Learning to Fly: Lesson 25 (Video) June 9, 2025 This weekend I took to the (moody) skies again in the brilliant Aquila A211 at Teesside Airport. After a very dodgy takeoff on my 1st lesson in the Aquila, and a landing that required instructor intervention to arrest our descent rate over the runway, I approached this lesson with some trepidation – and a lot of humility.
Learning to Fly: Lesson 24 June 5, 2025 This lesson is a big turning point in my journey towards my pilot’s license. First, I’m moving flying schools and, second, I’m changing aircraft!
Learning to Fly: Lesson 22 February 20, 2024 My 22nd lesson turns into a photo blog of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Durham from the air at sunset
Decarbonising General Aviation (Oct ’23 Update) October 16, 2023 I recently wrote about decarbonising General Aviation (GA) under the heading of “Futurology”, but it turns out that that future has already started to arrive, and our travel to a future of carbon-neutral GA is accelerating.
Learning to Fly: Lesson 21 September 8, 2023 My first solo navigation exercise, 61 nautical miles through the afternoon September sun, with a nice surprise afterwards.
Futurology: The Path to Zero-Carbon Aviation August 8, 2023 We’re closer to slashing carbon emissions from aviation than we might imagine.
Learning to Fly: Lesson 20 July 2, 2023 The night before this lesson I checked the weather. It said the skies would be clear…
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Learning to Fly: Lesson 19 June 25, 2023 As usual, I had been glued to the weather reports for the days leading up to…
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Learning to Fly: Lesson 18 May 31, 2023 Buckle up because this is a big one. This trip to the flight school was full…
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Learning to Fly: Lesson 17 May 14, 2023 This trip to the airfield was challenging, enlightening, embarrassing and involved an unexpected encounter with a…
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Learning to Fly: Lesson 16 May 13, 2023 Clouds covered the sky and grey cotton wool balls hung lower than the overcast here and…
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Learning to Fly: Lesson 15 April 9, 2023 So, in case you didn’t see it, this isn’t actually lesson 15, lesson 15 happened a…
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Learning to Fly: Lesson 14 1/2 March 26, 2023 I’ve spoken a bunch of times about the weather looking grim on my drive north to…
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Learning to Fly: Lesson 14 March 4, 2023 An overcast day but that shouldn’t be a problem. Winds quite light but variable. Will I finally get to solo today?
Learning to Fly: Lesson Lucky 13? February 26, 2023 Checking the weather in the days before this lesson I was 50/50 whether I would be…
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Learning to Fly: Lesson 12 February 19, 2023 This was the lesson I’ve been waiting for ever since I decided to learn to fly:…
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Learning to Fly: Lesson 11 February 19, 2023 After my ego (and nerves!) had taken a comprehensive battering at the previous lesson my mindset…
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Learning to Fly: Lesson 10 February 7, 2023 I’ve mentioned before that pride comes before a fall. Today proved this once again: this was…
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Learning to Fly: Lesson 9 January 23, 2023 Well! It’s been 7 months since my last lesson due to Long COVID keeping my medical…
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Learning to Fly: Lesson 8 July 16, 2022 Stalling 2. This was one of my most fun lessons yet. Building on the basic clean-…
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Learning to Fly: Lesson 7 July 15, 2022 “We’re doing stalls today,” said my instructor. This was the lesson I’d dreaded the most. Being…
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Learning to Fly: Lesson 5 June 16, 2022 Another day driving into dark clouds expecting to do ground school took a turn for the…
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Learning to Fly: Lesson 4 June 1, 2022 I did not expect to fly today. When I woke up it was raining and the…
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Learning to Fly: Lesson 3 June 1, 2022 I arrived still buoyed by the joy of unexpectedly landing at the end of my second…
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Learning to Fly: Lesson 2 June 1, 2022 We briefed today’s lesson then headed out to the Cessna, past an attention-grabbing 1950-vintage RAF Chipmunk,…
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Learning to Fly: Lesson 1 May 27, 2022 Dec 31st 2021 23:59 – As the minute hand of Big Ben hoisted itself to point…
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