MEMBERS can now to use the BMAA office address on their G-INFO entry. “We hope that this opportunity will address the concerns expressed by some members that their home address being shown on the public database might affect their personal and aircraft security,” said CEO Geoff Weighell. There is a small charge for the service to cover onward postage costs. Click here for details.
Geoff Hill, Editor
mfeditor@bmaa.org
MF Global HQ certainly lived up to its name this month, with entries from Wisconsin to Indonesia. As always, the chosen few in your next MF. VIEW THE APRIL ENTRIES.
TED Snook. What would we do without him? Here’s some glorious vintage footage he’s found: a day out in the 1970s for the Super Ultralight Aircraft Association of Queensland in Australia. And once Ted gets going, there’s no stopping him. Here are some more bits and pieces he found rummaging around the Interweb:
- Marc Carofano’s Weedhopper;
- the maiden flight of the Skyhopper;
- the sweet little Hovey Delta Hawk biplane making light work of the world’s worst runway; and
- the Mitchell Wing, as flown by our very own former chairman and MF editor David Bremner.
A LOVELY video by Steve Metters of winter flying in Wales to combat some negative postings on the Microlight Pilots Facebook group, and to show solidarity with group moderator Vincent Gledhill, who’s suffering from cancer and has enough to deal with. “The cancer has cost me my business, and I’m now driving a bus for a living just to pay the bills. The hours are crap and the pay is worse, but there’s no stress, which is something I don’t need,” said Vincent on Facebook.
The good wishes of all your microlighting mates are with you, Vincent.
WILFRED van Breek left his native Holland for Brazil, then asked his girlfriend Fabiana if she fancied flying around the country in his flexwing. “When do we leave?” she said. Our kind of gal. Stand by for his great words and pictures in your next MF, but in the meantime, here’s a tasty taster.
A HOWLING, gusty wind down the runway? Perfect conditions for the annual New Zealand STOL competition. The overall winner was Deane Philip in his souped-up 130hp Zenith CH701, who took off in 8.3m and landed in 9.9m.
And if that’s not exciting enough for you, there’s this Foxbat landing on a tanker in the middle of the English Channel. G-CWTD, or Frederick T Foxbat to his friends, is now recovering in a hangar at Newtownards in Northern Ireland, part of a syndicate which includes MF editor Geoff Hill.
HARRISON Ford’s Husky cleared an American Airlines Boeing 737 by about 50ft when he landed on a taxiway at John Wayne International Airport in California instead of one of the airport’s parallel runways. Although he hasn’t commented, the FAA is investigating the incident. Still, at least he has a licence, unlike self-confessed chancer Wesley Tierney, who flew for four years without one…
DUBAI plans to start an aerial taxi service this July using the Chinese-made EHang passenger-carrying autonomous drone. It can carry one 100kg passenger and a small suitcase for up to 30min at 62mph. The passenger selects a destination on a tablet in the cockpit and the aircraft flies there while being monitored by controllers at a remote control centre.
SPANISH police horses being trained to put up with a bit of noise – like a chopper hovering a few inches above their heads. Spotted by Robin Horne.
The Inflatoplane was dreamed up in 1956 by Goodyear, which built and flew 12 of them from both land and water.
SIBERIAN tigers caught a drone their keeper was using to keep them fit. That’ll teach him. Any cat owner could have told him it would all end in tears.
WELL, John Bird says so, so it must be true. Spotted by Stephen Mills.