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ROB HUGHES THE HAPPY MEDIUM |
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MYSTIC Meg, eat your heart out: CEO Rob Hughes predicts the future of the BMAA, and tells Giles Fowler how he took up microlighting after an engine failure on his first flight. Respect, El Supremo!
And we didn’t even know he’s a qualified sign language interpreter, not to mention honours degrees in French and German, getting by in Spanish and Swedish, and an O-level in Latin. Which will be handy if he ever goes to Latin America.
ghillster@gmail.com
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WOW, some stunners this month, such as serial photo comp winner and front cover provider Clive Mason, who went up with Flylight’s Paul Dewhurst to get a rather splendid shot with the aid of an Insta360 camera and an invisible long pole held out of the half-open window.
Ben Ashman then Photoshopped Clive’s arm out of the pic. Well, Clive did say he’d give his right arm for a shot like that.
So if you see a one-armed man landing at your airfield, don’t panic: it’s just Clive, and he’s perfectly armless.
Right, I’ve run out of puns for this month, and it’s time for my medication again. Where does the day go? VIEW THE MAY ENTRIES. |
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Wings now with extra zing
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OVER the past nine months a team of dedicated volunteers has been working with BMAA HQ to add more zing to the Wings scheme.
The newer, shinier and even better version of Wings will be launched at this year’s Popham.
The navigation’s been made fairer for slower aircraft, and there are several new courses and lots of other goodies.
Full details from Cath Spence in your next MF.
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Next stop Africa for Mack
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MACK Rutherford, the 16-year-old attempting to become the youngest pilot to fly around the world, had got as far as Heraklion in Greece and was preparing to depart for Alexandria in Egypt as we went to press.
He set off on 23 March from Sofia, Bulgaria, after farewell hugs from his parents Sam, who’s a professional pilot, Beatrice, a private pilot, and 19-year-old sister Zara, who on 20 January became the youngest pilot to fly around the world and the first woman to do it in a microlight.
*Stop press: Mack's big sister Zara won't make it to Popham as hoped due to a diary clash. She and her dad Sam have sent their apologies.
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AS you’ll read in your next MF, US aviation giant Textron, home to the Cessna, Beechcraft, Bell and Lycoming aviation brands, has signed a deal to buy Pipistrel, the innovative microlight and light sport aircraft manufacturer based in Slovenia and Italy.
Paul Bertorelli says it’s the strangest of marriages between one company focused on profit and one on green innovation, but it could accelerate electric aircraft and drone development.
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Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells boycotts Russia
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STUDENT pilot Graham Naismith, from Tunbridge Wells in Kent, and instructor Luke Christophides have dropped Russia from the route of a charity flight in their Skyranger Nynja.
The war in Ukraine forced them to rethink their route, and they’re leaving on 20 April from Kittyhawk Aerodrome in East Sussex for a 7000-mile flight through 26 countries over 35 days.
They’re raising money for YoungMinds, a UK-based suicide prevention charity for young people, and for the International Red Cross Ukraine Appeal.
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APPROACHING too fast then trying to force the aircraft onto the runway can lead to a spot of disastrous porpoising.
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ADRIAN Ambler makes a tidy job of putting his Quantum down safely after the engine stopped on a flight from Wickenby. All a bit exciting for his first-time passenger!
“I always wondered when my ability would be put to the test, but no dramas, we were both safe and the aircraft was fine,” he said.
“Despite the fuel gauge showing I had sufficient fuel for my bimble, the tank was empty, and I‘d become complacent with visual checks of the fuel tank, which won’t happen again.
“I managed to purchase 10 litres of fuel from a local property half a mile walk away, and we got safely back to Wickenby. The passenger loved it, and a cold lager later never tasted so good.”
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“Probably of interest to older members with long memories, as there are many pioneers on here, and many are no longer with us,” he said.
Rather remarkably, Richard Meredith-Hardy looks exactly the same then as today. Now, Richard, about that portrait in the attic…
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Our man Brendan to the rescue
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WHEN Northern Ireland graphic designer Fehin Quinn forgot to bring his laptop cable home, most normal people would hunt through that drawer we all have with spare leads that don’t really fit anything any more.
“Mr Smooth also inspired the next generation of pilots, my kids Alfie and Erynne, as he showed them the controls of his plane,” said Fehin of Nine874 Creative and The Mission Control Communications.
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Tom Drew had a grand day out from Westonzoyland to Sandown in his Quantum 582, recorded his departure via the Needles with his 360 camera, then headed home for tea and medals.
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FLEXWING pilots wear helmets as a matter of course, but not the rest of us. However, it might be worth thinking about, says former MF Editor David Bremner.
“A couple of years ago, my friend Matt Boddington survived a spin from 800ft in his Biggles Biplane at Sywell – here’s the Daily Mail’s take on it. He survived because he was wearing a helmet,” he said.
“Up to that point I’d used a leather helmet in the Bristol Scout to look historically accurate. And cool. But the Shuttleworth pilots all use leather-covered safety helmets, and now I’ve got one too.
“In 2001 or so, I was invited to South Africa to sample a holiday for microlight pilots in return for writing it up in MF.
“We flew weightshifts, and no one used helmets, so I came to the conclusion that the reason we use them in the UK on flexwings is to keep our ears warm.
“But Paul Bertorelli – I’d really like to meet that guy – has dug up some interesting statistics, particularly comparing GA flying with motorcycles.”
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“It’s a kind of inverted Wankel cycle engine, and I guess the designers are looking for more sponsorship,” he said.
“There are a number of interesting YouTube videos; just search for liquid piston engine.
“It’s a simpler engine to the Omega 1, with no high pressure circuit, which means it needs seals and is less efficient but much better than a Wankel engine.” |
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Is there a pilot on board? |
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OK, hands up who’s had the fantasy where you’re on an airliner when the beautiful stewardess comes walking down the aisle with a worried look saying that? All of you? Thought so.
Brushing your carefully waxed moustache, you raise your hand and say: “Well, yes, actually…”
After which you bring the aircraft down, saving the lives of everyone on board, then marry the beautiful stewardess, have 17 children, all called Junior to avoid confusion, and live happily ever after.
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