Plog Blog

With reference to Graham Warwick's article on FAA user fees, what do you think?

I have flown in the US on a number of occasions and was astonished that I was able to obtain an FAA PPL free of charge by presenting my UK CAA licence.  While I remain 'current' in the UK, my US licence will remain valid.  I was so overwhelmed by the mere fact that the FAA were willing to process a licence free of charge, while in the UK it costs a small fortune.  I am sure that this system has changed since the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  I have also been able to change my address with the FAA licensing department online free of charge. 

Generally, I find the attitude of the FAA proactive and friendly towards GA, whereas I sometimes feel that the GA community are a hindrance to the UK CAA.

Is it my imagination, or does the UK CAA charge for many more of its services?  Can this be offset by the tax added to fuel?

Personally, I think that this is a fairer way to divide the cost of aviation.  Using this method of taxation would mean that pilots would be paying at the rate of their fuel burn.  I think that changing this system in the US may impact greatly on GA, and not necessarily for the better.  I am sure that The FAA will have a fight on their hands.

Hello there. My name is Neil Gascoigne and I help with IT product support at Flight's office in Rugby.  Like Kelley, I am a PPL and I hope to add to the blog here.  Hopefully we can do something good and at times be thought-provoking.

So just by way of introduction I thought I had better give you a little background about my flying.  I first flew on a DC-3 when I was 10.  I was sick and this did not directly will me to fly.  However, there was always an unconcious interest in aeroplanes there.  Having had several boring birthdays pass by, at my 24th, I decided that at about ｣50 my parents could afford to send me on a trial lesson.  From there I spent one hour a week self-funding my learning on HR-200 Robins at Wellesbourne near Stratford-upon-Avon.  After 18 months (including a horrible unflyable Winter) I passed the test and was issued with the infamous horrible poo-coloured UK PPL.




After that great expense I searched for cheaper sources of flying.  This led me into group ownership.  I briefly flirted with a Jodel.  However the aircraft was sorely neglected by the group and largely unflown.  When the aircraft ended up being destroyed (no fatalities) it was a god-send that I got out and got most of my money back from the insurance!

I am now in a well-run group with happy circumstances.  We're based around a Maule M5-235 (a proper strong American "airplane") at a private farm strip near Daventry.



Now to the hoary subject of a photo of me.  The editor would like one so I have humbly accepted his wishes.  If it makes you feel ill, please forward any complaints to him!  Here shown is this year's Christmas present to myself, an authentic licence-made Irvin flying jacket.  This is keeping cosy during the cold English months.



So that concludes my first blog here.  Here's to some more - cheers!

American Cub pilots can take their sport to fun extremes.  Here's a short video demonstrating a great landing on a river bed. First the Cub walks on water then stops on a sixpence. Great flying.

Hiya, well I guess I should post something on here! My name is Phil Harris and I am a project manager working on one of Flights new products, ACAS V3.

Since I was little I have had a passion for aircraft. My father, being a keen aircraft enthusiast would take me along on his spotting trips all around the country. Not content with writing down the registrations, I decided it would be much more fun to fly them around. At this age all I could do was read about flying, I would read everything I could get my hands on to do with learning to fly.

When I was 14 I had my first experience in a light aircraft with the air cadets. Having caught the bug, I had my first flying lesson with EMFS at East Midlands Airport in 1998. Initially my first three lessons were ruined by an instructor who was more interested in his new airline job than teaching me to fly a Cessna 152. I almost gave up; however something inside made me press on and I met my new instructor Jason who is now flying for bmibaby. I went solo in 1999 then gained my PPL (SEP) in 2000. Every penny of this training was funded by my part time job at McDonalds. That goes to show that flying, even Group "A", is within every young persons reach.

When my friend Antony joined a university gliding club I couldn't help but investigate. Gliding opened up a totally new area of flying to me. It is incredibly challenging, cheap, exhilarating and has a community associated with it that the Group "A" pilots will never know. Gliding has also immeasurably improved my powered flying; I no longer fear an engine failure in the slightest. I went on to add a motor glider rating to my PPL and now hold a silver badge and two gold legs in gliding as well as giving instruction to new students. I was lucky enough to fly aero tows for the club using their Supermunk tug (think Chipmunk on steroids).

I did however miss the powered flying and colleague Jezz was interested in buying a Skyranger, I decided to try flying one for myself.  As Jezz did not have his PPL at the time, he could not fly the Skyranger to see what she was like. I think that the beaming smile on my face after my demo flight gave Jezz the final confirmation that this would be money well spent. I then of course had to approach Jezz for a share, this was a great little aeroplane and I wanted a piece of the action! Since then we have build our Skyranger, G-JEZZ and have around 80 hours on her. You can see pictures and info on our website www.skyrangerbuild.net.

Kelley blogged about keeping up to speed with one's flying. There are legal minimums and it seems all too many are taking this route following PPL issue. Why is another matter for discussion!

What are the licence revalidation requirements like where you live? JAR (Europe) revalidation rules for the single-engine piston rating state that you have to

i) fly 12 hours in the final second year of your rating and

ii) have an hour's instruction with an instructor.

The current JAR-adopted system in the UK also decrees that the PPL expires every 5 years for which you have to send the CAA a large cheque. Purely a paperwork exercise. Why have it at all?

The flight test for issue of your initial licence is an assessment of your abilities. The revalidation requirements do not intrinsically make the same distinction with regards to ability. The process calls for instructors to make a sort of non-judgement on the ability of a pilot, put a squiggle in their licence then send them off the way for the next two years.

A PPL could in theory having met the minimum requirements go out on the first nice day of the year along with everyone else and muddle their way through the flight, fluffing the RT, getting all too dangerously close to some controlled airspace then execute a poor landing. Others with their heads screwed on should and would adopt an exercise in self-preservation by making sure that they were safe and current beforehand.

What is perhaps worse is that just occasionally incapable, trainee pilots manage to pass their initial flight test and are turned lose. This is true of the worst PPL I have ever met.

We must admit to ourselves that the ab initio flight training system is by no means infalliable . The methods used are tried and testing, some dating back to least WW2 as anyone who has read First Light by Geoff Wellum will be able to identify. Unlike the driving test, you are encouraged to do things for yourself and before the final flight test. Solo landings, land-aways and navigation exercises all help (and they should do after you pass Kelley!). But what should be done for those who just can't it or barely show competance? Do think standards should be made tougher? Or would that further discourage people from flying?

Spot the difference in this picture competition (no prizes for answering mind!).  Those pendantically-minded will know the answer straight away. :)

Click the comments link to post your answer

What is the difference between...

...and

 ?

It may be slightly obvious, but can you guess which airport this is?  You can tell by the weather that it is the UK!

Please feel free to e-mail me your photos, and I will post them on the blog... but be careful, I may run caption competitions.  Kelley.malcher@rati.com

I will be posting a blog about this airport very soon.... but do you know where it is?

I certainly do, especially with that V6 engine rather than the lower powered Jabiru flat-8. Wouldn't it be great to own and fly your own Spitfire, albeit a 80% replica?

Watch this and look at the website.

Confidence is a great trickster.  When you are out of practice, you feel as if though you may never fly as well again or indeed, get back that "flying bug" that compels you to go flying.  Fortunately yesterday's session in the Maule was a very productive hour.  Encouraged by fellow co-owner Steve, I donned silly flying jacket and set off in a string, biting north-easterly amongst an odd cloud formations, often referred to as "cloud streets".

Having not flown for three months, the cobwebs were evident.  Failing to initially keep height through poor trimming, some general handling ensued plus a mental assessment that with cold weather, the engine needed 2 less inches of manifold pressure to maintain my usual crusing speed.

Four adequate into-wind landings at Sywell ensued, for which I was quite happy with considering my lay-off.  Why?  Though maintaining poor circuit pattern, perhaps approaching 5mph too fast and in one case, drifting slightly in the gusty conditions prior to touchdown, I was able to correct and affect a safe landing.  I think I can now jump in the aeroplane and have a fighting chance of being able to get it down again with little drama.  I am still very cagey about crosswinds; there is always the risk of a novice being caught out by a groundloop .  More practice required there...