Trikepilot Social

Thanks to Frode!

Hello 
 
The society FLY TUNISIA AERO ASSISTANCE (www.flyintunisia.com), specialized in the aerial activities of leisure in Tunisia, has the pleasure to announce you that it is going to organize the first Tour ULM in Tunisia. 
 
All to know, it is sufficient to consult the file of enrollment that is in our site. 
 
To soon

Our pal Wayne Bezner Kerr has joined back to Trikepilot Social today. He's got his hands on that slick little bird called the "Dragonfly". I'm hoping to goad Wayne into providing us with more information about the machine, including pricing, delivery, and first-hand flight stories.

Thanks to Mike Hudetz for this awesome video

Fresh-Breeze’s Flyke is a “flying bicycle” that functions both as a tricycle bicycle and a single seat PPG trike. And pedaling wouldn’t be a pain if you use the motor, which apparently offers a cap of 40mph. The Flyke is designed for the sky-bound and the adventure-seeking, and does a good job in the appeal department too. Front-wheel driven, the flying trike offers 7 different gear settings, a control arm for the steering, front and rear brakes, seat board and reclining seatback, and most interestingly, a launch assist mechanism. The Flyke weighs 21kgs and has already received a German certification for jettisoning.

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Aero Planner

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Airport Food

NOAA Winds

Red Bull FlightLab (fun)

See and Avoid

Sky Vector

US Air Net

Wind Map

The wind was blowing around 6 to 10 knots when I looked on http://www.thehangar.co.uk/metars/index.php

It read:

Latest METAR information for EGGW - LONDON/LUTON

In plain english is....

This is a METAR report for EGGW - LONDON/LUTON .
The report was made 8 minutes ago, at 09:00 UTC.
The wind was blowing at a speed of 6 knots (6.9 miles per hour, 3.1 metres per second) from the South/Southwest (200°).
The visibility was greater than 6.2 miles (greater than 10 kilometres).
There were a few clouds at a height of 3000 feet (914 metres).
The temperature was 15°C (59°F), a dew point of 12°C (54°F) and a relative humidity of 82.2%.
The altimeter setting (regional pressure) was 1,008 hPa (29.77 inHg).

However, I was not scheduled to fly today so I did a bit on Navigation for an hour or so, and then popped to the dentist for a checkup. No sooner had I got home, the dog and bone rang and it was Rob, “just had a cancellation for 3 O’clock, fancy an hour, Yep!, I’ll be there mate, but I will have to use your GT450, as my flycom box has been sent away for a mod, that’s fine, see you at three mate”.

At around 1330, I got in the old car and trundled down to Plaistow’s. on arrival the flex was out, Andy was changing his wheels on the eurostar, as the tyres he had recently bought for the aircraft have sprung crack and splits, not good he said.

Sooner after I had spoken to Andy, and helped him remove the nose wheel, by putting some weight on the tail, the old GT450 landed, and out popped Rob and his latest student. Shortly after that and a coffee and pre flight brief and not forgetting the relocation of a fence (don’t ask) we were taxing for runway 15, with yet another crosswind.

“Comon GT wing down, look at the windsock, Shit, sorry Rob!, you need to switch on mate, I have seen many a flexwing get blown over, you will thank me in the end captain”.  Bless him, he is right, in fact, only this year, at the microlight competitions at Plaistow’s, a guy taxiing, was blown over because his wing was not lowered. Apparently, there was no damage but felt a bit of a twat!

Anyways, I digress, we lined up and soon we were zooming down towards 33, with a positive forward movement of the bar, we lifted off into the blue yonder, well grey cloudy stuff. And headed off along the M25 towards south mimms, all of a sudden, “engine failure, cried Rob, off  with the power GT, oh fuck!” However, unknowing to Rob I had already started to look for a spot of land, and had also noted the direction of the wind, so off we glided to my newly found runway, keeping my beady eye on the new spot we made a good approach, “OK GT full power, we would have got in on that one mate, well done” .

Off we flew again along the M25, and yet again, the old GT450 had yet another bloody engine failure (he really needs to service his kit more often).  This time, even though we just made it into the field that I chose, Rob felt that, if the engine had failed, he believed that we would not have made the landing in the field. The reason we made it, was that the engine was running, and that is how we made it in. OK, good call Rob, I will try better next time.

It’s amazing, how you forget things, Rob requested that I carry out a few stalls, which I buggered up, but eventually got after his instruction, I managed to get them right, things to practice, I feel.

OK GT, said Rob, lets do a few circuits at Rogers, OK Boss! After flying over the dead side, we clocked the windsock which was just slightly off center of the runway, so round we went for a landing…after carrying out my pre-landing checks, we were lined up for my first landing at Roger’s for nearly 8 weeks, so it had to be good.

The problem with an approach to Roger’s strip is that there’s loads trees, and these as you know cause turblents, so a slight powered approach was the call, … As we approached the turbs were making a my line up jump about, but again, and again I brought the bird back on line.

Over the threshold we flew, and with slightly too long a hold off, we landed, like a pro, (Ohray), but bolloxed  the moment when I turned around and failed to lower my wing again, fuck, fuckty fuck, fuck, fuck!, come on you cock sort your self out! I screamed at my self (in my head), “comon GT, sort it out said the guy in the back”

We, taxied off for another takeoff, but this time it will be a touch and go, again the approach was good, the landing was brill, and off we screamed at marc 1, well 65mph, back towards Plaistow’s.

We would be joining for an approach on Runway 15, the wind was, well you know, the way it always is, yep, straight across the runway. “ok GT, business as normal, lets get her down”, I turned into wind and found the sweet spot for the correct engine power for this approach, and the picture looked good, but the old wind was nudging us about, offline, online, offline, online, online, off the throttle, into the glide, over the hedge, bar in, and hold off, and …… touch down! Then Rob said, keep the bar into your chest to help with slowing down, and it did.

Nevertheless, I buggered the moment up, when, I forgot to lower the bloody wing again… are well, you can’t win um all.

After we had parked up, Rob gave me the de-brief, and said “yep captain your ready for solo, we just need the wind down 33, (I have heard this loads of times, and I know he means it, but the weather gods, couldn’t give a toss), you fly the flex lovely, and you have made great progress, well done GT”.

Come on weather, sort yourself out and give me a dam break will ya, or just change friggen direction.

GT