Spit!

Lancaster Lucky!

I can't tell you much, if anything, about how we came, as a group of Microlight Pilots, to be stood in front of a Lancaster after our VIP tour of the Battle of Britain Flight. However, if it was you on that small airfield, unable to fly this summer I can say it was more than likely we met once before. As VIP guests we allowed to walk up-to, touch, breath and feel the history of these fine Aircraft, and what a highlight of 2012, these war machines are magnificence and to be this close was very significant, a feeling that one was reaching back able to communicate with what had been before. As flying machines these are basic, they have all the wires, string, some fabric and dope too (Mr Dell's - Hurricane). 

To say this was the highlight of 2012 is not true, it was a fine second to the mission we flew, which was defiantly No1 and will be for a long while to come. To be invited was a honour, to fly was a once in a lifetime experience, and to have the opportunity to see the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight in such close proximity was a childhood dream. Wow I am solo looking forward to the 2013 Season! 

  

Sadness

Scot killed in Thai microlight tragedy as he scattered ashes of close friend

By Stephen White  |  19 Nov 2012 00:01

A SCOTS microlight instructor has died after his aircraft plunged into the Gulf of Thailand while 
he and a passenger were scattering the ashes of a friend.

Award-winning pilot Tom Grieve, 57, was flying above Pattaya Bay on Saturday afternoon when his machine appeared to lose power.

Tom tried to make an emergency landing but the aircraft clipped a pier poll and crashed into the water.

Tom, who is believed to be from ­Lanarkshire, died in hospital from chest injuries while his passenger Patrick Esser, from Lyme Regis, Dorset, broke his arm.

Speaking from the Pattaya Memorial Hospital, 100 miles east of Bangkok, Patrick, 31, recalled the tragedy.

He said: "I was making a tribute to my best friend when suddenly things went terribly wrong.

"My friend Stuart Long had died of throat cancer, aged just 41, and we were about to scatter his ashes in the sea.

"I had done a rehearsal flight the previous day with Tom and everything went fine.

"We were at about 2000ft when the engine cut. Tom tried several times to start it but failed.

"He was gliding it down and aiming for a large piece of concrete to land on. We must have been going about 70 miles per hour when we clipped ­something.

"We went head over heels and crashed into the water upside down."

 

Other friends waiting below on boats saw the microlight hit a newly constructed pier before going under the water.

Khun Prichar, who saw the crash, said the GT450 microlight circled three times before smoke started coming from the engine and it fell into the sea.

Patrick added: "I managed to get out and started looking for Tom then I saw him surface.

"He seemed okay but was in some pain.

"We were taken straight for hospital and I asked him on the way if he was okay.

"He did not reply. But he looked okay.

"In the hospital, medical staff desperately tried to give him ­resuscitation but failed.

"They told me he had internal injuries in his chest."

A Pattaya-based blogger called Mike described Tom as "a very ­experienced instructor". He added: "I know this area well and it is a bad place for an engine failure since there's nowhere to go.

"A number of the deceased's friends were waiting in boats to witness their late friend's final send-off and I guess Tom was under a degree of pressure to go ahead and fly the mission."

The cause of the crash is not yet known but the blogger claimed: "According to eyewitnesses and Tom's passenger, Tom turned-off the engine in order to drop the ashes.

"It would seem the engine was turned off at a low height, some say below 500ft.

"After dropping the ashes, Tom attempted to re-start the engine without success.

"At this point, the ­eyewitness reports say he was very low/slow and banked to avoid colliding with the hill.

"The trike then 'spiralled' into one of the concrete pilings that were sticking out of the water."

 

Tom, formerly a member of the Connel Flying Club in Oban, who lived in Pattaya, was an ­experienced pilot who had received two major awards for outstanding airmanship.

The former petrochemical industry technician was well known in the ­Highlands, where he flew the "Dawn to Dusk" – taking off and landing at every inhabited island in the Orkney group in one day.

He received an award from the Duke of Edinburgh for the feat.

Tom also made the first microlight flight across the North Sea, from Shetland to Norway, and won the Steve Hunt Award in 1977 for circumnavigating Australia anti-clockwise. John ­MacGilvray, was chief flying instructor of Connel Gliding Club when Tom was a member.

John 79, said: "He was a regular visiting pilot here for about five years and for a while he was here every weekend.

"He was connected to the Connel Flying Club for about five years and then he left for Thailand about 12 to15 years ago.

"He had been out to Thailand on a couple of holidays and then, all of a sudden, he decided to join a friend who had moved there. The friend had tried to set up as a microlight instructor but couldn't because of the legislation."

Another ­microlighting pal Les Hodgson said: "What sad news.

"A very persuasive bloke and great fun to be around.

"Tom was one of the real characters in microlighting, a real adventurer, and will be missed by all those who knew him."

Eddie Cartwright said: "RIP Tom. You were a fantastic person, genuine, and always had lots on enthusiasm. You will be missed by everyone who met you."

Thai authorities are probing the crash and local media in the country reported that weather conditions were a factor.

M: 07595329158

so, RYANAir Want to save you some money....

The SYNOPSIS of the Incident Report:

The aircraft departed Charleroi Airport on a scheduled flight to Stanstead, UK. Shortly after take
off the First Officer noted that the Captain had leaned to one side and did  not  respond  to
prompting.  Realising that the Captain was incapacitated the First Officer advised Brussels ATC
that he had a pilot incapacitation problem and  requested a return to the departure airfield,
Charleroi.  An Emergency was declared.

http://www.aaiu.ie/sites/default/files/upload/general/5782-0.PDF

Flying Single Pilot will save £10.00 per flight hour, per seat. Now suppose Mr O'Leary kept some of that as additional profit, what would you save? Versus....what it might cost!....i'll be happy to Fly with Mr O, until there is just one.

Andrew Marr - Microlight Flyer!

Re: Pop - Bang - Shudder

Daryl we use this method at work.
T D O D A R

T How much time do we have.
D Diagnosis
O Options
D Desistion
A Actions
R Review

It works, the most important one is the review, failure to finish the review
was a major factor in the Kegworth BMI crash.

Pop - Bang - Shudder

Microlight Formation Take Off

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBDjUCB4DyA&feature=youtube_gdata_player



T: 023 9246 8806
M: 075 9532 9158

Flight Though Cloud - France hmmm

Farway Common

So nice to be back at Farway Common for the first time this year.

Catching up with dear friend and looking thought the logbook offers some perspective, I see my first flight here was on 06-00-2003, just over 9 years ago.

A lot had change, with more change on the Horizon.

To close for comfort!

Take a look and tell me when you can see the other aircraft for the first time from the timing on then video, be honest!

Landing, A great photo, movement, colour with friends as content. Wonderful, simply had to share it! Inspires me to mend soon!

My last thought

This is a picture of my spine, for those of you that know what your looking at, its L2 or Lumber 2 that has a compression fracture. Ouch! After falling backwards off a scaffold onto my backside, I was doing 19mph at impact and the force was around 18g running up the spine which is why L2 is a little busted! I know your impressed with the numbers, alas I can't claim I know these I simply supplied the data to be entered into the formula by my Father in Law Barry, who was a Physics Teacher. 

People have asked what was going though my mind on the way down, well I don't know, I recall slipping, the rest is a blank, the next I know was the pain running through my body like a the noise of a MIG21 taking off, Afterburners on, its all consuming. 

Sitting in the Hospital, thinking about the fall from 10 feet and how much it hurt (s) my mind flips over the flying scenarios, your slowed to 60mph on finals, coming down from circuit heights 1000 feet up, controlling the touch down to be gentle kiss. What happens if you get it very wrong? 10 foot hurts so much, Well 10 foot and 19mph. Perhaps for the first time I am thinking about how much it would hurt falling out of the sky any considerable distance? Would it hurt at all? I guess the trick is to fall so far that there is no waking, falling not far enough would be a disaster. Suddenly I can see why 20mph is a good idea in built up areas, and why doing 40 in a thirty is such a bad idea. 

I am told that the bones will be knitting together in 6 week, which is when Fly France 2012 starts! Here's hoping for any advice that will speed the knitting of the bone? If you have any do let me have it! 

And finally, if your wondering how many bits of my body I can get scanned or X-rayed and posted here, I sincerely hope this is the last! 

UPDATE - October 2012: I did not make Fly France 2012, which was just as well as they ended up in Scotland! The 6 week time frame is only to keep one going, I was hardly moving at 6 weeks, but to hear the news that in another 6 you will be able to walk was a relief, I am still taking painkillers every day, but I am up and about and as you can see from the rest of the blog flying and doing well. 2012 will be a year to forget for me, its time to press ahead! 

At Last! An end to Carb Icing..

On two occasions in my flying I have had bad carb icing, not only does it effect the engine, it stresses the heart too! I will let the good, the great and the brave test the new ECU for a few years before I invest....however, this is a no brainer for me! Even if mine, via the photo evidence on this blog proves that I have one and it goes all the way to the sides ;-)

The Brain of a Microlight Pilot!

I have to do this.....

Chinese Scenes from BASE-Book - Matt Gerdes on Vimeo.