FLIGHT TEST: STING S4 PILOT PROFILE: AGED 102,

No pun about any ‘sting in the tail’ – BRITAIN’S OLDEST FLYER

This is one superb, ultra-capable microlight MAF co-founder Jack Hemmings

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This is the last edition of Pilot to be published by Kelsey Media. For the May issue onward,
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in editorship nor Pilot’s hugely experienced and long-serving team of contributors.
THE MAY ISSUE WILL BE ON SALE FROM THURSDAY 25 APRIL
British business frustrated
I
must thank the BBGA, the British
Business and General Aviation trade
association, for inviting Pilot to its
excellent annual conference and AGM.
Formed in the merger of GAMTA (the
General Aviation Manufacturers & Traders
Association) with BAUA (the Business
Aviation Users Association) the BBGA is –
if you’ll allow me to mix my metaphors –
the big fish in the alphabet soup pond of
aviation associations. ‘We are the UK’s
influential voice for business and general
aviation,’ says the BBGA on its homepage
and, to judge by its august membership,
generous sponsorship from the industry
and the smart London hotel venue of
the annual conference & AGM, there’s
no reason to doubt its ‘the voice’ claim.
From what was said at the conference,
it’s the influence bit that seems to be
the problem. Certainly, BBGA members
regularly sit down with CAA officials and
lobby MPs, and they no doubt present a
sound, expert case – but how much sway
can you have over people, especially
government ministers, who may neither
understand nor listen? As it was, Aviation
Minister Anthony Browne was unable to
attend, addressing the conference in a
pre-recorded piece that the wag sat next
to me said looked like a hostage video. He
repeated the usual line about making the
UK the best country in the world for GA
through the government’s ‘flightpath to the
future’ but seemed at one point to confuse
VTOL with ‘variable takeoff mass’ aircraft –
which made everyone wonder. I would not
have been moved to pay the ransom.
The conference’s presentations and
panel discussions made it clear that a
previous Aviation Minister’s arbitrary post-
Brexit decision, against BBGA counsel, to
immediately leave the European Union
Aviation Safety Agency has caused
dire problems in both regulation and
commerce. As we know from its evident
inability to process licence applications in
reasonable time (or at times even correctly)
the CAA, shrunken and de-skilled after
years of being a branch office of the
European body, was just not able to
cope – and from what was confirmed at
Preflight
the conference,
is only now
catching up.
Less widely
appreciated is
that the go-it-
alone action denied
operators of UK-
registered aircraft access to
PHOTO: DARREN HARBAR
EGNOS – 3D satellite navigation with 95%
coverage over Europe. This matters not
just to business and relatively rare private
IFR operation but to all of us because, as
the CAA representatives conceded, even
helimed patient outcomes have been
affected through crews being unable to
take advantage of the reduced minima and
enhanced safety inherent in EGNOS kit.
It gets worse: the Permit to Travel
protocol that replaced the relative freedom
in flying between EU countries means that
Air Operator Certificate operations (air taxis
and all that) are subject to notice, which
means on-demand trips are no longer
possible. And you cannot transfer British
aircraft on a CAA Airworthiness Review
Certificate to any EU register – no wonder
UK registrations are declining.
I could go on citing this kind of stuff from
my notes – at one point I made a remark
to self that in saying “we are getting used
to the post-Brexit situation”, the poor
old CAA (hard-pressed by ministers, its
officials do have some of my sympathy)
is unconsciously likening Britain to a man
who has deliberately chopped off half his
fingers managing again to get a tune out of
his old fiddle.
However, balancing up the doom and
gloom were inspirational speakers from
abroad, including Erik Lindbergh (grandson
of Charles) and Norwegian electric
seaplane entrepreneur Erik Lithun – and
the determined optimism shown by BBGA
CEO Marc Bailey. People like these have
put their all into aviation – let’s hope their
ambition prevails.
Philip Whiteman, Editor
pilotweb.aero I Pilot April 2024 3
 April
2024
COVER PHOTO: CHALMERS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY/DANIEL KARLSSON

Basing its detailed study on the

Pipistrel Velis Electro, Chalmers
University shows how green an
electric aircraft really is

58
ON THE

PHOTO: KAREN GRIMSTEAD

COVER
14 Electric aircraft
myths – and facts
Chalmers University of Technology
Fair stood the wind for France Seen here in 1947 at the controls
in Sweden has conducted the first (but less so on the way home!) of the Mildmay Pathfinder, Mission
ever study on the environmental Accompanied by his Champ, with his Aviation Fellowship co-founder
impact of an electric aircraft wife on board and flown by a friend, Jack Hemmings is still flying at
over its entire life cycle. The Bob Grimstead heads for La Baule the grand old age of 102
conclusions are revealing!

Features
20 Flight Test:
TL-Ultralight Sting S4
The only ‘sting in the tail’ that it’s a
microlight – and a very fine one at
that! Fast and featuring airliner-style
instrumentation and an autopilot,
it’s hard to fault

38
38 Pilot Profile
MAF’s old, bold aviator
The old saw would have it there’s
no such thing, but RAF veteran
PHOTO: MAF

Jack Hemmings survived WWII

escapades to co-found the Mission
Aviation Fellowship

4 Pilot April 2024 I pilotweb.aero


Regulars
6 Pilot Notes
FAA allows Velis Electro to be used for
pilot training in USA, Bicester’s owners
ask what better location could there
be for a 2024 vertiport and test centre
than one of Britain’s best-preserved
historic grass airfields…
9 Airfields
… Llanbedr Airfield, Snowdonia
Aerospace Centre would surely respond
10 Flight Training
IFA Portugal orders Pipistrel Velis
Electros for its training fleet (maybe
you see a theme here – Ed) Goodwood
commemorates Rob Wildeboer with
2024 flying scholarships
13 Rotorheads
Hot on the heels of Production
Organisation Approval, eVTOL
manufacturer Volocopter becomes
an Approved Training Organisation
14 Notes Special
Is it really that green? Eugenio Facci
Contents
PHOTO: KEITH WILSON
Fast and featuring airliner-style instrumentation and an autopilot,
the new TL-Ultralight Sting S4 is a near-perfect aircraft
quizzes Chalmers University of 48 Old Timers
Technology about its pioneering study Pilot’s comprehensive round-up of
on the environmental impact of an events in the vintage aviation world
electric aircraft over its entire life cycle
65 QFI Logbook
18 New Regs The top fifteen student failings
Monthly look at what’s being registered,
reregistered and deregistered 68 Safety Matters
Other people’s incidents and accidents
31 The Cooper Column we can all draw lessons from
The CAA is ignoring our concerns
about Electronic Conspicuity 70 Calendar
All the aviation events, listed
33 Airmail by location
Let us know what you think (and maybe
win a presentation pair of bottles of 81 ILAFFT
Pan Am gin and vodka) How long to hold? Consternation
in Kazakhstan
37 PTT column
Test flying an ex-ATC Kirby Cadet
Mk.III converted into a single-seat
motor glider
47 Airways
Bars and beers: a significant part of
the intercontinental pilot’s life was
@Pilot_mag Pilotmagazine
traditionally spent rehydrating
pilotweb.aero I Pilot April 2024 5
 Notes
The latest news from the world of general aviation

NOTABLE NOTES NOTABLE NOTES NOTABLE NOTES

Dawn to Dusk plans?
Pooley’s all-in-one-day
flying adventure competition
is now in its sixtieth year.
Time you entered?
Hangar Homes halted...
... at Lee on Solent, at least.
The developer hopes his other
p8 Aeroparks will prove the
planning inspector wrong
Are electric aircraft green?
The claims, myths and facts
are explored in a ‘special’
p9 by Eugenio Facci. The
conclusions may surprise you p14

FAA allows Velis Electro to be used

for Sport Pilot Certificate training in the USA
With its low noise and low
direct operating costs, the
Pipistrel Velis Electro is
well suited to flight training
in the immediate airport
PHOTO: KEITH WILSON
environment, but FAA rules
have precluded its use as
a trainer. In a significant
development for electric
aircraft, the FAA recently
granted several exemptions
to Light Sport rules that will
allow the Velis Electro to be
used for flight training.
Already certified in
Europe, the Electro was
specifically designed as a
low-cost training platform,
but in the USA existing
rules require that LSA have
reciprocating engines. The
main exemption allows the
use of electric propulsion,
other exemptions allow
students and instructors
to log time in the aircraft.
These exemptions will be
limited to 350 examples,
starting at serial number
150. Kriya Shortt, CEO of
Textron’s eAviation
segment (Textron owns
Pipistrel – Ed.) said “we are
thankful to the FAA for its
support in bringing more
opportunities for electric

aviation to the United

States”. For longer lessons
and those teaching engine
management skills, students
will continue to train in
US Light Sport Aircraft rules had hitherto excluded even certified electric aircraft conventional aircraft.

NATS consults on ‘user pays’ funding model

The UK’s principal provider of
air traffic control services NATS,
has published a consultation on
the provision of a scheme called
OpenAir. Basically, it is a proposing
a service that will deliver the CAA’s
airspace modernisation program
and integrate new airspace users
such as delivery drones and eVTOL
services in UK airspace. NATS is
also proposing a ‘user pays’ funding
model, which could lead to private
pilots having to pay for a service
created by NATS to facilitate the
needs of new airspace users,
(essentially, the nascent drone
industry). The document details
the timetable for the consultation,
which concludes with a final NATS
proposal being submitted in Q2 of
2025 to the CAA.
Pilot will be tracking this story
closely, as it could end badly
for GA.

6 Pilot April 2024 I pilotweb.aero

 Notes

Vertiport planned for Bicester…

Skyports has signed an network planning and The ‘strategic’ location of hubs’. By air taxi, the same
agreement to develop demonstrations’. The the UK vertiport at Bicester, journey to/from London will
the UK’s first vertiport company aims to open approximately 1hr 40min take less than 25 minutes,
testbed at Bicester Airfield its doors by the end of drive from central London it is claimed. The terminal
in Oxfordshire. The new 2024. The design, which by road and close to Oxford will house a dedicated
vertiport, which will include has been submitted to and the Cotswolds, will passenger lounge and
a compact 160sq m Cherwell District Council, ‘demonstrate how air taxi passenger processing
passenger terminal, is has drawn inspiration from services may provide a vital facilities. The operations
claimed to be ‘a critical existing Skyports testbeds link between urban centres, room will be equipped with
facility for testing ground in Paris and California. regional, tourism and retail Skyports’ suite of Vertiport
infrastructure and flight Automation System (VAS)
operations [that] will technology, which will
play a significant role include a ‘situational
in enabling the next awareness module’ to
generation of electric, low provide visualisation
noise aviation in the UK’. tools for ‘comprehensive
PHOTO: SKYPORTS

The vertiport will be airspace and vertiport

positioned to the south perimeter monitoring’. The
of the existing general airside area will comprise
aviation grass runways a single final approach
and will serve as ‘a key What better location could there be for a 2024 vertiport than and takeoff area,
node for early vertiport one of Britain’s best-preserved historic grass airfields? and one stand.

… while Finest Hour decamps to Yarmouth

Having been evicted from its Bicester
base, Finest Hour Experiences has
moved its operation to the recently
re-opened Yarmouth Heliport,
at North Denes Airfield in Great
Yarmouth. Finest Hour offers hands-
on flying experiences above East
Anglia from the cockpit of vintage
aircraft, including a Tiger Moth.
North Denes Airfield served
oil and gas platforms off the East
Anglian coast for more than half a
century but closed in 2015, after
helicopter operator CHC started
flying from Norwich Airport. It was put
up for sale in 2017, and reopened
last year as Yarmouth Heliport.
A Finest Hour Experiences
spokesperson said “we’re very
pleased to announce that our new
home is Yarmouth Heliport in Norfolk.
We’re really looking forward to offering
the opportunity for our customers
to fly from such a fantastic location
and re-introducing professional
vintage and aerobatic aviation to
this beautiful part of the world.”

Farewell to two old friends in aviation

Everyone at Pilot was saddened to
hear of the death of David Cockburn
on 7 January. Born in Glasgow, David
was awarded an RAF scholarship,
and by the age of seventeen held
a PPL and was a keen soaring pilot.
After joining the RAF, he flew Varsity
transports and then Vulcan bombers,
and also became the chief flying
instructor at his local RAF GSA club –
the first of many such CFI posts that
he would hold at both gliding and
power flying clubs. Later in his
Air Force career he instructed on
Canberras and Jet Provosts. In
Germany he flew Chipmunks on
secret reconnaissance missions
around Berlin during the Cold War.
David joined the UK CAA in 1999
as Safety Promotion Officer, offering
and publishing safety advice and
giving presentations at clubs and flying
schools around the UK – a role he
fulfilled with enthusiasm and dedication
for over fifteen years. His excellent
work in the field of flight safety was
recognised with awards from both UK
AOPA and GAPAN (which became the
Honourable Company of Air Pilots, of
which he was a Liveryman). He also
sat on several EASA and CAA working
groups and was a major contributor to
the General Aviation Navigation Group
of the Royal Institute of Navigation.
One of the most influential
proponents of flight safety in the UK
over the last 25 years, he will be much
missed.
Alan Chalkley, vintage Piper Cub
enthusiast and pilot, died recently. A
former BA captain – he always said the
Boeing 747 was his favourite aircraft,
ranking it above J3 Cub G-ASPS, that
he owned for several decades – Alan
was a founder member of both the
Vintage Aircraft Club (VAC) and the
Vintage Piper Aircraft Club. Writing
under the pseudonym ‘John Beeswax’,
he reported on vintage flying activities
for the PFA’s Popular Flying journal for
many years.

pilotweb.aero I Pilot April 2024 7

Notes

Women Go Gliding Weekend
The British Gliding Association (BGA)
has announced that its ‘Women Go
Gliding Weekend’ will take place
on 27 and 28 April 2024. The aim
of the initiative is to introduce more
women and their companions to
gliding by providing a friendly and
informative welcome at gliding clubs
and offering them some flying on the
day at an attractive price. Clubs that
have already signed up to participate
include Banbury, Bannerdown,
Buckminster, Bristol & Glos, Bognor
Regis, Burn, Cambridge, Dartmoor,
ILLUSTRATION: BGA
Airworthiness
Directive for
PT-6 turbine
engine
Possibly the world’s most
popular turboprop engine,
Pratt & Whitney Canada’s PT-6
was recently the subject of an
Airworthiness Directive (AD)
issued by Transport Canada.
The AD addresses one in-
service report of Second Stage
Power Turbine (PT2) blade

Deeside, Devon & Somerset, failure and two failures during

The British Gliding Association is keen to
promote female involvement in the sport
Dorset, Edgehill, Essex & Suffolk,
Herefordshire, Lasham, London,
Mendip, Midland, Nene Valley, Oxford,
Peterborough & Spalding, Portsmouth
Naval, Rattlesden and Yorkshire.
tests. The AD states, ‘P&WC
is still investigating the root
cause of the blade failures,
but preliminary investigation
determined that the power
turbine modules in all event
engines contained newly

Dawn to Dusk opens for entries manufactured Part Number (P/N)

The 2024 Pooleys International Dawn
to Dusk Competition has opened for
entries. Now in its sixtieth year, the
competition provides ‘the opportunity
to further your flying, to expand your
horizons and to give you the excuse
you need to have the flying adventure
you have always wanted to have,’
according to a statement from Pooleys,
which continued ‘established by the
late Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip
and the Tiger Club, the objective of the
airmanship and to demonstrate the
capabilities of pilot and machine in a
day’s flying, in the hours between dawn
and dusk, whilst undertaking an original
and praiseworthy objective. Entry is
free and simple. All that is required is
for the competitor to set themselves a
challenging goal with a theme and fly
it. You then need to write up a log of
your preparations and flight. The judges
enjoy seeing photographs from your
flight and if you wish to include a video,
3056693-01 blades from the
same raw material. In all cases,
the blades had accumulated less
than 25 hours flight time since
new. Failure of PT2 blades could
lead to engine power loss or
in-flight shut down, potentially
resulting in reduced control of
the aeroplane.’
The PT6 has been in
continuous production since it
entered service sixty years ago,
and is used in many different

PHOTO: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA

Dawn to Dusk is to encourage the most please do.’ aircraft types, including the
interesting employment of a manned The deadline for entries is 30 Beechcraft King Air, Cessna
aircraft within the limits of competent September 2024 Caravan, Pilatus PC-12, and
TBM 960, while the turboshaft

TL Ultralight fully ‘on-Stream’ version powers many

Well-known Czech
aircraft manufacturer TL
Ultralight is continuing
to add to its product
line. Around 750 of its
popular Sting and Sirius
have been sold (see
p.20 for a full flight test
PHOTO: TL ULTRALIGHTS
of the latest Sting S4)
while its Stream tandem
two-seat retractable is
currently undergoing
UK acceptance tests
in the capable hands
of Dan Griffith.
The two-seat side-
helicopters.
by-side retractable The AD has been promulgated
Sparker has just been in Britain by the CAA.
returned to TL from
BRNO University,
where it successfully
completed their flutter
test program, allowing
the Czech LAA to issue
a Permit to Test. The UK
importers, TL Sting UK
Ltd have applied to the

BMAA for the Sparker

to be considered for
UK approval and will
The PT-6 turbine engine has been in
submit TL Ultralight’s continuous production since it entered
test data as soon as service sixty years ago
they become available.

8 Pilot April 2024 I pilotweb.aero

 first eVTOL vertiport facility the electric charging system

Airfields
following newly introduced
CAA guidelines last month,
aimed at developing the
framework for the forthcoming
Advanced Air Mobility
(AAM) market. The SLiNK-
What’s happening at our TECH vertiport portal will
airfields, aerodromes & airports support automated takeoff
and landing, and terminal
area manoeuvring of drones
and eVTOL aircraft. SLiNK-
and the vertiport, along
with its existing Permanent
Airspace Danger Area and in-
house Air Navigation Service
Provision (ANSP), will position
the centre as the premier
flight test centre for eVTOLs
in the UK.
In a related story, Aerovolt
recently installed a charging
point for electric aircraft

Llanbedr goes electric TECH is also in discussion

with policy experts from the
at Devon’s Dunkeswell
aerodrome. The charger –

with Aerovolt CAA to use the vertiport to

Llanbedr-based Snowdonia
Aerospace Centre, which
claims to be the UK’s
leading large-scale drone –
and soon to be eVTOL –
testing facility, has selected
Aerovolt to provide multiple
charging systems for electric
aircraft. Aerovolt installed
its certified smart charging
system, working to the
AS6968 protocol currently
used by several certified
capture eVTOL noise and
which can also be used by
electric cars - uses a new
installations for electric rotor downwash data, as part energy storage system called
aircraft, several of which are of certification testing for this Allye, as Dunkeswell’s rural
already completed. These new class of air vehicle. location means a limited grid
chargers will allow electric The operators of supply. Dunkeswell will soon
aircraft systems, manned and Snowdonia Aerospace Centre have a Pipistrel Velis Electro
unmanned, to use point to claim that the combination of available for trial flights.
point flying and recharging
across the UK, widely
expanding their mission
scope and operational ability.
The Snowdonia installation
will also feature the UK’s first
thermal runaway detection

and in-development aircraft
worldwide, in early March.
Aerovolt is currently engaged
with nearly seventy regional
and medium sized UK
airports on smart charging
PHOTO: AEROVOLT
system for airside charging
facilities, using a bespoke
wireless thermal monitoring
and alarm system.
The owners of the centre Snowdonia Aerospace Centre is positioning Llanbedr Airfield to
are also planning the UK’s become the premier flight test centre in the UK for eVTOL

Solent Aeropark Hangar Homes TVR chooses

planning appeal dismissed Thruxton
The continued Solent Aeropark saga understand what this is all about, Well-known sports car manufacturer
PHOTO: HANGAR HOMES

took another turn recently, when the
planning appeal was dismissed by
the planning inspector for a number
of ‘spurious’ reasons. Hangar
Homes boss Peter Day told Pilot,
“the planning inspector just did not
Hangar Homes claim that nine new aviation-
related businesses would help to safeguard
the airport and make it more sustainable
so rather than fight the appeal in
court, I have decided to concentrate
on getting Enniskillen and hopefully
the Isle of Man Aeroparks ‘under my
belt’, so that concerns about safety
and security, noise and road traffic
can be shown to be non-issues in a
future planning application.
“Also,” he added, “there will be
a new leader of the Council, and
probably many new Councillors in
a few months, so they may take a
different view about Solent Aeropark.
After all, what is there not to like
about having nine new aviation-
related businesses that would help
to safeguard the airport and make
it more sustainable, plus the capital
and income derived from them?”
TVR has announced it has chosen
Thruxton Race Circuit and Aerodrome
as the location for a new European
Development and Brand Centre.
Thruxton, the UK’s fastest track with a
rich heritage in motorsports, emerged
as the ideal location for TVR’s base,
replacing its current facilities in Surrey.
The selection was not only driven
by the location’s proximity to the track,
but also by its historical significance in
motorsports. One of the pivotal factors
influencing TVR’s decision was the
local skilled employment demographic,
Thruxton’s surrounding community
offering a pool of talent with expertise
relevant to TVR’s operations. How
or whether this will affect aviation at
Thruxton remains to be seen.

pilotweb.aero I Pilot April 2024 9

Airfields / Flight Training
Historic Old Sarum hangar collapses
Lack of space in the Spring issue
prevented us from reporting that
January’s Storm Isha destroyed one of
three Grade II listed hangars built by
German prisoners of war at Old Sarum
airfield during WWI.
Sarah Champion from the Save Old
Sarum campaign, said “It is absolutely
devastating. The hangar was on Historic
England’s ‘at risk’ register in November
Flight training
News from the clubs, schools & ATOs
IFA buys Pipistrels, adds electric aircraft to
its training fleet
Portugal-based
International Flight
Academy has ordered
seven new Pipistrel
trainers in a deal worth
€2.1m. Two of the
PHOTO: KEITH WILSON
aircraft will be the Velis
Electro, the first electric
aircraft certified by
EASA, and the other
five are the Explorer
model, also from
Pipistrel. With this
New Chief Flying Instructor for Aerobility
Aerobility has appointed former
RAF pilot Al Rosser as its new Chief
Flying Instructor and Service Delivery
Director. A hugely experienced pilot,
his aviation career began when he
joined the Royal Air Force straight
after leaving school. After three tours
with 216 Sqn flying Lockheed TriStars
and a tour as an instructor on the
Bulldog at Liverpool University Air
Squadron, he left the RAF to work for
Marshall Aerospace, where he flew
C-130 Hercules on post-maintenance
test flights and was an instructor at the
Flying Club. For the last 15 years he
10 Pilot April 2024 I pilotweb.aero
2020 so they have been aware of this,
and we have been trying to highlight it
constantly. It is incredibly disappointing
that the hangar has fallen down
through neglect.”
In a statement, Salisbury City Council
said ‘the collapse of Hangar 3 at
Old Sarum Airfield is a disaster long
predicted by those who have been
campaigning to save this Grade II listed
Two of the seven Pipistrels ordered by IFA Portugal are Velis
Electros
worked in business aviation, managing
and flying Challengers and PC-12s.
Al decided to apply for the position
at Aerobility because “I’ve always
enjoyed instructing, and this seemed
like an excellent opportunity to use
my skills in a positive way that would
benefit the charity”. “I grew up with my
mum suffering from Multiple Sclerosis,”
he added “and it left an indelible mark
upon the way I speak to and interact
with disabled people. I appreciate that
everyone has something to give and
that a disability never defines anyone.
“I am looking forward to carrying
building… Legal action must be taken to
salvage and restore it’.
Old Sarum airfield dates back to 1917,
is one of just three surviving WWI grass
airfields and has been the epicentre
of a major planning disagreement for
years. The owner wants to build houses
on part of the site and has proposed
several schemes, all of which have been
rejected by Wiltshire County Council.
investment IFA will
increase its fleet of
aircraft, which also
includes aeroplanes
from Cessna, Grumman
and Liberty, to 27. The
company owns two
state-of-the-art advanced
flight simulators: an
ALSIM ALX (for SEP
and MEP instrument
flight training) and a
Simnest Airbus A320.
on the great work already done and
seeing it through the next ten years
of development as we grow the
charity’s presence across the UK; this
will encompass even greater reach to
disabled people who would benefit
from the magic of flight in their lives.”
Aerobility CEO Mike Miller-Smith
commented, “with his passion for
aviation and many years of experience,
I know that Al is going to be a
fantastic addition to the team.” He will
be mainly based at the charity’s
headquarters at Blackbushe Airport
on the Hampshire and Surrey border.
 Flight Training

Goodwood announces TUI fly Belgium launches

2024 Rob Wildeboer
flying scholarships
Since 2022, Goodwood
Flying School has offered
scholarships named
after its very popular and
much-missed manager,
who died in 2021 after a
sudden illness. Designed
to help students on their
own aviation journeys,
2024 MPL cadet programme
scholarships this year,
and we hope that we can
continue this for many
years to come.”
The four scholarships
available for 2024 will
give two people ten
hours training in a Cessna
172, and two people

these scholarships have
been made possible by
generous donations from
the community. Melanie
Wright, Flying School
Operations Manager, says
“thank you to everyone
who has kindly donated
towards our scholarships.
Since we launched,
we have raised an
incredible £25,000 and
helped fifteen students.
We’re delighted that
we can offer four more
PHOTO: GOODWOOD
five hours training in the
school’s Piper Super
Cub. In addition to the
scholarships, Pooleys
Flight Equipment has
donated several PPL/
LAPL course training
books to support the
successful candidates.
To apply for a Rob
Wildeboer Scholarship,
please email scholarship
@goodwood.com
explaining in no more
than 500 words which
scholarship you would
like to apply for and why,
and include brief details
of any previous flying
experience. All applicants
must be at least sixteen
years old and hold or
CAE hosts the assessment using its B7373 sim based in Brussels
TUI fly Belgium has opened
its 2024 multi pilot licence
(MPL) cadet pilot programme,
The training programme,
which is designed to turn
new recruits into 737 first
officers within nineteen
months, is also open to
applicants with little or no
previous aviation experience.
Candidates must be
a citizen of the EU and
available to start training in
September 2024. However,
unlike TUI Airways’ existing
fully-funded UK cadet pilot
training programme, cadets
must pay €54,000 towards
PHOTO: CAE
Other stages in the process
include a TUI Group online
HR call, so the carrier can get
to know applicants better
and best assess their level of
motivation and suitability for
the MPL training course.
Candidates who progress
beyond this first stage
can then expect a face-to-
face interview plus group
assessment with one of
the airline’s crew resource
management (CRM)
instructors at its Zaventem
base, then a 737 simulator
assessment hosted by CAE
in Brussels. Candidates

To remember and honour
its late manager Rob
Wildeboer, Goodwood
Flying School offers several
scholarships every year
be capable of obtaining
the appropriate aviation
medical. Scholarships
are only applicable for
training at Goodwood
Flying School, all training
must be completed
during 2024. The
deadline is 14 April 2024.
their training. A significant
sum, but one that the carrier
claims is ‘30-40% lower than
alternatives’.
Applicants must first pass
TUI’s cadet pilot online
assessment process. This
features tests of English,
verbal reasoning, logical
reasoning, and numeracy.
who clear this hurdle will
then have to pass a board
interview, followed by
an online psychological
assessment. This consists of
a personality questionnaire,
cognitive reasoning test, and
a video interview. A hiring
decision is made at this point.
Applications close on 1 May.

Latvian airline airBaltic expands

National flag carrier
airBaltic has announced
it will use its Riga training
academy to train pilots
world. Having confirmed
an incremental order for
an additional 30 A220-
300s, this new order will
PHOTO: AIRBUS

for its rapidly expanding take the airline’s total

fleet. The airline already
operates a 44-strong
fleet of A220-300s,
making it the largest
A220-300 operator in the
firm orderbook to eighty
aircraft. According to the
company, around a quarter
The Latvian flag carrier is the largest A220-300 operator in
of its pilots graduated from the world, and around 25% of its pilots graduated from the
the airBaltic pilot academy. airBaltic pilot academy

pilotweb.aero I Pilot April 2024 11

2024 Students Wanted

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 Rotorheads
The latest news from the world of rotary-wing and eVTOL aviation
Volocopter wins production & training approvals
Volocopter has announced
that it has now been
granted Approved Training
Organisation (ATO) status by
the German Federal aviation
office (Luftfahrtbundesamt or
LBA) through its subsidiary,
Volocopter Air Services.
This certification allows
Volocopter to train pilots for
its future products and makes
the company the first electric
vertical takeoff and landing
(eVTOL) aircraft developer
to become an ATO.
As part of the approval, the
company will now work to
finalise the training program
for its electric VoloCity aircraft
in close cooperation with the
LBA. This is in preparation
for the commercial launch
of electric air taxis later this
year, implementing newly
published EASA regulations
Sikorsky plans to put a HEX on the tilt-wing market
Sikorsky has unveiled
plans to build, test and fly
a hybrid-electric vertical
takeoff and landing
demonstrator (HEX/
VTOL) with a tilt-wing
configuration. The design
is the first in a series of
PHOTO: SIKORSKY
The HEX is Sikorsky’s hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and
landing demonstrator
applicable to the operation
and pilot licensing of eVTOL
aircraft. Being awarded
ATO status is an important
step towards receiving an
Air Operator Certificate –
which will allow the company
to operate eVTOL aircraft
commercially, once the
VoloCity aircraft receives
type certification, which is
expected later this year.
The company also
announced another
significant milestone last
month, when it confirmed
it has received Production
Organisation Approval (POA)
from the LBA, allowing it to
commence serial production
of the VoloCity eVTOL at
its two new production and
hangar facilities in Bruchsal,
Germany. Volocopter is
the world’s first and only
large, ‘next generation’
VTOL aircraft — ranging
from more traditional
helicopters to winged
configurations — which will
feature varying degrees
of electrification, and
an advanced autonomy
Hot on the heels of Production Organisation Approval, Volocopter
has now become an Approved Training Organisation
eVTOL company to hold
both Design Organisation
Approval (DOA) and POA.
Volocopter received EASA’s
DOA in 2019, followed
by the initial POA in 2021
with the acquisition of DG
Flugzeugbau. Volocopter
now has full authority
system for optionally-
piloted flight.
Sikorsky President Paul
Lemmo said, “autonomy
and electrification will
bring transformational
change to flight safety
and operational efficiency
of large VTOL aircraft.
Our HEX demonstrator
program will provide
valuable insights as we
look to a future family
of aircraft built to the
scale and preferred
configurations relevant to
commercial and military
customers.” According
to the company, the
HEX program will put a
premium on greater than
500 nautical mile range
pilotweb.aero
PHOTO: VOLOCOPTER
to design and produce
the VoloCity in-house
and has entered the pre-
serial production stage
of manufacturing. The
aircraft will operate under
EASA’s SC-VTOL (Special
Condition VTOL) enhanced
certification category.
at high speed, fewer
mechanical systems to
reduce complexity, and
lower maintenance costs.
In partnership with
GE Aerospace, Sikorsky
Innovations, the
company’s prototyping
group, is finalising designs
to build a hybrid-electric
power systems test
item, using a 600kW
electric motor. This is the
first step in evaluating
hover performance
of the follow-on HEX
demonstrator — a 4,100kg
maximum gross weight
aircraft with 1.2MW-
class turbogenerator
and associated power
electronics.
I Pilot April 2024 13
 Electric aircraft claims, myths and facts
The study by Chalmers University of Technology assessed the environmental impact of a Pipistrel Alpha Electro over its entire life,
including production and disposal of the batteries
You have probably heard the
argument: electric aircraft actually
pollute a lot, because it takes a lot
of energy to build the batteries and
it is a problem to dispose of them
when exhausted. But is that true?
Now answers are beginning to
emerge: Rickard Arvidsson, Anders
Nordelöf, and Selma Brynolf of
Chalmers University of Technology
in Sweden have conducted the first
ever study on the environmental
impact of an electric aircraft over its
entire life cycle. Contributing editor
Eugenio Facci sat down with the
study’s lead author, Rickard Arvidsson,
to discuss their conclusions.
Q: Typical criticism of electric
aircraft includes claims that ‘it takes
a lot of energy to build a battery’,
‘disposing of a used battery has
a large environmental impact’
and ‘you end up polluting more
14 Pilot April 2024 I pilotweb.aero
than a piston engine’. What did
you actually find in your study?
A: We found that the environmental
impact of an electric aircraft,
considering all the different phases
in its whole life cycle, is still lower
than that of a fossil fuel-powered
one. The electric aircraft has a higher
environmental impact at the beginning
of its life due to specific factors
during production. However, as the
aircraft begins to fly, the benefits of
electric propulsion start to kick in,
and as it reaches a quarter of its life
the electric aircraft becomes more
environmentally friendly. By the end of
its life the electric aircraft will have had
a much smaller carbon footprint than
the piston-engined one (reduced by
roughly 60% - Ed). This is true despite
the need to produce of replacement
batteries, which happens a couple
of times during the useful life of
the electric aircraft. The longer the
PHOTO: CHALMERS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY/DANIEL KARLSSON
lifetime, the greater the benefit of the
electric aircraft. So, even considering
production and disposal of the
batteries, the electric aircraft is much
better in terms of both climate change
and particulate matter emissions.
So, this is good news. However, your
study is based on an aircraft using
electricity from renewable sources.
At the moment only about one third
of the UK’s electricity comes from
renewables. Is it still better here, in
terms of sustainability, to fly electric?
Yes, even in this case, it is still better to
fly electric. We can say that because
we also evaluated the aircraft against
the average 2019 EU electricity mix,
which had roughly twice the carbon
intensity of the current (2023) UK
electricity mix. In that case, the electric
aircraft become environmentally
preferable after about half of its
expected lifetime. An electric aircraft

running on UK electricity would
thus become more beneficial than a
corresponding fossil fuel-based aircraft
after somewhere between a quarter
and a half of its expected lifetime.
Was building/disposing of a battery
perhaps a lot less sustainable
in the past? Have there been
serious improvements recently
that have tilted the balance?
Yes, early studies of environmental
impacts of battery production,
specifically of the lithium-ion
batteries used in electric
aircraft and elsewhere,
typically reported
We based our study on the
higher [production] Pipistrel Alpha Electro two-seater
energy intensity and
environmental impacts. These
studies considered smaller industrial
production of lithium-ion batteries,
which was less energy efficient per unit
of output. Currently, lithium-ion batteries
are produced in larger, so-called
gigafactories, with annual outputs at
more than one gigawatt hour. This
has led to notably lower impact per
kilowatt hour of energy storage in
batteries. [Technology for] the disposal
of batteries has not yet changed as
rapidly, but also does not contribute
as much to their life-cycle impact.
On which aircraft did you base
the study, and how did you collect
the data?
PHOTO: CHALMERS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY/DANIEL KARLSSON
Rickard Arvidsson of Chalmers University
was the lead researcher of the study,
which he carried out with Anders Nordelöf
and Selma Brynolf
We based our study on the Pipistrel
Alpha Electro two-seater, one of
the earliest available all-electric
aircraft. Much of the data on the
composition and use of the aircraft
was kindly provided by Pipistrel.
Regarding the production of important
components, we relied largely on
previous studies done at Chalmers
University of Technology regarding,
for example, lithium-ion batteries,
electric motors and inverters. For
production of everyday items such as
aluminium, we relied on the world’s
largest LCA (Life Cycle Assessment)
database, called Ecoinvent.
While an electric aircraft is more
sustainable than a piston-engined
one, you also found that it is worse in
terms of ‘mineral resource scarcity’,
meaning that it uses rare materials
that are fairly difficult to source
and produce on an industrial scale.
So, do we have enough minerals to
convert all cars and small aeroplanes
to electric propulsion? And exactly
which minerals are we talking about?
We are mainly talking about the metals
lithium, nickel and cobalt, used in the
cathode of the battery. In the short
term, the demand for these metals is
likely to increase, mainly due to the
The Alpha Electro is powered by two large batteries, one in front and one behind the
cockpit
Notes
electrification of the car fleet (which
will be by far the main driver). In
particular, it is already estimated that
demand for lithium will reach current
production capacity by 2030, and
some estimations suggest the same
for cobalt. Some studies regarding
lithium indicate that we actually
have enough of the raw material,
but that the real problem lies in our
ability to extract it and process it in
large quantities. The infrastructure
to do that does not exist yet.
In addition, there is a high
uncertainty related
to such projections.
For example, there
are other battery
technologies under
development that do not require the
same set of metals, including lithium-
iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries that
contain lithium but no cobalt or nickel,
and sodium-ion batteries without any
of these metals. While the lithium-
nickel-manganese-cobalt batteries
considered in our LCA seem to be the
currently preferred choice for electric
aircraft, it is difficult to foresee if that
will also be the case in the future.
Does this mean that we will need to
pay a lot more for those minerals,
and would this have a large
impact on the cost of operating
an electric aeroplane (or car)?
Metal prices do not reflect the scarcity
PHOTO: CHALMERS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY/DANIEL KARLSSON
pilotweb.aero I Pilot April 2024 15
Notes

risk indicated by the LCA results,
and they do not even reflect the
possibility of shortages within the
next few years. Rather, metal prices
reflect the supply-and-demand
balance as it stands today. How
metal prices will change in the future
is therefore difficult to foresee, and
so is the effect on battery prices. As
mentioned before, there are battery
technologies under development
that avoid some of the battery
metals for which high demand
might become a problem. These
battery technologies might come
to the rescue if some metal prices
grow high. Also, prices of lithium-
ion batteries have gone down as
production has increased, which is
a common historical phenomenon
seen for many products. There is
reason to believe that the same
would happen to electric aircraft
given increased production levels,
which would counteract potential
increases in battery metal prices.
In your study, you also found
that, if battery capacity were
to be doubled, electric aircraft
would use the same amount
of rare minerals as piston-
engined aircraft, effectively
eliminating the problem. But will
we be able to double battery
capacity and, if so, by when?
Predicting battery performance
over time is challenging, but there
has been a steady increase in the
performance of the lithium-ion
batteries studied over time, both
regarding life and how much energy
they can store. It seems likely that
such developments will continue,
and Pipistrel reports that the
batteries in its next electric aircraft
already have three times longer life.
There are also battery technologies
under development that focus on
achieving higher performance, such
as lithium-sulphur batteries, that might
achieve much higher energy storage
capacity, compared to today’s
lithium-ion batteries. Considering
these different developments, it does
not seem unlikely that the balance
can in future be turned in favour of
the electric aircraft, even taking into
account mineral resource scarcity.
Do you have a company or project
working at the leading edge of
aviation? Do you think we should
cover your company or project?
Email contributing editor Eugenio
Facci at efacci@gmail.com

Electric v avgas emissions

This graph, based on the results of the study,
compares the overall CO2 (greenhouse) footprint of a
Pipistrel Alpha Electro with that of the gasoline-fuelled
Alpha. The performance of the Electro is assessed
based on charging the aircraft with the European
Union energy mix electricity, which uses a combination
of renewable and non-renewable energy (column one)
and with renewable energy only (second column). The
graph further breaks down the environmental impact
by showing the contribution from building of the
airframe (grey), building and disposing of the batteries
(orange), emissions during operation (blue) and other
types of emissions (green).
Producing and disposing of the batteries accounts
for about 5kg of CO2 emissions per flight hour
(assuming the aircraft will fly four thousand hours in
its lifetime). However, those emissions are more than
offset by the resulting reduction in carbon footprint
while flying. When fed with ‘green’ energy, the Alpha
Electro produces almost zero net emissions while
flying. When using the EU energy mix, it produces
about 6kg of CO2 emissions per flight hour. Conversely,
the fossil fuelled Alpha pollutes a lot more, as it
produces about 17kg of CO2 emissions per flight hour
(and the total goes up to 21kg/hr when considering the
building of the airframe and other impacts).

30

Global 25
warming
(kg CO2 eq/h)
20

15

10

0
Electric aircraft Electric aircraft Fossil fuel-based aircraft
(long lifetime + EU) (long lifetime + green)

Airframe Battery pack Others Use phase

16 Pilot April 2024 I pilotweb.aero

 New regs
G-CMVM Skyranger Nynja 912S(1) S Rance, Poole
G-COZE Cozy R S Goodwin, Worcester
G-DKNI N262EM Aero L-159E Draken Europe, Teesside
G-DKNJ N257EM Aero L-159E Draken Europe, Teesside
G-EMEK PH-EUM Airbus EC175B CHC Scotia Ltd, Aberdeen
G-HFLW Airbus MBB-BK 117D-3 Seven Up Aviation Ltd, Douglas, Isle of Man
G-HITD Airbus AS350B-3 Airbus Helicopters UK Ltd, Kidlington

Compiled by Howard J Curtis G-JERK

G-JZBZ
VH-MFT
C-FWGH
CA 18 Mustang Mk 21
Boeing 737-86J
Fighter Aviation Engineering Ltd, Sywell
Jet2.com Ltd, Leeds
G-JZDF TC-CPZ Boeing 737-8H6 Jet2.com Ltd, Leeds
G-LGCD G-EHMM CEA DR400/180R London Luton Gliding Club, Dunstable Remorquer

New & restored registrations G-LUFC

G-MOES
Bell 407
Van’s RV-8
VNE Aviation Training Ltd, Leeds
M R Overall, Braintree
G-NHVX 5N-BOX AgustaWestland AW139 NHV A/S, Norwich
REGISTRATION // PREVIOUS IDENTITY // TYPE // OWNER/OPERATOR
G-OBBI Guimbal Cabri G2 Helispeed Solutions Ltd, Blackpool
G-AVCV N3492F Cessna 182J Skylane A I Freeman, Bracknell G-OLFZ P & M Quik GT450 A J Boyd, Bangor
G-BZJA Cameron Fire-90 (HAB) Chubb Fire and Security Ltd, Blackburn G-PCUB R-184 Piper L-21B Super Cub M Collenette, Lymington
G-CDGA Taylor Monoplane T P Eglinton, Norwich G-PRKY G-PEEE Van’s RV-7 N W Parkinson, Weston-on-the-Green
G-CKEB BGA.5023 Standard Cirrus S P Melhuish, Cullompton G-PSPT TL 2000 Sting S4 Arts and Travel Ltd, Lichfield
G-CKSF D-KANH Lange Antares 18T J R Klunder, Chorley G-RVEE Van’s RV-6A N C Stone, Morpeth
G-CMPL Ikarus C42 FB100 Charlie C Lee, Meppershall G-TECH Rockwell Commander 114 Case Aviation Ltd, Benfleet
G-CMRO Cameron O-31 (HAB) Phoenix Balloons Ltd, Bristol G-TUGC Eurofox 2K Ulster Gliding Club Ltd, Limavady
G-CMSU EC-ILA Agusta A109E Castle Air Ltd, Liskeard G-UBET G-NMCF Eurocopter AS355N Balladoole Estate & Aviation Ltd, Liverpool
G-CMTJ Van’s RV-12IS B-M Guinea, Colchester G-UZLR F-WWBX Airbus A320-251N easyJet Airline Company Ltd, Luton
G-CMTN Van’s RV-12IS M J Dooley, Frinton-on-Sea G-UZLT F-WWIF Airbus A320-251N easyJet Airline Company Ltd, Luton
G-CMTS CM Microlights Sunbird C W Mitchinson, Great Yarmouth G-VIVO Nicollier HN 700 P J Watson, Wisbech Menestrel II
G-CMUI N281A Aeronca 11AC Chief I M Maddock, Warrington G-WAZE AW109SP Grand New Sloane Helicopters Ltd, Sywell
G-CMVG Flylight Nine C I Farwell, Corsham G-WUNC D-AZWN Airbus A321-271NX Wizz Air UK Ltd, Luton
PHOTO: HOWARD J CURTIS

The Falconar F-11 is a variant of the Jodel D11 incorporating a larger

cockpit and a new wing design. It was produced as a kit or as plans
by Falconar Avia in Canada and G-AWHY, seen here at Kemble in
2009, was one of just two on the UK register. It was permanently
withdrawn from use on 8 February 2024.
PHOTO: PETER R MARCH
PHOTO: PETER R MARCH

The Hawker Demon was the fighter version of the Hawker Hart
light bomber and, of 305 built, G-BTVE is the only airworthy
example of the trio left in existence. Following an 18-year
restoration, it flew again in June 2009, painted in the colours of 64
Squadron RAF, and was based at Old Warden, where it is seen in
this image from May 2017. This magnificent machine was sold to
the USA as N1HD in February 2024.
Cameron Fire-90 G-BZJA is one of several distinctive special shape
balloons built by Cameron Balloons, in this case for fire extinguisher
manufacturer Chubb. Unusually for a balloon of its age (24 years),
after a period when it was cancelled from the UK register, it has
recently been restored. Unlike the 3 litre Hydrospray model on
which it is fashioned, this one claims to have a capacity of a mere
3,110,844 litres!

18 Pilot April 2024 I pilotweb.aero

 New Regs

PHOTO: HOWARD J CURTIS

PHOTO: TOM COLE

Former flybe DHC-8-402 G-FLBA was transferred to Guernsey as
2-FLBA in January 2024 and is currently stored in Malta, awaiting its
next operator. 93 of the type have been registered in the UK but the
departure of G-FLBA, seen here at Manchester in April 2013, brings
the total left to just eleven.
CitationJet CJ4 G-SDRY was transferred to the Isle of Man as
M-JHCI in February 2024. More than 2600 of the Cessna 525
CitationJet have been built and the Model 525C CitationJet CJ4 is
the largest, capable of carrying nine passengers and a single pilot
over a range of more than 4000 km.

G-CIHN Cameron Z-120 (HAB) Transferred to Mexico

G-CIIX Ultramagic M-105 (HAB) Transferred to Lithuania
G-CIKO AgustaWestland AW139 Transferred to Brazil as PS-BTL
G-CIOS MD Helicopter MD 900 Explorer Transferred to Belgium as OO-CIO
G-CIYR Lindstrand 177T SkyFlyer Destroyed
G-CJIA Lindstrand LTL Series 2-70 (HAB) Permanently withdrawn from use
G-CJPN Cessna 152 Permanently withdrawn from use
PHOTO: PETER R MARCH

G-CJVO Lindstrand LTL Racer 56 (HAB) Permanently withdrawn from use

G-CKAO Lindstrand LTL Series 1-17 (HAB) Permanently withdrawn from use
G-CKPS Aérospatiale AS350B-2 Ecureuil Transferred to Cote d’Ivoire
G-CKTJ Lindstrand LTL Racer 56 (HAB) Transferred to USA
G-CLPI Sikorsky S-92A Transferred to Guernsey
G-CMIY Lindstrand 197T SkyFlyer Destroyed
G-CNWL MD Helicopter MD 900 Explorer Transferred to Belgium
The Cessna 210M is a six-seat, retractable-gear aircraft, in this G-DAKA Piper PA-28-236 Dakota Transferred to Poland
case powered by a Continental IO-520-L engine. Around 1380 of G-DCKR Schleicher AS-K 13 Crashed at Long Mynd, 1 July 2023
the type were produced by Cessna during 1977 to 1978. Sadly, on G-DDVH Schleicher Ka-6E Cancelled by the CAA
17 July 2023, G-TOTN was written off in a fatal crash when it struck G-EHMM CEA DR400/180R Remorquer re-registered G-LGCD
the cliff at Bradda Head, having departed from Ronaldsway Airport
G-EZAI Airbus A319-111 Permanently withdrawn from use
shortly before.
G-EZAY Airbus A319-111 Permanently withdrawn from use
G-FLBA DHC-8-402 Transferred to Guernsey as 2-FLBA

Cancellations
G-FWPW Piper PA-28-236 Dakota Cancelled by the CAA
G-GAID Cessna 182T Skylane Transferred to Austria
G-GBHI SOCATA TB10 Tobago Permanently withdrawn from use
G-AIYG Stampe SV4B Transferred to Belgium
G-GEOF Pereira Osprey 2 Permanently withdrawn from use
G-ANVY Proctor 4 Permanently withdrawn from use
G-JEJE RAF 2000 GTX-SE Permanently withdrawn from use
G-APCC DH82A Tiger Moth Cancelled by the CAA
G-LBRT Beech D17S Staggerwing Transferred to USA
G-AVIC Cessna F172H Skyhawk Transferred to Republic of Ireland as EI-AEX
G-LGNJ SAAB 340B Transferred to USA as N981ES
G-AWHY Falconar F-11-3 Permanently withdrawn from use
G-MMGS Solar Wings Panther XL Permanently withdrawn from use
G-AZYA Gardan GY80-160 Horizon Cancelled by the CAA
G-MNMK Solar Wings Pegasus XL-R Permanently withdrawn from use
G-BCDL Cameron O-42 (HAB) Cancelled by the CAA
G-BMMJ Siren PIK 30 Transferred to The Netherlands G-MTPB Mainair Gemini Flash IIA (Mod) Permanently withdrawn from use
G-BTPT Cameron N-77 (HAB) Permanently withdrawn from use G-MTRX MW5 Sorcerer Cancelled by the CAA
G-BTVE Hawker Demon Transferred to USA as N1HD G-MZGM Cyclone AX2000 Permanently withdrawn from use
G-BUPC Rollason Beta B2 Permanently withdrawn from use G-NHVL Airbus EC175B Transferred to Malaysia
G-BUWF Cameron N-105 (HAB) Cancelled by the CAA G-NMCF Eurocopter AS355N Re-registered G-UBET
G-BUZR Lindstrand LBL 77A (HAB) Permanently withdrawn from use G-NUNI Lindstrand LBL 77A (HAB) Cancelled by the CAA
G-BVEA Mosler Motors N3 Pup Cancelled by the CAA G-PEEE Van’s RV-7 Re-registered G-PRKY
G-BVXA Cameron N-105 (HAB) Cancelled by the CAA G-PRPB DHC-8-402 Transferred to Nigeria as 5N-CCS
G-BXUO Lindstrand LBL 105A Permanently withdrawn from use G-PTCC Piper PA-28RT-201 Arrow IV Transferred to Republic of Ireland
G-BYYM X’Air 582(2) Cancelled by the CAA G-SDRY Cessna 525C CitationJet CJ4 Transferred to Isle of Man as M-JHCI
G-BZAK X’Air 582(9) Permanently withdrawn from use G-SGSG Bombardier Global 5000 Transferred to San Marino as T7-NEX
G-CCGM Kiss 450-582(2) Transferred to France G-SNOG Kiss 400-582(1) Permanently withdrawn from use
G-CCKM Mainair Pegasus Quik Transferred to Philippines G-THRE Cessna 182S Skylane Transferred to France
G-CCOT Cameron Z-105 (HAB) Transferred to Poland G-TOTN Cessna 210M Centurion Crashed at Bradda Head, IoM, 17 July 2023
G-CDDL Cameron Z-350 (HAB) Transferred to France G-TUKM Boeing 737-8K5 Transferred to Republic of Ireland as EI-FFA
G-CFKN Lindstrand GA22 MkII (HAB) Permanently withdrawn from use G-WNSE Sikorsky S-92A Transferred to Brazil as PR-CPX
G-CGBO Rolladen-Schneider LS6 Transferred to The Netherlands G-WUKH Airbus A321-231 Transferred to United Arab Emirates as A6-WAH
G-CGFH Cessna T182T Turbo Skylane Transferred to Sweden G-XINE PA-28-161 Cherokee Warrior II Transferred to USA
G-CHGN Easy Rider Spirit Cancelled by the CAA G-XXEC Agusta A109S Grand Transferred to India
G-CHUP Eurofox 912(S) Transferred to Norway G-YPSE Airbus EC130T-2 Transferred to USA

pilotweb.aero I Pilot April 2024 19

FLIGHT
TEST
NICE DAY – BUT THE WIND…
 We admire the Sting’s slippery form – but Dave wonders if that pitot tube
might be liable to snag the vegetation at farm strips

11.3 lb/sq ft and a power-to-weight ratio
of 13.2 lb/hp. As Saltby has an elevation
of 480ft, in the summer I always calculate
the density altitude, but with an OAT of
+9°C, 25kt on the nose and a concrete
runway, I suspect takeoff performance
in total) and while replying to Steve I
accidentally change frequencies! This
causes mild consternation, confusion,
and some degree of irritation for a
minute or two, but I eventually work it
out – and Keith and I use a lot of hand
seconds. There is negligible adverse
yaw. The stick-free stability is exactly
as I remember it from my previous
experience of the earlier model, being
a little weak directionally, positive
longitudinally and neutral laterally. The

22 Pilot April 2024 I pilotweb.aero


soft directional stability is typical of
many light aircraft fitted with large
nosewheel spats, due to the extra ‘keel
area’ at the nose.
Slowing down for some stalls
reinforces the impression that the Sting
is as slippery as it looks, as it decelerates
quite slowly, even with the throttle at idle
and the propeller pitch set fairly fine. All
the stalls are very benign. Flaps up or
down, throttle closed or wide open –
there are no alarming characteristics nor
unpleasant peculiarities and to recover
you just lower the nose, and the wing
begins flying again almost instantly, with
minimal height loss.
With the flaps down the deck angle is
just preposterously precipitous. You’d
have to be asleep to inadvertently stall.
At such high angles of attack, position
error makes the ASI unreliable – but the
book speed of 43kt IAS seems perfectly
plausible. However – and again this is
The Sting’s tapered wings are swept mildly forward, their leading edges
being set at ninety degrees to the longitudinal axis of the fuselage
TL-Ultralight Sting S4
FLIGHT
TEST
a trait it shares with many similar types,
the Vfe (limiting flap extension speed) is
quite low at only 65kt. On a day with any
real wind sixty is a sensible speed on
final, and if you decide to go-around you
need to pitch up and reconfigure quickly
to avoid busting the Vfe.
Accelerating out of the last stall, I set
26in MP, 4,800rpm (about 75% power)
and retrim. The trimmer is powerful, but
nicely geared, and the speed tape soon
settles on an IAS of 123kt at 4,000ft, for
a TAS of 131 and a fuel flow of between
eighteen and nineteen litres per hour.
If you’ve filled all three tanks the still-air
range is over 800nm, and even that 87kg
of fuel still leaves over 200kg for bodies
and baggage. This is a great little tourer.
SAFE LANDING
Cruising back to Saltby I briefly examine
the cockpit environment. The heater
works well – but bafflingly the only vent
pilotweb.aero I Pilot April 2024 23
is on the P2’s side. It really should have
at least two vents, and it would be even
better if you could get some hot air onto
the windscreen as well. Ambient noise
levels are low and would be perfectly
acceptable without an ANR headset.
It’s all most agreeable sitting up there
in the sunshine, but it is irrefutable
that even with our impressive TAS the
groundspeed is less encouraging. We’re
barely making sixty knots over the
ground, which means the wind at our
altitude is 65.
It occurs to me that the landing
promises to be interesting, and although
the wind’s velocity has clearly increased,
I sincerely hope its direction has
remained the same. Rather reluctantly,
I lower the nose and we descend.
Beneath the clouds it’s a much drabber
world – and rather turbulent, so I
decelerate out of the yellow arc to the
108kt ‘top of the green’. We’ve lost fifteen
knots of airspeed, but at 1,000ft AMSL
the wind has dropped by thirty, giving us
a fifteen-knot net gain and Saltby slowly
comes into view.
My first landing is safe but untidy, so
for the second I only use the first stage
Two things distinguish the Sting S4’s wing: first, the unusually long split flaps;
and second...
24 Pilot April 2024 I pilotweb.aero
No worries about leaded fuel
vanishing with the Sting!
of flap and make a much steeper
approach at seventy with the throttle at
idle. This works much better, and I must
reiterate that it really is very windy. Not
traditional microlight weather by a long
shot!
Filling in my logbook that December
evening it suddenly occurred to me that
it was exactly 120 years since Wilbur,
Orville, and their mechanic Charlie
Taylor – who doesn’t get anywhere near
enough credit IMHO – made history
at Kill Devil Hills. I wonder what they’d
have made of the Sting?
ANOTHER BITE…
It’s been a great test of the airframe,
engine and prop, but John wants me
to fully experience and appreciate the
advanced avionics, switch-studded
stick, touchscreen EFIS and integrated
autopilot, and very generously
schedules a second flight with Neil
Grantham. Neil used to be a Training
Captain for a major airline – and I
bet you’re thinking “why does Dave
need a jetliner training captain to get
checked out on a microlight?” Well,
although the TADS (Type Approval
Data Sheet) describes the Sting as a
microlight, that’s only because it weighs
600kg and has a slow stall speed. In
many respects this aircraft is way more
sophisticated than most traditional GA
types, and Neil proves to be the ideal
instructor for such advanced systems.
Make no mistake, this aircraft has
avionics and an autopilot that wouldn’t
look out of place in a bizjet costing tens
of millions, and I’m not exaggerating.
I meet up with John and Neil at their
White Fen Farm base, and as this is
a much less hurried affair, I can take
some time to also study the airframe, as
well as its systems. The engine is – no
... its short, broad ailerons, which are
nonetheless highly effective
 TL-Ultralight Sting S4
FLIGHT
TEST
surprises – a Rotax 912, which turns a actually shares considerable component disproportionally large pitot head under
three-blade constant-speed PowerMax commonality with its high-wing cousin. the starboard wing, which wouldn’t look
propeller made by TL itself. It is fed by For example, the undercarriage is out-of-place on a small airliner! I also
a 77-litre tank mounted in the fuselage, basically the same, the steerable wondered why it was so far out on the
which is in turn fed by two wing tanks nosewheel strut features a sliding steel wing. This type of aircraft does a lot of
with a combined capacity of 44 litres. tube with an internal spring for shock farm strip flying – and in the summer
Each tank has its own filler many strips have crops either
cap, with the fuselage tank Drag reduction was side of the mown runway. At
filler in the starboard wing root.
Engine access is excellent as obviously at the forefront times (such as when doing a
180 having back-tracked) one
the top and bottom halves of
the cowling are secured by
of the designer’s mind of the wings may be over the
crop. I’d prefer it if the pitot
Camlok fasteners. absorption, while the main wheels are was just outboard of the port wheel as
The airframe is beautifully made, carried by a composite bow. Snug-fitting that would keep it out of the crop and the
and drag reduction was obviously at spats are fitted to all three wheels, but propwash.
the forefront of the designer’s mind unfortunately, another similarity with The forward-pivoting canopy opens
as – for example, the aileron Rose the Sirius is that the undercarriage has wide and is held up by a pair of gas
joints and pushrods are covered by the same design flaw – it is impossible struts while access to the cockpit is via
streamlined fairings. Build quality is to inspect the discs and pads of the the wing‘s trailing edge. There are useful
very high with the finish comparable to hydraulic brakes without an Allen key to steps just aft of both wings, (being split
that of a high-performance sailplane. hand. The nosewheel spat also features flaps, putting them down before ingress/
The spar and all other load bearing quite a lot of side area, hence the soft egress as you’d do on – for example –
structures are constructed from carbon directional stability. a DR400, does nothing for you). The
fibre reinforced polyester (the primary Continuing the pre-flight inspection, seatbacks pivot forward to provide
structure is an impressive 85% carbon another size-related anomaly is the access to the baggage bay.
fibre), while the shell structure of the
wing is of foam sandwich construction
covered with carbon fibre reinforced
skins. Unsurprisingly the wing uses uses
a laminar-flow aerofoil, but surprisingly
there aren’t stall strips. The wing’s
trailing edge is slightly swept forward
and features ailerons with a relatively
short span but a very broad chord
and large-span electrically operated
split flaps. These have three pre-set
positions: 0, 13 and 35 degrees, and
there is an electrically operated trim tab
in the starboard aileron. All the LED taxi,
landing, strobe and position lights are
built into the wingtips and covered by
Polycarbonate, apart from the position
light in the rudder.
Aft of the cockpit the rear windscreen
incorporates a round frangible panel for
the Galaxy ballistic recovery system to
fire through, then the fuselage tapers,
before flaring up into the swept-back fin.
This carries a horn-balanced rudder fitted
with a ground adjustable trim tab, while
the fixed tailplane features a one-piece
mass-balanced elevator fitted with a
centrally mounted large-span, narrow-
chord electrically operated trim tab.
Interestingly, although the Sting
seems somewhat dissimilar to its Sirius
stablemate (see Pilot Nov 2014), it

Minimally dimensioned walkway

strips lead to the cockpit via the
huge canopy bubble, held open by
gas struts
 TL-ULTRALIGHT
STING S4
£134,678.00 exc VAT

Dimensions
Length 6.2m
Height 2.05m
Wingspan 9.12m
Wing area 11.10sq m

Weights and loadings

Empty weight 401kg
MAUW 600kg
Useful load 199kg
Wing loading 54.05kg/sq m
(11.3 lb/sq ft)
Power loading 8.04kg/kW
(13.2 lb/hp)
Fuel capacity 121 lit
Baggage capacity 25kg

Performance
Vne 144kt
Cruise 125kt
Stall, flaps down 43kt
Climb rate 1,100fpm
Takeoff over 50ft 405m
Land over 50ft 300m

Engine & Propeller

Rotax 912ULS liquid-cooled
flat-four, producing 100hp
(74.57kW) at 5,800rpm driving
a TL-PowerMax three-blade
constant speed propeller
Manufacturer
TL-Ultralight, Hradec Kralove,
Czech Republic
Web: www.tl-ultralight.cz
UK Agent
TL-Sting (UK) Ltd
Paul Sanders: 07581 471146
Pete Ronfell: 07905 709759
Web: www/tl-sting.co.uk
INSTRUMENTS AND
ERGONOMICS
The cockpit is nicely outfitted, and
surprisingly spacious. There are two
useful power outlets behind the P1 and
P2’s legs while the parking brake knob
is behind the P1’s left leg. The instrument
panel features a ten-inch Garmin
G3XTouch, an iPad for Sky Demon and a
Garmin G5 standby EFIS. The transceiver
is also Garmin (a GTR225A), while the
GTX335R ADSB-Out transponder is
integrated in the G3X, as is the GMC507
Autopilot. ADSB-In comes courtesy of
a PowerFlarm Eagle. Analogue ASI,
VSI and altimeter are mounted directly
above the G5. I’ve also got time to study
the Infinity Aerospace stick top and
its myriad functions. The green button
is for radio flip-flop, red disconnects
the autopilot and blue engages the
automatic wing levelling system. A big
red trigger serves as the PTT.
Apart from the key-type rotary
magneto/starter switch most of the
electrical services are operated by push
buttons, an excellent design choice in
an aircraft where people tend to step
down into the cockpit. A centrally located
sub-panel links the centre console to the
main instrument panel, and it contains
a curiosity – two small toggle switches.
The red, left switch has two positions;-
up is ‘auto’ and down is ‘manual’.
Basically, with ‘auto’ set the propeller is
in constant-speed mode and controlled
with the blue lever. With ‘manual’
selected the prop now functions as a
simple variable pitch prop, controlled by
the right switch, (up for fine and down
for coarse). I don’t get this, especially as
apart from the revs changing, the only
indicator is a green light that comes on
when it is fully fine. I bet everyone just
leaves it in ‘auto’ – so what’s the point?
This panel also carries the autopilot
control panel, flap selector, fuel gauge
and plungers for the choke and cabin
heat control. If you’re wondering why –
despite the fuel system consisting of
three tanks (one in each wing and one
in the fuselage) there’s only one gauge,
it’s because the wing tanks drain into
the fuselage tank, so the gauge always
reads full until both wing tanks are
empty. An excellent arrangement. A neat
quadrant carries the throttle and prop
levers, with the fuel valve between the
seats. Similarly, the fuel selector is simply
an on/off valve that shuts off the fuel
between the fuselage tank and engine.
It’s very nearly a masterclass in cockpit
ergonomics, and I was almost relieved
to note that the plungers for the choke
and cabin heat are practically identical
as it gave me something to complain
about! I think the choke should be a
different shape and coloured red (same
as the fuel valve). This is actually a safety
issue – as if you want cabin heat and
pull the choke on the engine could stop.
There’s no carb heat as the carbs are
heated by engine coolant. However,
my real beef is with the location of the
T-handle for the GRS. It’s not only poor,

26 Pilot April 2024 I pilotweb.aero


it’s actually dangerous. Take a look at
the picture above and you’ll instantly
see what I mean. At the very least it
should be relocated to the side of
the throttle quadrant by the P1’s right
thigh. I’d also like ‘Master Caution’ and
‘Master Warn’ above the G3X. There’s
so much information being displayed
it can get lost in the mix – and if the
oil pressure is slowly dropping or the
coolant temperature
gradually rising I find that
subtle deviations aren’t
There’s so much information
so obvious as they are
with the big needles on
being displayed it can get
steam gauges – hence my
preference for attention
getters.
To be fair there’s plenty of stowage
space in the pockets attached to the
cockpit sidewalls and you can also reach
the baggage bay behind the seats which
can carry up to 25kg, but you can never
have too much! The big canopy has
three latches – one on each side and a
centrally-located one that can be locked
with a key. Cockpit ventilation is good
but there are no DV panels, which is
unsatisfactory as the canopy obviously
cannot be opened in flight.
Taxying is delightfully simple, with a
While it might look like one of those
excellent Andairs, the fuel tap lacks
the pull-up safety lock
The good bits: Proper throttle and
propeller quadrant levers and
flap-shaped flap switch
Whilst the panel presents a vast
amount of information, there’s
room for improvement
fine view over the nose. The nosewheel
steers through the rudder pedals, and if
a very tight turn is required differential
braking can be applied via the toe-
operated hydraulic disc brakes. This is
the best, which is why even the B787 has
toe-operated hydraulic disc brakes and
a steerable nosewheel. Many microlight
manufacturers install hand brakes as
they’re lightweight, easy to make and
lost in the mix
simple to fit, but I like toe brakes –
possibly because I have a lot of tailwheel
time, and taildraggers are easier if you
have good differential braking.
TESTING THE AVIONICS
Neil shows me how to load a flight plan
into the FMS and we’re soon launching
into a rather grey January sky. The
object of this flight is to test the avionics,
so at 500ft I engage the autopilot. The
autopilot control panel is quite intuitive,
with the lateral (heading and track)
functions on the left side and vertical
TL-Ultralight Sting S4
FLIGHT
TEST
‘The stick top is liberally studded
with switches and buttons.’ There’s
an obvious risk of confusion...
(VNAV) on the right. Of course, there’s no
autothrottle, so Neil recommends that I
climb using a sensible cruise/climb IAS,
but descend using VS – vertical speed.
(The reason here is that if you tell it to
climb at say 750fpm, but the engine
subtly loses power, the AP will try and
maintain the vertical speed until the wing
stalls). Of course, descending using VS
also has a trap – and this is definitely one
of those occasions when
the throttle needs to be
your intention and not
your reaction: If you’re
zipping along straight-
and-level and then
select 600fpm down
without adjusting the throttle, you’ll be at
Vne before you know it!
Flying with Neil is great. He’s a very
patient instructor and I rapidly begin to
appreciate just how sophisticated the
systems are – and how they relieve
workload. Garmin’s products just keep
getting better and the G3X has taken
the science of avionics to another level
entirely. It obviously has all the features
we’ve become used to over the years,
but accessing them has become even
easier due to the shallow menu structure.
As with all things digital, you must sit
pilotweb.aero I Pilot April 2024 27
 TL-Ultralight Sting S4
FLIGHT
TEST

Lovely to fly, the Sting S4 is also capable of flying itself nicely on its autopilot – as Dave says, equally at home at Heathrow
Airport or Hedgerow Farm

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Closing The Nursery Door
A
long time ago I was an
adviser to Uganda’s
president. It was a waste
of my time and his money
but provided me much
amusement. I discovered that politicians
and bureaucrats like to commission
reports; the bulkier and more portentous
sounding the better. Most of these
were paid for by donors and carried out
by consultants parachuted in at great
expense from the donors’ own country.
The reports went mainly unread, let
alone acted upon. Especially if a report
disagreed with a minister’s original plans.
The offices of ministers and senior civil
servants were lined with miles of them.
It is not much different here, and these
expensive reports – £2.8bn of consultancy
bought with our money by government
in 2022 – are often treated as they were
in Africa. The Post Office, for example,
commissioned a report on its defective
software, and then halted it before it was
finished because it was going to confirm
that Horizon was dangerous rubbish. And
so the poor postmasters ended up in
jail. Now we see the CAA doing
much the same with its push The DfT and CAA can, and do turn
to have us all carry defective
Electronic Conspicuity (EC) a deaf ear to the results of the
devices so that it can integrate consultations they instigate
us with drones on the cheap.
The CAA recently emailed, ‘The…
EC Rebate Scheme is nearing its end…
The scheme aims to improve airspace
safety by encouraging the adoption of
EC devices...’ So let me remind the CAA,
for the third time in as many months,
that it has an urgent and clear moral
duty to warn pilots about this scheme.
Why? Because the CAA’s report on EC
commissioned from GASCo and Jarvis
Bagshaw Ltd., published last November,
rubbished the EC kit because it simply
doesn’t do what it says on the tin. The
killer line was ‘in its current form EC is
least effective in situations where it is
most needed’. EC works less than half
the time, maybe just forty per cent of the
time, but pilots are increasingly relying on
it for their lookout, said the report. Pilots
need to be warned about EC’s defects
before a pair of blissfully ignorant aviators,
THE COOPER COLUMN
heads in their cockpits, go splat into
each other with their last words being,
“blimey, that aeroplane wasn’t on my iPad.”
Yet the CAA maintains an inscrutable
silence. There is an excellent video by
Steve Jarvis which the CAA should be
promoting but is not. There should be a
NOTAM and a Safety Sense leaflet too.
As well as ignoring the reports which
they themselves commission, the DfT
and CAA can, and do turn a deaf ear
to the results of the consultations they
instigate. The recent consultation on
advertising cost-sharing flights is an
example. I happen to support the CAA’s
decision to clamp down on like-a-
charter flights, but many disagreed with
me and the CAA, which said, ‘We are
grateful for the submissions received
and acknowledge that the majority of
stakeholders who responded are against
our proposed changes’. They may as
well have added, ‘and now we close the
nursery door so as not to hear baby cry’.
We have a voice, but little influence and
no power while the drones on the other
hand have a voice, influence and direct
line to power, since their development
is supported by the Department for
Transport and subsidised with money we
pay in taxes. The promise (a chimera if
you ask the Editor) of economic growth is
catnip to the earnest, drone-advocating,
DfT civil servant. The consequent rapid
changes to our airspace in which general
aviation will be forced to accommodate
the drones has serious implications for
us. The CAA has just issued Consultation:
Unmanned Aircraft operations within an
Atypical Air Environment CAP 2968 which
for the first time introduces the concept
of us in our aircraft having to
detect and avoid electronically
blind drones. This has serious
implications for strip flying since
the aircraft approaching a farm
strip will soon be completely
responsible for electronically
Tim Cooper
detecting and then avoiding, say a
security drone (yes, seriously) patrolling
the boundaries of a neighbouring farm
or estate. I’m sorry to say I think we
will have a serious struggle to stop the
drone enthusiasts, but try we must.
When the CAA wants to create new
or change existing regulation it works
with the Department for Transport, which
drafts the legislation, either as an act
of parliament which is scrutinised and
debated by MPs, or more usually as a
statutory instrument (SI) which the minister,
using delegated powers from the parent
act, puts before Parliament. MPs can, but
rarely do object to an SI, the last time
being twenty-four years ago. In practice,
the transport minister does what he or she
pleases, which is to say doing exactly what
the DfT civil servants say, and they in their
turn do what the CAA advises them. So,
without friendly MPs interested in our woes
we really are quite powerless, unable to
shape or challenge regulation that affects
us – the CAA consultations being little
more than a show of good manners. The
only way to get MPs interested is to lobby
them. Unfortunately, we are not
much good at that in GA and
especially not in our recreational
sector. While AOPA in America
is a force to be reckoned with,
AOPA in UK went missing in
action long ago, acting nowadays as
little more than an errand boy for the
authority. The only organisation that seems
to have any sense of what needs to be
done is the General Aviation Alliance.
Perhaps we should emulate Extinction
Rebellion to attract attention. How
about a formation of fully fuelled Tiger
Moths flying up and down Heathrow’s
runways at low level for a couple of
hours on the first day of the summer
holidays? That would do the trick. Henry
Labouchere, your moment has come!
TIM COOPER
Tim founded a bush airline during
a twenty-year stint in Uganda.
Now home flying aerobatics
(badly) from Goodwood, he has
a PPL ‘and lots to learn’
pilotweb.aero I Pilot April 2024 31
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038/24
 Airmail

Airmail
Your e-mails, thoughts, comments and news

THE PAN AM PRIZE!

STAR LETTER
silentpooldistillers.com has joined
Pilot to present our Star Letter writer
the gloriously indulgent prize of a
litre bottle each of Pan Am gin and
vodka in a Pan Am building
presentation boox

It’s EC to deceive
On Wednesday this week (27 February), I was looking
on glideandseek.com to see if there was any activity at
my gliding club, the weather being rather dodgy and the
field probably too soggy from the recent heavy rain. I
looked to see what else was going on in the Southeast.
I was surprised to see a Flarm (i.e. electronic conspicuity
or EC – Ed) trace running from somewhere in Surrey,
right into the centre of London. It was identifying as
an LS3 glider, complete with its registration, the route
seeming to stick to roads, and crossing the Thames
at Southwark Bridge, and to Rosebery Avenue, where
it seemed to be manoeuvring at well below glider
airspeeds, and at very low altitude. Obviously not a
glider in a trailer then! My first guess was that someone
had a Flarm device activated in a car, or perhaps a bike.
However, following its progress during the afternoon
and early evening, it returned by more or less the same
route to its origin in Surrey (which was in the area of
the address of the registered owner of the LS3 Glider
from G-INFO), it once again manoeuvred for a while,
in the dark, over open ground, and I concluded that it
was most likely on a drone, had been in a car for the
‘flight’ from Surrey to London, and that the glider owner
had used the glider’s EC device to make the drone
visible. Having the it transmitting whilst on the road was
probably an oversight.
The Spring Pilot mag arrived on Thursday, and I read
with interest Tim Cooper’s column on how we all will
have to get used to EC, and how EC needs to get its act
together. Plenty of food for thought. It struck me that we
will be coming to rely on the integrity of the EC devices
to help us get a proper picture of the environment we
fly in. If the EC on our moving map shows a glider,
then we will be looking for a glider, and reacting
accordingly – similarly for any other contact. It also
struck me that EC could be used intentionally to hide
the true identity of an aircraft to avoid detection! The
implications are worrying.
Roger Gregory, Plumstead

Cooper column manned aircraft will always get priority

comment
I thoroughly enjoyed Tim’s Cooper
Column in the Spring issue of Pilot.
May I please expand on a topic he
mentioned...
Something not yet apparently
considered by our beloved,
unimaginative and glacially-moving CAA
is that surely, however pressing the
commercial case may be, one or more
humans in an aircraft are both more
vulnerable and more important than a
package(s) in an unmanned aerial vehicle
(UAV). So what steps with electronic
conspicuity (EC) have been taken and
will continue to be taken to ensure that
over UAVs?
Also, many pilots and CAA employees
may be unaware of the large number of
British aircraft that don’t have electrical
systems and cannot be modified to
incorporate them. Many of these are
valuable vintage and historic types.
Among them Pilot’s editorial team
alone currently operate at least seven
such aeroplanes. How are these pilots
supposed to obtain and use EC if they
don’t have the necessary electrical
power? What provision has the CAA
made to include them in future British
airspace use?
Exasperated of Sussex
IWM refund?
It’s that time of year when I start thinking
about my flying fun for the year and
in particular I contemplate whether to
attend one of the wonderful IWM events
at Duxford. But something is stopping
me and I wonder if others have had this
experience. Duxford is miles away from
me by road – it’s a good three hours
plus – so flying in is really the only
practical option.
A couple of years ago, I booked into
Flying Legends (I think it was that one)
which ended up being severely curtailed
by weather and there was no way on
God’s earth I was going to battle the
cloud and rain from Welshpool that day.

pilotweb.aero I Pilot April 2024 33

So I cancelled my PPR and was offered
absolutely zero sympathy from IWM
in terms of a refund/credit note. Given
that four of us had planned to go, this
was a not small sum to forego and I do
understand the stance that was made
clear at the time of booking. But flying is
subject to the vagaries of the weather,
and I can’t help thinking that us aviators
flying in to such events adds to the
public enjoyment of the whole thing.
Has anyone else been put off in this
way? Does IWM see this as acceptable?
Surely if you have the misfortune to
be unable to fly for whatever reason,
customer care would suggest that
maybe some sort of concession at a
future event would be a good idea?
I want to support IWM and Duxford.
But I think they are making a strategic
error. Anyone else have a view on this?
E Lennox, Craven Arms, Shropshire
QFI Logbook
excellence…
I really enjoyed Charlie Huke’s article
about avoiding wake turbulence (Pilot,
March 2024) but one important point
missing from his excellent article was
the risk of wake turbulence from large
aircraft on the ground.
Most GA pilots fly from airfields where
their companions are just light aircraft.
However, some General Aviation aircraft
operate from larger ‘grown-up’ airfields
such as Cambridge, where there
are real hazards on the ground. The
Cambridge Aero Club is more than well
aware of those dangers and members
are regularly reminded about the risk
of taxying behind large aircraft, which
at Cambridge could include executive
Jets, Boeing 737s, and Hercules. On one
occasion a Cessna 172 was rocked on its
wheels whilst stationary awaiting takeoff
clearance when a taxing Boeing 737
freighter passed close to it . On another
occasion the Cambridge Aero Club
PHOTO: TERRY HOLLOWAY
Extra200 nearly performed a barrel roll
when it encountered problems during
the final stages of landing, when it flew
into wake turbulence being created by a
ground running Hercules on a taxiway –
with its tail pointing towards the runway!
Well done, airport operations – and well
done, the pilot for recovering from what
was a nasty situation!
34 Pilot April 2024 I pilotweb.aero
However, the most serious incident
was when some highly skilled and
experienced Marshall test pilots
borrowed the Cambridge Aeroclub
Cessna 182 to deliver to RAF Brize
Norton a crew who were collecting a
Hercules for delivery to Cambridge. All
– nearly – went well, but on departure
the test pilot in the Cessna taxied far too
close to the Hercules and was promptly
blown over when power was increased
on the Hercules to enter the runway. The
lesson is very clear: if you are in a light
aircraft happily taxying along at a big
airfield, avoid getting close to the rear
of large aircraft which have the engines
running!
… and an
evocative PTT
I also really enjoyed Dave Unwin’s article
about glider towing and field retrieves
(Pilot, Spring 2024) which evoked very
many happy memories. Like Dave, I
have done a lot of glider towing and
completed a significant number of field
retrieves. The most recent were from the
RAFGSA Centre at Bicester in the mid-
1990s, flying a Pawnee – but the most
memorable field retrieves were in the
late 1960s flying from Dunstable with the
London Gliding Club, using Tiger Moths.
Gliders were much lighter in those days,
and mostly wood, the Tiger fitted with a
fine pitch propellor was a very effective
tug and we did a lot of retrieves from
fields – actually a huge number!
One particular retrieve remains etched
in my mind. One summer’s evening,
Brian Holloway – no relation – landed
his glider in a field near Olney, and I was
sent to tow him home. I easily found the
glider sitting in a wonderful, bright green
grass circular ‘field’, with stripes on it,
immediately in front of a large, imposing
and very elegant country house. I did my
customary precautionary circuit, which
In the days of lighter, all-wood
gliders, Tiger Moths were used for
aerotowing and retrieves, as Terry
Holloway describes
attracted some attention with a lot of
people waving their arms and indicating
that I should go somewhere else. I did!
There was a decent field the other side
of the river just behind house, which is
where I landed, to be met by Brian and
the wife of the man who owned the
house. They had crossed the river in a
punt. “Thank goodness you didn’t land
beside the glider,” said Brian. “It’s the
house owner’s precious lawn and you
would’ve done terrible damage to it with
the tail skid!”
What to do? Well the river was
relatively narrow and there were four of
us – the gardener had turned up – so we
de-rigged the glider and carried it across
the river, using the punt and re-rigged
it. Having completed the rigging checks
Brian jumped in, I hand-swung the Tiger,
and with the house owner’s wife holding
the wing, we leapt into the air.
It was nearly dark when we got close
enough to Dunstable for Brian to release
and land, and I shall never forget the
wonderful sight of the setting sun settling
behind the clouds, and the buildings
on the ground swathed in approaching
darkness as we arrived home.
These days I fly a Pawnee with the
Essex Gliding Club at Ridgewell and
occasionally Robins with the Cambridge
Gliding Club at Gransden Lodge, but alas
I haven’t done a retrieve from a field for
nearly thirty years.
Terry Holloway, former MD,
Cambridge Aero Club
Thought-provoking
‘Airmail’ letters
‘Pilot’ Spring 2024 was a cracking issue.
Wonderful aerial photography article by
Keith Wilson.
In ‘Airmail’, Jim Flux gave us a salutary
reminder of not outstaying our welcome.
I started flying lessons aged 62 and got
my PPL(H) a few months later. Loved
all the flying, but when I got to seventy
made a conscious decision no longer
to exercise the privileges of the licence.
Though in excellent health, I knew
from that point my skills and abilities
would very slowly, initially imperceptibly,
deteriorate. A pilot has to be a 10/10
pilot, not a 9/10 or an 8/10. Most of the
time I’d probably get away with it, but I
didn’t want ever to get into a situation
 Airmail

where even my marginally sub-standard

response caused me to damage
the aircraft, myself or, worst of all my
passenger. Of course, I miss it, but I’ve
never regretted that decision.
Finally, isn’t it about time that Ray
Wilkinson’s insights into MANPRINT
(the US Army study of best maintenance
practice that concluded: if a part fits,
it’s the right part and the right way
round – Ed) and designing out faults
were applied to the current confusions
and ambiguities within the hornet’s
nest of electronic conspicuity?

PHOTO: KEITH WILSON

William Lewis, Cheltenham

Air-to-air advice
appreciated Chris Fopp took part in this formation paying tribute to the late Queen, flying his
Bulldog G-BZXZ/XX629

I’ve been exceptionally fortunate to know
Keith Wilson for a large portion of my
life and even more so in recent years,
having been in a number of formations
he’s taken photos of. I’ve been slowly
accumulating an understanding of how to
fly a camera ship for other photographers
too – and like all aviation beyond the
norm, it is very rewarding. So, to open up
the latest Pilot magazine this morning to
find a brilliant article by him about air-to-
air photography with one of my favourite
pictures – one that I’d like to recreate,
the University of London Air Squadron
formation – made my day.
I know I echo all my Bulldog and
Chipmunk pilot colleagues when I say we
not only enjoy seeing Keith’s pictures but
enjoy learning from him in our preflight
briefings and debriefs afterwards.
One of the points highlighted was
getting the aircraft in the correct setting,
as seen in our tribute to the late Queen –
a poignant flight where almost all pilots
and crew had served her in one form or
another. We were certainly working hard,
and our A game showed – possibly one
of my most rewarding flights.
Chris Fopp, owner of
Bulldog G-BZXZ/XX629
A plea for
more sim coverage
I have been an avid subscriber to Pilot
ever since I gained my PPL in 1988. An
excellent magazine, if I may say so. I
have nearly 300 hours, but the licence
went rusty in the late ’90s. I now have
various medical conditions that may
well prevent me from flying P1 again,
and with that in mind, I thought about
setting up a sim of some sorts at home.
Unfortunately, I am something of a
technophobe and I haven’t the faintest
idea of where to start.
I have seen technology accelerate
phenomenally over the years. Modern
light aircraft cockpits look incredible. My
thoughts here, and I’m sure I’m not alone
are, would it be a worthy subject for a
few articles in Pilot on how to purchase,
set up, operate a sim and what options
are out there to purchase and so on etc.
etc? The choice is amazing I believe.
Thank you for a wonderful magazine,
Paul Smith, Sible Hedingham,
Halstead, Essex

pilotweb.aero I Pilot April 2024 35

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Testing Times
“T
here’s no such thing
as a routine test
flight.” Whoever said
that wasn’t wrong, for
sometimes even the
most innocuous-looking machine can
bite. Sitting on the runway bathed in
the soft light of a summer evening, the
aircraft didn’t look particularly sinister,
yet I still regarded it with a slightly
jaundiced air. It was a T.31M, the bastard
offspring of an ex-ATC Kirby Cadet
Mk.III, which at some time in its life had
been converted into a single-seat motor
glider. Bright yellow with a thick black
‘racing stripe’ down the fuselage, the
myriad modifications included installing
a small engine and fuel tank where the
front cockpit had been, and replacing
the monowheel, nose and tail skids
with a more conventional tailwheel
arrangement. It had been discovered by
one of the more senior members of the
club rotting away in a barn, and along
with an accomplice of similar vintage, he
had retrieved it, restored it, and now all
the duo needed was an idiot to test-fly it.
Of course, I said yes.
The motor was I checked forward on the stick, but the
particularly intriguing. Most
T.31Ms are powered by nose kept rising! Distinctly alarmed,
repurposed VW Beetle
engines, but this one had
I slammed the throttle shut
a 500cc Fuji Robin, a two-stroke inverted
twin originally designed for small
industrial applications. Maximum power
wasn’t very much, and was achieved at
a heady 6,000rpm, although a reduction
gear kept the propeller speed down to
a more sensible 2,500. The combination
of a pylon-mounted 13.2m wing and a
narrow-track undercarriage made it
quite ungainly on the ground, and just
to make it interesting, it had three
wheels but no brakes.
After a few hearty pulls on the recoil
starter the Fuji burst into life, and I
gingerly trundled out, intending to initially
try a straight-line ‘test hop’ on the 800m
runway. Opening the throttle produced
more noise than thrust, and as the aircraft
‘gathered way’ I eased the stick forward.
Nothing happened and the tailwheel
stayed stuck to the runway. About the
PUSH TO TALK
time I began to realise something wasn’t
right, it suddenly levitated in a three-
point attitude. Intending to fly along just
above the ground, I checked forward
on the stick, but the nose kept rising!
Distinctly alarmed, I slammed the throttle
shut and the contraption flopped untidily
onto the ground, much to my relief.
Taxying slowly back (remember, it
didn’t have brakes) while my pulse rate
subsided, I was determined to ascertain
what was wrong, although I already had
a fair idea. Then I sensed that something,
somewhere, had shifted – and within
seconds the nose started to drift left,
towards the fence paralleling the runway.
Quick – right rudder! Nothing happened.
The nose kept going left, because the
tailwheel steering had disconnected. I
lunged for the mag switch but a collision
seemed inevitable, so opted for full right
rudder, a brief blast of power – and the
left wing passed over the fence as the
thing pirouetted ungracefully around.
Heartbeat once again back down to a
normal level and engine off, it was towed
back for a ‘Come to Jesus’ meeting
with the two old timers. After much
head-scratching, chin-stroking, musing,
analysing and pontificating, it was
determined that instead of using a
datum point forward of the leading
edge for the W & B calculations, they
had started from aft of the leading edge.
Consequently, the centre of gravity
was somewhere around the tailplane
(I exaggerate for comic effect, but you
get the general idea).
Having sorted out the W & B and
reconnected the tailwheel steering
in a more secure fashion, I foolishly
returned to the field the following
week for another attempt
at persuading this curious
contrivance into the air. Initially
all went well. The little engine
buzzed busily, and after a
couple of test-hops I summoned
Dave Unwin
up enough courage for a circuit. All
seemed fine – stability was no longer
an issue, control around all three axes
felt acceptable and even the 300fpm
climb rate was more than I’d hoped for,
so on the next flight I laboriously clawed
my way up to 3,000ft for a look at both
ends of the speed scale. Slow flight
was amazing, as it finally and reluctantly
stalled at about 20-22kt. With a Vne of
only 69kt, describing the next part of
the flight test as ‘high speed’ sounds
somewhat dramatic, but the mongrel
thing hadn’t finished scaring me yet!
Of course, I approached this part of
the test very cautiously and increased
the speed in five-knot increments. This
proved prudent, because as the speed
went through about 60kt on the third
dive, the aircraft began to roll almost
imperceptibly to the left. ‘Slight lateral
instability,’ I noted, while moving the
stick to the right. Nothing happened. I
moved the stick further to the right, and
it continued rolling lethargically to the
left. Once again, I slammed the throttle
closed, and as it decelerated regained
lateral control, crept
carefully down
and landed.
Closer inspection
revealed that although
everything felt and looked
right during ‘positive’ and ‘full & free’
checks, if the stick was held rigid, both
ailerons could still move independently if
a bit more force was applied! There was
quite a lot of slack in the aileron circuit,
and at (relatively) high speeds both
ailerons were being sucked up in the low
pressure area above the wing, but the
left aileron had slightly more travel.
Eventually we sorted it all out – but I
never really enjoyed flying that T.31M. It
really was one of those machines that
‘could just barely kill you’.
DAVE UNWIN
Pilot’s Flight Test Editor
operates a Jodel D.9 from
a farm strip and has logged
stick-time on everything from
ultralights to fast jets
pilotweb.aero I Pilot April 2024 37
 The old saying
would have it
there’s no such
thing, but RAF
veteran Jack
Hemmings
survived WWII
escapades to
co-found the
Mission Aviation
Fellowship and
is still flying
today

Words:
Robin Evans
RIGHT:
Pictured in 1948, a
youthful Sqn Ldr
Jack Hemmings AFC

OPPOSITE:
Jack today, at the
grand old age of 102

V
eteran pilot, ex-RAF
Squadron Leader and
Mission Aviation Fellowship
(MAF) co-founder Jack
Hemmings AFC has
remained connected to the skies. On 5
February, he also disproved the adage
there are no old, bold pilots, flying in
Spitfire MT818 at the age 102, thought to
be the oldest pilot to do so.
The special event was courtesy of Fly
a Spitfire (flyaspitfire.com), Biggin Hill to
honour his wartime service in the 80th
anniversary year of D-Day and remember
his late friend, MAF co-founder and
D-Day veteran Stuart King, who passed
away in 2020.
“Getting in the Spitfire gave all the
same pleasant feelings of being above
the ground, where you can leave behind
all the problems of the world,” said
Jack, born in Bentham, Yorkshire on 10
August, 1921. “210 knots was faster than
my RAF flying days. I was surprised by

38 Pilot April 2024 I pilotweb.aero


For Jack at least, old age is no bar to wanting to turn the world upside down...
in a Spitfire
how heavy the controls were, but that’s
probably because I’m just a bit rusty.
It was rather bumpy up there, but the
overall experience really was absolutely
delightful.”
OPERATIONS IN INDIA
This was the latest escapade to go in
the logbook since Jack learned to fly
in 1940. “I was nineteen years old and
volunteered for aircrew. When I first
joined the RAF I thought, ‘If I am going
to fight, I may as well do it sitting down!’”
He learned to fly the Tiger Moth at
Marshall’s, Cambridge and the Airspeed
Oxford at Little Rissington. ‘Selection
tests had put me in the multi-engine
(plodding) stream, not in the single
engine (dashing) stream,’ wrote Jack in a
wartime account provided by MAF.
Jack confesses he and the Oxford
didn’t quite gel, after a night circuits
mishap. Climbing crosswind he lost
sight of the flarepath. ‘Whether a
patch of cloud had intervened or I had
wandered off track, I don’t know, but I
was suddenly alone with no radio and
nothing but blackness around me… my
first experience of real fear when the
realisation dawns you’ve got to sort a
problem out alone. I did find my way
40 Pilot April 2024 I pilotweb.aero
O: JONATHAN BUCKMASTER
P OTO
back and no one commented on the
length of that particular circuit!’
The Blenheim at RAF Upwood,
Cambridgeshire came next. “The Mk.IV
[had] an elongated nose to make a
navigator’s office and a backward firing
gun [that] seemed to rob its sparkle.
Upwood was a bit like a speed-dating
event. It was here we met navigators and
wireless-operators/gunners and were
told to form ourselves into crews.’
Instead of orders to Bomber
Command, Jack’s cohort was dispatched
to RAF Oulton, Norfolk for training on
the Lockheed Hudson. ‘Converted to
warplanes by the addition of gun turrets
and bomb racks. They still retained their
soundproofing and automatic pilots and
were very comfortable.’ Ground-looping
was the Hudson’s Achilles’ Heel. ‘The
turret at the back was a big, heavy affair,
it made it a bit difficult to control on the
ground… Often the broken undercarriage
leg would go up into the wing and burst
the petrol tank, so a ground loop and
broken undercarriage, [ending up] on fire
was not rare.’
After six weeks, orders arrived to
ferry the Hudsons to Calcutta. ‘A simple
enough task but not without hazards
when carried out by inexperienced
crews.’ Ground looping claimed a first
aircraft, but mercifully not its crew, on
departure from Portreath, Cornwall. ‘My
last glimpse of England as we headed
out over the water for Gibraltar was a tiny
pinprick of a red beacon over grey cliffs
under a sullen, watery sky,’ recalled Jack.
The Gibraltar-Malta leg
was conducted at fifty feet
to avoid radar, with the
‘the rear gunner called up to
planned two-hour stop
extended to six by an Italian
say rather dryly, “Lots of little
bombing raid. A second holes in the wing, Jack.”’
crew was lost departing
Cairo. “They crashed in the desert en
route to Basra and were killed,” says
Jack. “On Remembrance Sundays it is
always these four men who first come to
mind.” A third aircraft fell by the wayside,
ground looping in Bahrain.
Formed at Calcutta in June 1942,
353 Squadron began with the initial
handful of Hudsons, later supplemented
by Dakotas. Protecting the Bay of Bengal
from Japanese invasion meant escorting
shipping, patrolling for submarines,
attacking coastal installations and a daily
reconnaissance of the Burmese Coast
“I had the distinction of being the only
one to be seriously hit by enemy fire. Two
crews were sent to fly low around the
mass of islands off Taungup [Burmese
Coast] to look for shipping. More through
ignorance than arrogance, I flew in to
have a look at the port to be met by a
shower of incendiaries. There was a
loud bang behind my head as something
in the radio exploded just as the rear
gunner called up to say rather dryly, “Lots
of little holes in the wing, Jack.”
With the navigator reporting a fountain
of petrol coming up through the floor and
leaking port tanks, Jack diverted to Feni,
Bangladesh, where he discovered one of
their tyres had also burst.
Hitching a ride with another crew to
Jessore, Jack was given an overnight
train ticket. “Having been up since about
5am I lay down on the floor of an empty
Jack peers out from the rear cockpit of Fly a Spitfire’s Biggin Hill based T9
during his flight in February this year
carriage with my head on a parachute
and fell fast asleep. When I woke it was
daylight and the carriage was full of
white-clad Indians looking down with
embarrassment and some puzzlement at
this dishevelled, unshaven Brit.”
Having written off Jack and his crew,
his relieved Squadron
returned him to Feni with a
spare wheel. “From today’s
perspective it seems
breathtakingly casual but
we all climbed aboard
without further inspection
and flew back to base.”
Jack was appointed Squadron Leader
in 1942, awarded the Air Force Cross
for exemplary gallantry while flying.
The Squadron was then converted to
passenger operations, serving as an
internal airline across India and Ceylon
from November 1943 to early 1946.
“We soon learned that flying to a
schedule in unpressurised aircraft had its
own hazards. In the monsoon season the
country was covered by great belts of
cumulonimbus clouds, each a towering
column of air currents violent enough
PHOTO: JONATHAN BUCKMASTER
PHOTO: LOCKHEED MARTIN

Adapted from a civvie passenger

carrier, the Lockheed Hudson was
liked by its wartime pilots

Determined to use aircraft for

humanitarian purposes, Jack and
Stuart King with Miles Gemini
‘Mildmay Pathfinder’

to break an aeroplane into pieces. Entry

into cu-nims or any formation that might
contain them was taboo, as was flying
much above 10,000ft.”
Jack enjoyed every minute of this,
bar the day a propeller oil seal burst. He
shut the engine down but was unable to
feather the prop. “We failed to reach the
runway by about 200 yards and in the
ensuing meeting of metal with Mother
Earth I was knocked unconscious,
dragged from the aeroplane as it caught
fire and spent the next two weeks in
hospital with a fractured skull.”

FATEFUL MOMENT
While in India in 1945, one of the airmen
at his Delhi station discovered a copy
of the Mildmay Outlook, a Christian
PHOTO: MAF

magazine with an article written by New

Zealand RAF pilot Murray Kendon about
launching an air service.

42 Pilot April 2024 I pilotweb.aero


Back home by 1946, Jack’s CPL
conversion was thwarted on eyesight
grounds. “This left future plans looking
rather blank,” he said, instead visiting the
one room, Islington office of the Mildmay
Movement – the forerunner of MAF. The
MAF men believed that wartime had
given them a skill that could serve peace,
even if missionary services remained
sceptical of their realism without military
resources.
“I went in for two weeks and stayed
for four years,” said Jack, appointed
Chief Pilot of the first MAF survey flight
from Croydon on 13 January 1948.
Accompanying him in their 1947 Miles
Gemini was MAF co-founder and RAF
Engineer Stuart King. The pair plotted a
route through Libya, Egypt and Sudan
using the Nile as a guide, the first British
airmen to survey the needs of isolated
Central Africa.
It was an adventure of a lifetime,
embraced with fearless determination
MAF’s youngest pilot, 21-year-old James Gullet (who’d gained his CPL only days
before) joins its eldest, Jack Hemmings at Biggin Hill
and a healthy dose of humour. Stuart
and Jack established connections with
remote mission stations, confirming the
only way to deliver life-saving help in
the wilderness was via air. Small aircraft
could save days of travel on treacherous
or non-existent roads.
Returning to Nairobi in July, 1948, the
Gemini was climbing through the valleys
of the Burundi Foothills when caught
in a downdraught, clipping a tree. “The
war had accustomed us to crashes,
disasters and the unexpected. But this
was different,” observed Stuart. “This
wrecked plane was not one of thousands
of military aircraft. It’s broken remains
symbolised our own shattered hopes.”
“Neither of us were injured except a
bruise and a cut on my little finger,” Jack
revealed, confessing the affectionate
nickname ‘Crasher Jack’ stuck. Despite
this, the pioneering sortie launched
the world’s largest humanitarian air
service. Today, the charity operates 118
Pilot Profile: Jack Hemmings
PHOTO: SIMON DUNSMORE
aircraft across 25 low-income countries,
delivering aid, medical care and
emergency evacuations in some of the
world’s most isolated locations.
CONNECTIONS
Jack began a career in accountancy, but
remained connected to MAF through his
unyielding friendship with Stuart King. He
returned to flying in retirement and flew
privately for twenty years, winning the
1985 Dungeness – Le Touquet race and
training in aerobatics.
“Getting into an aeroplane gives a
sense of pleasant expectation, I’ve never
got into one and regretted it,” he says.
“I love flying because it gives a feeling
of detachment from all the problems
in the world – and there are a lot.
During wartime, aircraft were used for
destruction; but it has always been my
desire that they be used for good. That
is what MAF does today, it is more than
a bright idea that stayed in someone’s
pilotweb.aero I Pilot April 2024 43
Pilot Profile: Jack Hemmings

PHOTO: MAF
Jack returned to flying in retirement and flew privately for twenty years, winning the 1985 Dungeness – Le Touquet race. He marked
his 100th year with an aerobatic flight in a Slingsby Firefly from White Waltham, piloted by Nigel Rhind

head, it has grown to become the Good
Samaritan of the air.”
His adventures are all the more
remarkable after emergency heart
surgery in 2020. “Jack is an awesome,
amazing man,” says wife, Kate. “He is
the oldest patient to have received this
operation and we believe the motto
‘Fear Not’ from his 353 Squadron days,
along with firm Christian faith has helped
him through.”
A contender for oldest
Briton still flying, Jack
returns skyward for an
“It’s not incredible being 102.
annual treat. His 2021
centenary involved
You just get up every day and
aerobatics in a Slingsby go about your business...”
Firefly at White Waltham.
Jack was then reunited with the Miles
at Shuttleworth in March 2022, flying in
Stu Blanchard’s Gemini at a MAF event
in memory of late friend and co-founder
Stuart King. He made the BBC News,
raising £40,000 for MAF.
He met the Gemini again on his 101st
birthday later that year at Spilstead
Farm, Kent, flying in a Robin DR400 with
his son-in-law. Jack said: “There were
whispers yesterday about a surprise, but
meeting folk from MAF and the BBC to
see the Gemini and watch my flight in the
Robin I used to co-own was thoroughly
enjoyable.” He received a smoke salute
from the Red Arrows as they overflew his
home on his 102nd birthday, commenting
it made him feel like the King.
In November 2023, Jack spoke at a
MAF event at the RAF Museum, reunited
with the Hudson for the first time in fifty
years. “Flying the Hudson was very
comfortable indeed,” he said. “A nicely
balanced aircraft with all the American
mod-cons. If you’re going to spend eight
hours looking at salt water, you want to
be comfortable. It’s wonderful to see the
Lockheed again – just like old times.”
Flying alongside the Spitfire in the
accompanying chaser was proud son
Adrian. “Dad had a few bad crashes
during the war and the early days of
MAF. We’ve been brought up on stories
of his adventures across Africa in the tiny
Gemini, but when you see footage from
those times, it really is very impressive.
At the age of 25 he flew thousands
of miles across uncharted territory. It’s
quite extraordinary. It has been a very
wonderful day and he has achieved so
many inspiring things. We should never
take that for granted.”
RAF Chief Chaplain, Air Vice-Marshal
Giles Legood was among the guests
invited to celebrate
Jack’s achievement. He
said: “It was wonderful
to see this inspirational
man fulfilling one of his
dreams. Having helped
win the peace as a WWII
pilot, Jack was a huge force for good in
co-founding MAF, which has changed the
lives of countless millions in delivering
humanitarian aid.”
When asked how he maintains so
much energy into his centenary, Jack
concluded: “It’s not incredible being 102.
You just get up every day and go about
your business. It’s the present moment
which counts – and this one was very
special indeed.”

44 Pilot April 2024 I pilotweb.aero

 Jack possibly
reflecting on the
irony that wartime
‘selection tests had
put me in the multi-
engine (plodding)
stream, not in
the single engine
(dashing) stream’
PHOTO: SIMON DUNSMORE
 FLY TO THE ENDS
OF THE EARTH
MAF co-founder, RAF Veteran Jack Hemmings is still flying high
at 102, enjoying the spitfire in February 2024. Discover his early
MAF adventures in this stunning coffee table book,
exclusively available for Pilot readers.

From the ashes of WWII, a handful of

service airmen and women dreamed
of using aircraft to deliver peace and
development to isolated communities.
Through the pages of Above and
Beyond, you can travel to the furthest
corners of the world to encounter
hidden tribes, life-saving partnerships,
and inspiring stories that span seven
decades of MAF’s inspiring history.

FREE
Scan the QR code or visit our website
below to order your FREE copy.
20
RRP £
Please allow 21 days for delivery

www.maf-uk.org/beyond
Registered charity in England and Wales (1064598) and in Scotland (SC039107) ® Registered trademark 3026860, 3026908, 3026915

Jonathan Buckmaster

Bars and Beers
I
am not a habitual beer drinker. Co-
pilots later called me ‘a lightweight’,
what the Australians call ‘a two-pot
screamer’ – someone who cannot
hold his alcohol. After two pints I’m
anybody’s – after three I’m nobody’s
and have to be dragged home legless.
But a significant part of the
intercontinental pilot’s life was
traditionally spent in bars, rehydrating
our pressurisation-parched throats
and unwinding. In the good old days
when long-haul airliners carried flight
engineers, we relied upon these stalwarts
to recommend the ‘best’ (usually meaning
the cheapest) bar in each city we visited.
In Tehran as a supernumerary
pilot, I was accommodated in the
Park Hotel with the cabin crew. They
introduced me to the German Bar
where we mostly drank 1001 Nights
red wine, although ‘Stella’ beer from a
red barrel was available, but this was
definitely not the Stella Artois nor the
Watneys with which we were familiar.
My next nightstop was in Beirut, where
we visited the tiny Golden Bar. There we
drank Laziza beer and, being hungry,
I nibbled the carrot batons arrayed on
a saucer in the middle of the plastic-
clothed table. They were soaked in
gentian violet for sterilisation, but that
didn’t prevent me getting dysentery.
At Karachi, in the BOAC Rest House
where we overnighted, Tennent’s Lager
cans were embellished by photos of
pretty girls with flowing locks, low-cut
dresses and long, bare legs. Even in my
naïf early twenties this seemed strange in
a Muslim country. The bearers were not
allowed to handle money, so we bought
‘beer chits’ at a pound apiece from the
reception desk. In 1971, these were the
world’s most expensive beers. Thus, the
BOAC saying after having been done a
big favour, ‘I’ll buy you a beer in Karachi.’
In Bombay we unusually drank
in our Oberoi hotel’s roof bar, the
Hussar, where I was introduced to
their refreshing and less gassy beer,
Kingfisher. I still drink it in our local
Indian restaurant (the more ubiquitous
Cobra being a British invention).
In Delhi we ate at the Copper Chimney
AIRWAYS
restaurant. There were occasional official
‘meatless days’, but when we ordered the
vegetarian equivalents of our favourite
dishes, there nevertheless seemed to
be familiar-textured and tasting lumps
of matter within the delicious sauces.
Likewise, the consumption of alcohol
was officially frowned upon unless one
had a doctor’s certificate attesting to
one’s status as an alcoholic. Many crew
members actually went to the trouble
of getting such a document, but it didn’t
really matter, because we all drank cold
‘tea’ from neat, if rather large china cups
on decorative saucers. The waiters
circulated with teapots asking “Would
you like red tea or white tea sir?”
There was a seedy establishment
within easy staggering distance of our
Park Hotel in Hong Kong, plus not far
away the Waltzing Matilda Inn, which
I now know was a gay bar. A superior
alternative was the Mariners’ Club a
couple of blocks inland. In all three
places we oddly drank Spanish San
Miguel lager, presumably because of
their recently constructed Kowloon
brewery, at $1.50 HKG a time (fifteen
pence!) Soon we moved to the Excelsior,
on the island. Its basement Dickens bar
was famous for its super-gravity, making
it hard to climb back upstairs to our
rooms. During typhoons the hotel’s doors
were locked and that bar stayed open
24 hours. Then it became impossible.
In Kuala Lumpur we drank Anchor beer
at the Ship Inn. In Bangkok it was Bintang
in the Green Door, although we later
transitioned to the Queen’s Castle with its
pretty and obliging young bar girls. For a
few pounds one or two of them would sit
beside you all evening and lift your beer
to your lips, jumping up from time to time
to protect you from skilfully projected
flying ping pong balls or ‘darts’ made of
hypodermic syringes with paper fleches.
My early Singapore slips were
actually in the ancient and
venerated Raffles Hotel,
where we habituated the
original Long Bar with its lazy
fans, rattan armchairs and
quintessentially British menu of
fish ’n chips or steak-and-kidney
Bob Grimstead
pudding. There we sipped Singha or
Tiger beer, the latter probably referencing
the last of those animals shot on the
island, whose skin adorned that revered
establishment’s walls. Sadly, it’s not a
romantic tale, for the poor young striped
feline had merely escaped from a circus.
In Tokyo I was introduced to the
light and refreshing range of beers
brewed by Kirn and Asahi. The first bar
I encountered there was Eri’s Cabin in
Roppongi district. A hotel taxi dropped
us off in a dimly lit back street and the
engineer led us through a dark alley
and around the back of some buildings,
where we climbed an outside staircase
to a wooden shed on the roof. He gave
a secret knock on the dark, wooden
door and we were admitted to a bright
lounge reminiscent of an English
country pub, complete with dartboard.
The following morning, we
congregated at ‘Mozart’ – a coffee
shop with comfortable sofas in alcoves
all up its narrow staircase. There we
nursed our hangovers over boiled
eggs to the lilt of gentle classical
music piped from hidden speakers.
In Australia, there is fierce and irrational
brand loyalty to everything from sports
teams to car manufacturers and alcohol
makers. In Perth, I drank Swan Lager –
referred to locally as ‘Black Duck’,
the black swan on its labels being
Western Australia’s state emblem.
Our Sydney ‘local’ was a small
basement bar by the tube station beneath
our Menzies Hotel. I drank Fosters there
because it was the only local beer I
knew of, and was surprised at the tiny
glasses named ‘schooners’ or ‘midis’.
On one visit our engineer joined
us part-way though our first drinks.
Brandishing a pint dimple mug, he
demanded “Give me a beer in a
man-sized glass.” We three scarpered.
BOB GRIMSTEAD
Bob is a former professional pilot.
In over thirty years of airline
flying he has operated from
more than 250 airports in every
continent – except Antarctica
pilotweb.aero I Pilot April 2024 47
Old Timers
A round-up of historic aircraft display and restoration news
compiled by Peter R March and Paul Fiddian

Warbirds supreme Downunder

1

The rebranded Airshows 2024 ‘Old Timers’). Built by Cross made its first flight on 2002, subsequently landed
Downunder Shellharbour Famous Australian Aircraft at 14 August 1987. Unfortunately, on effectively one wheel and
(previously Wings over Parafield in South Australia, it shed its starboard main badly damaged its starboard
Illawarra) organised by the reproduction Southern wheel strut on take-off in May wing. HARS acquired the
the AMDA Foundation at
Shellharbour Regional Airport
in New South Wales on 1-3 2
March 2024 was an excellent
warbird gathering, reports
‘Pilot’s’ Antipodean traveller,
Nigel Hitchman.
The highlights included
two quite different ‘Southern
Crosses’: one, the resident
Historical Aircraft Restoration
Society’s (HARS) record-
setting 1926 Fokker
FVIIB/3m VH-USU replica
[1], the other, Paul Bennet’s
newly-imported Sea Fury
FB11 VH-HPB [2] (see March

48 Pilot April 2024 I pilotweb.aero

 Old Timers

trimotor in 2010 and, after a

complete rebuild, returned it 5
to the air last December.
HARS also flew its
magnificent C-121C Super
Constellation VH-EAG
Southern Preservation [3]
and maritime patrol trio of
S-2G Tracker 844 VH-NVX
[4], P2V-7 Neptune A89-
273/VH-IOY and AP-3C
Orion A9-753/VH-ORI, each
making a number of fly-pasts.
No 100 Sqn, the RAAF’s
Heritage Squadron based
at Point Cook and Temora,
contributed the world’s only ‘A-68-750’/VH-SVU and weekend, joining the Avenger in a warbird Balbo
flying Lockheed Hudson III Spitfire HF VIIIc A58-758/ Spitfire, Doug Hamilton’s and also forming a neat
A16-211/VH-KOY The Tojo VH-HET Grey Nurse, which P-51D Mustang 44-13016/ Heritage Flight [6] with an
Busters [5], Canberra TT18 tangled with Chris Mayr’s Flug VH-LUI Dove of Peace, Ross RAAF F-35A Lightning II.
WJ680/VH-ZSQ, shark- Werk Fw 190A-8/N VH-WLF. Pay and Alan Arthur’s P-40s Report & photos: Nigel
mouthed CA-18 Mustang The Mustang had a busy and Paul Bennet’s Grumman Hitchman

pilotweb.aero I Pilot April 2024 49

Aeronca airborne at last

PHOTO: FIO
FIO President Carlos Valle completing preflight checks before making Aeronca 100 EC-NZI/G-AEXD’s first Spanish flight

The Fundación Infante de
Orleans’ (FIO) 1937 Aeronca
100 EC-NZI/G-AEXD took
to the air at Cuatro Vientos
on 20 February 2024. FIO
administrator Darío Pozo
provided Pilot with more
information on this vintage
light-plane’s long-awaited first
Spanish flight. Foundation
President Carlos Valle, he
said, ‘was taxying with the
Aeronca for a while on the
terrain runway and, satisfied
with its performance on the
ground, decided to go ahead.
After obtaining authorisation
from the tower, he took off and
stayed close to the ground
for a while before climbing to
circuit altitude (3000 ft ASL)
for three circuits. After landing,
Carlos smiled and commented
that “it flies very well”.

Demon heading for Florida

Old Warden-based Hawker Demon Nos 25 and 64. K8203 served with 1991. Following an eighteen-year, 35,000-
K8203/G-BTVE has been sold to a each of these plus several other units, hour restoration, the pre-war biplane
prominent historic aeroplane collector concluding with No 413 (Aldershot) Sqn was flown again on 23 June 2009 by
in Florida, believed to be Kermit Weeks. ATC which had no use for it after 1943. Stu Goldspink. Painted in its former No
Owned by Demon Displays Ltd for the The Demon’s fuselage was in RAF 64 Sqn RAF Church Fenton markings, it
past thirty years, it was cancelled from Museum storage at Cardington until made its public debut a few weeks later
the UK register on 8 February 2024 as acquired by SkySport Engineering in at the Shuttleworth Military Pageant.
transferred to the USA. According to
Platinum Fighters which brokered the
sale, the aeroplane currently has a little
over 31 hours on its airframe and the
same on its 485hp Rolls-Royce Kestrel
engine, which was fully overhauled by
Vintech.
There were 305 Hawker Demons built.
Boulton Paul Aircraft at Wolverhampton
assembled 106 of them, K8203 being
completed about half-way through the
PHOTO: PAUL FIDDIAN

final batch of 37. The type equipped

seven RAF frontline squadrons, including

Old Warden resident Hawker Demon

K8203, now sold and reportedly
going to a new home in Florida

50 Pilot April 2024 I pilotweb.aero

 Old Timers

Soggy but sunny Sandtoft

RAF Sandtoft, in North
Lincolnshire, was opened
in February 1944 as RAF
Lindholme’s satellite
airfield and as part of No 1
Group Bomber Command.
Formed at Lindholme
on 1 June 1943, No 1667
HCU, which operated two
marks of Halifax and later
Lancasters, was Sandtoft’s
only resident military unit.
Control was subsequently
transferred to No 7 Group
PHOTO: PAUL FIDDIAN

Bomber Command, the HCU

remaining active until 10
November 1945, following
which the site was closed
and put up for disposal.
Sandtoft originally featured
the ‘Class-A’ triple-runway Anniversary salute from Jet Provost T3A XM479, making a missed approach to Sandtoft’s
Runway 23
and connecting perimeter
track layout typical of RAF
WWII airfields. One length of
this taxiway became Runway
05/23, used primarily today
by the Yorkshire Aero
Club’s Cessna 150s and
172s. Their takeoffs, circuits
and landings were much a

PHOTO: PAUL FIDDIAN

part of Sandtoft’s eightieth
anniversary fly-in weekend
on 17-18 February 2024.
Few visiting aircraft braved
Saturday’s wet conditions
but, while breezy, Sunday
was brighter, busier and 1949 Vagabond G-BSWG backtracks to the visitors parking area after arrival
well-attended by the public
for whom a special viewing
area, facing the Runway 23
threshold, had been set-up.
Arrivals ranged from the
ultralight Aeroprakt Foxbat
G-FOXV and Flight Design
CTSW G-CEKD to Jet Provost
PHOTO: ANDREW MARCH

T3A XM479/G-BVEZ from

Church Fenton, which made
an approach and low-level
go-around.
The pilots of Pioneer
200 G-CDSB, Menestrel
2 G-CKGJ, Van’s RV-12
G-CMLL, AG-5B Tiger F-GITZ 66-year-old Jodel D119 G-ATJN alongside elderly Cessna 172 G-ASSS
and sixty-year-old Cessna
172 G-ASSS were each free landings for all aircraft registered Piper Vagabonds imported from France by
entitled to a free hot drink built in 1959 or earlier. Only G-BSWG (1946) and G-BRPY Personal Plane Services in
and cake for attending but three attendees fell into (1948) and 1958-built Jodel September 1965.
there was another incentive: this category: former US D119 G-ATJN, which was Report: Paul Fiddian

pilotweb.aero I Pilot April 2024 51

 News bites
New Montrose Heritage Centre exhibit SE5a G-SEVA landing at Popham in 2007 flown by its builder, Doug Gregory
Replica Plans SE5a G-SEVA
has been ‘retired’ to the
Montrose Air Station Heritage
Centre in Angus. Built by
Great War Display Team
founder and longest-serving
member, the late Ivan ‘Doug’
Gregory, the seven-eighths
scale SE5a made its first
flight on 16 September 1987.
PHOTO: PETER R MARCH
DDA Classic Airlines’ DC-3C PH-PBA pictured during one of its many Duxford visits, now into its final
flying season
52 Pilot April 2024 I pilotweb.aero
The irrepressible Gregory
displayed it at airshows with
the team until 2012, then the
following year made one last
flight (loop included!) for his
ninetieth birthday. Ownership
of the aeroplane was
transferred to the G-SEVA
Trust in August 2013.
The present-day USAF
saluted Sheffield’s famous
memorial to B-17G Flying
Fortress 42-31322 Mi
Amigo and its ever-devoted
caretaker, eighty-seven-
year-old Tony Foulds, with
a low and noisy flypast by
two F-15E Strike Eagles on
22 February 2024. Their
dramatic appearance over
PHOTO: PAUL FIDDIAN
Endcliffe Park was arranged
for the eightieth anniversary
of Mi Amigo’s crash there
while returning from its final
daylight bombing mission to
RAF Chelveston, Northants
(see ‘Old Timers’ April 2019).
Schiphol-based DDA
Classic Airlines, which
operates D-Day and Arnhem
veteran DC-3C PH-PBA
Prinses Amalia is to cease
flying on 1 October 2024,
after forty years in business.
It is becoming prohibitively
costly to hangar and insure
the aeroplane, the operator
explained, especially since
the loss of Dutch supermarket
chain Jumbo’s sponsorship
last October. Increasingly
expensive away landings,
limited supplies of avgas and
the lack of skilled volunteer
engineers were among
the other factors behind
DDA’s decision. Foreseeing
 Old Timers

an inoperable 2025, it has

decided to go out on a high
with a busy final season for
PH-PBA (see dutchdakota.nl)
including the D-Day 80 events
at Normandy in early June.

PHOTO: PETER R MARCH

On 17 October 2022, former
Swiss Air Force Hunter F58
‘J-4015’/HB-RVS Papyrus
in its distinctive newspaper
print scheme was flown from
St Stephan to Altenrhein for
winter servicing. Its operator
The unmistakable Hunter F58 ‘Papyrus’ that displayed at Kemble and Fairford in July 2001, is now
of twenty-two years, the grounded
Hunterverein Obersimmental
confirmed in February 2024 Aviation’s assistance, building for it is planned. RM Sotheby’s Miami auction
that, with all future options Papyrus will be transported Out of Africa DH60GMW on 2 March (see ‘Old Timers’
exhausted, this flight was by road back to St Stephan, Moth G-AAMY was sold for a Spring 2024). Its new owner
its last. With Hawker Hunter where a dedicated display staggering $527,500 during resides in Germany.

Skymaster’s restoration aborted

The C-54 Skymaster Trust restoring
Douglas C-54Q Skymaster 56498/
N44914 Lady Hope to airworthiness at
North Weald announced its disbandment
and the cessation of work on its Save
the Skymaster! project in mid-February.
Financing the restoration had become
unsustainable, with funding promised
to the trust during the Covid pandemic
since diverted elsewhere and the extra
expense – £300,000 or more – of a new
main spar and new wings now looming.
The Skymaster’s fate was unknown
as ‘Old Timers’ went to press but B-17
Preservation, which operates Europe’s
only airworthy Flying Fortress, Sally B,
was to receive its support equipment.
Unused funds are to be donated to the
Veterans Foundation.
This Skymaster was completed in May
1944 as a C-45D. Following initial USAAF
service as 42-72525, it was assigned
to VR-11 of the US Naval Air Transport
Service (NATS) stationed in Guam. Re-
designated as an R5D-3 with the Bureau
Number 56498, it was used for medical
re-supply and casualty evacuation. Post-
WWII, the Skymaster was transferred
to the USMC and stationed at MCAS
Iwakuni, Japan. It took part in the Korean
War and – by this time given its final
C-54Q designation – the War in Vietnam,
before being decommissioned in 1972.
Thirty years later, the vintage military
transport now registered as N44914
arrived at North Weald with DC-4 N31356
for the planned filming of the Berlin Airlift
movie Candy Bomber. Both the film
and the two Douglas transports were
abandoned but while the substantial
part of N31356 was scrapped, N44914
was spared. Its saviour, Allan Vogel,
gifted it to the Skymaster Trust in 2019.
The Trust’s volunteers were aiming to
make the Skymaster airworthy by June
2024 for the Berlin Airlift seventy-fifth
anniversary events and had got three of
its P&W R-2800 engines running.

PHOTO: PETER R MARCH

End of the road for the Skymaster Trust and its C-54 56498/N44914’s restoration to flight at North Weald

pilotweb.aero I Pilot April 2024 53

 Navy Wings – winter update
Visitors to the Navy Wings
Heritage Trust (NWHT)
hangar at RNAS Yeovilton
in February found it a hive
of activity. Winter is the time
when annual maintenance
is completed and work on
many of the aircraft was well
under way. This was so with
PHOTO: ANDREW MARCH
the engineless Swordfish I
W5856. Its Bristol Pegasus
engine was back with Retro
Track and Air for examination
after a very successful
season having not missed
a beat, according to Chief
Engineer Jim Norris. Work
was also being carried out on
a number of sections of the
aircraft with particular focus
on the undercarriage and the
tail section.
Navy Wings’ engineers
continue to make steady
progress on Swordfish II
LS326. Lead engineer Jon
Lawes has painstakingly
restored each instrument
and the panel itself. The
aircraft, now fitted with
modern, crashworthy
seats and harnesses has
also benefitted from parts
obtained from the forward
fuselage of ‘hangar queen’,
Swordfish III NF389.

Winter maintenance on Swordfish W5856, with its engine away for examination by Retro Track and Air at Cam, Glos
PHOTO: PETER R MARCH
PHOTO: ANDREW MARCH

Fully assembled at Yeovilton Air Day in 1994, Navy Wings’ ‘third

Swordfish II LS326 is being fully restored with modern safety Swordfish’ NF389, parts from which are now supporting LS326’s
features, such as crashworthy seats and harnesses restoration

54 Pilot April 2024 I pilotweb.aero

 Old Timers

PHOTO: ANDREW MARCH

PHOTO: PETER R MARCH

Stinson Reliant 1 N69745 (FK877) that Navy Wings may soon

purchase from owner Paul Kehoe
Long-inactive Sea Fury FB11 VR930 awaiting its P&W R-2800
engine from California that should enable its return to flight
PHOTO: ANDREW MARCH

PHOTO: PETER R MARCH

Sea Hawk FGA6 WV908’s fuselage separated for access to its Seafire SX336 giving its last display in October 2023, as it now has
engine bay and jet pipe to wait for its Griffon engine to be overhauled.

The yellow-painted XT420/G-CBUI, was Sanders Aeronautics in as used in the Canadair

Harvard G-NWHF was having
work done for renewal of its
Permit to Fly. Its carburettor
had been changed, the P&W
R-1340 engine’s timing was
being reviewed and the
rigging of the flying controls
checked. The team was in
the process of inspecting
the undercarriage ahead of
refitting the fuselage panels.
Stinson Reliant 1 N69745
(FK877) had successfully
completed its annual
maintenance programme.
Fuel weeps from both metal
main tanks necessitated their
removal for welding at Little
Gransden. Although the 1943
Reliant is currently on loan to
NWHT by owner Paul Kehoe,
it is reported on social media
that it could pass into Navy
Wings’ ownership this year.
Navy Wings’ only airworthy
helicopter, Westland Wasp
undergoing its annual
service including checks and
refurbishment of its rotor
brake and close inspection
of the undercarriage.
Under LAA (Light Aircraft
Association) requirements,
Chipmunk WK608 was
due its annual inspection.
Nothing significant was
discovered, but some
general maintenance was
carried out and its engine
fully serviced, the carburettor
heat control cable, spark
plugs and oil being changed,
and its oil and fuel filters
cleaned. In the restoration
area, the Flight’s second
Chipmunk, WB657 is
making good progress
towards return to flight.
Sea Fury FB11 VR930
awaits the delivery of a
newly-overhauled Pratt
& Whitney R-2800 from
California. In 2023, Navy
Wings took the difficult
decision to re-engine their
Sea Fury, as they assessed
that its Bristol Centaurus
was becoming difficult to
support and the rapidly
dwindling pool of engineers
knowledgeable on this
complex engine meant that
getting it to run reliably was
too big a challenge.
For aviation enthusiasts,
the sight of Sea Hawk FGA6
WV908 back in the air for
the first time since 2010 is
eagerly anticipated. The
biggest challenge facing
the engineering team is the
aircraft’s RR Nene Mk 103
engine, for which no spares
exist. With the support of
Rolls-Royce, Navy Wing’s
engineers are now planning
to install a more readily
available Nene Mk 10,
CT-133 Silver Star. The
necessary conversion work
for this installation is being
undertaken by Ben Cox of
Heritage Aero Services,
Coventry. Work on the
airframe includes significant
repair and rework of the
structure especially of the air
intake skins.
Absent from the hangar
in February was Seafire XVII
SX336. With its Permit to Fly
having expired in November
2023, it is back with Kennet
Aviation at Old Warden for
annual maintenance and
overhaul of its Griffon 6
engine. Given the long
queue at UK specialist
companies for RR Merlin
and Griffon engine
overhauls and spares, it is
unlikely that the Seafire will
be flying again until 2025.
Report: Andrew March

pilotweb.aero I Pilot April 2024 55

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 Y
Visiting France in a ou may think aviation is ex-
pensive, but it doesn’t have
pair of vintage aircraft to be. My sixty flying years
sans electrics? With a have been dedicated to
minimum outlay. Our two aer-
bit of imagination and oplanes cost £6,000 in 1988 and £15,000
ingenuity, it can be in 2008. They were comparatively cheap
because neither has electrics and there-
done – and done at fore neither has a starter motor – nor
minimal expense does either have any avionics. I share
a single Icom handheld portable radio
between them, significantly reducing the
Words: licence fee.
But this lack of electrics doesn’t
Bob Grimstead prevent me from flying all around Europe.
You may remember my March 2014
article on touring Norway and Sweden
by Fournier. I have also flown to many
displays in France and Germany. But until
this year I hadn’t felt comfortable taking
our two-seat Champ, Champie abroad.
But now its engine has been zero-timed
I felt confident to cross the English
Channel, and of course SkyDemon takes
care of all the bureaucratic requirements
nowadays, so it’s easy.
Twenty-first Century European touring
without avionics requires nothing but a
little courage and a smartphone. But don’t
mount it in the panel, on your yoke or in
your lap. Put it high in your windscreen
so you can still see outside while using it.
Collisions kill!
Most Fournier enthusiasts belong to
Club Fournier International (CFI). Twice-
yearly they get together for a grand tour,
flying, feasting and camaraderie. René
Fournier usually attends. 2023’s event
was a mass circuit of Brittany ending at La
Baule on France’s west coast. I couldn’t
undertake the whole Brittany tour but

58 Pilot April 2024 I pilotweb.aero

 PHOTO: KAREN GRIMSTEAD

Heading out
across the
Channel, Karen’s
view of Bob’s
‘Wagon’ from the
back seat of
the Champ
 PHOTO: BOB GRIMSTEAD
PHOTO: KAREN GRIMSTEAD

‘Honfleur is just so picturesque;

we spent a couple of hours
wandering around’
Bob (in ‘Redhawk’ overalls) with
Champ pilot Jon Marten-Hale at
Le Touquet

intended joining them at La Baule. Pilot contributor Manuel Queiroz. He charts, documents, smokes, pyrotechnics,
My Fournier RF4D Wagon (RedHawk was kind enough to make up a portable tools, spares, pickets and cover, Wagon
when it’s displaying) has only one seat, so assembly. Of course, it didn’t have Mode was well laden. Jon and I packed smaller
I persuaded long-time friend Jon Marten- C or ADS-B because without electrics I items in our overalls, and on the first leg
Hale to take my wife Karen in Champie couldn’t have an encoding altimter. we wore our lifejackets.
on this four-day, eight-leg journey. I already had an antenna in one of Departing from our Guildford airstrip
Knowing only the bigger French airport Wagon’s under-belly inspection panels. on Thursday 7 Sept, the weather was
controllers speak English, I mugged up a A gell-cell battery went on the floor and I perfect, with blue sky and a slight
few French aviation phrases and took a slung the main unit under the instrument easterly breeze, but the day was warm.
crib-sheet. panel crossmember with a pair of cable Nevertheless, Wagon’s performance was
ties so the whole lot could be removed reasonable. Jon and Karen in Champie
TRANSPONDER REQUIRED quickly for aerobatics. With clothes, below eased gently into the air and
Most French airfields, particularly
those with Customs facilities, require
transponders nowadays, so I bought a
second-hand Garmin unit through fellow
PHOTO: JONATHAN MARTEN-HALE

It wasn’t just the architecture that

PHOTO: BOB GRIMSTEAD

caught the eye in Honfleur – the

Facel Vega

Bob grabs a shot of the Champ as

the two aircraft cross the estuary
of the River Somme

60 Pilot April 2024 I pilotweb.aero

PHOTO: KAREN GRIMSTEAD

PHOTO: KAREN GRIMSTEAD

Bob comes into close formation for a portrait en route – he’s clearly enjoying The intriguing patchwork of salt pans
himself! in the vicinity of La Baule

I dived down alongside to set off in remembered 123.450 for inter-pilot them for Cessnas and Pipers too.
formation south around Gatwick’s zone. chats. Why Britain doesn’t, I have no We climbed high for the Channel
I normally cruise at 105mph, but idea. I suspect some lazy bureaucrat crossing; SkyDemon assured us that
Champie is more comfortable at 85 and skulking in his lair said “Boo-hoo, that Wagon could glide engine-out to either
that’s a good sightseeing speed. side from the middle and
As former professionals, Jon
and I used CRM to our strengths.
Fortunately the enlightened Champie could go almost
as far. Le Touquet ATC was

ecisio a d the
French have a frequency v y
t
u, u v
oast direct to final
r dedicated to Fourniers m l
n ra

n n

Karen with ‘Wagon’ at the final destination in France, La Baule

café, which closed soon afterwards. We
weren’t disappointed to leave, taking this
opportunity for our first formation takeoff.
Our second leg was initially along
the coast to Deauville, passing over the
estuaries of Rivers Authie, Somme and
Morte with their intriguing sandbanks.
After Le Tréport we routed inland for
sightseeing, photography and more
formation practice.
Despite the lovely warm weather,
northern France was still green with
plenty of open fields and fruit groves and
their numerous autoroutes were far less
crowded than our British motorways. We
flew along France’s white cliffs at Etretat,
every bit as impressive as Dover’s,
before carefully routeing well inland of
the de Paluel nuclear power station.
Approaching Deauville, we were cleared
by Point Sierra – the centre of Pont de
Normandie, that ethereal 856-metre
cable-stayed bridge over the Seine
estuary.
field was deserted, without any sign of a
fuel pump. While Karen nipped behind a
bush, we kept our props turning because
of the difficulty of starting these warm,
new engines by hand-swinging. Jon and
I had a quick conference. We weren’t at
all happy about pushing on to La Baule,
given the uncertainty about our safe
range, despite a nice easterly tailwind.
SkyDemon showed there were few
refuelling options to our south-west
except the big, busy airport of Rennes,
but that wasn’t too far off track, and at
least within a reasonable distance. Again,
we made a formation takeoff with Jon
leading.
Rennes ATC wasn’t as obliging as
Le Touquet or Deauville, and couldn’t
understand our transmissions, despite
my manoeuvring to point my antenna
at them and Jon’s repetition, until we
were virtually in their zone. They also
couldn’t comprehend the concept of
two aeroplanes in formation and sharing
a transponder, so we simply behaved
like one aircraft, landing in close line
astern on Runway 28. Taxying was also
complicated and the Tower was unhelpful,
so we made our own way to the fuel
installation clearly visible on Sky Demon’s
airfield plate.
We munched sandwiches provided
by our Honfleur hotel while using the
fuel dispenser’s handy bank card facility.
Paying our landing fee required a long
walk on a hot day through the flying club’s
security doors and down a busy road
to the main terminal. There, a charming
woman with impeccable English helped
me through their tortuous paperwork,
refusing my cash and saying an invoice
would be posted. I still haven’t received it.

DEAUVILLE AND HONFLEUR

The Deauville ground staff ladies were
accommodating once they had dealt
with an Airbus A320’s disembarking
passengers. We were inevitably charged
‘top dollar’ for our taxi into town but later
found Benôit, a cheaper Tesla driver for
Friday’s return. Karen had booked us
into the comfortable Hotel du Dauphin,
although Jon’s top floor room was very
hot.
Honfleur is just so picturesque; we
spent a couple of hours wandering
around, both before and after dinner.
There were some classic cars, including a
gleaming Facel Vega, and we all admired
the old lighthouse.
La Baule was still 165 nautical miles
away and I was unsure of either
PHOTO: KAREN GRIMSTEAD

Champie’s or Wagon’s range or

endurance, since both had recently been
re-engined, so I planned a fuel stop at
Bagnoles de l’Orne where the CFI group
had refuelled two days previously.
We had trouble finding it. Sky Demon
clearly showed we were close, but it was
‘The delicate tracery of le Pont du Normandie’ – view taken on the return leg when
hidden by a line of tall trees. After landing weather conditions were not so fine
we discovered this quiet little gliding

62 Pilot April 2024 I pilotweb.aero

 Panoramic view of the field at
La Baule, with ‘Wagon’ and
‘Champie’ parked in the centre

Low cloud became more and more

of a concern on the way home

We were happy to leave after a 1:25

turnaround, which wasn’t bad considering
the 36°C heat and admin difficulties. By
then it was 4:30pm with the temperature
dropping. This time we used Runway 32
which seemed reserved for light aircraft,
so there was no ATC hassle. Despite
a light headwind our last leg only took
45 minutes. The sole need for caution
was a Notammed World Cup rugby
game at the local stadium, but a slight
detour northwest avoided that and put
us nicely on left base for Runway 12. By

PHOTO: KAREN GRIMSTEAD

now it was overcast, but we were still
intrigued by the many salt evaporation
ponds. La Baule claims to have Europe’s
longest beach, but we were too tired for
sightseeing.

FRATERNITY AND
FIREWORKS
Over the weekend we had the best
possible time with our Belgian, French,
Finnish and German chums. Nearly
a hundred CFI members attended,
flying more than thirty Fourniers. On
the Saturday evening, I flew a twilight
pyrotechnics display (see ‘Fournier
Fireworks’, Pilot January).
On Sunday, after queuing for fuel, we
left at noon. Now
confident we could
safely fly for at least
The many seaside resorts... looked
two hours, and with bleak under the threatening overcast
a gentle tailwind,
we skipped Rennes, routeing direct to
Deauville in a comfortable 2:10.
I had texted Benôit with our ETA,
and he met us outside the terminal
with his Tesla. On our way into town
he delightedly demonstrated its
acceleration. Once checked in, we did
more sightseeing, liking this quaint and
colourful little town ever better with each
visit. We would have liked to stay another
day to see the art galleries and museums,
but a couple of nasty-looking cold fronts
were approaching Britain from the west
and Tuesday looked absolutely unflyable,
so we planned to leave early on Monday
morning.
We had to wait while ground staff dealt
with another departing airliner, and the
cloudbase was reported as 1,500 feet,
but when we got airborne it seemed
rather less. We did at least get good
views of Honfleur as we flew over.
We were again cleared via the delicate
tracery of le Pont du Normandie and to
the east of Le Havre. We then deviated
from our planned route by turning left and
following the coast, initially just inland, but
as we encountered lower clouds we flew
just offshore of the Etretat cliffs, which
looked rather less white than they had in
the sunshine five days earlier.
We routed out to sea around that
nuclear power station because the cloud
was too low over land to be sure we’d
have adequate obstacle clearance. But
our lifejackets were in the baggage
compartments. Oh well, hitting an
obstacle was a more likely hazard than
ditching a wooden aeroplane, and with
more serious consequences. Cloud
bases varied from 1,200 to 800 feet,
although the visibility below was good,
but the many seaside resorts with their
myriad beach huts looked bleak under
the threatening
overcast.
Our looming
problem came via
a text message
from Matt Hill in Sussex forecasting a
line of Cunimbs advancing northwards
across Normandy, probably those
troughs depicted on yesterday’s charts.
Le Touquet Tower again came up trumps,
despite poor radio reception because of
our low height, clearing us direct to base
leg. As we turned off the runway,
he asked, “For parking, how long will
you be staying?” Given the weather
we’d just flown through, Jon replied,
“We will be staying overnight.”

pilotweb.aero I Pilot April 2024 63

GRI ST A

ILLU TR TI N: CO R ESY GOO LE

HO O: B

Low cloud out to sea close to Deauville-Le Touquet: not what you want to see when
contemplating a Channel crossing

Google map shows the route flown by Bob’s Fournier ‘Wagon’ in the company of his
Champ carrying Karen and flown by Jon

But after shutting do , I trotted over
’
there were fine as the were ever where
else in southern England. I reckoned that
if we refuelled and cleared immigration
quickly, we should get away before the
, .
chance this low cloud would clear
somewhere over the Channel. Jon
,
and shot off to pay landing fees and
empty our bladders.
SUPERLATIVE SUPPORT
I phoned the tower to check they had
our flight plan filed via SkyDemon
PH TO: BOB GRIMSTEAD
although he w uld break for lunch t 1330
transmittin blind and he would activate
our flight plan. In the event, he not only did
that but stayed on duty while we started,
taxied out, took off and disappeared into
we were beyond radio range.
Now we encounter the dangerous
our side of the Channel. The French are
decent enough to limit the top of their
drone airspace grab to 500 feet, a height
below which we would never fly anyway.
But the British have stolen airspace from
surface up to 1,500 feet across three-
just u the band between 1, 00ft an
ettin home?
In fact, b the time we approached
Ambleteuse the weather had cleared
significantly, so we climbed to 6,000 feet
.
pretty sight, but we were lad to ee it.
Over those five days, our no-
single operational hiccup, mainly
thanks to SkyDemon’s comprehensive
capabilities. Careful husbandry ensured
the smartphone batteries lasted through
each day’s flying. There was still plenty
of power left in the transponder’s battery,

that morning, and to see if they would
let us go. Again their assistance was
superlative, the controller explaining
that we could legally depart with cloud
rr n l
‘
quarters of the Channel, giving us the and my Icom only died fifteen minutes
choice of either riskily entering cloud before landing back at base.
with no gyro instruments or penetrating That trip was so succes ul we’ve
th .

No doubt with sighs of relief all round, the formation coasts in

at Dungeness, led by the Champ

The top fifteen failings
R
ecently in this column I said
an instructor who didn’t warn
students of faults they’re
likely to make wasn’t earning
their money. Subsequently,
I’ve realised that I could be accused
of doing exactly that! So here goes:
the top fifteen student failings.
Straight in at number one – albeit this
is in no specific order – is not preparing
for the flight beforehand. You cannot
expect to learn all that you need in
the few hours you’re in an instructor’s
company. You should fully understand
what you’re about to do beforehand. The
flight is just putting theory into action.
Poor trimming comes second. You
will never achieve a stable situation
such that you can relax and consider
the next element of the sortie or
consult the checklist unless you’re
pedantic about trimming. And that
leads onto checklists. Far too many
people rush their checks and this leads
onto items being skipped. A slower
methodical approach is far better in
the early days and gives assurance
that you’ve covered it all properly.
Number four, is commencing the
flare too early. I often see a tendency
to try and trickle off the speed when
still at a couple of hundred feet. This
increases rate of sink, and means you
have less energy to hold off in the
flare. Far better to maintain speed until
you go through the upstairs window
of an imaginary double decker bus!
Next comes over-controlling. Every
aeroplane that you’re going to learn on
is inherently stable, and that means you
can afford to relax a bit. Caramel Bunny
is a far better role model for flyers than
Tasmanian Devil. Only make inputs
when they’re required, and small inputs
held for longer are generally better
than big, but short-lived, movements!
A third of the way through our fifteen
comes stopping the flare as you lose
sight of the runway behind the nose.
This will happen in most machines
long before you’ve really let the aircraft
run out of energy. As you lose sight
of the remaining runway, transfer your
QFI LOGBOOK
scan to the bit you can see to the
side of the panel and continue the
flare. Otherwise, you’re risking a firm
touchdown and probable bounce as
your rate of descent increases when you
stop the flare. And that leads on nicely
to going around. Almost universally
poorly flown. Remember the initial
bit is to stop the rate of descent, so
power – all of it (and this means carb
heat off). Most machines will climb with
full flap, but some struggle, so remove
landing flap next and get climbing.
Afterwards you can, at a safe height,
retract any remaining flap and trim.
So to number eight: continuing an
unstable approach. It’s absolute fact
that a good landing comes from a
good approach. If you are still chasing
parameters in the latter stages of an
approach, you’re unlikely to make
a good landing. Far better to throw
it away and have another go.
Turning produces the next two faults.
Initially this is lack of balance when
rolling. As you deflect the ailerons to roll,
the down-going one creates drag such
that you yaw in the opposite direction.
Thus, you need a squeeze of into-turn
pedal to maintain balance. Modern
aircraft are less susceptible, but even
so there is no reason just to use the
pedals as footrests! Remember, once
established in the turn, to remove this
pedal input as you centralise ailerons.
The second issue is not applying enough
back pressure in a steep turn. From the
trimmed-straight-and-level scenario, you
will need a significant pull in something
like a Warrior to avoid a spiral dive.
Thus, if you notice the nose dropping,
increase the back pressure on the yoke
or – and this is often easier – roll off a
bit of bank, recapture your parameters
and then carefully increase it again.
Flaring too fast is number eleven.
Many pilots initially just go
straight from the approach
attitude to the landing attitude
in one swift movement,
resulting in a big balloon.
It should be a slow but
steady transition, allowing
Charlie Huke
you to dissipate energy.
Number twelve is relaxing on
touchdown. In a tailwheel machine
the landing has only just begun, but
even with a nosewheel aeroplane
it’s vital that you don’t just allow the
nose to crash on, by maintaining back
pressure until you’re at walking speed.
Next on the list is lack of route study
in navigation. OK, GPS is brilliant, but
being unaware of what your turning
point is until it appears from the top of
the display screen is not ideal. Far better
to study on the ground and pick out big
features that can lead you into a hard-
to-find airfield, for example. Route study
beforehand takes the stress out of nav.
In penultimate place is an
unnecessarily dramatic nose-down
attitude on stall recovery. Time and
time again I see this extreme attitude,
accelerating to a speed far greater
than normal climbing speed and often
risking over-speeding the flaps. Yes,
you need to reduce angle of attack, but
you only need to accelerate to a safe
climbing speed prior to raising the nose.
And lastly, at number fifteen is paying
too much attention inside as opposed to
outside. The PPL world is based around
visual flying, and that means the aircraft
attitude. Why try and gauge pitch on a
tiny little AI, when outside it’s one huge
AI? Look outside for everything when
you can see an horizon, with only scans
in at the instruments. A lookout/attitude/
instruments split of 70/15/15% works well.
So, that’s my top fifteen, and I’ve
only really had space to do little more
than list them – but most students will
fall foul of many of these in training
(and beyond). Ask another instructor
and their list may be subtly different,
but I bet that ten-plus of mine would
be on every instructor’s list!
CHARLIE HUKE
Sixteen years in the RAF, a decade
as a civilian ETPS instructor and
latterly commercial, Charlie has
instructed on the majority of the
220 odd types he’s flown
pilotweb.aero I Pilot April 2024 65
Safety Matters
Safety Matters and Safety Briefs are based on the AAIB Bulletin
and UK Airprox Board reports, with additional material from the
Australian Transport Safety Bureau and/or US NTSB
Opinions may differ…
Aircraft Type: Extra NG
Date & Time: 2 April 2022 at 1059
Commander’s Flying Experience: PPL, 593 hours
(of which 28 were on type)
Last 90 days: 7 hours
Last 28 days: 4 hours
The pilot had planned to undertake a local flight to
conduct some aerobatics and arrived at Bicester Airfield at
approximately 1015 on the morning of the accident. After
takeoff, the pilot began to climb to 2,000ft amsl and was
instructed by Oxford Radar ATC to hold to the east of the
extended centreline of Oxford Airport Runway 01 to remain
clear of a departing aircraft. A few minutes later the pilot was
cleared to continue his flight to the west. On reaching the
vicinity of Enstone Airfield, the pilot climbed to around 6,000ft
and spent about eight minutes conducting aerobatics. He
reported that the manoeuvres included rolls, half-Cubans,
and stall turns. Having completed the aerobatics, the pilot
commenced his flight back towards Bicester at a height of
about 2,200ft.
The pilot described that a few minutes later, and with
the aircraft flying straight and level, the canopy suddenly
‘exploded’ around him. He lost his glasses and experienced
severe wind blast to his face, the combination of which left him
unable to see properly. He also lost his headset. He managed
to maintain control of the aircraft and continued flying for
just over twenty seconds, trying to understand what had
happened and what his options were.
The pilot only had sufficient vision to make out the shape of
the instrument panel in front of him. Realising he was unable
to see sufficiently to be able to either continue flying back to
the airfield or land safely, he decided he had no option but to
bale out of the aircraft. He undid his harness and stood up, the
airflow pulling him out of the aircraft. The aircraft then banked
to the left and descended to the ground, colliding with a newly
constructed, but unoccupied, three-storey block of flats. No
one on the ground was injured.
Once clear of the aircraft, the pilot pulled the ripcord on his
parachute, which quickly opened, allowing him to drift down to
the ground. He landed in a playing field close to the village of
Upper Heyford where members of the public attended to him
and alerted the emergency services. The emergency services
were quickly on the scene, including an air ambulance which
transferred the pilot to hospital. The pilot had sustained a
deep laceration across the right side of his face, resulting in
the loss of sight in his right eye.
The AAIB became aware of another investigation involving
66 Pilot April 2024 I pilotweb.aero
an apparent failure of the canopy of an Extra NG in flight.
This Extra NG was registered in Poland, it occurred on 18
March 2022, and the incident was investigated by the Polish
authorities.
Their report stated that without warning the canopy had
opened in flight, broken up and detached, leaving debris over
the airfield. One of the two occupants suffered a minor cut
to their face, which the report stated was probably caused
by their headset as it was blown away. The aircraft landed
safely and, apart from the loss of the canopy, the aircraft was
otherwise undamaged.
The reported damage to the canopy transparency and
frame appeared to be similar to that found on the British
registered Extra. In particular, the left side outer frame
covering the centre shoot bolt mechanism had detached and
revealed only a narrow bonding bead along the top edge. The
right side rear section of frame attached to the rear hinge had
broken in a similar manner to that of the British Extra. Of note,
the shoot bolts had been driven to the closed position by the
spring in a similar fashion to that of the accident aircraft, and
the corresponding fuselage lugs were also completely intact.
The Polish investigation concluded that the probable cause
of the accident was vibration of the canopy frame caused
by a loss of stiffness. This led to the shoot bolts unlocking
and the canopy detaching from the aircraft. It identified three
contributory factors:
● A probable crack in the canopy frame in the flight before
the occurrence (or earlier)
● Loosened rear fitting of the canopy locking system
● Accelerating the aircraft to a high speed, close to Vne
Interestingly, a review of the recorded flights from the British
Extra showed that Vne (221kt) had been exceeded during
four previous flights. These had all occurred in July 2021
and had been flown from the airfield adjacent to the aircraft
manufacturer’s facility. The maximum airspeeds during these
flights were 227, 242, 249 and 253kt. Vne is typically 90% of
Vd (design diving speed), and the recorded data would seem
to indicate Vd was exceeded at least twice.
As a result of examination of the remains of the canopy from
the British Extra, the manufacturer introduced SB NG-2-22 in
December 2022. This was non-mandatory so compliance was
only recommended. The SB applied to Extra NG aircraft, Serial
Numbers NG001 to NG038, which included the British (serial
number NG028) and Polish (serial number NG026) aircraft.
The stated purpose of the SB was to introduce ‘an
improvement of the bonding between the inner and outer
canopy frame… Although there is currently no reason to
 Safety Matters

assume that the canopy of the aircraft requires any technical
modifications, as a mere precautionary measure the
carbon fibre canopy frame shall be further improved and
strengthened by reworking of the adhesive glue bonding
between the inner and outer canopy frame’.
The AAIB concluded that the canopy of the aircraft
suffered a catastrophic failure in flight due to fatigue cracking
of the acrylic transparency. The cracking was initiated by
differential forces acting on the canopy frame, induced by
inadequate bonding between the inner and outer frame. This,
in turn, caused localised stresses being imparted into the
transparency, presenting conditions which promoted fatigue
crack development. This resulted in a catastrophic failure of
the canopy when cracks reached a critical length.
However, the Bundesstelle für Flugunfalluntersuchung
(BFU, the German Federal Bureau of Accident Investigation)
representing the state of design and manufacture, does
not agree with the analysis resulting in a scenario of a
canopy failure in flight, due to fatigue cracking of the acrylic
transparency. In its rebuttal of the AAIB’s conclusions, it said
‘this scenario can be ruled out since it does not explain how
the locking mechanism opened and released the remaining
parts of the canopy frame. It is incomprehensible [that] the
continuing air flow loads on the pieces of the broken canopy
frame attached to that section wrenched the shoot bolts out
of their roller lugs, as… described in the [AAIB] analysis. Any
airflow during forward flight will create strong forces directed…
aft, which will force the locking mechanism into the locked
position and not open it.
‘Taking all facts into account, especially the undamaged
shoot bolts and lugs, it is most probable that the canopy
was not completely locked prior to the flight and the locking
mechanism opened completely at some point, due to air loads
and vibration. Even if one would expect that such an event
would more likely occur during aerobatic flight, it is anything
but unlikely during level flight. Finally, the draft does not
include any facts which contradict this scenario”. Considering
the cockpit design and the experience of the pilot, the BFU
agreed that it is quite unlikely that the pilot opened the
canopy inadvertently.

Things get hot for Ikarus

Aircraft Type: Ikarus C42 FB80 Bravo
Date & Time: 8 December 2022 at 1150
Commander’s Flying Experience:
NPPL, 107 hours (of which 101 were
on type)
Last 90 days: 0 hours
Last 28 days: 0 hours
The pilot was intending to make a short
local flight to maintain flying currency.
He was accompanied by an instructor,
who was sitting in the right seat and was
a passenger for the flight. The preflight
check, engine start and pre-takeoff
checks were normal. The aircraft took
off from Runway 28 Left at Headcorn
Aerodrome and climbed to an altitude
of 1,300ft before turning to the south
once it had left the ATZ. Shortly after
the southerly turn, both occupants
observed smoke in the cabin, which the
pilot later described as ‘very bad’. He
selected the battery master switch to
OFF, however smoke continued to fill the
cabin. The pilot positioned the aircraft
for a downwind landing on the departure
runway, whilst his passenger managed to
open the upwards-opening cabin door,
which he held a few inches ajar, allowing
most of the smoke to be sucked outside
the cabin.
The aircraft landed downwind and
rolled to a stop. The pilot shut the engine
down and both occupants then promptly
left the aircraft. The airfield RFFS arrived
at the aircraft and, having been briefed by
the pilot that the lithium-ion main battery
had caught fire, discharged two CO2
extinguishers onto the battery, which was
still burning. They then removed the burnt
battery pack from the aircraft.
The investigation did not identify
the cause of the battery fire, but found
that the location of the battery within
the cabin was a contributory factor in
exposing the pilot and his passenger
to the hazards generated by the fire. A
similar airborne battery fire to the same
aircraft type and lithium-ion battery type
was found to have occurred in Germany,
resulting in the destruction of the aircraft.

Slow in a Sukhoi
Aircraft Type: Sukhoi SU-29
Date & Time: 16 September 2023 at 1310
Commander’s Flying Experience: PPL, 1,950 hours
(of which 600 were on type)
Last 90 days: 5 hours
Last 28 days: 5 hours
The aircraft was making an approach to Runway 09
at Andrewsfield Aerodrome. The pilot sat in the rear
seat and the passenger, who was a recently qualified
pilot, sat in the front. Airfield CCTV showed that as the
aircraft approached the runway the left wing dropped.
The wingtip struck the ground causing the aircraft to
cartwheel and it came to rest inverted in a ploughed
field to the side of the runway. The passenger was able
to free herself from the aircraft, but the pilot required
assistance. Both escaped with only minor injuries.
The pilot reported that he did not know what
happened and believed there was nothing wrong with
the aircraft. He thought he must have let the airspeed
reduce on short final. He reported he had been flying
the aircraft for fifteen years so could not understand why
he would have allowed this to happen. The passenger
reported that the approach had seemed normal until the
wing dropped.
‘It is likely the airspeed reduced on short final causing
the left wing to stall and the aircraft to roll to the left,’
concluded the AAIB.

pilotweb.aero I Pilot April 2024 67

Safety Matters

Swift versus Pigeon

Aircraft Type: Skyranger Swift 912
Date & Time: 25 September 2023
at 1012
Commander’s Flying Experience:
PPL, 535 hours (of which 460 were
on type)
Last 90 days: 18 hours
Last 28 days: 6 hours
The pilot was taking off from a large
field approximately one mile south
of Dunstable. Shortly after becoming
airborne, he saw a heron flying on an
intercepting course. He was expecting
the bird to change course but when it
became obvious they were about to
collide, the pilot banked the aircraft
to the left to avoid it. He estimated
that the heron missed the aircraft’s
windscreen by inches, but as it
passed over the windscreen he heard
another bird hit the propeller. The
engine coughed for a few seconds
but continued to run. However, he
realised the loss of power meant
he was not going to clear the trees
ahead. He turned slightly to the right
to avoid the tallest trees and focused
on maintaining airspeed. Just prior to
contact he switched off the engine.
The aircraft settled on a hedgerow.
The pilot was not injured and was able
to exit the aircraft via a ladder. He
found the remains of a pigeon in the
field and blood on the propeller.
The pilot reported that he had been
trained to self-brief on actions in the
event of an engine failure before
every takeoff and he had done so on
this occasion, planning to turn to the
right if necessary, knowing there was
a large field in that direction.
Several days after the accident the
pilot discovered that a fountain in an
adjacent pond was on a timer and it
had switched on at approximately the
same time he had been taking off. He
believed the noise from the fountain
had scared the birds and caused
them to take flight just as he was
taking off.

Sirius misjudgement
Aircraft Type: TL-3000 Sirius 600
Date & Time: 10 August 2023 at 0800
Commander’s Flying Experience: NPPL, 252 hours
(of which 49 were on type)
Last 90 days: 24 hours
Last 28 days: 4 hours
The pilot intended to fly to Blackpool Airport with a
passenger. He elected to take off using the slightly
uphill Runway 26, as the wind was calm and the
runway was aligned with his intended direction of
travel. The temperature was 21°C, the dewpoint 16°C
and the aircraft’s weight and centre of gravity were
within limits. On application of full power, the pilot
reported that the engine rpm indicator and engine
sound were consistent with the engine delivering
full power, but he noticed that the acceleration along
the runway was ‘somewhat impaired’. Despite the
poor acceleration, the takeoff was continued and the
aircraft briefly left the ground but settled back on the
runway twice, before becoming airborne much further
down the runway than anticipated. Once airborne the
aircraft ‘would not accelerate’ and the stall warning
horn sounded continuously. Having only attained a
height of ten to fifteen feet, the aircraft rolled to the
left and struck the ground. Damage to the aircraft was
extensive and hindered the pilot’s egress from the
wreckage, but only minor injuries were sustained by
the pilot and passenger, who were both wearing full
harnesses.
No definitive cause was established for the aircraft’s
poor acceleration, but the use of a ‘stop-go’ point and
takeoff decision making is covered in the UK CAA’s GA
update of January 2023.

Bad day for Businessliner

Aircraft Type: Cessna 402
Businessliner
Date & Time: 7 August 2023 at 1757
Commander’s Flying Experience:
CPL, 5,747 hours (of which 1,911 were
on type)
Last 90 days: 110 hours
Last 28 days: 34 hours
The pilot reported that, after
departure, he heard a ‘high pitched
whistling sound’ coming from the crew
door. He diagnosed that it came from
the external handle not sitting flush,
although the door was securely
closed. The pilot elected to return
to the airfield to restow the handle.
As the aircraft approached the
flare it experienced what the pilot
described as a ‘strong windshear/
downdraft’ which resulted in a heavy
landing on the nosewheel and
starboard main wheel. The heavy
landing caused the right propeller to
strike the ground and the starboard
wing to fail, adjacent to the engine
cowling. The pilot was able to
steer the aircraft to the edge of the
runway and vacate the cockpit without
assistance.
The reported weather at 1800, three
minutes after the accident, gave a
recorded wind velocity of 110°/14kt,
with visibility greater than 10km and
there were towering cumulus and
cumulonimbus clouds in the vicinity of
the airfield. While the pilot was aware
of the cumuliform clouds in the vicinity
of the airport, he had not expected
them to cause windshear and was
unable to prevent the heavy landing
that ensued.

68 Pilot April 2024 I pilotweb.aero

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 Calendar
Compiled by Paul Fiddian
Remember to check with the organiser before setting out – events may be changed at short notice
UNITED
KINGDOM
MARCH 2024
30 Breighton, N Yorks,
RAC Night Photoshoot,
realaero.com/bugle.html
30 Cotswold Airport, Glos,
‘Still Going Strong’ Buccaneer
30th Anniversary event, the-
buccaneer-aviation-group.com
30 Sywell Aviation Museum,
Sywell, Northants,
Grand Opening,
sywellaviationmuseum.org.uk
31 Sleap, Shropshire,
Flour-bombing contest,
shropshireaeroclub.com/events
APRIL 2024
6-7 Dunstable, Beds, British
Aerobatics Dan Smith Memorial
Trophy, aerobatics.org.uk/events
7 North Coates, Lincs, Whirlybird
Sunday (helicopter & autogyro
fly-in), northcoatesflyingclub.com/
flying-events/
12-13 Compton Abbas,
Dorset, Spring Vintage Fly-in,
comptonairfield.com/events
13 RAF Manston History
Museum, Manston, Kent,
Open Cockpits Weekend,
rafmanston.co.uk/events/
14 Chard, Somerset, Historic
Helicopters Open Day,
historichelicopters.com
20 Bodmin, Cornwall,
Cornish Pasty Fly-in,
bodminairfield.com/events/
20 Sleap, Shropshire, VPAC
Fly-in, vintagepiper.co.uk/events/
20 Sofitel, London Heathrow
Terminal 5, Middlesex,
Pilot Careers Exhibition,
pilotcareernews.com/live/
london-2024/
PHOTO: PAUL FIDDIAN
70 Pilot April 2024 I pilotweb.aero
21 Bicester Heritage,
Oxfordshire, Bicester Scramble,
bicesterheritage.co.uk/events
21 K2 Crawley, West Sussex,
Gatwick Aviation Enthusiast Fair,
threshold.aero/fairs
25-28 Compton Abbas, Dorset,
Spitfires at Compton,
comptonairfield.com/events/
27 Breighton, N Yorks,
Bücker Jungmann Fly-in,
realaero.com/bugle.html
27 Turweston, Northants,
VAC Spring Fly-in, vintageaircraft
club.org.uk/calendar.php
MAY 2024
2-5 Compton Abbas, Dorset,
Spitfires at Compton,
comptonairfield.com/events/
3-5 Sleap, Shropshire,
British Aerobatics Icicle Trophy,
aerobatics.org.uk
4 Boscombe Down Aviation
Collection, Old Sarum, Wilts,
Aero Jumble,
boscombedownaviationcollection
.co.uk
4 Carrickmore, County Tyrone,
NI, Fly-in & Family Fun Day,
facebook.com/CmoreFlying
School/
4-5 Popham, Hants,
Microlight Trade Show,
bmaa.org/information-library/
events
5 Easter Airfield, Ross-shire,
Spring Fly-in, easterairfield.co.uk
5 IWM Duxford, Cambs, VE Day
Flying Day, iwm.org.uk/airshows
6 Popham, Hants, VAC & HAAF
Fly-in, vintageaircraftclub.org.uk/
calendar.php
11-12 Compton Abbas,
Dorset, Pooley’s Air Weekend,
comptonairfield.com/events/
11-12 Popham, Hants,
British Aerobatics Get into
Aeros weekend,
aerobatics.org.uk/events
11-12 South Yorkshire Aircraft
Museum, Doncaster, S Yorks,
Canberra 75th
Anniversary weekend,
southyorkshireaircraftmuseum.
org.uk/canberra75
11-12 Stow Maries, Essex,
Auster Club Fly-in,
austerclub.org/event/stow-maries/
12 Kenyon Hall, Lancs, Lancs
Aero Club & LAA NW Strut Spring
Fly-in, lancsaeroclub.co.uk
12 Old Warden, Beds, Best of
British Air Show, shuttleworth.org/
product/best-of-british- 2024/
16 Popham, Hants, Evening Fly-
in & BBQ, popham-airfield.co.uk/
events-calendar-2024
16-19 Oban, Scotland,
Grumman Owners & Pilots
Association Europe Fly-in, aya.org
17-18 Wycombe Air Park, Bucks,
Private Flyer Fest London and
Air-Britain Fly-in, privateflyershow.
com/uk/, Air-Britain.com/web/fly-in
18 Abingdon, Oxfordshire,
Air & Country Show,
abingdonairandcountry.co.uk
18 Breighton, N Yorks, Moth
Fly-in, realaero.com/bugle.html
18 Chard, Somerset,
Historic Helicopters Open Day,
historichelicopters.com
18 Sutton Meadows, Cambs,
Fly-in and BBQ,
cambsmicrolightclub.co.uk
18-19 Bodmin, Cornwall,
Vintage Aircraft Club Fly-in,
bodminairfield.com
18-19 Fenland, Lincs,
British Aerobatics Fenland &
McLean Trophies,
aerobatics.org.uk/events
Air-Britain’s traditional
fly-in will this year be part
of Private Flyer Fest at
Wycombe Air Park
on 17-18 May
The Historic Aircraft
Collection’s stunning
Hawker Fury that will
make its Old Warden
debut (and post-
pandemic return)
on 12 May
To see the
monthly calendar
online, visit
www.pilotweb.aero
24-26 Manston, Kent,
LAA Kent Strut Fly-in,
polarhelicopters.co.uk
24-27 Wingland, Lincs,
Wacky Weekend 1,
winglandairfield.wordpress.com
25 East Kirkby, Lincs,
Vintage Festival,
lincsaviation.co.uk/events/
25 Perth, Perth and Kinross,
VPAC Northern Fly-in,
vintagepiper.co.uk/events/
25-26 Old Warden, Beds,
Shuttleworth D-Day Weekend,
shuttleworth.org/events/
25-27 Sandown, IOW,
Spamfield 2024,
eghn.org.uk/calendar
25-31 Gwernesney,
Monmouthshire,
VGC UK National Rally,
uskgc.co.uk/vgc-rally-2024
25-2 Jun Lasham, Hants,
BGA 18m Standard & 20m
Multi-seat Class National
Competitions, members.gliding.
co.uk/competitions/
26 Henstridge, Somerset,
LAA Wessex Strut Fly-in,
henstridgeairfield.com/events-at-
henstridge/
26 Kirkbride, Cumbria,
Open Day & Fly-in,
kirkbrideairfield.weebly.com
26 Stow Maries, Essex,
Wings and Wheels,
stowmaries.org.uk/events
31-1 Jun Glenforsa, Mull,
52nd Annual Fly-in,
glenforsa.com/airfield
31-2 Jun North Weald,
Essex, D-Day 80 North Weald
Embarcation, dday-80.co.uk
31-2 Jun Ragley Hall,
Warks, Midlands Air Festival,
midlandsairfestival.com

JUNE 2024
1 Halfpenny Green-
Wolverhampton, W Midlands,
Gyro Record-Breaker 2024,
britishrotorcraftassociation.org/
events
1-2 Compton Abbas, Dorset,
McAully, Newbold & Don
Henry Trophies,
aerobatics.org.uk/events
1-2 IWM Duxford, Cambs,
Duxford Summer Air Show:
D-Day 80, iwm.org.uk/airshows
1-2 Paignton seafront,
S Devon, English Riviera Airshow,
englishriviera.co.uk/whats-on/
2 Old Warden, Beds, Military Air
Show, shuttleworth.org/product/
military-weekend- 2024/
2 Popham, Hants, Jodel Fly-in,
popham-airfield.co.uk/events-
calendar-2024
5 Upottery, E Devon,
D-Day 80 Embarcation Camp,
dday-80.co.uk
7-9 Guernsey Airport, Guernsey,
CI, 50th Guernsey Air Rally,
guernseyaeroclub.com/air-rally/
8 Stow Maries, Essex,
Summer Skies Fly-in,
stowmaries.org.uk/events
8 Sywell, Northants, VPAC 40th
anniversary Fly-in,
vintagepiper.co.uk/events/
8-9 Breighton, N Yorks,
VAC 60th Birthday Northern
Celebration, vintageaircraftclub.
org.uk/calendar.php
8-9 Lee-on-Solent, Hants,
D-Day 80 at Daedalus,
montserratevents.co.uk/events
8-9 Manchester
Barton Aerodrome, Gtr
Manchester, Barton Fly-in,
friendsofbartonaerodrome.org.uk
8-9 Old Warden, Beds, de
Havilland Weekend, dhmothclub.
co.uk/calendar-of-events/
9 RAF Cosford, Shropshire,
RAF Cosford Air Show,
cosfordairshow.co.uk
13 Popham, Hants, Evening
Fly-in & BBQ, popham-airfield.
co.uk/events-calendar-2024
13 St Peter Port, Guernsey,
CI, Battle of Britain Air Display,
guernseyairdisplay.com
13-15 Sywell, Northants,
Aero Expo 2024,
aeroexpo.co.uk
14-16 Leicester Airport, Leics,
Duxford & Nathaniel Alony
Trophies, aerobatics.org.uk/
events
14-16 Weston Park, Shropshire,
International Model Air Show,
airshowinternational.co.uk
15 Bodmin, Cornwall,
Grasshopper Gathering (D-Day
80 and Military Wings & Wheels),
bodminairfield.com
15 Blackbushe, Hants,
Air Day, blackbusheairday.com
15 Sleap, Shropshire,
Helicopter Fly-in,
shropshireaeroclub.com/events
15-16 Headcorn, Kent,
Stampe Club International
Fly-in, stampeclub.com
15-16 South Yorkshire Aircraft
Museum, Doncaster, S Yorks,
Open Cockpits Weekend,
southyorkshireaircraftmuseum.
org.uk/canberra75
15-23 Aston Down, Glos,
Standard, 15m & Open Class
National Competitions, members.
gliding.co.uk/competitions/
16 Priory Farm, Norfolk,
Father’s Day Fly-in and BBQ,
flypfa.co.uk/diary.html
17-21 Parham, Suffolk,
José Weiss 115 Rally,
vintagegliderclub.org/events/
18-23 Manston, Kent, British
Open Paramotor Championships,
ppgcomps.co.uk/championships/
20-23 Compton Abbas,
Dorset, Spitfires at Compton,
comptonairfield.com/events/
21-28 Camphill Farm,
Derbyshire, Camphill Vintage
Rally, vintagegliderclub.org/
events/
22 Farway Common, Devon,
LAA Devon Strut Fly-in,
devonstrut.co.uk/Events
22-23 Draycot Farm, Swindon,
Great Draycot Farm Fly-in,
draycotaerodrome.com
22-23 Easter Airfield,
Ross-shire, Summer Fly-in,
easterairfield.co.uk
22-23 Newark Air Museum,
Notts, Cockpit-Fest & Aeroboot/
Aerojumble, newarkairmuseum.
org/2023-24_Special-Events
22-23 Sywell, Northants,
Sywell Airshow,
sywell2024.co.uk
22-30 Bidford, Warks,
BGA Bidford Regionals
Competition,
members.gliding.co.uk/
competitions/
27-30 Compton Abbas,
Dorset, Spitfires at Compton,
comptonairfield.com/events/
28-30 Old Warden, Beds,
Festival of Flight,
shuttleworth.org/product/fof24/
29-30 Heveningham
Hall, Halesworth, Suffolk,
Heveningham Concours,
countryfair.co.uk
30 The Helicopter Museum,
Weston-super-Mare, Somerset,
American Cockpits Open Day,
helicoptermuseum.co.uk/events.
html
North Weald-based Yellowjacks Gnat T1 ‘XR992’ that
recently flew with the Red Arrows to launch the team’s
sixtieth anniversary season
JULY 2024
5-6 Leeds East Airport
(Church Fenton), N Yorks,
Private Flyer Fest (North),
privateflyershow.com/uk/leeds/
5-7 Headcorn, Kent,
Battle of Britain Airshow,
bobairshow.co.uk
5-7 Teignmouth seafront,
S Devon, Teignmouth Airshow,
teignmouthairshow.co.uk
6 Northrepps, Norfolk,
VPAC Eastern Fly-in,
vintagepiper.co.uk/events/
6-7 City of Norwich Aviation
Museum, Norfolk, Wings &
Wheels, cnam.org.uk/event-cnam/
6-7 Swansea Bay,
Glamorgan, Wales Airshow,
walesnationalairshow.com
6-14 Shenington, Oxfordshire,
BGA Shenington Regionals
Competition, members.gliding.
co.uk/competitions/
10-14 Sywell, Northants, British
Aerobatics Open Championship,
open.aerobatics.org.uk
11-14 Goodwood, W Sussex,
Festival of Speed,
goodwood.com
12-14 Saltby, Lincs, Saltby Open
Championship,
aerobatics.org.uk/events
12-14 Sleap, Shropshire,
SleapKosh, shropshireaeroclub.
com/sleapkosh
13 AAC Middle Wallop, Hants,
Wallop Wheels and Wings,
armyflying.com/what-s-on/events/
wallop-wheels-wings-2024/
13 Breighton, N Yorks,
Summer Fly-in & BBQ,
realaero.com/bugle.html
13 Concorde Conference
Centre, Manchester Airport,
Gtr Manchester,
Pilot Careers Exhibition,
pilotcareernews.com/live/north/
13 Westonzoyland, Somerset,
WZ Flying Club Fly-in,
westonzoylandflyingclub.co.uk/
events.php
13-14 Avro Heritage Museum,
Woodford, Gtr Manchester,
Wings & Wheels
avroheritagemuseum.co.uk/
events
pilotweb.aero
Calendar
PHOTO: UK MOD © CROWN COPYRIGHT 2024
13-14 Rufforth, N Yorks,
Flexwing Fly-in Weekend, bmaa.
org/information-library/events
13-14 Southport Seafront,
Merseyside, Southport Airshow,
visitsouthport.com
18 Popham, Hants, Evening Fly-
in & BBQ, popham-airfield.co.uk/
events-calendar-2024
18-21 Compton Abbas,
Dorset, Spitfires at Compton,
comptonairfield.com/events/
19-21 RAF Fairford, Glos,
Royal International Air Tattoo,
airtattoo.com
20 Bodmin, Cornwall, Ladies
Day Fly-in, bodminairfield.com
20 Branscombe, Devon,
LAA Devon Strut Fly-in,
devonstrut.co.uk/Events
20 Leicester, Leics,
Auster and Beagle Fly-in,
austerclub.org/events/
20 Old Warden, Beds, Summer
Evening, shuttleworth.org/
product/summer-evening-2024/
20-21 North Coates,
Lincs, Wings & Wheels,
northcoatesflyingclub.com/flying-
events/
20-21 Sleap, Shropshire, 1940s
Weekend, shropshireaeroclub.
com/events
20-28 Dunstable, Beds, BGA
Dunstable Regionals Competition,
members.gliding.co.uk/
competitions/
22-26 Farnborough, Hants,
Farnborough International
Airshow, farnboroughairshow.com
25-28 Compton Abbas,
Dorset, Spitfires at Compton,
comptonairfield.com/events/
26 IWM Duxford, Cambs,
The Americans Flying Day,
iwm.org.uk/airshows
27 Kenyon Hall, Lancs,
Lancashire Aero Club & LAA
NW Strut Summer Fly-in,
lancsaeroclub.co.uk
27-28 Runway Visitor
Park, Manchester Airport,
Gtr Manchester, Aviation
Memorabilia Fair, tasmanchester.
com/tasrvpevents2024
I Pilot April 2024 71
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PHOTO: ANDREW MARCH
Microlights of all kinds
will once again converge
at Popham on 4-5 May
27-28 Old Buckenham, Norfolk,
Old Buckenham Airshow,
oldbuckenhamairshow.com
27-28 Popham, Hants, Bristell
and SportCruiser Fly-in,
popham-airfield.co.uk/events-
calendar-2024
27-3 Aug Deenethorpe,
Northants, FAI World
Microlight Championships,
wmc2024.com
27-4 Aug Husbands
Bosworth, Leics,
BGA HusBos Challenge Cup,
members.gliding.co.uk/
competitions/
AUGUST 2024
2-4 Breighton, N Yorks,
Golding Barrett, Roy Legg
& Cavendish Trophies,
aerobatics.org.uk/events
3 Dunkeswell, Devon,
LAA Devon Strut Fly-in,
devonstrut.co.uk/Events
3 East Kirkby, Lincs, East Kirkby
Air Show, lincsaviation.co.uk
3-4 Newark Air Museum, Notts,
Lightning 70th Anniversary event,
newarkairmuseum.org/2023-
24_Special-Events
3-10 Manston, Kent, FAI
World Paramotor Endurance
Championships, ppgcomps.co.uk/
championships/
3-11 Nympsfield, Glos, BGA Club
Class Nationals Competition,
members.gliding.co.uk/
competitions/
4 Lundy island, off N Devon
coast, Lundy Sunday Fly-in,
bodminairfield.com
4 Newtownards, County
Down, NI, Open Day & Fly-
in, ulsterflyingclub.com/2017/
openday/
6 Popham, Hants, Honourable
Company of Air Pilots Picnic,
popham-airfield.co.uk/events-
calendar-2024
9 Turweston, Northants,
Gathering of Moths, dhmothclub.
co.uk/calendar-of-events/
9-11 Ashton Court, Bristol,
Bristol Balloon Fiesta,
bristolballoonfiesta.co.uk
10 Buttermilk Hall Farm,
Northants, Beagle Annual Bash,
bpbc.uk/annual-events/
10 Oaksey Park, Glos, VPAC
Fly-in, vintagepiper.co.uk/events/
10-11 Blackpool seafront,
Lancs, Blackpool Air Show,
visitblackpool.com
10-11 Compton Abbas, Dorset,
Golden Age of Aviation Air Show,
comptonairfield.com/events/
11 Old Warden, Beds, Family Air
Show, shuttleworth.org/product/
family-weekend-2024/
15 Popham, Hants, Evening Fly-
in & BBQ, popham-airfield.co.uk/
events-calendar-2024
15-18 Compton Abbas,
Dorset, Spitfires at Compton,
comptonairfield.com/events/
15-18 Eastbourne seafront,
E Sussex, Airbourne-Eastbourne
International Airshow,
visiteastbourne.com/airshow/
17 IWM Duxford, Cambs,
Duxford Flying Evening,
iwm.org.uk/airshows
17 Old Warden, Beds, VAC
60th Birthday Southern Fly-
in, vintageaircraftclub.org.uk/
calendar.php
17 Popham, Hants, RV Fly-in,
popham-airfield.co.uk/events-
calendar-2024
17 Sleap, Shropshire, RV Fly-in,
shropshireaeroclub.com/events
17-18 Leicester Airport, Leics,
Gunpowder & Intermediate
Challenge Trophies,
aerobatics.org.uk/events
17-25 Husbands Bosworth,
Leics, BGA Junior Nationals
Competition, members.gliding.
co.uk/competitions/
18 Stow Maries, Essex,
Propwash: Festival of the Air,
stowmaries.org.uk/events
18 The Helicopter Museum,
Weston-super-Mare, Somerset,
World Helicopter Day,
helicoptermuseum.co.uk/events.
html
18-25 Pocklington, E Yorks,
BGA Two-Seater competition,
members.gliding.co.uk/
competitions/
22-23 Clacton seafront,
Essex, Clacton Airshow,
clactonairshow.com
24 Breighton, N Yorks, G-George
Day, realaero.com/bugle.html
24 Henstridge, Somerset,
Wings and Wheels,
wingsandwheelshenstridge.com
24-25 South Yorkshire Aircraft
Museum, Doncaster, S Yorks,
Open Cockpits Weekend,
southyorkshireaircraftmuseum.
org.uk
24-27 Wingland, Lincs,
Wacky Weekend 2,
winglandairfield.wordpress.com
24-31 Sutton Bank, N Yorks,
Slingsby Rally and Yorkshire
Gliding Club 90th Anniversary,
vintagegliderclub.org/events/
25 Little Gransden, Beds,
Air & Car Show,
littlegransdenairshow.co.uk
26 East Kirkby, Lincs,
Warbirds of WW2,
lincsaviation.co.uk/events
29-31 Bournemouth seafront,
Dorset, Bournemouth Air Festival,
bournemouthair.co.uk
29-1 Sep Compton Abbas,
Dorset, Spitfires at Compton,
comptonairfield.com/events/
30-1 Sep Foxlands Farm,
Cosby, Leics, The Victory Show,
thevictoryshow.co.uk
30-1 Sep Leicester
Airport, Leics, LAA Rally,
lightaircraftassociation.co.uk
31 IWM Duxford, Cambs,
19 Squadron Flying Day,
iwm.org.uk/airshows
31-1 Sep Old Warden, Beds,
Proms Weekend, shuttleworth.
org/product/proms-weekend-
2024/
OVERSEAS
APRIL 2024
5-6 Ballyboy Airfield, County
Meath, Ireland, Private Flyer Fest
Ireland, privateflyershow.com/
ireland/
6 Temora, NSW, Australia,
Showcase Day, aviationmuseum.
com.au/upcoming-events/
6-7 Maxwell AFB, Montgomery,
Alabama, USA, Beyond the
Horizon Air & Space Show,
maxwell.af.mil/Beyond-the-
Horizon/
6-7 Randolph AFB, Joint
Base San Antonio, Texas,
USA, The Great Texas Airshow,
greattexasairshow.com
7 Cuatro Vientos Airport,
Madrid, Spain, Fundación Infante
de Orleans Flying Day, fio.es
9-14 Lakeland Linder Regional
Airport, Lakeland, Florida, USA,
Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo,
flysnf.org
9-14 Santiago International
Airport, Santiago, Chile,
FIDAE 2024, fidae.cl
13 Birr, County Offaly, Ireland,
Breakfast Fly-in,
flyinginireland.com/event/birr-
breakfast-fly-in-2/
pilotweb.aero
Calendar
13-14 NAS JRB Fort Worth,
Texas, USA, Wings over Cowtown
Air Show, navymwrfortworth.com/
event/airshow
17-20 Friedrichshafen,
Germany, Aero Friedrichshafen,
aero-expo.de
18-21 Corowa Airport, NSW,
Australia, AAAA 50th Anniversary
National Fly-in,
antique-aeroplane.com.au/events
20 Perpignan, Occitanie,
France, Aeropyrenees Open
Day & Air Show, aeropyrenees.
com/2023/11/10/apyjpo2024/
20-21 Joint Base Charleston,
Charleston, South Carolina,
USA, Heroes of Flight,
jbcharleston.com/airshow
20-21 Orlando Sanford
International Airport, Sanford,
Florida, USA, Central Florida
Air & Space Show,
airandspaceshow.com
21 Sabadell Airport, Barcelona,
Spain, Fundació Parc Aeronàutic
de Catalunya Open Day
fpac.org/calendari/
27 Kadena AB Okinawa
Prefecture, Japan, AmericaFest
27-28 Plasy, Plzeň, Czech
Republic, A Day in the Air,
denvevzduchu.cz
27-28 Sheppard AFB, Wichita
Falls, Texas, USA, Sheppard AFB
Air Show, sheppardairshow.com
27-28 West Sale Airport,
Gippsland, Australia,
Anzac Weekend Airshow,
saleairshow.com.au
28 Sligo, County Sligo, Ireland,
Breakfast Fly-in, sligoairport.com
MAY 2024
3-5 Monroe Regional Airport,
Monroe, Louisiana, USA,
Red, White and Blue Airshow,
redwhiteandblueairshow.com
3-5 Santiago de la Ribera, San
Javier, Murcia, Spain, Festival
Aéreo internacional, facebook.
com/FestivalAereoSanJavier/
3-5 Vero Beach Regional
Airport, Vero Beach, Florida,
USA, Vero Beach Air Show,
veroairshow.com
4 Abilene Regional Airport,
Abilene, Texas, USA, Big Country
Air Fest, bigcountryairfest.org
4 Langenthal/Bleienbach,
Switzerland, Pilatus PC-6 65th
Anniversary Fly-in,
yetiflyers.ch/events.html
4-5 Panama City Beach,
Panama City, Florida, USA,
Gulf Coast Salute Air Show,
visitpanamacitybeach.com/
events/
5 Bealeton, Virginia, USA,
Flying Circus Airshow (and
each Sunday until 27 Oct),
flyingcircusairshow.com/schedule.
html
5 Cuatro Vientos Airport,
Madrid, Spain, Fundación Infante
de Orleans Flying Day, fio.es
5 MCAS Iwakuni, Yamaguchi
Prefecture, Japan,
Friendship Day
I Pilot April 2024 73
Calendar
5 Twente, Netherlands, Aero
Club 60th Anniversary Fly-in, nvav.
nl/activiteiten/fly-vliegveld-twente
11 Muret-Lherm, Toulouse,
France, AirExpo, airexpo.org
11 Oostwold, Groningen,
Netherlands, Pancake Fly-in,
oostwold-airport.nl/pancake-fly-in/
11-12 Antwerp International
Airport, Flanders, Belgium,
Stampe Fly-in, stampeclub.com/
events--news.html
11-12 Fort Lauderdale, Florida,
USA, Fort Lauderdale Air Show,
fortlauderdaleairshow.com
11-12 MCAS Cherry Point,
North Carolina, USA,
MCAS Cherry Point Air Show,
cherrypointairshow.com
12 Biel-Kappelen, Berne,
Switzerland, Ex-Swiss military
fly-in, lszp.ch/fly-in-2024
15-22 Strausberg Airport,
Brandenburg, Germany,
Grunau Baby meet,
fliegerclub-strausberg.de/
grunau-baby-treffen
17-18 Illinois Valley Regional
Airport, Peru, Illinois, USA,
TBM Avenger Gathering,
tbmreunion.org
17-19 Portland-Hillsboro
Airport, Hillsboro, Oregon, USA,
Oregon International Air Show,
oregonairshow.com
18 CFB Comox, British
Columbia, Canada, Spectacle
Aérien, comoxairshow.com
18-19 Duluth International
Airport, Duluth, Minnesota,
USA, Duluth Air & Aviation Expo,
duluthairshow.com
18-19 La Ferté-Alais, Cerny,
France, Fête Aérienne Les Temps
des Hélices, letempsdeshelices.fr
19 Sabadell Airport, Barcelona,
Spain, Fundació Parc Aeronàutic
de Catalunya Open Day
fpac.org/calendari/
25 Chambley, Grand Est,
France, Meeting Aérien
du Grand-Est, helloasso.
com/associations/bleu-ciel-
organisation/
25 Texel, North Holland,
Netherlands, Fly-in Cinema,
texelairport.nl/event/fly-in-
cinema-2024/
PHOTO: PAUL FIDDIAN
German military airpower, including Airbus A400Ms and Tornados, will be showcased at the
Fassberg and Holzdorf Open Days on 8 June
74 Pilot April 2024 I pilotweb.aero
25-26 Augusta Regional Airport,
Augusta, Georgia, USA, Augusta
Air Show, augustaairshow.com
25-26 Central Coast
Airport, NSW, Australia,
Central Coast Airshow,
centralcoastairshow.com.au
25-26 Gap-Tallard, Provence-
Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France,
Meeting Aérien,
meeting-aerien-gap-tallard.com
25-26 Jones Beach State
Park, Wantagh, New York,
USA, Bethpage Air Show,
bethpageairshow.com
25-26 South Beach, Miami
Beach, Florida, USA, Miami
Beach Air & Sea Show,
usasalute.com
25-26 Stephens County
Airport, Breckenridge, Texas,
USA, Breckenridge Airshow,
breckenridgeairshow.com
25-26 Warnervale Airport,
Warnervale, NSW, Australia,
Central Coast Airshow,
centralcoastairshow.com.au
26 Karlstadt-Saupurzel, Bavaria,
Germany, Saupurzel Fly-in, wpr.
lsck.de/saupurzel-fly-in-2024/
28-30 Geneva Airport,
Switzerland, European Business
Aviation Convention & Exhibition
(EBACE), ebace.aero/2024/
29-2 Jun Djerba–Zarzis
International Airport, Djerba,
Tunisia, IADE Tunisia 2024,
iadetunisia.com
30-2 Jun Kehl-Sundheim,
Kehl, Germany, Flying Days,
kehler-flugtage.de
31-1 Jun Borlänge,
Dalarna County, Sweden,
EAA Fly-in, eaa.se
JUNE 2024
1 Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal,
South Africa, Newcastle Air
Show, airshowsa.org.za
1-2 Amiens, Hauts-de-France,
France, 20,000 Leagues Air
Show, aeroclub-picardie-amiens.
com
1-2 Beja Air Base, Alentejo,
Portugal, Beja International
Airshow, emfa.pt
1-2 Saint-Hubert Airport,
Quebec, Canada, AeroSalon Air
Show, rcaf2024arc.ca/events-
landing/air-shows/
1-2 Terre Haute Regional
Airport, Terra Haute, Indiana,
USA, Terre Haute Air Show,
facebook.com/terrehauteairshow
1-2 Pardubice Airport,
Pardubice, Czech Republic,
Aviatická Pouť, facebook.com/
aviaticka.pout.pardubice
2 Cuatro Vientos Airport,
Madrid, Spain, Fundación Infante
de Orleans Flying Day, fio.es
2 Holloman AFB, Alamogordo,
New Mexico, USA, Legacy of
Liberty Air Show, holloman.af.mil/
Home/2024-Air-Show/
2 Kjeller flypass, Skedsmo,
Norway, Kjeller Flyday,
flydagen.no
2-15 Hutchinson, Kansas,
USA, Pan-American Gliding
Championship, fai.org/events
5-9 Berlin ExpoCenter Airport,
Schönefeld, Germany,
ILA Berlin Air Show, ila-berlin.de
6-8 Lyon-Bron, Auvergne-
Rhône-Alpes, France,
France Air Expo - Salon de
l’Aviation Générale Lyon,
franceairexpo.com
6-9 Kjevik, Kristiansand,
Norway, Nordic Europa Fly-in,
theeuropaclub.org/events
7-9 Midden Zeeland, Zeeland,
Netherlands, Fun Fly-in,
funflyin.nl
8 Fassberg Air Base, Lower
Saxony, Germany, Open Day,
bundeswehr.de
8 Höga Kusten, Sweden, 50th
anniversary airshow, facebook.
com/hogakustenairport
8 Holzdorf Air Base,
Saxony-Anhalt, Germany,
Open Day, bundeswehr.de
8-9 Eesti Lennundusmuuseum,
Tartu, Estonia, Estonian Aviation
Days, lennundusmuuseum.ee
8-9 Selfridge ANGB, Mt
Clemens, Michigan, USA,
Selfridge ANGB Open House &
Air Show, teamselfridge.com
8-9 Spirit of St Louis Airport,
Chesterfield, Missouri, USA,
Spirit of St Louis Air Show, spirit-
airshow.com
9 Playa Poniente, Motril,
Granada, Spain, Festival Aéreo
de Motril, motrilairshow.com
9 RDAF Aalborg, Denmark,
Danish Air Show,
forsvaret.dk/danishairshow
14-16 Greenwood Lake Airport,
West Milford, New Jersey, USA,
Greenwood Lake Air Show,
greenwoodlakeairshow.com
14-16 Rickenbacker
International Airport, Columbus,
Ohio, USA, Columbus Air Show
2024, columbusairshow.com
15-16 CFB Borden, Ontario,
Canada, CFB Borden Armed
Forces Day, bordenairshow.ca
15-16 Gilze-Rijen Air Base, North
Brabant, Netherlands, Wings &
Wheels, classicwings-wheels.nl
15-16 Grant County International
Airport, Moses Lake,
Washington, USA, Moses Lake
Air Show, moseslakeairshow.com
15-16 La Crosse Regional
Airport, La Crosse, Wisconsin,
USA, Deke Slayton Airfest,
airfest.com
15-16 Liepājā International
Airport, Liepājā, Latvia,
Baltic International Airshow,
balticairshow.com
15-16 Old Rhinebeck
Aerodrome, New York, USA,
History of Flight (Sat) & World
War I (Sun) Air Shows,
oldrhinebeck.org/airshows
[+ each weekend until 20 Oct]
15-16 Stavanger Sola Airport,
Sola, Norway, Sola Airshow,
solaairshow.no
15-16 Vaasa Airport, Vaasa,
Finland, Vaasa International
Airshow, vaasaairshow.fi
16 Sabadell Airport, Barcelona,
Spain, Fundació Parc Aeronàutic
de Catalunya Open Day,
fpac.org/calendari/
21 Texel, North Holland,
Netherlands, Sunset Fly-in,
texelairport.nl/event/
21-22 Leszno-Strzyżewice,
Leszno, Poland, Antidotum
Airshow, antidotum.
lotniskoleszno.pl
22-23 CFB Bagotville, Quebec,
Canada, Bagotville International
Air Show, saibagotville.com
22-23 Davenport Municipal
Airport, Davenport, Iowa,
USA, Quad City Air Show,
quadcityairshow.com
Our aim is to make this
monthly calendar listing as
complete and up-to-date as
possible. We welcome news
of your air display, fly-in,
one-type gathering, rally, air
race, aerobatic competition
or any other ‘flying’
orientated event to which
visitors are welcome. Please
send us the date(s), event
name, location and website
where further up-to-date
information can be obtained.
Please do remember to let
us know if your event is
changed or cancelled.
Email details to:
paulfiddian@btinternet.com
 STREAM
The remarkable Stream tandem
BMAA Light Sport Microlight

O VED
APPR
W
NO TL-3000

SIRIUS
LAA Permit or BMAA Light Sport Microlight

OVED
APPR
TL-2000 W
NO
STING S4
PIPER TURBO LAA Permit or BMAA Light Sport Microlight

ARROW III (1977)

SPARKER
...we are working on it!

Light Sport Microlights are factory-built

This is a Scotland based aircraft that has just come out of a fresh
Annual Inspection.
For details and to see the STREAM in action, go to
Please call/email for full spec sheet.
www.stingaircraft.co.uk
Base data - TTAF 4947Hrs with Eng 1885Hrs
(plus full TOH @ 1224Hrs in 2009). Contact Peter 07905 709759 (Blackpool)
or Paul 07581 471146 (Midlands)
GBP£59,950 No VAT in the UK
TL-Sting (UK) Ltd
Please contact Derrick Ings at:
01747825378 or email derrick@derrickings.com
 CESSNA T206H - G-SEMR - 2006
!
ED
C
U

TT / Eng. 1210 Prop 150

D
RE

What a 'plane! One owner from new - always hangared.

Truly 9 out of 10 throughout. Completely original inside
and out. Full G1000 fit with King KAP140 and KR87 ADF.
A fantastic 6 seat brute of a machine, with large wheel
option.
The ultimate load lifting short-field aircraft.
NOW REDUCED TO
£320,000 + VAT

ROBIN DR400 MAJOR - G-BBAY - 1973

!
ED
C
U

TT 2744 Hrs Eng 563 Hrs (150HP)

D
RE

A real 9/10 aircraft, equiped with an excellent Garmin

stack of avionics. These Robin aircraft are a true joy to
fly, with outstanding helicopter-like visibility.
One of the best that you will find.

OFFERED AT
£67,500

CESSNA FR182 - N656JM - 1980

TT 3594 Eng 1830 Prop 91
This is a simply lovely example of one of Cessna's finest.
The Cessna 182 RG is a really hard act to follow. Fast,
comfortable, great short field performance and huge load
lifting capacity. This example has fantastic avionics
including JPI 760, engine monitor, G5, 430 and
stormscape and the jewel in the crown, it is fully de-iced.
RECENT ANNUAL
£115,000 NO VAT

ENSTROM 280FX - G-TTKP - 1993

!
ED
C
U

TT 880
D
RE

Now with new ARC, annual and straps! What a

machine - lovely inside and out, a real 9/10 helicopter.
Good times on all components, engine has recently
undergone a full top overhaul (still on straight oil). This
heli is a joy to fly - so solid and smooth and no
calendar life!
RECENT ANNUAL & FRESH STRAPS
£110,000 NO VAT

STRONG BUYERS FOR LIGHT AIRCRAFT - CASH WAITING.

 Call David Morris 07711 197738
Email justplanetrading@aol.com

** PIPER ARROW 2 AND WARRIOR 3 COMING SOON **

CESSNA 206 - G-CLST - 1973

EW
N

TT 2735, ENG/PROP 5 HRS

This aircraft has just undergone a top to bottom rebuild - new paint, leather and interior.
Zero timed engine and prop, new avionics including G500TXI - GS and JPI engine monitor.
This wonderful workhorse is ready to go and presents like new.
VERY SERIOUS OFFERS CONSIDERED

ROBINSON R44 RAVEN2

A really mint example with 380 Hrs to run
and seven years on calendar. Garmin 750,
leather trim and bubble windows. An
absolute peach of a machine.

OFFERED AT
£159,995 NO VAT

RALLYE CLUB - G-AXGE - 1969

ER
FF
O
ER

Engine is calendar time expired, AF 2980

D
N

HRS
U

This aeroplane has a couple of months to

run on the annual but would benefit from
some cosmetic upgrades and repaint.
Great short field fun machine.

UNDER OFFER!

ALL AIRCRAFT CAN BE VIEWED AT OUR FACILITY IN CAMBRIDGESHIRE

>> CLASSIFIED

HERE I AM AND I CAN STILL DO IT

EASA PPL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Intensive
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Adjacent to Heathrow Airport, we have tuition through each
our own car-parking facilities and excellent
public transport, making it quick and easy subject & exam
to visit us
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50 years a teacher
Canadian (CAME), Mauritian and KSA (GACA) COME - ENJOY - PASS
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Please telephone me on
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07831 517428
T: 020 8528 2633
medicals@heathrowmedical.com
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next issue To explain the new easy system

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 1/6 SHARE FOR SALE
SCOTTISH AVIATION BULLDOG Model 128
£160/month, £160/ tacho hr wet, offers in the region of £12,000
Contact Ian on 07710 164317 or ian@wildgoose.uk.com
• G-BPCL/ HKG-6, Ex Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Airforce
• Built 1977
• Beautifully aeroplane: visibility, handling, aerobatics,
touring, history
• Bare metal respray in 2021, low fatigue index
• Based & maintained at North Weald on C of A by type
specialists, ARC to Nov ‘24.
• Friendly, established group with good availability.

How long to hold?
Consternation in Kazakhstan
E
very airline pilot settles
down after training to
a hopefully stimulating
and satisfying career.
Experience brings
confidence and lots of spare
capacity for a relaxed operation
and pleasant day out. This is even
on short high workload hops or
into difficult challenging worldwide
airports. However, every once in
a while unforeseen circumstances
or events can build up to require a
concentration and ability to think
clearly under pressure.
In January 1998 I had packed in a
few months as a Captain on the then
new British Airways Boeing 777-200
fleet. The aircraft was a delight to fly
with many innovations on the flight
deck including fly by wire controls.
At a maximum takeoff weight of 243
metric tonnes and length
209 feet with a wingspan
of 199 feet, this was a
large widebody. In spite circumstances or events can build up
of this, the handling
was light and precise.
to require a concentration and ability
Lots of safety systems
such as overbanking
protection and automatic rudder input
in the event of an EFTO – Engine
Failure on Take Off (switched off on
simulator checks!) The features on
the flight deck and throughout were
on another level compared to the
Boeing 747-400. There was automatic
downloading of en route winds into
the navigation computers. Even the
clock was synchronised with an
atomic clock somewhere in Paris
for accuracy. Being a twin-engined
airliner, the engines by definition
are overly powerful to cope with the
asymmetric engine failure situation.
ILAFFT
Words: Ross McMillan
The enormous Rolls-Royce Trent
895-17 or General Electric GE 90-85B
engine intake cowls are the same
diameter as a Boeing 737 fuselage.
I reported for work at ‘The Blue
Lagoon’ BA Flight Operations building
at Heathrow in January 1998 for
an evening departure to Almaty in
Kazakhstan. This was a new route
for BA, situated on the old silk trail
to China a short distance from the
Chinese border, near Urumqi. The
silk road followed the Northern
edge of the mountains where
Marco Polo trekked from Venice in
the 13th century. This fascinating
place is wedged up against the
foothills of the Himalayas in central
Asia. There was an exciting mix
of East and West here, with exotic
foods – including mountains of best
caviar – and fabulous fur coats in
Every once in a while, unforeseen
to think clearly under pressure
the market. Having unshackled the
previous Russian administration
fairly recently, there was a real Wild
West atmosphere with new bars and
restaurants everywhere stocked with
unlimited Russian vodka, all at very
reasonable prices.
In Europe and a large part of the
BA network there are lots of available
alternates with good facilities for
the aircraft and the passengers.
This Almaty place seemed to be a
very long way from anywhere. It was
wedged up against the Himalayas
to the South and China to the East.
I Learned About Flying From That
Some reasonable airports to the West
but a long way off and certainly no BA
presence nearby.
We were briefed on the usual
weather, navigation and NOTAM –
Notices To Airmen warnings. As there
was early morning fog forecast at this
destination new for BA, I loaded lots
of extra fuel. Two things are useless
in aviation – fuel left in the bowser
and runway behind you. After meeting
the fourteen cabin crew we all bused
out to the aircraft, G-VIIF for a night
takeoff before the Heathrow noise
curfew. The flight time for the 3,045
nautical mile flight would be about
nine hours, and we had 350-plus
passengers on board.
The night flight route took us East
across Lithuania, Vilnius and Belarus
into Russia. There was the usual
‘outer ring road’ of airways around
Moscow and then
out across the vast
seemingly endless
expanse South East
towards Kazakhstan,
passing places like
Penza and Samara.
Weather reports of
possible alternates along the route
revealed mostly snow conditions
worsening. As dawn approached,
we were crossing the Steppes of
Kazakhstan, passing quite close to the
Russian cosmodrome at Baikonur. We
briefed for our approach and landing
for Runway 23 at Almaty taking careful
note of the mountains running just to
the South.
Only Category 1 ILS (Instrument
Landing Systems) were on offer,
which meant a decision height of
not less than 200 feet and minimum
RVR (Runway Visual Range) of 600
pilotweb.aero I Pilot April 2024 81
I Learned About Flying From That

metres. The freezing fog/low cloud consideration. We had already been Anyway, when it was my turn to
had not burned off after sunrise flying and on duty for at least eight rest for an hour or so, a cabin crew
as forecast, with a ceiling of about hours through the night, and Moscow member sat with Chris, the FO.
150 feet. We were in wonderful was about four hours back the way We finally made our approach in the
sunshine during our descent and we had come. Thus we would grossly dusk or dark now at Sheremetyevo
had great views of the mountains exceed flight time limitations and Moscow and although it was snowing
to the South. A standard copilot- our individual tiredness had to be hard I saw the lights at a reasonable
monitored automatic approach to Cat addressed before another difficult height and landed without incident.
1 limits was performed to minima of approach and landing… anywhere. It was a very careful taxi on the snow
200ft. This would be for my manual After discussion I decided to depart and ice to the gate. The passengers
landing, when I would take control the hold for the long flight back to disembarked and were looked after
only on seeing satisfactory visual Moscow. We adjusted speed and by the BA ground staff. Hotels had
cues. Otherwise P2 would instigate altitude for maximum range and been booked and buses arrived.
a standard go-around. The RVR was monitored weather along the route. We as the crew were not so lucky.
given as ‘above 700 metres’ which I called in to London BA operations We were taken to a shed and there
was above the minimum to we waited... and waited.
start an approach. Eventually a Russian
We performed an The freezing fog/low cloud had not BA person came and
approach and saw nothing burned off after sunrise as forecast, arranged to transit us
at decision height, so went through immigration
around on the published with a ceiling of about 150 feet after another wait. By
go-around procedure this time we were all
away from the mountains. A second using the then new ACARS – Airline very tired and getting fed up. Finally,
approach gave the same result. We Communications And Reporting we were through and onto a hotel
were then invited to join the holding System to get their take on matters. crew bus with the same Russian BA
stack at the approach VOR beacon, They concurred and wished for a person. At the hotel he was there
ALM directly over the airport to wait landing “as far West as possible”. again at reception. It turned out that
for the fog to clear… or not clear. Careful choice of words for he was ex-KGB and was recruited
Decision Time. We were the only addressing the passengers and because he knew everyone at the
aircraft around and had tried twice to cabin crew. They had already been airport and could “make the wheels
get in unsuccessfully. The alternate fully informed about Almaty. In my turn”.
of close-by Bishkek was marked experience if the passengers are kept I was just collapsing in my room
as unusable for some reason and fully in touch and always told the truth when the phone rang. It was a
fogged out anyway. That left Tashkent they will stay on side throughout any passenger wanting to know about his
in Kyrgyzstan and Samarkand in disruption situation. It was paramount luggage! I directed him accordingly.
Uzbekistan – both far to the west, not to use phrases like “I’m afraid we The next morning after proper
again on the old silk trail. Snow are going to be late”. Passengers with flight crew limitations rest time we all
blizzards were reported at both these limited English might only pick up on departed for Almaty again. This time
and worsening conditions were now “I’m afraid”! without incident. By now the whole
forecast. Certainly no BA crew had gelled very
welcome there for the well as a good team
350-plus passengers or We could hold in the stack and wait for and it was a particularly
the aircraft.
So we could hold in the
the fog/low cloud to clear – but what if enjoyable stop over for
a couple of days. This
stack and wait for the fog/ it didnt? We would paint ourselves into was before our return
low cloud to clear – but
what if it didn’t? We would
a corner as the fuel was consumed to London to face the
inevitable paperwork,
paint ourselves into a and forms to complete
corner as the fuel was consumed. A In a non-standard practice I told the on the incident.
careful calculation revealed that if we first officer to sleep in the passenger There were to be several more
departed now we could make it all cabin for at least one hour. Meantime Almaty trips on the B777-200 – all
the way back across the vast void of one cabin crew member would sit excellent and most memorable. Grand
Russia to Moscow with safe margins with me to ensure I was fully awake. municipal buildings everywhere in the
of fuel – but not if we stayed here There was a crew alert warning Russian style and picturesque parks
any longer. Moscow Sheremetyevo system on the B777. If no switch or and gardens. Overall, a great place.
was a main BA destination so the knob was moved for a preset time
passengers, crew and aircraft would period, then a visual alert would start
be looked after properly in this on the master warning system. If not BE PUBLISHED
difficult part of the world. The weather actioned after another shorter period, IN PILOT!
at Moscow was giving blizzards but a loud warning noise would initiate. Do you have your own ILAFFT tale?
Tell us your story in around 1,000 words
aircraft were landing there. (We used to say that maybe there and you could see it in print
However, there was another should be a third physical warning.)

82 Pilot April 2024 I pilotweb.aero

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