Tabla de contenidos para June 2023 en Pilot

Tayside Aviation enters receivership Dundee-based Tayside Aviation went into receivership on 20 April, with the loss of 22 jobs, and leaving customers in limbo. Founded in 1968, Tayside has been a mainstay of flight training in the Northeast for more than fifty years. It operated courses from PPL to full ATPL including degree-courses in association with the University of Central Lancashire and was the sole provider of training for RAF flying scholarships for more than thirty years. Customers and student pilots have been reacting with dismay on social media. Many appear to have paid large deposits up front for training they will not now receive. However, some training organisations have stepped in to help, with Wings Alliance, the not-for-profit support community for modular pilots, Bristol Groundschool and Ultimate High all…

“What was new at Friedrichshafen?” To that question, posed every time AERO – to the give the annual event its correct title – is held, the superficial answer this year was “Not much!” While walking the halls – eleven hangar-sized spaces packed with a diversity of aircraft, aero engines, aircraft parts and aviation ephemera – once again boggled the visitor’s mind as it always used to, the news-grubbers among us were expressing some frustration: where was the lead story? Could it be nothing more exciting than the fact that the show had recovered after the Covid years and was back on form? To borrow from Samuel Johnson, we would say that if you find no excitement in AERO – if you are tired of Friedrichshafen – you are tired of…

Lancaster – a supreme documentary Lancaster – Above and Beyond, documentary movie produced and directed by David Fairhead & Anthony Palmer, presented by Altitude Films. HD rental £4.49/purchase £9.99 from online services, DVD & from £11.60. Released 2022, running time 110 minutes This superbly produced, thought-provoking documentary offers a moving cinema experience rivalled by few, if any dramatised accounts of wartime action. Just enough beautifully shot aerial footage of the RAF’s last airworthy Lancaster features, but the filmmakers really let the words speak through interviews with the last surviving crew members. Their story is supported and set in context by re-mastered archive material supplied by the Imperial War Museum and other sources. Aerial, archive and latter-day interview footage has been integrated in a powerful, well-paced narrative that holds your attention…

Before choosing a club or flight training organisation, it helps to have an idea of what type of flying you want to do. Most clubs offer training on the kind of four-seaters that private pilots will subsequently hire to fly family and friends as passengers − and maybe do a little touring. Many of these clubs are based at busy airfields where you will quickly become proficient in communicating with either Air/Ground radio operators or air traffic control officers (ATCOs) and slotting in with ‘traffic’ − skills that will stand you in good stead when it comes to flying further abroad. If you are less interested in touring and more interested in simply having a bit of fun – perhaps having your eye on flying from small grass airfields and…

If you’re thinking about pursuing a commercial pilot career, this may be one of those ‘good weather’ moments where most indicators suggest that pilot hiring will be strong for at least the next few years. The impact of the Covid pandemic has substantially receded, while the war in Ukraine turned out to be less of an economic threat than first thought, and that allowed the global air transport industry to go back to its sustained growth path that has characterised it for several decades now. However, threats are still present and, if you want to become a commercial pilot, you want to be aware of those, and obviously prepare at best for a significant investment of time and money in your career. This article will help you do precisely that.…

NOTABLE NOTES ‘Zero carbon’ Britten Britten-Norman teams up with Cranfield Aerospace Solutions to produce a hydrogen-electric hybrid p8 NOTABLE NOTES Is it SAF? Well, ‘sustainable aviation fuel’ appears to be the answer to both Piper and the RAF! p8 NOTABLE NOTES Not so Private The Home Office wants to know all your passengers’ details... p9 AERO 23 ‘most international’ ever AERO 2023 saw its biggest ever international participation, according to the organisers of the landmark Friedrichshafen event. They recorded over 670 exhibitors from 35 nations, and 27,200 visitors over the course of four days (19 – 23 April). For a full report turn to page 21. Pandemic brought newcomers to GA, says Cirrus Demand for Cirrus aircraft increased substantially over the last few years, and reached record numbers…

Bavarian Police order eight H145s Airbus has delivered the first two of eight five-bladed H145s to the Bavarian Police. These first two helicopters will be used in the training of pilots and crews which will begin shortly, ensuring a smooth transition from the current H135 fleet which has been in service for more than twelve years, to the larger H145 helicopters. Delivery of the first fully-equipped police helicopter is scheduled for the middle of 2024. “We would like to thank Bavaria and its police force for their continued confidence in our helicopters,” said Stefan Thomé, Managing Director of Airbus Helicopters in Germany. Franz Muschick, Head of the Bavarian Police Helicopter Squadron, added, “our police forces have to deal with a wide range of scenarios: searching for missing persons,…

FLIGHT TESTGulfstream American AA-5B Tiger As our formation crosses the coast, the lead Cessna’s window opens and the lens of Keith’s trusty Nikon appears. “That’s our cue, Baz – here we go” and I slide neatly into formation. The air is as smooth as silk as I tuck into a tight echelon port, super-smooth leader Nigel Willson calls “turning right – go” and the two aircraft pivot gracefully around a point, and then shudder slightly as we cross our own wake. “What do you think Dave?” “Baz, this is grreat,” I quip – and why not – we are in a Tiger after all! Keith and I had met up with Sebastian ‘Baz’ Struth at our favourite East coast airfield of Earls Colne a few hours earlier. It was a…

Piper’s veteran Warrior Throw a stone at a training aircraft and you’ll most likely hit a Piper PA-28. The ubiquitous PA-28 has been in continual use for flight training since its launch in 1961, when it was called Cherokee. For good reason this astonishingly long-lived design remains highly popular today with clubs, schools, and those hiring aircraft. A rival to the Cessna 172, but with only one door and a low wing that blocks the view downwards (but allows you to see into turns), the Warrior has no peculiar traits or vices and its handling is solid and safe, if not inspiring. Robustly constructed, it is a tough and forgiving bird that generates affection, rather than passion. Continually updated by Piper – the latest versions have sophisticated glass…

For many people, it’s one the best days in their life, if not the best. You get out of the aircraft, the examiner tells you a few things, utters the magic word, and there you go: the world has decided that your are competent enough to take a ton of metal into the air and fly over cities, rivers, valleys and seas. The freedom given by a PPL is incredible and, yet, that freedom can be even expanded, by learning how to fly new types of aircraft, in new situations and to new destinations. This article will help you to do just that. GLIDING Once the excitement of having received a pilot licence is gone, for quite a few people the reality of financial constraints starts to bite and maintaining…

The Children’s Air Ambulance moves to Gamston Thatcham Research, the only ‘not for profit’, insurer-funded vehicle research organisation welcomes the Children’s Air Ambulance to Gamston airfield, Nottinghamshire. Using specially equipped helicopters to transfer critically ill babies and children to specialist care centres across the UK, The Children’s Air Ambulance (TCAA) had been looking for a new base in the north of England following the recent closure of Doncaster Sheffield Airport. Evangalene Mcleod, Gamston Aviation’s Airport Manager, said, “our site has everything TCAA needs to fulfil its operational commitments and I look forward to working with the team as they get what is essentially a mobile intensive care unit for children off the ground and enroute to its next destination as quickly and efficiently as possible.” The Children’s Air Ambulance flew…

New & restored registrations Cancellations…

Sywell in Spring The Sywell Aviation Museum’s Grand Opening, a well-established annual Easter Saturday event this time held on 8 April, attracted a fine selection of vintage aircraft. Regular attendee Peter Teichman brought in his P-51D Mustang 44-72035 Tall In The Saddle (photo 1), resplendent in its original 332nd FG USAAF markings and visitors from Spanhoe included Richard Ellingworth’s Soko P-2 Kraguj G-SOKO (2), one of three examples of the Yugoslavian military counterinsurgency aircraft on the UK register. The Real Aeroplane Company’s Broussard ‘5-ML’ G-CIGH was flown down from Breighton for the occasion. Five of the resident warbirds flew with the Blades’ four Extra 300LPs on 14 April (3), in a farewell salute to the imminently disbanding aerobatic team. Against a dramatic sky, the formation was led by Air Leasing’s…

During the winter when the flying days are short, the weather unpredictable and the moustaches of our Tiger Moth pilots are bristling with frost, we at the West London Aero Club in White Waltham entertain ourselves by hosting regular speaker nights. Many of aviation’s great characters have propped up the bar including Ken Wallis (a personal favourite) of autogyro fame. Concorde pilots, Blackbird pilots and RAF ‘greats’ – we’ve had them all. Recently, while peering at the club’s noticeboard to see if there were any shares in Hawker Hurricanes available for a couple of grand, I spotted the flyer for an upcoming talk by Ian Whittle, the son of Sir Frank. Whittle Junior would be covering the basics of his father’s pioneering work on the jet turbine from the early…

To see the monthly calendar online, visit www.pilotweb.aero UNITED KINGDOM MAY 2023 26-29 Sandown, Isle of Wight, Spamfield Microlight Rally, eghn.org.uk/calendar27-4 June Lasham, Hants, BGA Standard Class, Open Class and 15m Nationals, members.gliding.co.uk/competitions/27 Fenland, Lincs, VAC Fly-in, vintageaircraftclub.org.uk27 Popham, Hants, VPAC Southern Fly-in, vintagepiper.co.uk/events/27-28 Wingland, Spalding, Lincs, Wingland Wacky Weekend 1, winglandairfield.wordpress.com27-29 Glenforsa, Mull, 51st Mull Annual Fly-in, glenforsaairfield.com 27-29 Robin Hill, Isle of Wight, Official Isle of Wight Balloon Festival, robin-hill.com/event/isle-of-wight-balloon-festival/28 Bidford, Warks, Wings and Wheels, bidfordglidingandflyingclub.co.uk28 Eshott, Northumberland, Machine Meet, facebook.com/eshottaerodrome28 Kirkbride, Cumbria, Open Day & Fly-in, kirkbrideairfield.weebly.com28 Stow Maries, Essex, Wings and Wheels, stowmaries.org.uk31 Shobdon, Herefordshire, Teddy Bears Picnic & Fly-in, shobdonairfield.co.uk/events JUNE 2023 2-4 Ragley Hall, Warks, Midlands Air Festival, midlandsairfestival.com3 Blackbushe, Hants, Blackbushe Air Day, blackbusheairday.com3 Bodmin, Cornwall, Ladies Day Fly-in, bodminairfield.com/events/3 Compton Abbas, Dorset,…

In the year that has passed since our 2022 Where To Fly Guide was published, the big news is that a large increase in energy prices has made it more expensive to fly. Now more than ever, prospective pilots need to make the correct choice of licence course and training organisation, since a bad choice may result in slow (or no) training progress and a lack of opportunities to progress to additional licences. Besides the increase in flying costs, there is unfortunately not much new to report. The promised reform and simplification of our unnecessarily complex UK pilot licensing system is still to materialise. Specifically, a fix to the broken UK pilot qualification progression ladder, which has been legally possible from January 2021 with the CAA departure from the European…