Are there any fellow aircraft enthusiasts in the house?

[brucemillar]

Currently involved in building a Zenair 750 STOL - full size, at Aerobility which is a flying charity for the disabled. We started building in February this year and have no end date, just see how it goes.
The whole idea is for as many disabled people as possible to get involved in the build, handling tools and reading drawings etc. led by people with rhe relevant experience.
Fuselage and tail assembly is completed already and we hope to begin work on the wings soon.
Rotax have donated an engine at a vastly reduced price and Garmin have given us a complete glass cockpit assembly.

Excellent work. Any chance of getting some pics up?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Edd1968]

Currently involved in building a Zenair 750 STOL - full size, at Aerobility which is a flying charity for the disabled. We started building in February this year and have no end date, just see how it goes.
The whole idea is for as many disabled people as possible to get involved in the build, handling tools and reading drawings etc. led by people with rhe relevant experience.
Fuselage and tail assembly is completed already and we hope to begin work on the wings soon.
Rotax have donated an engine at a vastly reduced price and Garmin have given us a complete glass cockpit assembly.

That's fantastic

 

[BTB 500]

My interest in aviation was sparked by the gift of some Biggles books as a young boy in the '60s. That led to Airfix kits - spending my pocket money on one every Saturday, plus bigger ones for Xmas / birthday presents. Then building free-flight models ... gliders and rubber powered. Then diesel and glow powered, then my first radio set in 1975 (when you still had to apply to the Home Office for a licence!). 43 years later I still build and fly radio-controlled models of various types and sizes. Being short-sighted meant no chance of being a pilot for a living but I have done a little 'full size' flying in light aircraft and gliders (and managed to wangle a 2 hour evening session in a 747 simulator at Heathrow in the early '80s).

 

[Edd1968]

This lot were a regular sight flying down the firth until about 5 years ago, it's tailed off significantly.
Was always amazing seeing the Nimrods, Jaguars & Harriers heading to the Tain bombing range. - miss them...

 

[Chrishazle]

When I was working near Doncaster, we were in an RAF low flying zone and the derrick (about 130ft tall with a red light on the top) was used by the pilots as a waypoint. Often the derrickman, on his work platform about 100ft up, would be looking down into the cockpit of the passing plane - often a Warthog, but occasionally Hawks or Tornados. If we were working with explosives - at that time our detonators were not radio safe - I would have to phone the low flying controller and impose a 1 mile radius 5000ft high no fly zone for a set period. You could guarantee that 30 seconds before the start time and 30 seconds after the end time, something would scream past us, but there would be nothing inbetween.

 

[Edd1968]

It was the same with most of these images I took, our place is 300 feet a ove the firth and they used the Cromarty bridge as their waypoint en route to the range.

 

[BEJ]

Not computer literate, so don't have the knowlege to load pics.

 

[Edd1968]

... Talking of my favourite aircraft;
Back 2002 I have the rare privilege of taking to the air in what is in my opinion the most beautiful aircraft ever made. War machine it might be, but a beautiful one at that.
Having learned to fly I was also told over the mic "you have control'. I've had some pretty good things on my bucket list but this one was in the stratosphere.
I wrote an article after the event, if anyone is interested ill upload it.

 

[GeeJayW]

As if anyone would be interested...

Get posting!

 

[Edd1968]

As if anyone would be interested...

Get posting!

It's a word document, not sure whether to just do a copy and paste jobby

 

[Edd1968]

Converted to PDF. Let me know if its readable.
I hope readers enjoy....

 

[GeeJayW]

Outstanding, thanks for sharing. What an experience.

The closest I've ever come to hands-on flying something, was in an F-111e flight-simulator. Somewhat different from a Spit, but good fun just the same.

 

[BTB 500]

Back 2002 I have the rare privilege of taking to the air in what is in my opinion the most beautiful aircraft ever made.

Umm ... the 2-seat Spitfire is a bit of an abomination, IMHO

But I'm sure it was a great experience!

 

[Edd1968]

The original ones that were converted for Irish Air Corps had the ugly bulbous trainers canopies at the rear but as you can see, Nick Grace made this one a far more elegant affair. It still went like a Spit, it felt like a Spit and handled like the best tuned sports car!

 

[BTB 500]

Yup a bit less gruesome than the humpbacked 2-seaters, but still no oil painting compared to a standard Spitfire

 

[alabbasi]

I have these two in the back of my building if anyone wants to fix them up.

 

[Edd1968]

Yup a bit less gruesome than the humpbacked 2-seaters, but still no oil painting compared to a standard Spitfire

I agree that they're always going to look better as a single seater.

 

[Edd1968]

As a point of interest ; The front seat was moved forward by about a foot to keep the CofG balance after adding the rear cockpit.
Also when you're in it the only thing different from the pilot's seat is the lack of radio. Everything else is identical..

 

[Chrishazle]

We also have a 2 seater offering flight experiences from our local airfield Headcorn, but the cost is such that, much as I'd give my right arm for it, I'd live with so much earache from SWMBO compared to a week in the Maldives that I haven't dared even suggest it. However, if there was an opportunity for something similar in a Mosquito, SWMBO would get a simple response, namely "Shutit, I'm doing it!!".

Luckily living not too far from Headcorn - and the home of Woodchurch Warbirds - we oftern get to see and hear not only a Spit, but also a Mustang, Harvard and a Russian WW2 warbird flying.

 

[Edd1968]

Coming from Kent, I remember my father taking us to Headcorn way back in the '70s. I loved it.
Up here in the Highlands we see very few warbirds.
I had the pleasure back in 2015 of watching the Canadian Lancaster - Vera fly over the house on that fine morning while she was transiting from Reykjavik to Coningsby to join the BBMF Lanc PA474 for that amazing month of 2 Lancaster bombers flying together around the UK.