging nod to your passenger while waiting for the aircraft to gather speed.
However, many of today’s microlights and lightweight aircraft are climbing away in less than a third of that time, and can seemingly be airborne before the throttle touches the full power stop it’s a whole different experience.
Pilots who are progressing from a GA trainer or typical club machine to a lightweight LAA or BMAA type will probably have to adjust their mental gain settings regarding such matters as the secondary effects of controls, gust responsiveness and windshear as they all tend to be emphasised in these machines, when compared to heavier types. Also, almost without exception, with lightweight types you need to know how to use your feet to keep the slip ball centred.
Lightweight aircraft are also likely to use radically different powerplants and instruments to the average GA club machine, have significantly lighter control forces in flight, and more variation in things like the location of trim controls and flap levers, which are largely standardised on heavier aircraft.
A ‘COCKTAIL’ OF INSECURITY
In the first part of this article, | also described how an accumulation of small factors during a check-out such as flapping straps and unaccustomed engine rom can create a combined ‘cocktail’ of insecurity which apparently has an effect greater than the sum of its parts. This seemingly sees the pilot’s rational brain turn to porridge through mental overload and, frankly, creates fear, and therefore danger.
As the provision of familiarisation and differences training falls very much within the remit of the LAA’s Pilot Coaching Scheme and our Instructor network, rather than LAA
Engineering, I'll not encroach into that territory herein, by trying to set out what this should consist of. Rather, we'll look to the proper authorities for definitive advice on the subject... However, | will pass on a few ideas about what | now do when approaching a new type, by way of ‘familiarisation training’, to contrast with last month’s sorry tale.
Firstly, the checklist shown on the following page serves as a quick reminder of relevant issues when preparing to fly a type that’s new to you. Some of the checklist items relate equally to any flight but are really worth emphasising when flying a new type, both to maximise safety and allow you to concentrate on the learning experience and enjoy yourself without that niggling fear of some important detail perhaps having been forgotten.
UPON SITTING DOWN...
Familiarisation starts as soon as you get to sit in the aircraft, and it’s well worth spending as
long it takes in the cockpit to memorise the position of the controls and indicators, so you can put your hand on each one without having to think about it or read the label. Be especially careful of aircraft with ergonomic traps which are waiting to catch you out, for example, such as on the Cessna C180, where the cabin heat and mixture push-pull controls have identical knobs located next to each other on the panel. Inadvertently pulling the mixture knob in flight would make the engine stop seconds later... Also, make sure you understand which end of the fuel selector knob is the pointer and which is the handle we still see aeroplanes where this is ambiguous, despite it being a known ‘gotcha’.
If the engine Ts and Ps, or the ASI aren’t marked with coloured cautionary ranges and limits, | find it helps to study the gauges beforehand and, in each case, make sure you can picture where the needles would
TRAINING
be pointing on the scales at, say, the rom ‘redline’ or the Vne. Otherwise, in flight, it’s easy to misread unfamiliar instruments with, for example, combined scales in knots and miles an hour, or confuse Fahrenheit and Centigrade scales.
Check whether the gauges are calibrated in the same units as the limitations in the POH or Permit operating limitations document as, if they aren't, you'll need to make some conversions which, again, are best done before the flight, rather than having to do mental arithmetic while airborne.
Once the aircraft’s out on the field, an important point to check, especially with taildraggers, is the ‘picture’ seen from the cockpit in particular the attitude (where the horizon cuts the engine cowl) and height as you don’t want to land the thing ten feet up or to touch down before you've rounded out. Burn that picture into your brain so it’s there when you come to make your first
landings. In the case of a taildragger, it isn’t a bad idea to also sit in the cockpit and absorb the picture when the aeroplane’s in a level attitude, to get the right position for the latter stage of the take-off run and know roughly what to expect when in level flight. Have the tail lifted on a stable trestle or what-have-you so that you can absorb the new perspective at your leisure.
DURING THE FLIGHT ITSELF...
As to the content of familiarisation flights, | like to explore not only the primary effect of the controls at different speeds but, very importantly, also the secondary ones.
Learning to bank the aircraft right and left while keeping the nose on a set heading and the slip ball centred is a very quick way to get your feet accustomed to the amount of rudder needed to counter adverse yaw with aileron. This exercise is best started off at = cruise and then explored at the
approach speed, which tends to exaggerate the effect. Being able to keep the aeroplane in balance when turning helps to greatly reduce the likelihood of an in-flight emergency leading to an inadvertent stall/spin.
The behaviour at different power and flap settings may differ markedly, and the trim changes should be explored when actioning them. Some aircraft pitch up when the flaps are lowered, while others pitch down.
Aircraft with unusually high prop thrustlines typically, seaplanes and pod and boom types naturally tend to nose down as you increase power and nose up when it’s cut back, which, until you get used to the characteristic, can have a dramatic effect during a go-around. After opening the throttle, you may have to apply a significant backward stick force to prevent arcing down into the ground, and if the engine should fail on take-off, the unwanted pitch-up effect exaggerates the inevitable rapid loss of airspeed and stall/spin risk.
FAMILIARIS
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you're at a low height or concentrating on following a prescribed approach path and also trying to keep a look-outfor unannounced circuit traffic. Naturally, the essential elements of any familiarisation flight are the unavoidable ones: take-off and landing. To begin with, it's sensible to make it easy on yourself by only choosing conditions which are near-on ideal eg without any troubling crosswind and arelatively quiet circuit. However, remember that if your familiarisation training is only undertaken in ideal conditions, there’s still a lot to learn about how to cope with the type in everyday use, when they may well be more challenging.
lf you were a concert pianist, you wouldn't want to try to play the difficult ‘twiddly’ bits of a concerto or what-have-you for the first
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Vintage types have all manner of differences, such as tail skids, intolerance to crosswinds, high C of Gs, odd engine operation etc. A thorough check out is essential.
(Photo: LAAArchive)
seriouscrosswindwhilearrivingata fly-in where the weather has turned out worse than expected, and we haven't the patience (or the fuel) to turn tail and return to base. Situations such as that areall the more reason to practise crosswind landings as part of your familarisation flying before straying away from base, and always keeping a nearby alternative into-wind runway in mind, in case the conditions turn out to be more challenging than you expected. Some aircraft behave markedly differently depending on how they’re loaded fourseaters and tandem two-seaters are particularly susceptible. With these (and any other) types your familiarisation flying should include a representative variety of different load conditions.
The Van's RV-10, for example, ‘feels’ quite nose-heavy when flown with the rear seatempty,andneeds a strongpullinthe flare to land. In total contrast, fully loaded, the rearward shift in the C of G makes it much more sensitive to the elevator and a gentle touch is needed in the flare to prevent it ballooning. That's the kind of situation where a careful prior study of the weight and balance schedule will help you understand how much the C of G moves with variations in loading. With typical light aircraft layouts, C of G shifts of more than an inch or two create significant handling effects, just as weight increases affect performance and stall speeds. Your familiarisation training isn’t complete if you haven't explored different load cases.
ONWARDS AND UPWARDS!
| hope this second part of the article, which has been illustrated with my own ‘I learnt about flying from that’ (one of many, over the years) experiences, has shown that a careful approach to familiarisation will add to your enjoyment of our sport as well as benefitting safety, and that this short series has emphasised a few key aspects of this important process.
Remember, the LAA Pilot Coaching Scheme (PCS) is there to help, with a whole team of very experienced pilots available to assist you in transitioning to a new type. For more information, visit www.laa.uk.com and click on the ‘Pilot Coaching’ tab.
FLIGHT TEST
hen my daughter and son were four and six years old, respectively, we lived close to the Panshangar circuit and would ‘pull the legs’ of visiting flying friends. Upon seeing a joining aircraft, | might ask my son, James, what type it was. “A Cessna?” he’d reply, with a slightly questioningtone| likedthathintofdoubt, whichaddeda sliverofrealityto histentative reply.Perhapsalittle laterinthevisit,I’dask, “Kate, which type is that?” There’d be a giggle, and “A Tomahawk” would be her accurate reply. Each answer was met with smiles and laughter from the impressed grown-ups, who thought what wonderful children!
Well, we were duping them cheating, if you like as | only asked Kate to identify an aircraft if | saw a Tomahawk, and James when aCessnawasoverhead!During a latervisit, Kate ‘identified’ the aircraft without bothering to look upwards, as she was far more interested in playing with her Lego at the time it was shame that the cat was out the bag but it was fun while it lasted!
My tale does raise the question of how you identify different aircraft if you aren’t being distracted by Lego, that is! By shape, obviously, their soeed and manner of their movement plus, to some degree, the sound. The Royal Observer Corps and the RAF used the overall term ‘Jizz’ when identifying aircraft. Thetermisnowa rarityand|didn’tevenknow it until | read an issue of Dorset Magazine while at the barber, waiting to get what is left of my scalp shorn. Jizz was a useful way of group identification, to analyse an aircraft’s form and character. Its etymology probably routes from an acronym of ‘general identity of shape and size’, with the ‘S’s becoming ‘Z’s in the process of nattering. To give an example, the Hurricane, Spitfire, Bf 109 and Fw 190 would be grouped into the same Jizz, with other fast, low-wing and manoeuvrable fighters.
Now, gather together a similar selection of our LAA types from the thirties to the fifties prop-driven, high-wing, tailwheel aircraft with side-by-side seating, and fabric covering. We could include Austers, Piper Vagabonds, Aeroncas, Taylorcraft... and Stinsons. From a distance, each type falls into the same Jizz, despite not exactly being peas in a pod nor siblings, but they’re still similar, as a result of convergent design evolution holding an
analogy of form derived from different manufacturers aiming for a similar goal. If we saw and heard these types flying across an open stretch of sky, possibly only seeing a vague silhouette, they could be placed together within the same genre or Jizz.
THE CLOUDS OF WAR
One of the lesser-known pre-WWII US types here in the UK is probably the Stinson 105 (so enumerated as it can just about reach 105mph) or, should you prefer the correct model designation, the HW-75.
Our test example, G-AFYO, is owned by Mike Lodge, and is irrevocably linked through a shared history, circumstance, luck and probably a good sprinkling of coincidence to another Stinson HW-75, G-BMSA, owned by Paul Fraser-Bennison.
Edward Stinson formed the Stinson Aircraft Company in 1920 and took every possible opportunity to demonstrate his wares. By the time of his early death, in acrash in 1932, he was only 38 years old, Edward held the greatest time logged of any pilot, some 16,000 hours.
The company launched the HW-75 in 1939 and sold 535 examples before WWII intervened. The type was then modified to become the US Army’s L-5 Sentinel, some 3,590 examples of which were built between November 1942 and September 1945.
Back in those ominous, storm cloudgathering months before the onset of WWII, the French, just like the British, realised that rearmament was of prime importance, to counter the growing surge of no-longer-deniable German hostility. But French industry alone couldn't provide the now desperately needed equipment.
The French Air Force (Armée de I’Air) and Navy (I’Aéronavale) desperately sought aircraftfromabroad,andtheUSwasalogical choice, owing to its huge manufacturing capability. Among other types, some 33 examples of the HW-75 were purchased secondhand from Consolidated Vultee, then refurbished and flown to Canada by private ferry pilots under civilian registrations, for subsequent shipment to France.
On 16 July 1940, both YO and ’SA, then identified with consecutive serial numbers, 7039 and 7040, were loaded on board the carrier Béarn in Halifax, Nova Scotia, bound
for Brest. En route, the ship was diverted to Fort de France in Martinique, as France had fallen to the Germans.
They were stored there until December 1944, when both were loaded onto the freighter Sagittaire, which initially stopped in Casablanca but then sailed on to Marseille, on 17 February 1945. The aircraft were quickly transferred to Toulon, then to Cuers for reassembly, and commissioned to the Escadrille d’Instruction de I’Ecole Navale (Training Squadron of the Naval Academy), which was to be created at Lanveoc-Poulmic, near Brest, Brittany.
The Academy operated the Stinsons until 1951, when both were struck off charge and sold to the Aero-Club du Finistere, becoming F-BGQO and F-BGQP. Having led active lives in France, their registrations were cancelled on the last day of 1969 and they were sold abroad, both eventually coming to the UK and going through a number of owners before Mike Lodge acquired G-AFYO (formerly F-BGQP) and Paul Fraser-Bennison G-BMSA (F-BGQO), which had originally been sold for spares but was subsequently resurrected. By yet another twist of fate, Mike and Paul’s aircraft are hangared just eight miles apart. Both are in very good condition, although of the two Mike’s is more original, as Paul’s now has a 100hp Continental O-200 with a recent Hercules wooden prop, which provides a slight performance gain during the cruise and an improved rate of climb.
APPROACHING G-AFYO...
| flew Mike’s G-AFYO for the test and, approaching this cream, fabric-covered aircraft with blue fuselage cheat lines and black registration letters, | appreciated its purposeful stance and rather broad shoulders. According to the early factory specs, it had the potential of carrying three people but, to be honest, the third seat has now gone and was probably only suitable for a slightly-built person sitting sideways perhaps it was rather fun to look up at the sky in left-banked turns and gaze at the ground when rolling to the right! Our orange-and-black Auster from the Wasp Group had the same arrangement.
One thing you notice about the Stinson is, unlike most of its contemporaries, a lot of effort was put into its fairings. The nicely streamlined wing struts attach to the fuselage at the rear of
(Above)The Stinson logo is perhaps a tad pretentious but the marque is certainly up there with the best of its breed.
the main gear legs, with both they and the junction between leg and fuselage being nicely faired in. Also, the top end of the struts is very cleanly attached to the wings. There aren't any clunky strut-ends and bolts hanging out in the breeze, or visible control cables, for that matter. The wing-to-fuselage attachment is also nicely flush. How much all of this reduces drag on a relatively slow aeroplane | don’t know, but it certainly gives the aircraft a look of quality.
The wings themselves have leading-edge fixed slats at the outer ends, which are maybe a little less than a third of the span of each wing, with their influence of retaining attached air over the surface doubtless promoting good response at slow speeds. The differential Frise ailerons will assist the fight against adverse yaw in the turn, and the flaps have three stages up for cruise, one click down for
take-off and full deflection for high drag and landing. They have a nice smooth operation with the floor-mounted lever.
Looking underneath, back towards the steerable tailwheel, there are formers to round off the base of the fuselage, giving ita more curved and pleasant appearance and probably further reducing drag.
There’s a lot of broad and tall fuselage behind the wing, which is softened by formers but it’s still quite an area to be caught by a crosswind. The brakes are effective and with remedial bursts of power over the large area rudder I’m sure that a competent pilot with dancing feet would cope on all but the worst days. However, quite sensibly, Mike restricts himself to a 10ktcrosswindlimit,ora littlehigherifit’s
There’s a good-sized aerodynamic balance forward of the vertical rudder hinge line and the fin is generously large enough for good directional stability, as I'd soon discover.
| also like the fluted line from the descending rudder to the trailing fuselage end it looks like there may have been a navigation light there in the past.
Refuelling has to be done with a carefullyplaced ladder and funnel as there are no convenient foot holds or grab handles.
Mike uses mogas from a local petrol station whose fuel, unusually, doesn’t contain any ethanol long may that supply last.
Older photographs show some brightwork (as it’s called on classic cars), a good curved grill on the air inlets either side of the prop, plus spats on the main wheels. These undoubtedly added to G-AFYO’s vintage
an open field with roomto manoeuvre.
(Above)The large fin is nicely faired into the fuselage. Note also the neat tailplane and tail cone fairings.
charm but the spats | can understand being removed as, while operating over wet grass and muddy patches, they can fill with mud or get damaged transiting over uneven or rough ground.
Over time, the Stinson logo on the fin has been lost on Mike’s machine but remains on Paul's. It’s a stylised drawn bow with an arrow pointing upward, and a legend stating, ‘The Aircraft Standard of the World’ a mighty claim. Beneath that, proudly rendered in capital letters, are the words ‘MADE IN USA’. Two of Stinson’s better-known clientele were James Stewart and Howard Hughes, so | guess they must've been suitably impressed.
CLIMBING ABOARD
Entrance is from behind the wing, via a good-sized car-type door. It’s best foot forward onto the step, grab the convenient curved grab handle just above the leather door retaining strap, duck in and pull yourself up, bringing the other leg through and into the cockpit to sit down.
My attention was immediately taken by the most unusual and pleasingly curved pair of dual control ‘hooped’ yokes. Usually, yokes are open-ended, like horns, but these have a two-thirds, circular upper section which is held by a curved lower arc and are each connected centrally by a rod into the panel which has an upward curve quite fetching. They're smooth in operation too, all around the ‘box’, with little appreciable friction and are nice to hold with either hand. For delicate alterations during instrument work, elbows can rest on thighs, with your finger and thumb of each hand lightly holding their outer lower edges.
Looking under the wing, without having to duck, as | do in an Auster, | could see the ailerons move, but not the elevators, until | opened the door and twisted backwards. The front side windows slide backwards, but my 7 1/8” hat-sized head doesn’t fit through.
Bending to look under the instrument panel, the pilot's rudder pedals have brake levers mounted on the top. But it’s just rudder pedals to the right. The pedals aren’t adjustable but, fortunately, the seats are and mine was already at the correct distance for me.
There's a pitch trim on the left elevator, with window winder-type control being mounted just aft of the windscreen’s top edge. It rotates clockwise to reduce a forward push on the column and the other way to take the weight from an aft stick hold. | bet myself that I’d get it wrong the first time of trying it as I'd be using my left hand on the control.
The metal-rod flap-lever is like an old Austin car’s floor-mounted handbrake and is sited between the seats its three positions can easily be selected, locked and visually checked.
The headset jacks are under the central panel and to the right of the yellow-topped throttle Knob. The fuel selector is adjacent to the P1’s left knee, on the fuselage wall, which is convenient and easy to reach and rotate from left, off and right. Each tank holds fifteen imperial gallons, giving a whopping joint tankage of 136 litres, which is enough for nearlysixhours’endurance-it’s agoodjob that the seats are comfortable!
The instruments are mounted on a main centre panel and two smaller subs, with the left-hand one housing the key pilot equipment of the ASI and altimeter, the Kigass primer, ignition key and starter button. The bottom of the white arc, which indicates stall speed at full flap, is marked at 40kt, and it goes up to the flap-limiting speed of 75kt. Unusually, there’s red line extending from 130-140kt most would have an abrupt line for Vne.
There’s no green arc, denoting normal operation, but you can at least calculate an approach speed by multiplying the stall speed by 1.3. That’s 40 x 1.3, which gives 52kt, confirming the 50-55kt Mike had briefed me about.
Two fuel content gauges and the rev counter reside in the right-hand sub panel, while the main one houses a turn-and-slip, Horizon and VSI, with the engine instruments, which consist of oil pressure, oil temperature, ammeter and CHT gauges. The top right of the main panel hosts a pair of those neat, 5Omm-diameter Trig avionics an 8.33kHz radio and transponder. A DI is also fitted which, in unison with the T&S and AH, is fed by a venturi that’s mounted between the main gear legs, with a vertical card compass sitting on top of the panel to set it by.
All-in-all, it's a neat arrangement, one which has been modernised where necessary, to provide enough information and usability for today’s aviation environment, yet retains its charming vintage look.
Having taken stock and looked around the cockpit, | decided that I’d better find the belts and buckles. G-AFYO has upper torso restraint shoulder straps attached to the cockpit ceiling, which effectively gives you a four-point harness and is very neat and tidy. So many classic types only feature lap strap and diagonal belts, the latter often added in later years, as many US classics left the factory solely with the former.
Mike Lodge, G-AFYO’s owner, has been flying for quite some time. He started gliding near Stuttgart in the Swabian Alps, with the K3 and the Grunau Baby, and later moved on to the Long Mynd in Shropshire. He then undertook commercial pilot training at Hamble and went to work for BA, flying a string of liners the Vickers Vanguard, Boeing 707 and 737, and doing long-haul on Jumbos. Now in retirement, he’s spent fifty years airborne a remarkable achievement.
So, my first question to a fellow of so much experience was a leading one of technique, namely, “How do you prefer to contro! speed on the final approach?”
“Point and shoot”, was Mike’s reply. That’s also called the ‘jet technique’ you maintain
an attitude pointing at the runway and control speed with the throttle. Too fast and you throttle back but maintain the same attitude and retrim. Too slow and you increase power while not allowing the nose to rise, and retrim.
“And your preferred technique to counter drift on approach?” | then enquired. “Wing-low or crab?”
“Crab,” Mike confirmed, “and then ease it straight with rudder, holding the into wind wing-down.”
We had little crosswind and | hoped not to make too much of a mess bringing her back in. I'd taught one fellow on the larger Stinson 108 in fact, the actual one in the photo with thetwoHW-75s.The108hasa significantly
longer wheelbase and is perhaps one of the easiest aircraft I’ve flown to consistently three-point, the other being the Piston Provost.
Weight and balance posed no problems with the HW-75. We could have the pair of us, each at 72kg which, incidentally, is the same weight as 100 litres of fuel per person, and full tanks. It was time to go!
CHATTING IN THE SKY
Lined up on the runway the wind was from the left. As always on a new tailwheel type, | was measuring caution against bravado, sitting in the right-hand seat, without brakes, when | might need a slight amount of help in keeping her straight on the take-off roll
from the smooth-metaled surface. Happily, that didn’t prove to be the case, as although a swing to the left was present with the application of power, and was coupled with the wind, a mild amount of right rudder pressure easily helped her track true.
A quick glance in and down showed we were passing 2,250rpm and had 40psi of oil pressure. She flew herself off at around the 45kt mark, with the cowling still held slightly below the end of the runway and the horizon. We climbed out at 7Okt,while the best speed shown on a copy of the Permit paperwork is at 75kt with a recorded climb rate of 500fpm.
Settling down into the cruise, the standard (non-ANR) headsets coped
FLIGHT TEST
well with the low-ish cockpit decibels and a brief removal of my headset didn’t prove awkward. A conversation could even be sustained without any ‘say agains’ or ‘beg your pardons’.
The view over the nose in the cruise is good, as is the lateral view under the wings. | like the secure feeling of seeing twin bracing struts. And this Stinson has stability taped just sitting there in the cruise, indicating 80-85kt with the C-90 turning the aluminium 7642 Sensenich prop at 2,350-2,400rpm, she was burning 22-23 litres per hour.
Mike told me about his first take-off from a hard runway. That was on a solo Chipmunk cross-country flight while under training for BA at Hamble, a 360° grass airfield, where aircraft could always be taken-off into wind. But Coventry, where he’d landed, had a hard runway. He started his take-off roll but ended up turning through 90° by the time he got airborne! Nobody noticed anything and nothing was said. On the same flight the sky went completely dark when Mike had a near miss with a Vulcan which eclipsed his cockpit!
Induced-pitching phugoids settled calmly within three cycles and crossed controls released from steady heading side slips, with the rudder released first, allowed that generous fin to straighten us up. Then, ina side-slipping turn, the ailerons were released to bring her automatically to wings level. Turns induced with unbalanced aileron produce little aileron drag to yaw the nose away from the direction of roll. Yawing the nose around without any aileron can induce slightly uncomfortable turns, as your backside wants to slide you outwards. There’s little Dutch roll induced with rudder doublets, which make the wing tips perform little circles.
Mike mentioned that he keeps G-AFYO at Westfield Farm, near Eastbourne, East Sussex. Meanwhile, Paul keeps his just a few miles away, at Kittyhawk Farm, near Ripe.
Apparently, the owner of the farm’s father flew Curtiss P40-D Kittyhawks and he likes the connection between that and the naming of his airstrip. | admitted that I’d like to fly a Kittyhawk (but what wouldn't | like to fly?) and had just found one in Florida with dual controls, which will soon be completed well, | can dream...
Mike’s strip at Westfield is 600 metres long, which is ample for his needs but unfortunately it's ‘damp’ in the winter so he tends not to fly then. As a nice aside, he said that it had swans paddling on it in April!
The stall, 42kt clean and 38kt with flap, is blessed by having the inboard section of the wings stalling first and the airflow through the fixed slats keeping the outer wing section, and the ailerons, working later in the process there were no wing drops. Small, gentlyapplied aileron inputs showed more adverse aileron drag than in the cruise, but | shouldn't have been deliberately forcing the issue and risk upsetting Mike’s lovely girl.
Mike has been researching, albeit without much success thus far, the Aéronavale scheme which his Stinton would’ve worn all those decades ago. It'd be marvellous to visually turn back time and see G-AFYO aloft in the colours of her youth. Strangely enough, Paul is beginning to consider an American scheme for G-BMSA, that of the blue and yellow used by the Civil Air Patrol Sub Spotters against the U-boats which knocked out a huge tonnage of shipping off America’s Eastern Seaboard.
Thefixed:slot isclearlyevident in this view as’YO banks away.
Good control response and stability made formation with the camera ship a very straightforward maiter.
The landing in G-AFYO was uneventful, involving a curved approach at 55kt with full flap and crossing the hedge at 50kt, whereupon she floated with the throttle fully closed. The needle on the ASI was still on the white arc and we squeaked on with three points as the nose just covered the horizon ahead, with the ‘hoop’ held all the way back. She ran straight, and no morethanalittle rudderpedalpushtotheright was required as we slowed. The supporting left set of brakes weren’t needed and | relaxed as we Cleared the active runway.
| was delighted to be able to fly with Mike andPaulinformation,notthat|sawalot of the latter’s aircraft during the sortie as we never have an opportunity to take our eyes from the photo ship, which had Annie piloting and Neil snapping away.
As ever, it was interesting to experience the handling of an aircraft such as the HW-75, and especially with a unique pair of examples whose history has been so closely linked since their consecutive production line construction. It’s quite a tale, and with their 80th birthday just around the corner the future possibly holds new paint schemes too. Fresh colours won't mask their Jizz, but it'll provide further new life and deepen their appeal.
Sincere thanks, gentlemen, and wishing you both many more happy landings.
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ello again and welcome to Safety Spot, as always, we hope you’re in good form physically and not too depressed about the fact that winter is just around the corner and the long summer days are about to become just another memory.
Over the years, I’ve often said that | applaud any season’s arrival | just love the changes brought about as a result of the battles fought above us between the various major weather systems. After all, every season brings its pleasures. So, as the sun drops over the southern horizon and UK temperatures fall, we all need to locate our favourite jumper and set about preparing for the shorter days.
As usual, and much to the consternation of our editor, Brian Hope, I’m again working right up to the deadline for this October edition of Safety Spot, so | had better get on with it! That said, | should mention this morning's personal weather event as it carried a message which is worth sharing.
As you may know, my much-preferred mode of transport is my trusty (touch wood) Triumph motorcycle. Before | head off anywhere I’m in the habit of checking the weather, whether it’s by bike, plane, car or boat, it doesn’t matter, as I’ve learnt that if you're planning on travelling from A to B, it’s worth doing a bit of research to see what the en route and destination conditions are going to be, and don’t forget the forecast if you need to come back. The actual ‘my back garden’ weather this morning was lovely, with alittle very high cloud, no sign of rain and a gentle breeze from the southwest. Normally, it'd be a ‘bike’ day for me, but | Know that the UK has been expecting the arrival of the first storm of the season -it’s a bloke’s name this year: Alli.
| don't like being bashed about by a strong wind on a bike, or when commanding anything else really, but especially on the Triumph I’m always worried about stuff blowing in front of me while I’m on the move as errant (or perhaps erratic) motorists are worrisome enough. So, | came in on four wheels today. Sure enough, by the time | headed off for my daily lunchtime perambulations around the airfield, Storm Alli had arrived!
My walk took me first in front of, then side-on to and subsequently against a 35kt wind it was hard work, just what the doctor ordered. While heading along my preferred path, alongside a wee burn, the wind was side-on and, without any warning whatsoever, a great branch broke off an old tree and landed with a thump not five metres in front of me. Perhaps the lesson should be amended by that message sent (literally) from above, namely
(Above) It’s easy to forget that a propeller is one of the hardest-working devices on
a sports aircraft. Every time you start the engine almost unimaginable forces travel through the components which go to make up the prop assembly, and that’s why it’s essential to follow manufacturer’s inspection guidelines. Naturally, variable-pitch propellers are complicated devices and most of the working parts are hidden from view so the services of a professional ‘prop shop’ are needed to inspect it properly.
Manufacturers’overhaul requirements are driven by two basic realities: one, things wear out and, two, they degrade over time. Because LAA aircraft normally fly relatively few hours in the year, wear isn’t normally an issue but degradation and the effects of corrosion can be. That’s why LAA Engineering, after consultation with manufacturers, CAA and commercial propeller shops, have introduced the Low-Hour Propeller Inspection Protocol (LPIP). With LPIP there’s a limited inspection for wear, so no expensive NDT or blade strip. The focus of the inspection is to ensure that the ‘innards’are all working correctly, the seals are replaced and any early signs of (which are often present) are dealt with before it has the chance to contribute to a hub failure. (Photo: LAA Library)
‘even when you do everything right, expect theunexpected’and,toextendthisalittle, ‘a predilection to paranoia could be described as a healthy attribute among aviators.’
LPIP, WHAT’S ITALL ABOUT?
It's strange how an initially random set of letters can form itself into a meaningful phrase or word. Certainly ‘el-pip’ rolls off the tongue so it’s a really good start for any potentially
long-lasting acronym. Even though | know what it means, | cannot help thinking, whenever | hear it, of a nine-year-old in a Stetson brandishing a toy Colt 45.
LPIP actually stands for Low-hours Propeller Inspection Protocol. It defines something of a departure from the normal rules of engagement for a manufacturer’s overhaul, as generally automatically adopted by the aircraft industry and its administrative
support agencies, in our case, EASA and the UK CAA. LPIP focuses its attention on propeller overhaul but, in truth, heralds the arrival of a more ‘appropriate’ way of thinking when it comes to the imposition of mandatory service intervals, especially adapted for Permit to Flytypes.
Until recently, the only approach to maintaining a constant-speed or variable-pitch propeller overhaul which was accepted by propeller manufacturers involved a regular total overhaul, irrespective of the number of hours flown. That was because the manufacturers, for good reasons, defined a calendar life. Once this life had been reached, regardless of the application, the part would need to be replaced or, more normally, overhauled to a standard set by the original manufacturer.
Although the aforementioned protocol provedfineforaircraftwhichrackupalot of flying hours each year for example, in a training role the industry as a whole has long appreciatedthata fulloverhaulisn’tnecessary for propellers which have reached their calendar life without accumulating many hours.
We're an Association which has always put our members’ interests first, following our three fundamental aims: fun, affordable and safe flying for all. With these three objectives firmly in mind, LAA Engineering has worked with propeller overhaul companies and the authorities to develop a more appropriate maintenance regime for aircraft operating under our system.
When developing new maintenance rules, LAA Engineers, that’s those based at HQ and the many highly-skilled personnel working on our behalf in the field, have to consider two key basic elements in coming to a decision. Firstly, the ‘appropriateness of the requirements’ and, secondly, the ‘focused specificity’ of them. From the human factors standpoint, if something isn’t thought necessary, whatever it is, it won't be long before it disappears from view and, as a consequence, really important safety advice might be overlooked.
Let's look at the ‘appropriateness’ point first. As | say in the captions under the pictures, the propeller on (any) aircraft is one of the most hard-working components involved in flight operations. Only a fool would suggest or imply that this device needs no inspection or maintenance, but many have questioned quite rightly, in my view the need to complete a manufacturer’s overhaul, which in effect is designed to bring the propeller back to an ‘as new’ state, on an example that hasn’t done much work.
Essentially, there are three reasons to introduce a required inspection of any item fitted to an aircraft —;let’s stick specifically to propellers. The first relates to checking that the parts in the propeller haven't cracked or worn below tolerance for example, the blades haven't been ‘dressed’ beyond limits. This first reason deals with aspects which, under normal operational circumstances, relates to hours in service. This detailed check of all parts is the expensive part of a propeller overhaul because the individual parts often have to be stripped of paint or other protective coatings before measurement and costly non-destructive testing (NDT) checks are made.
The second reason for ‘overhauling’ a propeller is based on its calendar ‘age’. Oils and greases degrade with time, as do most types of flexible seals, especially those made
(Photos: NTSB/FAA)
from rubber compounds. And, importantly in this context, propellers which aren’t used much are more prone to internal corrosion than their well-used cousins.
The third reason for the overhaul is that it provides an opportunity for specialist propeller engineers to check a propeller against the latest ‘factory’ standards primarily but not solely to ensure that all Airworthiness Directives (AD) or Factory Service Bulletins (SB) which may have been published since it was first fitted to the aircraft, have been complied with and that it’s in an acceptable configuration.
An LPIP inspection recognises that, although a propeller may have reached its calendar age, it mightn’t have run for anything like its maximum ‘operating hours’ life. For instance, although an average variable-pitch prop will have a maximum allowable mechanical age of something in the order of two thousand hours, many LAA aircraft complete less than fifty hours per year you can work out the maths for yourself. So there’s a great disparity between an average six-year overhaul requirement and the mechanical age limit, in hours.
For propellers accepted into the LPIP scheme which are essentially in good order and have flown less than fifty per cent of their individual overhaul hours life, and are therefore unlikely to reach the manufacture’s ‘hours’ limits before the next calendar check, inspections related to wear usually aren't justified.
The LPIP inspection arrangements which have been negotiated thus far have been based upon existing actual manufacturer's
schedules. In the case of Hartzell propellers, for example, prop engineers use the ‘return to service from long-term storage’ inspection it’s nearly a perfect fit. Other types use different inspection models, but the principle is the same.
So far, three major UK specialist propeller companies have been trialling LPIP and the experiences of them, the LAA and our members have been extremely positive. We've created an Airworthiness Alert that offers a link to the latest Technical Leaflet, which gives contact details to the propeller companies who have joined the scheme. So, if your prop is overdue its calendar time for overhaul but remains well below its hours limit, then it’d be worth you looking at asking your propeller shop for an LPIP inspection. The company you use will first need to inspect the propeller before committing to this option but, if it’s suitable, the cost should be considerably lower than that of a full manufacturer’s overhaul.
MCCAULEY 1A170 FIXED-PITCH PROP
Although LPIP inspections don’t involve fixed-pitch propellers it’s important to recognise, taking into account the basic reasons for conducting it in the first place, the second reason for considering a different inspection regime for propellers, that being the ‘focused requirements’ necessarily defined in an AD.
As an aviator, you'll doubtless understand that ADs and SBs normally follow a field report of a specific failure ie
SAFETY SPOT
this or that part has failed in service and the AD directs engineers towards a detailed inspection of aircraft containing it. Sometimes the AD will be a one-off inspection perhaps, for example, whenthere’sbeenafitting errorwhichhasled to a failure. In that case, the check will be limited to ensuring the fitting error hasn't migratedacross a fleetofidenticalparts.
Sometimes repetitive inspections may be required perhaps a part has shown unpredicted wear in service so regular checks are needed until the part has been replaced. Often, replacing the part will release the aircraft from the demands of the AD, and its maintenance record (and, in the sport aircraft arena, the logbook) will show the AD as being ‘not applicable’.
There are a couple of negative human factors issues here. One is that technicians are taught that, ‘If an AD doesn’t apply don't waste time studying it’. | hear that all the time from tradespeople in the field, though not normally LAA Inspectors. Two, the specificity of the inspection, coupled with reason one, meansanADisinplacebecauseafailure ofa component only involves that specific one, although there could be many other similar operating on aircraft, which are equally liable to fail but they won't be covered in the AD.
A good example of this, and one reason why the LAA prefers a rather broader brush, or cultural approach, to continuing airworthiness management, is the recent publication of an FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin. This Bulletin, incidentally, has been reiterated as an EASA Safety Information Bulletin.
The origin for these two Bulletins was a very nasty accident which followed an in-flight failure of a McCauley propeller in the US, back in August 2017. The prop itself was subject to an AD (FAA AD 82-27-01) requiring NDT checks each 200 hours in service. The AD required the removal of the propeller and a close inspection for cracks around the attaching bolt holes. Naturally, cracks there could lead to a complete failure of the boss, and that’s exactly what happened.
Although it isn’t the primary point of this section, it seems that a look at the logbook of the aircraft in question confirmed that the required checks had been completed. However, it seemed that, at some point in the past, a dye penetrant check had been undertaken using Type II material (visible under white light), which may have prevented the later Type | penetrant check (UV-visible) from working properly, possibly meaning that the cracks weren't seen and the prop was returned to service.
Now the both Bulletins, wisely, focus closely on the dangers of using Type II penetrant in this context but all this, to come back to the point, relates to one specific type of propeller: the McCauley 1A170/FFA.
Looking through our propeller approval list we can see that there are no FFA types in service on LAA aircraft but, taking the cultural (broad-brush) approach, we do see quite a few 1A170 props and, on the face of it, there doesn’t seem to be that much difference between them.
| hope the above explains what the LAA’s LPIP scheme is all about, taking into account that our shared management approach to continuing airworthiness is a jewel-in-thecrown for our Association’s members.
them in tip-top condition. This wheel, from a EuroFOX tug aircraft, failed during taxi after launching a glider you can see that the failure sequence has started because of cracks which have originated at the wheel-half bolt attachment holes. (Photos: Malcolm McBride)
LPIP itself is on a pathway which will lead to checks of non-certified VP, groundadjustable and fixed-pitch metal and wooden props, but for further information about that you'll have to watch this space! You can find the information about the US incident which led to the issue of the SA/B in an LAA Airworthiness Alert online. For now though, where’s my Stetson?
AEROTECHNIK WHEEL FAILURE: THE IMPORTANCE OF CHECKING UNDERCARRIAGES
I'll wrap this edition of Safety Spot up with three member-led stories about wheel failures.
The first, sent in by LAA Inspector Peter Claiden, relates to an unusual wheel failure event on a EuroFOX tug. Peter sent the wheel in to us for closer examination and l’ve included a couple of pictures to show what happened. Here’s Peter’s report.
‘Hi Malcolm, ‘As discussed on the telephone earlier, the subject aircraft is approximately four years old and has flown around 800hr, almost exclusively as a glider tug off a grass runway, having made approximately 2,800 landings in that time. The failed wheel is an original fit, its partner having been replaced about two years ago due to cracks emanating from the bolt holes.
‘This first replacement wheel has now been removed from service (two new wheels from EurofFOX now fitted) but on removal shows no signs of cracking. This recent failure occurred after landing when on the taxiway the aircraft ended up running along on the inner wheel half-rim, there was no other damage.
‘It should be noted that a loss of directional control on this grass runway could be critical as it’s immediately adjacent to the taxiway!
‘We've previously removed the spats from this aircraft and I’ve suggested that a close inspection of the wheel needs to be made at each DI.
‘Best regards, Peter’
The manufacturer of the EuroFOX chose the Aerotechnik wheel for its aircraft and, up until this week, this was the first wheel event featuring this marque we've ever received. I’m sure you'd agree that 2,800 landings is a much higher than average number and, to be honest, | thought, taking into account the high usage, reproducing a picture in Safety Spot would suffice.
Then,shortlyafterthisfirstreport, | received an email from LAA’er Martyn Wilmington, which made me wonder whether | should re-calibrate my thoughts”
‘Malcolm, good morning, ‘| have owned the EV-97 EuroStar for four years now and I’ve had the main undercarriage wheels off at least twice, for varying reasons.
‘Recently, | decided to renewmy main wheel tyres as they had started to show wear, so |purchased two nice new ‘Aero Classics.’ One side was removed and replaced with no problems.
‘When removing the other side tyre and tube out and cleaning up the wheel rim a small fragment fell to the floor. | removed the inner wheel rim for further inspection and found that it was also cracked at this point. Looking more closely, | could see that the other two brake disc mounting holes are also cracked.
‘My question is, do you think this was caused by corrosion between the securing bolt and the aluminium or a stress crack caused bypast over-tightening?
My concern is for the rest of the EV-97 fleet and should we warn them about this failure? | have since purchased and fitted a new wheel rim and also checked the other one very closely, which shows none of the signs of corrosion or cracking.
‘Please see the photo attached.
‘Yours, Martyn’
So, two wheel failures within a short time is probably (hopefully) just a coincidence
refitted, using all the required parts!
(Top & above) Initially, when we received the failed Aerotechnik wheel from a EuroFOX, | focused my attention on the failure point, the previously mentioned cracks. Then | received an email from LAA’er, Martyn Wilmington, detailing another failure, this time on an Aerotechnik wheel off an EV-97 EuroStar. In this later failure it looked like corrosion around the brake disk supports at the wheels rim, so | looked again at the EuroFOX wheel.
The uppermost picture shows the level of corrosion in this attachment, which was probably caused by dissimilar metals in close proximity. The picture above, meanwhile, shows the manufacturer’s casting mark above a failed bolt hole.
(Photos: Malcolm McBride)
(Right)Just after a practice take-off, a student’s instructor noticed that ‘something didn’t feel right’. After visually checking around the airframe, the student was horrified to see that the right mainwheel was just hanging onto its axle. The picture right shows the wheel after bringing the aircraft to a stop, while the one far right was shot after it’d been
(Photo: Martyn Wilmington)
though, to answer Martyn’s second question (‘should we warn others?’), yes, that’s why I’ve included his story in Safety Spot. However, | wouldn’t necessarily focus specifically on the Aerotechnik wheel as, like propellers, this component is often forgotten during an inspection. Owners will often ‘pull’ them to re-grease bearings, but how many regularly strip wheels into their components for a ‘close-in’ inspection and complete de-corrode?
During my training as an aero engineer, detailed wheel inspections figured high on the agenda during a big check, which normally took place on light aircraft every three years. Although most LAA aircraft don't complete anything like the number of hours flown by those in the commercial sector, it’s still important to include complete component strip and refurbish tasks into a Permit to Fly type’s Tailored Maintenance Schedule (TMS).
tricycle undercarriage and was fitted with optional spats. Both myself and the aircraft's co-owner are pupils ‘under instruction’.
‘On 18May we cleaned the aeroplane and made a number of checks. Mypartner decided to remove the wheel spats, and the aircraft was next flown byme under instruction.
‘We took-off from our home airfield and landed at a nearby strip a few minutes later (having flown a distance of about 7nm). | was undertaking Lesson 16.a. of the NPPL (M) Syllabus, Forced Landings.
‘After landing we then took-off again. It was a zero-wind day so we took-off in the opposite direction to which we’d landed.
‘Shortly after take-off, my instructor sensed that something wasn’t right he could feel an unusual vibration (I must say that | couldn't feel it). Looking around the aircraft, | was horrified to see the left-hand main landing wheel was just hanging on the end of its axle!
‘The instructor decided that we must make an immediate landing back at Stoke Golding and | happilyannounced, “You have control”!
‘Malcolm, ‘I’m the co-owner of a Rans S6-ES, which we purchased in October 2017, following a satisfactory Permit to Fly inspection. Ithas a
Of course, a detailed ‘first flight of the day’ pre-flightshouldalsopartoftheTMS-it’s always worth checking that the wheels aren't going to fall off during operation! One LAA’er and trainee pilot, and his instructor, narrowly missed becoming part of a runway excursion incident, here’s his report.
‘He attempted to briskly roll the plane to the right, to see if this might encourage the wheel to slide back along the axle, but that didn’t work. He then, skilfully, landed the plane safely by coming down as slowly as possible with the right wing low for as long as possible.
‘We came to rest with the wheel still on the axle, but only just. The wheel was
SAFETY SPOT
pushed back on the axle and the plane then rolled off the runway.
‘Examination of the undercarriage showed that the wheel should sit on the axle and then two metal collars (or spacers) are placed over it.
‘On the left side both of these spacers were missing. On the right, both were still in place and the wheel hadn't moved.
‘Itappears that, when taking the spats off, a bolt was removed from the end of the axle. What wasn’t obvious was that this bolt not only held the spat in place but was also essential for the security of the wheel. As such, it should've been replaced, along with a washer to retain both the wheel and the spacer.
‘My concerns are, firstly, that there’s no warning in the manual, about both the spat and the wheel being secured by the Loctite on the outer spacer and bolt. Removal of the spat without replacement of the bolt and washer will mean that the wheel is no longer secure.
‘Secondly, | feel that a simple boltand washer, together with application of Loctite to the outer spacer, isn’t a sufficiently secure fixing for such a safety-critical item. Surely, a locking mechanism, such as a splitpin through the outer spacer and/or a locking washer or wiring around the bolt, would be better?
‘And thirdly, if this could happen to us, it may to other Rans S6-ES owners, possibly with a more serious outcome.’
Well, this is the sort of experience that could put the wind up anybody and it isn’t the first time wheels have come off because they haven't been securely fixed. The more experienced among you will recognise that, in fact, there have been a number of failures here, both inspection-related.
Of course, this lack of a fixing should have been spotted during the pre-flight inspection, so the question might be, ‘who is responsible for this inspection?’
The answer is straightforward, of course, it was the qualified pilot in this case, the instructor. Could it be that he trusted the owner of the aircraft, an inexperienced chap, rather too much and didn’t complete a second walk-round?
The second inspection failing relates to the lack of a proper check after the spat was removed. In the LAA system, as with any involving the ‘work done’ on an aircraft, all completed tasks must be inspected, and that recorded, either on worksheets or in the aircraft's logbook.
A wheel removal and replacement can be completed and inspected by the owner/ pilot, if they’re qualified and feel competent to be able to confirm that the work done has been done correctly. This inspection privilege is defined in a Technical Leaflet in the LAA Library (TL. 2. 05 Pilot Authorised Maintenance).
It isn’t clear whether a work-pack was created for this spat removal job, but it is evident that the task, as carried out, wasn't subject to an appropriate inspection afterwards. It’s a lack of qualified inspection which led to this close shave on landing in other words, not just because the wheel wasn't attached correctly, but due to the fact that this error wasn’t spotted.
Okay, lessons hopefully learnt. | think lll put my feet up. Fair winds...
(Top & above) These two pictures serve to remind us about the need to recognise potential system failure modes on aircraft. That may sound abit fanciful, but it’s always worth thinking ‘what if’when assembling any component part. Regular readers of Safety Spotwill know that we’ve been highlighting a hinge failure which recently caused the partial detachment of a rudder on an early Piper Cub. Although this was the first record of an incident like this, it did highlight a previously un-spotted failure mode.
In the picture at top, note that the head of the hinge pin is smaller than the inside diameter of the knuckle, so the only thing holding the hinge assembly together is the friction in the interference fit of the inner bearing. Lose this friction, for any reason, and the hinge will fail. The picture above, meanwhile, shows a simple ‘fix’ a thinwasherfittedtothetopandbottomofthepin so,evenifthebearing does become loose, the hinge pin cannot fall out. (Photos: Malcolm McBride)
(Above&aboveright)LAAEngineering
has issued an Airworthiness Information 1.180e+008 Leafletwithdrawing approval to use
the PS Mk 1 noseleg on all SportCruiser aircraft, but there are two alternatives
(Above) As part of the recent Airworthiness Information Leaflet (Top & above) Tony Palmer enlisted the help of LAA Inspector withdrawing the PS Mk | noseleg from use on all UK SportCruisers, Farry Sayyah to make a strengthened noseleg and quite a the LAA has taken the opportunity to review the maintenance/ few SportCruisers have benefited from this less expensive inspection requirements for them in rather more general terms. alternative to the factory replacement part. The annual inspection now requires the spindle assembly to This strengthening mod is now a Standard Option for be dismantled, inspected, re-lubricated and re-tensioned. Many CZAW SportCruiser aircraft (as listed in the TADS) so ‘sign ofthesespindleshavebeeninserviceforthelastsixyearsand,_out’canbedonebyanLAAInspector(withoutreference to as you can see from this picture, some are suffering from the HQ). These pictures show how the leg has been strengthened. potentially weakening effect of corrosion. (Photo:Martin Ferrid) (Images: TonyPalmer/FarrySayyah)
Fulcrum
(Left) Although SportCruisers have been grabbing all the headlines when it comes to noseleg issues, it should be noted that all nosewheel types need careful (and regular) detailed inspections. The noselegs on most LAA types aren’t designed to take the punishment which some of the other in-service training aircraft (like the PA-28 or the C-150) are able to withstand. Thispictureshowsafairly typicaloverloadfailure,along the edge of a weld in the support flange of a DynAero MCR-01 Club noseleg. Luckily, this failure was spotted by the diligent owner, Peter Milward, during a pre-flight inspection so it didn’t end up as being the cause of a collapse on landing or take-off.
(Photo: Peter Milward)
(Above) Whatever aircraft you fly, it’s vitally importantthat its undercarriage is inspected before every flight, and a detailed inspection of the whole assembly is carried out regularly, as part of your Tailored Maintenance Schedule. Noseleg failures almost always involve extremely expensive repairs firstly, there’s the inevitable engine shock load inspection, then there’s normally a new propeller, plus, of course, repairs to the lower forward fuselage structure, which, if you’re very unlucky can include a firewall replacement. There’s perhaps an even more important reason to keep an eye on things during this failure, the leg itself has broken through into the cockpit! As you can see, the part has ended up very close to the pilot’s feet, which is potentially more life-changing than a dent in the bank balance. (Photo: Swiss TSB)
Wo years ago, we launched the Struts4U column in LA, with the idea of informing members about their nearest Strut or Club and list their activities on over the following two month. This column would also give us the opportunity to share news of fly-ins, meetings and talks, along with monthly articles from Struts across the UK.
During that time, the profile of Strut activities has been raised and has culminated in the colourful and informative corner in Marquee A at this year’s LAA Rally, which saw new banners displayed, along with information boards, and tea and coffee supplied to visitors! Over the last few months, we've also seen the revival of the Cornwall and West Midland Struts.
All that has been possible because of the dedicated work put in by enthusiastic Strut committees, from the North of Scotland to the Cornish peninsular, and the encouragement given by LAA staff and Board members during the Meet the Members days at various fly-ins.
However, the LAA Rally ‘Workers Strut’ has a different agenda, and it isn’t until you see their large foam hands directing you to the spaces in our biggest annual event’s car park that you get a glimpse into the work put in by Paul Lawrence and his team.
Paulwrites: “I attended my first Rallywith my Dad, Stan Lawrence (Andover Strut), back in 1978,at Sywell. Inall the years since then I've only missed two Rallies.
“For many years | helped out with the Andover Strut at the LAA Rally, until 1994, when |joined Geoff Church, to assist with the electrics. Back in those days, the Rally was on a much larger scale. Then in 2006 Geoff asked me to take over the reigns of the electrical installations.
(Above)The LAA Rally Workers Strut and the Air Ambulance Service collected over £2,300 at this year’s Rally. Thanks to everybody for their generosity. (Photo:Brian Hope)
“Today we have a great team of Rally volunteers, some original long-termers, others new volunteers, and we also have three canine assistants, a Golden Lab named Mollie, a Golden Retriever called Dylan and Milo, a Yorkshire Terrier, all of wnom do the very important job of raising funds for the Air Ambulance Service.
We come from near and far, the furthest being, Mike, Jan, Mollie and Dylan who drive over from Portugal each year. Then there’s Mac, who Jackie and | recruited while we were on holiday in Castleton, Derbyshire, a few years back, and has no interest in aviation whatsoever!
“Our newest volunteers are Ros and Rob Slater, who actually broke down in the car park at this year’s Rally. After receiving some fabulous assistance, and offers of tea, coffee and cakes, they were overwhelmed by the help and friendliness of everyone and decided they want to join our team next year. Some of the new members might only commit to a day or two but that really does make all the difference.
“Many of us arrive at the Rally on the Tuesday beforehand, set ourselves up at ‘Sparky Hollow HQ’ and begin the task of getting all the equipment together and checked from the Rally container, which is kept on site. Before we begin this, many hours have already been spent sourcing equipment, such as generators, cables, sockets, toilets, showers, etc, with lots of liaising with Penny Sharpe at HQ and the Rally organising team, and finally rallying the troops.
“The Wednesday, Thursday and Friday morning is spent installing all the cables, splitters and sockets into the marquees. We set up generators, toilets and showers and mark out the car park with cones and fencing.
“Once the Rally is under way, behind the scenes we keep the generators topped up, and make sure the security lights and all the facilities keep working. We have ‘Sparky Parkies’ who, with their wavy hands, get every vehicle situated safely, and our canine team and their owners collect donations for the Air Ambulance. This year the team collected over £2,300!
“We take a break on the Friday and Saturday nights and enjoy our traditional Rally workers’ BBQ. On the Sunday, after parking duties are completed, we have a bit of downtime to enjoy the Rally ourselves. At around 15.30 we head over to the Air Ambulance Service stand for our annual team photo and, once the event is over, begin the ‘tear down’. We usually finish around 7pm, have a quick wash up and head to the pub for a well-deserved meal.
“The clear up doesn't finish there though, as the Monday involves getting generators, showers, etc, collected, and packing all the equipment back into the container at Sywell, which is followed by doing the same to Sparky Hollow HQ, the journey home and unpacking again!
“This group of amazing and hardworking friends make the Rally for me, and without them | wouldn't want to do it year on year. Although aviation is my passion and hobby, the Rally is a chance to catch up with friends old and new, have some good food and banter, do some hard work, laugh, swear and joke about doing it all again the next year. We've all made wonderful friends and have many lasting memories.
“l’m sure you'll all join me in saying thank you to the very unique LAA Rally Workers Strut!”
The Rally’s electrical installation team gets cracking as soon as the marquees have been erected.
(Photo:Paul Lawrence)
STRUT MEETINGS
Andover Strut
Spitfire Club, PophamAirfield, 1930
Contact keith.picton@ntlworld.com
8 October TBC
12 November TBC
Bristol Strut
BAWA Club, Filton, 1930
Contact tw@bristol-wing.co.uk
2 October “Racing for Rhinos” by lan and Fiona Macaskill
Cornwall Strut
The Clubhouse, Bodmin Airfield ContactPeteWhitepete@aeronca.co.uk / 01752 406660
7 October Test Pilot, Graham Andrews
28 November Steve Slater LAA CEO
Devon Strut
Kent Strut
Cobtree Manor Golf Club, Maidstone, Kent, 2000
Contact gary.james.smith@btinternet.com
25 October Display Pilot TBC
29 November Airline Pilots’ Simulator Instructor TBC
LiNSY Trent Valley Strut
Trent Valley Gliding Club, Kirton Lindsey Contact pilotbarry1951@gmail.com www.linsystrut.wixsite.com/website
North East Strut
Fishburn Airfield, 1930
Contact simonmjohnston @btinternet.com
North Western Strut
Veterans Lounge, Barton, Manchester, Manchester, 1930 for 2000
Contact cliffmort@btinternet.com / 01925 227674
9 October “Airworthiness Engineering” by Malcolm McBride (LAA) 13 November TBA
North Wales Strut
The Ley Arms, Kenn, Exeter, 1930 (October-April)Contactdavid.millin@sea-sea.com
15 October Strut evening 19 November AGM &talk on ballooning by John Whicher
West Midlands Strut
Navigator Café, Wolverhampton Halfpenny Green Airport, 19.30
Contact Graham Wiley westmidlandslaastrut@ googlegroups.com / Stuart Darby stuartdarby134@hotmail.com www.wmstrut.co.uk
24 October “Renovation work at RAF Cosford” November Strut AGM
West of Scotland Strut
Bowfield Country Club, Howwood, PAY1DZ
Contactnkg@barnbeth.demon.co.uk / 01505 612493
Youth & Education Strut (YES)
Contact Stewart Luck captainluck@hotmail.com
Please note, some Struts make a smallcharge towards costs for non-members but all are welcome to attend. Can Strut members please email their newsletters to struts@/laa.uk.com and let me know ifthey’ve a ‘feature’for publication. Also, please inform me of changes to datesor contacts. Many thanks to the Strut co-ordinators and newsletter editorsfor the steadyflow of info. If you’d like us to feature your Strut, get in touch.
hat a 2018 LAA Rally! As you'll read elsewhere in this issue of LA, despite the one-per-minute ‘slot’ system imposed on Sywell Aerodrome by the CAA, we came very close to the magic 1,000 arrivals, the weather was perfect, we had a record 60+ trade exhibitors and a fantastic, fun, atmosphere.
Where do | start with the thank yous after sucha brilliantevent?
First of all, thank you to everyone who turned up (more than 4,500 in all), the pilots of the 958 visiting aircraft who (almost) without exception displayed exemplary airmanship,
the exhibitors, those who appeared at Speakers Corner, Sywell Aerodrome and LAA staff members. Last but definitely not least, huge thanks to all the volunteers who helped out at the Rally the airside marshallers, the awards judges, Dudley Pattison and his team in the ever-popular Homebuilder’s Tent, those manning club and Strut stands and the bustling Fleamarket, and the volunteers from the LAA Rally Workers. They are all the true unsung heroes of the event.
TheLAARallyWorkersmightsounda bit like a trade union, but | doubt whether any card-carrying employee would put in the
Paul Lawrence, the LAA Rally Workers team plus LA editor Brian Hope and Rally veteran an Harrison were first on site. The Tuesday before the event saw them marking out the ocations for the marquees and display areas, hen when the tents were up, crisscrossing he site with electric cables, to provide the exhibitors with power and lighting.
During the Rally itself, you'd probably have met some of the Workers team waving vehicles into the car park, plus of course members of the Andover Strut, who were running the campsite.
You'd probably have even met the brace of fund-raising Labrador dogs which, with
hours they do. Led by Leicestershire flyer
There were plenty of people, aircraft and sunshine at this year’s Rally. (Photo: Nei! Wilson)
their owners, each year, commute to the Rally from Portugal. This year the Labradors and their owners helped the Air Ambulance Service raise over £2,000 in donations, via contributions placed in baskets around their necks the canines’, that is!
And when everyone else has gone home, the LAA Workers are the last to leave the site, having cleared away the signs, noticeboards and cones, and cleared up the rubbish.
Why do they do it? Because it’s fun and owing to the fantastic team spirit and true sense of shared enthusiasm among friends. It’s also about giving something back to our mutual passion: flying. And isn’t that what the LAA is all about?
ASK NOT WHAT...
That point brings me to the slightly oddball headline of this edition of CEO Chat. It goes back to John F Kennedy’s inauguration day speech in January 1961, when he challenged his fellow Americans with, “Ask not what your country can do for you ask what you can do for your country.”
Without entering into politics, | doubt that Donald J Trump’s inauguration speech (if anyone can remember any of it) contained any such motivation. So, has the world changed to such an extent that the volunteer ethic is fading into one of ‘I'd rather have it handedtomeona plate’?
There’s no doubt that the world has changed a lot since JFK’s speech. We're all a lot more pressured in terms of time. But, | think the pioneering and innovative approach to make aircraft ownership truly achievable, which was begun by the PFA and continues today, still holds true.
Because it’s
fun...
And isn't that what the LAA is all about?”
Our Association stands for a strong sense of community, one inclusive of all types of aircraft from the home-built, vintage or Classic types to the inspirational and cutting-edge, and which truly supports every one of its members, in enjoying the adventure of flight.
And | believewe’dbea lotpoorer,in many ways, if we lost that volunteer ethic. Our association relies on volunteers at all levels whether it’s Strut members who areoutinallweathers,settingupafly-in event, or an LAA Inspector who's giving their time in a hangar on a perfect flying day, to carry out an Annual Inspection on another member’s aircraft, or a Pilot Coach patiently guiding a member through the idiosyncrasies of a newly-acquired aircraft.
Suffice to say, it’s the LAA’s volunteers which make our Association what it is.
CEO THOUGHTS
...BUT ON THE OTHER HAND
So saying, there are some areas where the LAA needs to pay for professional resources, in order to deliver the services that our members require.
One area where we're reviewing this is the Night IFR process, which was initiated as a member-led programme but, frankly, has seen demand outstrip the volunteer-based resources when it comes to delivering the approval of sufficient numbers of aircraft.
We're also looking at further reinforcing our Engineering staff, in particular to take advantage of opportunities which are likely to be created by greater future deregulation.
If you fancy becoming part of the LAA Engineering team and think you're appropriately qualified |’d be delighted to hear from you!
YOUR ASSOCIATION NEEDS YOU!
Likewise, if you fancy getting involved at either a local or national level with the LAA, we'd love for you to get in touch. Locally, check out the Struts 4U pages in this magazine, to find your nearest, then head across to its next meeting to find out how you can join the gang.
It may be that you have specific skills which might be appropriate to volunteering for our specialist teams, such as the Safety Working Group, the Airworthiness Oversight or the Rally organising team. You might even have the skills and experience to volunteer to join our Board. If you have, and you’re interested in volunteering your skills or knowledge, drop us a line at LAA HQ - details on page 3.
After all, we’re all Kennedys rather than Trumps,aren'twe?
LAA President Roger Hopkinson (second from left) and Chairman Brian Davies (at right), with the Transport Minister for Aviation,
ack in the early nineties, LAA member Nigel Ramsay was very much engaged with the Shadow microlight and became the UK agent for the two-stroke Rotax engine starter motor from the US company, Air Drive. Unfortunately, it proved to have quality issues so Nigel decided to design a better starter assembly of his own. In conjunction with Don Law, the M4 starter was conceived and became an immediate success.
Time and people move on, and Nigel left the microlight scene, owning a Taylorcraft for many years. The M4 starter ceased production some years ago, however, inspired by the SSDR category, Nigel has since returned to the two-stroke Rotax scene with a 447-engined Minimax.
A RESURRECTION!
Nigel soon discovered that there’s a demand for M4 spares and complete new starter kits. Consequently, assisted by fellow LAA member Justin Baker, of English Wheeling fame, a new and improved version of the M4 starter was designed, which is parts-compatible with the earlier model and has been named the M5.
An initial batch of ten M5s is being finalised as | write, and spare parts will
(Above)The M5 starter, on display at this year’s LAA Rally. (Photo:BrianHope)
also be available. Those spares will enable existing M4 owners to either send their old model to Nigel for repair or purchase the parts to do so themselves.
This year’s LAA Rally saw the launch of the M5 starter, although unfortunate production delays meant that Nigel didn't have stock to sell at the event. However, he was happy with the level of response garnered during the Rally, and by the time you read this, parts and kits should be available.
NEW & IMPROVED
So, what improvements have been made to the M4 with the release of the M5? Well, the design of backplate has been changed, to avoid the need to mill out a location groove where it comes up against the back of the Rotax crankcase. There was a tendency for the plate to develop cracks, so the new version is laminated. A thin additional plate has been overlaid on the back of the main plate, rather than it being machined.
In addition, on the M4 version, the driveshaft from the starter’s planetary gearbox passes
through the backplate via a phosphor bronze bush. When it wears, that bush permits misalignment of the engine-driven pulley and the starter pulley, thus allowing the drive belt to run itself off. On the M5, a sealed-for-life ball-race replaces the bush, ensuring a very much longer bearing life and alignment.
Other improvements include a higher torque sprag clutch, which is easily replaceable, and better bracketry to hold the starter motor to the side of the engine. And the starter itself, although the same dimensions as on the M4, is now 1,100w instead of 900w and was designed to start a two-litre automotive engine.
The complete M5 kit comes with a plastic cover to enclose the gears and belt (which isn’t shown in the picture above), thus protecting them from the elements, plus an installation manual. The M65 kit is set to sell for under £500 and will accommodate the Rotax 377, 447, 508, 532 and 582 engines.
Nigel is currently working with Francis Moyle to ensure a good fit on gyroplanes with the 582 engine as the original Rotax starter fouls the mast.
For more information, Nigel and Justin have set up a website, at www.mdSaviation products.com or you can ring Nigel direct on 07956 039437.
t
Sarum
Aviation Fair 07903 848726 21 Sywell LAAAnnual General Meeting [members only] 01280 846786 25 Yeovilton Threshold Aero Navy Wings Night Photo-Shoot[pre-book] eSSia
il Old Buckenham Remembrance Service [PPR]
i Stow Maries Remembrance Service [PPR] 14 Gloster Strut GASCoSafetyEvening
14-16 Sakhir, Bahrain Bahrain IntAir Show
16-18 Beverley-Linley Hill Humber Bridge Balloon Meet 19
[pre-book]
Jan 6 Croydon Aerodrome Hotel Aviation Collectors Fair
Jan 17 Yeovilton FAAM Aircraft Access Evening[pre-book]
Feb 16-17 Napier, New Zealand Art Deco Weekend Airshow
Mar 7
Feb 22-24 Masterton, New Zealand Wings Over Wairarapa Air Show Yeovilton FAAM Cobham Hall Workshops Tours [pre-book]
Apr 2-7
Mar 22-24 Echuca, Australia Antique Aeroplane Association NationalFly-in Lakeland, Florida, USA EAA Sun 'n Fun Fly-in
May 8-12 Rio de Janeiro—Galeao IntAirport, Brazil Brazil Air Show
Jun 13-15 Wycombe-Booker AeroExpo UK & Heli UK Expo Tradeshow (pre-register)
Jul 19-2! Fairford RIAT Military Display 01285-713300
Jul 22-28
Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA EAA AirVenture National Fly-in& Display
Aug 15-18 Eastbourne Seafront Air Show
For all display or commercial advertising enquiries please contact Neil Wilson: 07512 773532 neil.wilson@laa.uk.com
You can email your classified advertisement direct to the LAA at the following address: sheila.hadden@laa.uk.com
Deadline for booking and copy: 19 October 2018
If you would like to place an aircraft for sale advert please see details below:
MEMBERS’
ADVERTISEMENTS
Up to 30 words: £6; 31-50 words: £12
Up to 50 words with a coloured photo: £45
NON-MEMBERS’ ADVERTISEMENTS
Up to 30 words: £22; 31-50 words: £44
Up to 50 words with a coloured photo: £60 www.laa.uk.com
LAA Engineering advice to buyers:
AIRCRAFT APPROVED? Members and readers should note that the inclusion of all advertisements in the commercial or classified sections of this magazine does not necessarily mean that the product or service is approved by the LAA. In particular, aircraft types, or examples of types advertised, may not, for a variety of reasons, be of a type or standard that is eligible for the issue of a LAA Permit to Fly. You should not assume that an aircraft type not currently on the LAA accepted type list will eventually be accepted.
IMPORTED AIRCRAFT? Due to unfavourable experiences, the purchase and import of completed homebuilt aircraft from abroad is especially discouraged.
TIME TO BUILD? When evaluating kits/designs, it should borne in mind that technica! details, performance figures and handling characteristics are often quoted for a factory-produced aircraft flying under ideal conditions. It is wise, therefore, to seek the opinion of existing builders and owners of the type. You should also take your own skill and circumstances into consideration when calculating build times. The manufacturer's build time should be taken as a guide only.
AMATEUR BUILDING All LAA aircraft builders and potential builders are reminded that in order to qualify for a LAA Permit to Fly, homebuilt aircraft must be genuinely amateur built. For these purposes the CAA provide a definition of amateur built in their publication CAP 659, available from LAA. An extract from CAP 659 reads “The building and operation of the aircraft will be solely for the education and recreation of the amateur builder. This means that he would not be permitted to commission someone else to build his aircraft’. An aircraft built outside the CAA’s definition could result in an expensive garden ornament.
OCTOBER
Wanted Continental A65 back plate to develop an oil filter adapter to fit a Cub. Unserviceable plate will be ok. Can return when finished with. Julian Mills 07976 530563 jpm.aviation@gmail.com
Wanted Jodel 1050. Prefer in A1 condition but will consider anything, cash waiting, serious buyer - can view anywhere UK or France. Phil 07736 017 276.
For Sale £10,000. Europa XS G-PATZ. PFA 247-12625. Superb quality build, first flew 7/1999. Stored from 9/2009, total time 474 hrs. Has initial Warpdrive fixed pitch prop plus Woodcomp Kremen V/P prop which requires factory overhaul. Rotax 912, compressions checked 4/2018 all good. With Trailer. Will require new spec radio and transponder and new permit. Estate sale, owner deceased. Contact Richard Eaton 07980 239283 and richard@eatonair.co.ukPleasecontactafter 20th October.
Alpi Pioneer 300. Retractable U/C. Constant speed prop. Icom 8.33 panel mounted Radio, Garmin modeCTransponder.Comprehensive Panel inclMiniiPadmount,plusAVMAP EKP4. New engine Rotax 912 ULS fitted January 2017 due to thieves stealing original.Only 30 hrs to date. Airframe 720 hrs total. New Permit to August 2019. Always hangared.Aircraft is in excellent condition in every respect. £49,950. Due to age and health it is time for me to retire. Mob 07881 930187. Email: r.pidcock@hotmail.co.uk
Rearwin Cloudster 1939. Total time airframe 1321 hrs. Warner 145 radial engine 13hrs since complete rebuild. New interior, Trig TY91 and Funke Mode S. Brakes have been upgraded to Matco discs. Permit until Feb 2019. £52,500. Contact Will Gray 01425-476 590 willgray@waitrose.com
Jodel D140B Mousquetaire. Engine approx 210 hrs, zero-timed 2014. Trig 8.33 / Mode S. NavCom VOR/ILS/DME. Fuselage ail refurbished 2014. Many parts replaced. Well maintained, always hangared. Self-owned last 20 years. Permit May 2019. Often admired, delight to fly. Capable, respected type, rarely available - offered at £45,000. tonycrome@yahoo.comGreatOakley.
cheGeer
Vans RV-6 G-RVIB, built 2002 LAA. Permit May 2019. Lycoming O-320E2A, 1770 hours. Catto two-blade prop 750 hours. LAA aerobatics approved. Fuel 214 litres (Johanson tip tanks). Numerous extras / spares. Always hangared. ADs, SBs compliant, NDH. Currently at EINC,Wicklow. Price: £72,000. Request Dropbox link: Peter Gorman, p1@rv6.net 00-353-861-741477.
1971 Rollason Condor D62b, G-AYZS. Rolls Royce O200A engine. Original Panel + 8.33 Radio. Permit untilAugust 2019. Always hangared. No crash history, one principal owner since 1986.Contact dickthrush789@btinternet.com.£12,400. Bulldog Series 120 Model121,ex RAF. TTAF 9200 hrs, TTE 700 hrs, 200 hrs sincetop overhaulendOH.Prop18hrssincemajor lastyearFl 107.6.Baremetal re-sprayin RAFcoloursin 2016.TrigTY91 8.33kHzradiofitted.PermituntilJune2019. £45,000.CallDon07971556017
Europa Classic, excellent condition with SkyMap GPS, EDM700 Engine Monitoring System, fuel monitoring computer, autopilot, SmartASS_ airspeed warning system and EPIRB. Low hours Rotax 80HP recently fitted in exchange of previous Subaru unit.VP Prop. £28,995 including Trailer. For further info, photos or to arrangeviewing/flighttest contact chrisdeith@hotmail.comortext07876686569
CeaAe
Europa XS Monowheel. Popham-based. 912S Rotax, Funke 8.33 radio and Mode S. Share £5.5K plus £45 pcm in fast economical tourer. Contact John 07710 505 320 (M) 0208 393 2671 (H).
Popham. Three Aircraft VFR group based at Popham. Wassmer WA52, Robin DR400 and Vagabond PA17. All hangered and well looked after. Long-standing well run group with good availability. Share £1,950, £75pm for all three. Contact Gareth on 07518 912 714oremail:ghamiltonfletcher@gmail.com for more information or to see the aircraft.
PROJECTS
Stampe SV4 projects for sale. Choice of three with or without engines. Also large and varied stock of Stampe and Renault spares. 07767 881 121.
Ua ah ty A a)aka
Storage clearance. “White Lightning” F1 Racer fuselage mould £100 to take away. Location Bizspace Didcot. Call Andrew Chadwick 07802 232085. Email: ac@ chadwick-international.com
JPM, Oil filter adapters
Made to order, Continental O-200 -12 £290 and A65 -8 £390. Will help with Mod paperwork. These adapters replace the oil screen assembly. Julian Mills 07976 530563. jpm.aviation@gmail.com
aS Aircraft Transportation Specialists
Custom exhaust systems and aluminium fuel tanks undertaken. Manchester based. Contact Julian Mills on 07976 530563 or email:jom.aviation@gmail.com
Two Eismann AM-4 Magnetos, good condition. Suit A65 or VW conversion£100 each. Also, two impulse couplings and matching drive gears for A65, one requires new spring, £50 each. Phil 07736 017 276.
Flying Holidays. France, Loire, Montrichard airfield. Hangarage for two
Fourperson gite with "just fly in" logistics
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FOR NOVEMBER 2018
For November we have a free landing at FullSutton in Yorkshire’s move forward and you don’t want to end up with the sun on the EastRiding,half-price landings at Lee-on-Solent,Hampshire, and end of the strip upon your returnhome,or worse, discover that Shobdon, Herefordshire, and a free hot drink and cake for the you've stilla way to go and darkness is setting in! pilot at Wycombe Air Park(Booker),Buckinghamshire.
Also rememberthat asthe temperature decreases during the Enjoyyour visitto these LAA-friendlyairfields but don’t forget afternoon,mist or fog can form surprisingly quickly sotake note toheadforhomealittleearlierintheday,assunsetisstartingto ofthatdewpoint!Havefunandbesafe.
& a a
Full Sutton is open seven days a week, available in the clubhouse. Why not please PPRbefore leaving your home use the airfield as a base to visit the airfield. To help find the airfield there City of York, with its Minster and are four large grain silos to its East. Railway Museum, or Castle Howard, Please do not fly over the prison next each of which are about nine miles away? door, under any circumstances, or land Taxis and car hire can be arranged. short of the displaced threshold. Radio www.fullsuttonairfield.co.uk is 120.100. Avgas can be supplied by arrangement, and tea and coffee are
Joining usfor the first time, Lee-on-Solent side or overhead joins, please. PPR is situated right on the South Coast and and beware of the nearby Fleetlands boasts many new features, including a ATZ. A/G radio is 118.925. recently resurfaced runway and a new www.solentairport.co.uk cafe and reception area. Avgas available. A new road and pathways make access to the beach easy, and the local Hovercraft Museum is only a short walk away (check for opening times). No dead
HALF-PRICE LANDING FOR NOVEMBER 2018 = I rn
A nice airfield, which offers a warm PPR.Avgas and Jet A1. Shobdon is welcome to LAA/GA aeroplanes open seven days a week. The new (the Shobdon Strut is based here). radio frequency is 118.155. The airfield café serves a large menu, www.shobdonairfield.co.uk with the famous Shobdon roast on a Sunday lunchtime. Located 6nm west of Leominster, in the Welsh Marches, it’s only a short walk to the lovely local village church and The Arches. Please
E fa a
FREE COFFEE & A CAKE FOR NOVEMBER 2018
Situated in a great spot with local towns, to powered aircraft. Be prepared to join country houses and the River Thames downwind or on base-leg, as directed nearby, plus a good airfield history and by Wycombe Tower on 126.550. Please a nice mix of based aircraft. Keep your also see the website for details. landing receipt once booked in and www.wycombeairpark.co.uk hand it in at the restaurant to qualify for this offer. Avgas, Jet A1 and UL91 are available. PPR please. Look out for gliders, which fly an opposite side circuit
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