Review of 2010

The year is slipping away now as we enter the last week of December 2010. Looking back over the years flying brings satisfaction and disappointment: pleasure in all the things that were achieved and regrets on those missed out on. It’s a good year if the fine things outweigh the bad and I can say that this year they certainly do. My only regrets were that I did not get to Galway as planned or to the Aero Expo at Booker earlier in the summer. Rather than missed, these are just deferred to another time.


Come April 2011, I will have been flying for 29 years without ever losing the privileges of my licence. I consider that to be amazing when you think of all that could get in the way. Regular, well paid, employment is a must as is good health to enable continuation of my medical certificate. Loss of interest did affect me for many of those years but I never gave up. The best thing I ever did in relation to my flying was to buy a share in an aeroplane back in 2002. Shared trips with new friends really rejuvenated me. I suppose a milestone target will be April 2012, when I hope to celebrate 30 years of private flying -but I mustn’t dwell on that or it may tempt fate.

Returning to 2010, it was a year where I continued to fly the Diamond DA42 Twinstar, a lovely two engine aeroplane that I could only have dreamed of flying a few years ago. My multi rating and IMC ratings are both valid and current and I can also fly Cirrus, Cessna and Piper single engine aircraft. A large part of my high satisfaction factor is down to a company called Aircraft Grouping Ltd and its MD, Craig Seville. Craig has revolutionised general aviation in the North West of England, providing pilots with very modern aircraft to fly at relatively low costs. Aviation will never be inexpensive but now we get real value in the planes we fly. Thanks Craig!

Flicking through my log book shows that I took the Twinstar to Caernarfon twice, Halfpenny Green, Kirkbride, Waterford, Alderney, Swansea and Newquay as well as completing four or five local lights from Blackpool. I also flew out of Liverpool twice in the Twinstar, once on my multi renewal test. One particular highlight was a flight from Gamston in the DA42 NG (next generation) Twinstar. This was kindly allowed by Henrik Burkal of Diamond Aircraft. This aircraft is awesome, by far the best I have ever flown (or ever will, I suspect). With Garmin Perspective avionics and new, more powerful engines, it was a joy to fly both visually and on instruments.

Over the last couple of years I have been seduced by the twin engine aeroplane, largely, but not totally, to the exclusion of single engine planes. This started with the desire to fly the Diamond Twinstar, an aircraft I thought to be all I wanted: two engines for extra safety and the most advanced avionics package available. I have not been disappointed, and, as a result, trips in my own share aircraft have been very few this year. In fact, I have to go back to late July to find the last time I flew G-HALC. That was over 22 weeks ago. This has led me to question, for the first time since I bought her, if I need her at all. The early attraction has faded and been replaced by a new one with two engines. For now, I will maintain the status quo and see how I feel come the spring.

Trips in HALC this year included land-aways at Sleap (x2), Caernarfon (x2), Kirkbride, Blackpool, Sywell and Shobdon, with one other flight around Preston and back to Barton. I flew with Niels only twice this year.

There have been a few helicopter rides this year in both the Enstrom turbine and Bell Jet Ranger thanks to Steve and Joel and although I would love to train for a PPL(H), both the time that would be required and the cash investment would be considerable. I cannot see how it would work as I don’t fly as much as I would like now. With a helicopter in the picture I would be stretched even further. Something would have to give.

So, there goes 2010. Early next year I will turn my attention to renewing my IMC rating and multi engine rating, hopefully in a single flight in the Twinstar. For now, the weather is poor with snow and ice effectively putting a stop to flying. Barton is closed to fixed wing aircraft again due to surface conditions and all is glum, but not for too long. Here’s to 2011.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Twinstar and Cirrus (Same Day)

My friend Steve has a lapsed multi rating and IMC which he wishes to renew. To that end he has joined the same flying group at Blackpool that I belong to, opening up the prospect of shared trips next year.

I like to continue flying through the winter, although not as often due to the generally poor weather. So, today my plan was to fly the Twinstar and Cirrus to keep my hand in. I invited Steve along to renew his acquaintance with both aircraft.

We arranged to meet at Blackpool for a midday flight in the twin followed by a quick trip in the Cirrus. I went to pre flight the Twinstar and all was well except for layers of frost on the wings, tail plane and nose sections. The temperature was around freezing and there was no de- icing fluid left! Nothing else to do but start removing the ice by hand! Thanks to Daniel,who was on hand to help, we got the plane ready to fly in 40 minutes or so.

A departure on runway 10 and a left turn out saw us climbing strongly up to 5000 feet where I handed control over to Steve to have a play. He did some turns and then set us up to descend to 3000 feet as we tracked eastward towards Clitheroe. Having failed to attract the attention of Steve’s wife, who was shopping in Sainsbury’s, we flew on toward Blackpool, passing over his house on the way. I took over control near Fleetwood and positioned us to join left base for runway 10. There was a bit of a crosswind but the plane handled it fine as we landed and began a long taxi back to the hangers. Step one completed.

A coffee and tuna sandwich filled a gap before we set off for a quickie up to Fleetwood and back in the Cirrus SR20 G3 GTS. Now this felt good! I like the Cirrus and was soon guiding it up to 4000 feet heading for Fleetwood. Steve wrestled control from me and had a play before heading us back towards Blackpool. However, we were above scattered clouds and still above 3000 feet approaching the extended centreline for runway 10. I forced his hands from the controls and completed a descending orbit before establishing on final, slowing down to below 119 kts for first stage flap extension and then to 75kts for a gentle crosswind landing. Very nice indeed.

So, mission accomplished. I’m current on Diamond DA42 Twinstar, Cirrus SR20 G3 GTS and Cessna C172SP. Now, don’t I own a share in a plane of my own? Oh yes, the Arrow. Three down and one to go.

Cirrus SR20 G3 GTS and Diamond DA42 Twinstar

Cessna C172SP Refresher

Around three years ago I got checked out on a Cessna C172 SP with the Garmin G1000 “glass cockpit” presentation of all flight data, navigation information, and radios. My reason for doing so was that I had heard that reasonably soon I would have access to the Diamond DA42 Twinstar which utilises the same Garmin setup. Clearly, if I could become proficient in a single engine Cessna with the new systems, then the transition to the Twinstar would be easier. This plan worked nicely and I flew around 15 hours in the Cessna and felt comfortable with the aircraft and the avionics.
Following my currency renewal on the Cirrus SR20 at Blackpool a couple of weeks ago, my thoughts turned again to Barton and that Cessna. A call to a friendly instructor who also occasionally checks me out in the Twinstar and it was set up. We would do a checkout whilst flying out for lunch to Caernarfon.

Saturday morning arrived and the weather was looking a little mixed with good visibility but with the prospect of low cloud and reducing visibility later. Keith talked me through the pre flight checks and we were soon in the air off runway 09 Left heading for Burtonwood and a transit through Liverpool’s airspace. Routing to the Wallasey VOR/DME at 1500 feet we turned left towards the Welsh coast and tracked in a Westerly direction. There were clouds ahead and high ground to the left so our options were to descend under or climb up through and above them. We heard another aircraft a few miles ahead abort their trip as the clouds were too low and visibility poor. I checked that Keith was happy for us to go IFR and we started a climb into the clouds, clearing the tops at around 4000 feet. Ahead the weather looked very good and we continued to Caernarfon with no problems. The value of an IMC Rating demonstrated again.

I was feeling happy with flying the aircraft and after joining downwind right hand for runway 02 made a smooth landing and taxied in for some breakfast. And what a breakfast! The Caernarfon ‘All Day Breakfast’ was just £5, including a mug of coffee. Egg, bacon, sausage, beans, tomatoes, black pudding and toast. Lovely (except for the black pudding which I gave to Keith).

My worries about being overweight for the take off following our food were dismissed by Keith and we were soon in the air again heading towards Llandudno at 1500 feet. This is where things got interesting as the cloud ahead looked to be low and we did not have the option of climbing this time due to airspace restrictions. We were about a mile out to sea and at one stage were at 900 feet to stay out of the clouds. The cloud became patchy and we were able to climb to 1200 feet and asked for a clearance again through Liverpool. The visibility was poor at Liverpool with 4500 metres in haze and scattered/broken cloud around 1500 feet. The controller cleared us Special VFR from Wallasey to Burtonwood as I flew the leg on instruments, with Keith providing the lookout. As we descended to 1200 feet for crossing the low level corridor, the visibility improved and we headed back to Barton. This was another occasion where the IMC Rating saved the day.

We joined the Barton circuit on final and did a couple of circuits which were fine. I felt totally at ease in the Cessna and hope to go out in it again soon.

Cessna at Caernarfon