Archive for 'Flying'
Daily Digest for 2008-12-27
Posted on 27. Dec, 2008
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1:07pm |
Posted a tweet on Twitter. (Anthony) is checking out code breaking gadgets at Bletchley Park |
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1:07pm |
Updated status on Facebook. Anthony is checking out code breaking gadgets at Bletchley Park. |
Gadget Lust
Posted on 12. Dec, 2008
Okay, after a fair amount of rethinking and research:
- Canon EOS 40D - reviews are not glowing for the 50D with the increase in sensor pixels showing degradation in quality. Sounds like the 40D is about right.
- Tamron - AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 DI II VC LD Aspheric [IF] Macro Zoom Lens - looks like a great general purpose lens. Will probably sell my Canon 100-400mm lens that rarely leaves the house.
- Panasonic HDC-SD100EBK Full HD Camcorder - tending towards this model over the more expense Canon HF11 as they review about the same.
- Canon PowerShot G10 Digital Camera - Black (14.7MP, 5x Optical Zoom) 3.0 - gorgeous camera for when the DSLR is too big to lug around. Although DPReview only gives it a recommended over the Panasonic LX3. Like the 50D, too much image quality compromised in the more mega-pixels marketing war.
- Lenovo Thinkpad - Probably an X500. Not sure yet, will be selling the MacBook Pro 2.33MHz and replacing with a Thinkpad. Let me know if you're in the market for an Apple.
RIAT 2008: The Show That Never Was …
Posted on 23. Nov, 2008
RIAT 2008 DVD Trailer from Steve Connor on Vimeo.
I assume they managed to salvage as much footage as possible from arrivals, practice sessions and the Queen's flyover before public days were called off. Real shame this one was cancelled - love that F22 Raptor.
RIAT pictures 2007 (not mine)
Posted on 16. Aug, 2007
Some great pictures from this years Royal International Air Tattoo.
http://www.pitchnroll.com/...
First International Flying Lesson!
Posted on 24. Sep, 2006
I had a few weeks off before starting my new job in October, so I scheduled in a solid week of flying lessons at Stapleford Flying Club in an attempt to make a dent in my European JAR PPL hours required. I clocked up about 8 hours and one blown Piper Warrior nose wheel tire (hit a small concrete marker hidden in the grass while taxing a little too fast at Stapleford... Oops).
The highlight of the week was my first long distance flight, destination: The Netherlands - 2 hours up and 2 hours 45 mins back (a little longer on the way back due to winds and a small detour for some low flying). The school organised nine students in five planes for the flight, although only four planes flew up to Texel, the other plane opted for a shorter trip. The odd number of students meant that someone had to fly both there and back, so I jumped at the chance of having a plane to myself. The other bonus, I flew a gorgeous new Diamond Star DA40 rather than one of the 20 year old Piper Warrior PA28's I usually fly. Almost 5 hours flying, that's the most flying I've ever done in a single day.
The flight was excellent as it introduced several things I've never really dealt with practically including: VOR navigation, flying stick rather than yoke, airspace clearances in the EU, using a Garmin GNS 430 (GPS, Com, VOR, LOC, and glide-slope with color moving map in one), Bendix KAP 140 autopilot, taxing a plane with a castoring (non-steering) nose wheel, flying an engine that burns Jet A-1 and more! Also the first time I've to had to pack my passport for a flying lesson! Not to mention flying myself across the English Channel for once, rather than sitting in the back of an airliner having it done for you.
A major part of the trip (lesson) was navigation, even though this DA40 had dual Garmin GNS 430's, I tried to use the VOR dial for navigation, resisting the nice pink track line on the Garmin colour moving map. Navigation planning the night before had us follow a number of VORs all the way up the Western European coast to our destination of Texel, The Netherlands (an island on the Northern tip of Holland). We first tracked for the Dover (DVR) VOR and crossed to Calais (KOK) VOR and then tracked the coastal VORs all the way to Texel (I can't remember the routing exactly but it think it was DVR KOK COA HDR HSR etc - will correct this when I get back to London). Although we could have flown directly to Texel from Stapleford; crossing at Dover and then following the coast up past France, Belgium and Holland avoided a very long water crossing in a single engine aircraft. It also made the flight more picturesque too instead of 1.5 hours of nothing but water. To stay clear of the large number of commercial airlines in the area we flew at various flight levels between 1,500 and 5,500 feet (mostly at 3,500) depending on instructions from controllers and the chart FL boundaries. On the boundary to Amsterdam (AMS) airport area the controllers had us get right down to 1,500. The view was great, especially over the coastal beaches.
We landed at Texel and went into town for some lunch and then headed back to the airport for a 3pm(ish) departure. The DA40 was faster than the three Piper Warriors the other students flew up by about 10-20 kts (I forget precisely) meaning that Rob (my instructor) and I were in no rush to leave and we overtook all but the lead plane before Dover despite leaving 20 minutes later ;)
So onto the Diamond Star DA40 TDi aircraft, it was a real treat to be allowed to fly G-ZANY. This DA40 is part of the new generation of general aviation aircraft using a turbo diesel engine burning Jet A-1, rather than expensive AVGAS. The completely unobstructed plexiglass bubble canopy gives a superb view. The wings are set slightly back from the front seats giving a nice straight down view as well, which is rare in low wing singles.
For primary control the DA40 uses a stick between your legs rather than a panel mounted yoke, and was very comfortable and responsive to fly. This was my first time flying stick and after only 5 minutes of familiarisation manoeuvres, I was able to maintain a nice light touch, with little fatigue throughout the long flight there and back. I much prefer stick now, it feels more responsive and natural, and sort of feels like you're flying a fighter too ;)
The Bendix KAP 140 autopilot was also a first as I'd never flown a plane equipped with an autopilot. The KAP 140 didn't have throttle control, but could be programmed with heading and altitude and the desired FPM climb/decent rates. We let the autopilot fly for a short while to see how it performed and it worked very nicely.
On the way back I did some fast low flying at 500ft in a designated low flying area near Stapleford. This was the first time I'd done fast flying that low to the ground. Awesome, particularly the steep turns! Landing the DA40 was a breeze, although it took me a bit of time to get used to the free moving castoring nose wheel while taxing, as steering is purely by differential braking.
Overall the flight was a pleasure, although admittedly I made few radio calls and heavily relied on Rob for navigation backup and airspace clearances. I'm still working up to the multitasking workload required for a flight like that. And the Diamond! What a fantastic plane, I want one! Thanks to Rob and Maurice for organising this.
(The attached picture is not of me or the DA40 I flew, it's just a temporary one until I get a chance to upload my own pictures.)
First UK flying last weekend
Posted on 02. Aug, 2006
I did my first UK flying last weekend at Stapleford. I did an hour in a Cessna 152 with the view of picking where I left off on my PPL fom Australia. The process is to send my logbook and flying notes into the CAA and they'll credit hours against my minimum flying requirements from a JAR PPL. Hopefully I'll get a fair few hours credited so I don't have to fly the full 35-45 hours required for a JAR PPL over here. I'm also switching to a different plane from my next lesson, a Piper Warrior (pictured) which should be a more stable and comfortable ride. I'm a little bored with the old Cessna 152 and sick of getting blown around so much in the wind as its such a light plane. Few pics of the exact reg plane I'll be flying this Sunday here, here and here.
X-Plane
Posted on 08. Jan, 2006
I've given up on FS2004 for a while and bought X-Plane. This impressive hyper-realistic flight simulator comes on 7 dual-layer DVD's! A full install with Global Scenery comes in at a staggering 60GB. This is one serious sim. You can even fly the full Space Shuttle de-orbit and gliding re-entry. I'm also swapping my problematic Logitech Freedom 2.4GHz for a CH Products Yoke and Pedals.
http://www.x-plane.com/...
AirPower 05 Austria Pictures
Posted on 01. Sep, 2005
Small selection of pictures from AirPower 05 air show in Austria.
http://anthonyjhicks.com/...
Paris Airshow 2005
Posted on 01. Sep, 2005
Finally, months late here's a small selection of pictures from Paris Airshow 2005 which featured the new double-decker prototype Airbus A380 flying! I only have video of the flying, so here some pics of the A380 parked a few hours before it's flying display. The A380 looks fantastic, I can't wait to fly in it. Wish I'd cleaned my lens..
http://anthonyjhicks.com/...
A380 arrives at Le Bourget for Paris Airshow
Posted on 12. Jun, 2005
Monday to Thursday are business days, and Friday to Sunday are open to the public. Here's hoping it'll fly on the public days. Can't wait till next weekend!
http://www.airliners.net/...
Can’t wait to see the A380 at Paris Airshow
Posted on 10. Jun, 2005
One week to go until Paris Airshow, can't wait to see the double-decker Airbus A380 in the steel. I'm also fully booked for Austrian Airpower05 airshow the following weekend, which will feature every major jet and prop European aerobatic team, should be quite a show!
Airbus A380-841 Prototype
Posted on 09. Jan, 2005
The latest spy pic from Toulouse shows the double-decker A380 now has a paint job and all 4 massive engines attached. What a beast! (click post title for a larger version). The sheets covering certain sections of the fuselage and tail are probably covering the A380 and Airbus logos, so they must be very close to flight tests. So great to see another impressive aviation project coming out of France rather than the US. Be scared Boeing.
http://www.airliners.net/...
A380-841 Prototype
Posted on 04. Aug, 2004
This is the most complete picture of the A380-841 double-decker prototype yet. Look at all those doors.. impressive!
http://www.airliners.net/...
British Airways Maintenance Standards?
Posted on 31. Jul, 2004
We took an ageing British Airways B757 back from Prague the other week and sat by the window over the wings. Just before take-off I noticed one screw sticking out, and then when we were airborne and had a bit of speed up, another one popped out. Love it. Not that it was a critical piece of fuselage, but still not great to see loose screws on the wings/engines.. :)
Farnborough International Airshow 2004 review
Posted on 29. Jul, 2004
I've wanted to go to Farnborough Airshow for years. As far as plane spotters are concerned, Farnborough is considered the ultimate international airshow, showcasing the latest aerospace technology on offer. Although I've been attending airshows in the UK now since 2002, this year was the first time I've been. Unlike many of the enthusiast and military airshows on offer, Farnborough is very much a commercial deal with a majority of the site dedicated to hundreds of aerospace related companies show casing their wares. The companies lease space from the organisers ranging from your typical 3m x 3m booth to fully standalone purpose built luxury catered chalets, dedicated to entertaining rich government, military and commercial buyers looking to pickup a great deal on the latest missile systems, a fleet of airbuses or a squadron of fighters. The general public days are just a token offering to show off the nicer wares on offer to us plebes in a 6 hour flying display.
In comparison to the excellent RIAT, Farnborough's public days were pretty dull. Many of the billed aircraft flew in from other locations and didn't actually take off or land at Farnborough. The B-1B and F-117 only made two passes, the B-52 only made one miserable pass, the Typhoon, F-18 and F-16 displays were unchanged from previous years, Patty Wagstaff's display seemed restrained, and there was only one aerobatic team - the Red Arrows who also didn't land or take off at Farnborough, they flew in from another RAF base and then left to go to another display elsewhere in England. And no F-22 Raptor as hoped (although no surprises there, it is still a development aircraft).
The highlights for me were seeing the Chinook, South African Airlines 747-400 and A340-600 demos. The Chinook did some fairly impressive maneuvers for such a massive and no doubt complicated machine to operate. I loved how the Chinook landed on its back wheels with the front high in the air and then wheel barrowed backwards down the runway for a short distance, no doubt a tricky and risky maneuver.
It's not every day you see a 747-400 doing as close as it can get to an aerobatic display, for such a large and heavy aircraft it was surprisingly agile. After completing the display the 747-400 did a spiral climb to 10,000 feet directly above the airfield. So basically he sat above the aerodrome for five minutes or so continually climbing in circles, getting higher and higher until reaching his desired altitude and flying off. The A340-600 was impressive too. The A340-600 is currently the longest airliner in the world and again was quite agile and maneuverable, and looked quite impressive up close.
Unless you're a government or commercial buyer forget Farnborough, I recommend RIAT. I won't be releasing any new airshow videos this year (unless I see the USAF Thunderbirds in Japan ;)
http://www.airliners.net/...
Royal International Air Tattoo 2004 pictures
Posted on 29. Jul, 2004
This is the airshow I missed two weekends ago, so much better than Farnborough.
http://www.airliners.net/...
Lake District
Posted on 06. Jun, 2004
We had a nice road trip up North to the Lake District and Yorkshire. It's a beautiful part of England, with lots of picturesque fells, dales and moors. The Lake District is a walking and mountain biking mecca, the towns dotted around the Lakes are packed with hiking shops selling all sorts of gear. We only managed to go on one walk starting at Skelwith Bridge, lucky for me as we were getting near the top of one the tallest Dales RAF Tornados and USAF F15's started doing runs through the valleys! We were high enough up that we were actually looking down on them as they zipped past low and fast. These aren't my pics, but as you can see the come really close and hug the valley walls. All the way up between Yorkshire and Lake District we saw Tornados, Jaguars, Harriers, Tucanos and F15's every day practising low over farms and between valleys as we travelled around. Good stuff, I was in heaven!
US Airshows this year?
Posted on 25. May, 2004
I am very tentatively considering heading to California in October to catch a couple of the bigger US airshows such as Edwards and Miramar. I'm really keen to see the Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels display teams, plus it'd be great if they had a F22 Raptor (unlikely).
