Helicopters

When circumstances permit (heath, wealth, weather, aircraft availability etc!) I like flying in the Schweizer 300C helicopter. This is it, together with our pilot friend Audrey and the flying carrot in the background, which Audrey gave us. (Sadly, that blew away in the recent gales.) Audrey flew as my passenger first and decided that it would be good to be able to land if I should pass out or something. Of course, being able to get a helicopter down safely isn't quite the same as the occasional "miracle" stories that you read in the papers, where somebody who hasn't flown before manages to land a light aircraft on some huge runway whilst being talked down by an instructor, amazing though such landings are. No, to be able to land the helicopter really meant learning to fly - which is just what Audrey did in G-HFLA, the Schweizer at Sterling Helicopters. What's more, she flies well!

These pics were taken on a special occasion - Audrey's first flight as aircraft commander! (She did let me take the controls a bit, of course.)

The next pictures show the various helicopters that I flew in the course of getting my licence.

This is the first helicopter that I tried flying. It was at Cranfield and was impressive but too small for me to fit comfortably. Yes, the instructor did do an autorotation all the way to the ground.

Next I was lucky enough to be taught for 20 hours in this Hiller 12-B. Once registered as G-AVAJ, she had be re-registered as N5025J and often flew under the Club call-sign of "Flight-C", mixing with the light aircraft and parachute activities at Ipswich Airport before the stupid council went and closed it to build houses on (and somebody make a fat profit, I suspect). That wicked old Franklin engine sometimes had severe magneto problems and on my last flight in her shed some of a piston as I pulled power at the bottom of an approach. Boy, did she judder! I'd like to know where she is now. Last heard of at Lakenheath Flying Club.

Here's me in my first hover-solo. The FAA syllabus is quite different from the CAA's and hovering solo is expected before solo circuits. Well, I agree, it's handy to be able to hover when you get down from your first solo circuit!
I spent a happy 30 minutes doing all the hover manoeuvres that I had been taught. The only frightening bit was the totally different attitude for a hover when the instructor's weight was removed from the left-hand seat

On my birthday in 1990 I flew from Kidlington to Ipswich. It seemed a very long way back, into a head-wind!

Once I had got my licence I was lucky enough to be able to fly this lovely looking Schweizer 300C based at Sterling Helicopters, Norwich. In those early days they didn't do their own maintenance and I had the happy task of taking G-FLAT to Kidlington for 50 hour services a few times, sometimes solo and then with Dick Bendy, the instructor as he got his piston time. That was really good fun but ended when Sterling started maintenance nearer home!

One of the joys of flying is taking friends for a ride. My chum Peter, of radio controlled model fame (who else could choose to land his model in a ditch when he has 45 acres of field to use?) obviously felt that he should keep an eye on the tail. It was good to know that we still had it there! We flew from home to RAF Wattisham where two marshals directed me safely to a discreet "H" in the corner of the empty concrete dispersal area the size of 10 football pitches!

I'll find some more pictures and stories soon!

Home

	This is the first helicopter that I tried flying. It was at Cranfield and was impressive but too small for me to fit comfortably. Yes, the instructor did do an autorotation all the way to the ground.
	Next I was lucky enough to be taught for 20 hours in this Hiller 12-B. Once registered as G-AVAJ, she had be re-registered as N5025J and often flew under the Club call-sign of "Flight-C", mixing with the light aircraft and parachute activities at Ipswich Airport before the stupid council went and closed it to build houses on (and somebody make a fat profit, I suspect). That wicked old Franklin engine sometimes had severe magneto problems and on my last flight in her shed some of a piston as I pulled power at the bottom of an approach. Boy, did she judder! I'd like to know where she is now. Last heard of at Lakenheath Flying Club.
	Here's me in my first hover-solo. The FAA syllabus is quite different from the CAA's and hovering solo is expected before solo circuits. Well, I agree, it's handy to be able to hover when you get down from your first solo circuit! I spent a happy 30 minutes doing all the hover manoeuvres that I had been taught. The only frightening bit was the totally different attitude for a hover when the instructor's weight was removed from the left-hand seat
	On my birthday in 1990 I flew from Kidlington to Ipswich. It seemed a very long way back, into a head-wind!
	Once I had got my licence I was lucky enough to be able to fly this lovely looking Schweizer 300C based at Sterling Helicopters, Norwich. In those early days they didn't do their own maintenance and I had the happy task of taking G-FLAT to Kidlington for 50 hour services a few times, sometimes solo and then with Dick Bendy, the instructor as he got his piston time. That was really good fun but ended when Sterling started maintenance nearer home!
	One of the joys of flying is taking friends for a ride. My chum Peter, of radio controlled model fame (who else could choose to land his model in a ditch when he has 45 acres of field to use?) obviously felt that he should keep an eye on the tail. It was good to know that we still had it there! We flew from home to RAF Wattisham where two marshals directed me safely to a discreet "H" in the corner of the empty concrete dispersal area the size of 10 football pitches!