Table of contents for September 2023 in Pilot

I frittered away much of last year’s spring and early summer flying weather grappling with what you might call age-related problems with my Piper Cub’s undercarriage, perhaps foolishly deciding to preserve its originality by hunting down increasingly rare parts for its Hayes expander-tube drum brakes for a rebuild, rather than fitting the modern Grove disc brake conversion. So far this year my plans to make up for lost time by freeing up some leisure time and flying the wings off the thing have come to naught, thanks in the main to a lot of distinctly non-flying weather. My logbook shows just a handful of flights so far in 2023 and says nothing about the times I have rolled up to the strip only to find a crosswind not forecast. (I…

Big news from BA British Airways is to launch a brand-new pilot cadet programme this autumn that will fund training annually for up to sixty would-be airline pilots. It is hoped that the creation of the ‘British Airways Speedbird Pilot Academy’ will remove the cost barrier to becoming an airline pilot, making the profession much more accessible. Successful applicants will be offered a place at an approved flight training school with the costs funded by British Airways. Upon completing the course, students will be offered a position as a British Airways pilot. With this programme the airline is making a multi-million-pound investment into its next generation of pilots. The airline says it remains committed to further increasing diversity in the aviation industry. It is determined to increase awareness, visibility, and…

I first noticed that something was wrong when getting out of bed that morning. I had shooting pains in my back just above my shoulder blades. It’s true that I’d been doing a spot of building in the garden, but this was something far more insidious than aches caused by unreasonable physical demands on an old body. Days later I had a painful toe on my left foot. Gout, I thought. Soon after, I discovered that my weight was several kilos less than it had been just a few weeks earlier. I grew concerned. I am in the sixty-fifth year, and although quite fit I am no spring chicken. I started reading health columns in newspapers I follow online. Although out of the heart attack-driven mortality trap that lurks for…

Vans hits van Aircraft Type: Vans RV-9A Date & Time: 2 March 2023 at 1212 Commander’s Flying Experience: LAPL, 1,106 hours (of which 791 were on type) Last 90 days: 8 hours Last 28 days: 2 hours The Vans RV-9A had taken off at 1200 to conduct a short local flight before a planned departure to Dunkeswell later in the afternoon. On return from the local flight the pilot positioned to land on Runway 06 at Henstridge. The pilot recalled turning final at approximately 500ft agl and felt the approach was normal. He had operated from Henstridge since 2006 and was therefore aware of the road, which crosses the Runway 06 undershoot, but he did not observe any vehicle traffic as he began the approach. Just before touchdown the pilot…

Recent events led me to reflecting on my days in 1969 and 1970 at the College of Air Training, Hamble, then a bustlingly busy little grass airfield in southern England. A Hamble facebook group posted reminiscences and photographs shared by former cadets and employees. I re-read a review in our Books & Gear column of a brief college history by Stuart Logan: The CAT and The Hamsters and started actually reading that book after it had lain unregarded beside my bed with a dozen dusty others for several years. Five decades after I successfully graduated from that unique establishment, I ponder on why I was so miserable there. After all, after having passed a rigorous selection process I was extremely fortunate to have been selected as acceptable for pilot training…

“This is so much better than being in school,” smiles George. “I bet,” I reply. Often referred to around the house as ‘Surly George’, my fifteen-year-old son is far from surly today as he deftly pilots our SF-25 motor glider across the Lincolnshire Wolds towards East Kirkby. This plan started taking shape the previous week, when George had announced that the following Friday was ‘take your child to work day’. “So, how do you imagine this is going to work George? Are you just going to sit in the office with me while I compile next month’s ‘Safety Matters’?” “Actually,” he grinned, “I thought perhaps you should write your ‘Push To Talk’ column around us flying into somewhere interesting, like East Kirkby or Old Warden”. “You did, did you?” I…

Airstrip with Airbnb accommodation Peter Bishop is now offering Airbnb accommodation at his private grass airstrip in Hampshire. This is believed to be the first Airbnb in the UK with a co-located runway. The airstrip, Oaklands Farm is based at East Tytherley, on the boundary of the Middle Wallop MATZ and near to Bossington airstrip. It is operated under the 28-day rule. There are five different cottages in a rural setting, and use of the runway and tennis court is free to guests. PPR is required, and accommodation can be booked via Airbnb, under the condition that pilots land, park and take off completely at their own risk. ‘The 635m 18/36 strip is only suitable for STOL aircraft and or experienced farm strip pilots,’ cautions the owner. Manx Aeropark making…

New & restored registrations REGISTRATION // PREVIOUS IDENTITY // TYPE // OWNER/OPERATOR Cancellations…

THE PAN AM PRIZE! silentpooldistillers.com has joined Pilot to present our Star Letter writer the gloriously indulgent prize of a litre bottle each of Pan Am gin and vodka in a Pan Am building presentation box STAR LETTER Friedrichshafen reflection Friedrichshafen showed any number of enticing 600kg category aircraft which have moved from rag-and-two-stroke to what can only be described as very sophisticated machinery. Apart from two rear seats they outclass the 2003 DA40 I currently fly. Nearly twice as fast and with the availability of a turbine. The latter seems to me to be the great hope of GA. Maintenance and reliability, if theory turns to practice, will simply be of a different order. I wrote a comprehensive article on the Zoche diesel many years back for Pilot. That…

Paul Bertorelli of AVweb is one of the best aviation journalists in the world. Inquisitive, balanced, and entertaining, he’s a role model for me. So, when I read his highly critical review of the Velis Electro (‘Pipistrel Velis Electro: Certified Electric’, AVweb.com, 15 May 2023) I was very surprised. If even someone as insightful as him can miss the point on sustainable aviation, what chances do we have of beating climate change? In his detailed analysis of the Electro – the first certified electric aircraft in the world – Bertorelli focuses on the limited endurance of the aircraft (one hour), concluding that it is impractical for US-style training and giving it an unfavourable overall assessment. His analysis works along the lines of “You graduated in the top 10% of your…

One of the fascinations with flying is that there are so many differing elements to it. Initially everyone has to follow a similar route when learning, and in many fundamentals most schools are similar, as are the aircraft they offer. Yet some are prone to instructors with gold bars, offering their training as a stepping stone to the airlines. Whilst others are a little more relaxed in dress code, seeing their efforts geared to the freedom and exhilaration of recreational flight. However, regardless of the image, the training on offer will be almost identical, as it’s underwritten and standardised by the same regulators. Once qualified though, a whole plethora of different avenues opens up for people to explore. The gold bar brigade may encourage you to seek a flying job…