Light Aviation March 2021

LIGHT AVIATION VOLUME 14 ISSUE 3 MARCH 2021

THE MAGAZINE OF THE LIGHT AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

LIGHT

Aviation March 2021 £4.25

WORLD OF GYROS

Chris Gilbert, Paul Chaplin and Nick Wright talk passionately about gyros!

Light Aircraft Association WWW.LAA.UK.COM

PROJECT NEWS

SHERWOOD RANGER ST READY FOR ACTION…

MEET THE MEMBERS

AVID WAS DAVID JOHNSTONE’S RETIREMENT PROJECT…

The Genet engined DH60 Moth took part in the 1926 Lympne Trials, but was sidelined with engine trouble.

The Team Chairman TIM HARDY CEO STEPHEN SLATER Chief Engineer FRANCIS DONALDSON B.Tech C.Eng FRAeS Chief Inspector KEN CRAIGIE President ROGER HOPKINSON MBE Vice Presidents BRIAN DAVIES & JOHN BRADY Engineering email engineering@laa.uk.com COMMERCIAL Email office@laa.uk.com Office Manager Penny Sharpe Head Office Turweston Aerodrome, Nr Brackley, Northants NN13 5YD Telephone for engineering and commercial 01280 846786

LIGHT AVIATION MAGAZINE Editor BRIAN HOPE

60 Queenborough Road, Sheerness, Kent ME12 3BZ Telephone 01795 662508 Email bfjjodel@talktalk.net

Keep on keeping on…

I

t has certainly been a winter this year, hasn’t it! We seem to have had a few on the run with relatively mild temperatures, but that icy blast through early February went through to the bone. Coupled with lockdown it’s meant that many of us haven’t been able to get on with things we’d like to have done – I haven’t been up to the Jodel since early December and there’s still quite a few odds and ends to get finished before the season gets going in earnest.

Mind you, my parents, and I know many of yours, or your grandparents, were the wartime generation, they had over five years of deprivation and hardship, and they just got on with it. We have a nice little piece from Duncan Campbell this month about what sowed the seed for him learning to fly, and it reflects those dark, wartime years, before he was even born. So, when we get a little frustrated because we can’t take a holiday, or play with our toys, we should take a step back and consider how lucky we are if we have got through this far and not lost friends and family.

As my namesake is wont to say – always look on the bright side of life.

If, when normality returns, you are looking for a new challenge, you could always have a trial flight in a gyroplane. Exponents of the art, Chris Gilbert, Paul Chaplin and Nick Wright have written an informative article about what gyro flying is all about in the modern-day two-seaters. For those of us who have witnessed the transformation of the gyro scene in the UK over the last few years, you cannot but be impressed at how the industry has matured, from the equipment that is now available right through to the establishment of a first-class nationwide training regime. It looks, and sounds like, a lot of fun.

And finally, it is with great regret that I have to tell you that Malcolm McBride has penned his final edition of Safety Spot. The column has been a hugely successful ‘must read’ part of the magazine since 2008 – a friend once commented that he reads it avidly every month, even though it frightens him half to death! I too have always been a huge fan, Malcolm has always written the column in a wonderfully chatty style, and his passion for aviation safety came through with each and every edition. He will be a hard act to follow but, as befits any magazine, the new incumbent in the role will bring with them their own ideas and presentation style. Whoever that turns out to be, I’m sure that you will give them your full support in keeping the subject matter as thorough, topical and informative as it has always been. Thank you, Malcolm, for your words of wisdom and your unstinting support for Light Aviation and I wish you and Janice a long and active retirement.

I’ve waffled on a bit this month… I know, I always do. But many of us have now had our first jabs and spirits are rising, I think. Let’s be optimistic that the brighter light we can see through the clouds that have obscured the far horizon isn’t a sucker’s gap!

Keep safe, Brian… Da, de da, de da, de da de da…..

By Brian Hope March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 3

CEO’s Chat

What’s in a name?

By Steve Slater

E

ven though we can’t fly at the moment there’s been no shortage of dialogue with the CAA, trying to sort out some legislative challenges, mainly coming down to what is meant by dictionary definitions.

Microlight. The reason this comes to the fore is the ongoing process to enable new factory-built ‘Small Light Aircraft’ between 450kg and 600kg to be sold in the UK without the manufacturer having to go through expensive EASA certification processes. It offers an opportunity to revolutionise sport flying in the future.

We, the BMAA and manufacturers’ representatives have been working with the CAA for more than two years to establish the legal basis, both in terms of licensing and airworthiness oversight. One major concession was the agreement that these aircraft be classified as ‘microlights’, and some have suggested this was an own goal for the LAA. In fact, stretching the football analogy further, we ‘deliberately took one for the team’. By badging them as microlights, it enables NPPL(M) holders, and PPL and LAPL holders alike to fly the aircraft following differences training.

The alternative would have been an all-new aircraft category, perhaps with a new range of licensing requirements.

One shudders to think what might have been made of that!

Opt-out. Even now, despite a lot of hard work by the working group members, there are delays which mean that the final roll-out of the 600kg legislation may not begin much before May. One of the challenges is that when we left EASA at the end of December, the entire European Basic Regulation was rolled over, en masse, into UK law. So now we need to ‘opt-out’, not from EASA but our own UK legislation! Even Sir Humphrey Appleby in Yes Minister couldn’t have written that one better!

Exemptions. Another post-EASA black hole surrounds changes to medical self-exemptions which have enabled many pilots to fly sub2,000kg aircraft so long as they met the requirements of a DVLA car driving licence. Revised wording has changed the rules for holders of UK Part-FCL licences (LAPL and PPL), 4 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

who can now only fly with a pilot medical declaration (PMD) in accordance with the former sub 5,700kg criteria.

This means that if, for example, you are diabetic, colour blind, or have had recent preventative surgery, such as stents, you are currently excluded from even flying sub-2,000kg aircraft without further medical checks. When these exemptions were created in 2016, we demonstrated that there was no valid safety case for this, and we are continuing to question the changes with both the Head of the GA Unit and the Department for Transport.

If you’ve got an older UK PPL or NPPL, don’t cheer too loud. The CAA still hasn’t yet reversed the EASA exclusion which prevented licence holders from flying ‘Part-21’ (CofA) aircraft. Hopefully we can get the CAA to resolve these issues before we are released from lockdown.

Drones. Wherever you live, there is almost certainly an Airspace Change Proposal or Temporary Danger Area application somewhere near you.

More than 80 applications have been filed so far this year for airspace restrictions to enable Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) trials. These unmanned aerial systems range from small multi-rotors or fixed wings, to the planned operation this summer of the RAF/Qinetic Sky Guardian.

This ‘drone’ is a whopper. With a 72ft wingspan, it’s about the size of a Gulfstream business jet, but one of our primary comments is to challenge the size of the proposed 18nm x 10nm TDAs to allow it to take off and land at Lossiemouth and Waddington. Some fairly minor operational changes would allow it to operate within the existing MATZ, and other proposals would also reduce its effects on other flyers who, remember, are equally entitled to access Class G airspace.

We have also asked the CAA to check the claims of medical emergencies to justify some of the other UAS trials. These spurious claims are damaging the credibility of the whole UAS industry.

Sadly, space doesn’t allow the fuller list of these ACPs to be discussed here, but we’ll have more on this in next month’s Light Aviation and also on the LAA website.

In the meantime, stay safe.

06 NEWS

LAA members win RAeC Awards

09 LETTERS

Heath Parasol, mandating carbon monoxide detectors…

10 AIRYMOUSE REMINISCENCES Stan Hodgkins recalls how he learned about flying with Airymouse!

12 PROJECT NEWS

Piel Super Emeraude, Sherwood Ranger, Cleared to Fly and New Projects

18 HOW I GOT HERE

One LAA graduate engineer, recalls how he got into flying and a career with LAA

22 SOWING THE SEEDS

Duncan Campbell recalls factors in his early life that led to him learning to fly…

24 ULTRALIGHTS FOR THE RAF

Did Establishment ‘spin’ create the myth that popular, non-military light aviation was born at Lympne?

30 TWO DAYS IN PROVENCE

Storms, mountains, – and more besides – worth it for a trip to Provence…

36 COACHING CORNER

David Cockburn warns to be aware of the pitfalls when we DO get flying again

38 STRUTS 4 U

Anne Hughes profiles Strut activities…

40 STRANGER THAN FICTION

Arthur W J G Ord-Hume recalls an aviation coincidence that defies belief…

42 FLIGHT TEST

We take a look at the world of gyros…

50 WHERE TO GO

Plenty of dates for your 2021 diary

52 SAFETY SPOT

Malcolm pens his last Safety Spot and discusses the Task-o-meter…

58 CAPTAIN & THE CHIMNEYS

Bev Pook recalls a flight from Shoreham in 1988 with American friend, Dick Meyers…

60 MEET THE MEMBERS

David Johnstone, Avid and RV builder…

66 TEN THINGS TO DO

Steve Slater and Francis Donaldson share top tips to keep you aeronautically minded

Contents

Contents March 2021

42 Welcome to the world of gyros…

24

12

60 March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 5

LA News

News

Plenty more news is available on the LAA website at www.laa.uk.com check it out every day!

LAA members across the ages honoured by RAeC Awards The achievements of LAA members at both ends of the age spectrum have been recognised by the annual awards issued by the Royal Aero Club.

Seventeen-year-old Ellie Carter, a key member of the LAA’s Youth and Education Support Group, YES, has been awarded the President’s Breitling Certificate for her work in promoting younger people in aviation, while Ernie Horsfall, who at 102 years of age remains an active LAA inspector, received a RAeC Silver Medal for his work as one of the UK’s experts on Jodel aircraft.

Ellie, who gained her PPL aided by an LAA Armstrong-Isaacs bursary, Ellie Carter completed her tailwheel conversion and as well as flying a classic Piper Cub, she has been gaining experience in everything from a similarly classic Auster to a Van’s RV-12, all recorded on a series of video blogs.

Ernie was born on 21 April, 1918, however, it wasn’t until 1961, at the Ernie age of 43, that he Horsfall took his first flying lesson, while working as a test and experimental engineer for Vauxhall Motors. In the years since, Ernie has owned 56 aircraft, filled five pilot’s logbooks and as an accredited aircraft

inspector for the Association has carried out thousands of aircraft inspections across the country. Ernie is an acknowledged expert on the Jodel type and has personally imported a significant proportion of the French Permit aircraft that are currently on the UK register.

He remains active as an engineer and an inspector and in March 2021, just ahead of his 103rd birthday, he plans to renew his certification for another year!

The Association was also proud to nominate John Romain of the John Aircraft Restoration Romain Company at Duxford, who is awarded the Supermarine Trophy, a silver Spitfire, for inspiring the country during the Covid-19 lockdown, and acting as an ambassador for the historic aircraft movement with his series of flypasts around the UK with the ‘NHS Spitfire’.

A Bronze Medal goes to LAA Airworthiness Engineer Jerry Parr, for his Jerry Parr support for builders of Van’s RV aircraft, activities which began long before his recruitment by the LAA in 2017. Jerry was an early UK Van’s kit builder, co-building an RV-6, and later also being involved in a co-build RV-12. Over the last 20+ years, Jerry has been unstinting in his help and advice to other RV builders,

helping them solve practical difficulties during the building, testing and operation of their aircraft.

Other members honoured are Clive Porter, a farmer and enthusiastic pilot with his own airstrip at Croft Farm, Defford. For the last 14 years, Clive has hosted an Air Scouts Camp at the strip and for many years he also organised and ran a wings and wheels event to raise money for the Mission Aviation Fellowship, which provides medical air services in remote areas of the world. He has received an RAeC Bronze Medal for his efforts.

Royal Aero Club Certificates of Merit have also been awarded to LAA nominees including Clint Marler, for his work in establishing Air Scouts in the East Midlands, creating outreach events and coordinating their activities with LAA young people’s events. Anne Hughes, for her work with the LAA Struts movement, as Chair of the VAC, and as co-ordinator of LAA young people’s outreach activities and the FAI aviation art competition.

Patricia Mawuli Porter is commended for her work in encouraging people with no previous contact with sport aviation via the Project WXYZ, build-a-plane project, and championing diversity and encouraging young people to join the aviation sector.

And Neil Wilson, for his work in more than doubling the size of the LAA Wessex Strut, his organisation of LAA Round Britain flying events, and his contribution to the success of the annual LAA Rally.

Out with the new and in with the old I doubt many pilots will be shedding a tear on 20 May when UK reverts to the previous rules for visibility and distance from cloud for flying in visual meteorological conditions in Class D, F and G airspace that existed up to 26 March 2020, when EASA would not allow further extension of a long-standing CAA derogation.

From 20 May 2021, pilots will be deemed to have complied with the 6 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

requirements of SERA.5001 when operating at or below 3,000ft amsl, or 1,000ft above terrain, whichever is the higher, if they are flying: Within Class D airspace: a) During day only b) Indicated airspeed of 140kt or less c) Remains clear of cloud with the surface in sight and; (i) For aircraft other than helicopters, with a flight visibility of at least 5km;

(ii) For helicopters, with a flight visibility of at least 1,500 metres.

Within Class F and G airspace: a) During day only b) Indicated airspeed of 140kt or less c) For all aircraft, with a flight visibility of at least 1,500m.

Manchester Low-Level Route (LLR) Procedures applicable to the Manchester Low Level Route are currently being reviewed.

LA News

Brize and Oxford ACPs denied have been undertaken with stakeholders to better assess the impacts of this final proposal.

It would probably be naïve to believe that these ACPs might go away, but at least it is clear that next time around they will be expected to properly consult with, and take into consideration, the needs of all stakeholders.

The CAA has declined the highly controversial Airspace Change Proposals for RAF Brize Norton and Oxford Airport for broadly similar reasons. The Oxford summary reads: The CAA has considered the submitted material and has decided not to approve the ACP, for reasons including that the proposal does not make a compelling case for the creation

of a TMZ, the proposal shows a misinterpretation of the TMZ rules and that the proposal does not adequately resolve the integration issues with BZN. Furthermore, the CAA has concluded that the final proposal is significantly different from the option presented as the preferred option during consultation, and that further consultation should

GASCo Virtual Safety Evenings

Sling ‘4 High Wing’ destined for the UK

Good news on the safety front is that GASCo has launched a series of webinars to substitute for the lost opportunity to run its usual programme of their excellent Safety Evenings throughout this winter and early spring.

One of their first, hosted by the Suffolk Coast LAA Strut in late January, was joined by no less than 600 people logging on, so clearly the need exists.

Called Safety Evening Webinars, they last for around 90 minutes and address current GA safety concerns with invited speakers joining the team of GASCo Regional Safety Officers. “We make the evening as interactive as practicable by taking audience polls as we go,” said GASCo. “We have more webinars in the pipeline addressing specific topics such as Staying in Control; Small Helicopter Safety; Sharpen up your Lookout; Airspace Infringements Awareness; Ditching & Sea Survival Theory; Threat and Error Management for GA Pilots; Setting Personal Limits and Understanding Weather in Europe.

The current webinar dates are: ■ T G Aviation (Lydd) 1930 – Wednesday 3 March ■ LAA Gloster Strut 1930 – Tuesday 9 March ■ Host tbc 1930 – Wednesday 10 March ■ Goodwood Aero Club 1930 – Wednesday 31 March ■ Hatfield RAeS Branch 1845 – Wednesday 21 April Check out the GASCo website at https:// tinyurl.com/4t58lldf for further details.

First flown on 18 December 2020 at the company’s Tedderfield Airpark, Johannesburg base by company founders Mike Blyth and James Pitman, Sling’s new four-seat high-wing design is destined for the UK market, says Sling Aircraft UK Ltd’s Tim Hardy. Available in kit form after Oshkosh, the aircraft features the 141hp/105kW Rotax 915 iS and boasts a 9,000ft cruise speed of 145kt with a useful load of 480kg. Stall speed is 55kt clean, 47kt full flaps and it has a maximum range of 880nm. Initially available as a tricycle, a taildragger will follow later.

The large cabin (46.5in wide) has removable rear seats to enable the space to be used for baggage. The company has moved away from its

Above Sling aircraft’s all new four-seat High Wing kit will be available after Oshkosh.

all-aluminium structure as used in the Sling 2 and 4 low-wing aircraft and has adopted a carbon fibre central fuselage section, which endows the aircraft with a sleek aerodynamic line. It also features a cantilever wing. www.slingaircraft.com tim@slingaircraft.uk

West Country welder Cornwall has recently gained a new CAA certified welder, Bruce Bryan who is located near St Austell.

Bruce was a freelance welder diver for many year and has worked all over the world on site fabrication, emergency pipeline repairs, pipe laying etc and emergency ship topside and subsea welding, coded for Lloyds, ABS, DNV, and Germanica Lloyd.

Last year he gained his PPL and bought a Baby Lakes biplane – which needed

Virtual Pub Nights

The monthly LAA Virtual Pub Nights, via Zoom, take place on the last Friday of the month starting at 1900.

Pub Nights are currently scheduled for 26 March and 30 April, with 28 May a possibility depending on whether we have better things to do by then – like going flying!

some welding repairs. Having retained some of his codings, he didn’t think this would be a problem at all, but the CAA had a different view, so he qualified as a CAA fully approved welder last November...

Bruce has old school workshops with rollers, benders, beading machine, presses, etc and welcomes any enquiries for your welding and fabrication requirements. He can be found at Alladins Metal Craft Ltd. Tel: 07771 798891. Email: brucemo65@gmail.com

All members are welcome to log into these informal events, details are by disseminated email to members for whom the LAA holds email details. If you are not receiving email, you can call the office and arrange to have your email address details added to your membership information.

March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 7

Your Post

Letters We are always pleased to receive your letters and feedback. Please email the editor at bfjjodel@talktalk.net

D

Heath Parasol in the 1980s

ear Light Aviation mag. Seeing as the Heath Parasol, G-AFZE, is ‘trending’ as topical in the LA magazine currently and, if anybody, old enough, is remotely interested, here is a ‘bite-sized’ appendage, connected with its intermediate history…

Back in the early 1980s, not long after Skysport came into being, partner, Cathy O’Brien, was desperate to fly ‘things’ while having started the restoration of her (never to be completed) Stampe project, G-BLOL – the intended powerplant for which was a 640 Ranger 6.

We knew the, ‘controversial’ Des St. Cyrien, very well, through all our repro Sopwith Pup projects, G- BIAU, BIAT and ASOP. He stayed with us fairly frequently and could talk the hind legs off a donkey – often into the early hours. He also taught Cathy how to splice cables, at which he was proficient.

He, generously, offered to make the Heath available. It needed, at least, a good going over, it was not certified to fly at that time.

From memory, we collected it from Horley and gave it a bit of an inspection, and ran the Cherub, before trailering it up to Old Warden to assemble to ‘flyable’ status. At some stage, one evening (privately) Cathy, Des, Wally Berry and I decided to see if it would at least leave the ground.

Cathy taxied it up and down a bit, with some power on, and came back saying that ‘it didn’t want’ to go. I ‘suggested’ that she, just ‘give it some welly’.

With a standard ‘in-a-relationship’, facial expression, she promptly opened it up, took off and flew for a few hundred feet, at about 10-12ft under the wheels, on the away from the hangar runway and back again.

Reaction? A big beaming face, on return! I cannot readily remember what happened to the Heath after that. We must have taken it back to Skysport then, maybe, back to Des’ home, at Horley.

It was not certified, or ever flew properly at that time, as far as I can recall. It was not in particularly good shape, with an overall poor standard of condition/build.... It’s looking rather better now, congrats to the current custodian.

Best wishes to all. Keep going!

Tim Moore.

8 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2020

Mandating carbon monoxide detectors

Cathy sitting by the Heath fuselage, having her lunch, at Benington Park Farm, Herts.

Use the actual weights!

Hi Brian, thanks for your articles on W&B, it’s a very important subject that needs to be understood by pilots for the configuration, solo, dual, full or half tanks. The article brought to mind a discussion with a 450kg MAUW aircraft I had been invited to inspect.

The inspection went well, and the owner kindly asked me if I would like to do the permit air test. I pointed out that my generous proportions would take the aircraft outside of its MAUW limit.

He strongly stated the LAA W&B documents show 86kg for the pilot weight and has always used that as his reference – he pointed out if not, he could not fly his aircraft. This was the first time I really looked at this chap and he certainly was well above the 86kg used as examples in the LAA documents.

I pointed out it was essential he used the actual pilot weight, fuel and baggage weight and not calculate his W&B based on lower than actual figures. Regrettably, he would not back down, it was how he had calculated his values over several years of ownership without incident and he wasn’t going to change.

The aircraft passed its permit and he did the air test, but it was the last time I did the permit inspection on that particular aircraft.

So as an adjunct to your article, please ask owners to use real weight values, which I believe the vast majority do use.

All the best, Phil Hall.

Thanks Phil, I had assumed that our members have more than enough common sense to understand that’s the case but I guess it’s right what they say about ‘assume’ – well, it made an ass out of me anyway! Ed.

Dear Editor, if I let my cottage to holiday makers, I am required to have a carbon monoxide (CO) detector, and rightly so.

How much more necessary is it that CO detection is provided in light aircraft, whether used privately or commercially?

Two recent cases support such a requirement, the deaths of Emiliano Sala and his pilot, and of Gareth Morgan and his passengers in the DHC-2 in Sydney Harbour, three years ago. Both accidents have now been determined to have been caused by incapacitation due to CO poisoning.

Surely the time has come to mandate the fitting of CO detectors and alarms in all private aircraft. Perhaps their fitment should now be required in LAA aircraft.

Ian Gawn.

NO to mandating electronic conspicuity

Dear Sir, I understand there is an intention to make electronic conspicuity equipment mandatory on all aircraft in the UK. This requirement will impact so many pilots like myself, who fly aircraft that have no power system for electronic equipment and already carry enough batteries to operate the essentials like radio and GPS. In so many of the small aircraft and vintage types, there is not the cockpit space to install any further devices.

Having studied accidents during 53 years of powered flying, it is obvious that almost all collisions between aircraft occur in the airfield circuit; a conspicuity device is of no use at that time because aircraft are already close together.

The most important devices for safety in the circuit are the mark one eyeball and listening to the radio to establish the position of other aircraft. Most of the accidents are caused by poor circuit planning and that can only be improved by better flying training.

Please consider this matter urgently, the mandating of electronic conspicuity will achieve nothing and cause unnecessary expense and fitting problems for many LAA members. It could even be the final straw for some of us, as the cost and complexity could be a bridge too far.

C J Lodge. ■ March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 9

Airymouse memories

Airymouse reminiscences

Following Harry Bot’s Airymouse Currie Wot memories last month, Stan Hodgkins recalls how he learned with Airymouse!

T

he old line ‘A long time ago in a galaxy far away…’ is what 1964 seems to me now that I am 80 years old... One Sunday afternoon, a tiny black and red biplane made a perfect three-point landing on the grass, just yards from where I was standing, and came to a stop almost immediately. The registration was G-APNT, a Currie Wot, and the pilot was Harald Penrose, ex-chief test pilot for Westlands. I was the new owner and it had been delivered by one of my boyhood heroes, a true aviation legend. He was also a great writer and I can highly recommend Airymouse, his book describing his adventures with G-APNT. At the age of 24, I was a Sea Vixen observer with 890 squadron of the Fleet Air Arm. HMS Ark Royal (the big one) was in refit and we were disembarked at RNAS Yeovilton. I was, of course, a frustrated pilot but had just managed to finish my PPL training at Exeter, with a grand total of about 40 hours, plus numerous trips in Vampires, Hunters and the station Tiger Moth.

Harald was a really friendly gentleman and seemed genuinely sorry to part with his little aeroplane, and he must have wondered how long it would last in my inexperienced hands. He had decided that it was time to stop flying and continue his adventures sailing.

Anyway, he just gave me a few cheerful tips about flying the Wot and then he and his wife drove back home to Sherborne.

Of course, I just had to fly it immediately. Someone helpfully pointed out to me that it wasn’t insured yet, but that wasn’t a legal requirement then, so off I went. I had just got airborne (from a longer bit of grass than Harold had used) when I heard a change in the exhaust note and noted that one of the long exhaust pipes was no longer there! Nevertheless, I carried on and did a few touchand-goes for the fun of it. The exhaust pipe had fallen in the middle of the airfield and I noticed that it had failed at the cylinder attachment flange. There was no other support for the pipes, and it was a wonder it had lasted that long – this was the first of several jobs to be done and it was several weeks before I flew it again.

During the next few months, flying on a regular basis and cheaply building experience, I got to know ‘NT well and had enormous fun practicing circuits, aerobatics and PFL’s. I then started to explore the surrounding country and roamed freely over Somerset and Dorset, just like Harald did in his book. It was a terrific way to sightsee from 500ft in an open cockpit.

10 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

Above Stan in the 1990s when he flew Airymouse at Newtownards when it was owned by Jeff Salter.

Now we come to the interesting bit which, after a gap of some 55 years, can probably safely be told/admitted.

One Sunday morning in the autumn of 1964, I dragged ‘NT out of the hangar – it was a bit misty, but I thought it was flyable, the cloud didn’t look too low or that thick, so off I went. At about 800ft there were a few wisps of cloud, but I thought I could climb above it – BIG mistake! All of a sudden, there I was, enveloped in thick, wet cloud, rapidly running out of ideas. It still looked quite bright above so I continued to climb, hoping to break out into the blue so I could think what to do next. My observer training kicked in and I decided to maintain my heading into wind so that I would not be blown downwind miles from base. I was climbing at 50mph, so my ground speed was probably only about 30mph.

Of course, I knew a lot about instrument flying, but

Airymouse memories

only from the other seat. In front of me was the classic huge Reid and Sigrist standard service issue, air driven, Turn and Slip indicator.

I had naturally taken a keen interest in numerous instrument approaches in all weather conditions in Sea Venoms and Sea Vixens, as part of my dedication to self-preservation, but this time it was up to me. I had thought about being in this situation one day and had worked out a method of not losing control. The main thing was not to complicate the matter by attempting turns, and so the airspeed could be controlled by the elevators. Then, if I kept the slip needle centred with rudder, and the turn needle centred with ailerons, all should be well until I emerged above the clouds. Conditions were ideal for carburettor icing but I couldn’t do anything about that as no hot air system was fitted, and I probably didn’t even think about it. The rate of climb was about 500ft/min I suppose, and reducing with altitude.

Wild blue yonder…

Up, up, into the long delirious soaking grey I continued, eyes glued to that wonderful life-saving instrument – by now the rivulets of water pouring over the top of the windscreen had soaked my sheepskin coat, and still the cloud persisted. How long for, I don’t know but it seemed an eternity, and it was COLD. Luckily for me there was no sign of ice, so up I went hoping for a break and, quite suddenly, I broke into the wild blue yonder at 9,500ft on the Yeovilton QFE! Relieved, but still concerned and annoyed at my stupidity, I orbited for a few minutes plucking up courage

Top The Reid and Sigrist turn and slip that Stan was so grateful for, dominates Airymouse’s instrument panel to this day.

Above A newspaper clipping during the time Stan owned ‘NT. The guy swinging the prop is Sandy Munro, his Vixen pilot at the time, and today they still fly together in their RVs.

for the inevitable descent. I figured that the same technique should be employed, including heading into wind to compensate for any drift while at altitude. Just then, while glancing out beyond the right wingtips, I saw a DC-3 about two miles away. It must have been the scheduled flight in those days between Exeter and London Airport. They must have seen me – I was in their front quarter and they must have wondered if they were seeing things – maybe a ghost machine as imagined by Frederick Forsythe in The Shepherd (recommended reading). Anyway, I decided to vanish into the clouds without delay and commenced descent using the same technique, but with reduced power, just enough to keep the engine warm.

Soaking wet and shivering, down I went into the murk, staring at the turn and slip, the ASI and the altimeter – as the Americans say, ‘needle, ball and airspeed’, giving the engine a burst every now and again to check it was still alive. After what seemed another eternity, I reached 1,500ft and peered hopefully into the gloom for any sign of mother Earth. At 1,000ft, still nothing and then, at 800ft, it started to clear – now, where the hell am I? Looking ahead I just saw fields and levelled out at 600ft, looking ahead for the airfield. No sign of it so I started a turn to the left and there, right underneath me, I saw the figures 09 on the end of the runway. Phew!

Talk about beginners’ luck – I learned about flying from that! ■ March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 11

Project News

Projects which inspire others to build their own aircraft Compiled by Mike Slaughter

Project News A s someone who grew up in the 1960s, I can say that the world was a very different place back then, life’s employment prospects often involved using your hands in some way, everything was shut on a Sunday, a family car was far from universal and amusements were much less sophisticated. Like many here I suspect, I found pleasure in a bus ride to the local sports and hobby shop to buy lengths of balsa in various thicknesses, as called for by the latest model aircraft plans. The skills gained by many with balsa wood and an X-Acto knife, led them in later years to build full-sized wooden aircraft. Incidentally, craft knives are now only for sale to those over 18 years of age, I’m sure when I was much younger than that I could go out and buy sharp objects, airgun pellets and chemicals for home-made explosives… a very different world!

So, it does make me wonder, will these skills be lost with the

passing of a generation. I cannot imagine there are many young builders of wooden model aircraft from plans anymore, as it’s so easy to purchase complete, ready to fly radio control models now.

Will this have an impact further down the line when it comes to the number of future builders considering plans built wooden projects? I hope not too much.

What triggered this mental rambling? Well, the sight of Richard Shingler’s lovely Piel Super Emeraude. I never realised the type was available to build from plans, but Richard advises me that the plans are available from Canada and have been translated into English. Started just over two-and-a-half years ago, Richard is making good progress and has most of the wooden structure complete.

To get in touch with Project News, and tell your story, report a milestone or just to send a picture, email: projectnews@laaarchive.org.uk. Please share your story!

Piel Super Emeraude ( LAA 216-15564)

By Richard Shingler

W

ell, here I go again, homebuild number three.

My first project was an Evans VP-1, G-PFAW, which should hopefully soon return to the sky.

I next built G-BXXH, a Hatz biplane. This time it’s to be an Emeraude, as I’ve always liked the type as far back as I can remember, and that’s quite a long way now! I had considered the Nicollier Menestrel but the bigger Emeraude was the one I really wanted to build – and unless it's the project you really want, then it’s just going to fall by the wayside.

I got a pile of spruce and ply from Swindon Aircraft Timber and, in July 2018 away I went, starting with the rudder, an easy small component to start off with; I think everybody likes a recognisable piece of aeroplane hanging up in the workshop right from the beginning.

The plans give the option of two different fin/rudder designs. I've gone for the original classic upright fin and rounded rudder, rather than the swept back Cessna 150 style.

The tailplane and elevator box spars and their ribs

12 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

were next. With no heating in my workshop, I made the elevator just before the weather became too cold for gluing in October 2018. Speaking of glue, Aerolite 306 is my choice every time, although I had to use Aerodux with its much slower setting time for the spar laminations to give me time to get them properly clamped together.

Aerodux is also very good when you’re gluing the final piece of ply on and closing in a component, you can use it on the whole inside area instead of trying to varnish some of it and then glue the rest of it so the glue does both jobs. I got that idea from one of Dudley Pattison's articles in Light Aviation.

I made some of the metal fittings during the colder weather at the start of 2019, to keep things moving along and then, towards the end of February, it turned unseasonably warm and I had a two-month head start on the gluing season. I completed the tailplane, fin spar, and fuselage bulkheads by the end of March and then got going on the fuselage itself.

The fuselage isn’t a quick build but is fairly easy to

Project News

Above left The single piece main spar with one side still to have the ply attached. Photo: Richard Shingler.

Above Trial fitting the main spar to the fuselage in preparation for drilling the attachment holes.

Photo: Richard Shingler.

Left An uncovered new wooden airframe really is a thing of great beauty. Photo: Richard Shingler.

make, you just need to be very careful to get it straight and square, I did take my time to ensure it was right.

I spent all that summer and into the autumn getting the basic fuselage into shape and ready for test fitting the main spar.

I made all the wing ribs from mid-November 2019 to the end of January 2020 – it was too cold for workshop gluing so I made them on the kitchen table in the warmth of the Rayburn. To avoid mess indoors, I did all the cutting and sanding in the workshop first, and then moved the building board/rib jig, complete with pre-cut parts, into the kitchen and the job was a good ’un.

Of course, the Emeraude’s tapering wing means

different sizes of ribs, although actually the first six out from either side are the same outside dimensions, so the same drawing is used for those. From rib number seven to twelve, it's a different drawing for each rib. It's not too bad really, the plans give you full size rib drawings of all the ribs, so it’s just a matter of changing drawings and remaking the rib jig after every two ribs – one for each side.

Building the spar

As the weather warmed up in the spring of 2020, I built a ‘bent’ workbench 27ft long and 18ins wide, with the correct dihedral to build the main spar on. This was all March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 13

Project News done during the summer months and then the completed spar was very carefully mated to the fuselage before drilling the 14mm attachment holes through the spar and into the main fuselage bulkhead.

The wing is now taking shape with the ribs all glued on, but it’s currently on hold until the weather warms up to start gluing again. However, I haven’t been prevented from gluing altogether, as I’ve gone back to the kitchen table to build the flaps and ailerons, again cutting and sanding parts in the workshop first. There are plenty of metal fittings still to make while the weather's cold, that is once I can drag myself out of a warm house into a very cold workshop, but a session hacksawing and filing soon warms me up and makes me get my coat off. So, hopefully by the end of this year, I will have (nearly) finished all the gluing work and have a fairly complete airframe, ready to start fitting out.

Stay safe and best wishes everybody, Richard.

Right Winter workshop, an extension built onto the doorway of a double garage. One of the challenges of a one-piece wing is its sheer size.

G-CLNZ (LAA 237B-15568) Sherwood Ranger ST

By Patrick Nicholls

T

he Ranger is my second aircraft project, the first was an Escapade that I built 15 years ago when my kids came along, and it seemed a better way of getting them flying than strapping them to the lap belt of my Chaser flexwing! Now they are older and more dependent on Wifi than me, I had the time to contemplate a second project.

My initial flying was all flexwing, I even took part in national competitions around the turn of the millennium, and while I appreciate the greater weather tolerance of three-axis, I had been missing the feel of open-air flying.

I was really keen to build a WWI fighter replica but wanted to retain the passenger carrying capability.

Preferably I needed something that was still a microlight, having flown them for 25 years, that was the

limit of my licence, and I wasn’t keen to invest in further training to upgrade. That kind of narrowed down the options to a Sherwood Ranger.

I am aware that it is not a replica of any type, but no true replica allows the carrying of passengers while meeting the microlight definition. So, I researched the various aircraft of WWI to find one that was suitably obscure that its likeness was not easily questioned. I settled on the single-seat Sopwith Comic, derived from the two seat Sopwith One and a Half Strutter. That seemed most appropriate as I would probably spend 90% of my time flying it solo anyway, yet it justified the second seat position.

RAF and CAA permissions

The plan was to build it in the typical colours of the Left The Ranger fuselage is of aluminium tube. It’s all bonded, bolted and riveted together with plates. The tubing is supplied the correct length but not drilled and without inserts fitted. The green front section was constructed first and is the busy part with wing attachments, controls and so on. The rear section was constructed, stored and transported separately. Photo: Patrick Nicholls.

14 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

Project News

RFC, which would require permission from the RAF and the CAA, so it had to be reasonably accurate.

Then David Bremner told me about a chap called John Dimmock, whose father flew a Comic for real (A6906) in WWI. Once I’d met up with John, that settled which aircraft I would use as my base example.

I submitted the request to the CAA and the RAF for permission to carry the livery and identification, knowing that in puritan terms my interpretation might not be received favourably. Part of my reasoning was that it is partly in tribute to all the heroes, mostly forgotten, who flew in that pioneering age, when keeping airborne let alone avoiding bullets, was an achievement. Many know of the Red Baron in his triplane, but it’s doubtful if anyone is familiar with this rather obscure British machine, let alone what it looked like. Furthermore, I doubt that there are any surviving flying examples.

After some toing and froing, permission was granted, so my gratitude to the various departments for their flexible approach and subsequent approval.

Above The rudder is the only painted fabric surface, it started as white Oratex and has the tricolour painted onto it. The fuselage and upper surfaces are Oratex Olive Drab whilst the beige under surface is in Oratex Antique. Photo: Patrick Nicholls.

Above right The wings as supplied in quick build format, aluminium tubular spars with epoxy bonded ply ribs. The builder is left to construct the moving surfaces and attach the leading edges at time of rigging. Photo: Patrick Nicholls.

I hope I have done justice to the RFC and the memories of the pilots who sacrificed so much. Thanks are also due to my inspector and initial test pilot David Bremner, and also to Paul Hendry-Smith of TLAC for his support during the build, when the process wasn't going quite as smoothly as it should.

At the beginning of December we commenced the test flying, but unfortunately national restrictions and lockdown have curtailed the programme with only 90 minutes required to complete. I’m looking forward to better times to come and I’d hope that November Zulu is fully permitted and flying for this year's season.

Flying the Ranger

P

atrick’s inspector and test pilot, David Bremner, picks up the story and gives his account of test flying the Ranger.

Originally designed with the 65hp Rotax 582 in mind, the Sherwood Ranger has always been a favourite of mine, offering a traditional open cockpit two-seat taildragger biplane as a microlight, with the huge benefit of a simple wing fold. Several have been retrofitted with the Jabiru engine, which offers some increase in performance.

Taken on and improved and updated by TLAC, they are now offering the Ranger with the D-Motor, a fuel injected liquid-cooled flat four, with a narrow profile owing to its return to traditional side valves. I had previously flown the factory demonstrator and been impressed with the lovely soft sound a lowcompression, direct drive engine makes.

I've watched Pat build this kit over the last couple of years and know how much care and attention he's paid to it, so I was very privileged to be asked to do the initial test flying.

Above Job done.

Note imitation machine guns and covered front cockpit.

Engine cowlings removed reveals side-valve D-Motor.

Photo: Patrick Nicholls.

This was done at Welshpool Airport, on a cold but calm day in early December.

The cockpit is cosy by modern standards, but everything falls readily to hand – the only slight caveat is the throttle control, which is an underslung quadrant – pretty standard for aerobatic biplanes but it needs a surprising amount of familiarisation if you aren’t using it regularly.

March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 15

Project News Restricted view forward

The view forward from the rear cockpit is obviously limited, and a good deal of weaving is required on the ground to see where you’re going. It has a steerable tailwheel, but no breakout to allow it to castor. The differential heel brakes are moderately effective; they won't hold against full power, but that's probably just as well, you're less likely to tip it on its nose accidentally!

There's plenty of control in the initial take-off roll. It requires a significant push on the stick to raise the tail, but once up she balances nicely and you're in the air before you realise it.

Once airborne, there's an immediate feeling of confidence. With a steady rate of climb established, all the controls seem reassuringly normal, she trims out easily and flies hands off, no adjustments were needed.

Use those feet!

Turns require some coordination with the rudder, and the controls are light and with very low friction. There is good pitch stability, both stick fixed and stick free.

Yaw and roll stability are marginal, as it is in most microlights.

This isn't a fast aeroplane by modern standards –

maximum level speed is 67kt indicated, with Vne set at 87kt (100mph) – but it’s not that sort of aeroplane.

When the light aircraft version is cleared for aerobatics, I can imagine it will be great fun.

The stall is very straightforward, whether flown one or two up, and that gave me confidence about the landing approach. After a couple of low passes, I approached at about 50kt, and even on tarmac, which can tend to snatch a taildragger, the landing was as smooth and straightforward as could be desired. We haven’t explored crosswinds yet, but there is plenty of control authority right the way through the approach, and I have no doubt that it should be possible to manage a significant crosswind.

Meticulous build quality

We managed 3.5 hours on the first day, and thanks to Pat’s meticulous build, not a single adjustment was needed. The engine installation can’t be faulted in any way; the temperatures, pressures and speeds were all within limits, and the controls, including brakes, throttle and trimmer were just as they should be.

It’s a privilege to fly such an outstandingly beautiful example, and once lockdown and the wintry weather permit, I can't wait to get the rest of the test programme completed.

Left Dave Bremner prepares to move off to undertake another test flight.

New Projects If your aircraft has been featured in the New Projects list, please let Project News know of your progress at: projectnews@laa-archive.org.uk n Denney Kitfox Mk 7 Supersport (LAA 172D-15745) 20/1/2021

Mr R Devey, 13 Mount Ararat Road, Richmond, Surrey, TW10 6PQ

n Van’s RV-3B (LAA 099-15744) 14/1/2021 Name & Address held by LAA Engineering

n Van’s RV-8A (LAA 303-15743) 7/1/2021 Mr G Robertson, The Birches, California Road, Maddiston, Falkirk, FK2 0NH

n Van’s RV-8 (LAA 303-15742) 4/1/2021 Name & Address held by LAA Engineering

Cleared To Fly If your aircraft has featured recently in the magazine, and has subsequently completed its maiden flight, Project News would like to hear from you at: projectnews@laa-archive.org.uk n G-AOBH DH82A Tiger Moth (s/n 83818) 18/1/2021 Name & Address held by LAA Engineering

16 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

n G-IDAY Skyfox CA-25N Gazelle (s/n CA25N028) 21/1/2021 Name & Address held by LAA Engineering n G-MACC Carbon Cub EX-2 (s/n CCK-

1865-1016) 24/12/2020 Mr Mark Albery. 1 Bascote Chase.

Bascote. Southam. CV47 2EZ Left Carbon Cub G-MACC in a former life at the High Sierra Fly-In, Nevada, before being shipped to the UK.

EXCLUSIVE LAA MEMBER INSURANCE BY AIR COURTAGE CALL US ON 03306 845108 TO DISCUSS YOUR AVIATION INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS.

https://www.air-assurances.uk/laa laa@air-assurances.com Chrystelle Launai, of Air Courtage, discusses the pertinent subject of Ground Risks.

Under the current circumstances, your aircraft have been spending much more time on the ground than you would like them to. Although material damage or personal injuries arising out of incidents on the ground tend to be much less critical than with flight risks, unpleasant events do, unfortunately, also happen on the ground…

Most of the time, they only involve some material damage to the aircraft, facilities or third-party goods. More rarely, people get hurt while maintaining or repairing an aircraft. Sadly, occasionally there is a tragic accident, as happened early last year, when an insured member suffered a fatal injury when hit by the propeller of the aircraft he was maintaining.

Amongst all the ground risks claims we handle, some causes are quite obvious, such as theft or fire, but there also are some unforeseen situations!

Damage caused by your aircraft to third parties are indemnified through the liability section of your coverage. Material damages to your own aircraft are insured under your hull cover, with possible subrogation (pursuing of a third party responsible for the damage), depending on who is liable for the damage.

Legal liability Besides the legal obligation, in most cases, to maintain the legal liability cover in force when your aircraft is stored, being covered against any damage your aircraft can cause to third-parties can spare you some annoyance.

Sometimes, during maintenance operations, the aircraft around you can suffer some damage, caused by falling objects for example. Broken canopies under these circumstances are not scarce. The major losses during checks, repairs and maintenance happen when the engine starts on high power, and the aircraft consequently collides with the hangar or other premises, aircraft or cars. Obviously, in such cases, the owner of the aircraft is liable for the damages suffered by third parties. Luckily, personal injuries on the ground are scarce, but when they occur the indemnities are substantial, and an appropriate insurance coverage is essential.

Material damage to your aircraft Acts of God The wrath of God can manifest itself in different ways - floods, hail, strong winds, etc…, resulting in partial or sometimes even total loss of the aircraft.

Snow is an interesting one, because in theory, one would expect it to be harmless to your aircraft. However, we have recently had notification of a claim of an aircraft tarpaulin ‘hangar’ which caved in due to the weight of the snow.

Theft and vandalism As you may know, thefts of Rotax engines have been very frequent over the past few years, and this criminal conspiracy probably represents the most frequent cause of losses due to theft and vandalism. A stolen engine can lead to an aircraft being declared as a total loss, as besides the significant cost of the engine as such, there are collateral damages which sometimes lead the total cost of repair being higher than the agreed value. The thieves do not tend to have the courtesy to remove the engine as cautiously as you would do it yourself.

Fire Damages on the ground due to fire are not very frequent, but when a hangar catches fire, it usually destroys several aircraft in one go.

Other unfortunate events Other typical losses on the ground are those which occur during the maintenance of your aircraft, or when they are being moved on the ground, for hangar cleaning purposes for instance (mainly impact with the walls, the doors or other aircraft).

Grey areas In theory, everything is simple: if your aircraft gets damaged on the ground, your insurance would pay for the damage, and then, where appropriate, subrogates against the insurance of the third party liable for the damage, which can be the owner of the other aircraft involved, a vehicle owner, the renter of the hangar, someone passing by, etc…

Practically speaking, it can be trickier…

If a car hits your aircraft on the airfield, a subrogation may not be realistic either. Damages caused airside are a standard exclusion of vehicle insurances, therefore, the car owner may not be protected against this risk, unless he/she has an aviation insurance policy which includes vehicle legal liability airside.

Once in a while in shared hangars, you find your aircraft with a scratch or a dent, you ask around if anyone knows what happened, and guess what nobody knows!

It is sometimes difficult or impossible to ascertain what originated a loss. For instance, we are handling a claim following a fire in a hangar which took place a few years ago, destroying the hangar and all aircraft within it, and to date, the loss adjusters are yet to determine what was the trigger. If the initiating event was one of the aircraft, the insurer of that aircraft would be liable for all the aircraft and the hangar. If it was unrelated to the aircraft stored, the aircraft insurers would subrogate against the insurers of the hangar.

In such cases where the trigger is yet to be determined, there is no possible subrogation, and your loss settlement would be subject to a policy deductible (excess), while if it was settled as damage to a third party, you would get your deductible back (or most of it – very small deductibles sometimes apply to material damage to third parties), and you would keep a clean claim history, which is key, especially in the current hard and, may I say, extremely picky insurance market!

Besides any insurance consideration, these forced periods on the ground are not good for the aircraft, neither does it maintain the normally sunny disposition of the pilots! We truly wish that the pandemic situation improves as soon as possible and enables you to have a great flying season this year.

A DEDICATED INSURANCE PROGRAMME FOR LAA MEMBERS https://www.air-assurances.uk/laa laa@air-assurances.com

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Headset review

How I got here…..

Joe Hadley, one of LAA’s graduate engineers, recalls the incidents in his life that brought him to flying and a career with the LAA…

I

f you’d have asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up at age eight, I know exactly the answer I would have given. No, it would not have been a doctor, astronaut nor engineer. I would not even have said pilot. I wanted to be a downhill skier.

I’d just been taken on holiday to Vancouver, BC and we’d taken a trip to Whistler mountain. I was fixated by all these people having fun racing down the slopes and wanted desperately to join them. Once home I pestered my parents until they took me for some lessons. Four hours later and I’m merrily snow plowing my way down the slope. Fast forward a few years of training every weekend, plus a trip to Colorado, and I had started to get quite competent!

At senior school I’d taken a shine to STEM subjects; maths and physics lessons were a strong favourite of mine and I’d started to become quite academic. I also joined the ski team and planned to join the Combined Cadet Force when I was old enough.

Unfortunately, the school’s ski team wasn’t all that much fun to be in and a colleague had injured themself significantly in training. I took a heavy fall myself and broke my femur on holiday in 2010. Perhaps skiing for a living wasn’t meant to be for me…

18 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

Above Getting an invite to the Hellenic Air Force Firefighters on Kefalonia was the closest I ever came to wanting to be a fireman! Here I am sitting in a PZL M18B firefighter.

The Combined Cadet Force

At age 14 I joined the CCF RAF section. Initially a bit bored by spending Monday afternoons stuck in a classroom or marching out in the cold, I held on for the promise of a trip to Cosford and a flight in a Tutor. I’ll never forget that first visit to Cosford. The anxiety of the unknown, the warmth of the crew room (are all bases like that?), the weight of the parachute, the smell of the apron, the sound from inside a helmet. I don’t know why I was so nervous because seeing the world from just a few thousand feet was incredible. The pilot officer in command persisted through my barrage of questions and asked if I wanted to do any aerobatics.

After almost toppling my internal gyro and reminding myself which pocket my sickbag was in, it was time to get back to Cosford. I knew I wanted to do this myself one day, so I applied for the gliding scholarships, but this was at the time the Vigilant fleet was grounded, unfortunately they never came back online and the Volunteer Gliding Squadron, as it was back then, was restructured. A couple of flights in a Tutor and a couple of trial lessons for birthdays was all the flying I could get.

A-levels were fast approaching, and it was time to look for the next steps in my education or career. If I was asked what I wanted to be back then, I did not know. I’d

Staff projects Left The dream of skiing for a living ended with a broken femur but I still ski for fun, here in Bulgaria last year, just before lockdown.

enjoyed my time in the cadets, so I considered applying as an officer to the RAF. I’d also considered becoming a commercial pilot but was put off at a careers fair by a recruiter telling me if you’re not 110% sure, then, ‘this isn’t for you’. There was also the slightly tricky matter of cost and asking if my parents would remortgage their house for me.

Ultimately that meant looking for university courses.

At A-Level I’d chosen to take maths and the sciences, because I found them good, easy and fun. I was also a typically lazy pupil, so it didn’t take me long to scroll down the alphabetical list of courses to find ‘Aerospace Engineering’. It seemed to play to my strengths, and you got to play with aeroplanes! An application was made and a provisional offer to study at Coventry university was received.

A-level results day came around and I got the grades I needed. My first year at Coventry was great fun. I was really getting into aviation and could see that this industry could take me places. I was an active member of the Aerospace Society and a keen flight simmer, too. I’d researched how to go about getting a licence and was not surprised by the cost, but it was going to take more than my part-time job in a charity shop to fund such an endeavour. Regardless of the lack of funds, I took to the sky on my first logged motor glider flight at Long Marston in September 2016.

With the help from my parents, I was not going to dwell on this too long. My part-time charity shop job quickly became full-time and I returned to the airfield to have another lesson. After this lesson and a chat with Lee, the head of training, I decided that I would be back in the spring when I had accrued some funds to learn to fly. I had an opportunity where I might have the funds, and the time to make my dream come true.

Concentrating on gaining my PPL

Below More by accident than design, mum was at the airfield to see my first solo.

I returned to the airfield in the spring with a goal of getting my licence in the flying season. I spent many of my days off sitting in the airfield caravan studying and hanging around, in case any spare seats were going. Offering to help keep the aircraft and airfield in order also landed me a casual job paying in flying hours. That summer I got my type rating on the grass cutter and must have spent hours spraying avgas at the dirty underside of a motor glider or

Dropping out

My little foray into self-funded aviation had cost me two weeks’ pay, and most of a day out from study. I was also finding my second year much more challenging and one of my closest friends had withdrawn from the course. I too was falling behind and struggling academically with the course, a far cry from how easy I felt the first year had been. With a couple of other setbacks and my mental state in decline, followed by a very disappointing set of results from the first semester exams, I decided to withdraw from the course.

March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 19

Staff projects sponging flies off a wing. This work paid better than my charity shop job in flying time!

I decided to take my mum down to the airfield to show her why I’m never at home. The same day Andy, my instructor, also decided to remove himself from the aircraft and let me loose in the circuit. I can’t imagine what she must have been thinking. I had no idea it was going to happen.

Headset review Below I’ve just completed my aerobatic rating in the T67. The routine I’ve completed being similar to my experience on my first-ever flight as a cadet in a Tutor.

My cross-country solo took me on my first adventure to airfields I’d never been to (Leicester and Shobdon) and my route took me directly overhead Birmingham Airport. It was a rather nerve-racking ‘standby’ as I was flying towards its zone listening intently for my callsign. It was also a few days after Monarch Airlines had gone bust, so I had a rather sad view of all its fleet sitting on the tarmac.

While learning to fly I hadn’t given up on my higher education, and had seen an advert for a BSc in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering at Solihull College. It seemed a lot more aligned with my strengths and was aviation related. I applied, was accepted, and I was even credited my first year at Coventry so I was able to join the first cohort in their second year.

Within the first few days I knew that this course suited me far better. The whole group was just 12 of us, so it felt like being back at school. We had a Royal Navy Jetstream to complete practical aspects of the course on and the teaching quality was excellent. That first month I had also passed my flying skills test, so I’d completed my goal of getting my licence – and had got my education back on track.

Introductory Flight Pilot rating

First year of this course done, I turned back to my flying and my job over the summer. Having not done too much flying over the winter months and being extremely inexperienced, I needed a goal. I had my sights set on getting my Introductory Flight Pilot rating, allowing me to conduct Introductory Flights with the gliding club.

With 50 hours P1 required, I was back to the charity shop and under the aircraft. Helped along by being thrifty (or ‘tight’, as some friends might testify…) and the record dry summer of 2018, I was taking the rating test by July, just eight months after my licence had been issued.

Lee took great pleasure in the practical test. Far from the cool demeanour of an examiner, he was out to be the most unruly and difficult passenger anyone has ever taken for a flight. Constantly touching controls, shouting, crying, putting his arms across my eyes, all while simulating failures. It culminated in him pretending to be sick on approach; a valuable training exercise I had to put into practice when my first passenger actually was sick. I did manage to get the bag to them… but forget the mic!

The final year at college was also fantastic fun. My final year project investigated cockpit ergonomics in light aircraft, and my colleagues and I had success refitting the hydraulic system to the Jetstream and finally got the flaps and landing gear to cycle.

With final exams now within sight I turned to looking for my next endeavour. I didn’t want to be in the charity shop forever, but it was a paying job. Commercial aviation still was out of reach and Lee advised me it wasn’t the glamorous career it was made out to be. My flying instructor showed me an advert for ‘graduate engineer’ at the Light Aircraft Association. I promptly looked into the role, and sent off a letter of application and my CV. I was invited to an interview where I met Steve and Francis, who quizzed me thoroughly on my technical knowledge, my experiences in the charity shop and my flying. I thought I did OK and left with a smile and a positive outlook.

My interview at the Honourable Company of Air Pilots for their scholarship had been a disaster the week before.

After a round of interviews, and a trial day I hope the conclusion is obvious!

20 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

Staff projects Not so Quickie

Before I’d even found out if I was going to graduate, I’d landed myself a job in the industry I’d trained for. With just one application! Less than two years previous I was a university dropout.

My time in the engineering office has been my biggest educational step yet. After 18 months I’m just starting to feel independently ‘useful’ although I’m told the imposter syndrome feeling never goes away. I’ve still so much to learn and I hope I can help our little sector grow.

At my first LAA Rally in 2019, I’d seen an advert for a Quickie Q1 that needed to be brought back to flying condition. I set off to collect it with my dad in a 7.5 tonne lorry in November 2019 and with my best intentions of getting it flying, I kept it at Coventry airfield near home.

But as the months passed and I had made little progress, all the while haemorrhaging hangarage fees,

Below My first (and currently only) flight in the RF4. My face is a picture of relief that I’ve survived my first single-seat flight.

I decided to sell it last August. I know the new owner is making good progress and now I get to oversee the mod in my professional capacity.

I now own a share in a Fournier RF4, this one in flying condition. Since I achieved my aerobatic rating this summer, I wanted something to have fun in, flying alone without it costing too much. Unfortunately, since I’ve owned it, I’ve managed to fly it just one hour!

Covid-19 restrictions and the poor weather over winter have not been kind.

I hope that this year I get to meet many of the familiar names and voices that I work with and that we all get a much less restricted flying season (and life in general). Although rightfully at the back of the queue for my jab, my sleeve will be rolled up ready. To misquote a recent controversial advert ‘Jab me and let’s go!’…■

March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 21

Sowing the seed

Headset review

Sowing the seed…

Duncan Campbell recalls the factors in his early life that led to him learning to fly…

I

am sure that, without too much difficulty, we could all recall the experiences that led us from childhood to exercising our flying privileges. When, with retirement not too far over the horizon, I told my mother, rather apprehensively, that I had started learning to fly, she said, “I don’t know why you didn’t do it years ago, it’s obviously in the blood!” She was alluding to the fact that her first husband, her second husband, and my younger brother had all been aviators.

Two had died flying. Hank had been killed when colliding with his squadron leader in combat in 1942, the squadron leader parachuting to relative safety, and three years developing tunnel carpentry skills in Stalag Luft Three. On his return home, he had visited Hank’s widow, married her, and was my father. His death certificate noted that injuries received in aerial combat had contributed to his end. Mark, my younger brother, had died some years before in a Harvard with his friend Ted, crashing after an air race in Malta. The stuff of a major new mini-series this may be, and one day I may commit it to print but, fear not, dear reader, not here and not now!

In the 1950s, when my age was still measured in single figures, my father was posted to RAF Negombo in Ceylon, as the Officer Commanding Flying. My brother and I grew up in a tropical paradise, only half a day of schooling, our playground being the beach, the jungle, the monsoon storm ditches and the aircraft dump on the edge of the airfield. The margins of my schoolbooks from that era are adorned with my simple representations of the then current aircraft, witness to an early obsession with flying. Yet it was my younger brother who moved into the world of aviation at an early age.

I liked school. Mark did not and, aged 14, started truanting. At 15, he had fixed up an old Vespa and, without tax or insurance, was making his way to Biggin Hill where, courtesy of his appallingly lax school, he started cleaning and valeting flying club aircraft, and laid the foundation of what was to be a lifelong career in aviation.

My father, much to my puzzlement, had not continued flying after his Air Force career. He maintained a passionate interest in aviation, and delivered frequent presentations about life in Stalag Luft Three and escape attempts to RAF Associations and any other organisations that might invite him, but he rarely left the ground. He was also heavily involved in the development and running of the Biggin Hill Air Fair over the years.

I well remember one occasion at Biggin Hill when he

22 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

Above The author with his group operated Luscombe, comes from a family of aviators.

went up in a Tiger Moth with an instructor, and I watched from the ground while another pilot explained, in great detail, how the extremely steep side slip on late final and perfect three-point landing with a ground roll of little more than the length of the aircraft, was witness to the incredible flying skills of the instructor. As they got out of the aircraft, he congratulated his colleague, who said, “That wasn’t me, it was Ken”. My father was grinning from ear to ear, a dog with two tails. It had been about 25 years since he had last flown anything.

His last ever fight was in the aircraft then known as the Charles Church Spitfire. My youngest sister had orchestrated my father appearing in an episode of Noel’s Christmas Presents. By then, Ken was very disabled, his war injuries having eroded his mobility to the point where he could no longer even swim, which had been the sole

Sowing the seed

physical activity he had been able to undertake without pain. Chauffeured to a strip ‘in the middle of nowhere’, he was delighted to see a two-seater Spitfire rolled out. They used an engine hoist to lower him into the cockpit.

Happy times…

The aerial shots showed the Spitfire looping and rolling, my father clearly delighted, and the commentary reassured viewers that Ken was not flying and Reg Hallam, a very experienced warbird pilot, was. You’ll have guessed the next bit. Reg had handed control to my father immediately after take-off. In later years my father found it hard to talk about the experience without being visibly moved. He was able to fly the aeroplane with no discomfort at all, so sensitive were the controls. He did say, though, that it ‘wasn’t quite like flying a proper Spit’.

My father had died before I started my flying training. I was approaching the end of my then career and unusually, travelling by bus. Two older gentlemen sitting in front of me were bemoaning having laid plans for retirement only to find that, once retired, they couldn’t afford to implement them. Though my life had taken a different turn, I had never lost a fascination with flying and, there and then, resolved that I was not going to end my days regretting lost opportunities to do anything!

Presenting myself to the Sussex Flying Club, located upstairs in the beautiful Art Deco terminal building at Shoreham, just along the corridor from the then PFA, I

Top Ken beside himself with excitement in 1990, having flown a Spitfire for the first time in 48 years.

Above B flight, 73 squadron, North France 1939. Left to right are Flt Lt Ian Scoular; Flying Officer ‘Cobber’ Kain; and with the jaunty forage cap, Sgt Pilot Ken Campbell (the author’s father).

said that I wanted to learn how to fly. They said, “You’ll be wanting a trial lesson, then?” To my embarrassment now, I rather arrogantly responded, “No, I don’t need a trial lesson… I know I want to fly”.

These days, on final to our farm strip, I often think of my father and have a passing regret that we never flew together. He was already a very experienced pilot when, in the very early days of WWII, as a member of the RAF Advanced Air Striking Force, he was flying in and out of muddy fields in France in a Mk 1 Hurricane fitted with a two-blade fixed pitch wooden prop. Were he beside me in the Luscombe, I imagine he could have taught me a great deal.

I wonder what your story is…■ March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 23

Ultralights for RAF

Headset review

Ultralights for the RAF

Did Establishment ‘spin’ create the myth that popular, non-military light aviation was born at Lympne?

Peter Eveleigh reports…

Pictures from the collection of Arthur W J G Ord-Hume

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n aviation circles, Lympne (pronounced Limm), a former airfield near Ashford, in Kent, is shorthand for a series of competitions held almost a century ago to find the ideal light aeroplane for newly established light aeroplane clubs. They were allied to a government scheme to provide members of the public the opportunity to learn to fly at a subsidised rate.

However, the better-informed observer will know that the aeroplane ultimately chosen for the job, the DH.60 De Havilland Cirrus Moth, had not even competed in the two-seater competition in 1924 because its designer, Geoffrey de Havilland, had considered the aims of the competition to be misguided.

The subsequent success of the Moth series of aeroplanes confirmed this view in the minds of commentators and historians, including Terence Boughton, whose book Story of the British Light Aeroplane (1963) has been so influential on modern thinking. The conventional wisdom is that as the Moth and its successors proved so successful in the following decades, its selection must, clearly, have been right. The selection of a Lympne Trials winner would thus have been

24 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

Above The traditional view is that the de Havilland Cirrus Moth was selected for the Light Aeroplane Clubs because it was superior to those which competed in the Lympne Trials. In fact it was chosen reluctantly because it could be supplied immediately.

wrong. Although the Moth was far too large and heavy to have qualified for Lympne, it was characterised as the practical light aeroplane, while the Lympne aeroplanes, under-powered, fragile and unreliable, were simply not fit for purpose.

Furthermore, the argument goes, if the Royal Aero Club (RAeC) was going to choose a heavier aeroplane ultimately, why did it spend two years searching for something much lighter than was practical?

RAeC thinking had been confused, ‘muddle-headed’ and a waste of money, time and effort. The best that could be said for the competitions was that they stimulated creativity in some of the companies involved, which would go on to become legendary, like English Electric, The Bristol Aeroplane Company, Westland, and Supermarine etc.

The Lympne Trials were organised by the Royal Aero Club after an aristocrat, the Duke of Sutherland, put up a large financial prize, ‘having realised the possibilities of the light plane’. The Daily Mail put up a substantial prize of its own ‘for the encouragement of flying with small motor power’. They characterised the visionary Duke as

Ultralights for RAF the man with all the right credentials – President of the Air League of the British Empire, and the Vice President of the Royal Aero Club, and he would even purchase the winning aircraft from the 1924 competition for his own use. Far less was made of the fact that he was actually appointed Under Secretary of State for Air, answering to Sir Samuel Hoare, whose own role was the RAF’s equivalent of the First Lord of the Admiralty. The Duke’s ‘representative’, Ralph Bagnall Wild, who was key in directing the part played by the Royal Aero Club, was actually the Director of Research at the Air Ministry.

The question which directed my research was: Why would the government, so soon after an expensive world war and, rather topically, a catastrophic flu pandemic, subsidise private flying, and why would it go to such a lot of trouble, over several years, to find the ideal aeroplane for the purpose?

Boughton’s book, which has been so influential in the way we think of Lympne, was written when government papers from the 1920s were still embargoed. What they subsequently revealed is that the RAF had become convinced of the merits of the light aeroplane for training pilots. Although only ever referred to as ‘light’ in official papers, these aeroplanes were the first of what Richard Riding tells us would come to be regarded as ‘ultralights’ in the inter-war years – very light single- and two-seat aeroplanes developing less than 60hp.

The true intention of Lympne was not, as Pathé News claimed, ‘to bring the day when we shall have our own planes appreciably nearer’, but to find an economical successor for the RAF’s increasingly tired Avro 504, the design of which pre-dated WWI. The purpose of the Light Aeroplane Scheme was to provide the UK’s very young air force with an unofficial reserve of air-minded personnel, at a time when the RAF had recently been largely disbanded.

In a report to the Secretary of State, Air Vice Marshal Salmond suggested that if 100 light aeroplane clubs were established throughout Great Britain, each with six light aeroplanes, as many as 3,000 airmen could be trained per annum, economically. The RAF’s director of Training reported to Hugh Trenchard (Chief of the Air Staff) that the development of the light aeroplane was to be encouraged because ‘it costs about 1/8th of an Avro to start with, and subsequently its upkeep is only 1/14th’.

I believe there is little doubt that when the Daily Mail popularised the Lympne Trials and the Light Aeroplane Club (LAC) scheme as essentially civilian enterprises, it was well informed about their true purpose. Its proprietor, Harold Harmsworth, later Viscount Rothermere, had been the first President of the Air Council, the governing body

Top The English Electric Wren shared first place in 1923. Weighing just 210lb and powered by a 388cc ABC flat twin, it achieved 87½ miles on one gallon of fuel.

Middle The Parnall Pixie G-EBKM, flew in the trials with a 500cc Douglas flat twin as a Mk I and then as a 750cc Mk II (seen here), in which guise it won the speed event at 76.1mph, later upping the speed to 81.2mph.

Above G-EBIL, the ANEC 1, used the first inverted engine in the UK, a 696cc Blackburne Tomtit V-twin. It shared the longest distance prize of 87½ miles and attained the maximum height at 14,000ft.

March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 25

Ultralights for RAF

of the newly formed RAF, a political appointment in Lloyd George’s wartime government. Doubtless Harmsworth will also have been aware that when the Duke of Sutherland announced his prize, he had only been a member of the RAeC for a fortnight and had been hastily elected to be its Vice President (at the proposal of Sefton Brancker, Director of Civil Aviation) at the same meeting.

Bagnall Wild’s own membership was hurriedly approved less than three weeks before the 1923 Motor Glider Competition started.

Training aeroplanes

The purpose of the Motor Glider Competition was to satisfy the Air Council that aeroplanes of far lighter construction than those that had flown in the war could be operated economically as training aeroplanes, while still covering worthwhile distances, and achieving significant altitudes and speeds. Gliders had been seen to fly with small motors attached at a competition the previous year, and had proved twice as aerodynamically efficient as most commercial types at the time.

The Director of Supply and Research at the Air Ministry, Air Vice Marshal Salmond, having witnessed the performances of 25 small aeroplanes over three days of the 1923 trial, had been impressed by one in particular, the de Havilland Hummingbird, which had looped and rolled. He wrote, “I saw at once that this development of light aeroplanes has great possibilities.”

The ANEC-1 and the English Electric Wren each achieved 87.5 miles per gallon, the former also attaining the greatest height at 14,400ft, and the Parnall Pixie was fastest at 76.1mph. Salmond’s report recommended proceeding to the second stage of the Ministry’s plan, a two-seater competition for the following year.

Flight magazine’s editorial reported that the Duke of Sutherland had been of the opinion that an aeroplane which carried a passenger, as well as the pilot, would have far greater appeal than a single seater. An internal memo from the Air Ministry to the Treasury was rather more candid about the type of aeroplane sought: I am to point out that the object the Council have in view is the evolution of a successful dual-control light 26 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

Above The winner of the two-seat competition in 1924 was the Beardmore Wee Bee, described

by The Aeroplane as one of the most astonishingly efficient aeroplanes yet produced. Seen here with Chief Test Pilot Archibald Norman ‘Bill’ Kingmill.

aeroplane as an inexpensive type of training machine for the Royal Air Force.

Air Ministry soundings among manufacturers had established that two-seaters would need to be quite a lot heavier than single-seaters. As an attempt to restrict the upper weight of entries, a limit on engine size of 1100cc was imposed, but engines of that capacity were to prove unsuitable for loaded two-seater aircraft, as it proved necessary to run them flat-out at the limits of their power for most of their time in the air, leading to reliability issues.

For details of the performances of aeroplanes at Lympne, together with the catalogue of difficulties competitors had in the 1924 competition especially, you can do no better than to get hold of Arthur Ord-Hume’s The Lympne Trials; Searching for an Ideal Light Plane, which is liberally illustrated. Countless engine failures were a theme of the competition, as engines designed for small cars and motorcycles, intended only to run at full power in short bursts, were necessarily pushed to their limits when installed in these aircraft.

The smaller, maximum 750cc, units in the single seater competition the previous year, had operated so successfully at lower outputs not only because they were lifting less weight, but also because the emphasis of the competition had been on attaining maximum fuel economy. In 1924 they were required not only to lift another person and a heavier machine, but also to attain a high-speed figure involving about two hours at full throttle.

Degree of reliability

An analysis by one of Bagnall-Wild’s assistants, Colonel Fell, suggested that if the 1100cc limit had not been imposed, but instead engines of larger capacity and running at a lower rpm had been allowed, they would have given a greater degree of reliability with a negligible increase of weight. Apparently informed by Fell’s analysis, the specification for what was to have been the 1925 competition, limited the weight of the engine to 170lb (enabling a more realistic and reliable power output). This gave the aircraft industry the freedom to develop more powerful engines, provided it could do so without adding more weight than was considered desirable for the light airframe of their design.

Ultralights for RAF

Above The Blackburn Aeroplane & Motor Company’s Bluebird was let down by its cobbled together three-cylinder Thrush engine, preventing the promising design from even making the start in 1924. Fitted with a 120hp Gipsy II, the type went on to become a successful design.

Above The Bristol Type 91 Brownie, powered by the company’s own Cherub, features a wire-braced steel tube fuselage. Sister aircraft G-EBJM, won the £1,000 second prize in 1924.

March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 27

Ultralights for RAF However, this necessitated a delay of a year, the Trials taking place in 1926.

Air Ministry files contain annotated clippings from local and national newspapers, reflecting the public’s unhappiness at the announcement of a delay to the Light Aeroplane Clubs’ subsidy scheme, which had ‘burst hope in the breasts of enthusiasts’ awaiting the promise of affordable flight training. The Ministry became anxious that any delay now would lose them the goodwill of the public, and affect recruitment at a later date once the engine problem had been solved. Rather than wait, colleagues were urged to find stop-gap aeroplanes for at least the first few clubs.

By then, multiples of the Lympne aeroplanes were on order, or had already been delivered to the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment at Martlesham Heath to undergo trials with the RAF. It was suggested that some of them, equipped with a 1500cc engine then in development, might be supplied to the clubs for the time being. However, this too would mean a delay, as the engine was undergoing proving trials, and few in the Air Ministry were confident these could be completed in under six months. The RAF ruled out altogether the suggestion that for now the clubs might be supplied with the obsolete Avro 504s, the aircraft the competitions had been devised to replace.

It was at this stage, no doubt aware of the flurry of anxious meetings between the Ministry, Sutherland and deputations from the flying community, that on 15 January 1925, Geoffrey de Havilland approached the Ministry and offered to supply them with the first two of his DH.60 Moths, the first the following month.

Twice as heavy

The Moth was twice the weight of the aeroplanes built to the Lympne specification, its 60hp Cirrus 1 engine being four times the capacity, and at least twice as heavy. It was also an expensive aeroplane to buy and would be

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Headset review

Below One of two Hawker Cygnets in the 1924 Trials, 1100cc Anzani powered G-EBMB, finished second. In 1926, re-engined with a Bristol Cherub 111, it won the event.

comparatively more expensive to run. What it had in its favour was its immediate availability. Records show that its selection by the Air Council was a pragmatic if reluctant one, driven more by political than technical considerations. It would do for now. The RAF could bear the extra cost, but what of the ordinary person for whom the subsidy scheme was supposed to have been devised?

When a costings exercise was carried out in 1938 to calculate a new subsidy, it indicated that the higher than forecast costs of running the LAC scheme with de Havilland aircraft had made even subsidised flying prohibitively expensive for most.

A thousand participants had dropped out in the previous year on account of what, for them, was an unaffordable hourly rate, and those who remained flew too little per year to give a reasonable return on the investment. Most significantly, it suggested that the new scheme should first include those who had ‘hitherto been prevented from joining the Light Aeroplane Clubs on account of the cost of flying’.

Having compromised its own ultralight objectives, the Air Ministry thwarted both its stated and actual intentions.

It meant, in 1938, that any further recipients of subsidies would have to be put under an obligation to the RAF as Civil Air Guard members of the flying clubs. Also, rather than flying having been made accessible to ordinary people, it had remained, very largely, an exclusive pursuit.

■ The author: Peter Eveleigh is a doctoral researcher at the University of Manchester. He has been invited to contribute the referenced research paper on which this article is based, Aeroplanes for Everybody Soon? The RAF, the Lympne Trials and the myth of governmentsupported popular flying 1923-1938, for a volume in the series Deutsches Museum Studies, to be edited

by Dr Artemis Yagou. It is due for publication later in the year. ■

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Provence

Two days in Provence

A tale of sun, sea, mountains, storms, overheating, high pressure, low pressure, high ground, low flying, diversions (three!), bad planning, good planning, determination… and jolly good fun. Dave Gibson and Martin Charlick report…

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ummer 2019. After being relentlessly chased through the low countries to Norway and back by storms over eight days in June, we were looking for a calmer, shorter trip to enjoy some sunshine and relaxation. Dave’s neighbours in the village where he lives near Glastonbury, have a summer home in the south of France, a farmhouse and smallholding they converted over 25 years ago and where they now spend six months of the year. We were invited (or did we invite ourselves …!) to fly down and stay a couple of nights and share a glass of wine and a swim in their natural water pool.

Weather set fair

The five-day forecast was very fair, with high pressure sitting over France, so we departed Henstridge on the morning of 4 August in blue skies, planning a straightthere one-day flight to Valreas Visan (LFNV) just north of Marseille with three stops, Cherbourg (LFRC) for customs, Amboise Dierre (LFEF) for fuel and Clermont

Above Dave Gibson, standing, Martin Charlick with their comfortable, long range Jodel Mascaret, which they use to its full potential around Europe.

Left The long weekend away entailed a pretty direct trip down to Provence to visit friends.

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Ferrand (LFLC) to stretch our legs before the final leg, a total distance of roughly 500nm, or between five and six hours in the Jodel.

The outbound Channel crossing was uneventful, the removal of the lower Q41 airway into Southampton now making the Swanage to Cherbourg route more straightforward at a reasonable altitude (4,000ft). We transited talking initially to Bournemouth, then London Information, and skirted around the western corner of mid-channel danger area EGD036 although Plymouth Military didn’t appear to be active, so we switched directly to Deauville Info and then Cherbourg, listening to a mixture of fast French and occasional English.

Provence

Warbird companion

On arrival at a very quiet Cherbourg, we spotted a silver Spitfire on the apron and duly parked alongside it (so that they could get some photos of their aircraft with ours… ).

The chaps pre-flighting her were preparing the aircraft for a military display over the Normandy beaches.

Spitfire 3W-17 is a Mark IX, serial MK732 built at Castle Bromwich in 1944 and initially deployed to RAF Colerne, where it was allocated to 485 squadron (NZ). It is credited with two ‘kills’ over Normandy during the D-Day landings. After the war, in 1947, it went to the Royal Netherlands Air Force for decoy training, eventually being abandoned at Eindhoven. ‘Acquired’, apparently without permission in 1956 by no.14 RAF squadron, it was trucked to RAF Oldenburg in West Germany, and then appears to have passed through Brize Norton, St Athan, Bicester, Coltishall, Coningsby, and Abingdon up until 1980, having respectively been restored, used for instruction and broken for spares. It was restored to airworthiness in Guernsey between 1985-1991 by Dutch Spitfire Flight Ltd, part sold to the Dutch Government in 1993 and is now owned by the RNLAF Historical Flight, repainted in a RNLAF silver scheme and registered as PH-OUQ.

Flat plains of Northern France

After ‘clearing customs’ the French way – a painless process – and paying the landing fee of €12 to the pompier, we lined up at the intersection a third of the way down Cherbourg’s 2,400m Runway 10 and departed to the south-east on our next leg to Amboise, over what is possibly the most tedious, flat unremarkable part of France. Heading south we always seem to lose touch with the flight information service mid-way (there seems to be a dead spot south-west of Caen), but passed several interesting airfields, including Bagnoles De L’Orne set among the trees (the sleepy picturesque spa town is well worth a visit), and Le Mans, a sprawling modern cityscape with its standout motorsport circuit. After crossing the Tours control zone, transit no problem, we landed at Amboise in the Loire valley, to refuel after 90 minutes’ flying.

Amboise is like many mid-country French airfields, well-appointed but relaxed and friendly. It’s a gliding field

Top Our distinguished neighbour on the apron at Cherbourg was The Royal Netherland Air Force Historical Flight’s Spitfire.

Above Refuelling at Amboise, a relaxed and well-appointed airfield. Mike and Dave also used it for a night stop on the return journey.

set away from the town centre at Dierre, alongside the river Cher, with opposite north/south circuits for gliders and power and two 700m east-west hard and grass runways. The Mascaret has 185 litres usable capacity in three tanks, giving up to eight hours endurance with reserves (18 litres ph), although we generally fill to a maximum 120 litres when touring with camping gear and baggage etc. This gives enough to go and come back from many destinations without needing to refill. As we planned to continue the next two legs without a fuel stop, we opted to top off the tanks here, followed by a quick café in the bar.

The Massif Central

From Amboise the route south crosses the gradually rising elevations of the Massif Central, an extensive and beautiful region of high ground and volcanic peaks reaching to 5,000ft and above. With perfect CAVOK conditions, our next stop was Clermont Ferrand to the west of Lyon. The airfield adjoins the city at an elevation of 1,092ft, sitting on a broad level plain with spot heights of 4,800ft close by to the west (runway orientation is 08/26). This is a proper large commercial airfield (think Bristol) with impressive terminal buildings, runway and facilities.

It was nearing 1800 local (sunset still being about five hours away) when we contacted Clermont approach frequency and were asked to hold on downwind pending the departure of a Ryanair flight on 08. Surface wind was calm, and we opted for 08 so as to stay out the way of Ryanair and orbited a few times at our 2,000ft (QNH) circuit height, taking in the stunning mountain views March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 31

Provence

having descended into the valley. We were woken from our reverie by ATC calling to ask us to expedite our landing, as Ryanair were now in fact waiting for us, having changed their minds. With a swift downwind followed by a tight descending sideslipping base leg over the retail park, levelling our wings and alighting beautifully on the tarmac directly in front of their cockpit, we thought we would show the Ryanair crew and passengers a thing or two about flying, but I don’t think they actually noticed.

Then we had the fun of trying to navigate our way around this large airport. We didn’t need ‘handling’ or the main terminal, so we were directed to the GA terminal at ‘parking Mike’, but not told how to get there. After a few polite prompts along the way we found ourselves at a most friendly little flying club portacabin by the airport fence, at the back of the terminal complex, which was just closing up for the day. We paid our landing fee (€12!) and had a quick refresh before pre-flighting our final leg for the day to Visan, an expected easy flight time of just over an hour.

Above The Massif Central rises to over 5,000ft and can generate severe thunderstorms in the heat of the summer.

Right Clermont Ferrand’s plate. It’s a large and busy airfield but there is a pleasant GA area behind the terminal, and ‘handling’ isn’t mandatory.

Density what?

The departure was interesting. The evening weather remained CAVOK calm and clear, although it had become very warm as we proceeded further south. Temperature on the ground at Clermont was 33°C. From our 1,092ft take-off elevation, we needed to head south-east and clear a 4,000ft ridge about 20 miles on.

The valley gradually rose along the way and our initial intention was to climb out to 5,000ft and cruise at that level as the high ground continued more or less to our destination.

However, the Jodel climb rate in the warm evening sunshine was abysmal or non-existent and we were forced to orbit a few times at the edge of Clermont’s zone, coaxing the old girl to gain a few feet before passing over some low hills and entering the long valley climb. By then, the engine oil temperature had risen virtually to the red 32 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

line at 100°C as we were trying to climb and ease off the engine at the same time, a vicious circle. Our carburettor temperature gauge was also showing over 30°C. Reducing speed to ‘best angle’ (60kt) made things worse and we eventually worked out that increasing speed to around 70kt (5kt above ‘best rate’) improved air cooling of the engine and we began to see a small rate of climb on the VSI. The air didn’t seem to get much cooler

Provence

with altitude, but the oil temperature crept down as we got into the faster cruise. Had we checked on the ground, we would have seen the Density Altitude for the airfield elevation and high temperature, was in excess of 4,500ft.

Lesson learned.

Final destination

As flight visibility conditions were perfect, with nil wind, we came out of the climb at 4,000ft and decided to skim the ridges and go around the higher points, and we enjoyed a relaxing cruise the rest of the way. There was little other traffic about, and the radio was generally quiet.

We reached Visan shortly after 2000 local (1800GMT).

Valreas Visan is a small rural grass airfield (elevation 472ft) with a couple of hangars and a 1,000 m grass runway oriented 02/20, and at first it was difficult to spot, until we realised we were looking for a green grass strip.

It was in fact brown in the heat of summer.

Approaching Runway 20, looking south, Marseille and the Mediterranean are about 40 miles further beyond the distant horizon… On arrival, the clubhouse and hangars were closed and the airfield deserted, other than our friends who came to meet us. The car journey to their farmhouse in the hills took about an hour and we were soon enjoying a lovely Provence stew and a few glasses of wine, listening to the cicadas before retiring after a long day flying.

The next day we had a gentle day of sight-seeing in the village of St Auban sur L’Ouveze, Provence AlpesCotes. Followed by a superb dinner in the local restaurant, a short walk from the farmhouse.

The trip home

Having flown down to the South of France in one day so as to maximise our time with Dave’s friends in St Auban, we took our time and split the journey back, with an overnight stop halfway at Amboise.

The weather on the morning of our return to the airfield

Top Valreas Visan, final destination.

Searching for a grass strip in generally green terrain was difficult, until they realised in summer it’s a scorched brown airstrip!

Above Dave and Martin enjoy a meal with their hosts in St Auban.

was no longer so nice and a line of cloud, storms and rain, with bases on the tops of the higher ground, was moving west to east, across our intended track. We considered two options, one to go north-east up the Rhone valley, via Lyon, staying low, but this was likely to become blocked by the weather as the day went on; or initially go west, skirting the storm stream, until we could turn north after it passed. This also left us the option to bale out to the south towards clearer conditions at the coast if things turned nasty.

After pre-flighting the aircraft and refuelling, the sky to the west and north was beginning to look ominously dark, with gathering cloud and rainstorms gathering. We decided to take-off and take a look to see if there was a way around, as it remained completely calm on the ground with blue sky directly above us, and it was possible that our low perspective made things look worse than they were. The forecast for airfields to the west was pretty good.

March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 33

Provence The windsock was beginning to slightly flutter, but we lined up on the brown grass and took off and at 50ft were caught and heaved over about 45° by a giant gust of wind from the right. Immediate stick forward to maintain speed and then level the wings we climbed round into the circuit as rain started to spatter on the canopy. It was pretty evident from our new viewpoint that the storms were both nearby and impenetrable and we needed to get back on the ground. We landed without further incident in still wind (!) and just about managed to get the Jodel undercover in the hangar before the heavens opened.

Finally on our way

The storms passed within the hour and we set off again in fine conditions to the west routing to Brive (LFSL), a large commercial airport as a halfway stop, then north-west to Amboise, past Limoges. Air temperature was much cooler and we had no trouble climbing to our cruise altitude of 3-4,000ft. In this part of the Massif there is a lot of active military airspace (base 4 ,000ft). The controllers asked us to remain below their airspace, so we continued in good but slightly bumpy conditions at very low level (AGL 200-500ft /QNH 3,500ft!) jumping ridges and following valleys.

The weather visibly cleared so we changed plans and turned north to Egletons (LFDE), a smaller airfield in the hills at elevation 1,859ft (with spot heights at 3,200ft in the vicinity), with an 820m hard runway. They were not flying, although they answered the radio and gave us joining information for Runway 25, which involved a circuit and descent over the surrounding trees, all very pretty. There was no landing fee and we took the opportunity to stretch our legs across the apron and chat with the few members in the flying club.

We noted the Piper PA28s used by the club in the parking area and also mused over a safety poster on the clubhouse wall as we walked out, which warned about ‘checking your performance’…

Having got through the worst of the weather we were feeling pretty relaxed about the next leg to Amboise, which was straightforward as we passed out of the Massif area. The Jodel was running fine and our fuel load was lower, having used about 40 litres coming in from Visan.

We readied and took off on Runway 25, at which point we noted that the line of trees in front of us was in fact above

18 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

Above Heading west for Brive to try and skirt around the weather and then turn north.

Below The chart for Egletons rather too subtly shows a worrisome ridge, if it’s hot and you’re heavy, off the end of 25 that is not obvious from the field.

us, and we were also surrounded by forested hills. The Jodel went into poor climbing mode (again) and setting ‘best angle’ speed did not appear to be improving the picture. A later review of the airfield plate revealed that a ridge sits at 100ft above the runway, 750 metres from the 07 threshold.

We fettled our way around the trees and through a depression, considering possibly turning around, although low speed and poor performance was giving concern. Eventually, we cleared the scenery and began climbing safely to the north. On reflection, we should have reviewed the airfield plate before take-off and taken heed of the clubhouse sign. That very close spot height on the climb out is not easy to appreciate unless you look carefully.

We tend to think that the Jodel is capable of getting in and out of anywhere at any load, because that’s what we’re used to in the UK, so we rarely consider performance. However, the higher summer air temperatures in France and especially the higher elevation of the airfield we were visiting (almost 2,000ft AMSL), should have given us pause for thought.

Amboise nightstop

Once we got the speed up beyond best rate, the aircraft climb improved considerably.

We settled into a pleasant flight all the way to Amboise, cruising at around 3,500ft the rest of the way, with the slightly odd experience of the ground gradually falling away as we moved north beyond the Massif, our height increasing but without change of altitude.

We had reserved to stay at a provincial French hotel, Le Pigeonnier, on the outskirts of Amboise, at SaintMartin-le-Beau, a favourite from previous trips. But when we called from the airfield, they were deeply apologetic but had ‘double booked… so we ended up in a Best Western in the town centre.

We were able to admire the magnificent château and enjoyed our evening meal at one of the numerous excellent restaurants in the old part of town.

Next day the sun rose to crack the stones, with blue skies, calm winds and CAVOK all the way to the coast (170nm) and home. However, with only 10 minutes to run, an unremarkable two-hour leg to Cherbourg in near perfect weather came to an abrupt end because of a line of thick, low, rain cloud suddenly appearing from the west

Provence

and sitting right over the airport. We descended to just below 1,000ft QNH to see if we could continue below the cloud, but it looked unforgiving. A call to Cherbourg Tower confirmed that their cloudbase was at 400ft (airfield elevation is 459ft so that matched what we were seeing aloft and was too low for us). We diverted to Caen to the east, in perfect sunshine, to clear customs and file a flight plan for home.

A check of the weather at Caen, blue skies out the window, and Cherbourg was now CAVOK! and the Bournemouth TAF had their cloudbase forecast no lower than 1,500ft, so we thought we could safely head out to sea at height and reduce altitude as we approached any lowering cloud at the English coast, with the option of returning.

Channel weather

We set off up to 4,000ft with no issues, then climbed to 5,000ft to go above some scattered cloud to remain in the clear. However, as we moved further out to sea, the cloud became layered and thickening. We started to reduce altitude (keeping Deauville Information advised of our intentions) as we approached the FIR boundary and then continued to descend to keep in the clear as we talked to London Information.

It soon became clear that mid-Channel on the UK side, the cloudbase was not improving and after several stepped descents to maintain VMC, we finally got to 1,000ft (still in sight of the surface) and decided to turn back. Although we’d been in the air for nearly an hour, we were only 20 miles off Cherbourg, our original earlier destination, and we diverted there and landed to take stock and refuel.

Above The beautiful Château Amboise, which overlooks the river and dominates the town.

Below Thwarted by weather on the direct Cherbourg to south coast route, we headed towards Le Touquet and jumped across the Channel as soon as we were able in VMC.

weather, we would likely see the English coast as it narrowed towards Dover and if so, could cross directly in VMC. We planned to fly in a straight line from Cherbourg direct to LT which would take us out to sea close and parallel with the FIR boundary (there was no active airspace or danger areas to concern us), while maintaining contact with French ATC. We had our fabulous drysuits on, with PLB and lifejacket, so felt quite comfortable embarking on what would be a long sea crossing out of gliding range, but in sight of the French coast, and having filled our tanks, now had over six hours endurance.

After an hour in the air and about 25 miles out, abeam Dieppe, we started to make out the English cliffs in fair and sunny conditions. We called Lille Info and asked to file an airborne flight plan to cross the FIR boundary and route direct to Lydd.

Once in the English FIR, we contacted London Information and asked them to cancel the Lydd routing as we now intended to head west down the coast as far as possible. London Information was very helpful and provided us with weather for Bournemouth, from which we could see that conditions were poor, as expected, in the west, so continuing the coastal route was not viable.

The actuals for Southampton and Boscombe showed cloudbase at 1,500ft inland, so we opted to go Chichester, Popham, Old Sarum, Compton Abbas, Henstridge – and see how far we could get.

Although the sky grew darker and the cloud lower, we went north around Southampton talking to their controllers as we passed first over Popham, then through the Boscombe MATZ (not active after 1630), avoiding their ATZ. We knew that we could drop into Popham or Old Sarum (still open then), if we had to turn back.

With cloud lowering to 1,200ft and starting to rain, we passed Compton and Henstridge came into view. We gratefully landed from a straight in approach for 25 (as it was then), arriving at 1800 local, after three hours in the air from Cherbourg.

We packed the aeroplane away into the hangar and loaded our stuff into the cars. Thirty minutes later, the worst of the weather arrived. It was a challenging return leg, but felt very satisfying to have the ‘plan come together’.

Undoubtedly, we didn’t get everything right on this trip, but we improved our skills and rose to the challenges with some excellent teamwork and decision making. After all, it is said that ‘experience is the sum of all the mistakes you make in life’.

All this for two nights in Provence! ■

A cunning plan

Just 55 minutes flying time from Henstridge but blocked by cloud streaming from the west… the general weather situation did not look good either. A severe Atlantic low was moving in overnight and looked set to ground us in Cherbourg for three days if we stayed there, with rain, strong winds and clag forecast, not a happy prospect.

So, we hatched a plan.

The French coast looked good all the way up to Le Touquet, and we thought that if we couldn’t get across the Channel, we would rather stay there than Cherbourg for three days. Also, if we flew east into improving March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 35

Coaching corner

Coaching Ready to Corner… fly…?

We are looking forward to exercising our ability to fly, but beware, as that faculty will have become diminished, warns David Cockburn, PCS Head of Training…

D

espite the rolling out of Covid-19 vaccines, it seems all we can do is to keep looking ahead hopefully to a summer of more enjoyable flying conditions. I expect that even those of us fortunate enough to have received our initial vaccinations will still be subject to all the precautionary measures for some time to come.

Of course, the longer the precautions remain, the less current we are going to be when we eventually are able to take advantage of the relaxation of restrictions.

I have given a few words of advice over the past months about the need to take care when we get airborne again, and I do not wish to go over old ground. However, while we wait for the opportunity to practise for ourselves, I recommend that we all have a read through the advice which the CAA and GASCo have made available on their websites.

To back these up, I also recommend reading AAIB reports and CHIRP feedbacks, and strongly advise that every pilot, whether or not they believe themselves to be fit to fly, use the services of a Coach or other Instructor to refresh their skills at the earliest possible opportunity.

Some advice I do wish to repeat is that we should spend some time studying the instructions for our electronic devices and, if possible, practice their use on the ground. There is little point in fitting or carrying a new navigation or collision warning aid if we are not able to interpret it properly.

Once we do go flying again, we will have to concentrate more on the basics, and if we understand and use our equipment properly, we will have more time available to consider possible threats to our safety.

However, once we are fortunate enough to be able to fly, we should not experiment in the air unless someone else is in control and looking out!

Coping with winter weather

Yes, it’s still winter! Even if the temperature has started to warm up a little, the hazards remain. It’s the time of year when long-suffering batteries decide they’ve finally had enough, and that’s very inconvenient if we’re trying to take advantage of the only decent forecast for weeks. Even a battery in good condition may well struggle to turn the engine over, and the end of winter is a classic time for dampness to show itself.

Over most of the UK the ground has been soaked badly over the past months. Wet grass and boggy 36 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

Above The pilot is so preoccupied with looking at the screen that he hasn’t noticed the engine is operating at higher than max permissible speed. Don’t get pre-occupied, make sure the basics are sound.

ground will play havoc with take-off performance, so do you remember how to calculate the take-off distance required? Perhaps that’s something else to brush up on while we are still stuck on the ground. Even if we haven’t got a handbook with figures, have a look at the CAA’s SafetySense leaflet 7, Aeroplane Performance or AIC 127/2006 Take-off, Climb and Landing Performance of Light Aeroplanes from the AIS website (Google will bring them up), and you will be surprised at the difference wet grass and soft ground make to your take-off and landing performance over perfect conditions. And taxying on a boggy surface can generate ruts which may remain for the rest of the year, as well as clog up spats – you might want to remove them in muddy conditions.

March is notorious as a windy month, part of this

Coaching corner may well be a consequence of the air warming up and producing convection. Thermals generate more mixing between the surface flow and the gradient wind, which is likely to be stronger anyway. Gusts on the approach can challenge our skills, which are likely to already be reduced by lack of recency, but gusts can also produce taxying accidents, especially with taildraggers. Gusts can also be produced by prop wash, so be considerate of the aircraft behind when using high power for checks (or to get out of a rut – taildraggers beware the risk of nosing over, better to shut down and drag it out!).

In cold weather, birds and small animals can be expected to seek out relatively warm places in which to make nests, or perhaps just to store food. Aircraft, including those in hangars, can provide accommodation for these creatures, which can enter and leave through surprisingly small holes. Evidence of this is often found during routine maintenance, but for most of us, our main protection against potential damage, or even control restriction, is to carry out thorough pre-flight checks, including, I suggest, listening carefully for unusual sounds.

We are not alone!

During the periods of Covid restrictions in which we were able to fly, most of us took whatever opportunities we could to fly, which meant that a considerable number of aircraft were in the air at once. We can expect a similar situation once recreational flying is permitted again.

While I would hope that many of us have taken the opportunity to invest in collision avoidance devices, and to take advantage of the government support to do so, these are not the answer to everything. They can only detect aircraft which are actually announcing their presence electronically, and even those may be hidden in ‘blind spots’ resulting from, for example, aerial positioning. ‘See-and-avoid’ has considerable limitations but is still the primary means of providing safety from collision.

An efficient and practical lookout scan is essential, and we must not let our eyes linger inside the cockpit for more than a few seconds at a time. Of course, passengers can contribute, and if possible, should be encouraged to do so, but if they are not used to the environment should not be relied upon.

Looking out constantly is tiring, but if we understand where the most likely threats are, we can concentrate our scan accordingly. For example, if we are following, and flying just outside, the boundary of controlled airspace, other aircraft are likely to be doing the same, so the greatest threat is coming towards us from ahead. If crossing a major line feature, such as a river or motorway, we might expect to meet other pilots following it (keeping it on their left we hope), so left and right are the threat areas. We should of course help ourselves even more by obtaining a radar service if we can, although in the current situation ATC is short of manpower, so may not be able to help. An electronic device, if available, is therefore liable to be more useful than ever.

The greatest concentration of aircraft will be in and around aerodrome traffic patterns. Even strips are likely to be busy, and we cannot guarantee that we will be able to see every aircraft in the circuit, all the time, but the Rules of the Air set out established procedures

which should reduce the risk of collision. It is never sensible to cut things short and try to nip in front of others, but this spring it will be even less sensible.

Aircraft fly at different speeds and pilots fly circuits of different dimensions, so we all need to make the right radio calls ourselves and use our ears as well as eyes to keep track of the aircraft in front. Collision warning devices may not be as useful here, though, we can’t afford to look inside for more than a second or two. And expect the other pilots to be even more out of practice than you – that aircraft you lost sight of may not now be where it ought to be. If in doubt, we should get out of the circuit and start again.

Give people space, and don’t be afraid to goaround when you seem to be getting close to the aircraft ahead; an out-of-practice pilot isn’t likely to vacate the runway quickly.

As I said earlier, warning devices can only detect aircraft which are actually announcing their presence electronically. Whether or not we own a collision warning device, if our aircraft is equipped with a transponder, we should make sure it tells others where we are. It should be on, with altitude transmission (Mode C or ALT) all the time we are airborne, unless an air traffic controller has instructed us otherwise.

The same applies to all devices which can be detected by others.

Medical declarations

It seems that Covid regulations have restricted the number of Class 1 and Class 2 Certificates which Aviation Medical Examiners have been able to issue.

However, private pilots are currently able to fly any non-PART 21 (Annex 1) G-registered aircraft below 5700kg, and with a maximum of four people on board, in UK airspace without a PART-MED certificate if they have made a Medical Declaration to the CAA. Such a Declaration can only be signed if the pilot’s health fulfils several conditions, which can be read on the CAA’s website (https://tinyurl.com/1bqpcetp), which should have been updated by publication date.

Differing standards apply to PART-FCL and UK licences, and one fact which may have slipped people’s minds is that such a Declaration is only valid until the pilot’s 70th birthday; it must then be renewed every three years.

And finally . . . . . .

As has undoubtedly been mentioned elsewhere in the magazine, the CAA has announced that with effect from 20 May 2021, the UK will revert to the previous rules for VFR flight in Class D airspace. This means that if an aeroplane is cruising below 140kt at or below 3,000ft amsl, or below 1,000ft above ground, whichever is higher, it may be regarded as complying with the VFR minima if it remains clear of cloud, with an inflight visibility of at least 5,000 metres and with the surface in sight. However, we are reminded that these Visual Flight Rules place the responsibility on the pilot to see and avoid other aircraft, regardless of the fact that we have been granted a clearance into or through that airspace.

It is also important to realise that while this alleviation applies in Class D airspace, it does not apply in Class E airspace, where we still need to avoid cloud by 1,000ft vertically and 1,500 metres horizontally. ■ March l 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 37

LAA Strut News

Struts 4U

by Anne Hughes

T

he record for the most members attending any LAA Strut meeting must surely go to the Suffolk Coastal Strut. In January, the Strut hosted a GASCo Safety Evening and over 600 people joined for the online event. Mick Gill presented the programme, and one of the speakers on this occasion was Steve Slater, which helped to give the evening a ‘family’ feel.

The key points, under the titles of Human Factors, Loss of Control and How Safe are You? also included the use of ‘Threat and Error’ management, in connection with the risk of mid-air collision. Usefully too, we were reminded to plan, plan and plan, and take into account the ‘startle’ effect and the fast reaction needed to respond to the unexpected.

Inadvertent complacency, distraction, currency and recency are things that can affect us all, and this was a really useful evening, with thanks to SCS for hosting the event. At the end of the evening GASCo were able to ‘sign the logbooks’ of attendees using a link.

If you would like to see some of the slides used in the presentation, please visit www.gasco.org.uk and click on the Return to Flying Course at the bottom of the home page. A recording of the webinar is available: https://tinyurl. com/1t6qyqjf.

Continuing on the theme of safe flying, Neil Wilson, Chairman of the Wessex Strut wrote: “For our monthly January meeting we arranged a Zoom event with Jon Roper, the Marketing Manager of Trig Avionics, presenting on Electronic Conspicuity. Jon spoke about the advantages of seeing and being seen electronically, which many of you may have read about in some Ian Fraser’s articles on this subject in earlier editions of Light Aviation. Jon also explained about Safety Integrity Level (SIL) and how it affects which ADSB ‘out’ transmissions were ‘seen’ by other ‘in’ recipients – SIL 1 providing the preferred arrangement for Europe. I think everyone found the presentation not only interesting but it was successfully aimed at a level so it wasn’t too technical but had enough content to cover those points for people who knew more than the basics. Some good questions were posed to Jon at the end as well, I’m sure helping many who are considering electronic conspicuity but

38 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

Main We were sorry to hear from David Millin that Terry Case, who set up Farway Common Airfield in East Devon in 1985, had passed away. This lovely airfield is a popular used fly-in venue and Terry will be missed by us all.

Photo: Sophia Smith.

Above Paul Gibbs enjoys the aerobatic capabilities of his unique SAH-1.

Right RIP Terry Case, 19 June 1926 – 8 January 2021. are unsure of which system to adopt. In all, we had 68 people from not only the Wessex Strut, but also Bristol, Devon, Andover Struts, and others.”

Meanwhile the Devon Strut’s Zoom meeting for January was on the subject of Wisdom and Experience in predicting

LAA Strut News Weather Windows for Pilots, addressed by well-known aviation weather forecaster, Simon Keeling. His talk focused on making the most of opportunities to safely fly in between weather fronts, as well as other generally useful information in forecasting and understanding weather systems. It was very useful for helping make weather decisions safely. West Midlands Strut publish Simon’s up-to-date forecasts on a regular basis on their Facebook page.

Oxford Strut enjoyed the company of Steve Slade for their February Zoom meeting. In the 1970s, a serious car accident left Steve without the use of his legs. He decided to fly adapted microlights and learned to fly through the Douglas Bader Scholarship programme. He has owned a Rans Coyote for the last 21 years and his talk took us around the world with his flying adventures. Destinations included Turkey, the Kiev to Odessa Rally, the Orkneys and the Scillies. He has won many awards including for the First World Air Games, the Guinness Book of Records for most circuits in an hour (102), and has raised thousands of pounds for Help the Heroes. His achievements are staggering, and his stories made a fascinating presentation.

P

Strut details

lease check with your local Strut as meetings may be arranged at short notice. At this time, unless otherwise stated, monthly meetings are using Zoom and you are welcome to contact any Strut should you be interested

Andover Strut: Spitfire Club, Popham Airfield, SO21 3BD. 1930. Contact keith. picton@ntlworld.com Bristol Strut: BAWA Club, Filton, 1930.

Room 4 or by Zoom. Contact: chairman@ bristolstrut.uk www.bristolstrut.uk Cornwall Strut: The Clubhouse, Bodmin Airfield. Contact Pete White pete@aeronca.co.uk 01752 406660 24 April – Wing Walking Day. Devon Strut: The Exeter Court Hotel, Kennford, Exeter. 1930. Contact: david. millin@sea-sea.com East of Scotland Strut: Harrow Hotel, Dalkeith. 2000. Contact: inrgibson001@btinternet.com 0131 339 2351.

East Midlands Strut: Please contact: tonyrazzell2@gmail.com for meeting details a few days beforehand or to be added to our email circulation to get details automatically. We also have a Facebook group and upload recordings of some meetings where we have speakers.

Gloster Strut: The Victory Club, Lypiatt Road, Cheltenham, GL50 2SY. Contact: harry.hopkins@talktalk.net 9 March – GASCo meeting via Zoom.

Highlands & Islands: Highland Aviation, Inverness Airport. Contact: b.w.spence@btinternet.com 01381 620535.

Kent Strut: Cobtree Manor Golf Club, Maidstone, Kent. 2000 (Currently Zoom).

Contact: Steve Hoskins hoskinsltd@outlook.com 07768 984507.

LiNSY Trent Valley Strut: Trent Valley Gliding Club, Kirton Lindsey.

On a different theme the Highlands and Islands included an interesting article in their newsletter under the title Say Again Aircraft Type… Paul Gibbs reported that he often heard that radio call in transit in his Trago Mills SAH-1.

There only ever was one of these aircraft built, although three of the later FLS Sprint variants, based on the same design, were also built.

Paul wrote, “You might remember the fuss made about the development of an all-new British light aircraft in the early to mid-1980s. Flown and displayed at three consecutive Farnborough airshows, and taken on an extensive British tour, as well as overseas trade fairs as far as Dubai, the SAH-1 built up quite a following. The prototype was registered as G-SAHI, and the type named SAH-1, after its designer, Sydney Arthur Holloway. She emerged ready for her first flight in August 1983. With links to Bodmin and now to the Highlands, the aircraft has an interesting history.”

Despite the recent lockdown restrictions, the Struts are continuing to turn challenges into opportunity, and host a very varied programme which is available for a wider audience.

in the advertised talk, or to find out if meetings have been arranged. With the vaccine programme being very effectively organised by the NHS, hopefully the possibility of face-to-face meetings is getting ever closer.

pilotbarry1951@gmail. com http://linsystrut.wixsite.com/website North East Strut: Fishburn Airfield. Brunch on the third Sunday of each month.

1130-13.30 at Fishburn Aviator Cafe.

Contact: alannixon297@btinternet.com North Western Strut: Veterans Lounge, Barton, Manchester, 1930 for 2000. Contact: cliffmort@btinternet.com 07813 497427.

North Wales Strut: Caernarfon Airport, Dinas Dinlle. HEMS Bistro Café 1300.

Contact: Gareth Roberts gtrwales@gmail.com 07876 483414.

Oxford Group: New Venue TBC. Second Wednesday each month Zoom meetings: Email for joining details. Contact: LAAOxford@gmail.com 10 March – Kiev to Odessa by Steve Slade (Part 2). Email for joining details.

Redhill Strut: The Dog and Duck, Outwood, Surrey, RH1 5QU. Third Tuesday of each month at 1930. Contact: david@milstead.me.uk Shobdon Strut: Hotspur Café, Shobdon Airfield, Hereford HR6 9NR. 1930. Meetings (once lockdown completed) Second Thursday of month. Contact: Keith Taylor bushebiggles@sky.com Southern Strut: The Swiss Cottage, Shoreham-by-Sea. 2000. Normal meetings will resume on the first Wednesday of the month when permitted. Contact palmersfarm@sky.com Strathtay Strut: Scottish Aero Club, Perth Airport, Scone. Scone Clubhouse. Contact: keith.boardman@peopleserve.co.uk 07785 244146.

Suffolk Coastal Strut: Crowfield Airfield Clubhouse. 1900. Contact: Martyn Steggalls events@suffolkcoastalstrut.org.uk 07790 925142.

17 March – Zoom Meeting. Presentation ATA, Grandma Flew Spitfires by Richard Poad.

21 April Zoom Meeting 1930. Strut AGM, followed by General Knowledge Quiz.

Vale of York Strut: Chocks Away Café, Rufforth East Airfield. Contact: Chris Holliday 07860 787801 valeofyorkstrutlaa@gmail.com www.valeofyorkstrutlaa.wordpress.com Wessex Strut: Henstridge Airfield Clubhouse. Contact neil.wilson@laa.uk.com 15 March Zoom meeting – Currie Wot, The Story of Airymouse by LAA CEO, Steve Slater.

West Midlands Strut: Navigator Café, Halfpenny Green Aerodrome 1930. Contact: Graham Wiley westmidlandslaastrut@googlegroups.com Stuart Darby stuartdarby134@hotmail.com. or visit our website wmstrut.co.uk West of Scotland Strut: Bowfield Country Club, Howwood, PA9 1DZ. 1900. Contact: Neil Geddes barnbethnkg@gmail.com 01505 612493.

Youth & Education Support (YES) Graham Wiley: gw20home@outlook.com Thank you to all Struts and clubs for getting in touch. If you have any stories, items you wish to share or updates for the calendar, please contact me at struts@ laa.co.uk March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 39

Stranger than fiction

Headset review

Stranger than fiction…

Arthur W J G Ord-Hume recalls an aviation coincidence that defies belief…

W

hile we are all still in lockdown, staggering around in facemasks and generally starting to fret over when the next time will be that we will feel air beneath our wings, here’s a really odd aeronautical tale from the 1950s that may just about make your hair stand on end or, assuming that you may still have some (mine fell out long ago), change colour. First though, I have to set the scene, so sit comfortably and meander back with me to those carefree days when things were greatly different from today.

At Bembridge on the Isle of Wight, I had joined John Britten and Desmond Norman, initially with the sole purpose of building the Druine Turbi for the then Popular Flying Association. Now, John and Desmond had another business, which was agricultural aviation – crop spraying to you and me. Once the Turbi was built, I began to devote more and more of my time to this aspect of aviation. At that time, the best aeroplane for the job was the Tiger Moth – they were plentiful (ex-RAF ones flooded the market) and they were dirt cheap. I had just bought four for £25 each; two were immediately flyable, the third needed a bit of doing up before it could be ferry-flown back to the Island, and the fourth we broke up for spares. Today it would have been only a matter of a couple of weeks’ work to make it flyable, but priorities were different in those far off times.

Seeing an opportunity to develop this ag flying side of

40 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

Main A typical British Tiger Moth, G-AMVF, engaged in crop spraying, this time with wing-mounted Britten-Norman rotary atomisers.

aviation, I formed a company with business acquaintances and one time ag pilots Danny Speck and Roy Matthews, and we moved into a bunch of Nissen huts and a doorless blister hangar at Panshanger.

Anxious to bypass the rather cumbersome rigmarole of having to get Air Registration approval and special test permits to fly for the evaluation of everything we designed and needed to test fly, it was suggested that my little company ought to apply for design approval to operate under the coveted ‘B’ Conditions, enabling us to bypass the normal Certificate of Airworthiness procedures. My name went forward as Chief of Design – and was approved. We were duly authorised to fly uncertified aircraft under the markings G-44. This privileged position opened many useful doors and certainly speeded up product development. Sorry for this long preamble but it’s rather necessary in order to explain what happened next.

Now, one of the drawbacks of using the faithful old Tiger Moth for crop spraying was that, in those days, many of the chemicals we had to spray were not just poisonous, they were also highly corrosive. Today, fortunately, most of those chemicals are now banned on a litany of valid grounds, but back then you had to live with it. Ground crew were encouraged to wear facemasks (and we all know what they are now, do we not?) and avoid splashing the jollop onto bare skin.

For the aircraft it was equally bad news. The stuff often ran down inside the fuselage, between the steel tube

Stranger than fiction airframe and fabric covering. Even practised ground crew working on a quick turn around could not avoid slopping some of the muck going over the side of the big liquid tank that occupied the front cockpit.

Normally, after each day’s operations, the Tiger was hosed down with water, but this did not touch the stuff that had trickled down inside until the damage was done and the tail was about ready to fall off.

All this cleaning by the ground crew took time but was obviously not very effective.

I began to think about this and decided that the fabric on the rear fuselage of the Tiger was not essential and, if you stripped it off, and placed a simple short between longerons fairing behind the cockpit, the Tiger could still fly with a semi-stripped body.

My idea was a bit radical, but it would allow the steel tubular structure to be thoroughly hosed down at the end of each day. Besides aiding inspection for corrosion, it also permitted regular paint protection.

To do this clearly involved a major adjustment to the aircraft’s specification, so I discussed my plans with a ‘man from the Ministry’ and also an inspector from the Air Registration Board.

Gradually it materialised that my idea was not totally original, there was a farmer in Australia who used a Tiger Moth to spray his crops and, faced with the same corrosion problems, he had done exactly what I was proposing and removed the fabric from the rear fuselage so the structure could be inspected and washed down regularly. And, being but a farmer, he had gone through all the expensive procedures necessary to convince the authorities it was a good idea that would work.

Remarkable story

Now, that news was useful and I immediately contacted the CAA in Australia, and they very decently sent me copies of the Australian Tiger Moth’s certification and copies of all sorts of test reports that the farmer/operator had had to provide. All this was going to be most useful to me. The Australian paperwork was just what I wanted and, suddenly, the Aussie aircraft had an identity! There with the paperwork was a copy of the Certificate of Registration and a picture of the actual Tiger Moth – VH-BUM. Rather a memorable registration and one we all ought to remember in order to appreciate the rest of my quite remarkable story.

Within days of receiving this wonderful package of paperwork from Melbourne, I decided to write to the farmer and owner of VH-BUM, purely out of courtesy and to tell him I was about to try out his modification in Britain.

I posted the airmail letter to him and decided to drive down to Portsmouth Airport next day to see Ted Hawes at Hants & Sussex Aviation, to deliver to him a pair of Tiger Moth spray booms and a windmill pump. His useful little company, situated on Portsmouth Airport, used to do our aircraft conversions for us. We would deliver an aircraft and the bits to him and, several weeks later, collect a complete spray plane. He was waiting for these bits in order to complete a job which was almost finished.

The following day dawned dreadful! It was extremely wet, the rain simply teemed incessantly from a leaden textured summer’s sky. We had a Commer Cob two-seat company van, and I had the aircraft spray bars tied across the roof rack and the spray pump and its windmill blades in the back.

I started off from Hertford to drive around central London and onto the main A3 Portsmouth road. It was

Below VH-BUM, the Australian Tiger Moth operating with no fabric on the aft fuselage.

1959, long before this main road had been straightened and re-routed to become the A3 of today, which bypasses so many villages and lesser townships such as Esher and Ripley. Those days were still in the future. It was, therefore, a slowish road that took a lot of heavy traffic.

The rain was pretty heavy and travelling fast was just not possible as I drove through Esher and on towards Ripley, Guildford and all points South to Portsdown Hill, from which you caught your first sight of the sea and the Isle of Wight.

One of the things that I very seldom did as a motorist was to stop and pick up hitchhikers. Usually, I did not have room but, on the rare occasions when I had picked up a happy wanderer, I had been forced to experience several dim hours of uninspired ‘conversation’ with, usually, pop-loving football fans.

And so, what happened next just wasn’t my normal reaction to things. As I drove in traffic slowly down a hill in a village, I spotted two girls huddled under a roadside tree. They were soaked through and the body language suggested they were quite fed up. The important thing is that neither of them was thumbing a lift or even eyeing the traffic with hope. I assumed they had gone through that stage and were now in the state of dismal resignation. Something made me pull over and stop, lean across and wind down the passenger window, and call out ‘Want a lift?’

The two girls were on holiday and this was their last day in England. They were trying to get to Southampton for an evening sailing back to Australia. I explained that I was going to Portsmouth but that I could drop them off on the top of Portsdown Hill on the main road to Southampton, where I felt sure they could get a second lift. They were relieved to be on their way at last, having been under the tree, I gathered, for a good hour or so. Eagerly they climbed into the van, one volunteering to go into the back and sit on the floor.

“That’s an aircraft spray pump, isn’t it?” she said. “And those look like Tiger Moth spray bars on the roof.” “Yes”, I said, and told them briefly what I was doing and where I was going and why. “My dad runs a crop spraying business in Australia,” said one girl.

Rather taken about by the unusual specialist knowledge of my two wet passengers, I loosened up and told them about my current negotiations with the Australian authorities over flying a Tiger with no fabric on the rear fuselage. “Ah!” perked up one. “That’s my dad!”

Whereupon she reached into the breast pocket of her wet shirt, took out a small wallet, opened it – and pulled out a snapshot. It showed the two girls who were there in my company van, their mother and father – and right next to them a Tiger Moth with no fabric on the fuselage. It was clearly registered on the tail – VH-BUM! ■

March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 41

Flight Test

The fun world of the gyrocopter…

Chris Gilbert kicks off with his thoughts, followed by Paul Chaplin and Nick Wright, as they talk about their passion and praise of the modern gyrocopter…

42 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

Flight Test

T

o many, gyrocopters and the people who fly them are very strange! How do they fly, why would anyone fly them, and are they safe? I fly and own a Cavalon gyrocopter, G-YROL. I was in the Army and flew as a passenger in many military helicopters, and perhaps it was this that set me off down the gyrocopter path when I started to fly myself, four years ago. I have never flown fixed-wing so cannot really compare the experience but personally, I find the gyrocopter as much a thrilling experience 450 hours later as it was on the first day.

History

The gyrocopter was invented in 1923 by Juan de la Cierva, a Spanish engineer. Having witnessed the stall and subsequent crash of a fixed-wing bomber he had designed, he decided to invent an aircraft which could operate safely at much slower speeds.

The early gyrocopters had a fixed-wing fuselage with the wings removed and a free-wheeling rotor attached on top.

Over the years, many different experimental designs were dreamed up for the amateur builder and, unfortunately, there were too many accidents – pitch instability, under-powered engines and non-availability of two-seat training aircraft all combined to give gyrocopters a bad safety record such that the CAA intervened and came up with a Section T regulatory design requirement.

The modern gyrocopter is a completely different beast.

Perhaps the biggest change affecting safety was the addition of the much longer empennage (tailplane) we now have. The horizontal and vertical aerofoils of the empennage at the end of a longer lever provide tremendous stability to the airframe.

Modern engines, better structural design, type certification and a significantly improved dual training regime, have all helped the latest generation of gyrocopters achieve excellent safety records, every bit as good as fixed-wings. The increased useful loads also mean that many also have impressive avionics fits too.

Key characteristics

Owners and their machines, left Chris Gilbert with his Cavalon, and Paul Chapin with his Calidus.

1. They cannot stall, therefore cannot spin.

2. They can fly at 10kt IAS or less – almost vertical descents being possible.

3. They are short take-off – 30 to 100 metres.

4. They can land short – 0 to 10 metres.

5. They are always in autorotation so an engine failure is not dramatic.

6. They have modern avionics, heaters – even seat heating and electric lumbar cushions!

7. They are reasonably cheap to run – 15 litres of Mogas/ UL91 per hour.

8. They have good ranges – five to six hours at 80-90kt cruise.

9. They are low maintenance – 12 months/100 hours servicing.

10. They are far less complicated than helicopters.

11. They are far less susceptible to turbulence or crosswinds than fixed-wings.

12. Their glide ratio is poor compared with fixed-wing machines.

13. They do not have autopilots.

14. Their VNEs are 110kt at best.

15. They look really cool!

How do they work?

In flight, the rotor is not powered. The blades are angled so that air moving upwards through the rotor will spin it, which produces lift. The propeller pushes (or pulls) the aircraft forward which, with the rotor tilted backwards, forces the airflow upwards through the rotor. The empennage is only effective in yaw with air flowing over it – this is generated at slow speeds with the propeller pushing air over it, or at higher speeds, by the forward motion of the aircraft. Without any speed or propeller push, the gyroplane could lose rudder authority, so we keep a minimum of 10kt airspeed to be able to maintain your control.

The main controls are the control stick, the rudder and the throttle. The pilot thinks of the throttle in a similar way to the helicopter pilots collective – more power equals climb, less equals descent.

Flying a gyrocopter

In normal flight, the gyrocopter ‘feels’ very similar to a fixed-wing. The two phases of flight which are quite different are the take-off and landing – let’s examine them both in a little more detail.

Take-off

Without the rotor-tie fitted, the rotor is floppy and could potentially hit the empennage. The stick is therefore held fully forward and to the right and the rotor-brake, which keeps the rotor parked in a fore/aft position for taxiing, is released. The pre-rotator is engaged, and the rotor clutch engages to start the rotor spinning. Power is applied to speed the rotor to 100rpm, at which point the rotor is ‘rigid’ so that the stick can be moved to the central forward position. Further power is provided until the rotor speed reaches 200rpm, holding the aircraft on the brakes (the propeller is beginning to really push now).

On reaching 200rpm, the pre-rotator is disengaged (it will not be used again until after landing), the stick is moved to a fully aft position and the main brakes are released. Power is increased to full and the aircraft moves down the runway. The increased airflow through the rotor increases its rotational speed and the front wheel lifts from the runway. The pilot quickly eases the stick forward so that the front wheel remains six inches (150mm) off the ground and the aircraft is then balanced on the mains as the aircraft continues to accelerate down the runway. This ‘wheel-balancing’ technique is perhaps the hardest skill a gyro pilot has to learn, it is particularly difficult on bumpy grass airstrips.

At about 25-30kt IAS, the aircraft mains lift off the runway and the pilot applies slight left stick to counter the torque generated from the engine at maximum power. The aircraft is held at about two feet (60cm) from the runway until 60kt (best climb speed) is reached before the stick is moved back for March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 43

Flight Test

Above The Magni M24 Plus is the Italian company’s latest competitor in the enclosed side-by-side market.

It features the 141hp Rotax 915iS..

Left Magni’s M16, their open cockpit tandem two-seater which James Ketchell flew around the world.

Below The larger and longer moment arm of modern gyroplanes has made them considerably more stable. Only the rudder moves, controlling yaw.

42 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

Flight Test the climb. With a bit of headwind, this whole process can take as little as 20 seconds!

Landing

The key to landing is making sure you have enough rotor energy to stop the descent before the float. In practise, this means maintaining a reasonable approach descent speed of 50-55kt with a significantly steeper angle of descent than a fixed-wing.

Let’s assume a 15kt crosswind and a standard approach. On turning onto final, the pilot reduces power significantly to allow the descent. The crosswind technique used for gyroplanes is the ‘wing down’ or ‘crossed control’ method; the ‘kick it straight’ method simply isn’t accurate enough. So, the aircraft is pointed down the runway with the rudder and the stick ‘leaned’ into the crosswind to stop the aircraft moving sideways.

About 20ft off the ground, the stick is retarded (still maintaining the ‘lean’ into the wind) to reduce the rate of descent. This is repeated two or three times until the

Below The very nicely appointed cockpit of the Cavalon. Note adjustable rudder pedals.

aircraft is around 6ins to 1ft (150-300mm) from the ground, in the float, in a nose-up attitude (the same ‘wheel balance’ attitude mentioned for take-off). Then, you try to keep the gyro flying as the increased rotor drag slowly allows the plane to descend and touch down on the mains.

The gyro is kept in this balanced position until it comes to a complete stop and finally the front wheel touches the ground, the stick being kept fully back until the gyroplane has stopped. Wheel brakes are not used at all in a normal landing.

Once stopped, the stick is moved fully forward and into wind, this being the correct stick position for taxying.

After leaving the active runway, the rotor brake is applied to stop the rotor and the pre-rotator can be briefly re-applied to return the rotor to its fore/aft position.

If the crosswind is over 15kt, it is perfectly possible to land the gyrocopter across the runway – the POH says the gyro can fly in winds up to 40kt, not that I would!

Loss of engine power

In a helicopter, loss of engine power can be pretty dramatic. The helicopter pilot has to disengage the engine from the rotor very quickly, and the airflow has to change from top-to-bottom to bottom-to-top. The helicopter then moves into autorotate – gyrocopter-mode – and then has to land as a gyrocopter. If it happens at low heights or low speeds, the aircraft does not have sufficient energy to land safely.

The gyrocopter, on the other hand, is always moving forward and is always in autorotate. If the engine suddenly stops, there is plenty of time to choose the landing point and execute a near-normal approach and landing. If the pilot is doing his job properly, he will be constantly checking the terrain for possible landing spots in the event of engine failure. I often demonstrate a simulated engine failure to my passengers by doing it first (so as not to alarm them) and tell them what we had just done! They are always amazed at the lack of drama!

Gyrocopter manufacturers and models

The best-known companies who produce type certified,

Far left Nice idea of the easily visible fuel contents when pre-flighting or filling up.

Left The relatively simple rotor head – compared to a helicopter. Prerotation is only ever engaged when on the ground.

March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 45

Flight Test Left The more rudimentary seating in the Calidus, but all-round performance is better than its side by side stablemate.

Below Glassfibre and transparency work is beautifully done. The wide doors and low sills of the Cavalon make for easy entry and egress.

Autogyro

Magni

Open cockpit

MT03

Enclosed cockpit: inline

Calidus N/A

M16C/M22C/M26

Enclosed cockpit: tandem Cavalon M24C modern gyrocopters are Autogyro and Magni. Both companies have similar ranges.

The open cockpit aircraft are beautiful to fly – the visibility is fantastic and you really are flying in the elements. On the other hand, my Army time taught me to enjoy being enclosed and to have a heater! I also think it is more companionable when your passenger is seated right next to you rather than behind. However, tandem (side-by side enclosed) models are significantly more expensive than the open cockpit aircraft and are usually 10-15kt slower than their inline brethren.

Both companies have recently introduced the 142hp Rotax 915iS engines into their ranges. I am in the process of buying a new Cavalon 915, which has a claimed maximum climb rate of over 2000fpm.

So, why fly gyrocopters?

In short – fun, fun, fun! The aforementioned characteristics mean that we can safely fly gyrocopters at much lower heights than fixed-wings. We tend to fly at heights of 800-1,000ft max, which means we are flying in the contours of the terrain. Hills, woods, lakes, fields etc - all look better at these levels rather than at 2,000+ feet.

The comfortable VFR envelope for flying because of the gyrocopter’s lower susceptibility to wind means we are often the only people flying on windy days. I regularly fly with a 90° crosswind of 15kt. On the other hand, gyros are rarely used for long-distance flying, although there have been a (very) small number of inter-continental/global trips by the hardy. I’m pretty drained after a three-hour flight!

Paul Chaplin, pilot/owner of G-CICM, AutoGyro Calidus

It was in 2009 when I read the article in LA magazine on the new wave of two-seat autogyros available for training. Like most of us, I had recollections of Ken Wallis flying Little Nellie in You Only Live Twice and of thinking that looks like fun. At the time, I was completing the build of my RV-7. My background is fixed-wing RN, followed by airline and corporate, with a fair smattering of GA and vintage display and paramotoring. However, the article was enough for me to make my way to Rufforth to visit Phil Harwood’s Gyrocopter Experience flying school for a quick look-see.

Phil insisted on taking me up for a quick familiarity flight in an MT-03. This gave me such a feeling of being ‘out there’ in the elements as well as this being something different, yet some aspects of the handling were quite familiar. I felt I had to try it out properly. Coupled with Phil and Kati’s enthusiasm, it did not take much persuasion for me to sign up for a PPL(G) course. Having the ATPL(A) and a PPL(H) meant this would not be too onerous on the hours requirement. Also, I was very much looking forward to flying from Rufforth in the Yorkshire skies again, 37 years after I had instructed from there on Chipmunks and Bulldogs with the RN Elementary Flight Training School.

There are aspects of gyrocopter handling which relate more closely to fixed-wing, mainly in forward cruise and manoeuvring flight – but without the adverse yaw on roll inputs. The main rotary wing similarities are the obvious ones 46 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

Flight Test of having a ‘fling wing’ overhead, and the technique required on engine failure, but nothing else.

Whether your background is either, there are aspects of gyro flying which will be totally unique. Quite possibly not converting from any previous type would be an advantage!

The gyrocopter is a very safe way to be airborne, with more options when things go wrong. However, there are some very strict unique handling rules which must be followed.

Why do we fly? For me it continues to be leaving the familiarity of my surroundings on the ground, observing the world from above, and being reliant on myself and machine for returning safely again.

So, what is it about the autogyro? In light aviation I cannot think of a better way to receive more ‘bangs for your buck’. There are an infinite number of approach angles and landing techniques to try out; reasonable cruise speed yet also a safe slower sightseeing one, as you’re not always in a hurry; there are usually plenty of places to land in extremis; they’re relatively cheap to operate; easy to park and hangar; it satisfies the pilot-thing of strict discipline at the right times; and it’s still quite different, thrilling and fun.

Nick Wright, gyro instructor and examiner

As a child, I had always dreamed of learning to fly. So, in 1988 when I sold my house and, finally having the funds, I took that opportunity to gain my PPL(A) at Birmingham Airport in a Cessna 150 and 172. I then did the typical PPL(A) progression of adding a night rating, IMC, multi engine, and some aerobatic training. I bought different shares in a variety of fixed-wing aircraft; I started gliding at Husbands Bosworth, I even did a seaplane rating in the USA on the Colorado River, which was great fun!

I mention all this because, while I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of flying fixed-wing, it didn’t really match the dreams of flying I had as a child. At 2,000 or 3,000ft the ground just looked flat, there was little sense of speed. I’d fly

Below The Calidus in flight. These modern machines are well developed and beautifully made.

50 miles in a straight line, trimmed hands off; then a 30° banked turn and another 50 miles…

Then, in 2007, I read an article in Pilot magazine about the newly available Rotorsport MT03, I just had to have a go! So, I booked a lesson with Chris Jones at Kirkbride (he was the only full-time instructor back then) stayed the night before in a local B&B, waking up to a gale blowing! Off I went to the airfield anyway, might as well go and see what it looks like I thought. “I’ve come for a look and a chat, it’s obviously not a flying day,” I say to Chris. “On the contrary,” replied Chris, “it’s an ideal day to demonstrate a gyro”. So, off we went.

My first flight in a gyro, my first in an open cockpit, in wind and weather conditions that, in 20 years of flying, I would never have considered suitable. Here I am strapped into the front (pilot’s) seat. Chris had briefed me – push this, press that etc (although gyros have dual controls, there are certain things that can only be done from the front seat). It’s noisy, it’s shaking, Chris is telling me what to do, but it’s all a blur, I’m totally overloaded! Because it’s so windy there is virtually no ground roll, we just levitate into the air, and we’re climbing at what seems like a frighteningly slow airspeed. My fixed wing brain is screaming at me that it’s all wrong! Put me back on the ground! I’ve made a terrible mistake! This all takes just a few seconds, and at about 500ft Chris gives me control. I feel better, it feels just like a fixed-wing, I relax a bit.

We can’t really go anywhere because the wind is so strong that if we fly downwind very far it will take us forever to get back to the airfield. We spend an hour flying around, getting a feel for this incredible aircraft. It’s blowing a gale, yet it feels so solid, so planted. It’s so accurate to fly, it responds to every little input that I make. The only aircraft that I’ve ever flown that responded with such accuracy to my inputs was an Extra 300.

We finally land, on the spot, and I’m completely converted.

We go into Chris’ briefing room and I phone Gerry Speich at Rotorsport to place my order... I haven’t flown P1 in a fixed-wing since that day.

I think that I was, in some ways, a typical PPL(A) pilot. What

March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 47

Flight Test I really enjoyed was the challenge of learning something new, but the £100 cup of tea wasn’t enough. Gliding was great fun, and I’m planning to take that up again, but for me flying a gyro is as close to those childhood dreams of flying as I’ve ever had.

One of the big pluses for me is the safety of gyros. As we all know, when flying, height is safety. The higher you are, the more time you have to deal with a situation. The fact that gyros are a fundamentally safer form of flight means we can fly them lower and still remain safe. That they can land in a very small space, and that at touchdown you should be hardly moving, means that even in an engine failure situation, with the correct techniques you should be relatively safe.

So, where I fly in Devon, we are often ‘in’ the landscape.

Flying up river valleys, or around the tors of Dartmoor, along a beach, we see the shape of the land, and because of that we have a sense of relative movement.

I do believe that flying gyros is just simply more fun than flying your average fixed-wing. Why do I think it’s more fun?

Well because they are safer you can fly lower and slower, they’re more manoeuvrable, they’re more tolerant of crosswinds, of wind gradients, and in an emergency they can land in a tiny space; if you maintain a sensible power setting and a sensible attitude you can spend most of your time looking out of the window; good for lookout, good for enjoying your flight. Put all that together and you just have more time to enjoy this amazing privilege of flight.

A significant number of gyro pilots are conversions from fixed wing or helicopters. And quite a significant number are ex-military or commercial pilots. I believe that flying gyros, particularly open-cockpit, is the antithesis of what those professional pilots do for their day job, and they relish the back to basic, stick in hand, flying.

I am regularly asked if gyros are easier or harder to fly than a fixed-wing but unfortunately, that’s not a simple question to answer. They are very responsive and accurate to fly, they do exactly what you tell them but, if you tell them the wrong thing, well… they’ll do it!

Arguably, one of the most important skills is the ability to control the gyro in yaw, being comfortable using your feet.

Gyros demand to be landed accurately, pointing in the direction of travel, with NO drift. I often describe flying a gyro as like flying a fixed-wing that can’t stall, but it’s probably more accurate to say a taildragger that can’t stall. Just like a taildragger, you need to be nimble and accurate with your feet (and after landing be very conscious of your stick position). So, if you’re converting, it probably depends on what you’re converting from. If you have hundreds of hours in a PA28 you are probably going to need to learn to use your feet. If you’re converting from an Auster (as I was), then you’ll probably feel quite at home.

Obviously, I’m a bit biased, but I will be honest. When someone comes to me for a trial lesson, part of my job is to find out what they’re trying to get from flying, and if I think that fixed-wing flying would suit them better, I’ll tell them. If their dream is to travel long distances, in straight lines, in comfort, with luggage for a week in France with their wife, or husband, I’ll recommend fixed-wing. If their dream is to fly along the coast, on a summer’s evening, going nowhere in particular, just enjoying the pure magic of flight; well, there is simply no better aircraft to do that in, it has to be a gyro!

So, there you have it!

In several ways the relationship between downhill skiers and snowboarders is similar in the relationship between fixed-wing pilots and gyrocopter pilots – we live in the same space but seem very different. Whereas downhill skiing is a gliding motion, snowboarders, although they can glide too, are apt 48 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

Above You certainly aren’t confined to straight and level, these gyros are as agile as a typical light aeroplane.

to change direction constantly, and their descent path is usually much steeper. Mixing the two forms of skiing can be tricky for both parties and it is often better to keep them separate. Similarly, particularly in the neighbourhood of an airfield, the slower moving and steeper- descending gyroplane can create conflict, and even danger, when in a busy fixed-wing environment. Gyrocopters seem to be harder to see for fixed-wing pilots, perhaps because of their different flight profiles. Because of this, I am an avid supporter of PilotAware, and it has saved my life on a couple of occasions from planes overtaking me from behind and below – I transmit ADSB, Flarm, ModeS and PilotAware to try and make myself visible to everybody!

The world of gyrocopters is a fascinating one and I love every minute of it. If you see me in my new machine – G-CLZV, come over for a chat and I’ll show you around. ■

Specifications Cavalon Bulldog Model 120 Crew: 1 + 1 passenger in tandem Length: 4.6 m (15ft 1in) Width: 1.9 m (6ft 3in) Height: 2.8 m (9ft 2in) Gross weight: 450kg (992lb) Powerplant: 1 × Rotax 912ULS 75 kW (100hp) Main rotor diameter: 8.4 m (27ft 7in) Range: 700km Top speed: 160km/h (99mph, 86kn) Cruise speed: 145km/h (90mph, 78kn) Manufacturer: AutoGyro GmbH

Specification Calidus Bulldog Model 120 Crew: 1 + 1 passenger side-by-side Length: 4.78 m (15ft 8in) Width: 1.73 m (5ft 8in) Height: 2.74 m (9ft 0in) Empty weight: 265kg (584lb) Gross weight: 450kg (992lb) Fuel capacity: 86 litres (19 imp gal; 23 US gal) Powerplant: 1 × Rotax 912ULS 75 kW (101hp) Main rotor diameter: 8.4 m (27ft 7in) Main rotor area: 55.4 m2 (596 sq ft) Maximum speed: 185 km/h (115mph, 100kn) Cruise speed: 160km/h (99mph, 86kn) Never exceed speed: 185km/h (115mph, 100kn) Rate of climb: 5m/s (980ft/min) Disk loading: 8.1 kg/m2 (1.7 lb/sq ft)

For all display advertising enquiries contact Neil Wilson 07512 773532 neil.wilson@laa.uk.com

www.LAA.uk.com

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For many members, it's a social thing, others enjoy the free landing fee vouchers, some like the advice and info webinars we've started organising, and some like the exclusive discounts. As the FLYER Club community grows, it will become more useful, more valuable, more fun and have more opportunities to join in.

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Where to go

D

Where to go

Where T To oG Go o

espite the undoubted success of the Covid-19 vaccine roll out, concerns remain over whether some of the events for the spring and early summer will be able to go ahead. Principal victims of the uncertainty this month is Aero-Expo, which was scheduled to take place at Kemble in June; unfortunately, it has been decided to cancel the event altogether for 2021, and the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) at Fairford has also been cancelled.

A number of other dates have been re-scheduled for later in the year,

the Popham Microlight Trade Fair being of particular note; it has moved from its early May date to 14-15 August. So, please check that events are still on before setting out.

The full details of these and other events can be found via links on the Royal Aero Club events listing pages at http://events.royalaeroclub. org/events.htm. Our thanks to the RAeC and to Dave Wise for the use of their data. If you have an event you want to advertise on the list, please email the details to Dave at: dave.wise@btinternet.com

MARCH

Hendon Threshold RAFM Night Photo- shoot [Pre-book] Cosford Threshold RAFM Night Photo-shoot [Pre-book] St Mawgan Threshold Cornwall Av Museum Photo-shoot [Pre-book] Perth ACS Avn Festival of Flight St Athan Threshold S Wales Av Museum Night Photo-shoot [Pre-book] Weston Super Mare Helicopter Museum World at War event

APRIL

3 Compton Abbas Vintage Saturday Fly-in 3-4 Easter Easter at Easter Fly-in [PPR] 07967-715304 13-18 Lakeland, Fl (N) EAA Sun’n’Fun fly-in 17 Turweston Vintage Aircraft Club

Spring Fly-in [PPR] 17 Blackpool Threshold Hangar 42 Spit

& Hurri Photo-shoot [Pre-book] 17-18 Breighton BAeA Aerobatics Competition 24 Duxford Flying Day 24 Manchester Barton LAA NW Strut

Ernie Horsfall’s 103rd Birthday Fly-in Pre-register]

MAY 1 Compton Abbas Vintage Saturday Fly-in 1-2 Sleap BAeA Aerobatics Competition 2 Old Warden Shuttleworth Drive-In Air

Show (See Notam Y002/2021) 8 Duxford Flying Day 8 Bodmin Ladies Day Fly-in 01752-406660 13-16 Abbeville (F) Bulldog & Chipmunk

Meet & Formation Training 14-15 Wycombe – Booker Elite Lifestyle &

Private Flyer Exhibition 14-15 Compton Abbas BAeA Aerobatic Comp 15 Old Warden Drive-In Evening Air Show

(See Notam Y002/2021) 15 Sywell Europa Club Fly-in, AGM & Dinner 22-23 La Ferte Alais (F) Salis Collection Air Show 22 Duxford Flying Day 22 Sywell Chipmunk 75th Anniv Fly-in

[PPR] 6

12-13

20

27 27

27-28

50 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

Above The 2017 Aero Expo saw the resurrection of the Sluka by a new Czech company, Airhero. Sadly for the second year running, the Expo has been cancelled.

22-31 Sywell to Leicester LAA UK Tour

(nightstops Headcorn – Bodmin –

Barton – Glenforsa – Perth *3 – Breighton) 28-30 Perth Scottish AC Fly-in & Meet the

LAA 01738-550055 29-30 Fenland BAeA Aerobatics

Competition 29-30 Cotswold-Kemble Great Vintage

Flying Weekend (t.b.c.) [PPR] 29-30 Damyns Hall FSTVL Music Festival –

Airfield Closed

JUNE

4-5 Leeds East Private Flyer Exhibition 4-6 Biscarosse (F) Van’s Club de France

RV Fly-in 4-6 Endelave (OY) Europa Nordic Fly-in 4-6 Ragley Hall, Alcester Midlands Air Festival 5 Bodmin Action Stations Military Wings

& Wheels 01752-406660 5 Compton Abbas Vintage Saturday Fly-in 5-6 Paignton English Riviera Seafront

Airshow 6 Duxford Flying Day 6 Old Warden Festival of Britain Drive-In

Air Show (See Notam Y002/2021)

10-13 Sywell BAeA Aerobatics Adv & Ultd

Nationals 11-13 Newark Retro Festival inc Airshow 11-13 St Yan (F) Air France & Friends Fly-in

& Air Show 12 Buckingham Palace Queen’s Birthday

Fly Past (@1300) 18-20 Weston Park, Shifnal Model Air Show 18-20 Gelnhausen (D) Fly-in & Air Show 19 Old Warden Chipmunk Drive-In

Evening Air Show (See Notam Y002/2021) 19-20 Turweston Air Britain Classic Fly-in

[PPR] (prov)

01376-344441/ 01280-705400 19-20 Easter Midsummer Fly-in [PPR] 07967-715304 19-20 Hinderclay Meadows Suffolk Soaring

Fly-in 07485-072155 20 Duxford Flying Day 25-27 Headcorn Battle of Britain Air Show 26 Scarborough National Armed Forces

Day Event 26-27 Breighton VAC Fly-in [PPR]

01757-288987

JULY 2-3

Dublin-Weston (EI) The Elite Lifestyle & Private Flyer Exhibition

Where to go 2-4 Sanicole (OO) Belgian Experimental

Days Fly-in 3 Middle Wallop Army Flying Museum

Wings & Wheels Show 3 Duxford Flying Day 3 Compton Abbas Vintage Saturday Fly-in 3-4 Bodmin Aerobatic Competition 07803-128000 3-4 Swansea Bay Welsh National Sea

Front Air Show 3-4 Southport Sea Front Air Show 4 Old Warden Shuttleworth Military

Drive-In Air Show 4 Henstridge LAA Wessex Strut Fly-in &

Meet the LAA [PPR] 01963-364231 8-11 Goodwood Festival of Speed 9-11 Enstone BMAA SSDR Freedom Rally 10-11 Sywell Flying Legends Air Show 14-17 Friedrichshafen AERO GA Exhibition 0049-7541-708128 16-18 Silverstone Car Races F1 British

Grand Prix 17-18 Old Warden LAA 75th Anniv Drive-

In Evening Air Show (See Notam Y002/2021) 23-25 Brienne-le-Chateau (F) RSA Euro Fly-in 24 Leicester BAeA RV Aerobatics

Competition 24 Firs Farm, Newbury Bring your own

Sausages Fly-in & BBQ [PPR by air & road] 24-25 Duxford Air Festival 24-25 Bodmin VAC Fly-in & Poetry & Music 01752-406660 26-Au 1 Oshkosh, Wi (N) EAA AirVenture

National Fly-in & Display 30-Au 1 Old Buckenham Old Buck Air Show 31 Westonzoyland Scrumpy N Cheese

Fly-in [PPR] 31-Au 1 Rufforth East LAA Vale of York Strut

Fly-in & Meet the LAA Day 31-Au 1Fenland BAeA Aerobatics

Competition 31-Au 1 Headcorn Fire Show 31-Au 7 Cowes Yacht Racing Cowes Week

AUGUST

1 Lundy Island Lundy Fly-in [PPR essential]

01752-406660/ 07805-805679 1 Old Warden Shuttleworth Air Show 4 Duxford Flying Day 7 Little Gransden BAeA Aerobatics

Open Club Event 7 Compton Abbas Vintage Saturday Fly-in 7 East Kirkby LAHC Museum

AirShow [adv booking] 7 Popham Classic Car Show &

Vintage Fly-in 01256-397733 7-8 Popham Anglo-French Fly-in 01256-397733 7-8 Blackpool Sea Front Air Show 7-8 Purleigh nr Maldon Echoes of History

Mil Vehicles & Air Show 7-8 Headcorn Combined Ops Show

8 Popham Motorcycle Magameet 01256-397733 8-15 Hosin (OK) FAI World Microlight Ch’ships 11 Duxford Flying Day 12-15 Eastbourne Airbourne Seafront Air Show 12-15 Ashton Court Bristol Balloon Fiesta 14 Old Warden Shuttleworth Flying

Circus Drive-in Evening Air Show

(See Notam Y002/2021) 14-15 Popham Microlight Trade Fair 01256-397733 14-15 Halfpenny Green Wings & Wheels

Event [PPR-pre book] 14-15 Harrowbeer 80th Anniversary Event 01752-406660 19 Duxford Flying Day 19-20 Conington BAeA Aerobatics Spt & Int Nationals 19-22 Maribo (OY) Vintage Aerobatic World Ch’ships 20-22 Wels (OE) Rotax Engine Fly-in [pre-register] 21-22 Popham Model Air Show [closed to

full-size aircraft] 01256-397733 21-22 Headcorn Southern Model Show 21-27 Breclav (OK) FAI European Aerobatic Ch’ships 26-27 Clacton Seafront Air Show 27-29 Silverstone Motorcycle Races MotoGP 28 Henstridge Vintage Wings & Wheels 01963-364231 28-29 Rhyl Sea Front Air Show 29 Little Gransden Air & Car Show

SEPTEMBER

2-5 Bournemouth Sea Front Air Show 3-5 Sywell LAA National Rally &

Exhibition PPR-slots] 01280-846786 3-5 Chatsworth Country Fair inc Airshow 3-5 Foxlands Farm, Cosby Victory Show 4 Compton Abbas Vintage Saturday Fly-in 4-5 Old Warden Shuttleworth Vintage

Weekend & Air Show (See Notam Y002/2021) 4-5 Leicester BAeA Aerobatics

Competition

4-5 Popham STOL Competition 01256-397733 9 Guernsey Guernsey Air Show 9 Jersey Jersey Air Show 11 Abingdon Threshold Pre Airshow

Dusk Photoshoot [Pre-book] 11 Bodmin LAA Cornwall Strut Fly-in 01752-406660 12 Abingdon Air & Country Show

[pre book] 12 K2 Centre, Crawley Gatwick Air

Enthusiasts Fair 01403-252628 17-19 Goodwood Revival Meeting 17-19 Fishburn PRBA Autumn Gold

Balloon Meet 18 Headcorn LAA Kent Strut Fly-in

and Meet the LAA Day [PPR] 18 Sutton Meadows Cambs MC

Microlight Fly-in 18 Weston-Super-Mare Threshold

Helicopter Museum Night Photo-

shoot [Pre-book] 18-19 Duxford Battle

of Britain Air Show 18-19 Sywell Classic Pistons & Props

Show

OCTOBER

2 Compton Abbas Vintage

Saturday Fly-in 2-3 Old Warden Shuttleworth Race

Weekend Air Show (See Notam Y002/2021) 9 Duxford Flying Day 17 Coventry Midland Air Museum

Enthusiasts’ Fair 26 t.b.a. LAA 75th Anniv

Inauguration of ULAA Event 31 Turweston Vintage Aircraft Club

Allhallows Fly-in & AGM [PPR]

NOVEMBER 6 Compton Abbas Vintage

Saturday Fly-in

DECEMBER

4 Compton Abbas Vintage Saturday Fly-in 11 Compton Abbas Xmas Fly-in

Above The Popham Microlight Fair features old and new, here a nice Micro Biplane at the 2018 event. The show this year has been moved to August 14-15.

March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 51

Safety Spot

The latest LAA Engineering topics and investigations. By Malcolm McBride

Safety Spot Malcolm has put pen to paper for his final Safety Spot, discussing statistical data, GASCo’s Task-o-meter, and composite delamination…

H

ello to you, and welcome to this March edition of Safety Spot. As always, I hope that you and those closest to you are OK or, if not in top form, are at least holding things together during this dreadful time in our nation’s history.

I’m sure that you’ll be pleased to know that me (and my lot) remain in pretty good shape, although I hope I still feel the same this evening. I’ve just been ‘called up’ to present myself for a Covid-19 jab; “be there at 17.19 precisely please”. If the car starts – and it’s been a while – I’ll make sure I walk through the door as the second hand passes the top of the clock!

I have to say that I’m pretty impressed by the vaccination programme in the UK. Being an Oxford ‘bloke’, even though I’ve had absolutely nothing to do with the fantastical science surrounding the creation of these magical vaccines, my shoulders rise a little when I hear the term ‘Oxford’ vaccine, even if only for reasons of personal history and geography. Makes you proud to be British after all.

So, dear reader, we’ve got to March 2021: ‘With rushing winds and gloomy skies, the dark and stubborn Winter dies’ to quote a line from Baynard Taylor’s lovely poem on the subject of the changing seasons.

Seasons inevitably come and go through time, and I’m very sad to say that my season working with the LAA’s Engineering section has come to an end or, at least will have done when March closes its back gate and April again opens her shutters. Reading the above back, I note that I shouldn’t say ‘the’ engineering section, rather ‘your’ engineering section – after all, we’re all part of the same team.

I have to say that, as the Airworthiness Engineer for the organisation, it has been a great privilege working alongside you, yes you, and the rest of the team here at Turweston Airfield. I’ve certainly learned more than I’ve taught during my time with you – thank you for that - and I hope that you’ve enjoyed all the Safety Spots that we’ve created together over the years. But retirement beckons, and I have a few more adventures to execute before I move on permanently, so this is the last Spot I’ll pen.

I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next, both in our mag and, closer to home, in my life. If the past is a guide to the future – I’m sure it will be fantabulous.

So, goodbyes said, what are we going to talk about over the next few pages? Well, I expect that you have scanned the photos and know pretty much what’s in the store. Naturally, with very little airbourne activity, there have been only a very few ‘events’, in fact the 2021 AAIB ‘Initial Notification’ folder is empty… not for long now though, I suspect. You’ll have seen the pie charts showing a breakdown of the type of incidents

52 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

suffered by our colleagues, and you’ll have spotted the Mozzie planform covered with bullet holes, ah yes, and what about that Task-o-meter?

Safety through knowledge

Every year, our masters plough through the previous 12 months’ incident reports, looking for clues as to what direction to take in their various safety campaigns and, I suspect, hoping that the numbers justify their endeavours. And, every year, in our world of sports aviation the same conclusion is reached – in about three quarters of all the incidents, the blame can be firmly affixed to the pilot. The rest, well, that’s almost always just technical providence!

Some years ago, I got a bit fed up with this Pilot Error (PE) versus Random Technical Failure (RTF) conundrum, feeling that numbers like these had little real value to the safety engineer, and I decided to look at the incident reports in a slightly different way. I discussed my thoughts with my boss, our esteemed Chief Engineer, Francis Donaldson, and he agreed that we should open our minds to the obvious reality that there’s never a single cause to any incident, positive or negative. In other words, they’ll always be a bit of RTF mixed in with a fair slice of PE. In the LAA world, as you’ll know if you’ve been following this column over the years, for RTF read TECH, and for PE read OPP. So, for the purpose of initially looking at an incident to see if there were lessons for future pilots and engineers lurking within the complete story, we invented the OPP/TECH category. It’s this category that forms the basis of the Safety Spot stories – it’s generally the TECH category that leads the various Alerts and Bulletins we publish.

It’s a human reality of course that only a very few are quick to put their hands up when it comes to being involved, even by association, in a failed project; and we all suffer the consequence of our suite of unconscious biases. Naturally, we also try to push ourselves forward for a bit of credit when things go well… rather like my Oxford vaccine ‘association’ imagery earlier.

The approvals engineer will always shy away from any issues coupled with design, the inspector will act in a similar way if he or she has missed something important during a check – and it’s a rare thing for a pilot, perhaps sitting on a hay bale by the side of a broken aircraft, to say, “do you know what, I got that wrong”. But saying that, I’ve always been impressed by people’s honesty after an event, even if they’d prefer that their names didn’t hit the titles at the end! I guess that’s because we all know that one person’s error is another’s lesson – thank you to all those who have freely shared their more difficult moments with me over the years, above everything, that’s been a privilege and an honour.

Safety Spot

Above There are ‘Lies, damned lies, and statistics’ according to a long-forgotten sage, but popularised by the American wordsmith, Mark Twain. Of course, we always have to be aware that simple statistical representation can often hide, often too complex to fully understand, realities. One challenge we have is actually a good thing - with around sixty incidents a year, the overall sample we have to work with is quite small. The pie charts above therefore represent data collected by the LAA over the last five years – over 300 datapoints being used to create them. The left one shows that, as seems to be always the case, Operational incidents predominate, accounting for about 70% of the total. But a question is, how many also had a Technical cause? Or vice-versa, could a Technical cause, better handled or contingency planned, have become a non-incident instead? Credit: Steve Slater

Finding ways to see more clearly (and reduce the number of events)…

Over the years I’ve been privileged to be sent many Strut newsletters, each has a different style, though they all make a great coffee break read. My favourite, and yes, I’m allowed to have one now, is the East of Scotland Newsletter. Andrew Macleod, the editor, clearly scours the internet for interesting aviation-related stories… and finds them.

He tells us in the December 2020 edition, that his son found the ‘Story of the missing bullet holes’ (see the planform picture of what, looking again, probably isn’t a Mozzie!) and thought that it was an interesting lesson. Andrew explains: “I thought at first it might have been an urban myth, but it looks like it is true, and provides one of those ‘aahh… of course’ moments.”

“During World War II, fighter planes would come back from battle with bullet holes, and the allies found the areas that were most commonly hit by enemy fire. They sought to strengthen the most commonly damaged

Above Thanks to the East of Scotland Newsletter editor, Andrew Macleod, for including this graphic in their December 2020 edition – it shows a pictorial representation of where returning WWII aircraft had been hit by enemy bullets. Clearly, these areas needed strengthening – but was that really the case?

parts of the planes to reduce the numbers that were shot down. A mathematician, Abraham Wald, pointed out that perhaps there was another way to look at the data. Perhaps the reason certain areas of the planes weren’t covered in bullet holes was that aircraft shot in these areas did not return. This insight led to the armour being reinforced on the parts of the aircraft where there were no bullet holes: probably saving many lives.”

From a safety engineer’s perspective, and with a nod to the above warnings about over-simplification and bias, this story reminds us that what we cannot easily see, in this case the missing data, can be far more important than the ‘surely that’s glaringly obvious’ bits of info. Real solutions to problems often hide in the shadows.

GASCo’s Task-o-Meter

I recently attended one of GASCo’s Safety Evenings, on-line of course.

It’s been a while since I’d been to one, pressures of work, busman’s holiday, and all that. Mike O’Donoghue leads a national team of aviation experts which creates, and I hope he doesn’t mind me describing the events as such, an aviation-safety related ‘entertainment’. I’m sure that many of you that have attended an evening’s entertainment would both have come away having learnt a bit about staying safe - and done so with a quiet chuckle rattling away in the tonsils.

During the last seminar, engineering test pilot, Nils Jamieson, one of GASCo’s regional safety officers, came up with an imaginary instrument for pilots to use when deciding if they, not the aircraft mind, were safe to fly. Of course, I asked Nils if I could spread the idea in Safety Spot… here’s his reply: Of course Malcolm, I am very happy to share idea in Safety Spot. If only we had an instrument that told us how capable we are and how hard we are working – it would be simple to see when we are about to get into trouble. We could try to imagine such a gauge though…

The ‘Task-o-meter’ shows our current Capability, in green. This varies, dependent on how current, how prepared for the flight, and even how stressed we are at the moment. As the green sector grows and shrinks, so the red Danger sector grows and shrinks too. The trick is to keep the cockpit Workload in the green – within your Capability today.

If tricky weather, a malfunction, or just a complex flight, push workload into the red, you risk getting behind the aircraft and potentially having to make decisions in the moment, which is never as good as having a plan set beforehand.

Before you fly next time, ask yourself these questions: March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 53

Safety Spot ■ How Capable do I feel today? (how big are the green and red sectors?)

■ How taxing is the flight? (how high will that Workload needle go?)

Remember that flying with an instructor or LAA Coach, pre-flight planning and good Threat and Error Management will all make the green sector bigger, and could also stop the Workload needle getting into the red.

For more details, see the GASCo website (www.gasco.org.uk) and register for one of the free safety webinars – they last about 90 minutes and feature a range of speakers. You can also find a link to a short on-line course to help you return to the sky safely, after the latest lockdown.

One of the many realities I’ve discovered in my years with the PFA/ LAA is that, somewhere along the line, in any incident, there will be a Human Factors issue lurking – sometimes many unrelated HF issues.

These, coupled with other more random factors – unexpected weather changes, technical glitches, that sort of thing – are the key players in most incidents or accidents. Certainly, Nils is on to something when he identifies that we humans have a capacity limit, and when we get close to it, our performance drops markedly. Perhaps the Task-oMeter is a bit of a fantasy instrument, but I think that, in reality, we all have a biological meter built in. Maybe we should remember to look at it a little more often and see how much green is showing on the gauge – if you’re ‘seeing red’, it might be better not to fly.

Thanks, Nils, for your kind comments about Safety Spot when we spoke, it’s definitely been a great pleasure knowing you and some of the rest of the team – I like quirky, especially if it gets a not-so-obvious message across!

Curtis drain valve ‘lock-on’

Above Certainly, it seems self-evident that the chances of suffering an incident or accident in an aircraft will be substantially reduced by keeping your pilotage skills in tip-top condition. Nils Jamieson, one of the lead figures in GASCo, has come up with a Task-o-meter to help a pilot determine just how well they’re doing in this regard – don’t go and search the internet for one just yet, as it’s not an on-the-shelf item (at the moment). One item that is available now, and should be in every PPL’s log-book, is a GASCo ‘Safety Endorsement’ … you have to attend a GASCo Safety Evening to get one but, from personal experience, it’s well worth the effort. Photos: Nils Jamieson/GASCo 54 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

Safety Spot Bottom left When you take on a new aircraft, especially one that hasn’t operated for quite a time, it’s essential to carry out a fingertip inspection of the whole aircraft. Though a structure may look absolutely fine from the outside, it may not be. This picture, looking at the centre-box section main spar of a Rutan Long-EZ as it passes under the rear seat, shows the area where LAA Inspector, Nick Wolsey discovered a huge area where the fibreglass /foam-core / fibreglass structure had become separated, effectively a structure failure. Without a very detailed look, including a tap-test, this damage wouldn’t have been seen. Photo: Nick Wolsey

Above and left If you regularly check out the ‘Alerts’ page in the Engineering section of the LAA’s website, and, if you’re operating an LAA administered Permit aircraft (as you should), you’ll have seen an Alert promoting a UK CAA Safety Notice warning of the dangers of leaving a drain valve in the open position after a fuel check. I remember when this issue first reared its head, back in the 1970s, there were a few ‘events’ where pilots were lucky not to have been hurt after taking off with open drain valves. The original solution, simple and easy to do, was to stop the drain valves locking open – these days you can purchase non-locking valves, but a 1970’s SB which suggests filing off the lock tabs (see picture) works just as well.

Photos: CAA/LAA Library

Rutan LongEZ delamination

Areas of structure failure

Above The centre-box spar joins the wings to the fuselage; during normal flight, lift from the wings means that the lower section of the spar is resisting tension forces. Effectively, in a sandwich construction like this, though the bond holding the sandwich together has failed, the natural tension force generated between the wings and the aircraft’s weight will hold the layers together. Predicting the reduction in strength due to this disbond is definitely beyond this engineer’s competence, but clearly, a find like this reminds us all that, even if a structure looks good, unless you check closely you can never be completely sure that all’s well. This is especially true for composite structures. The sketch, above centre, included for interest, shows the connection of the centre-box spar to the upper pair of the four spruce longerons which give the fuselage most of its strength.

Photos: Nick Wolsey/Long EZ build manual March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 55

Safety Spot Jabiru wing mounting problems

Woodcomp Klassic propeller Failure

Above Composite repair specialist, Murray Flint, found problems with a Jabiru J430 forward wing attachment fork and, after seeking advice from the aircraft’s manufacturers, decided to replace the part. Though it’s not a common repair, Jabiru were able to supply Murray with a ‘Factory-Approved’ repair scheme which, as you can see from the picture, first involved gaining access through the top of the wing.

Photo: Murray Flint Below When the wing attachment fork was exposed, it was clear that, though there was a good bond between the wing’s top surface and the fork, the bottom of the fork wasn’t bonded at all. Quite rightly, Murray’s LAA Inspector, Rex Ford, said that LAA HQ must be informed straight away. After an extensive investigation, Jabiru aircraft were able to provide detailed calculations showing that the exterior portion of the bond is sufficient to carry all the flight loads and the interior portion offers secondary support. Thus, a difficult inspection of the Jabiru fleet was avoided. Photos: Jabiru Aircraft

Above A recent investigation into an in-flight blade loss on a Woodcomp Klassic 170/3/R propeller, fitted to a Sportstar Max, couldn’t establish why this propeller blade failed. However, there’s a very strong possibility that the propeller, which had been involved in a propeller strike incident some 80 hours before, had been weakened in this event. Following the propeller strike, the propeller was overhauled by the manufacturer and during this inspection, no external evidence of damage was seen. Photos: UK AAIB

Steel tube tailplane corrosion

56 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

Safety Spot Getting back into the air

Above and bottom left No Safety Spot would be complete without the almost obligatory picture of corrosion in an aircraft structure so, before I sign-off, I should show you these pictures of the ‘internals’ of a Piper PA-22 Tri-Pacer tailplane.

The top surface of the fabric was lifted because the engineer noticed some rust-coloured staining around the trailing edge, and the fabric was starting to look its age. This aircraft, because of Covid-19 restrictions, had been parked outside for some time and water had found its way into the internal structure.

When these awful restrictions end, and you are finally able to meet up with your beloved aircraft, take note of all the advice ‘out there’ about the best approach to take in returning your aircraft (and your good self) to full operational airworthiness. Photo: Malcolm McBride

Writing a column like Safety Spot rather means that you have to wear your heart on your sleeve, if you have been a regular reader over the years and have got to know me through my words and pictures, you’ll know that this final chapter is going to be a rather difficult one to write. In a strange way though, there’s nothing as constant as change, and because Safety Spot was invented to keep you up-to-speed with current engineering issues and events that have affected other pilots and engineers, in real time – and it has to be said that the cupboard on actual recent events is pretty bare – now, as retirement beckons, it is a natural time to hang-up the pencil and the camera.

This last year has been very weird for all of us who enjoy tackling nature using man-made devices; I know many of you share my passion for such activity. It won’t be long before I’m able to be back at sea, hard pressed I expect, in my little boat, hopefully travelling to distant adventures… probably after having ridden down to the south coast on the old motorbike.

I also have a bit of a nagging itch to get back prone under a hangglider, it’s been 20 years now since I managed a decent climb in a thermal… pulling the bar in and escaping the sink when leaving the mistiness at the bottom of a tight cumulous cloud… an experience difficult to beat. But I know that all these things we do require great skill and, to use Nil’s earlier analogy, you need to be ahead of the equipment you are managing, not behind it. Certainly, this means that you’ll need to take things really carefully when you return to more normal operations.

Looking through the incidents that we suffered during that brief summer release from the Covid-19 lockdown, it’s clear that most were due to pilots not being fully up-to-speed in this regard.

When we are finally allowed out again, above all the other advice, take this into account before you fly. And don’t, whatever you do, think that because you have years of experience and thousands of hours in the air, that this will protect you, it just means that the gotcha will get you from a different direction. If I do decide to risk using my legs as an undercarriage, and you’ll remember that I’ve often said that, if you have an itch you had better scratch it, then you can rest assured that I’ll be staying close to the ridge for some time before pushing the limits; and I’m not getting on the bike until I’ve carried out a full service.

So that’s it, the final sentences. Without labouring the obvious, and not to devalue any of the many support systems around, your personal safety is very much in your own hands. But fleet safety, be that flying aircraft of any sort, sailing boats, riding motorcycles, racing motor cars, whatever it is that keeps you alive, can only be maintained by sharing the lessons we learn individually with others. So, wherever the winds of change take the LAA, please keep that sharing culture alive! Fair winds. ■

LAA engineering charges LAA Project Registration Kit Built Aircraft £300 Plans Built Aircraft £50 Issue of a Permit to Test Fly Non-LAA approved design only £40 Initial Permit issue Up to 450kg £450 451-999kg £550 1,000kg and above £650 Permit Renewal (can now be paid online via LAA Shop) Up to 450kg £155 451-999kg £200 1,000kg and above £230 Factory-built gyroplanes (all weights) £250 Note: if the last Renewal wasn’t administered by the LAA an extra fee of £125 applies Modification application Prototype modification minimum £60 Repeat modification minimum £30

Transfer (from C of A to Permit or CAA Permit to LAA Permit) Up to 450kg 451 to 999kg 1,000kg and above Four-seat aircraft Manufacturer’s/agent’s type acceptance fee Project registration royalty Category change Group A to microlight Microlight to Group A Change of G-Registration fee Issue of Permit documents following G-Reg change Replacement Documents Lost, stolen etc (fee is per document) Latest SPARS – No 17 April 2018

£150 £250 £350 £2,000 £50 £135 £135 £45 £20

PLEASE NOTE: When you’re submitting documents using an A4-sized envelope, a First Class stamp is insufficient postage.

March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 57

Captain & the chimneys

The Captain – and the chimneys Bev Pook recalls a flight from Shoreham in 1988 with American friend, Dick Meyers…

B

ack in the 1980s, I owned a 1/8 share in a de Havilland DHC1 Chipmunk. On one particularly nice sunny day, I was visited by a very good friend of mine, Dick Meyers. The date, to be exact, was 16 July 1988, according to my flying logbook.

We decided to take advantage of the weather and pull Chipmunk, G-BBMW, out of the hangar at Shoreham Airport and go flying.

Captain Dick Meyers hailed from the USA and was a very experienced pilot – he was a captain for American Transair, flying its Boeing 757 fleet. Due to Dick’s experience, plus the fact that I was current in both the front and rear seats of the Chipmunk, I elected to take the rear cockpit and allow him to sit in the front, P1 position.

The Chipmunk has dual controls and can be easily flown from both seats.

We departed Shoreham on Runway 21 and, after climbing out, we turned left to fly along the coast on the seaward side towards the east, a route that took us past Shoreham Power Station B and its two prominent chimneys, which served for many years as a useful landmark for the purposes of nautical and aviation navigators. On many occasions, the chimneys offered me a great visual aid when flying, indeed I remember my qualifying solo cross-country flight in 1976 – the last leg of that triangular route being to leave Goodwood, near Chichester, and fly back to Shoreham. Those two chimneys immediately came into sight and made that a very easy return to complete the test.

58 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

Above Chipmunk G-BBMW in which Bev had a one eighth share. Today it flies from Goodwood.

Photo: Bev Pook.

Right Old friend, American ATPL, Dick Meyers who enjoyed that day’s adventures. Photo: Bev Pook.

Below Cornish Farm landing strip near Beach Head, where Bev and Dick landed for tea and cake.

Photo: Courtesy Google maps.

Captain & the chimneys Dick and I continued our flight along the coastline, past Brighton and Newhaven, then past the famous Beachy Head with its lighthouse at the bottom of the cliffs, and on towards Eastbourne. At Eastbourne we turned north towards the rolling countryside of Sussex. It was fun to point out the many private landing grounds that are littered about within the green and pleasant land of Sussex. Dick’s thoughts on these grass-covered landing strips were quite amusing, because in the US most airfields are considerably larger and usually covered in concrete.

Just to the west of Eastbourne and north of Beachy Head, there is some council-owned land called Cornish Farm, managed at that time by a friend of mine, Chris Johnson. One of the fields on the farm had been used for years as a landing strip, and I had made use of it a few times, so I made the traditional fly around the farm house that usually brought Chris out, and it did. He jumped into his truck and made for the landing field. Briefing Dick on how we would approach the strip, I positioned the Chippie west of the field and started an approach to land.

We landed, turned around and then backtracked to the western end, parked up and shut down to wait for Chris to arrive. Chris took us to the farmhouse, and we were treated to tea and cakes.

Dick did the departure, taking off toward the east and then turning 180° to the west for our return flight to Shoreham. The forward visibility from the rear seat in a Chipmunk is restricted due to being further back from the nose, and of course, having somebody sitting directly in front of you. I therefore informed Dick that we should keep the coastline on our left and keep an eye out for the two power station chimneys, because Shoreham Airport was just on from those chimneys.

Dick responded by politely asking if my directions were correct because he could only see one chimney. I assured him that my directions were correct, and that there were definitely two chimneys on that power station.

“Goddamn it, Bev, I can only see one chimney, and this doesn’t feel right at all,” he said. I responded that perhaps we had the two in line and it looked as if there was only one, but that did nothing to convince Dick that we were where I had told him.

As my visibility ahead was restricted and the chimneys were hidden to me, after Dick questioned it for the third time, I briefly took control and put in some right rudder, which yawed the aircraft sufficiently for me to see the two chimneys. However, just as Dick said, there was only one chimney to be seen. My response was to offer a most unencouraging remark and saying, rather weakly, “Well, there were two when we took off.” I managed to convince Dick that, even though I couldn’t explain this mystery of a missing chimney, I knew where we were, and that Shoreham was now in view and it was safe to continue.

I called up Shoreham air traffic, giving them my position and calling for a rejoin to land. The tower responded with the usual information and warned us about some intense aerial activity taking place around the power station, as the Eastern chimney had just been demolished by controlled explosion.

A few minutes later we passed over the power station at 2,000ft and looked down upon a sorry sight.

There, laid on its side and horizontally spread out on the quayside, were the crushed and bruised remains of the disputed chimney.

It was on 16 July 1988 that the eastern chimney of

Top Shoreham Power Station B, coal powered and built in 1947 – with two chimneys. Photo: Ted Bunker.

Above The moment the landscape changes, when the eastern chimney is demolished. Photo: Ted Bunker.

Right The single chimney of the current gas powered Power Station C serves as today’s navigation aid.

Photo-Wiki. the Shoreham B Power Station in West Sussex was demolished. Over the next few years, the rest of the power station was demolished, leaving the remaining chimney standing on its own. That remaining chimney survived another 10 years until, on 27 September 1998 the 46-year-old, 350ft west chimney was also demolished.

Dick Meyers passed away on 22 June 2013. I hope you will always discover blue skies and fair winds my friend. I am sure he would have agreed that the new chimney that now stands as part of the new Power Station C is rather ugly, but it does still serve as a good visual aid for those approaching Shoreham, by air or by sea. On the positive side, there’s no dispute as to the number of chimneys anymore, there is only one! ■ March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 59

Meet the Members

A growing passion for aviation…

This month we talk to David Johnstone, retired agronomist, glider tug pilot, Shobdon Strut founder member, and Avid and RV builder…

W

elcome David, can you tell us something of your career?

I trained as an agronomist at Seale Hayne, in Devon, in the 1960s and joined ICI Agricultural Division in 1967, initially in Suffolk, then Buckinghamshire.

In 1976 I transferred to ICI Agrochemicals and moved to Lancashire, followed by a brief secondment to the USA. Then it was back to the UK where I was based in Herefordshire. Next there was a move to Denmark for three years and finally I ended up in the Head Office at Fernhurst, Surrey.

I retired from Zeneca in 1994 (ICI having split into the Ag Chem business, with Pharmaceuticals becoming Zeneca, later AstraZeneca) and moved back to Herefordshire to run a smallholding and a B&B / holiday cottage business with my wife. We did this for 10 years before finally retiring to Powys.

What kindled your interest in aviation?

As a small boy growing up in the 1950s, I lived in Farnham Common, Bucks. We were right under the flight path for the Coronation fly past, and it was 60 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

Above A very serious looking David flying his RV-9A.

fascinating to see and hear all those aircraft flying over, and I used to go to the Farnborough Air Show in September as a birthday treat.

In what, where and when was your first flight?

My very first flight was in a Dragon Rapide from Heathrow in around 1951. They were doing joy rides round the airfield for about five shillings (25p) and I was furious as I had to sit at the back. However, it ignited the spark. I have tried to find out which aircraft it was, and G-AGJG fits the bill.

Where did you do your flight training?

I began my flight training in Bakersfield, California. I flew from London to New York on a 707-charter organised by BUNAC (British Universities North America Club) then, using a $99 Greyhound Bus pass valid for 99 days, set off to get to San Francisco, a three-day journey.

I was in California as an exchange student with Chevron Chemicals, who were ICI’s agents in the USA, and I was due to start work for ICI on my return to the UK in October. I only managed three or four lessons as I recall, all in a C150.

Meet the Members

On return to the UK, I started work, got married and had a family, so flying was out of the question, I couldn’t afford it and didn’t have the time. I managed to cadge a few flights whenever I could, a farmer’s Auster in Suffolk, a racehorse trainer’s helicopter in Newmarket and another farmer in a PA28 from Booker.

I moved to Lancashire in the drought year of 1976 and met someone who flew with the WLAC (West Lancs Aero Club) from Woodvale. He boasted that they were the cheapest club in the UK at £12 an hour. I did the sums and thought I could just afford to fly for an hour a month.

WLAC were not impressed and told me to stop wasting their time, as they said it was impossible to learn to fly like that. That was just the encouragement I needed to prove them wrong.

I began my training on the 21 July 1976 in C150 G-BAXU and went solo on 20 June 1977. I took my GFT at Blackpool on 27 October 1978, again in a c150, G-BBCF.

How long had you spent in the US?

My version of a ‘gap year’ in America was actually only for three months, but I used my Greyhound bus pass to move on from San Francisco via Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Indianapolis, St Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Salt Lake City, Reno and Sacramento.

The return trip took in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, The Grand Canyon, Albuquerque, El Paso, Dallas, New Orleans, Atlanta, Washington, then into Canada to Toronto, then Montreal for Expo ’67, and finally New York.

I had a ride in a hovercraft, then still a relatively new phenomenon, at Expo ’67.

How did you hear about the PFA/LAA?

I heard about the PFA from an ICI colleague who was also a pilot. We went to the Rally at Wroughton in 1992 and saw the Europa fly. I think that event opened my eyes to the possibility of building an aircraft.

How long have you been a member?

I tried out the Kitfox G-PPPP from Blackbushe, then an Avid G-BULY, from Cambridge in May 1993. I placed my order for my Avid Hauler with Martin Ott that same year and the kit arrived in early 1994, so I guess my membership started around then.

Top RV9-A G-EGBS was initially powered by the 120hp WAM diesel but has been re-engined with a 150hp 0-320 Lycoming.

Above David built his Avid Hauler, G-BVLW, when he retired from ICI, and flew it for 12 years.

How did you get involved in the Shobdon Strut?

I had been flying from Shobdon for about seven years when the airfield owner, David Corbett, suggested that we should form a Shobdon Strut. When David suggested something that was code for ‘do it’, so the Strut was formed in 2002 with Robin James as the Chairman and me as the coordinator. Initially the membership was quite small but over the years it grew to around 40, but with a mailing list of around 100.

We organised speakers for around 10 evenings a year, all in the Herefordshire Aero Club clubhouse at Shobdon.

The meetings are very informal affairs with a cabaret/café style format. This has led to some very lively debates over the years, with everyone feeling they had had a great time and had got to know the speakers very well.

I guess the top of the speaker’s list would have to be Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown, closely followed by Derrek Pigott and John Farley, Ian Whittle, Manuel Querioz, Don Cameron, Dennis Kenyon, Ivan Shaw and Prof Mike Bagshaw. The list goes on to over 125 speakers.

We also carried out many Young Eagles flights, and Nav-Ex flights for the local ATC as well as hosting PFA fly-ins, which were very popular. However, with the advance of compliance rules and regulations, all these events have now ceased, which is a pity.

I retired from the role of Strut coordinator in 2018 and March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 61

Meet the Members

was very surprised to be awarded the RAeC Certificate of Merit for that year. Thank you LAA.

How many hours and types do you have in your logbook?

I hadn’t, until recently, looked at how many aircraft I have flown in my 1,936 hours in the air, but trawling through the pile of logbooks, I have surprised myself. The current total stands at 31 different marks – four Cessna, 11 Piper, three Robin, Thruster, Citabria, Scout, Avid, AA5B, Rallye 180 Tug, Katana, Airtourer, RV9A, Eurofox and Grob G109B. I have recently stopped tugging after 18 years and some 1,806 launches and 430 hours.

Do you have a favourite and ‘not so keen’ type?

My favourite has to be the RV-9A G-EGBS, which I co-built in 2004-8. It was a quick build with a WAM120 diesel, it took us four years because we only worked on Mondays. Being in the forefront with the WAM engine, we quickly became the highest hours in the fleet and the first to reach 1,000 TBO. We had to put up with a lot of ribbing when we were taking off on full power and belching black smoke, several controllers called us on the radio to alert us to the imminent engine failure they were sure was about to happen. The engine was experimental and, as such, we had to send it back to Wilksch seven times, so became quite expert at taking it out, the record being one hour.

Luckily Wilksch were based at Staverton, so it was a short drive to get it to them. They were magnificent in their support over the years.

Eventually we had to bite the bullet and fit a Lycoming 0-320. It has made a huge difference to the performance of the aircraft both in speed and operating cost. The WAM burnt 15 L/hr at £0.80 a L=£12 compared with the 0-320 burning 24 L/hr at £1.47=£35.28 I’ve enjoyed all the different types I’ve flown, just some more than others.

My current aircraft is the RV-9A, owned by the Shobdon RV-9A Group of which I’m the Trustee. Prior to that I owned and built G-BVLW, an Avid Hauler with a Hirth F30.

I built it as my retirement project in 1994 and flew it until the end of 2006. It was a great little aircraft to fly and the perfect platform for aerial photography.

I think I had three opportunities to fly it as a glider, but all ended well. I flew 575 hours in all. It was last heard of still going strong in Finland.

I have also helped build a Eurofox, G-CIFO, for the Hereford Gliding club, which was a joy to do – an Avid brought up to date and with the amazing Rotax 912 ULS. How such a light aircraft could manage to tow a heavy two-seater glider remains a mystery, but it does.

My second-best flight was in April 2017 when a friend, Tony Maitland, asked me if I would like to accompany him on a ferry flight from Indianapolis to Sweden in a Rockwell Turbo Commander N73EF. We took off from Eagle Creek Airpark just north of Indianapolis and flew to Goose Bay in Newfoundland – 1,356nm in 4 hours 23 minutes, and average speed 309kt. Next day we departed for Narsarsuaq, a flight of 682nm, average speed 262kt and 2 hours 36 minutes.

We were delayed by an American surveillance aircraft refuelling and eventually got away after nearly two hours for the third leg to Reykjavik; 681nm, 2 hours 42 mins, and average speed 253kt. The final leg to Torsby in Sweden was 1,005nm, 3 hours 50 mins, and average speed 261kt. We landed after midnight local time after flying 2,368nm in 8 hours 18 mins.

It was an amazing flight over Greenland with the ice cap stretching out onto the horizon. Tony has done many ferry flights in the Turbo Commander and made the whole trip look easy, while his skill and experience made me very confident that it would go well.

The third flight was when I was asked to ‘bomb’ the Bishop of Worcester with 4,000 poppies. It was the unveiling of a New War memorial at Pensax on 9 June 2014. The RAF had been asked if it could do it but declined. The request went out to Shobdon and I was volunteered for the task. A CAA Notam was applied for and I was cleared down to 300ft and given the OK to drop the poppies. The HGC Eurofox was the perfect aircraft for the job as it can be flown with the doors open. I recruited a member of the gliding club as my bombardier and we set off with SkyDemon pointing the way. As we approached the DZ SkyDemon warned us that we were about to bust a Notamed site – for once I could ignore it as it was for us. Eyewitnesses on the ground confirmed a direct hit on the target. Beginner’s luck I would say.

What’s your best aviation moment?

Do you have any aviation heroes?

What aircraft do/have you owned?

Three moments really. The first was in Concorde G-BOAB as a passenger on its inaugural flight into Lisbon. ICI chartered Concorde to take some VIP customers to Lisbon for lunch and a product launch. A few members of staff were able to go on the trip and I was lucky enough to be on the flight out. Lisbon cleared Concorde Flight BA 9058 for a fly through before landing. Apparently, it brought the traffic to a halt in Lisbon.

62 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

Above David’s most memorable flight was a trip to Lisbon on Concorde for an ICI promotion.

Passengers were presented with a certificate memento.

My uncle, John Rowden, a Pilot Officer in the RAF, flew Spitfires through the Battle of Britain but lost his life over France on 9 April 1941. I would like to visit his grave this year on the 80th anniversary, if the Covid-19 allows.

Have you had any I learned about flying moments?

Two, both in an Avid. First landing at a farm strip in

Meet the Members

Hampshire, where I encountered severe wind shear and had a very heavy landing. The left undercarriage leg folded, resulting in a ground loop into a standing crop of wheat. There was no other damage to the aircraft, so with a replacement leg from Avid and a bit of welding in the fuselage, I was back in the air.

Lesson learned; apply full power the moment the approach looks to be going wrong.

The second incident involved an Avid on floats in America. I went to Oshkosh with two friends in 2005 and ended up at the floatplane centre on Lake Winnebago.

We blagged a ride on an Avid on floats, one of my friends went first, then it was my turn. I’m very familiar with the Avid so I was concerned when the take-off run went on for ages and the vibrations were getting worse.

So bad in fact that I got hold of various hand holds to brace myself.

Suddenly there was a lurch and we dived underwater and came to a very abrupt stop upside down and underwater. I remember reaching for the seat belt release and pushing out through the hole where the windshield had been.

Being underwater made this quite easy as you are weightless. The pilot also popped out on his side, but in his haste to exit had failed to turn the master switch off and the fuel pump was pumping away, I suggested he dive down and turn it off before we were covered in petrol, which he did.

Neither of us were injured, however, I lost my glasses which was a nuisance. It turned out that the float on my

Above Flying the Hereford Gliding Club’s Eurofox tug, which David also had a hand in building.

He was one of their tug pilots for 18 years.

side had hit an object and delaminated, filling with water and dragging us under. I’ve had a bit of a thing against floatplanes ever since, but I did have a flight in Sydney Harbour in one of their Otters. Much better all round, and I managed to get into the P2 seat.

Do you have an aircraft or vehicles wish list?

I still have a dream to fly in a Spitfire. The nearest I got to this was at Goodwood, 30 years ago, but back then it was £1,000 for 20 minutes and I said ‘I regretted I didn’t have the time’. If only…

Do you have other non-aviation hobbies?

I enjoy photography but I am not that good, although now that iPhones come equipped with excellent cameras I’m getting better.

And I share an interest in classical music with my wife. We support the Presteigne Festival, which has become very popular with modern composers. I’ve even taken the President, Lord Berkeley of Knighton, flying when he was looking for inspiration for a new piece he was commissioned to write. Cloud chasing seemed to do the trick.

Any advice for fellow pilots?

Fly Permit to Fly aircraft, they are much better value than the certified variety in my opinion.

Fly safe, and don’t be afraid to say you’re not flying. I regard being called ‘a coward’ as a badge of honour. ■ March 2021 | LIGHT AVIATION | 63

Classifieds

March

GROUP FLYING Two one-third shares in Auster J5F G-AMZT at £7,000 each. Gipsy Major 1 engine, electric starter, dual brakes. Trig TY91 radio, Trig TT22 Mode S transponder. Airframe hours 5412, engine hours 1885 running on condition. Permit to January 2021. Hangered St Athan. Contact Colin at colin_butters@btinternet.com or 07546 221176.

For all display or commercial advertising enquiries please contact Neil Wilson: 07512 773532 neil.wilson@laa.uk.com You can email your classified advertisement direct to the LAA at the following address: office@laa.uk.com Deadline for booking and copy: 22 March 2021 If you would like to place an aircraft for sale advert please see details below: MEMBERS’ ADVERTISEMENTS Up to 30 words: £6; 31-50 words: £12 Up to 50 words with a coloured photo: £45 NON-MEMBERS’ADVERTISEMENTS Up to 30 words: £22; 31-50 words: £44 Up to 50 words with a coloured photo: £60 www.laa.uk.com

LAA Engineering advice to buyers: AIRCRAFT APPROVED? Members and readers should note that the inclusion of all advertisements in the commercial or classified sections of this magazine does not necessarily mean that the product or service is approved by the LAA. In particular, aircraft types, or examples of types advertised, may not, for a variety of reasons, be of a type or standard that is eligible for the issue of a LAA Permit to Fly. You should not assume that an aircraft type not currently on the LAA accepted type list will eventually be accepted.

IMPORTED AIRCRAFT? Due to unfavourable experiences, the purchase and import of completed homebuilt aircraft from abroad is especially discouraged.

TIME TO BUILD? When evaluating kits/designs, it should borne in mind that technical details, performance figures and handling characteristics are often quoted for a factory-produced aircraft flying under ideal conditions. It is wise, therefore, to seek the opinion of existing builders and owners of the type. You should also take your own skill and circumstances into consideration when calculating build times. The manufacturer’s build time should be taken as a guide only.

AMATEUR BUILDING All LAA aircraft builders and potential builders are reminded that in order to qualify for a LAA Permit to Fly, homebuilt aircraft must be genuinely amateur built. For these purposes the CAA provide a definition of amateur built in their publication CAP 659, available from LAA. An extract from CAP 659 reads “The building and operation of the aircraft will be solely for the education and recreation of the amateur builder. This means that he would not be permitted to commission someone else to build his aircraft”. An aircraft built outside the CAA’s definition could result in an expensive garden ornament.

64 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

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Ten things to do

Headset review

Ten aeronautical 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 Steve Slater and Francis Donaldson at LAA HQ…

1.

Research the history of your aeroplane and write it up with photos of it in previous colour schemes and in other ownerships etc.

G-INFO gives details of past owners and a Google (or similar) search will potentially throw up some interesting images.

2. Spring clean your flight bag – are your charts up to date? Are you aware of any new 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.

3. If it doesn’t already have one, consider putting together a simple checklist / set of pilots notes for your aircraft, embodying the flight limitations on the Permit, recommended speeds etc., and some of the tips and ‘gotchas’ you’ve learned over the years about operating it.

For example, the starting technique, how much it needs carb heat, what order to use the fuel tanks etc.

4. Spend time perusing the LAA website – there are lots of very interesting pages that few seem to be aware of! Not least the TADS, (Type Acceptance Data Sheets), which give you chapter and verse on your aircraft type. (You’ll find them in the Data Library in the ‘Aircraft and Technical’ section of the website.

5. Create or fine-tune your aircraft’s maintenance schedule for when you can get back to the hangar. Do a search of relevant ADs and SBs, MPDs etc, compile a file of them for quick reference, figure out and fill out the pink pages of your logbooks to help yourself keep up to date with what’s needed at future Permit renewals, and when required maintenance or specific checks will come due.

6. Make sure your Inspector’s OK – he or she may be isolated and fed up, and might love to have a chit chat about our hobby.

7. Googling may find a type club for your aircraft – why not consider joining it? Ditto your local LAA Strut?

8. Study the weight and balance of your aircraft, you might like to feed the results into one of the apps you can get nowadays, or the Excel files that were discussed in the February issue of the magazine and can be found on the magazine pages. Or, if digital isn’t your thing, create charts the old-fashioned way, showing allowable loading combinations.

9. Consider what you might do with your aeroplane in the future. When might it be due a recover/refurbish? Do you have a long-term plan? Should you be putting money by

66 | LIGHT AVIATION | March 2021

Right Does your type have wellpresented Pilot Notes? Many homebuilts and orphan types do not, so why not turn that pile of downloaded pages and scribbled notes into an informative information pack?

Below Have you reviewed the ADs, SBs and MPDs etc recently? They will inform you of any mandatory or recommended airworthiness issues, such as magnetos requiring impulse coupling checks or replacement parts.

for an engine fund? Is it really the aeroplane you need now? How might it look with a facelift or in a different colour scheme?

10. How about getting into some other aspect of the sport, for instance, touring, racing, aerobatics, display flying, strip flying etc? Might you even start a new project? There are so many facets of LAA flying to choose from! ■

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