anthonyjhicks.com » Flying

Ferry Ride STS 125

Anthony Hicks — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:04:31 +0000

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Jet Porn

Anthony Hicks — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 03:30:15 +0000

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Better pic of the Qantas A380 we’re about to fly to Sydney in

Anthony Hicks — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 09:57:36 +0000

Waiting to board the new Qantas A380 to Sydney

Anthony Hicks — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 09:15:53 +0000

Helicopter Accident

Anthony Hicks — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 07:36:07 +0000

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F-16 Bird Strike and Eject

Anthony Hicks — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 11:14:27 +0000

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F-16 Low Level Actions

Anthony Hicks — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 11:06:16 +0000

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F-111 Low Pass

Anthony Hicks — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 11:03:36 +0000

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AA pilots with balls of steel

Anthony Hicks — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 06:07:13 +0000

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Close call!

Anthony Hicks — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 06:01:43 +0000

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RIAT 2008: The Show That Never Was …

Anthony Hicks — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 14:54:39 +0000

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.

Wingsuit BASE jumping in Baffin Island

Anthony Hicks — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 23:43:43 +0000

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Red Bull Helicopter does back flips!

Anthony Hicks — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:53:51 +0000

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Duxford Autumn Air Show 2008

Anthony Hicks — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Bad weather, little flying, Vulcan grounded. Disappointing. A fitting end to a horrible UK air show season this year.

http://duxford.iwm.org.uk/

Canada Aviation Museum, Ottawa, Canada

Anthony Hicks — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Failed attempt at visiting the museum, closed for renovations.

http://www.aviation.technomuses.ca/

Quinte Aviation Museum, Canada

Anthony Hicks — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Not bad, interesting.

Concorde Final Take-off BA (Awesome Angle)

Anthony Hicks — Sat, 10 May 2008 15:46:55 +0000

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Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird

Anthony Hicks — Sat, 10 May 2008 15:46:44 +0000

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HMS Ark Royal in Portsmouth Harbour

Anthony Hicks — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Watch on YouTube

Concorde Spotting at Heathrow 2003

Anthony Hicks — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Watch on Vimeo
Watch on YouTube
Download Original (WindowsMedia, 43.5MB)

RIAT pictures 2007 (not mine)

Anthony Hicks — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Some great pictures from this years Royal International Air Tattoo.

http://www.pitchnroll.com/?p=167

Attended Royal International Air Tattoo 2007

Anthony Hicks — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Good show, except for hours of delays there and back thanks to FGW incompetence. I missed the beginning of the USAF Thunderbirds which was disappointing.

Watched Fleet Week 2006 US Navy Blue Angels Aerobatic Display, San Francisco, CA, USA

Anthony Hicks — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000

http://fleetweek.us/fleetweek#airshow

First International Flying Lesson!

Anthony Hicks — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0000

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 International Flying Lesson: Piloted a Diamond Star DA40 TDi from Stapleford, UK to Texel, The Netherlands

Anthony Hicks — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0000

http://anthonyjhicks.com/ajh/weblog.nsf/l/8682DC4C92326828CA2571F2006ED8A8

G-PJCC

Anthony Hicks — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Just about to do a couple of hours circuits in this nice PA28.
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King Air

Anthony Hicks — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Nice 350 at Stapleford
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Piper Warrior III Panel

Anthony Hicks — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0000

This is one of the nicer warriors at my flying school.
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First UK flying last weekend

Anthony Hicks — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Royal International Air Tattoo, 15-16th July, RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, UK

Anthony Hicks — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Saw V-22 Osprey Flying for the First Time

Anthony Hicks — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Biggin Hill International Air Fair 2006, 3rd-4th June, London, UK

Anthony Hicks — Mon, 05 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0000

http://www.airsceneuk.org.uk/airshow06/biggin/biggin.htm

Watched US Navy Blue Angel Aerobatic Team Display, 20th May, Maryland, USA

Anthony Hicks — Fri, 19 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000

http://www.blueangels.navy.mil/

Andrews Air Force Base Joint Services Open House (Airshow), 20th May, Maryland, USA

Anthony Hicks — Fri, 19 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000

http://public.andrews.amc.af.mil/jsoh/index.html

Watched F-22 Raptor Display, 20th May, Maryland, USA

Anthony Hicks — Fri, 19 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Watched Canadian Snowbirds Aerobatic Team Display, 20th May, Maryland, USA

Anthony Hicks — Fri, 19 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000

http://www.snowbirds.dnd.ca/

Fly! The London Air Show, Earls Court, London, UK

Anthony Hicks — Sat, 22 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000

http://www.londonairshow.co.uk/

X-Plane

Anthony Hicks — Sun, 08 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000

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

Anthony Hicks — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Small selection of pictures from AirPower 05 air show in Austria.

http://anthonyjhicks.com/ajh/pictures.nsf/albumview!OpenView&Count=999&RestrictToCategory=airpower05austria

Paris Airshow 2005

Anthony Hicks — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000

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/ajh/pictures.nsf/albumview!OpenView&Count=999&RestrictToCategory=parisairshow2005

Royal International Air Tattoo 2005, RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, UK

Anthony Hicks — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000

http://www.airtattoo.com/airtattoo/showcontent.asp

Quick AirPower05 mini-review

Anthony Hicks — Sun, 26 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0000

The show was quite decent, the air base looks onto a ridge of tall
hills (mountains?) so when the planes are flying low they’re against hills which is pretty unique
and spectacular. AirPower had to be the smoothest airshow I’ve ever attended. No security check
and free entry meant that the hundreds of thousands of people moved in and out of the show in a
matter of minutes, rather than the normal queues at pretty much any other airshow. The prime sponsor was Red Bull, which was actually founded by an Austrian. He must be quite the plane nut as he had so many planes sponsored and painted red bull that he literally has his own air force. Amongst his sponsored painted planes he had a beautiful Alphajet, Sea Vixen, several aerobatic planes and war birds, and a DC-6 airliner! Not a bad little collection. AirPower will be the biggest gathering of aerobatic teams this year, and the flying was spectacular. I quite liked the Swiss, Spanish and French teams, along with of course the Red Arrows. This is the first time I’d seen these teams, the French were excellent. The Portuguese dual jet team did some of the closest formation flying I’ve
seen at high speeds. The 16 helicopter troop insertion featuring black hawks, bells and two other types was impressive too. I guess the highlight for me was seeing the Austria Draken’s. They had a solo and a 6 ship formation. The Draken’s are due to be retired this year, they’re a bizarre looking aircraft, I wouldn’t say they’re good looking but they certainly look big and mean, and sound really loud. Friday was a full 10 hours of flying, too much even for me. Saturday was blistering hot until a massive thunderstorm came through and drenched the field for an hour. Flying resumed, I left at 5pm very wet with the display still going. I couldn’t wait any longer to
watch the red bull air race. The race course consisted of massive inflated cones for the planes to fly through kind of like a rally race course. It certainly looked impressive and difficult. AirPower05 was well worth the trip and Graz was a great city to stay in too. Good weekend.

Paris Airshow 2005 Mini Review

Anthony Hicks — Sun, 19 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Well, I’ve seen the A380 now, up close and flying! It’s certainly big,
but doesn’t look over bearing. Its nicely proportioned and looks like it should fly, if you know
what I mean. The presentation was quite restrained, unsurprisingly as it only flew for the first
time several weeks ago or so. Then again, on reflection for an aircraft still in the early stages
they did a fair bit including some tight turns close to the ground and a nice slow pass. The
display was gear down the whole time and between 120 and 160 kts. Boeing also had their experimental 777-200LR on
static display which looked nice and beastly. There were tens of thousands of people there and it was
damn hot, I got burnt to a crisp despite layers of sunscreen due to having to queue up for
everything for long periods.. buses, trains, entry gates, food etc. Other aircraft on flying display
included the latest Rafale and Mirage fighters, and the very impressive Russian Sukoi Su-27
fighter. Also the first time I’ve seen the Tiger attack helicopter flying of which Australia has ordered approximately 30 I think. The Tiger
put on an impressive display freaking out people by rolling upside down a few times. Paris was
interesting, but the massive crowds and hours in the beating sun took away from it a bit, the
flying display only kicked off at 12:30 and a lot of time was wasted on the boring stuff.. gliders,
parachutists and little piston trainers. Still it was worth it to see the A380 and also check out
the Museum’s two Concorde’s. Interestingly many of the French started leaving after the A380 flew, not
interested in the fighter jet displays to follow. Anyway, airshow in Austria next weekend, hope
its a bit cooler temperature wise.. (Moblogged while sitting in typical Parisian cafe drinking coffee and eating croissants for breakfast).

Paris Airshow 2005, Le Bourget, France

Anthony Hicks — Sat, 18 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0000

http://www.paris-air-show.com

A380 arrives at Le Bourget for Paris Airshow

Anthony Hicks — Sun, 12 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0000

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/open.file/857855/M/

Queens Birthday RAF Flypast, The Mall, London, UK

Anthony Hicks — Sun, 12 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Can’t wait to see the A380 at Paris Airshow

Anthony Hicks — Fri, 10 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0000

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!

LE BOURGET, France – Airbus’ giant A380 passenger jet will be the main attraction of this year’s Paris Air Show, which opens its gates June 13-19 on the outskirts of the French capital. Over 300,000 visitors are expected at Le Bourget, the airport outside Paris that has since 1951 hosted the biennial show considered the world’s top aeronautical event, organisers told a press conference on Wednesday.

http://events.airbus.com/a380/events/lebourget2005/prehome.asp

Airbus A380-841 Prototype

Anthony Hicks — Sun, 09 Jan 2005 00:00:00 +0000

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/open.file/751309/M/

A380-841 Prototype

Anthony Hicks — Wed, 04 Aug 2004 00:00:00 +0000

This is the most complete picture of the A380-841 double-decker prototype yet. Look at all those doors.. impressive!

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/632270/L/

British Airways Maintenance Standards?

Anthony Hicks — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0000

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..