nearlyheaven

Sunshine in Sarlat !

Yesterday, It was good to welcome John Stevens back to the fold after many months of winter hibernation.

John works in England and commutes to his home in France at weekends, so his time is very precious.

The other problem  presented to John is that his home is two hours drive from Limoges, many  of you will remember that several times  last year, we flew the plane to Jonzac to save John the four hour round trip in the car.

It has been several months since John has flown an aircraft, however he has used this time positively to study and pass some of his ground examinations.

We intend to have a week of intensive flight training towards the end of April hopefully to enable John to finish his PPL  training.

For this lesson we chose to fly a navigation exercise to the Dordogne airport of Sarlat combined with lunch in the beautiful walled medieval village of Domme.

  
 
John and Gwen prepared the plane and the "plog" while I was flying.

Eventually we took off for Sarlat behind a Cessna 150 bound for the same destination.

We had a good flight with out any problems ,we overtook the Cessna and landed on runway 11 with a gusting crosswind.Gwen had alerted the taxi service prior to take off and she telephoned to confirm that we were ready and waiting.

We entered the club hours to pay the huge landing fee of one euro sixty cents, the taxi had arrived and we were ready for a good meal.

I have visited Domme many times, it is an enchanting small town which is usually heaving with tourists.

This time it was much quieter as many of the shops and restaurants were closed, the taxi driver suggested a
restaurant in the market square and we settled down to lunch  on the terrace for the first time this year.

see more details below:

http://tinyurl.com/DommeResteraunt

After ten minutes we were so warm that we were shedding clothing -- this felt like summer.

We enjoyed a delicious meal while we discussed everything from architecture to politics.

Soon it was time to head for home, replete, content and very happy we landed at Limoges after a perfect flying day.

Welcome to Duncan and Claire!

For a long time I have been communicating by email with Duncan Passmore, an English pilot who owns a house in the Charente area, which is about one hour’s drive from the club at Limoges.

Owing mainly to the weather, we have had many cancelled bookings, therefore it was with great pleasure that finally I met Duncan and his wife Claire on Friday afternoon ready to go flying.

The main reason for this flight was to introduce him to flying in France.

After completing the paperwork and welcoming him as a new member of the Aero Club de Limoges we were ready to go and fly.

The weather was superb with visibility of 40 nautical miles and not a cloud in the sky.
Duncan normally flies a PA 28 at Biggin Hill ,however he soon settled down in the Robin DR400 ,he commented on the excellent  performance and the all round visibility of this aircraft.
I pointed out some of the reporting points and the local landmarks, Claire enjoyed the views over the Limousin and Charente countryside.

We soon arrived in their local area and after a few false starts, we eventually viewed their home from the air.Unfortunately neither of them had a camera with them, so we decided to have a repeat flight the following morning, this would reinforce Duncan's knowledge of the locality.

.

 The couple ( Claire is also a pilot) are looking forward to flying regularly in France ,they  can't wait to sample the restaurants on the coast and to venture inland to see the bridge at Milleau and many other favourite destinations.

They will not be disappointed as I continue to discover excellent restaurants and small friendly airfields all over this beautiful  unspoilt country.

Trevor makes a little bit of Nearlyheaven history once again!

This year as many of you are aware, I added my Night Instructor rating to my FI licence.I have held a night rating for over 20 years however, I had never obtained the elusive night Insructor rating owing to the weather in the UK.

Since Christmas  the weather has been poor and very varied however recently despite the poor weather Trevor Needham has battled the elements while he was training for his rating.

Last night after completing his cross country navigation from Limoges to Poitiers he became my first pupil  to obtain the night rating in France.

This was a double success for Trevor as he was the first pupil of mine to gain his JAR PPL in France several years ago.

Last night armed with torches and with our resident photographer Gwen ensconced in the back seat, we commenced the preparation for our cross country flight.The ATIS informed us of CAVOK weather, I filed the flight plans and shortly afterwards we took off on Runway 03.

We soon realised that the expected tail wind was stronger than forecast so we literally "flew" to Poitiers in record time.

During the flight we had fun locating the nearby towns, roads and landmarks by their array of lights.First Trevor pointed out the nuclear power station, then I spotted the huge Auchan supermarket on right base for 03. We turned on to final, Poitiers Tower cleared us for a touch and go, the cross wind at ground level was very blustery but it  did not present any great problem..

We headed back towards Limoges,Gwen was clicking away rapidly and Trevor settled down into the routine of spotting the landmarks.As we approached our home field we commented on how difficult it was to see the runway lights from the base leg as they blended in with the lights of Limoges city.

In fact upon landing the lights appeared too bright and we were slightly dazzled by them.

After putting YA into the hangar and completing  all the paperwork, I headed for home.

As I was coming down my drive I noticed all the stable lights blazing, I immediately thought the worst, something must be wrong.

Upon arrival I was met outside by Lucia, with a huge smile on her face ...... come and see our new arrival, she led me to a stable and there under an infra red lamp was ...... a little black lamb," I have called her Lunar "she said.

Lunar story to be continued!

Pearl Harbor

Isn't it amazing how a film could last so long in a camera without disintegrating?  
 
 
Fantastic photos taken 68 years ago. Some of you will have to go to a museum to see what a Brownie camera looked like?  
 
 
    Here is a simple picture of what we are talking about. . .
 

 
  
  
 
 
   These photos are absolutely incredible....Read below the first picture and at the end...
 
  
 
PHOTOS STORED IN AN OLD BROWNIE CAMERA
 
    Thought you might find these photos very interesting; what quality from 1941.
 
    Pearl Harbor photos found in an old Brownie stored in a foot locker. And just recently
 
    Taken to be developed.
 
    THESE PHOTOS ARE FROM A SAILOR WHO WAS ON THE USS QUAPAW ATF-11O.
 
    I THINK THEY'RE SPECTACULAR!
 

    PEARL HARBOR    December 7th, 1941
  

 

   Pearl Harbor
 
 
    On Sunday, December 7th, 1941 the Japanese launched a surprise attack against the U.S. Forces stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii By planning this attack on a Sunday, the Japanese commander Admiral Nagumo, hoped to catch the entire fleet in port. As luck would have it, the Aircraft Carriers and one of the Battleships were not in port. (The USS Enterprise was returning from  Wake Island, where it had just delivered some aircraft. The USS Lexington was ferrying aircraft to Midway, and the USS Saratoga and USS Colorado were undergoing repairs in the  United States  )
 
 
    In spite of the latest intelligence reports about the missing aircraft carriers (his most important targets), Admiral Nagumo decided to continue the attack with his force of six carriers and 423 aircraft. At a range of 230 miles north of  Oahu, he launched the first wave of a two-wave attack. Beginning at 0600 hours his first wave consisted of 183 fighters and torpedo bombers which struck at the fleet in Pearl Harbor and the airfields in Hickam,  Kaneohe  and Ewa. The second strike, launched at 0715 hours, consisted of 167 aircraft, which again struck at the same targets.
 
 
    At 0753 hours the first wave consisting of 40 Nakajima B5N2 'Kate' torpedo bombers, 51 Aichi D3A1 'Val' dive bombers, 50 high altitude bombers and 43 Zeros struck airfields and Pearl Harbor Within the next hour, the second wave arrived and continued the attack.
 
 
    When it was over, the  U.S.  Losses were: 
 
    Casualties
 
 
    US Army: 218 KIA, 364 WIA. 
 
    US Navy: 2,008 KIA, 710 WIA. 
 
    US MarineCorp: 109 KIA, 69 WIA. 
 
    Civilians: 68 KIA, 35 WIA.
 
 
    TOTAL: 2,403 KIA, 1,178 WIA.
 
 
    -------------------------------------------------
 
 
    Battleships 
 
    USS Arizona (BB-39) - total loss when a bomb hit her magazine.
 
    USS Oklahoma (BB-37) - Total loss when she capsized and sank in the harbor.
 
USS California (BB-4 4) - Sunk at her berth. Later raised and repaired.
 
    USS West Virginia (BB-48) - Sunk at her berth. Later raised and repaired.
 
    USS Nevada - (BB-36) Beached to prevent sinking. Later repaired.
 
    USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) - Light damage.
 
    USS Maryland (BB-46) - Light damage.
 
    USS Tennessee (BB-43) Light damage.
 
    USS Utah (AG-16) - (former battleship used as a target) - Sunk.
 
 
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
    Cruisers
 
USS New Orleans (CA-32) - Light Damage..
 
    USS San Francisco (CA-38) - Light Damage.
 
    USS Detroit (CL-8) - Light Damage.
 
    USS Raleigh (CL-7) - Heavily damaged but repaired.
 
    USS Helena (CL-50) - Light Damage.
 
    USS Honolulu (CL-48) - Light Damage..
 
 
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Destroyers
 
    USS Downes (DD-375) - Destroyed. Parts salvaged.
 
    USS Cassin - (DD -3 7 2) Destroyed. Parts salvaged.
 
    USS Shaw (DD-373) - Very heavy damage.
 
    USS Helm (DD-388) - Light Damage.
 
 
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
    Minelayer
 
    USS Ogala (CM-4) - Sunk but later raised and repaired.
 
 
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Seaplane Tender
 
    USS Curtiss (AV-4) - Severely damaged but later repaired.
 
 
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
    Repair Ship
 
    USS Vestal (AR-4) - Severely damaged but later repaired.
 
 
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Harbor Tug
 
    USS Sotoyomo (YT-9) - Sunk but later raised and repaired.
 
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
    Aircraft
 
    188 Aircraft destroyed (92 USN and 92  U.S.  Army Air Corps.)
   

Sent by: Marvis Lancashire

Sun-Nav

By Gwen Jenner:

You can always count on our instructor to make a lesson fun if not interesting. The winter cloud, cold and wind didn't dampen the spirits.

 Out for a navigation exercise direction Ussel, or Figeac maybe even Bergerac the terrain doesn't always look the way you expect with unexpected snow remnants here and there .

 As per Sue's report for Feb 2010 on the failed alternator, it was briefly a moment of 'histoire se repete???', for me. However the views outside are always a treat even when seeing the dial needle go backwards.

The setting sun bathing Limoges in pinkness made for a comforting home-leg after another venture into foreign parts (i.e.outside the circuit).

The Good Weather is reserved for Flying!

Well, what do I do when the weather prevents me from flying ?

Usually I catch up with all the administration on the computer etc.

I walk the dogs and spend some time training Teddy. Sometimes I feed the animals ( usually this is one of Lucia's tasks).I love doing this job as since I was a small child I have adored "messing arouund with animals".

My first husband was a farmer and I would happily volunteer to  look after the cattle, help dip the sheep, do the night shift when we were lambing, because this is not work for me but pleasure.However if I was asked to work on the arable part of the farm I was bored to tears.

For a long time Lucia has told me about the black ram who comes up behind her and then "bunts her with his horns.Apparently this is the only time her language is blue!

I can honestly say that I have just nodded and said yes without giving it much thought. The other day I was happily filling the hay rack when "WHAM" I was sent flying by the little black monster.I send my apologies to Lucia for ignoring her comments until I was on the receiving end of his horns!

In my youth I was fanatical about competing on horses, I started at the age of four at the local gymkhana, and nothing really stopped me after that.

I went on to compete in showjumping and many other spheres of equestrian sport, however my greatest love was racing  over jumps, first I competed in Point to Points and then I became the first lady in the West Midlands to be allowed to race on the racecourses against professional jockeys.

 I have bred my line of thoroughbred horses since 1972 and I have four descendants here in France and many in the UK.

 

I have not had the time to ride my horses for 11 months, however this week I have had the pleasure to ride every day through the forests and bridletracks  with my dogs at my heels------- perfect relaxation, in fact bliss.

Of course it was raining, I met my 80 year old farmer neighbour who said to me," the only time I see you on a horse is in bad weather","yes I replied the good weather is reserved for flying!

Dial-a-Flight

That lesson again
  Whilst we flew effortlessly over the watery landscape many relaxing  tunes came to mind the views were superb and the countryside so different in the winter months.

 However in the cockpit, with our uncooperative alternator, we were flying to a very different tune whilst trying to call in to the control tower.

Not that you could tell by looking at the dial. Ever the consummate instructor.

      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Labour of Love

"Oh, that's nice. What is it and how much money is the company going to have to find to fly it?" That's what my wife said after I called her and broke the news that as the director of our company she now owned an aircraft. On an impulse decision last summer I ended up buying an old aircraft with the idea that it could come out to join us in France, living out her senior years at sunny Jonzac aerodrome with some occasional trips to the beach in the summer .....

Now, before I go too far, I'd like to repeat some of the first words I wrote on my blog: "If you're thinking of buying a light aircraft, DON'T! Hire one, join a club or a syndicate and use theirs or basically, go to the pub, drink a lot and wake up the next morning and forget the whole damn silly idea." Oh well, one day I'll head my own advice,

I've wanted a plane for longer than I care to remember, I thought that I'd got over it a few years ago and went through the fast red Italian car syndrome, however, after starting to fly again with Sue after a break of 16 or so years unfortunately, the bug came back as strong as ever (don't worry Sue, Helen does not blame you!). Now, having a family these days necessitated a four seater aircraft, a lack of oodles of cash meant that it would be an older aircraft so I looked about and found (what I still think is) a reasonable aircraft for the budget that I had.

On the left is Molly. I'm not sure why I called her Molly, she just looked ike one to me and the name's stuck. Molly is an American Aviation Corporation AA5 Traveler and was born in the United States in 1972. She will accomodate 4 adults and has a cruising speed of around 120kts.

She's had masses of work done to her by her previous owners but unfortunately, there is still lots to do. All my hopes of getting her over to France around the end of the summer came to nothing after the Radio failed on a test flight out of her current home, Rochester .

Still, with the blessing of Rochester's ever-helpful Airport Manager (and my 'whiz-wheel' guru), Kelvin, we got to run her up and down the runway at just below take-off speed to clear out the cobwebs, then called the maintenance guys to get the radio fixed. 

Five months later, I have got her back !! What started as a minor interference problem turned into lots of little problems that as they fixed one, another was highlighted. Added to the with the terrible weather that we have had in the UK when she was finally fixed the runway was too waterlogged to transport her back to Rochester, then when the water dried out the snow arrived and she was snowed in! Anyhow, now she's back, airworthy and waiting to be transported out to France but the CoA is about to run out, so likely as not I'll get that done in the UK now before moving Molly to France ..... More delays, more cost but I would not have it any other way. I'm sure that Helen (the 'boss') doesn't understand, how can she as she's not even been in Molly yet, but she's a labour of love and ultimately we will all get a great deal of enjoyment from getting her back flying again. 

There are lots of pictures on my blog and I'll update it with more details as the restoration continues: http://g-biww.typepad.com

 

Coffee and Biscuits in Figeac

Last weekend Gwen and I went on one of our Navigation exercises, we chose to fly first to Brive where we performed a touch and go, Then continued on the next stage of the exercise to the charming airfield of Figeac with a strong headwind we had plenty of time to enjoy the scenery, at times I felt like a buzzard just hovering in the air! .

This particular trip started out in blustery but sunny weather, however when we were within 5 miles of Figeac we flew directly into a terrific rainstorm, we ploughed on toward our destination, with our eyes squinting

through the rain, until suddenly the runway  appeared in bright sunshine,the rainstorm had completely bypassed their field.

Figeac is uncontrolled, so I made blind calls in French as to my whereabouts in the circuit.

A Cessna advised us of the runway in use and the local QNH, Gwen performed a copy book landing and we headed for the petrol pumps.We needed to fill up the plane because our pumps at Limoges were out of order.

A friendly man came out of a nearby hangar to greet us and pointed us in the direction of the Aero club to find someone to serve us with fuel.

Another friendly guy met us at the door ,with a pointer dog  at his heels, we filled up with fuel and retired to the club to pay the fuel bill.

Upon arrival in the club house, we were met by students and instructors, all keen to practise their English with us.A lady hastily warmed up coffee and offered us chocolate biscuits --- just perfect!I

I explained to our host that the only previous time that I had landed at their airport, was in the high temperatures of last August, when we had arrived with  two planes, one piloted by Robert Walters and myself, the other piloted by his son Chris with Matthew Galvin as his co pilot.

It was getting late, so we said our farewells and headed home, this time with a strong tail wind we were doing 135 knots .We over flew the proposed new Brive International Airport , it was good to see that progress had been made recently as the control tower is now in place and  new terminal is under construction.

We arrived home just before dark, the controller at Limoges asked us if we needed the runway lights turning on.We declined his offer and arrived outside the hangar to be greeted by a smiling  Elie Siriex who had waited to help us put the plane in the hangar.

A nice end to another interesting flying day.

Another day in the life of a flying Instructor?

Gwen and I arrived at the club with the intention of doing a practise navigation exercise to the beautiful airfield Ussel (LFCU) which is 2427 feet above sea level. However after looking at the Metars and Tafs we realised that the cloud base was too low for that particular trip.

I scanned the computer trying to find a suitable alternative, we finally decided upon  Limoges to Perigueux ( for a touch and go) then on to Bergerac for a sandwich and finally a return to Limoges.

  

The flight to Perigueux was uneventful until Gwen changed from Limoges Information to Aquitaine Information, when she tried to speak on the radio her voice was faint and the radio went off and then came back on again.

My microphone seemed slightly more powerful so I opted to use the radio.

My voice sounded miles away -- something was not right.

I immediately looked at the ammeter and discovered that we had no battery  charge whatsoever.

We switched off all non essential electrics and turned around heading for home.

.

The next problem was, would we have enough power to continue to speak to Limoges which is Class D airspace. We are not permitted to enter the CTR of Class D airspace without a radio, in fact we would have to fly to Saint Junien,then telephone our club for help if we lost the radio.I decided to only swith the radio on for essential  calls.

Luckily, sufficient power remained in the battery on the return home, however we lost the transponder within the CTR ,most of the time we were expecting the sound of absolute silence, in fact I was flying with both my fingers and toes crossed.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief as we were given landing clearance on runway 21.

   

When the mechanic looked at the aircraft he diagnosed alternator failure and was surprised that we retained enough power to get back into Limoges from Perigueux .

Just another day in the life of a lady flying instructor !!

New Arrival and Sad Departures

I am writing this while watching the snow amassing outside my window, this is certainly the coldest and snowiest winter that I have witnessed for a long time .I am sure that all of my intrepid students will sigh with relief when some better weather weather arrives in the Limousin region.

Sadly, we have sold both F-GUVE the Diamond Star and the DR400 F-GYDD the reasons for this was principally finances.

The running costs for the DA -40 had forced the hourly prices higher and higher and consequently the club members could not afford to fly it during this credit crisis.

It was a similar story for trusty DD, the aircraft which was used by  many of my students to conduct their training and many have fond memories of their first solo flights on the little yellow aircraft.

This aircraft which was purchased new by the club a few years ago,had monthly finance charges attached to it and it was decided to reduce the outgoings by selling  this aircraft and purchasing a smaller aircraft.

The new aircraft is a two seater Robin HR 200  to date it  has not arrived at the club yet owing to the inclement weather.

The solo price on this aircraft will be in the region of 90 euros, which should make training in France even more competitive.

I will write an article on the new aircraft when it arrives in Limoges.

If any of you wish to write about their experiences in either F-GUVE or F-GYDD I would be delighted to receive your posts or comments.

Sue's Diary " Ryan Air Captains are human too!"

I have not flown for the last two weeks because Lucia is on holiday in Spain and I have to take care of my mother who has dementia.
Weather permitting I shall be back in the right hand seat next week and raring to go.

We have done some great night flights and Trevor Needham has only one hours night cross country to do and then he will have gained his night rating.

One evening he and I were in the circuit on runway 03 and we were informed by the lady controller that Ryanair was going to be tracking the ILS onto runway 21, she asked us to prepare to hold after our next touch and go.Just as we were close to the threshold she ordered us to "Go Around and turn left as soon as possible" which we duly did, this involved a low pass over the tower, we then were told to hold downwind until Ryanair had cleared the runway.
Finally we were cleared to continue our flight and to our surprise, Ryanair asked to pass a message to Kilo Charlie,The message was " Thanks KC for being so patient, so sorry to interrupt your flight"

Yes, Ryanair Captains are human too!

2009 The Best Year So Far !

.A Happy New Year to you all and I wish you plenty of perfect flying days in 2010.

This January the weather has certainly curtailed all thoughts of flying at present, however as 2009 was  a wonderful year for weather, I really should not complain too much.In fact after living here for more than seven years, I believe that it was the best year so far.

Last year I logged 690 hours of PPL instruction and of course, many more hours with qualified pilots who prefer to explore France with me sitting in the right hand seat.

Now that I am a PPL Examiner, I have also  had a steady stream of pilots (who reside in France ) who come to me to re validate or renew their SEP ratings, it has been a great pleasure to meet these guys and sometimes to fly in their own aircraft which has been a bonus for me.

The Roll of Honour.

Congratulations to the eleven students who  gained their PPL in 2009. I must also offer my commiserations to the  two students  who were were ready to take their skill tests but the deteriorating weather stopped them completing at the end of 2009.

Several  very promising young students came to Nearly Heaven for their annual  two week flying  holiday and I shall look forward to resuming  their training when they return in July/August of 2010.

PPL's gained in 2009:

Dave Barrow  

Esteban Dwarka    

Paolo Rossi

Peter Cazalet

Fiona Renton

Stephen Bosworth

Ugur Erdal

Stine Angen

Robert Walters

Stuart Morton

Martin Payne :

I am proud to announce that many of my students after passing their PPL thay  have gone on to further their careers and /or to add  further skills to their licence.

ATPL:

Marco Rossi has now become a qualified airline pilot, Congratulations Marco, I am looking forward to seeing you land at Limoges in a 737!

Paolo Rossi  since passing his PPL this year he is  following in his brothers footsteps and working towards the same commercial goal.

I send my congratulations to you both, with your positive and determined attitude and hard work you will fulfil all of your dreams in the future.

Those who nearly made it in 2009:

Gwen Jenner and Martin Rangeley have both worked extremely hard during 2009.

Sadly, the weather closed in  at the end of the year which prevented them  joining the honours list for 2009.

Martin is now working in Germany,he intends to resume his PPL training when he returns here in July.

Gwen lives in the Limousin area and she is patiently waiting for the snow to disappear so that she can take her skill test in the near future.

John Ross is another dedicated student, he took a break from his studies to catch up with some work at home.I am looking forward to sending him for his first solo flight upon his return to the Aero Club in the spring.

Lorraine Thomas is a very busy lady, she works in the UK and commutes to her home in the Limousin each weekend, unfortunately when Ryan air changed to their winter timetable it has caused a problem with our flying lessons.When Lorraine gets some practise and more flying time she will be on the right track to gain her PPL, hopefully in the spring/summer of 2010.

Another student with similar problems to Lorraine is John Stevens, he too works in the UK and commutes to his home in the Charante department.

Several  times last year  we took the plane to John's local Aero Club at Jonzac to enable him to have his lessons near to his home,which saved him a four hour round trip in his car.This system usually works well as one or two of my students fly there and back.They enjoy the trip to Jonzac which enables them  to practise their navigation skills and to land on the grass strip which is certainly an experience compared to the huge runway at Limoges airport.

Incidentally, I must offer my utmost thanks to the Aero Club of Jonzac for allowing me to use all of their facilities at the club.John usually brings us coffee and bicuits to sustain us prior to his lesson, the club members always greet us with smiles and questions in English,it is a pleasure to fly there.

Stuart, Gwen and John at Jonzac

Other members who are intending to continue this year are Mavis Lancashire, David Holmes,Patsy Jones and the very promising  teenagers Nicholas Walters and Charles Thompson.

We also have a growing number of qualified pilots who come several times a year to explore France and to reunite with their friends at the club.

My apologies if I missed anyone from this list, as I am writing this from home and all of my records are at Limoges.

The Aero Club is rapidly becoming  an International one, as always the largest number of students come to me from the UK, however  this year I have had students/pilots who originated from China, New Zealand,Australia,Turkey, Italy, Holland and  Norway.

We made the front cover of the British Womens Pilot's Association Newsletter, Loop newspaper mentioned us in one of their email campaigns, we are included in an article in the  February issue of Flyer Magazine (in the shops now).

The wonderful atmosphere and camaraderie among the English speaking members at the Aero Club is second to none.Many people finish their training with not only a PPL in their hand but gain numerous  flying friends too!

Special thanks to the  pilot /photographers and helpers

Stuart Morton:A  professional photographer who has provided the reporting point photographs and numerous others ,his stunning photographs of our Cannes trip are quite exceptional. Stuart kindly offered us accommodation in his home when we flew into Cuers during the summer, we had a great time in the South of France, thanks to Stu.

Stuart is now working in Florida and in his spare time he is pursuing his dream to become a flight instructor, good luck with your IR Stuart!   

Matt Galvin:

 He has taken many of the photographs on the blog.He is my right hand man at the club during the holidays,he also helps the new students and generally makes them feel relaxed when they first arrive in France.Matt  has flown as a safety pilot with many qualified pilots who initially are a little unsure of flying in France on their own.

Gwen Jenner:

Gwen stepped into Matt's shoes as our photographer when Matt returned to his studies.Thank you  Gwen for all your help,pushing and pulling planes to the fuel pumps, making gallons of coffee, running to the terminal for sandwiches.Your sense of humour, patience and kindness when  helping other students with their ground school questions is very much appreciated by everyone at the club.

A personal  thanks to Gwen's husband Bernard (pictured front right)  for his wonderful knowledge of where to find the really superb restaurants.Your patience and support throughout this year has made my busy  life so much easier.

Happy Flying  in 2010 !   

 

    

 

 

NearlyHeaven holidays featured on Loop newsletter this month!

Loop is a newspaper/magazine for the aviation community in the UK.

This month they have featured Nearlyheaven flying holidays as part of their newsletter.

The newsletter is featured below:

 

 

So, what is going on in the world of aviation?
>
> The latest issue of the all-new LOOP magazine is now on the shelves, and includes a free pocket guide on the maintenance and overhaul of your aircraft. We also take a look at the best parachute jump ships, with our usual essential mix of aircraft information and inspiration, too, so don't miss it.
>
> Rossy wet, but well
>
> LOOP friend and flying adventurer Yves Rossy was forced to ditch in the Mediterranean during his attempt to fly from Africa to Europe with his jet-wing but he's planning on trying again.
>
> Rossy grabbed headlines when he flew from France to England using his homemade carbon-fibre jet-powered wing. It is thought the engines failed in this second attempt, 24 miles across the Med from Morocco to Spain, forcing him to parachute into the sea.
>
> He was rescued quickly, and unharmed. Better luck next time Yves!
>
> New Mooney power
>
> N-reg Mooneys can now fit a revised engine option from Lycoming for older generation airframes, after the FAA gave STC approval for the IO-390-A3A6 to be fitted to M20E, M20F and M20J models of the aircraft.
>
> A development of the trusty IO-360, the new engine has better climb and cruise performance. Hartzell as added two and three-bladed props to the STC.
>
> And there's more...
>
> New Jeppesen Euro charts
>
> Jeppesen turned to VFR pilots throughout Europe for its new set of 1:500,000 VFR and GPS charts.
>
> Feedback has led to better readability with improved terrain depiction, and enhanced symbols. Larger charts mean less are necessary to reduce cockpit clutter, while they fold in a different way to make them easier to use in flight.
>
> An Epic return for Klapmeier?
>
> Epic Aircraft, which entered bankruptcy proceedings in the USA earlier this year, could be on its way back. There are four parties interested in buying the defunct company and restarting production including, mysteriously, one unnamed current aircraft manufacturer, and another who would be well-known to anyone in aviation. Cirrus founder Alan Klapmeier, perhaps? We'll find out on December 7th, the date of the next court hearing in the US.
>
> De Havilland bursaries open
>
> Two more bursary schemes are now open for 2010 applicants, both under the banner of the de Havilland Educational Trust (deHET). Each year deHET award two bursaries to fund 10 hours flying on de Havilland Tiger Moth aircraft at the Cambridge Flying Group (CFG) or at an alternative establishment/location subject to agreement.
>
> The bursaries are to enable licensed pilots to convert onto the de Havilland Tiger Moth, with the aim of providing a new and continuing stream of experience for the operation of vintage aeroplanes.
>
> There is also a bursary to individuals who are licensed or unlicensed aircraft engineers with an interest in the restoration and maintenance of vintage aircraft and who are aiming to further their professional experience and qualifications.
>
> To find out more contact Stuart McKay MBE, Secretary, de Havilland Educational Trust (deHET), Staggers, 23 Hall Park Hill, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, HP4 2NH.
>
> Applications close at the end of February 2010.
>
> e-GO is go
>
> Build of the first e-GO aircraft, winner of a Light Aircraft Association design competition promoting green flight, is underway. It has commenced with the fabrication of the spar caps.
>
> F1 composite expert Colin Boyd is now on the team and has recently produced the hard foam fuselage moulds for a one third scale flying model which will carry comprehensive instrumentation to explore low speed flight characteristics. It's hoped the first full-size version will be ready in summer 2010.
>
> This month's LOOP TV Show
>
> The LOOP Show is one year old this month and there are some
> fantastic stories for you. We talk to Paul Bonhomme about how it
> feels to be the World Champion. Dennis Kenyon flies an Enstrom
> 480B. We have a look at a computer reconstruction of the US
> Airways flight that landed on the Hudson. Plus we have look at
> some of highlights from all the shows over the past 12 months.
> Enjoy!
>
> Click here for this month's show - [http://www.looptv.aero/LTVCategory114/1800/LOOPSHOW–DECEMBER2009.aspx]
>
> More LOOPTV.....
>
> The Best Bits from 2009 - http://www.looptv.aero/LTVCategory16/1803/BESTBITSOF2009.aspx
>
> Last flight of the Victor - http://www.looptv.aero/LTVCategory16/1762/LASTFLIGHTOFTHEVICTOR.aspx
>
> Oshkosh 2009 - http://www.looptv.aero/LTVCategory65/1347/OSHKOSH2009%e2%80%93DAY1.aspx
>
> Yves Rossy ditches in the Med - on LOOPTV now!- http://www.looptv.aero/LTVCategory61/1808/YVESROSSYLANDSINSEA.aspx
>
> LOOP's Partners -
>
> ATRYX AVIATION – situated close to the M25 – is committed to making self fly hire turbine helicopters an affordable option for all. To hire an ENSTROM TURBINE helicopter for a breathtaking experience in one of the most reliable and strikingly beautiful aircraft in the world, please call 0203 004 6192 or email loop@atryxaviation.com and for more information, visit http://www.atryxaviation.com
>
> Bremont Film!
>
> Bremont, the English watch manufacturer, have teamed up with Martin Baker to collaborate on a watch that we think is the must-have aviation timepiece of 2010. The MB11 has been subjected to the live ejection testing program which they put all their ejection seats through.
>
> If you've ever wondered what happens to test ejection seats then you must check this film out now: http://www.bremont.com/video.php It's impressive stuff, and we're sure, like us, you'll want a MB11 after seeing this! (If any of you have ejected for real - and MB seats have saved 7000 lives around the world - then there is a limited edition watch available exclusively to ejectees.)
>
> GIPPSLAND - Turbo Airvan Certified
>
> The new Gippsland he GA8-TC 320 with the turbocharged Lycoming TIO-540-AH1A Engine has just received EASA certification and is now available from Gipps Aernautics. The new turbocharged engine enhances the performance of the already versatile Airvan with improved climbing and high altitude performance. For more information visit http://www.gippsaero.com/index.asp.htm
>
> The ultimate pilots holiday!
>
> Looking for the ultimate flying holiday? We think we've found it for you.
>
>Nearly Heaven is a gorgeous group of cottages in the Limosin region of France run by probably the hardest working instructor in Europe! This year Sue has flown students and pilots for a whopping 750 hours and put a record number of pilots through their PPL. But it's not all about the flying.
>
> Nearly Heaven is somewhere you can take the whole family, and while your off indulging yourself in the club's DA40 or DR400 they can enjoy horse riding, playing in the farm sanctuary, swimming in the beautiful pool or just kicking back and relaxing.
>
> Check out the website and discover the ultimate flying holiday where your loved ones won't mind that you're off flying (again!) www.nearlyheaven.com
>
> Flightstore - your one stop shop this Christmas
>
> Still not bought a Christmas gift for the pilot in your life? Don't panic - it's not too late!
>
> Flightstore.co.uk offer the biggest selection of aviation gear and gifts and will be delivering Christmas orders right up until the 23rd December. So there are no excuses for getting your favourite airman or woman the aviation presents on their list.
>
> For more information go to www.flightstore.co.uk
>
> >
>