learning-to-fly Archives

Learning to Fly: Lesson 23 (Full Flight Video)

Posted on July 10, 2024July 11, 2024 by rich

After just over 4 months since my last flying lesson I’m resuming my navigation training, this time with a solo navigation to historic Durham City. I brought the GoPro with me so you can join me on this flight from Eshott in Northumberland to Durham and back, through the controlled Class D airspace of Newcastle […]

Learning to Fly: Lesson 22

Posted on February 20, 2024February 20, 2024 by rich

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)

Posted on October 16, 2023October 16, 2023 by rich

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

Posted on September 8, 2023September 8, 2023 by rich

My first solo navigation exercise, 61 nautical miles through the afternoon September sun, with a nice surprise afterwards.

Learning to Fly: Lesson 20

Posted on July 2, 2023July 11, 2023 by rich

The night before this lesson I checked the weather. It said the skies would be clear but the wind would be 13 knots (~15mph) gusting to 22 knots (~25.5mph) from a heading of 250 degrees (i.e. from the west-ish). When I arrived at the airfield the wind had picked up considerably and there was a […]

Learning to Fly: Lesson 19

Posted on June 25, 2023July 11, 2023 by rich

As usual, I had been glued to the weather reports for the days leading up to this lesson and, as usual, the weather forecasts were completely wrong. The Plan (A) Over the past 6 hours of flying I’ve stayed within the circuit at the airfield, going around and around and around. I estimate I’d around […]

Learning to Fly: Lesson 18

Posted on May 31, 2023July 11, 2023 by rich

Buckle up because this is a big one. This trip to the flight school was full of events, learnings and concluded with my first attempt at one of the nine theory exams you must pass before you can be granted your pilot’s license. Read on to see how I did. And this time I remembered […]

Learning to Fly: Lesson 17

Posted on May 14, 2023July 11, 2023 by rich

This trip to the airfield was challenging, enlightening, embarrassing and involved an unexpected encounter with a YouTube star. I walked into the clubhouse and met with the Chief Flight Instructor at the school who, like Jiminny Cricket to Pinnochio, would be doing his best to turn me into a real pilot. We quickly briefed that […]