Anyone into flying......microlights

I fly gliders. Maybe have something useful to say. What kind of stuff are you looking for??

/dl

I spent a week learning to fly gliders - ten years ago this month, I believe! It was a lot of fun, but one thing that sticks in my mind the most from the experience is....when you land, make sure you keep the wings level!!

Mind you, gliders usually have a pretty big wing-span, so that kind of tip is probably more critical for gliders than powered fixed wing aircraft...

Jon, I suspect that stuff like keeping the wings level are things Barries instructor will be pointing out.

/dl (Gliding instructor...)

Ah, I didn't realise you were a gliding instructor, David

The reason I related the above was that as I was bringing the glider in to land after one particular flight, I got lazy and neglected the fact that we were not 'wings level'. Not a good idea when landing on grass, I suspect. With a split second to spare, I recall my instructor grabbing the stick and moving it quickly and sharply to the right to get the wings level. Cue safe landing.

I subsequently went on to learn to fly helicopters - they're a bit easier to land than those bleeding fixed-wing jobbies!

Experiences..!

When I was younger and in the RAAF, I was a member of the base gliding club. Catching a thermal with the birds on

a stinking hot summer day was something else, - serenely three dimensional. Thermals were best over the bitumen

runway. Our club had a Blanik and we went up on a wire tow with an old Ford V8 ute.



Wire breaks were hairy and a prompt ( lets get to ground safely plan ) was essential and always brewing in the

back of our minds. More height, before the break essentially gave us more time to map out a plan to land safely.

My base was where Pilots completed their training, and deservedly earned their wings. Fortunately, because of my

mustering I was never required to attend the graduation parades.


These newly graduated pilots then went onto train on their chosen specialist aircraft.


We were privy to some special in house ' Air Shows '. There was this one occasion where there was a scheduled

public Air Show over the weekend. Anyway, a day or so before, 2 FA-18 Hornets arrived.. Boy ...... did they

arrive...!

This was something one would not normally see during a public event, except in the 70's when I distinctly remember

5 F-111's in formation giving me at 7 years old, my first ever crew cut. Coming from behind the crowd when

everyone was looking forward, ( oh dad where are they.. ? ) they messed everyone's hair up with an extremely fast

and for me at the time, too a low pass..


Maybe some of you older folks can remember Spitfires or alike curling or straightening your hair up.


I believe that type of flying is not allowed these days.


Back to the Hornets..........

We were quietly sun baking to the tunes of the 80's on the top floor balcony on a modest 3 story dorm when these

extremely talented young men arrived tailgating, at an enormous rate of aeronautical knots ( I mean very quick )

and hugging the ground too ! It was a spectacle that will live in my mind for ever.


We were stunned at the speed and apparent carelessness of their flying, but no doubt they had done this before and

in real life combat this is how they would most likely fly, that is, with precision, poise and heart.


That day, I was a very young and proud man in the RAAF.


The gliders...

One Sunday summer afternoon a Flying Instructor who was a member of the club showed us how not to

fly ones glider. It was an eye opening experience and definatly atypical of a man with his experience.

Well, as a budding young glider pilots with beaming smiles, we all knew about downwind, base and final legs.

Something, some of us knew from the Air Training Corps and hours in the ' Link Trainer '.

Oh no - not this ' Ol ' Red Baron pilot ...! It was like he opened the canopy and tossed the flying manual out.

Don't worry about the downwind..... what's a base leg..? Grrrrrr...!

leTs just have a final........... shall we..?

Well, from about 2000 feet and giving himself a very short piece of runway,

He plunged his sporty glider into a virtual nose dive and at the very last minute so eloquently pulled up from his

death dive to land on nothing short of a relative 'dime '.


We were all stunned. Huh...! what did he just do..?

Our instructor just shook his head and quipped " Cowboy .. "

I remember thinking and saying to myself " WOW... !, mumble mumble .."


I was posted before I was able to go solo.

Gliding is wonderfully relaxing and I would highly recommend it if you have never tried it or have the desire.

All good stuff, and yes, gliding is wonderful. But Barrie is "Just taking up microlight flying." Probably bought all the books and paid his dues at his local club. Don't make him think he's made a wrong decision...

FWIW, different kinds of flying have different attractions. Anything with an engine in, and you tend to be the kind of person that wants to do A-to-B (And back again) kind of stuff. Unpowered flight is more about reading the prevailing conditions and making the most of them. (Not that you can ignor the weather if you have a motor to help.)

Paragliding needs little more than a slope, or if you have one of those fan things on your back, not even that so you really can be a one man show. Gliders, and powered stuff, need an airfield/strip of some description.

In my experience, there is more of a social thing related to gliding since you need a number of people to be involved to get you up in the air. And there's usually a fair amount of time spent on the field waiting for the right weather. Power flying tends to be less social as you turn up when you have booked the aircraft and away you go. (Obviously some clubs are more sociable than others.)

As far as learning is concerned, it takes time, but that's about it. Fly lots, but don't fly too much. When learning you need time to absorb what you've just been shown / experienced / tried... A good instructor will know when you are receptive, and when you are in the aircraft in body, but not mind.

As far as the theory side, well, you have the 'rules of the road' and 'procedural' bits and then you have all the aerodynamics, physiology etc, which are actually very interesting (And there is always more to learn) but in many ways less important when you are starting out. Try to relate what you are learning in theory with what you do in practice.

Hope that is useful. And let us know how you progress.

/dl

Ahem,
Thank goodness for Biggles!
http://www.thecourier.co.uk/ou...sstory13612093t0.asp

In 2005 I passengered on a microlight over the Victoria Falls. I'd love to fly one myself, but I just know I'd act the plank and end up in a wheelchair. I don't trust myself with anything more risky than a car.

Tony

erm, thanks guys........gulp
I have just taken it up and was wondering if there were some other folks who also were into this type of flying, but maybe not, it is a pretty odd sport I agree and not for everyone

Barrie

Barrie, what aircraft type are you learning on?

Nice if you could post a pic... Worth a thousand words you know

/david

Baz

Just remember that if you run out of fuel then do like Biggles and crash land in a tree.

Well, you did ask for advice!

Jim

Hi David,

As requested, here is a piccy of what I am learning inTanarg
if anyone is interested here is a video
it's not me ....yet !!

Barrie

Barrie,
Ah, one of those...

I learnt to fly in Sweden, so all my terminology is in Swedish. Microlights are known as Trikes in Sweden. I was getting them mixed up with Ultralätt (UL) which are a conventional fixed wing aircraft, but very low all up weight.

The next club down the valley from where I fly gliders has several Trikes. They look like fun, pretty tollerant of high(ish) winds; unlike Paragliders that scuttle for cover when the breeze gets up.

If you fancy a summer project sometime in the future, then a jolly up to the north of Sweden, maybe over into north Norway?, could be an idea... You wouldn't be the first.

Link here to pictures taken by one of the local Trike flyers.

/david

Hi David,

Great photos, I was in Sweden for just on 4 years but I felt the need to get a boat whilst I was there. Flying has only struck me as something to take up since moving to Belgium. The pictures of the islands and archipellago and the "Big Sky" bring the memories back - thankyou

Was it the usual midsommer weather this year ?

Barrie

Barrie,
Weather in the north has been really good this summer, very little rain, but rather too warm to be good gliding weather.

I can appreciate your comment about Sweden and boats. Seening your old haunts from the air must be a bit tempting tho?

Keep us updated on your progress.

/david

Hi David,

I'm glad the weather was good - not normally guaranteed

I am in Sweden next week so will take the opportunity of joining for a Crayfish party with friends, I just need to avoid too much akvavit - some hope !

Barrie