You might be a pilot if....

I found this post on the Airspeedonline blog and it made me smile.

It's called "You might be a pilot if..." and is a little close to the bone in certain areas. I have to admit I've done a couple of these (but I'm not saying which ones....)

For those of you who are UK based and don't get the Jeff Foxworthy reference read this.

Any others you would add to the list...? Drop them into a comment, please.

The UKGA has decided

The guys from the UKGA have now made a decision about how they want to proceed with funding and managing the site...

Dear fellow UKGA-er,

The lines are closed, the votes have been counted, and we can now reveal...

In our first email to you, we said that we wanted to find out just how many people would support us if we made UKGA a commercial site. Well, we've been absolutely overwhelmed by the many kind comments you've sent us, and by the pledges of financial support you've made. It's gratifying to know that even what we've done so far is proving useful to you.

On the basis of your commitments, we've decided to go for it. In the past, when it had to fit around other projects, UKGA moved forward slowly, and we're as excited as you are by the possibilities when we're working on the site every day.

Our top priority is to get UKGA on to a more stable and fast hosting platform, which we're already doing. Because of your support, we're testing our new server now, and we hope to move the site onto it during the next week. We'll be in touch over the next couple of days with details of the move. After that we will be making some immediate changes to the site, particularly to the NOTAM system. We'll be setting up a blog too, so that you'll be able to see what we're working on, what's coming up, and give us your feedback.

One area of concern that has been raised several times is that of what we're going to do with the forum, and whether it should be covered by a membership. We've decided that the forum should be accessible to everyone free on an ongoing basis. Likewise, the classified service has become very popular, and we don't want to stop that valuable service. Therefore, we'll also offer free classified adverts and hopefully extend this with an emailed classified newsletter. The other parts of the site will be available on a subscription basis.

So, the time has come for us to ask you to make good your pledges. As many of you know, we already have PayPal available on the site, which will let you pay by credit card or PayPal account. This is the fastest route, especially via the Paypal link on the site, as it will update UKGA automatically. If you prefer to go to paypal.com directly to send your subscription, please use the same email address that you use for UKGA, otherwise we won't know who has sent us the funds!

If you like, you can send us a cheque: UKGA, 297 College Road, Whitchurch, Cardiff CF14 2NW. You can also pay by bank transfer if you wish. Drop us an email and we'll send you our bank account details.

Finally, we'd like to say an especially warm thank you to everyone who has already sent a contribution. Several people on receiving our email immediately turned to PayPal and sent us a membership fee, without any questions. Thanks again to you all, and thank you to everyone who has supported us in the past.

For now, happy flying, and I can tell you that we're looking forward to delivering more great functionality at UKGA.

Nev & Phil

So there you go!

Well done, guys, looking forward to details of the subscription costs etc....

Most anyone can become a pilot

By Chris Bridges

The quest to learn to fly is a lot easier than what most people think. You don't have to become a commercial or military pilot in order to fly.

You can be part of general aviation, or the area of aviation where pilots fly for the sheer enjoyment of flying.

Today there are thousands of potential pilots, just like you, who are learning to fly. They come from all walks of life and have various reasons for wanting to learn to fly. Some fly to expand business opportunities, while others seek to attain careers in the aviation industry. Some are even looking for an activity that they can share with their family.

Whatever your reasons may be, there are some basic requirements that you will have to meet in order to fly solo (which is a requirement to get your your license

In the United States, you must be at least 16 years old (to fly solo), speak English, and pass a basic medical exam.

In Canada, you must be at least 14 years old (to obtain a Student Pilot Permit, 17 years old to obtain a license), speak English, and pass a basic medical exam. In Canada we also offer a Recreational License which takes half the time to get as opposed to a Private License, therefore it is cheaper.

In the United Kingdom, you must be at least 16 years old (to fly solo, 14 years old to start logging your time, and 17 years old to get your Private Pilot License), speak English, and pass a basic medical exam.

In Australia, you must be at least 16 years old (to fly solo, 17 years old to hold a Private Pilot License), speak English, and pass a basic medical exam.

That's all. So, as long as you meet these requirements, you can take to the skies.

Please visit www.learning-to-fly.com for a lot more information about aviation and flying, including aviation history, aviation employment, pictures of airplanes, experimental aviation (kit planes or home built airplanes) and aviation weather.

I am an avid supporter of flying, with a Commercial License, Multi Engine Rating, and Multi IFR Rating. My time in the air has been few and far between as of late but it doesn't diminish my passion for aviation and anything related to aviation. I wish to pass that passion on to others so feel free to spread the word.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Bridges
http://EzineArticles.com/?Most-Anyone-Can-Become-a-Pilot&id=1496377

Blind pilot guided to land by RAF:

A pilot who suddenly went blind while flying his plane at 5,500ft (1,676m) was guided in to land by an RAF plane.

A pilot suffered a stroke while flying, went blind as a result, and was guided down to a successful landing by the Royal Air Force.

The pilot was on a flight from Glasgow Prestwick Airport to Colchester, Essex when the incident occurred. He declared a mayday. Despite air traffic controllers' efforts, the pilot was unable to land
the plane at nearby Full Sutton Airfield near York and was directed to
RAF Linton-on-Ouse. A plane was scrambled from the airfield to fly alongside him and - with the aid of RAF controllers - guide him down to the runway.

With his limited sight he was unable to see the runway until immediately prior to landing, but managed to place the plane on the middle of the runway, slowing it down to a stop just before the end.

A scary experience, I'm sure, and one I hope nobody ever has to go through.

Kudo's to the RAF ATC. I've mentioned before in these pages that they provide an excellent service and this goes to prove the point.

Instructor Idiosyncracies

Over my years flying I have been fortunate enough to have been instructed by quite a limited number of people.

There was Aaron in Orlando who took me through my initial training. Then there was Simon at Thruxton who took me mostly through to my PPL check ride. The check ride itself was taken by Bob - a long time instructor and examiner. Since then I've done a couple of check flights and these have been taken with instructors I've not met before.

What is actually very interesting is the individual idiosyncrasies of the instructors themselves. Obviously my major influence was Aaron who took me for 75% of all the hours I've flown. I knew what he was looking for when flying, I was comfortable with his teaching style and we worked well together as a unit.

Simon was very similar. His teaching style was identical to Aaron's. He focused on the same things and conveyed the same sense of relaxation as Aaron. However, because of the differences in teaching between the US and UK he did tend to look at some things with a more critical eye than Aaron. This was good and I enjoyed it.

But having now taken 2 check rides with two other instructors it is obvious that there are 'pet' items that each instructor looks for.

For example. When doing a pre-engine shut-off, both Aaron and Simon would happily snap the key round to the off position several times to check that the magneto's cut out. One of my other instructors went apoplectic when I did that recently. He was convinced it damaged the engine and tried to stop me doing it.

Last week, for example I was doing a check ride, and as I turned downwind the instructor reminded my to do my landing checks. As I turned downwind! We had barely reached circuit height by then. I politely told him I usually left the checks until later, waited until we had turned base and started the checks. Then - as I dropped the Carb heat lever on - he put his hand over that and said 'Leave that on until we land now. The engine will be fine' Now I understand the issue with carb ice and how the heater is important - especially in cold weather - but I was sure that it is not recommended to leave the carb heater on for too long as it brings warm air directly from the engine bypassing the filter.

Ah well. It's the idiosyncrasies that make instructors different.

(Photo by Flyguy92586. Releases under a creative commons attribution, share-alike license)