FLYER April 2021 by Flyer Digital Team

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April 2021

THE UK’S MOST READ GA MAGAZINE

Get Back in the Groove MAKING ART OF FLIGHT

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LOCKDOWN LOCALS

FUN FLYING IN TIER THREE

Editorial

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Ed Hicks

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

One year on…

his time last year, FLYER Bossman, Ian Seager, and I were in Florida doing some flight testing. We’d travelled out to the US with thoughts that this trip was a kick-start to an exciting year of flying, but it had been against a backdrop of a steadily increasing number of news stories about something we are all too familiar with these days… Covid-19. On the trip, we met a few GA industry people who thought trips to places like China might be ‘off for a month or two’, but the general feeling was that it couldn’t last too long… Looking back now, one year on, it’s hard to believe that we’re still gripped by coronavirus restrictions. Obviously the huge decline in newsstand sales of magazines that occurred in fairly short order saw a big change for FLYER, when we took the decision to go digital – and go free. I’m happy to say that for us, it’s been the right decision, as thanks to you, our readers, we’re experiencing a huge wave of support for FLYER. That includes the Livestream, our regular weekly live online broadcast – it’s on every Thursday from 7.30pm on Facebook and YouTube for around 45 minutes. If you’d told me a year ago that we’d be a regular part of so many GA pilots’ and enthusiasts’ weekly evening viewing, I would have thought you might be slightly mad. But it’s a thing, and Ian, Dave, Jonny and I love that it’s become a bit of fun and sanity during the recent months, especially during lockdown three. Hopefully we’re not too far away from restrictions being eased, which means we can all find that special bit of headspace that flying provides each one of us. I hope our cover feature, Get back in the groove, which starts on page 26, gives you some things to think about when you make your return to flight. Me? I’ve got a Permit test flight to make for the RV-3, to get that back into service. A good friend of mine and ex-flight test engineer pointed out that it’s no bad thing, as it’s a bit of ordered, procedural flying that makes you raise your game. The world still turns. I’ve heard plenty of talk about living in uncertain times – but in reality, we’re never not in uncertain times. So let’s enjoy our flying, whenever and wherever we can.

EDITOR Ed Hicks ed.hicks@seager.aero NEWS EDITOR Dave Calderwood dave.calderwood@seager.aero PRODUCTION EDITOR Lizi Brown lizi.brown@seager.aero ART EDITOR Ollie Alderton ollie.alderton@seager.aero CONTRIBUTORS Mark Hales, Ed Bellamy Paul Kiddell, Matt Dearden Mark Greenfield, Yayeri van Baarsen Joe Costanza FLIGHT SAFETY EDITOR Steve Ayres steve.ayres@seager.aero PUBLISHER & MANAGING DIRECTOR Ian Seager ics@seager.aero PRODUCTION MANAGER Nick Powell nick.powell@seager.aero SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER Kirstie May kirstie.may@seager.aero FLYER CLUB CHAMPION Jonny Salmon jonny.salmon@seager.aero ADVERTISING ACCOUNT MANAGER Zoe Yeo zoe.yeo@seager.aero EXHIBITION MANAGERS Darran Ward darran.ward@seager.aero Paul Yates paul.yates@seager.aero MARKETING COORDINATOR Joanna Woronowicz joanna.woronowicz@seager.aero FINANCIAL DIRECTOR Martine Teissier martine.teissier@seager.aero CIRCULATION Worldwide, free to download digital edition from flyer.co.uk

ed.hicks@seager.aero

Mark Mitchell

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

April 2021 | FLYER | 3

DON’T PUT OFF UNTIL TOMORROW, WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY

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Contents April 2021

Features 18 I Get Paid for This… Thomas van Marwick

DLR pilot Thomas van Marwick conducts research missions all over the world…

26 Technique Get back in the groove… Mark Greenfield gives his top tips on

sharpening your flying skills after lockdown…

34 My First Solo Laura Laban

Laura Laban paid for flight training by coding add-ons and scenery for sims…

36 Special feature Art of the flying selfie

How one pilot with a Cub and a camera has captured some stunning selfies…

40 Accident Analysis Right attitude…?

Steve Ayres looks at LOC and suggests it is time to get back to basics…

46 Flying Adventure Lockdown locals…

With no land-aways possible in Tier 3, Paul Kiddell flew some three hour locals instead

57 Special Feature Ground School

Get back in the groove

Is now the ideal time to hit the ATPL books? Ian Seager takes a look

66 Top Gear AeroflyFS 2021 Jonny Salmon checks out a fun flying

experience, in the mobile flight sim world…

Regulars 3 Editorial 6 News 14 Instant Expert 16 Pilot Careers

21 23 25 42

Matt Dearden Mark Hales Ian Seager Accident Reports

SIX Free Landings!

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n Llanbedr n Middlezoy n Yatesbury PLUS Win a print or digital Pooleys UK Flight Guide July 2016 | FLYER | 5

Take-off

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

CAA agrees to ObanLochgilphead drone TDA

Skyports

Main Duck! There’s a Skyports drone about Right Temporary Danger Area from Oban to Lochgilphead Below RAF wants to play with its new toy, the SkyGuardian this summer. It’s the size of a medium business jet

General Atomics

The CAA has approved the first of two applications for Temporary Danger Areas (TDAs) for drone operations on the west coast of Scotland near Oban. A TDA complex will operate from Oban to Lochgilphead, with a spur north-west to Craignure on the Isle of Mull. The application was made by Skyports, a drone operator.

6 | FLYER | April 2021

The temporary change will be implemented from Monday 8 February to Wednesday 31 March 2021 (inclusive). The CAA has imposed a weather restriction. If the cloud base is below 1,500ft amsl and visibility is less than 1,500 metres, the TDA cannot be activated. A Danger Area Activity Information Service (DAAIS) will be provided throughout the TDA by Scottish Information on either 127.275 or 119.875Mhz. Requests to enter an active TDA can be made to either Scottish Information or Oban Information, who will relay those requests to Skyports via telephone. Skyports says it will only activate the parts of the TDA complex needed over any given period and will give at least 24 hours’ notice. There is a separate application for a TDA from Skyports, ACP-2020-099, covering Oban-Mull-Coll, which is at an earlier stage.

Other TDAs under discussion include a development of Cranfield’s existing National Beyond visual line of sight Experimentation Corridor (NBEC), and two TDAs applied for by the Ministry of Defence. The RAF wants to run tests and demo flights of a General Atomics SkyGuardian and its marine mate, the SeaGuardian this summer. The SkyGuardian isn’t your average drone – wingspan is 79ft, max weight 12,500lb, max airspeed is 210kt and it has nine hardpoints for weapons. The two TDAs are at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire, in use from early July to early September 2021, and RAF Lossiemouth on the east coast of Scotland, from early September to end October 2021. They will be active only when SkyGuardian is being flown and those flights will be notified by Notam 24 hours ahead. The Airspace Change Proposal is ACP-2020-100. Follow it here.

Aircraft Structural Inspections/www.asindt.com

Take-off

CAA and EASA to issue own AD for Piper PA-28 and PA-32 wing spars The AD was prompted by a fatal accident involving wing separation on a Piper Model PA-28R-201. An investigation revealed a fatigue crack in a visually inaccessible area of the lower main wing spar cap. Freedom Aviation at Cotswold Airport (Kemble) operates six Piper PA-28 aircraft. It took the decision to go ahead and comply with the FAA AD anyway. Head of Training Dave Jelly said, “This has been going on for two years, on and off, and when the FAA AD came out we just

decided to do the lot anyway, just to be on the safe side. “It’s a time-consuming process [to get to the bolt holes] but the probing takes five minutes per aircraft. The eddy current machine is very sophisticated and produces a detailed scan. Ours were all fine. “You do have to be meticulous when taking out the bolts – it’s easy to damage the bolt holes. The tester said ours were the best he’d seen. It cost us a week of flying, but at least we know it’s done now.”

Above Piper PA-28 wing spar inspection using an Eddy Current probe Below Dave Jelly of Freedom Aviation at Kemble has opted to inspect his fleet of PA-28s already

Freedom Aviation/www.freedomaviation.co.uk

The CAA and EASA have decided NOT to adopt the US final wing spar Airworthiness Directive affecting wing spars on some Piper PA-28 models. The UK CAA position has yet to be announced. AD 2020-26-16 was announced by the FAA, on 15 January 2021 and applies to certain PA-28 and PA-32 aeroplanes. That AD requires calculating the factored service hours for each main wing spar to determine when inspection is required, a one-time inspection of the inner surface of the two lower outboard bolt holes on each lower main wing spar to detect cracks, and, depending on findings, replacing the cracked main wing spar. The CAA’s Steve Horton, Policy Lead on Airworthiness, told FLYER, “We recognise that the FAA have a difference in the way that the hours flown and inspections are measured when compared to the UK and Europe. “We are working with EASA and Piper to come up with an alternative factored hours calculation. The aim is for a harmonised European position. We are hoping to issue a PAD early this week [15 February].”

April 2021 | FLYER | 7

Take-off

Tayside invests in Fife Airport for more aviation and better facilities for all Major changes are happening at Fife Airport – and they’re all for the better. Flight school Tayside Aviation has leased the airport from Fife Airport Limited and is returning the site to more aviation-related businesses. Lorries parked at the west end of the airfield have gone and two hangars at the same end are now occupied with Skyhook Helicopters and Kingdom Helicopters. Skyhook flies underslung loads and crop spraying in the summer using Squirrel helicopters and R44s. They also work with charter company Apollo Helicopters for VIP work. Kingdom Helicopters operates an R22 for training. “This is a great asset to Fife and we will work to harmonise mixing fixed wing and rotary,” said Jim Watts, managing director of Tayside Aviation. “We plan to refurbish the (Tipsy Nipper) restaurant into a cafe environment. We also plan to remove the portacabin and embed the flying school within the main building. There is a new control tower to replace the radio room. “The bulk of the refurbishment is now complete and we aim to use this cafe environment as a welcoming site for all aviators and site users, including Fife Flying Club, Skydive St Andrews, Skyhook Helicopters, Kingdom Helicopters, Aerospace Kinross, Tayside Aviation and all the aircraft owners hangared at Fife. “Tayside Aviation and leasing company FlyWithTheBest have invested a lot of time, money and effort into Fife with a view to generating a more welcoming aviation environment.” A new self-service fuel pump is being installed to 8 | FLYER | April 2021

Above Fife Airport now being operated by Tayside Aviation Inset Tayside boss Jim Watts Below Fly-through Covid tests at London Biggin Hill Airport

allow home-based aircraft to have an account and a fob. AVPAY will be used for landing fees. Unleaded UL91 fuel for Rotax-engined aircraft will be available from mid-February. In other airfield news: Blackpool Airport has won support from the Department for Transport’s Airfield Development Advisory Fund. The Airport will receive up to five days professional guidance and advisory services across a range of disciplines, including securing new business, assessing and identifying viable routes, potential operators and partner airfields. The council also seeks support with virtual aircraft control and tower operations and technology, airspace modernisation strategy, alternative power generation and electric aircraft operations. London Biggin Hill Airport is offering polymerase chain reaction (PCR) Covid-19 tests to all passengers, aircrew and members of the public, with results available the same day.

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Take-off Joby and Garmin work for FAA eVTOL certification for commercial flights The pace of development in the world of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is accelerating with one leading player, Joby Aviation, taking three huge steps in as many days. First, Joby Aviation’s eVTOL earned its first revenue flying with the US military Agility Prime project. Second, Joby agreed the start of the certification process with the US civil aviation authority, the FAA. Third, Joby and Garmin have jointly announced that Garmin’s G3000 integrated flight deck will be installed into the production eVTOL. Joe Ben Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby Aviation, said, “The Agility Prime programme represents an invaluable opportunity to understand and accelerate the positive impact of clean, electric aircraft in the US and beyond. With 10 years of engineering and more than 1,000 test flights behind us, we’re now demonstrating the potential of this new sector.” Joby has agreed to a ‘G-1’ certification basis for its aircraft with the FAA. A ‘G-1’ outlines the criteria to be certified for civil commercial operations. Joby’s aircraft will be certified in line with the FAA’s existing

Main Joby Aviation’s already flying eVTOL Inset Garmin G3000 flightdeck system

Part 23 requirements for Normal Category Airplanes, with special conditions. The G3000 flightdeck to be fitted to the eVTOL is one of Garmin’s most advanced. It’s what’s fitted to the Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet, TBM 940 and Piper M600, and, crucially, supports Garmin’s Autoland emergency landing feature. Joby’s G3000 will be specifically tailored to meet the needs of eVTOL aircraft, working closely with the vehicle mission computer and tailoring of flight guidance display indications.

UK Future Flight Challenge backs eVTOL airport sent to Coventry The world’s first fully operational hub for future electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft – such as cargo drones and air taxis – is to be launched in Coventry later this year. Urban Air Port Air-One is a winner in the UK government’s Future Flight Challenge. It’s a shot in the arm for the aviation industry and came on the same day as the government also announced £84m funding for three other projects to accelerate hydrogen as an aviation fuel. The Urban Air Port is 60% smaller than a traditional heliport and can be installed in a matter of days, emit net zero carbon emissions and can be operated completely off-grid. Air-One will be unveiled during Coventry’s UK city of culture celebrations in 2021 and continue to form part of the Commonwealth Games in 2022. 10 | FLYER | April 2021

Above What, no runway numbers? Artist impression of Coventry’s Urban Air Port

12-16 April

#FLYERLive #LearnToFlyWeek This April, FLYER will stage a virtual show, FLYER Live! We will have a week-long festival of aviation full of live and recorded video, events, webinars and much more! Find out all the latest from pilots, manufacturers, airfields and flight training schools. Find out more and sign up at bit.ly/FLYERLive

Online admission to FLYER Live will be FREE!

Take-off Cirrus launches special 8,000th edition Cirrus Aircraft’s SR Series has been the world’s best-selling single-engine piston aircraft for 18 years in a row and later this year, the US company will deliver its 8,000th SR. How to celebrate? Launch the 8000 Limited Edition SR Series. The aircraft really is a limited edition with just eight being made and delivered, wearing a bold paint scheme and fitted with a lush interior. “The SR Series has an incredible history of innovation, evolution and invention,” said Zean Nielsen, CEO at Cirrus Aircraft. “Our team took that as inspiration to create a Limited Edition that breaks out of the boundaries of traditional aircraft design to reflect the energy and excitement of where we are going next.” The 8000’s design is ‘accentuated by an industryfirst Volt wing paint scheme, commanding attention on the ground and in the air. The unmistakable graphics and colours carry through into the interior with Volt stitching on the seats and embroidery on the

Main That’s a paint scheme you can’t ignore! Special edition Cirrus SR 8000

door, and luxury perforated leather on the seats and throttle’. The first SR was delivered in 1999, the SR20, followed by SR22 and turbocharged SR22T. As well as topping 8,000 deliveries, the SRs will also exceed 11 million flight hours in total around the world.

Sling 4 High Wing makes first flight South African kitplane maker Sling Aircraft has given its new four-seat, high-wing Sling 4 its first test flight. The flight was on 18 December 2020 at Tedderfield Airpark, Johannesburg, where Sling Aircraft is based. The pilots were company founders Mike Blyth and James Pitman. The Sling 4 High Wing is equipped with a ballistic parachute recovery system, Garmin G3X Touch glass cockpit, 141hp Rotax 915 iS turbocharged engine and an Airmaster constant-speed propeller. In other new aircraft news: Czech aircraft manufacturer Cruiser Aircraft has launched a night version of its PS-28 twoseater. First deliveries of the PS-28N Cruiser VFR Night start in February with flight schools expected to be the main customers. Professional flight training school FlyBy in northern Spain has a new fleet of Cruiser PS-28 aircraft. The PS-28N is equipped with two Dynon SkyView SV-HDX1100 10in touch screens, with backup batteries. A Garmin G5 is a standby electronic flight instrument. Since the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X first went on sale shortly after certification in 2017, more than 300 have been delivered to more than 55 countries worldwide. It’s Bell’s entry-level helicopter, turbinepowered, and by any measure a success. 12 | FLYER | April 2021

Main First flight for Sling 4 High Wing Inset New Garmin avionics for Bell 505 NXI helicopter Below New Night version of the PS-28 Cruiser

Now the 505 has had its first major update with Garmin’s latest G1000 NXI flight-deck and avionics. The first 505 NXi to receive EASA certification has been delivered to a corporate customer in Europe at Bell’s Prague facility. Duncan Van De Velde, managing director, Bell Europe and Russia, said, “The new upgraded avionics provide best-in-class workload reduction, situational awareness with faster processing power, and crisper displays to aid pilots with flight, aircraft, traffic and terrain information in an easy-to-read format.”

Instant Expert

The first Brexit amendments The trickle of post-Brexit changes has now started, as Ed Bellamy explains…

he first post-Brexit changes to UK aviation regulations are now with us. The Aviation Safety (Amendment) Regulations 2021, as sponsored by the CAA and Department for Transport, have now made it through Parliamentary procedure and into law. They amend the UK versions of the Standardised European Rules of the Air (Part-SERA) and the Aircrew Regulation (including the Balloon and Sailplane licensing regulations), as were adopted in UK law from 1 January 2021. There are two changes, one is to reintroduce on the 20 May the ‘clear of cloud’ rule when operating VFR at or below 3,000ft amsl in Class D airspace, and the other is to continue to allow the use of Part-FCL licences with a pilot medical declaration when flying Part-21 (formerly EASA) aircraft. Starting with medicals, originally in 2016 the pilot medical declaration was only applicable to national licences issued under the Air Navigation Order (ANO) and when flying non-EASA (now non-Part-21) aircraft. A while later this was extended by exemption to allow pilots with Part-FCL licences and a PMD to fly UK-registered EASA (now Part-21) aircraft as well. The amendment here makes the exemption permanent – giving licence holders certainty that the combination will be valid in the future. Moving onto SERA, I have a somewhat sense of déjà vu – a year ago this column discussed the end of the UK ‘clear of cloud’ rule in Class D airspace. In March 2020, despite having technically left the EU in January, the transitional exit arrangements were such that when the European Commission no longer allowed an exemption to the Part-SERA VMC minima in Class D airspace, the UK had no choice but to comply. This ended a UK rule that had existed since 1994 and instead aligned us with the standard ICAO minima. It seems totemic that one of the first post-Brexit changes to make its way through the legislative system is reverting the UK back to the previous rule. As was the case prior to March 2020, the change only applies in UK airspace – in Europe and indeed most of the rest of the world, the standard ICAO minima apply. The reason for 20 May rather than sooner is that ATC units need time to rewrite procedures and do a bit of training – this might seem like a long time for a minor change, but ATC operate under strict procedures which are documented to a high degree of detail. Now, even normally it is debatable how much precise VMC minima matters in practice, but if in an idle lockdown moment, you feel like refreshing your memory of the subject, read on. The standard ICAO and SERA VMC minima for Classes A-E when below 10,000ft are 5km inflight visibility and clear of cloud by 1,000ft vertically and 1500m horizontally. Prior to SERA, under the UK Rules of the Air there was also a sub-rule that in Classes C, D and E you were deemed to have complied with the standard VMC minima if you were at or below 3,000ft amsl, clear of cloud, surface in sight, 5km in flight visibility (helicopters were allowed 1500m) and 140kt indicated airspeed or less. When Part-SERA came in around

14 | FLYER | April 2021

“The amendment means Part-FCL licence holders can fly UK-registered EASA (now Part-21) aircraft with a pilot medical declaration” 2014 the UK rule persisted as an exemption until March 2020, becoming limited to Class D more recently. The reversion of the rule is only for Class D airspace. For me this makes sense – I am not sure there is any Class C airspace below 3,000ft in the UK and the safety case for being just ‘clear of cloud’ in Class E is weak. Remember in Class E there is no requirement for VFR traffic to be in contact with ATC, unlike for IFR. Having a cloud clearance requirement in Class E does make sense to reduce the likelihood of IFR traffic coming face to face with an unknown VFR right on the edge of a cloud. It is also worth remembering that despite the UK rule, the basic logic of the ICAO standard is similar in Class D – while VFR requires an ATC clearance, formal separation of traffic is not required, therefore ATC may rely on traffic visually avoiding each other in some circumstances. The rest of SERA in the UK remains unchanged. Special VFR is still ICAO standard, although effectively the UK rule builds elements of what would be Special VFR in the normal ICAO ruleset into the basic VMC minima. With the UK rule back, there will be limited circumstances in which fixed wing pilots need to think about SVFR but remember under SERA there is also a VFR requirement for a 1,500ft cloud ceiling and 5km ground visibility when arriving or departing an aerodrome in a CTR. Under a SVFR clearance this goes down to 1,500m flight visibility (800m for helicopters) and cloud ceiling of 600ft – worth remembering if for example you ever need to get out of an aerodrome within a CTR and the cloud ceiling is sub-1,500ft. No doubt there will be more post-Brexit changes to come, for example national licence holders may soon be permitted to fly Part-21 (formerly EASA) aircraft, although the nature of the retained EU law and the Withdrawal Act 2018 does not make it as easy to do from a legal point of view as one might think, even though we have now left the EU. More info www.caa.co.uk/sera www.caa.co.uk/skywaycode www.caa.co.uk/ga

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Pilot Careers www.pilotcareernews.com The definitive source for pilot training, career and industry news

In Brief Boeing’s troubled 737 MAX can restart passenger operations after both the European and US authorities gave the OK for the return to service of a modified version of the Boeing 737 MAX. EASA has mandated a package of software upgrades, electrical wiring rework, maintenance checks, operations manual updates and crew training.

‘Fearless Forecasts’ for airline recovery show aviation’s resilience

Three CO2-reducing developments have been launched under the UK Government’s Future Flight Challenge, working with GKN Aerospace at its new £32m Global Technology Centre in Bristol. They include Skybus, a 30-50 seat electric Vertical Take-Off & Landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

AirlinePrep and Symbiotics have partnered to provide a range of pilot aptitude assessments ahead of the introduction of the new EASA Aircrew Medical Fitness regulation in February 2021. More than half of the world’s airline pilots are no longer flying because of the pandemic, according to a survey by Goose recruitment agency. It found 30% are unemployed, 17% on furlough, 6% employed in aviation in a non-flying role and 4% working in another industry. That leaves just 43% of pilots still flying.

16 | FLYER | April 2021

Norwegian

Brighton-based FTA has added a 10-week Flight Instructor course and will start training their first group of instructors this month. FTA’s new course costs £9,950, includes 30 hours of flying and takes place at Brighton City Airport.

Aircraft leasing company, Avolon, has made six predictions for the recovery of the airline business, calling them ‘Six Fearless Forecasts’. “Commercial aviation has demonstrated its resilience repeatedly,” said Avolon’s Jim Morrison. “It has managed through wars, terrorism, pandemics, oil spikes, and financial crises. Our fearless forecasts for 2021 are premised on this optimism but anchored by the realism that challenging months are ahead.” 1. Recovery will be quicker than anticipated. Three forces will drive recovery in 2021: vaccines, fiscal stimulus, and monetary easing. Passengers will fly more than the 50% of 2019 Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPKs) that IATA currently projects.

Above Low-cost carriers like Norwegian are expected to thrive as the world recovery takes shape

2. Major airlines survive, LCCs thrive. Government support has assured survival for most flag carriers but low-cost carriers are best positioned in most markets to thrive as the recovery takes shape. 3. There will be more start-up airlines in 2021 than failures in 2020. Not all will get off the ground but some of the highest growth airlines in the next decade will start this year and next. 4. Two-thirds of new passenger aircraft deliveries will be financed by lessors. A structural shift in airline balance sheets is underway that will lead to continued growth of leasing.

5. A decade without a new, clean-sheet aircraft. Competitive dynamics between the manufacturers have changed. 6. The environment re-surfaces as the major challenge of the decade. Disruptive technology will play a key role in reducing aviation’s carbon footprint but the power of incremental improvement must not be overlooked. Air traffic management systems must be modernised, sustainable aviation fuels must build scale and new technologies must be developed. The forecasts are contained in an Avolon report titled Looking to Recovery. Download it here.

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Pilot Careers

I Get Paid for This…

Thomas van Marwick Flying for science – DLR pilot Thomas van Marwick conducts research missions all over the world. Interview by Yayeri van Baarsen

How did you get into flying?

I’ve been keen on aviation all my life and after school I joined the German Airforce for a 12-year duty cycle. During that time, I got my officer’s training, an aeronautical engineering degree, and as an IT trainer for personnel worked mainly with the Tornado and Eurofighter software. Following that, I decided to put my theoretical knowledge into practice and started my pilot training. Tell us about your job?

I’m a pilot for the DLR’s Flight Experiments Facility in Oberpfaffenhofen, flying the Flying CV Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, Dornier Pilot for the Department of Flight 228-212, and Falcon 20E for atmospheric Experiments at the German Aerospace research and remote sensing. We support Centre Oberpfaffenhofen, Thomas van customers with planning, execution and Marwick flies atmospheric research and post-processing of scientific research flights. remote sensing missions. My work has taken me all over Europe, as Started current job: 2013 Now flying: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, well as to remote places like Northern Dornier 228-212, Falcon 20E Canada, Greenland, Iceland and Gabon. Favourite aircraft: F-4 Phantom – I loved its Flying for science means collecting data with design when I was a child. I’d love to fly one! our highly modified aircraft. The focus is Hours at job start: Approx. 300 Hours now: Approx. 2,500 really diverse, some scientists want to fly very low to get samples of the composition of the aerosols inside the boundary layer, while others need to fly at high altitudes to get a good image of the even open the huge hangar doors because of the 40kt wind surface of the Earth with radar and optical sensors. Some even gusts… Since Icelandic weather isn’t our everyday business, we need to enter the lower stratosphere with our jets. In one flight the were happy they took the decision for us. The task was to depart main task might be the accuracy of the flight trajectory (especially immediately to catch up underneath a satellite between Iceland for the radar sensing missions where we fly in an approximate and Greenland. Just in time, the wind calmed down. We hit the corridor of +/-2 meters with our Dornier), in the next sortie data rendezvous point and reached north-eastern Greenland with the may be found while analysing aircraft emissions at close distance. sun setting behind the glaciers – a wonderful picture. On the way Sometimes timing is a key factor, for example when flying below back, we experienced a cabin pressure alert at FL390. We had to satellite tracks for instrument validation. react quickly and initiated an emergency descent. While What I like most about my job is that I get to fly DLR’s aircraft descending, cabin pressure stabilised in acceptable limits so we in a non-standard environment. The mission always varies and continued, and the scientists could finish collecting their data. every sortie has to be especially coordinated with aviation authorities around the world – every flight is truly unique. And your favourite airfield? Kulusuk, a gravel strip in East Greenland, located near the shore, What training did you have? between icebergs and the incomparable wideness of beautiful A frozen ATPL combined with an engineering degree enabled Greenland. I went there with our Dornier 228 in 2015. me to start my career with DLR in 2013, as a pilot for the department of Flight Experiments. My on-the-job training began Do you get to fly much outside work? with simulator sessions and a lot of flying our Dornier 228. Yes, I really enjoy sharing my enthusiasm for flying, so I’m a flight Advancing in the company, I’ve had the opportunity to gather instructor and regularly take family and friends in our local flying experience in aerobatics, upset recovery, in a variety of CRM and club aircraft. For me, flying is more than just a profession. Flight Test Techniques factors, and as a flight instructor.

“The mission always varies – every flight is truly unique”

A sortie out of Keflavik (Iceland) with our Falcon 20 in 2019. During flight preparation, ground staff were uncertain if they’d 18 | FLYER | April 2021

What’s your most valuable career advice?

Don’t take yourself too seriously, be modest and do your best. Accept that there’s always somebody who has more experience. Aspire to perfection, but always accept good advice.

Photos: DLR

What’s been your favourite flight?

Aim higher.

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Column

On Approach

Matt Dearden

The Cub saga…

need to start this month’s column with an apology. It is completely my fault that we are in another lockdown. You see, the moment I get anywhere near being able to fly my little Super Cub, something always seems to get in the way. I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting it to affect anyone other than the three chaps I share the aircraft with, so I’m really sorry about that… The Cub came into my life three years ago when a former colleague took me for a flight in his lovely L18-C Super Cub from a local private farm strip. It was a warm May afternoon and the little green aeroplane looked fantastic in its US military paint scheme. The fact that it was based at a small grass strip only added to my envy. If you haven’t flown a Cub, have a go in one. Piper surely struck gold with it in the 1930s, and even today, it can make some modern designs feel mediocre. A year later, I found myself the proud owner of a quarter share of the same machine. I had a wonderful summer flying 10 flights, including taking both my mum and dad up, both of whom loved it – high praise considering neither of them are especially fussed on flying – especially mum! With summer over, the Cub was due its annual, and on account of issues with the old maintenance organisation, we decided to take the Cub elsewhere – to somewhere that was both known to a couple of the members, and well respected. That was just over two-and-ahalf years ago. The Cub finally came out of its annual late last year, so what went wrong? It began when the new maintenance organisation questioned the engine’s missing data plate. No biggie we all thought, but as our Cub is on the N reg, the process for getting a replacement data plate is rather involved, requiring an FAA DAR (Designated Airworthiness Designee) to inspect the engine and approve the paperwork for the application to the FAA for the replacement data plate. He wasn’t happy and noticed various historic discrepancies with the engine, the worst of which was that the engine was in fact a Continental O-200 and not a C-90 as it was thought to be! That type of engine is not permitted in a certified L-18C aircraft under FAA regulations. Bugger. It took us many months of trying various avenues to find a solution from complex paperwork trails to a multitude of different replacement engine options, but at the end of the day, it came down to the fact the engine in the aircraft was not certified to be there and there was no way to make it right. We

needed a new engine. And not just any engine, it had to be a Continental C-90 as that is the only engine type certified for use on our aircraft. If our Cub was on an LAA Permit, it would have been pretty easy to use an O-200 engine in a Cub, sadly it was not possible to transfer our aircraft over. It turns out that C-90 engines are pretty rare. So rare in fact that there were at least a couple of times when we, as a group, were debating just selling the aircraft for spares. We finally found a C-90 in the US which was prop-strike damaged but looked good for a rebuild. Unfortunately, upon arriving in the UK and being stripped down for overhaul, the crankshaft was found to be bent and no good. If we thought a C-90 was rare, the crankshaft for them was even rarer! It took months to source one that wasn’t stupidly expensive, and again we nearly gave up on it. Eventually though, we had all the bits to build up a C-90. Then the chap doing the rebuild injured himself working on his new workshop roof… After many more months we got our working engine, as well as a fully inspected and sorted aircraft, so it was time to get the FAA inspector in to sign off all the work. But then

Mark Mitchell

“The engine was a Continental O-200 and not a C-90 as it was thought to be…”

20 | FLYER | March 2020

he spotted another issue, this time with the paperwork for the seatbelts. This Cub seemed to be 90% finished with 90% to go… This took another few months to sort out as various lockdowns were causing supply issues for a replacement set. When they eventually arrived, it became apparent that they’d need an STC to allow them to be legally used in the Cub. Yet another hurdle! Finally though, everything was done and we flew the aircraft back home to its new hangar where it’s been sitting patiently ever since because within a week or so of it getting home, the UK went into lockdown – again. I like to think our Cub is a testament to the passion that our group has for GA flying and not giving up, which would have been so easy to do given all the hurdles (and expense!) that we faced over the last two and a half years. But I apologise for this latest lockdown, as it’s definitely our fault I reckon… Currently dividing his time between a Cub, a Catalina… oh, and a PC-12 matt.dearden@seager.aero April 2021 | FLYER | 21

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Column

Full Throttle

Mark Hales

Lockdown labours

t’s getting on for a year since I wrote about an unexpected bonus of Lockdown 1, which was a daily excuse to walk to my workshop, then to get on with my Jodel’s diesel engine conversion. This time though, the stroll across the yard doesn’t feel quite so guilt-free, and it isn’t every day. As someone said recently, ‘it’s all gone on long enough’… Lord knows what it’s like for those who have to bear the brunt of it. But… Lockdown 2 means I have now painted the engine mount white, added the LAA-compliant lateral strengtheners and reassembled the engine on the stand with its replica firewall. It’s pretty much ready to go on the aeroplane. That I can’t do though, until I replace the leaking fuel port fuel tank on my Messenger (another one is under construction by the same motorsport specialists who made the starboard one), and pop it over to North Coates where it will take the space currently occupied by the Jodel 1051 into which the diesel will go, once it arrives back in my hangar. Much of the first lockdown was occupied with adapting and lengthening a set of original cowlings, of which fortunately, I had a couple of sets. They fit, almost, but because they were designed for a flat engine, even the Mk2B version just looks wrong. They will have to do while I prove the engine installation and then, if I have to move some ducts, I can attempt a sleek and slim set which flatter the inline engine’s dimensions. There was also the fact that making nice glass-fibre (or preferably epoxy) mouldings is a skill that needs to be acquired and honed. I’ve gained a small amount of that, but I’m still not exactly looking forward to the Mk3. The engine was more familiar territory. Hot rodders have been using engines from another source forever, but in aviation, the choice is pretty limited, not to mention expensive. The all-aluminium, four-cylinder diesel intended for a Citroen C3 has never been in a car (I would happily have purchased one from a breakers), and is now equipped with an injection pump from a Peugeot 406, driven by belts from a Citroen Dispatch van and pulleys from a Volvo. The anti-vibration mounts on which it sits were designed for a Caterpillar’s cab, the flexy coupling to the reduction gear is mainly used to drive refrigeration pumps and the toothed belt is a common industrial item at common industrial prices. Each of the latter comes complete with a specification sheet detailing every possible aspect of its usage, and if I want one with more capability, I just give the manufacturer a different set of criteria and they come back with one that fits… The fuel filter and water trap is from a large tractor, the hoses and clips that connect the turbo are made for keen underbonnet customisers and available in a huge

variety of sizes, angles and colours. Like the carbon fibre air filter can and the spun aluminium bellmouth – you get the picture. It all does the job for thousands of hours, and when it needs replacement, it doesn’t need a Form 1. Using stuff and services from outside aviation is a large part of what has made this possible at all. That and access to a man who can translate my sketches into a CAD drawing, and the laser cutters who can make it to within thousandths – none of which was readily available 20 years ago – and of course the craftsmen who make race cars for a day job. It still seems a matter of wonder to me that Foxxy and his band of sorcerers can fabricate complex structures that look right and fit my little project perfectly – and do it almost overnight – but that’s motorsport for you. Crash at Silverstone on Sunday, back at Donington next Friday. It’s a way of life for them. And for me

Mark Mitchell

“That turbo installation was designed do a hundred thousand miles without cracking” there’s the availability of a reasonably priced Mig welder, a Myford lathe no longer needed at a school, metal cutters, grinders, sanders and so on. Some of it cheaply Chinese, but in reality, if you’re not using it daily for your trade, most of it is good enough for light use. And it’s all online and arrives by courier within a few days. I’ve nearly learned how to use most of it… I still have to see if the engine works of course, but because the important parts have been developed at huge cost by industrial behemoths, I’m reasonably confident. And I haven’t modified the essentials. It was so tempting to get the band of metalworking wizards to create a tubular exhaust manifold to replace the cast iron one, move the turbo to down in the cowl, just like they did for the Porsche 956 and 962. Makes the pipework easier to route, and the ducting for the intercooler easier to accommodate. And it looks so very… aviation. “Don’t, just don’t…” said Mark. “That turbo installation was designed do a hundred thousand miles without cracking, leaking or falling off. And it’s already there, like the rest of the engine…” He’s in a position to know these things, so I’ve done as I was told. We’ll see. I’m still aiming to be at the LAA Rally, and now I’m more confident about which one… Working vintage aircraft and cars make Mark particularly happy mark.hales@seager.aero April 2021 | FLYER 23

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Column

Squawks Ian Seager

GA – Simply. Better

rant Shapps has told anyone who’ll listen that he wants the UK to be the best place in the world for General Aviation. He said it when he was an MP, he said it when he headed up the All Party Parliamentary Group for General Aviation, he said it when he was Aviation Minister – and he’s said it more than once now that he’s the Secretary of State for Transport. I’ve heard a couple of long-gone aviation ministers say it, and the current Minister for Aviation, Robert Courts, said it only last week in Parliament. Yes, I know that it’s a ridiculously unachievable goal, but it’s one that I fully support. There are so many things we can do easily, cheaply and quickly. I can only imagine how much work the Minister has on his plate, so I thought I’d lean into the project and lend a hand… Forgive the bluntness, it’s not personal, but there’s important work to do and we need to be clear. Then CAA needs more transparency and more accountability. Before Christmas I sent in a Freedom of Information request to the CAA relating to its Electronic Conspicuity policy. There’s something going on that just doesn’t add up. There are EASY safety measures that could have been enacted months ago, but that have inexplicably stalled (yes, I am talking about SDA and CAP1391). I have no idea where the blockage exists, or why it is there, but I’d like to find out. I’ve had an email back from the CAA basically saying it has my package, but it requires consideration by a ‘qualified person’, in this case a specified member of the CAA board, to see if some of the information collected can be exempted by section 36 of the Freedom of Information Act (that section is titled Prejudice to Effective Conduct of Public Affairs). Come on CAA, release the information, tell us why you are blocking an easy, potentially lifesaving safety win, and tell us who is responsible. Then bloody fix it PDQ. Incidentally, I also made a Freedom of Information request of the DfT which took a ridiculously long time to provide next to nothing. Were I a cynic I’d think the CAA and DfT had something to hide… Another quick win… the CAA also needs to fix the current licensing mess. I know that a large part of that mess has been caused by exemptions issued to keep people flying. But they’re exemptions from the EASA system that we no longer need to exempt ourselves from. It’s a bit mad to have a UK-issued lifetime licence that does not allow you to fly the very aircraft that you trained for that licence on, so let’s get ourselves a simple ICAO compliant system with some sub ICAO licences too. Take the (frankly best in the world) PMD system and make it work (‘cos you recently screwed it up).

Then there’s the comms. Something else I’ve moaned about. I like the way the CAA emails out important information to those who have requested it. I accept that a bunch of stuff the CAA has to issue needs to be in a specific legal language and format, I just don’t get why it is incapable of also issuing a plain English explanation. It’s not big, it’s not clever and it’s not grown up. I think it’s fair to assume that you want people to understand, in which case, please try harder. Airspace. Bit of a mixed bag, this. Well-reasoned arguments for rejecting Brize and Oxford. Not so well-reasoned arguments for approving Farnborough, but WTF is happening with the proliferation of drone TDAs? I know there’s no point in being all King Cnut about the drone thing and I know they’re a large part of the future, but let’s have a proper strategy, let’s work to make sure the ACPs are done properly (and yes, I am talking about piss poor consultation in some cases) – and let’s work together to make sure that we can all share Class G airspace safely. If we do it right we could all get quite a lot out of this, you know, ‘win win’ and all that. While we’re on the airspace thing, the whole RNP approach

Mark Mitchell

“We might not be able to be the best, but we can make GA a lot better…” thing deserves a mention. Any wish to be somewhere in the top ten places in the world for GA would see a lot more of these than we currently have. The costs are too high and the restrictions to approved proposals too restrictive. Carry on like this if you want, but at least be honest and change ‘best in the world’ to ‘not entirely third world all the time.’ There’s more, lots more, but I need to wrap up. We’ll never make the UK the best place in the world for General Aviation. There are just too many structural issues, too many privately owned airfields, too little funding, too many ANSPs etc. But we can make it a lot better than it is. We need to stop reinventing every single wheel, focusing instead on just replacing the rickety old square ones we’ve been patching up for so long. We need to look elsewhere for examples of excellence and we need to shamelessly plagiarise them. Sometimes, it’s about having the humility to accept that it’s possible (and this applies to people beyond the CAA and DfT) that others can sometimes do things better than we can. Let’s leave the jingoistic boasting to others while quietly nicking and implementing all of the best practices we find. Publisher, pre C-19 often found flying something new and interesting ics@seager.aero April 2021 | FLYER | 25

Technique

Get back in the groove… With some hope on the horizon that we’ll be able to return to normal flying operations in March, let’s not forget that having endured reduced flying opportunities in winter, and two recent national lockdowns, our flying skills might not be the sharpest. Mark Greenfield of Ultimate High reckons it’s time to think about a plan…

26 | FLYER | April 2021

rilliant! It looks like we should be able to get airborne again soon! Not just an ‘engine maintenance flight’, with its various ‘recommendations’ and limitations, but proper flying. Whatever our level of experience as PPLs, we can get back into our owned – or rented aeroplane – and finally get back in the air. Of course, with the combination of Covid and bad weather, we haven’t flown for quite some time. We’re rusty, and many of us might not have even got properly back up to speed last year. We should have a long hard think about how we approach this. If you are completely familiar with the suggestions here then that’s great – but others may well find some, or indeed all, of it useful. Those familiar with the concept of Threat and Error Management (TEM – more of which later) will hopefully sit down beforehand and think about the particular risks associated with us getting back into an aeroplane after a long lay-off. And most people will immediately identify the single biggest risk to safety – and that’s us, front and centre. However competent or even brilliant we used to be, there’s no way we’re getting back to that same standard immediately. Flying is a perishable skill, at all levels, and appreciating that fact by taking the appropriate skill recovery action is a strength NOT a weakness. So let’s figure out how we might do that in the best and safest manner possible. We need to make sure that it stays fun, but safe. Inevitably the first thing to do before going flying again is ‘the paperwork’, both for us and the aeroplane, which covers a multitude of sins. There

are many good guides out there on this, including the CAA and GASCo, which cover these in detail. Just bear in mind if you rent an aeroplane that you need to make sure whoever owns the aeroplane has fulfilled all of these requirements already – even if somebody else has already rented the aircraft before you. As ‘captain’ of the aircraft, there is no escaping your responsibility to ensure that insurance, maintenance, annuals etc are bang up-to-date. What should we aim to do on our first flight back? Something pretty simple, which isn’t going to put any real pressure on us as we focus on getting ourselves back in the groove. Ideally we want to build competence and confidence. Good ideas include a ‘general handling’ trip around the local area. Those that fall into the ‘not so good’ category might involve taking a friend for their first flight, trying a long distance transit to a new destination, or promising a buddy that you’ll take them for lunch somewhere. What are the greatest risks to us as individuals? There are two ways of looking at this. As aircraft captains we are supposed to be self-critical and well aware of our own strengths and weaknesses. Often there is nobody else in the aeroplane to tell us if we have done something well or badly. In a perfect world we will have debriefed ourselves on each and every flight and have identified things that we should look out for on the next trip. For example, if you’re consistently landing long then you probably need to be particularly aware of accurate speed management on your next approach. Hopefully we can figure out that type of issue by ourselves, and if not then it’s worth getting an experienced pilot or, even better, a good FI along to help resolve it.

Above Aircraft have been sitting for extended periods of time, so a thorough pre-flight will be essential. Maybe that battery could do with a charge too? Left While we’re all keen to get back in the air, it’s a good idea to take a bit of extra time and think about your return to flight

April 2021 | FLYER | 27

Fly your own Technique

Below Spend some time refamiliarising yourself with your cockpit environment - have you forgotten any oddities particular to your aircraft?

28 | FLYER | April 2021

The other major risks are revealed in the accident statistics. Being aware of the typical issues that cause incidents and accidents for GA pilots is hugely important. If you don’t voraciously devour the AAIB GA write-ups and safety summaries then now is a great time to start. As a ‘starter for ten’, the common danger issues include poorly flown goarounds, inaccurate approach speeds (mentioned again because it’s so common!), incorrect fuel loads (including running out) and the most worrying of all – Loss Of Control in Flight or LOC-I, still the largest single cause of fatal accidents in GA in the UK, Europe and the USA. Let’s just say that we’ve settled on a gentle re-familiarising flight around the local area. In a perfect world we should be as well prepared as we possibly can be. So, let’s spend some time the day before sitting at a table with a map or GPS, and ideally a plate or plan of our airfield, and go through the flight in as much detail as we can. Remember what the radio calls are, and when, and where? What is the taxi route to any of the runways from where the aircraft is parked? Whether or not you do checks from memory or from a printed checklist, go through them a few times until they feel familiar again. Some people like to draw a picture of the circuit and write down all power settings, speeds and checks, just to make sure they will be remembered accurately in flight. Others will write out or memorise an A5 sheet for what they see as key information or ‘hot poop’. The bottom line is that all of this preparation

“It’s impossible to be over prepared for that first flight back, issues should be addressed and identified so we can fly competently” is incredibly useful. It’s impossible to be over prepared for that first flight back. The more issues we identify, address and resolve on the ground before we even get airborne (great threat and error management!), the more capacity we will have in the air to operate the aeroplane competently and enable us to have a decent chance of dealing with anything non-standard. Have a good think about what you will do if things go wrong, and remind yourself exactly how you will fly a forced landing should the worst happen. Be aware that you will probably be easily distracted on the day – easier said than done! As

a modification of a well known maxim, remember your priorities are always: Aviate / Navigate / Aviate / Communicate / Aviate. On the day of the flight, having made sure the weather is good – don’t fly otherwise – ensure that you get to the airfield early so there is no rush. Use the checklists and take time on the pre-flight inspection and all of your checks. You will already have run through all potential emergencies, but DO remind yourself before take-off just WHAT you will do with a complete or partial engine failure. Getting back in the cockpit may feel alien. Before flying carry out a check list refresher and cockpit touch drills session in slow time, including basic emergency drills and procedures. Run through a go-around drill and if you intend to do touch-andgoes have a dry run on that too. This also helps get the mind back into general flying mode, and reminds you where everything is in the cockpit.

Engine failure

In the crew room you may hear some pilots tell you that they’re ‘so ready’ for an engine failure after takeoff that they’re almost ‘disappointed’ if they don’t get the opportunity to demonstrate their brilliance in flying a perfect EFATO. It is important to have a plan for the main eventualities and make as many decisions as possible on the ground beforehand. With your emergencies brief complete – I always say it out loud – you’re likely to avoid any drama if you focus on using accurate speeds for take-off and the climb-out. It may take a little adjustment to get the correct climb attitude to give the precise speed and, remember – as ever – that trim is your friend. Some people might advocate flying straight into

“Leave the circuit and head out into the local area, taking plenty of time to remind yourself how it all works”

Above Head out into the local area and take your time. Keep your head out of the cockpit as much as possible

the circuit while the pilot is fresh and concentration high, but I’d suggest that flying out into the local area and reminding yourself how it all works makes sense. Remember to fly attitudes and not to chase needles, the right pictures will come back quickly. Keep your head out of the cockpit looking for traffic as much as possible, and assume that all the other rusty pilots have completely forgotten about lookout. Make sure that any Electronic Conspicuity kit is functioning correctly, having reminded yourself the previous day exactly how it works. Fly some climbs and descents in the local area, accurate medium and steep turns, think about getting back into the habit of a good lookout, carry out frequent FREDA checks and remind yourself just how fortunate you are to be airborne again – and smile lots! April 2021 | FLYER | 29

Technique

A great idea is to practice a complete circuit at height. Try and find some ground reference to use as your runway and use a simulated runway height of 2,000ft. From the climb-out, turn onto base and fly downwind at circuit height above your simulated runway (3,000ft?) in the circuit direction. Make dummy calls out loud and go through all of your checks, then continue the simulated circuit as accurately as you can manage to a go-around height of about 100ft, then apply power and climb away. If it’s gone well, fantastic. If you’ve been inaccurate, especially if you haven’t been able to fly the final approach exactly on speed, then do it again. While at height, make sure you practice the approach to stall and your recovery technique. Most will recover on hearing the stall warner, but remind yourself of the other aerodynamic warnings as well – just in case. Unintentional stalls in a turn are probably more problematic, practice these and remind yourself of the relationship between stall speed and angle of bank/load factor. Back in 1944 Langweische wrote in Stick and Rudder that ‘the challenge with stalls is not the stall itself but the pilot’s incorrect reaction’, and it’s just as true today. Just remember that reducing the angle of attack below critical alpha by moving the yoke/stick forward is the essential start of any stall recovery. If you’re flying P1 then you should be comfortable practising stall recoveries solo. If you’re not, then make sure you take a flight with an FI who will help get your knowledge, recognition and recovery skills where they need to be.

Personal currency We enjoyed the great privilege of hosting Harrier test pilot and regular FLYER columnist John Farley at Ultimate High some years ago when he came to write an article on our Advanced PPL course for a FLYER feature. A fascinating couple of days ensued and John discussed his ideas on personal currency and his Farley Card, which is a standard military concept and a principle that translates well into the GA environment. Individual currency training should reflect the tasks and possible emergencies likely to be encountered. I have my own set of exercises which must be carried out on a periodic basis. Returning to Threat and Error Management, it’s an extremely useful exercise to figure out what should realistically be on yours. Right: The Farley Card

30 | FLYER | April 2021

“Definitely do not be embarrassed to ask if you’re not sure of anything – messing up will be a lot more embarrassing” It may be that distraction and/or overload causes you to become temporarily uncertain of your precise location. Hopefully you will have revised your ‘lost’ procedure the day before, but don’t be afraid of using all of the assets available to you, including ATS and especially D&D on 121.5. Listen out first to ensure a real emergency is not underway, but don’t hesitate to ask for a ‘training fix’ if that’s going to help! Don’t be embarrassed to ask if you’re not sure of anything – messing up will be a lot more embarrassing. Back then to the circuit, but be relaxed and take additional time to figure out how you rejoin an active circuit. Lookout again as diligently as possible.

Technique

Above Why not practice flying a circuit at height, as well as some slow-speed handling before making your return to the circuit? Remember, you can always go around if you’re not comfortable

32 | FLYER | April 2021

Listening out is also a great tool, but poor discipline sometimes means that aircraft are nowhere near where they claim to be, and ATS might have many distractions, and possibly be rusty themselves. A slow time overhead join (where allowed) is definitely the way to get into the circuit, ideally identifying all of the traffic before you descend to circuit height. Other aircraft will probably be making mistakes as well, so expect this and be understanding! Once again the focus needs to be on safety at all times. Yes, we’d like to be accurate, but far more important to look out effectively, especially in the likely non-standard circuit joining avenues that nonradio traffic might sneakily use. Carry out the downwind checks early, and then do them again. If you fly a retractable then check a third time that there really are green lights showing. Many will advocate flying the first approach or two to a planned go-around in order to reduce pressure on the pilot, and it might make life easier. Whatever approach is flown, we need to be as accurate as possible with approach and landing speeds. Use the numbers in the POH. Do NOT add an additional 15kt ‘because I’m rusty and faster means I won’t stall on short final’. Anticipate the danger of being overloaded. Have a plan for it, so should you feel that you are getting behind the aircraft (perhaps more of a passenger than a pilot!), gently depart the circuit, and fly to a clear space to gather your thoughts and replan. Take lots of fuel so you are not under time pressure. Keeping the number of circuits to three or four on the first flight is probably a good idea. Consider making the first touchdown a landing (especially on wet grass), slow down to exit the runway and gently taxi back to the hold. If our approaches and

touchdowns have gone well, under no circumstances should we think ‘yep, I’ve cracked it’ and relax too much, resulting in a poor or heavy final landing. It’s not over until the aeroplane is parked and you’re walking away with the key in your pocket. And you’ve gone back to double check that you really have turned off the battery and the mags. All sorted, and back to your peak after this flight? Clearly not, and any overconfidence might result in the second or third trip after lockdown going wrong. We need to be satisfied that we’ve made a good start, but remember that we are still comparatively high risk with ‘rust’ still to remove. The same principles laid down here apply to the second or third trip, to which might be added practising responses to emergencies, a run through of a PFL at height (again with a simulated runway/field at 2,000ft), maybe another down to a field at 500ft agl, and varied circuits back at the airfield. From a currency perspective, many will have no option but to fly with an FI on their first trip, and the benefit provided by this opportunity should be maximised. Although often driven by ATO or currency requirements, make sure that you are comfortable with all of the issues here and anything else about which you’d like to feel more confident. Even if we aren’t obliged to fly with an FI, it will almost certainly be beneficial and might accelerate our journey back to competence. In summary we just need to be realistic about our own ability. We need to thoroughly prepare ourselves before we go to avoid preventable surprises and keep it simple and comfortably within our own limits. Let’s make sure that we remember getting back into the air for all the right reasons – and come away with a huge grin!

My First Solo

Laura Laban

Programmer Laura Laban paid for her flight training by building aeroplane add-ons and scenery packages for flight simulators. Interview by Yayeri van Baarsen Solo stats CEO and co-founder of Infinite Flight, Laura Laban has developed a mobile sim experience app. When 12 August 2000 Where Lyon-Bron Airport Aircraft Cessna 172 Hours at solo 10 Hours now Approx. 830

How did you get into aviation? In the late 1990s, my brother owned a copy of Microsoft Flight Sim 5 which I ended up playing. I really got into it and when I got my own PC, I started playing flight sims and creating add-ons. A bloke who used one of the scenery packages I built offered me a flight over Lyon and that’s when I got the bug – after landing I knew I wanted to fly for real. It’s also a natural progression, as many flight sim players end up becoming pilots. How did your flight training go? The instructor on my intro flight wasn’t very jovial. Back in the clubhouse, my dad spotted Georges Pernet who looked nicer. Georges was great – I was his last student before he moved to Papua New Guinea to do humanitarian flying. He really had to force me to look outside the cockpit and to focus on the rudder pedals, but overall my flight sim experience was beneficial to learning the real thing. I paid for my lessons by selling sim scenery packages. What was your first solo like? It happened early in my training and I only did one landing. I don’t remember much about it. Shortly afterwards I switched flying clubs and continued my training in a PA-28. I remember being very frustrated that it took a month before I was allowed to solo in that aircraft.

Probably because it was a little noseheavy and I had a tendency to do three-point landings… When it finally happened, that first flight alone in the Piper felt like a first solo all over again. What motivated the development of Infinite Flight? It’s always been my dream to develop a flight sim. Mix a passion for programming with a passion for aviation, shake it, and you’ve got a flight sim programmer. I started working with flight sims and coding around the time I got interested in becoming a pilot. In 2004, four years after my PPL training, I started creating Infinite Flight as my hobby project. Do you consider Infinite Flight a game or a flight training aid? It’s a hybrid. It really depends on the person using it. Some use it for training – I sometimes use it to plan my flights in unfamiliar areas – whereas others play it just for fun. For me, flight sims were a gateway into aviation. Many Infinite Flight users have also told us it was a stepping stone to learning to fly for real. You’ve transitioned, what have your experiences been in the aviation community since? Apart from the bureaucratic struggle to get certificates in my new name, it’s

“Mix the passion for programming and for aviation – and you’ve got a flight sim programmer” 34 | FLYER | April 2021

mostly been OK. There have been people at air shows continually addressing their technical questions to non-developer male members of the team instead of me, so at Oshkosh in 2019 my name tag said ‘Laura, CEO’, which helped. The advantage of being a woman in a male-dominated industry? I never have to push my aeroplane out of the hangar by myself… You’ve bought a CubCrafters XCub, how are you enjoying it? It’s a really cool aircraft – powerful, pretty, comfortable and super fun to fly! After flying it across the US, I shipped it to Europe where I’m hoping to meet up with other taildragger enthusiasts. There’s only one other XCub in France, so it attracts attention – I make new friends everywhere I fly. After years of living in California and New York, I’m currently getting reacquainted with the complexities of the French flying ecosystem. Compared to the US, everything is a bit more complicated here. There’s no chance of flying over Paris, for example, and they’re more verbose on the radio. What do you love about flying most? The mental challenge. Apart from beautiful sights, freedom, and the joy of nailing a good landing, flying is also an exercise in humility. For example when coming back into the hangar and thinking, ‘Why was this switch on the entire flight?’. Or when making a mistake on the radio. Every flight, there’s always something I could have done better. Flying trains you to plan carefully and to improvise when things don’t go as planned.

Weather School

Paul Kiddell

Art of the flying selfie Pilots know there’s a true beauty to flight – those perfect moments of aeroplane, sky and landscape. Capturing them can be hard and something that does all that and looks new and exciting more so. So it’s no surprise Piper Cub pilot Joe Costanza has been creating a stir on social media with some photography that does all that. Joe tells FLYER about some of his favourite shots… 36 | FLYER | April 2021

Left “I mount the cameras using FlightFix slim strut mounts that attach to the struts and hold an adjustable carbon fibre boom that is either attached to a GoPro MAX 360 or Insta360 oneX 2 360 Camera. What’s great about these small, lightweight camera is they edit out the pole and because they capture everything, you can reframe the shot in post-production while safely on the ground. Above “Every morning when I go flying enroute to one of my favourite grass strips, I like to overfly one particular old farmhouse. It’s an old brick house that looks to be at least 100 years old. There is a long dirt road leading up to it and no other houses for miles. It would be the perfect place for me and the Cub to live happily ever after. I know I can’t live there but I like to buzz it often, saying hello.” Below “With the Cub, the type of flying I do is usually low and slow on calm days. That’s the beauty of aircraft ownership, you can go flying whenever you want, or can cancel flying last minute without feeling guilty. I like to fly early morning or late afternoon while the winds are calm and the traffic is light. My favourite thing about the Cub is its simplicity. I fly an Airbus for work, so to go from that to an aeroplane with a wooden prop, no electric system and only 65hp is something else. The basic Cub is the most true form of flying you can do. Pitch and power and you need to use your feet! I also like the fact that with only 65hp, you don’t have much power to get you out of trouble so you need to plan ahead. Also, because there is so little to look at on the panel, it means you are always looking outside enjoying the view.”

April 2021 | FLYER | 37

Special Feature

Above “Pemberton is an old grass strip I often visit. It has tall trees on both ends and is a challenge to get in and out of with only 2,000ft of runway. It is adjacent to a large cornfield that always has deer running through. It can definitely make it interesting if they leap up out of the crop. If you look carefully, you’ll spot where the camera’s software has removed the boom attachment from the top of the right strut.” Below “The 360 camera on the end of the boom makes it look like the camera is a long way away from the Cub, but it’s really not too bad. The boom is very firmly mounted, and while it wobbles a little when you taxy, it’s a strong setup. The golden hour, that’s the hour around sunrise, or before sunset, makes for beautiful light and I think is one of the most amazing time of the day to fly with that door open.”

38 | FLYER | April 2021

Left “The pandemic has created a lull in air traffic in New York’s Hudson River corridor. It is usually busy with helicopters and traffic watch planes but this particular day, I had the complete corridor to myself and took advantage of it. I cruised up to the Tapan Zee bridge and circled the Statue of Liberty for almost 15 minutes before heading home, getting some pretty incredible shots.” Below “Approach to runway 22 into Pemberton – the first place I landed on the first flight in my Cub. It’s a sleepy old airport.” Bottom “On short final into my home airport of Flying W you cross a huge soya field. It’s a beautiful shade of green in the summer and makes it easy to spot the airport from miles away.” Follow Joe’s adventures in the Cub on Instagram @bananasssssssss

April 2021 | FLYER | 39

Safety Accident Analysis

Right attitude?

A quick look at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) database in the USA suggests that in 2018, Loss of Control (LOC) accounted for over 200 in-flight accidents of which over 50% involved at least one fatality. A closer examination suggests it may be time to get back to basics, as Steve Ayres reports…

Accident 1

Security camera video captured the aeroplane during the initial climb after take-off. The video showed that as the aeroplane entered the view of the camera, it appeared to be in a shallow climb. However, about 14 seconds later, the aeroplane descended in a near vertical manner, out of view of the camera. The aeroplane impacted open terrain about 1,850ft west of the departure end of the runway. Examination of the airframe revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation, however, the left fuel selector valve was in the left wingtip tank position, and the right selector valve was in a position between the right main fuel tank and right wingtip tank position. The Aeroplane Flight Manual Supplement for the wingtip fuel tank installation stated that the wingtip tank fuel was to be used in level flight only. It is likely that because of the placement of the fuel port in the wingtip fuel tanks, when the aeroplane was in a climb

attitude, that the fuel may not have reached the fuel port in the tank. As a result, the pilot’s improper positioning of the fuel valves could have led to fuel starvation during the take-off climb and resulted in a loss of engine power. It is likely that the pilot experienced a loss of engine power, to some degree, during the take-off initial climb and his attention could have been diverted as part of troubleshooting the loss of engine power. The pilot’s diverted attention most likely allowed for the aircraft to exceed its critical angle of attack, resulting in a stall and ensuing spin at an altitude too low for recovery.

Accident 2

The pilot and student pilot-rated passenger were in a high-performance aeroplane and inbound for landing. Multiple witnesses saw the aeroplane on the downwind leg of the airport circuit, one witness estimated that the aeroplane was lower and closer to the runway than usual. Witnesses then saw the aeroplane begin a left turn, and one reported that the aeroplane then rapidly transitioned to a nose-down descent. The wreckage location corresponded to an extended downwind-to-base turn, there was ample space available for the pilot to initiate the turn to final without excessive flight control inputs. The aeroplane appeared to be in the landing configuration, and debris distribution and damage indicated a near vertical, nose-down impact, consistent with the aeroplane impacting the ground while in a spin. Post-accident examination revealed evidence that the aeroplane’s enginedriven vacuum pump had recently

“It is likely that the pilot became distracted and the aircraft got too slow” 40 | FLYER | April 2021

failed. Such a failure would have resulted in multiple visual alerts, caused the vacuum-operated instruments to become inoperative, and prevented operation of the aeroplane’s speed brakes. Although none of the systems that relied on the vacuum pump were critical for visual flight rules operation, such a failure would have presented an operational distraction to the pilot, which would have competed for his attention while flying in the pattern. Based on witness reports and the location of the wreckage, it is possible that he extended the downwind leg to attempt to manage the failure, or in an effort to slow the aeroplane further in order to land without the speed brakes. The presence of a systems failure may have exceeded the pilot’s capability to appropriately divide his attention between aeroplane control and systems management. It is likely that the pilot became distracted during the landing approach and allowed the aeroplane to slow down and exceed its critical angle of attack during the turn from the downwind to base leg, resulting in an aerodynamic stall and spin at an altitude too low for recovery.

Accident 3

The pilot was taking off for a personal flight. According to onboard data, when the aeroplane reached about 150ft agl, the pitch began to increase. Over the next four seconds the aeroplane’s altitude began to increase as the ground speed decreased. The aeroplane then banked to the left and descended nose-down to impact east of the runway. A witness observed that when the aeroplane reached about 100ft above the runway, the landing gear was retracted. He then diverted his attention and shortly after, he heard an impact. The aeroplane was recorded by airport security video just before ground contact in a near vertical descent (consistent with stall) with the landing gear extended. The pilot previously

Mark Mitchell

erhaps it’s the natural cycle of the time it takes to produce an accident report following the event itself, or perhaps it’s the result of reduced flying activity in recent months, but finding an original topic for analysis has not come easily this month. There has been no shortage of reports but they mostly follow an all too familiar sequence, loss of control (LOC) leading to impact with terrain and a minimum of serious injury. This is, of course, familiar territory but why, if it’s so familiar, are so many of us still falling victim to this type of accident?

reported having physical difficulties manually retracting the landing gear, and as a result, he would use one hand to hold onto something in the cockpit to brace himself, and the other hand to operate the retracting handle assembly ‘Johnson bar’. To assist in retracting the landing gear, the pilot would also slow the aeroplane, which was supported by the data recorded by the Stratus 2S for the accident flight and a previous uneventful flight that was examined. It is likely that the pilot intentionally increased the aeroplane’s nose-up pitch and decreased the aeroplane’s speed to assist him to retract the landing gear. The ultimate result was the aeroplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and it entered an inadvertent stall.

Accident 4

The owner of the aeroplane, who was a flight instructor, completed a 100-hour inspection on the light sport aircraft before another flight instructor departed in the aeroplane on an instructional flight. That instructor reported that, during take-off, the engine was not producing full power and experienced a momentary loss of power. He returned to the airport and landed uneventfully. The owner examined the aeroplane and concluded that the loss of power was likely due to vapour lock. They left the engine cowl open to cool the engine, and about two hours later, the owner/ flight instructor departed with a student on the accident flight. The student stated that, after take-off, the engine sputtered and the flight instructor took control. He had no recollection of the accident other than that the altimeter indicated 240ft. Recorded data revealed that the aeroplane experienced a significant reduction in engine rpm for unknown reasons about 35 seconds after take-off. The throttle was reduced, and the aeroplane reached a maximum altitude of about 250ft at an airspeed of 44kt. Vertical acceleration began to oscillate, the aeroplane was banking to the left and reached a 68° left wing down bank angle. It then began to descend rapidly, the throttle was advanced and engine speed increased. However, shortly thereafter, the aircraft impacted the ground. Examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any pre-impact anomalies. The aeroplane’s flight track and recorded data were consistent with it entering a stall during a left turn back toward the airport.

“The aeroplane appeared to enter a stall during a left turn back toward the airport” Accident 5

The pilot reported that, after a crosscountry flight, he wanted to fuel the aeroplane at the airport, but the fuel tanks were locked. He then flew to a nearby airport to fuel the aeroplane, but once over the airport, he was told via the UNICOM frequency that the airport was closed for construction and that he would not be able to land. He returned to the departure airport, and as he reduced power and performed his pre-landing checks, the engine lost total power. He switched from the left fuel tank to the right fuel tank, turned the fuel pump on, and pumped the throttle to no avail. He continued downwind and abeam the runway numbers and added flaps.

On base, he felt the aeroplane was low and decided to head straight for the runway. Near the beginning of the runway, the aeroplane aerodynamically stalled and landed hard. The aeroplane slid about 300ft and came to rest in the grass adjacent to the runway. The aeroplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The FAA inspector reported that he verified that the left fuel tank was completely empty. He also removed the drain plug from the carburettor, which was also empty. Additionally, the insurance adjuster reported that he looked into the fuel tanks with a scope and saw that the left fuel tank was ‘bone dry’, and that the right tank had about 12 gallons of fuel.

Ayres’ Analysis We all have deeply entrenched memories from the early days of our flying training. Some have been indelibly etched through near-death experiences, ‘Whatever happens, I’m not going to do that again’, and others, as pearls of wisdom from our various instructors. Many of my instructors were ex-military (thank you, Channel Islands Aero Club) or serving in the military, but they all sang from the same song sheet when it came to dealing with the unexpected. The narrative began with, ‘Fly the f***ing aeroplane’. It didn’t matter what that unexpected event was or how grave the emergency, nothing had a greater importance than flying the aircraft safely. Either while getting on with emergency drills or simply remaining in control up to the point of touch down! Much of that instruction about ‘flying the aeroplane’ during emergency handling revolved around setting a power (if you had any!) and maintaining an appropriate ‘attitude’ for the flight parameters at any given time. Mostly, this was the cruise attitude or with little to no power, a glide attitude. As a result these pictures of where to put the nose of the aircraft relative to the horizon, either visually or on instruments, were burned onto the retina, endlessly taught and constantly practiced. As much as we may have the urge to try other attitudes voluntarily or involuntarily, perhaps fuelled by the panic of a particular situation, they will never defy the laws of physics. And the consequences of loss of control will inevitably be far, far worse than if we remain in control and guide our stricken airframe to a forced landing. So, how to avoid becoming another one of these dire statistics? Given our limited opportunities for flying at the moment the temptation will be, of course, to pick a nice sunny day and simply enjoy the pleasures of being airborne. But do think about stealing a couple of minutes to remind yourself of that glide attitude following a simulated and sudden loss of power. So that – should the ‘unthought-of’ happen – your instincts are the correct ones and you Select the correct attitude, Hold It and Trim… instinctively! April 2021 | FLYER | 41

Safety Accident Reports

Cool heads

Steve Ayres summarises and comments on accident reports from around the world and suggests this would be a good time to read Engines, by Mike Busch.

Blade loose

Sportstar Max G-TMAX White Ox Mead Farm Airstrip, Somerset Injuries: Nil

The aircraft departed from Runway 20 at White Ox Mead Airstrip in fine weather conditions. Towards the end of the take-off run the pilot reported feeling a distinct high-frequency vibration, but as he was beyond the point on the runway where the aircraft could safely be stopped, he continued with the take-off. The vibration continued as the aircraft became airborne so the pilot reduced power and started a left turn, with the intention of returning to the airstrip if the vibration continued. As the aircraft climbed through 250ft agl the vibration increased and the pilot reported hearing a loud bang and observed a propeller blade passing over the canopy. The vibration increased significantly after the propeller blade detached, causing the forward-hinged canopy to open and be sucked upwards into the airflow. The engine also stopped, which the pilot subsequently determined was due to the carburettors detaching from the inlet manifolds. At approximately 200ft agl the pilot selected a crop field, which was into wind and had an upslope, and made a successful forced landing. No additional damage was incurred during the landing. Despite a search of the area that the aircraft had overflown, the detached propeller blade was not located. The absence of any evidence of progressive cracking prior to the blade’s release indicates that the

propeller was weakened prior to the failure, possibly due to contact with the ground or a foreign object. The increasing level of vibration experienced during the latter stages of the take-off roll is consistent with a change in the stiffness or mass of a propeller blade during the take-off roll. Comment This could have ended very badly. Engine failure at low level leaves few options, but clear-headed actions and deft handling resulted in a good outcome. Losing a prop blade is worrisome, though, and it would be good to know what caused it.

Short stop

Piper PA 24-180 Commanche N5839P Compton Abbas Airfield, Dorset Injuries: Nil

The aircraft was being positioned via an overhead join for an approach to land on Runway 26 at Compton Abbas. When the landing gear was selected down there was a sudden smell of burning. The pilot, believing there was a fire or an imminent risk of fire, immediately made an emergency call to ATC and positioned the aircraft for a shortened approach. The aircraft touched down normally and rolled on its landing gear for around 80m before it collapsed and the aircraft slid along on its belly. Once the aircraft came to a halt, the occupants vacated the aircraft with the fire service in attendance. Initial enquiries suggested the landing gear failed to lock down due to a burnt-out electrical gear motor. Comment To be back safely on terra firma after a suspected electrical fire cannot be a bad result, but landing

“When the landing gear was selected down there was a sudden smell of burning” 42 | FLYER | April 2021

with the undercarriage in an unsafe condition does come with its own risks. Connecting the smell of burning with the movement of the undercarriage selector switch could have led to a prompt diagnosis of the cause and allowed time to reflect on how best to sort the problem of an unlocked undercarriage before committing to land. But, of course, hindsight can be a wonderful thing!

Close shave

Champion 7GCB, C-FPTR & Cessna 172M, C-GEDC Ottawa River, Ontario, Canada Injuries: One minor

A Champion aircraft equipped with floats, departed Golden Lake, Ontario, for a VFR flight with just the pilot on board. As the aircraft approached Chat Falls on the Ottawa River, the pilot descended to 1,500ft and made a position call on the training area frequency while tracking 085°. A few minutes earlier a Cessna 172M aircraft departed Arnprior Airport with the pilot and three passengers on board, for a VFR flight to Constance Bay. The pilot climbed to 1,500ft before switching to the training area frequency and broadcasting the aircraft’s position and his intentions for the flight. After making a few sightseeing orbits the aircraft flew a track of approximately 050°. Shortly after, the two aircraft collided while flying over the Ottawa River near Buckham’s Bay. The Champion sustained damage to the tail, entered a descending left-hand turn, struck the water, and overturned. The pilot egressed from the aircraft and was rescued by nearby boaters. The pilot received minor injuries. The Cessna sustained damage to the propeller, nosewheel fairing and engine cowl. The pilot of the Cessna saw the Champion strike the water. He flew a few orbits to confirm that the pilot had been rescued, and transmitted a Mayday call before returning to land without further incident. Comment This was a narrow

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Safety Accident Reports collision angle of 35° and the aircraft would have been within mutual visual detection range for many seconds. However, as with all collisions, the absence of any lateral movement would have made spotting the impending collision difficult without a good lookout scan. Neither aircraft had any form of electronic conspicuity device and the investigation identified systems such as FLARM and ADS-B as offering the potential to significantly reduce the risk of collision.

Out of limits… Pitts S-2A Special G-ODDS Stonor, Oxfordshire Injuries: Two fatal

During an aerobatics training flight, the aircraft struck the ground while in a spin. The aircraft was destroyed and both pilots were fatally injured. A definitive cause could not be determined, but it is likely that the commander became incapacitated during a spin and the student was unable to recover the aircraft in time. The post mortem identified that the commander had significant narrowing of a cardiac artery which would have placed him at risk of sudden death due to cardiac dysrhythmia, a condition particularly rare in those under 40. The commander had shown no history of illness and it is unlikely the condition would have been revealed by an ECG unless a significant physiological burden was applied, such as occurs with an exercise ECG. The aircraft had a Centre of Gravity (CofG) position that was out of limits aft, which would have reduced the capability of the aircraft to recover and extended the time to do so. Unapproved devices, which adjusted the rudder pedal positions, were found on the rudder cables but were unlikely to have been a contributory factor. Due to the additional weight penalty neither occupant was wearing a parachute. Comment Although the cause could not be identified with certainty, it appears the boarding weights used for the CofG calculations were underrecorded and the weight and balance schedule for the aircraft was not the most up-to-date. This would have contrived to make exiting the spin more lengthy and, coupled with the difficulties of establishing who was in control, meant there was insufficient height to recover from the manoeuvre. Pre-spin briefing of actions in the event 44 | FLYER | April 2021

“It is likely that the commander became incapacitated during a spin” of incapacitation of either occupant need to be thorough and detailed, particularly in a tandem aircraft. They also need considerable time to action in the air.

nose-up attitude then nose-down towards the ground and impacting with high energy. The man in command of the aeroplane was 20 years old and of Italian nationality. According to his parents, he had no aviation experience and his computer did not contain aircraft pilot simulation software. The toxicological analysis did not reveal anything which might explain the accident. Comment The French BEA rightly make no attempt to understand the reasons behind this accident, although recommend that security at the airfield be reviewed. While the motive may not be obvious, it is surprising that anyone with little or no exposure to aviation could get airborne from an unlit taxiway for a one hour, low level night flight in a piston twin. Something many of us reading these columns would struggle to achieve and for those involved, must have been terrifying.

Dark theft

PA 44 Séminole F-GCJE Perpignan-Rivesaltes, France Injuries: One fatal

A man climbed over a fence, which was covered in barbed wire, at night to gain access to Perpignan-Rivesaltes Airport and boarded a PA 44 parked in front of the maintenance hangar at the Aéropyrénées flight school. He started the two engines which did not require a key, taxied and took off from a taxiway at around 0220, flying at low level around Perpignan for almost an hour in turbulent weather conditions. At around 0317, a witness on the ground saw the aircraft flying level, initiating a turn, adopting a

Safety kit Engines by Mike Busch Published by Amazon On Demand £21.75 With so many engine related safety articles in these columns, this book by Mike Busch makes the perfect read for a wet winter’s day in lockdown. When reviewed for FLYER, Ian Seager concluded: If you are learning to fly, already flying and renting, or if you own a pistonpowered aeroplane you should buy and read this book. It’s packed with pretty much any of us really need, or want, to know about aircraft piston engines. You’ll learn about the various systems, about how to fly, monitor and maintain them and figure out what’s wrong with them. Better still it’s all presented in an accessible manner that often relates to Mike’s own flying which makes it more interesting, more

digestible and simpler to absorb. Five hundred pages for less than half an hour’s worth of avgas for most of us.

46 | FLYER | April 2021

FLYING ADVENTURE

Lockdown locals The no land-away restriction of being in Tier 3 at the end of 2020 didn’t put off Paul Kiddell, who limited his coffee intake before he took to flying some three-hour ‘extended locals’…

s the country exited the second national lockdown on 2 December 2020, Northumberland found itself in Tier 3. For the leisure pilot, DfT Tier 3 guidance advised limiting flying with family / bubble members only with no land-aways. While on first glance that may appear restrictive, I saw it as an ideal opportunity for some epic locals. I love winter flying and, historically, December provides excellent flying opportunities over the North East coast – as well as the many impressive inland hill ranges from the Pennines to the Cheviots and Scottish Uplands. Of course, we are very lucky to have two hard runways at Eshott, with 550m and 610m resurfaced portions of two of the original three wartime runways which once hosted the Spitfires of 57 Operational Training Unit. Our Eshott-based 80hp Rotax 912 Evektor EuroStar has a 65 litre tank, so a good five hours at 12L/hr at 100mph. Of course, being a gentleman of ‘a certain age’ (56), I have other considerations, but I find by limiting my coffee intake that I can manage three hours away from the little boys’ room… comfortably. During December I flew 17 hours on six great extended locals. Here are just two…

Saturday 5 December – Kielder, Spadeadam and North Pennines

On Saturday 5 December, west looked best, with heavy showers forecast for the east coast, so I set off from Eshott at 0930 sharp. Above Rothbury, both of Nelly’s Moss Lakes appeared to be frozen solid. The lakes were built by Victorian industrialist and arms manufacturer, Lord William Armstrong, to power the beautiful Cragside House, the first in the world to be lit by hydro-electric power. The house is now operated by the National Trust and is definitely worth a visit. Also on the moors above Rothbury are some of

the finest surviving examples of WWI training trenches. In 1915, Northumberland Fusiliers came to Rothbury to train for the battlefields of France and dug a series of trench systems, which show up really well in the low winter sun. The Fusiliers went on to fight in the 1916 Somme offensive, so seeing the trenches is a sobering reminder of those brave young men. Leaving Rothbury takes me low over the craggy Simonside Hills, which rise to 1447ft at the wonderfully named Tosson Hill. Flying low in the vicinity of hills and mountains requires caution as well as a decent working knowledge of the significant hazards posed, especially by winds aloft. But today is very calm up to 3,000ft, which makes for a wonderful day to be out playing in the hills at low level. The Eurostar is a great platform for such, with exceptional visibility and great performance, while flying at a sedate 95mph means plenty of time for decision making. Operating at around 500ft AGL (within the bounds of rule five, either laterally and vertically) isn’t for everyone (or every type), but I feel very comfortable, especially in areas I know well. Having said that, when operating in remote areas I do ensure that I have suitable clothing and a PLB as I’m regularly out of line-of-sight of any ATC unit or D&D. In Rotax we trust! Continuing south-west, I route around D512B, the Otterburn Range, which is the oldest and largest live firing range in the UK. This is one to avoid as it accommodates the largest weapons in the British Army such as the AS-90 155mm self-propelled gun which, on a quiet night, we can hear firing from our house some 25 miles away. It is active 24/7, 365 days a year, extending up to 18,000ft (ocnl 25,000ft by Notam), and unfortunately, there is no Danger Area Crossing Service (DACS) available. Next up is Kielder Water, which is the UK’s largest capacity man-made reservoir (Rutland is

Opposite Nelly’s Moss Lakes built by Victorian industrialist Sir William Armstong to provide hydro-electric power to Cragside House

April 2021 | FLYER | 47

Flying Adventure

Above Patchy fog over Hadrian’s Wall Right RAF Spadeadam dummy airfield with Cold War jets, former East German Sukhoi SU-22 and French Air Force Mystere IVs Far right WWI training trenches at Rothbury Below Rothbury Below right Approaching Rookhope Bottom Blue Streak missile test pads at Spadeadam, which was founded in the 1950s

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larger by area) and was completed in 1981, consuming a number of farms and a school in the process. The water, with some 27.5 miles of shoreline, is surrounded by the 250 square miles of the largest working forest in England. Remote Kielder also boasts the largest area of dark sky in Europe and hosts an observatory which is a popular tourist destination. Encroaching Kielder to the south is another expansive range complex, D510 which contains RAF Spadeadam, the RAF’s Electronic Warfare Tactics Range (EWTR). Here UK and NATO allies come to learn the ‘dark art’ of electronic warfare and how to counter a variety of missile and radar guided anti-aircraft artillery threats. While the EWTR D510A and D510B are generally only active on weekdays, a small enclave D510C is often active at weekends. D510C is used by civilian company DNV GL to test the effects of explosions by blowing stuff up, often in spectacular style! This informs improvements in safety from the offshore industry to military applications. Fortunately, today all areas are Notamed inactive, which means I am able to fully explore. Spadeadam was founded in the 1950s as the Spadeadam Rocket Establishment to test the UK’s Blue Streak Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile. Improvements in Soviet Air Defences led to concern that the RAF V bomber force wouldn’t get through, and so Blue Streak was designed to deliver a one megaton nuclear warhead to Moscow and beyond. Two huge missile stands were built at Spadeadam’s Greymare Hill, and although the missile programme was cancelled in 1960, the structures still exist and, as I circle above, are a most impressive sight. A few miles to the east of the missile test stands is a dummy target airfield that houses an eclectic range of Cold War jets. Former Belgian Air Force Lockheed T-33s, French Mystere IVs and a solitary former East German Sukhoi SU-22 Fitter. Needless to say, I destroyed them all in an imagined strafing attack before continuing south to Hadrian’s Wall… Hadrian’s Wall marks the southern boundary of the Spadeadam complex and runs some 73 miles from Wallsend in Newcastle to the Solway Firth. What strikes you from the air is the sheer scale of this feat of Roman engineering, and I feel that many of the forts, such as Housesteads, are best appreciated from above. I fly over scenic Sycamore Gap, a dip in the wall which funnily enough features a lone sycamore tree, and is known for appearing in Kevin Costner’s 1991 film Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves. In 1983 the tree narrowly escaped when a Jetranger crashed about 30m away while filming it. Fortunately, the pilot and film crew escaped without injury as did TV presenter Alan Titchmarsh on the ground who managed to jump clear as the spinning G-BAML crashed just yards away.

But no such drama today as I pass over the Tyne Valley and climb up into the North Pennines. Above 1,000ft there has been a good snowfall, and with calm winds, I wander low above many picturesque former mining villages such as Rookhope and Allenheads, which even has a ski-lift. Pushing further up onto the remote hilltop moorland devoid of people, vehicles or cables, I indulge in some great flying, playing with my shadow on the deep snow – exceptional fun! I circle Derwent Reservoir (not to be confused with Derwent Valley in the Peak District where the Dambusters trained), which supplies water to the Tyne and Wear metropolitan area. Heading west, I fly along the ridge containing the three highest mountains in the Pennines – Great Dun Fell, Little Dun Fell and Cross Fell, which at 2,930ft is the highest mountain in England outside of the Lake District. Sitting atop Great Dun Fell is the radome housing the NATS long-range surveillance radar of the same name, and at 2,782ft it looks like Ice Station Zebra covered in deep snow. The road to the site is exceptionally popular with cyclists, offering a steep 4.5 mile climb with very little chance of meeting traffic. Further west across the valley, the Lake District snow-capped peaks shine in the sun, and while I’ve got fuel to make it, I’ve already been out two hours and ‘personal capacity’ is an issue. So I satisfy myself with reducing power and launching myself off the edge of Cross Fell towards the valley floor far below. It’s easy to get to the 146mph VNe in the Eurostar and I’m cautious, settling on a descent of 118mph, VNo – the max structural cruising speed. What a buzz! I fly briefly north along the valley before again hopping over the hills to pass over the famous Hartside café at 1,904ft. It is a favourite with bikers and coast-to-coast cyclists, although it has recently been operating out of a container since the building burned down in 2018.

Above IFR (I Follow Roads) in the North Pennines

April 2021 | FLYER | 49

Flying Adventure

Above Uswayford spruce forest, which is a designated red squirrel reserve Right Sam Woodgate enjoying his groupowned classic Evans VP-1

Left Cheviot foothills Below left Milfield Airfield, home of Borders Gliding Club and important RAF base in the run up to D-Day Above right The Potts’ family strip at Stanton Right The 13th century Ford Castle near the River Tweed

50 | FLYER | April 2021

I’d normally give Carlisle Airport a courtesy call but sadly the airfield has been closed to visitors for most of 2020 and the bulk of the staff, including ATC, remain furloughed. So much has happened since January 2020, when we would fly in to park next to Loganair Saab 340s operating new services to Dublin, Belfast and Southend while enjoying the new café, all for a very reasonable £10 landing fee. In July 2020, Loganair announced it had no plans to resume services after the pandemic. It is, of course, a very challenging time for the industry – good luck to all my chums at Carlisle. The last 30 minutes of my flight home were spent dodging heavy east coast showers which were increasingly encroaching further inland and I finished off my trip by buzzing the Potts’ family strip at Stanton near Morpeth. Stanton is a steep one-way in and one-way out hillside strip with about 100ft difference from the bottom to the top of the runway, so it is great fun. Chester, who flies a taildragger Escapade and is rebuilding a Europa, is outside and gives me a hearty wave. After a wonderfully diverse and enjoyable 3.2 hour flight I am back at Eshott. One of the airfield operators, Sam Woodgate, is starting his syndicate’s classic Evans VP-1 G-BDUL. What a fun machine and proves that cheap, grassroots flying is available – it’s £500 to join Sam’s six-member group and £45/month and £7/hr dry. It’s great to hear the Volkswagen engine chattering away as Sam gets airborne, a great end to a great day.

Sunday 27 December – Cheviots, Scottish Uplands and Northumberland Coast

Late December saw some good snowfall on higher ground in the Northumberland Cheviots and Scottish Uplands and so I set off in bright sunshine and freezing temperatures to blow away the Christmas cobwebs. Heading for the Cheviots just 15 miles north-west of Eshott, I pass over the RAF Air Defence radar at Brizlee Wood high above Alnwick, before descending to one of the more unusual sights in Northumberland. On a farm at Battle Bridge is Manners Combines, the largest breaker of combine harvesters for spares in the UK. Nearly 400 colourful machines are organised in four neat rows. From above, the odd red combine is mixed in with the green and yellow ones and I can’t help but want to reorganise them… The Cheviot Hills are covered in snow and look spectacular. Despite the depth of snow, you can still see the circular outlines of the many Iron Age Hillforts that litter the area. The man-made forests of spruce not only provide a nice contrast with the snow but are also red squirrel reserves and it’s still common to see them in Northumberland. Once again, the 3,000ft winds are very light so I

enjoy a relaxed, low level flight all the way to the trig point on the very flat 2,674ft summit of the Cheviot, which some 380 million years ago was an active volcano. Trig points only started to appear in 1935 when the Ordnance Surveys’ re-triangulation of Britain project began in an effort to improve the standard of UK maps. The project was finally completed in 1962 by which time around 6,500 trig points had been built. To the east of Cheviot, the Borders Glider Club field at Milfield looks empty and with no sign of activity on Pilot Aware OGN-R and no response on the radio, I fly over for a closer look. RAF Milfield played a really important part in D-Day and beyond, training RAF and USAAF squadrons in ground attack. RAF Spitfires, Hurricanes and rocket-firing Typhoons along with USAAF P-47 Thunderbolts, P-51 Mustangs and P-38 Lightnings would visit to practise strafing, dive bombing and rocket firing on the nearby Goswick Sands (live) firing range which had a huge variety of targets, including over 50 vehicles and tanks and a section of railway. Although the range closed in 1945, so much ordnance had been dropped that the RAF had a permanent bomb disposal presence until 2011, and as recently as 2009 was still discovering live 500lb bombs. Heading north across the flat plains in an area far away from any sort of controlled airspace, I orbit beautiful Ford Castle before flying over the 1513 Battle of Flodden memorial. Amid many battles between the English and the Scots, Flodden was the bloodiest and claimed the life of James IV of Scotland, the last British Monarch to be killed in battle, and more than 10,000 of his men. Fortunately, things are much friendlier these days and crossing the Tweed, I enter Scotland at Coldstream, birthplace of the famous Guards Regiment. During these Covid times I can’t land, so I do low fly-bys at a couple of friends’ Border strips – Gary Burn’s 350m strip at Eccles Newton and Ewan Brewis’ large 600m strip at Lempitlaw. While Gary’s strip is predominantly for

Above Coldstream, birthplace of the Guards, on the River Tweed

April 2021 | FLYER | 51

Flying Adventure

Above General Thomas Monteath Douglas mausoleum near Ancrum Right Early 18th century Floors Castle at Kelso Below A wintry Old Bewick Iron Age double Hillfort Bottom Berwick bridges

52 | FLYER | April 2021

microlights/STOL types, Ewan’s immaculate grass strip hosts many SEP visitors and I once parked next to a Cirrus whose owners were taking their dog to a show in nearby Kelso. The Border area is full of historic memorials and curiosities. At Ancrum, I orbit the 150ft high Waterloo Monument which was completed in 1824 after the first collapsed. Nearby, there is the bizarre sight of a huge domed mausoleum in the middle of nowhere. It is the final resting place of a certain General Thomas Monteath Douglas who, for 40 years in the early 19th century, served in the Bengal Lancers, clearing the Khyber Pass and capturing Kabul. Of course, it all turned into a bit of a drama and on his return, the General, influenced by his time in India, had a mausoleum built where he was laid to rest in 1864. Having served with the RAF in Afghanistan, I was pleased to give him a dip of the wing during a fly-by. As an aside, you can sign keys out to both monuments from Lothian Estates. Continuing north, the frosty plains give way to the snow-covered Scottish Upland hills. The attractive triple-peak Eildon Hill at Melrose once housed a Roman Army signal station which used fire and smoke to warn, I suppose, of the Scottish hordes heading south… Entering the Upland Hills at Galashiels in smooth air, I fly over the frozen hills for 20 miles or so circling around Megget Reservoir before returning south. I have good comms with the ever-friendly Scottish Information, which always provides great flight following and is a real comfort when operating in remote areas. For the last part of my flight in this winter wonderland, I inform Scottish that I’ll be going low level down in the valley floor and will lose comms before descending down to follow the River Ettrick. This really is a lovely run and I follow the winding river passing farms and the historic 1535 Aikwood Tower, a Peel tower, that was restored by the former Liberal Party leader David Steele in the early 1990s as the family home. Peel towers are small fortified tower houses and are very common in the Northumberland and the Scottish borders due to the extensive Anglo-Scottish wars as well as the activities of the Border Reivers, bandits from both sides of the border who would pillage local communities. Our 11th century village church in Longhoughton has a Peel tower that was actively used as a defended refuge for villagers for some five centuries. I finally pop out of the Upland hills at Selkirk adjacent to the incredibly scenic 300-year-old Bowhill House. Comms re-established with Scottish, I pass the two huge television and radio masts east of Selkirk which are both over 1,800ft amsl (nearly 800ft agl) before picking up the River Tweed at St Boswells. For the next 30 miles I follow the scenic Tweed November 2020 | FLYER | 59

Flying Adventure

all the way to the sea at Berwick. It’s a delightful journey, full of history, with castles in various states of repair, historic towns like Kelso, Coldstream and Norham, and grand country houses. Of all the interesting bridges, my favourite is the Union Chain Bridge between Horncliffe in England and Fishwick in Scotland. When opened in 1820 it was the longest wrought iron suspension bridge in the world with a span of 449ft. Despite the pandemic, a £10m restoration project is well underway and the bridge will reopen to traffic in 2022. Arriving at Berwick, there is a further treat for any bridge aficionados, with three wonderful bridges spanning the Tweed just before it drains into the North Sea – the Old Bridge built from sandstone dates back to 1620, the single-span 1925 Royal Tweed Bridge and the magnificent 1850 Royal Border Bridge, a 28-arch viaduct designed by Robert Stephenson that carries the East Coast mainline. During the Anglo-Scottish wars, Berwick changed hands many times but the border is now 2.5 miles north of the town at Marshall Meadows, England’s most northerly village. Due to the south-west/north-east nature of the border, here we are as far north as the southern part of Glasgow and further north than Bute airstrip. I exit Berwick over the Elizabethan town walls and head south down the coast. Huge CBs and heavy showers are visible offshore, as I do a 500ft clearing pass of the aforementioned former range at Goswick Sands. Once I’ve checked the remote sands for walkers, horse riders and importantly, flocks of migratory birds, I descend to 10ft or so and enjoy an exciting pass along the shoreline before climbing in good time back to 500ft to pass over Holy Island and its tidal causeway. The water is calm and acts like a huge mirror for the CBs offshore… marvellous! The imposing Bamburgh Castle is my favourite of the 75 castles in Northumberland. Still owned by the Armstrong family, Bamburgh saw many bloody sieges and also has an excellent aviation archaeology display. The display contains a lot of artefacts and engines of many aircraft that crashed on the Cheviot Hills as well as Luftwaffe aircraft which were shot down in WWII. On 15 August 1940, the Battle of Britain arrived in Northumberland when the Luftwaffe launched a huge daylight raid from bases in Norway and Denmark. Believing the RAF was fully committed in the South, the Messerschmitt Me-110 escort fighters even left behind their rear-gunners to carry additional fuel. Alerted by the Chain Home radar at Ottercops Moss, 11 Spitfires from 72 Sqn Acklington intercepted a force of some 65 Heinkel He-111s and 34 Me-110s off the Farne Islands just east of Bamburgh. As the attackers bravely continued towards their RAF airfield targets, they were relentlessly harried by

Above Lempitlaw strip near Kelso Left Galashiels Below Megget Reservoir Southern Uplands Bottom Holy Island reflections

July 2016 | FLYER | 71

Flying Adventure

Above Bamburgh Castle with the Farne Islands beyond where Sptifires intercepted a force of 100 Luftwaffe aircraft on 15 August 1940 Right Budle Bay looking towards Bamburgh, with heavy showers offshore

Route Map E

Flight 1 Kielder, Spadeadam and North Pennines - E marks Eshott

E Flight 2 Cheviots, Scottish Uplands and Northumberland Coast - E marks Eshott

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an increasing number of RAF Hurricanes and Spitfires from Drem, Acklington, Usworth and Catterick. Despite the RAF inflated claims, the Luftwaffe still lost eight He-111 and seven Me-110s in this raid, which was a disaster. Across the UK, the Luftwaffe lost 75 aircraft that day and it became known to them as ‘Black Thursday’. Importantly, the Luftwaffe never again attempted large daylight raids across the North Sea. The raid is portrayed in the Battle of Britain film and you can see the route to Bamburgh marked on a He-111 pilot’s map. Just south of Bamburgh, on the sandy coast, is Beadnell Bay which also has an interesting aviation link. On 25 August 1913, 24-year-old Harry Hawker set off from Southampton in a Sopwith Seaplane powered by a 100hp six-cylinder, inline, water-cooled engine. Accompanied by Sopwith’s foreman of works, Harry Kauper, they were attempting 1,540mile Daily Mail ‘Circuit of Britain’ challenge spurred on by a £5,000 prize. They were the only one of the four entrants to set off, sadly British Aviation pioneer Sam Cody had been killed testing his floatplane entry at Farnborough just two weeks prior. After four stops, Hawker arrived at Beadnell at 1930, having covered 495 miles in a day in nine hours and 18 minutes, a world record at the time. Their unscheduled arrival (due to loss of coolant) caused a sensation as many people had never seen an aeroplane. One local lad was recorded as shouting, “Lookee yonder, there’s a muckle gate coming over Point End!” After a night as guests of Colonel Craster, they again set off and made Oban the following night. On day three, the expedition ended as they crashed on approach to land near Dublin, Hawker was unhurt although Kauper broke his arm. While they did not complete the challenge, the Daily Mail awarded them £1,000 for completing around 1,043 miles of the 1,540-mile course. Hawker went on to be test pilot for Sopwith and played a key role in the development of the Pup and the Camel. In 1920 he formed the HG Hawker Engineering company with Tommy Sopwith but sadly died soon after, aged just 32, in a Nieuport Goshawk while practising for the 1921 Hendon Air Pageant. Having been airborne for three hours, my own personal endurance challenge was about over and I returned to nearby Eshott. Despite all the challenges of 2020, I enjoyed a fabulous flying year, visiting 83 different fields with great friends in 145 hours aloft. But with an aeroplane and a bit of imagination, you really don’t have to go far to enjoy a brilliant adventure. Looking beyond the current surge, I’m full of optimism, really looking forward to getting the jab – and see you on the other side…

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Training

ATPL Groundschool is now the right time to start? A career as an airline pilot starts with groundschool. And while times are challenging, given the combination of the value of knowledge with the relatively low cost of theoretical training, Ian Seager thinks it might be a good time to hit the books if you’re thinking about a future flying career…

e might not be able to fly, but whether refreshing your memory or embarking on a commercial career, there’s never been a better time to open the books and get groundschool underway. Groundschool might not be every pilot’s favourite part of flight training, but done correctly, it helps build the foundations for a lifetime of aviation learning, and if there’s a (slight) silver lining to the human and business tragedy that is Covid-19, it’s

that lockdown provides many with the opportunity to learn, revise or refresh, and for those embarking on a commercial career, it provides an ideal opportunity to get the ball rolling. To state the obvious, groundschool is the theoretical learning bit of training that precedes or accompanies flight training. It applies from microlights (where there’s five different subjects air law, navigation, meteorology, aircraft technical and human factors), through LAPL and PPL which add another four subjects to that: communications, operational procedures, flight performance and April 2021 | FLYER | 57

Fly your own Training

“If you are heading for an eventual airline career you will need to sit 13 ATPL exams, which have the same 18-month calendar as PPL exams” What is KSA 100? Multiple studies have identified that a significant number of accidents have crew actions central to their cause, with soft skills rather than lack of knowledge being a significant factor. This has led EASA to introduce KSA (Knowledge, Skills and Attitude) training and assessment alongside ATPL groundschool. The idea is that KSA introduces scenariobased learning alongside technical skills. Rather than an exam, cadets are assessed by instructors on four core competences: team work, leadership, problem solving and workload management. It’s a fairly new area for theoretical training providers, providing challenges in situations where instructors may have less direct contact with students in a group thanks to Covid-19 restrictions. With a couple of exceptions, KSA has been well received by the training

58 | FLYER | April 2021

industry. Director and Head of Training at Pathway, Norman Beasant, told FLYER, “The introduction of KSA100 training in groundschool is a major step forward in building future pilot core competencies and soft skills. It has been thoroughly embedded in the PadPilot iBooks. “As well as explaining and expanding the KSA principles, we run KSA Assessment weeks where we deliver two to three days of dedicated KSA training and assessments, culminating in teambased exercises to train and assess students in operating successfully as part of a team to solve various problems in realistic aviationbased scenarios. The feedback we have had on this training so far has been universally positive and will equip the students not only for a future airline job, but also gives them experience of the exercises that are often used by airline recruiters.”

The ATPL subjects ■ Aviation law ■ Aircraft general knowledge ■ Flight planning and monitoring ■ Human performance and limitations ■ Meteorology ■ Operational procedures ■ Principles of flight ■ Communications (IFR & VFR) ■ Performance ■ General navigation ■ Radio navigation ■ Instrumentation ■ Mass and balance

planning, and principles of flight. A lot of PPL level study has been a combination of home study via the usual staples of well-known books, supplemented with some traditional ‘chalk and talk’ from your instructor. However, things are changing with services like Nigel Willson’s Easy PPL which offers online groundschool in all subjects. Nigel told FLYER that his aim in creating the material was not just to get students through the exams but to relate as far as possible the material and learning objectives to real-world flying. The PPL exams are now online, with students having 18 months to secure passes in all nine subjects. The countdown starts when you sit your first exam. Should you not pass, you’ll get another three attempts (four in all), and if you still fail you’ll have to re-take everything after a three-month break.

It’s exam time…

If you are heading for an eventual airline career you will need to sit 13 ATPL exams (there used to be 14, but a recent change to the syllabus combined VFR Communications and IFR Communications into one subject ). The ATPLs have the same 18-month calendar as the PPL exams, and the subjects have to be taken in a maximum of six sittings. Additionally you have to add the CPL and Instrument Rating to your licence within three years of passing your last theory exam. Fail to do that for whatever reason and you’ll need to hit the books again and resit all of the exams. Then there’s the usual decisions relating to integrated or modular, UK or overseas, EASA or CAA etc. When it comes to the groundschool element things are perhaps a little more nuanced in the post-Covid-19 world. It used to be fairly simple – full-time classroom study (as either part of an integrated or modular course) or distance learning with brush up sessions after each module and before taking the exams. Both the full-time classroom, and face-to-face classroom brush up sessions are hard to impossible with Covid-19 restrictions, so the industry has adapted to provide teaching and revision online using a mixture of study material, pre-recorded and

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Training

Left While inclassroom study has been the norm, COVID has accelerated online study methods

always available webinars and live interactive online classrooms. Diarmuid O’Riordan, founder of ASG in Dublin and an Airbus TRI (Type Rating Instructor) told FLYER that Covid-19 had accelerated changes to the industry that were perhaps inevitable. The company has invested heavily in remote teaching technology to provide an immersive experience. The technology (and associated approvals!) now allows classes and revision to take place in person, remotely or as a mixture of both with full participation between physical and remote students and instructors.

Integrated course

Distance learning and self-study doesn’t work for everyone of course, and Matthew Woods, CTKI at Leading Edge Aviation told FLYER that the company has been determined since the beginning to innovate, and that the full-time groundschool, which is part of its integrated course provides a great opportunity to match the theory with practice by use of either the company’s Airbus sim or its

The student view… Matthew Ross – BGS

Luke Tullett - LEA

Once you understand how they work, ATPLs aren’t so bad. At the start, I remember studying for module 1 with Bristol Groundschool, not knowing what to expect. After speaking with other students and doing some research I felt more comfortable. By the time the second module came around, I felt pretty good about the routine and how best to study and revise. I struggled the most with air law and radio navigation (RNav) because there’s little logic involved, you’re mostly required to learn facts and figures. Whereas with principles of flight and flight planning, despite these being some of the more feared exams, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the various aerodynamic aspects in POF and how fuel contingencies are calculated in FPM. I worked full-time and managed to study most days for an hour or two, probably totalling about 15-17 hours per week. That said, it’s a very personal decision and important to remember everybody will be different when it comes to learning and sitting exams. My best piece of advice is to speak to others. It helped me to have a good group of friends in a similar position, who I could talk to for support but also to ask specific questions and discuss methods and techniques for the exams. As important as that is, try not to compare yourself to others going through exams. Stick to a pace that works for you and if you’re struggling take a break and come back to it.

I’m on an integrated course at Leading Edge Aviation. Obviously Covid-19 has changed things, but I’m happy to say that instructor access remains brilliant and there’s been a lot of encouragement and support from all quarters, including the students in my bubble. We study with a mix of face-to-face teaching, in the academy mixed with some video sessions too, all sessions are Instructor led so we’re always able to absorb their vast experience. Living and studying in our student bubbles really helps. It means that we can study together both at the academy and in our accommodation, supporting each other every step of the way, this makes a huge difference. If I’m finding a subject difficult, I can guarantee that one of my course mates will be able to put a different spin on it, and helping them is a great way of cementing my knowledge too! It also gives us a degree of social interaction in a safe environment that is so hard to access with Covid-19 – the academy puts a huge importance on wellbeing. On a personal note, visits to the sim and a flight in the Slingsby Firefly have really helped bring the theoretical learning to life as well as being a lot of fun.

60 | FLYER | April 2021

Left Luke Tullett Right Matthew Ross

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Training

“Groundschool shouldn’t be viewed as a hoop to jump through…”

aircraft. “Groundschool shouldn’t be viewed as a hoop to jump through on the way to the practical elements of flight training, it should be an immersive experience that gives future commercial pilots a solid understanding which relates not only to passing exams but to real-life flying.” The bottom line is that no single route is right for every individual, and personal circumstances, finances, time and career considerations will need to be considered. To start a full-time integrated course most

Questions, questions… Want to know what ATPL questions are like? It’s obviously impossible to paint a complete picture, and there are certainly harder (and easier) questions, but we asked training providers to pick out a few for us… Alex Whittingham from Bristol Groundschool A question from Operational Procedures… Q. You are flying to Thessaloniki Airport in Greece. Where would you find information concerning noise abatement procedures for the airfield? 1. ICAO DOC 7030 Regional Supplementary Procedures. 2. Greece AIPs, Part 3 AD 2.21. 3. ICAO PANS-OPS, DOC 8168 Aircraft Operations. 4. Notams. The correct answer is (2). Although the answer contains some detail, which is in fact correct, the alternatives given mean that you only really need to know that the noise abatement procedures are in the Aerodrome (AD) section of the AIP. This is slightly less than the requirement in the matching Learning Objective (LO) 071 02 04 02 03 which says, ‘State that detailed information about noise-abatement procedures is to be found in Part ‘Aerodromes’ (AD), Sections 2 and 3 of the AIP’, but typical of more recent ATPL exam questions which follow the associated LO quite carefully. From Performance… Q. An aircraft has two certified landing flaps positions, 25° and 35°. If a pilot chooses 35° instead of 25°, the aircraft will have: 1. A reduced landing distance and better goaround performance. 2. An increased landing distance and better goaround performance.

62 | FLYER | April 2021

3. An increased landing distance and degraded go-around performance. 4. A reduced landing distance and degraded goaround performance. The correct answer is (4) and actually derives from knowledge that a PPL holder could reasonably be expected to have. (A) That a greater flap setting will reduce the landing distance because (i) the stall speed is reduced and therefore the landing speed lower and (ii) the drag from the flaps helps with the retardation to some extent. (B) That the go-around performance is degraded with large flap settings because the climb gradient comes from the excess of thrust over drag, more drag, poorer climb gradient. The best climb gradients are obtained flapless. And finally a scenario-based question from an ATO’s internal summative assessment for 100 KSA. KSA is a new requirement for the 2020 syllabus. Q. Preparing for the final flight of a long, four-sector day with many delays, it becomes apparent that all four cabin crew members will exceed their maximum Flight Duty Period (FDP) before they land back at home base. Commanders Discretion (CD) can be used to extend FDP, thereby allowing duties to be completed. The Commander must be satisfied that all crew members are fit to fly otherwise CD can’t be used and Company policy dictates non-fit crew members must disembark. Offloading cabin crew members has implications whereby some of the passengers might also have to be offloaded to preserve the ratio of passengers to cabin crew and in the worst case, the flight might have to be cancelled. You are the Captain and you gather the crew together to discuss. Upon asking whether everyone feels fit to fly, they all reply ‘Yes’. However one of the crew, Jeremy, has hunched shoulders and is staring at the ground with glazed eyes. (continued on p64)

LIFE IN A SPIN

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AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT LICENCE (ATPL) GROUND SCHOOL (RESIDENTIAL)

‘This is an entertaining read. A “must” for fellow aviators!’ Lord Glenarthur, president, The British Helicopter Association

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This beautifully written, funny and highly entertaining book allows the reader to make brief and joyous visits to Jamaica, Syria, Iran, Germany, Oman, Yemen, the North Sea, Sweden and Saudi Arabia. It gives an insight into two wars and we meet VIPs and heads of state. Highly experienced helicopter pilot Nick Mylne constantly dazzles and entertains with his recollections of his professional life in a spin. ISBN 978-1-913567-59-0 On sale now as a paperback or ebook from www.theconradpress.com Amazon and other outlets

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Training

Questions continued… What is the most appropriate course of action? 1. Have a private conversation with Jeremy. Ask open questions as to his wellbeing. Be friendly. Ask enough questions to satisfy yourself that Jeremy is either fit to fly or should be offloaded. 2. All crew said they are fit to fly. Take their word for it and continue with preparations and operate the flight. 3. Ask the Cabin Manager to give Jeremy a cup of coffee. Continue with preparations and operate the flight. 4. Have a private conversation with Jeremy. Tell him he is doing a great job. Continue with preparations and operate the flight. The correct answer is (1). Body language often indicates a person’s honest opinion/answer/ response which may be contrary to what they actually say. If the body language and verbal communication don’t add up, it is worth digging further. Jeremy may have said ‘Yes’, but his body language didn’t. Asking open questions and setting a friendly environment will most likely elicit the honest answer and picture of the situation. This question could be used to assess LOs 100 02 01 09, ‘Show the ability to correctly interpret nonverbal communication’ and 100 02 03 03, ‘Show the ability to employ proper problem solving strategies’. A rotary example from Phil Croucher of Caledonian Advanced Pilot Training Why should the vertical shaded area of the H/V (Height/Velocity) curve be avoided? 1. There will not be enough speed available to enter into safe autorotation and perform a subsequent engine-off landing. 2. There would be too much turbulence from the main rotors as they overcome parasite drag. 3. There would be too much turbulence from the tail rotor blades as they overcome dissymmetry of lift. 4. The main rotor RPM would be too high for the flare manoeuvre. The correct answer is (1).The vertical area is the low speed section – it will take at least 250ft to get the airspeed in a Bell 206 up to a point where you can flare and start getting the rotor speed back into the green range. If the engine fails, you will likely be on the ground before you can even put the nose down due to the machine’s lack of forward momentum and the time available.

64 | FLYER | April 2021

ATOs will require that you pass an assessment, and to begin modular groundschool you will need to be 17 years old, have the equivalent of ICAO level 4 English and hold a PPL. Although not a requirement, you would also be mad not to make sure that you can get a Class 1 medical, too. Bristol Groundschool’s Alex Whittingham and his team have taken around 15,000 people through ATPL groundschool over the last 30 years. He told FLYER, “The distance learning experience has evolved rapidly in the last five years. A good training provider will now be able to offer a full range of learning options both online and offline to suit all needs. In many ways the learning experience on professional courses now exceeds what you would expect at a university. “The inclusion of daily live webinars has made a huge difference to the distance learning experience, as has our library of several hundred hours of recorded webinars. There are subjects which nearly everybody finds challenging, General Navigation would be an example. The solutions are good quality tuition and practice, practice, practice. “Yes, there’s the frustration of dealing with poorly written exam questions, but the odd thing is, once it is all complete, most people say they enjoyed the course, even allowing for the (now notorious) exams.”

High pass rate

There’s a huge amount of material covered by the 13 ATPL subjects, and it would also be true to say that the relevance of some of the material raises an eyebrow. Pretty much every exam candidate will spend time hitting the various commercial question banks available to help improve their chances of not only success, but of a high pass rate. Every single training provider we spoke to was clear about the need to really understand the subject rather than just trying to learn the answers to the likely questions. Graham Cownie, MD of PadPilot told FLYER, “Passing your groundschool exams is an essential part of becoming a pilot, but groundschool is not just about getting through the exams so you can move onto commercial flight training. It’s important to focus on your future career, and take the opportunity to gain a comprehensive foundation of knowledge and understanding that will equip you for airline type training and beyond… For our part in the pilot training process, we’re focused on creating groundschool materials that deliver a pilot education, rather than just ‘getting you through’ the exams. Our books will do that too but understanding alongside knowledge is key…” As I write this most of General Aviation outside of commercial training is grounded, and I doubt there are many people working in the airline industry who have experienced more challenging times. Things will change, things will recover, so when you combine the value of knowledge with the relatively low cost of theoretical training, there really hasn’t been a better time to hit the books, tablets or screens. Hopefully a week or two after you’re able to read this the CAA will once again allow exam sittings!

Top Gear

The latest aviation kit, impartially tested and evaluated

AeroflyFS 2021 HHHHH

Developer www.aerofly.com

he lack of real-world GA flying has forced many people to find creative ways to either keep skills sharp, or just enjoy the sensation of flying. Enter AeroflyFS 2021, which is the latest in a line from developer IPACS. It sits in a rather small world of mobile flight simulators, but offers ease of entry and a simple, yet pleasurable flying experience. What’s great, and piqued our interest here at FLYER, is that the 2021 version has been updated to include UK photographic scenery and around 180 of our airports and grass strips. Part of AeroflyFS’s strength lies in the fact that it has a ‘big brother’ simulator on the PC and Mac. The ‘FS’ series are slightly stripped back but retain the stunning visuals and believable flight characteristics of the full product. From a pilot’s perspective it offers noticeably convincing flight dynamics. If you open your Cessna’s window (or even door!) in-flight, you will feel the effect on the aircraft and watch the slip ball swing

66 | FLYER | April 2021

out. Pull too hard during a loop in the Extra 300 and it will flick, forget to apply the correct recovery techniques and that flick will become a spin. While losing some 3D scenery elements from the main simulator, the developers have kept highly detailed cockpits with clickable switches, buttons and touchable screens. With some

aircraft you can start from cold, dark cockpits and bring them to life, just as you would in the real thing. The clickable cockpit functionality makes for a more immersive and accurate experience, as the on-screen control overlay only includes the basics like throttle, gear and flaps. The list of flyable aircraft is varied,

01 Control interface is clean with adjustable transparency 02 Guess the airfield? Answers at the end of the captions… 03 Fly to some of your favourite UK GA airfields 04 Aerofly’s navigation system makes it easy to plan flights 05 The GA fleet is well represented with clickable cockpits 06 The advanced flight model makes for realistic aerobatics Did you guess those airfield locations? 2. Gloucestershire 3. Compton Abbas 6. Brighton City

with many photogenic viewpoints and a comprehensive ‘co-pilot’ autopilot system that works on all aircraft and will follow your planned route, or your selected speed, altitude, heading and vertical speed. The current aircraft list includes: Airbus Helicopters EC135-T1, Robinson R22, Cessna 172, Beechcraft Baron 58, Learjet 45, Bombardier Dash-8 Q-400, Airbus A320, Airbus A380, Boeing 737-500, Boeing 747-400, Boeing 777-300ER, King Air C90 Gtx, Extra 330LX, Pitts S-2B, McDonnell Douglas F-18 and F-15E, Aermacchi MB-339, F4U Corsair, Lockheed P-38, Sopwith Camel, Bücker Jungmeister, Marganski Swift S1 and Schleicher ASG 29. The initial download includes scenery covering California and Nevada, and users are offered a number of additional regions, including Switzerland, UK, Southern Florida, Utah, Colorado, plus a high-resolution version of California/ Nevada. These additions are all free to download, which actually does a lot to

justify the £9.99 cost of the app (available on Google Play and Apple App Store). There is a lot of flying to be done in these areas! These regions will also take up a significant amount of storage on your device with each one clocking in at four gigabytes. It is also worth noting that smaller devices make reading certain things quite tricky, (this test was carried out on a 2020 iPhone SE). The UK scenery feels a lot like Flight Simulator X did with the first iteration of VFR photographic scenery. Down low the detail is lacking, but from 4,000ft and above it looks good – and don’t forget, we’re talking about a simulator on a phone that you can literally carry in your pocket and fire up at any time. A decent navigation planning system is included, which will let users plot routes over airfields, IFR waypoints, VORs and NDBs (some of which you may notice are no longer active in the ‘real world’). The list of UK GA airfields is impressive. While some aren’t instantly recognisable, their inclusion should be

commended. Places like Deanland, Manchester Barton, Eshott and Bodmin are included. When combined with the photographic scenery, most look very convincing (see if you can guess where the overhead screenshots are). If your favourite airfield closed any time in the past 15 years, you might be in for a chance to visit it again. Bristol Filton, Chivenor in Devon and Plymouth are a few that still exist within AeroFlyFS. We’ll overlook this inaccuracy and view it more as a wishful desire for the reopening of UK airfields. The price point may be at the higher end, but AeroFlyFS 2021 is a visually impressive and technically accurate piece of software that is beyond the gimmick some might expect from a mobile-based simulator. The bigger your screen the better the overall experience, but it offers hours of potential enjoyment in a much more accessible format than traditional flight simulation. Of course, we would all rather be flying for real… Jonny Salmon April 2021 | FLYER | 67

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

AOPA Safety of Life Service The UK CAA recently informed all airports which have, or are planning to have, a GPS-based approach, that if the UK is unable to reach an agreement with the EU by June 2021 then the ability for these airports to offer GPS approaches with vertical guidance will be withdrawn. The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System (EGNOS) has two signals, the first is an open source and free to use, the second signal is a safety of life service (Sol). Where the signal is used for Sol purposes there needs to be a ‘legal’ service contract in place, currently the UK

Government is unwilling to agree to such a contract. The EU’s legal framework does not permit the open-source signal to be used for safety of life services. UK businesses have invested millions of pounds in developing LPV approaches and are concerned that they may end up with a basic LNAV or non-precision approach which have higher minimas. Our current understanding is that an NPA falls outside the scope of the safety of life service provision. We are seeking clarification on this, and we continue to lobby the govt to resolve the funding issues with EGNOS so we do not lose our ability

to develop PBN approaches. AOPA feels that this is an important development for GA aerodromes as it enables more business and greater safety. There is also a potential impact on the national air traffic service as it tries to remove parts of its terrestrialbased navigation system in favour of the space-based augmentation service (SBAS / EGNOS) which offers system-wide financial benefits. Martin Robinson

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

BMAA Regulatory update Although recreational flying has ceased, it wouldn’t be a normal month without some sort of regulatory workload. So briefly in the last month we have been involved with: Pressing for NPPL (A) Microlight ground examination validity be extended to allow students a greater time before expiry to complete their training. These are now extended until May 2021. Discussions with both DfT and CAA regarding allowing pilots to fly for currency to avoid skill fade. CAA has clarified that instructors can fly, although not teach, sufficiently to maintain skills and

competence so when general flying is allowed there will be a body of instructors available to carry out refresher training. We’ve also been pressing very hard for the 2,000kg allowance on the Pilot Medical Declaration to be reinstated after it was removed. Apparently the paperwork at CAA didn’t match the Air Navigation Order, so there was a tidy-up! I believe by the time you read this all will be well again. Plus, we’ve been working with the CAA to complete work to get 600kg off the ground asap. It looks as if we are at last getting there with very sensible crediting and differences training requirements, a revised airworthiness code and possibly an

updated manufacturing approval or acceptance process. It IS coming… Though quite a time ago we were about to get working on the implementation stage of the project to allow kit built aircraft to be used more widely in flight training. So, even with no flying the BMAA is working in the background for the future. Geoff Weighell

British Microlight Aircraft Association www.bmaa.org

Light Aircraft Association Things to do… Another month, and most of us still can’t get airborne. So what should we do to keep the brain cells ticking over in an aeronautical groove? Here are some ideas from LAA HQ. Spring clean your flight bag. Are your charts up to date? Are you aware of any controlled airspace changes that might affect you? If you have SkyDemon or suchlike, brush up on its features – most of us don’t use anything like its full potential. If you don’t already have one, put together a simple set of pilot’s notes, embodying the flight limitations,

recommended speeds, weight and balance, plus some tips and ‘gotchas’ you’ve learned, which might not otherwise get briefed to a future owner or pilot. For example, the starting technique, how much it needs carb heat, and what order to use the fuel tanks. Brush up on the Electronic Conspicuity debate and if you haven’t already got one, consider spending some of the money you didn’t spend on avgas last year on an EC device – some don’t require aircraft electrical power and can fit in the smallest aircraft, grants are available (until the end

of March anyway!) too. Write up the history of your aeroplane with photos of it in previous colour schemes, with past owners etc. G-INFO gives details of past owners and a Google (or similar) search will potentially throw up some interesting images. Googling may find a type club exists for your aircraft – consider joining it? Or how about your local LAA regional Strut? Steve Slater Light Aircraft Association www.lightaircraftassociation.co.uk

Aviation associations Got something to say? You’re welcome to contribute to this page, email editor@seager.aero 68 | FLYER | April 2021

Here’s hoping for more scenes like this before too long!

The final hurdle!

We’re all raring to go, so join us at The FLYER Club and make 2021 your best year of flying yet!

nother four weeks pass with little aviation activity – this really has felt like a long winter! However, as you’re reading this, the sun is setting around 1730L and the first hints of spring are on the way. This month’s feature from Mark ‘Greeners’ Greenfield is all about making sure you’re fit and ready to get back into flying, something that we’re all going to need to focus on. Don’t forget that being a member of the FLYER Club gives you some great opportunities to do just that, from Simon Keeling’s weather briefings through to retail discounts for all the gear that you need to get back in the cockpit. If you’re reading this and haven’t signed up yet, just visit FLYER.co.uk and click on the FLYER Club tab to find out more and join. It works out at just £2.50 per month – which is one of the few true bargains in general aviation when you consider what you get in return. Also on the way are the first of many airfield

briefing videos to accompany the FLYER free landing vouchers. I’ll be speaking to owners, managers, CFIs and others to get the low down on each airfield – from noise abatement areas to runways and restaurants. We hope you find them useful and inspiring for those first cross-country flights you make this year. We will be compiling an archive of these videos and updating them when necessary to make sure you can get the best possible visit briefing. One more thing – don’t forget to tune into our FLYER Livestream each Thursday at 7.30pm on Facebook and YouTube. We’re getting some great numbers in now and if you can’t make that time you can always catch up afterwards – they’re all saved online!

jonny.salmon@seager.aero

April 2021 | FLYER | 69

The FLYER Club

Out & About A bit of a change this month, as there’s been little or no flying due to the nationwide lockdown restrictions, we asked you for photos and your plans for 2021….

When flying resumes in 2021 this will be my most ambitious year ever in flying! I need to renew my CRI rating first and then I’ve planned a three-day coastal tour of the UK with the idea to land at eight new airfields. I’ve pencilled in my aerobatics rating at Goodwood for later in the year and hope to complete multiple fly-outs. Hopefully the Starlight event at Popham will go ahead, and I look forward to taking children and their families up in what is one of the best days flying there can be! David Buchanan

When flying resumes I intend to do what I have been doing since getting my PPL in 1968. Namely visiting airfields in the UK and France, flying locally to hone my handling skills and enjoying my 1966 Piper PA24 260B Comanche which I have owned now for 45 years. Bob Smith

I’m going to renew my CRI and restart my aerobatic training with new intent – just not in the Luscombe, obviously! David Kelly

We have two new members in our RV-9A syndicate and my goal is to get them solo as soon as we can return to dual flying. Our syndicate is getting on in years with one over 80, another late seventies, and three others in their sixties and early seventies. So we are being careful to make sure we don’t get Covid-19. David Johnstone

My plan is to fly as much as possible. We have friends scattered all over the country who we have been unable to see during the various months of restrictions, so using the RV-6 to zoom around the country makes a lot of sense. I have also booked the airstrip/hangar/car/gite package at La Chaumine for two weeks in September and I am fervently hoping that trips across the Channel will be allowed by then! Gareth Viv

70 | FLYER | April 2021

My plan is to actually get my licence! It’s been a bit of a long journey so far. Flying from a small grass strip in the North East we’ve had a fair few weather events which have grounded us for months, not to mention the lockdown restrictions. Fingers crossed for blue, Covid-free skies in 2021, and I’ll get finished! Andrew Hart

Here’s me flying a C42 into RAF Fairford for RIAT 2018. We missed 2019 due to the weather and last year it was a no go… for obvious reasons. Although I’m unsure if it will go ahead this year, I would really love to be back there flying in and out of the airshow. David Colgate

I’d like to participate in the LAA 75th Around Britain Tour as much as I can, weather and wind permitting. Then there’s Middle Wallop Wings & Wheels on 3 July, which I have been given a slot to attend by the organisers. Otherwise, opportunistic flying around Britain discovering more grass airfields as I did last year. I doubt that I will get across the Channel, but you never know… I will have to see how post-Brexit and post-Covid looks on the Continent. Thomas Leaver

When this lockdown ends I’m planning on increasing my trips to visit different airfields. The furthest I’ve been is Shobdon since getting my licence but I’d love to go to Blackpool! Jonathan Lee

Our aeroplane is based at Lydd, which is a great location gateway to Europe! We’ve done a fair bit of European travel in our beautiful PA28 Archer. Hoping to fly the west coast of France into Spain and Portugal this year, when allowed. Tony Poulton

Once vaccinated, I plan to fly with an examiner to revalidate my now lapsed LAPL. Here is a photo of my shared aircraft – a Fournier RF3 I get out just for the joy of flying. Robert Cronk

During lockdown I have been planning various trips from our base at Perth and apart from the usual visits to Bute, Plockton and Glenforsa I intend to head north this summer to the Orkney Islands. My main destination is Lamb. Tam Carr

We’re planning a multi-ship tour of the Scottish Isles this June in our group AA5 Cheetah and PA28 plus a few friends coming along too – possibly six aircraft in all! We’re hoping to visit Glenforsa, Skye, Islay and a few more, depending on the weather. Terry Villars April 2021 | FLYER | 71

Free Landings In association with

If you’re a member of The FLYER Club, click here for your personalised vouchers and save over £55 by claiming one FREE landing at each of these airfields valid for April 2021, although not at an aircraft’s home field. No jets. Please contact the airfield before setting off If you’re not currently a member of the FLYER Club, but would like to receive six new free landing fees every four weeks plus other Club member benefits, then click here to join!

Cumbernauld

01236 722822 | EGPG | www.cumbernauldairport.org Cumbernauld Airport was established in 1966 and has an 820m tarmac runway. The airport is located in central Scotland ideally placed between Glasgow and Edinburgh. It provides a flying school for instruction, aircraft maintenance and two helicopter companies. Avgas and Jet A1 are available onsite for pilots to self-serve. Winter opening hours are 09001700, seven days a week.

Nearby attractions Westerwood Golf Course, Antonine Wall, Falkirk Wheel, Kelpies Helix Park, William Wallace Monument, Stirling Castle, Glasgow & Edinburgh city centres. PPR 01236 722822 Radio 120.605

Easter Airfield

07967 715304 | www.easterairfield.co.uk Easter Airfield is well known among the GA community as being one of the friendliest and most picturesque airfields in Scotland. This reputation makes for a popular destination, which is only 12 miles north of Inverness Airport. Ideally situated as a base for touring the Highlands, with unique accommodation in the old control tower of HMS Owl available next door. Tea and coffee available.

Nearby attractions Anta pottery shop, cafe and HMS Owl are just a short walk away. PPR 07967 715304 Radio 135.480

Radio Accepts non-radio light aircraft, but PPR

72 | FLYER | April 2021

PPR Prior permission is required

Refreshments Including restaurants and cafes etc

Microlights are welcome

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

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

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

Holmbeck

01296 681816 | https://tinyurl.com/y4kcr87 Holmbeck Airfield, opened 1985, is a 500m grass farm strip in Buckinghamshire, 1nm NNE of the disused Wing Aerodrome and 2.6nm west of Leighton Buzzard. Owners Bob and Rita Perkins live onsite so there is always a warm welcome. Tie-down spaces available, microlights welcome. PPR by phone. Wing village is a short walk away with two popular pubs. There’s also a self-service tea cabin with toilet facilities for visitors.

Nearby attractions Ascott House and gardens, the Three Locks Golf Course, Aylesbury and Leighton Buzzard. PPR 01296 681816 / 681925 Radio 135.480

Llanbedr

01341 241356 | EGFD Llanbedr Aerodrome is on Snowdonia’s beautiful west coast on the edge of the Snowdonia National Park. It is being developed for UAS testing and is on the Government shortlist to become a UK Spaceport! GA is welcome, although restrictions will apply during drone flying and other non-GA activities. Snowdonia Aerospace LLP manage the airfield, FIS, PPR and hangarage. Avgas and Jet (F34) both self-service daylight.

Nearby attractions Snowdonia, walking, beaches, Royal St David Golf Course, Harlech Castle. PPR: admin@snowdoniaaerospace. com Radio: 118.930 Llanbedr Information. Out of hours blind call Llanbedr Traffic. Tel: 01341 241356

Middlezoy

07901826351 | www.middlezoyaerodrome.simplesite.com Middlezoy Aerodrome is a new farm strip airfield under development on land in the SE corner of the site of the historic RAF Westonzoyland Airfield. Still very much a ‘work in progress’ but visitors are welcome. PPR is essential and full joining instructions are on the website, under Pilot Information. Please adhere with the briefing. At present fuel is unavailable but this may change. Tea, coffee and lots of flying chat await.

Nearby attractions Hestercombe Gardens in Taunton and the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Ilchester PPR 07901826351 Radio N/A

Yatesbury

07836 554554 | www.wiltsmicrolights.com Yatesbury Airfield is home to the Wiltshire Microlight Centre, a BMAA-registered school run by qualified professional instructors who ensure flight training is safe, progressive and fun. Training takes place above the stunning North Wessex Downs and Vale of Pewsey. Visiting pilots should approach from the south, circuits at 600ft. Visit the website for pilot information. Blind calls on Safetycom 135.475 MHz. Please call PPR before setting off. Microlights only.

Nearby attractions The countryside around the strip is truly spectacular. PPR 07836 554554 / 01249 811000

Win! A print or digital Pooleys UK Flight Guide QUESTION: What is the distance between Hombeck and Llanbedr in nautical miles? To enter, post your answer, name, address and email details to Pooleys April Competition, FLYER magazine, PO Box 4261, Melksham, SN12 9BN or send an email to competitions@seager.aero The closing date is 24 March 2021.

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

1 Cumbernauld 2 Easter Airfield 3 Holmbeck 4 Llanbedr 5 Middlezoy 6 Yatesbury

4 3 56

The winner for February 2021 is: Martin Pamphilon, Churchdown, Glos.

April 2021 | FLYER | 73

Spring approaches With the current strict lockdown measures holding and the vaccination rate rising every day, the time is approaching when we should regain our flying freedoms This year YOUR Club is going from strength to strength, a perfect partner to you as we all commit to visiting more airfields, flying more hours, and developing our skills in the cockpit. With hours of video content being generated each month, we’ve got plenty to keep you entertained and informed whilst we await the shouts of “clear prop” from aircraft up and down the country.

The FLYER Club has proved to be exceedingly popular. Here is what we have done since May 2020:

Number of FREE digital issues of FLYER released

62 56

Number of landing fee vouchers we provided to Club members

134

Number of Club member photos we shared in the magazine

Number of livestreams we broadcast, watched in over 50 countries

Who is the FLYER Club for? Whether you are an aviation enthusiasts, a pilot or thinking about becoming one, joining the club will bring you many benefits plus you become a part of UK’s biggest GA community! 74 | FLYER | April 2021

Want to join us? If you’re not already a member of The FLYER Club and you’ve read all these pages you must be thinking, ‘How do I join? Right now. This instant. I can’t stand being left out any more…’ Well, good news, it’s easy. Just follow this link: https:// subscriptions.flyer.co.uk, complete the simple form, decide how you want to pay and start enjoying the benefits instantly.

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QSY

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

From pilot to pastries

The wedding present

Above Alex’s new departure Top right Former airline pilot Alex Above In-flight meals on the ground

When former airline pilot Alexander Torres was made redundant by Qatar Airways as the pandemic struck, he decided to take a different route and explore his love of food. But Alex hasn’t entirely given up on aviation. His new venture is an aviationthemed café called Flight 7. Flight 7 is based in Belfast, on the Belmont Road, an area known for cafés. Why Belfast? Although Alex is originally from France, he really enjoyed his time spent in Belfast when he moved to

the city for his first job as an airline pilot with Aer Lingus, later moving to Ryanair. He went to Qatar when Ryanair closed its Belfast base. Now he’s back in Northern Ireland offering takeaways and deliveries until lockdown is lifted. Not just any takeaways – they too have an aviation theme. “Guests can pick a destination and will be offered meal trays as they would get on a flight to this destination,” Alex told FLYER. “We have also kept all our bakery style food, and

our pastries which are a great success.” In a way, switching seats to Flight 7 is understandable. “Since I’m French, cooking was something I’ve always enjoyed, and customer service as well, so it was always in my head to possibly open a café. “It’s very different from being a pilot!” admits Alex. “But it requires a lot of skills around managing people which pilots are very used to. We’re used to working in stressful situations as well.” See more of Flight 7 here.

Heroes & Villains HERO Terry Case, owner and operator of the superb Farway Common Airfield, passed away in January. His sons, Graham and Simon, said, “We propose holding a memorial later in the year when the Covid-vulnerable have been vaccinated and travel restrictions eased. If we can arrange a fly-in here at Moorlands Farm, we will. A true aviator to the end.”

VILLAIN Pilot Richard Wood, 60, was fined £3,400 at Caernarfon Magistrates’ Court in January after pleading guilty to landing and taking off from RAF Valley in Anglesey without permission. Wood flew his Pilatus PC-12 from Fairoaks to RAF Valley, when the airfield was officially closed. In court, Wood said he had flown to RAF Valley to go to the nearby beach. HERO US police pilot J C Pollock was blinded

temporarily by a laser while on patrol over Florida motorway I-4, recovered, landed, hopped into a patrol car, drove to a building site and arrested a worker for shining the laser. VILLAIN Eugene DeMarco has been released on bail in New Zealand less than a halfway into a prison sentence. De Marco was convicted of six counts of fraud after the illegal sale of three reproduction vintage aircraft belonging to filmmaker Peter Jackson.

Pilots Lauren and Killian Kiernan not only had CAVOK conditions for their wedding in Ireland in January, but their new aircraft was delivered on the same day. “Killian and I met through our love of flying two years ago,” said Lauren. “It’s amazing to have your best friend and husband interested in the same hobby so you can experience flying together. We purchased this ICP Savannah in September, the first black one of its kind. “We opted for the reg EI-COW as Killian is a dairy farmer so we thought it was fitting. To our luck, the aeroplane arrived at our airfield in Craddenstown on the morning of our wedding so it was the perfect time to get some pictures! It’s made the day extra special.” Congratulations to Lauren and Killian from FLYER.

Snake on a plane

This is all that’s left of a Yak 52 belonging to saddlemaker Cliff Killeen, centre, after he jumped out of the aircraft during a high speed taxi test on his farm strip in Queensland, Australia. Cliff, who stages a fly-in at his strip every two years for local farmers to have their biennial flight review, reports a highly poisonous brown snake appeared on his throttle hand while taxying, prompting him to jump onto the wing. The throttle was still wide open, the aircraft took off but crashed after about 200ft. No word on the snake.…

Send your QSY submissions to QSY, PO Box 4261, Melksham, SN12 9BN or to qsy@seager.aero 78 | FLYER | April 2021

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FLYER April 2021

Articles inside

Safety Accident Reports: Cool heads

Top Gear

Lockdown locals

Instant Expert: The first Brexit amendments

Safety Accident Analysis Right attitude?

ATPL Groundschool - is now the right time to start?

My First Solo - Laura Laban

Squawks - Ian Seager

I Get Paid for This… Thomas van Marwick

On Approach

Full Throttle

Get Back In The Groove...

Art of the flying selfie