Our movie from our Freedom Wings flying day, held 24th August 2010 with guests from Young Inclusive Club, part of the Community Cultural Partnership work.
A few weeks ago, I did some IMC check flights to make sure all that I was taught in March was still in my mind. I was given the all clear by the instructors after the check flights. We flew NDB, VOR, ILS approaches. A few hours of flying with partial instrument panel was much fun. My instructor on those flights put the aeroplane into some strange and wild configuration which I had to recover from. I organised a last minute flight to France. Having completed my GAR form which is submitted to Special Branch, and filed my flight plan within the proper time frame, I arrived at Cranfield nice and early to get the aeroplane checked, fueled, oiled and packed for my first adventure to France. The destination was Le Touquet. Most days, this airfield is visited by UK pilots. The weather was forecast to be great for flying. The North French coast had sea fog.
My route would take me through Luton controlled class D zone, I slotted behind an Airbus A320, then routed to the East of London, via Stapleford. From there, you could make out Docklands and have a view of London City Airport. Farnborough Radar talked to me until I reached the estuary of the Thames where I changed frequency to Manston Rader (I believe Manston due the size of the runway is an emergency landing location for the space shuttle). I stayed with them all the way to Dover. 15 miles from Dover I could make out the UK coastline, and on the horizon visual with the sea fog. Flying around Southend you need to stay below 2500 ft as above that you are in the London TMA. Once I was clear of that, I climbed up to 5500 ft. The mid channel point was 9 nautical miles from Dover – at this point, I was crossing the international flight region. This flight enhanced even more what flying is all about. It also made me think of the pilots during the Battle of Britain and wondered how they must felt..
Once I had Calais in sight on my left, I took Continue reading ‘Flying to France, LFAT, Le Touquet’
A new device has come onto the market which fills a small niche area for Private Pilots in the UK.
This new device, quite unlike anything else currently available, provides a low cost moving map display using a 4.3″ backlit sunlight readable screen and contains the latest UK ICAO 1:500,000 chart.
In essence the devices primary function is to warn when the pilot is approaching, and then about to enter, restricted airspace. The user interface is incredibly easy and you are given information that is 5 mins ahead of you in the direction of your intended track. The Aware device comes with the ICAO 1:500,000 scale UK chart preloaded on the supplied SD card, with more charts available on Airbox web site. For those pilots who prefer them, the 1:250,000 scale charts are available to download for a fee. How cool is that!
We flew down to Goodwood recently and during the flight we tested the Aware system. It is so simple to use. Open box, then charge for 6 hours. Then when ready to use, we turned it on in the aeroplane, within a few minutes the system was booted and we could see that the plane was at Cranfield airport.
After departure, the first alert was for the Luton Zone. We flew under it, then given enough warning to tell us about Benson MATZ. Farnborough Rader (W) gave us MATZ penetration, but to stay clear of their ATZ. After this, we saw that Solent Control was on our right, but we were well clear of them, and the strong winds would not drift us anywhere near their airspace. In the past, I had burst Southampton Zone on the way to Old Sarum. I was able to call the Airport duty manager to tell them of the bust. A few days later, I spoke to NATS at London Heathrow who helped me Continue reading ‘NATS & Airbox: Aware GPS : flight test’
On SUNDAY 30th May 2010, Freedom in the Air (FITA) will be hosting an ‘Introduction to Aviation’ day beginning at 10:30 from Cranfield Airport in Bedfordshire. The day is named, for obvious reasons, Freedom Wings and, with the support of Cranfield Airport, will be Freedom in the Air’s second at the Airport for the 2010 summer flying season.
10 people with a mixture of disabilities from Attitude is Everything will have the chance of a lifetime to experience the freedom of flight, in the hope that it may expand their horizons when they attend the “Freedom Wings” day.
Attitude is Everything began as a pilot project in September 2000 as a response to Deaf and disabled people’s desire for fair treatment at music venues, clubs and festivals. They set out to address an apparent lack of awareness in the music industry of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and its obligations.
For full story click here (PDF file)
On May 9th 2010, I will be doing a wing walk to help raise awareness for Freedom in the Air, in particular for the Freedom Wings project. Freedom Wings is a wonderful opportunity to introduce disadvantaged or disabled youngsters to the freedom experienced in the air. A day in a light aircraft, safely taking control of the plane for a short time is a life-changing experience and enables young people to feel that they can reach for the skies and achieve virtually anything.
“Freedom in the Air allows people with disabilities to push back boundaries and experiences something that they could never have imagined. The freedom of flight has really transformed people’s thoughts and opinions and changed attitudes towards those with a disability”
Mick Dhillon, Chief Executive, The Disability Resource Centre.
Flying is one of the few activities where disabled people can participate to the same degree as an able-bodied person. The exhilarating experience rebuilds confidence and restores self-esteem. This, in turn, empowers people to explore their potential by extending their personal boundaries. In the air, we all fly at the same speed; nobody is disadvantaged or disabled.
The ten young participants, come from a variety of organizations (such as PHAB club, the Autistic Society, Barnardos, the Disability Resource Centre, the Young Carers Association and so on) will learn all about being a pilot, before having their own private 20 minute experience flight in a light aircraft with family members, where – if they wish – they can take control of the aircraft. Continue reading ‘Freedom Wing walk: May 9th 2010 at Damyns Hall Aerodrome, Essex’
03
Jun
The first time i met William Hynett, Britten-Norman’s Group Chief Executive was over a beer at Aero Expo 2007, High Wycombe. BN is the only independent aircraft manufacturer left in the UK. They also assemble Cirrus in their factory on the Isle of Wight. I went there once in a PA28 out of Lasham. Andrew Mackay-Johnstone (one of the trustees of Aviation without Borders) is a very close friend of the man who runs Cirrus and promised to take me flying in a Cirrus SR22 - the same planes that BN assemble…I found this great picture of an Islander (also made by BN) on the web
02
Jun
This article is by Kelly Armstrong who flew with Gautam Lewis, on January 27, 2008 EGTC – EGTC, 3 circuits and local Visual Flight Rules flight (VFR)
It is a crisp sunny Sunday afternoon that will see me taken up into the skies by newly qualified and keen-as-mustard pilot, Gautham Lewis. I will be his second charge since those wings were earned and look forward to experiencing first hand the fruition of many months of hard graft.
We approach Cranfield Airport – an airstrip in Northampton that has long swapped its spitfires and bombers for less deadly machines – and make our way through a series of former military barracks, set in neat little rows, buildings that now house students studying aerospace engineering.
Cranfield has rather a cosy feel to it, a sharp contrast to the overbearing and fortified nature of international airports. Once past the security gate, Continue reading ‘A day getting high’
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