Foxbat factory visit – flying day

Posted on September 7, 2014 by Scott

Saturday 6 September was flying day at the Aeroprakt factory and club airfield.

Doug King and I were lucky enough to spend a fair bit of time flying in the Foxbat (both A22L2 and A22LS versions) as well as having a good look at other aircraft around the airfield and in the hangar.

The photo here has not been photo-shopped to look like this. It was taken with a a small Sony camera, similar to a GoPro, mounted on an extendable pole, held just outside the (removed) left hand door of a Foxbat. Apart from yours truly, the pilot is senior instructor Nadia from the Aeroprakt Club. Yuriy Yakovlyev was flying the other aircraft with Doug King.

The reflection of the wing and the aircraft are all exactly as per the original shot – sometimes you just get lucky. Talking of which, a young photographer at the airfield managed the shot of a lifetime – using a huge telephoto lens, he captured a silhouette of a Foxbat against the almost-full evening moon. I’m hoping to get a copy and put it on here – it really is a shot of a lifetime.

There are some other photos of the flying day here on the Foxbat Pilot Flickr Album.

Tomorrow, sadly, I am leaving the Ukraine to begin my eventual way home to Melbourne. Thank you everyone at Aeroprakt for making Doug and my visit so enjoyable and memorable.

Aeroprakt factory visit – 2

Posted on September 6, 2014 by Scott

Independence Square Kiev – the Maidan

Friday 5 September was taken up with a visit to the centre of Kiev, as well as a tour round the factory, a visit to the Aeroprakt airfield, just outside Kiev, and of course business discussions, questions and answers. Our host was Alexei Zhurba, one of the senior people at Aeroprakt, who speaks excellent English.

First though, Kiev is a beautiful city, made even more attractive by the late summer sunshine and 23-24 degree temperatures. There are tree lined streets and stunning architecture, much like many other European cities. We visited the ‘Maidan’, the square where all the unrest and fighting took place earlier this year. I found it almost impossible to imagine what happened here such a short while ago, although the seemingly endless memorial shrines to those who died are a shocking reminder. The city is now calm and the square has been largely cleared and repaired. All I can say is that those of us who have lived all our lives in the relative peace and security of Australia, and other westernised countries, are very lucky indeed.

Onward to the Aeroprakt factory, where it is very much business as usual. We met with several people, including Yuriy Yakovlyev, the CEO and A22 designer, Oleg Litovchenko, his business partner, and Nina, the sales and distributor liaison person. I have posted some more factory pictures in the Foxbat Pilot Flickr photo album.

Late in the afternoon we arrived at the airfield and were lucky enough to catch a few circuits in one of the Club A22LS aircraft, under the watchful eye of right-seat pilot Yuriy.

There is much more to report, including the availability of the 912iS Sport engine in new A22LS aircraft, a retro-fit engine mount and cowling to enable earlier 912iS engines to be upgraded to the higher spec 912iS Sport for Foxbats already delivered, a potential external power supply socket, a different tyre & tube option, and much more.

I’m aiming to cover as many of these as I can in future posts…so watch this space!

Saturday, we are hoping to get in some more flying at the airfield and expect to meet some more Aeroprakt people in a more social setting.

Aeroprakt factory visit – 1

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Scott

In spite of misinformed rumours to the contrary, I can confirm (again) that the Aeroprakt factory is operating as normal. Here are just a couple of pictures taken today. Currently there are around 5 A22L2 aircraft in production, and 4 A22LS, including a couple of A22LS orders I just placed for an owner in the Philippines.

Later today, Doug King (New Zealand Foxbat agent) and I are going to the Aeroprakt Club airfield to do some flying on this gloriously sunny day in Kiev. More news soon…

Heathrow Airport

Posted on September 4, 2014 by Scott

Arrived at Heathrow this evening, ready for my flight to Kiev tomorrow, Thursday 4 September, to visit the Aeroprakt factory with Doug King, the New Zealand agent.

I’m staying at the Thistle Hotel, Heathrow, that has a great restaurant and bar – ‘Runway View’ – which, strangely, as its name suggests, looks out over Heathrow’s runway 09L/27R, where the evening flights were landing at the rate of one every 2 minutes or so. The flights were lined up maybe 5 in a row, their landing lights flicking on as they passed the 5-mile marker.

Mostly Boeing 737’s and Airbus 320’s but there was a smattering of bigger aircraft and the very occasional A380 – a majestic great beast, dwarfing all the other aircraft around.

BA’s terminal 5 slowly lit up as the sun set, a great glowing glass cavern, huge in the night. The two photos here are almost exactly the same view, a couple of hours apart.

The hotel isn’t 4-star by a long way, but it’s comfortable and clean and has that great view of the airport’s western end. The windows are triple-glazed and the rooms are very quiet. And to top it all, there’s a ‘POD’ ride directly from Terminal 5 to the Hotel. Described as the world’s first hi-speed personalised transport system, it’s an emission-free little automated electric car that takes you the 5-minute ride, almost to the hotel reception – highly recommended!

10 films for flyers – part 2

Posted on September 1, 2014 by Scott

Here’s my second five of 10 films for flyers:

6. Twelve O’clock High. Sorry, another second world war movie. This one stars Gregory Peck as Brigadier General Frank Savage, who takes over the United States 918th Bomb Group, to lick it back into shape after a series of leadership disasters. The film has often been used by management development organisations as a great example of ‘situational leadership’. A variety of clips from the film are available legally on YouTube – search for Twelve O’clock High (surprise).

7. Spirit of St Louis. With James Stewart as Charles Lindbergh, this is the 1957 biopic of the story behind, and of, the first solo pilot aeroplane crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, from New York to Paris – in fact, the aeroplane, built by Ryan Airlines specially for the trip, was designated ‘NYP’ for New York-Paris. It was built in only 60 days. For safety reasons – mainly the positioning of the oil tank ahead of the pilot – there could be no forward facing windshield. The aircraft carried over 1,700 litres of fuel for the flight and (barely) took off as it was about 450 kilos overweight. Contrary to the bitumen runway take-off scene in the film, the aircraft actually took off from a muddy grass field, with a 5-knot tail wind. The flight took 33 and a half hours. Here’s a link to the Spirit of St Louis film trailer and here’s a link to a series of short archival films about the event – click on the chapter title in the screen centre to open & watch each clip.

8. Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines. What more can I say? This is just a lot of spiffingly good harmless fun….here’s a link to the film trailer: Those Magnificent Men

9. Dark Blue World. This one’s just about at the other end of the spectrum from ‘Those Magnificent Men…’. It’s basically a love story involving Czech pilots flying for the RAF during world war 2. The cinematography is excellent, the story is…but I won’t spoil it for you. I suppose I’m just a big softie at heart. Well worth a watch and here’s the trailer: Dark Blue World

10. Dark Star. Now this one is not technically a flying movie but it’s one of the most hilarious space ship films I’ve seen. It’s maybe my immature sense of humour but even after all these years, it still brings a great grin to my face. Basically, it’s a very tongue in cheek story about a planetary demolition team, their dreams, their experiences and their encounters with alien life. And coping with a bomb with a mind of its own, which believes its destiny is to explode. Here’s the trailer: Dark Star

Happy viewing!

La petite aviation

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Scott

I’m currently in France, home of many and varied light aircraft. After all, even Cessna manufactured aircraft here – well known locally as the ‘Rheims Cessna’, named after the town where it was built. Certainly, a day hasn’t passed during my stay without a variety of small aircraft passing overhead – most recently an unusual combination of a gyrocopter, a trike and what looked like a small powered glider, flying in loose formation. Unfortunately, by the time I’d emerged after rushing inside to get my camera, they were rapidly disappearing dots. And my daughter, on holiday at Arcachon, west of Bordeaux, took a hastily grabbed and slightly fuzzy picture of what was definitely a red Foxbat flying over the beach.

To top it all, my friend and videographer, Mike Rudd has sent me a clipping from The Times (of London), published on 25 August, which nicely describes the laid back and encouraging attitude to flying in France, which you can read here: La petite aviation

Here’s to all flyers of small aeroplanes! Vive la France!

10 films for flyers – part 1

Posted on August 24, 2014 by Scott

I don’t often go to the cinema but when I do, I want to see a good film. And if it’s a film that includes aeroplanes and flying, it needs to be very good.

Here’s a short list of some of my more favourite films (in no particular order) which include flying sequences or aeroplanes. I have left out those old war cliches like Top Gun, The Dam Busters, and Battle of Britain and Tora Tora Tora and listed some of the maybe lesser known but equally interesting movies.

1. One-Six Right. This is a great documentary film on high resolution DVD that celebrates the unsung hero of aviation – the local airport. Featuring magnificent air-to-air photography, the film dispels misconceptions and criticism of General Aviation airports. Through the love story of one airport, past to present, the film shares the timeless romance of flying with all ages. It should be compulsory viewing for all politicians who cannot see the value of having local airports. Here’s a link to the opening sequence (lo-res, sorry): One-Six Right

2. Catch-22. This is one out of the box. Based on Joseph Heller’s best selling book of the same name, the 1970 film follows the story of a B-25 squadron during World War 2. The ‘Catch-22’ of the title is based on an insoluble problem like: if you lose your glasses, you can’t see to find them. Have a look at the official film trailer here for a complete explanation. The film is hilarious and shocking in almost equal measure and must be one of the more provocative war films made.

3. The High & the Mighty. Starring John Wayne and Robert Stack, this 1954 film is about a DC-4 airliner on a night journey from Honolulu to San Francisco. Although set in the airliner, with engine and fuel problems, the film is really an interesting drama about people with all sorts skeletons in (and not so ‘in’) their cupboards. Good fun. Interesting fact – composer Dimitri Tiomkin won an Academy Award for his original film music score including the title song, but the title song did not actually appear in release prints. Here’s a (very low quality) clip of John Wayne being very macho in the cockpit.

4. The Flight of the Phoenix. This is one for all you amateur builders out there. Dennis Quaid stars in this 2004 remake of the 1965 film, based on the novel of the same name. Flying across the Gobi Desert, a Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar crashes. As its name suggests, the C-119 is not the most photogenic of aircraft, with its inverted gull-wing and high twin-tail boom design. But the aircraft design does at least make the story reasonably plausible. It tells of how the crew transforms the crashed aircraft into a single engine version to enable them to fly out. Needless to say, the story takes many twists and turns and not everyone makes it out. Not very successful at the box office, it’s an interesting film nevertheless.

5. Capricorn One. Although a thriller about a faked Mars landing, it includes one of the best aeroplane chases on film. Here’s a link to the whole chase: Capricorn One Bi-Plane Helicopter Chase. This film was made in the days before computer generated graphics (CGI) and remote controlled helicopters, so all the footage is shot for real – and very well shot too. Interesting fact: Telly Savalas – he of ‘Kojak’ detective fame – plays the role of the crop dusting pilot who rescues our hero (Elliot Gould) in his red bi-plane.

Look out for part 2 coming up soon. Meanwhile – do you have any favourite flying films?

First solo at 15 – Tristan Sigley

Posted on August 17, 2014 by Scott

Congratulations to Tristan Sigley who has flown his first solo – on his 15th birthday! This happy event took place in an A22LS Foxbat belonging to his father, Nick, at Heck Field, Jacobs Well, in South East Queensland.

Here’s a YouTube link to a short video of Tristan’s First Solo

Well done Tristan, it’s a flight you’ll remember for the rest of your flying career.

* In Australia, your fifteenth birthday is legally the first time you are allowed to fly an aircraft solo.

Kenmore Air Harbor Seattle

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Scott

If water flying is your thing, the Kenmore Air Harbor seaplane base at the north end of Lake Washington north of Seattle is the place to be.

My friend Jack Vevers sent me this photo, taken on his way back to Australia, after a visit to FAA’s AirVenture at Oshkosh. It is of the only remaining airworthy Hamilton H-47 metalplane, originally built in 1928. It has recently been totally renovated and converted to a float plane. The present owner flies it regularly from Kenmore. It’s powered by a 9-cylinder radial Pratt & Whitney engine, which develops 525 hp. For all its size (55′ wingspan x 35′ length), the Hamilton carries just six people, plus two crew. What a lovely old plane – have a look at the photos in this link: Hamilton H-47. I particularly love the huge twin ‘steering wheel’ control yokes.

Founded in 1946 by three high school friends, the Kenmore base now covers around 5 acres/2.25 hectares, with two designated seaplane landing areas, the larger of which is 10,000 x 1,000 feet – that’s over 3,000 metres by 300 metres for us metrically minded people. In a typical year, there are over 50,000 seaplane aircraft take-offs and landings – that’s over 130 a day. There is a wide range of services available for water based planes, including mooring, maintenance, flight schools, charter and more.

If you’re ever lucky enough to travel near Seattle, Jack says it’s well worth a visit – if only to watch the steady stream of take-offs and landings.

Super-cool control tower – Abu Dhabi airport

Posted on August 14, 2014 by Scott

On my travels, pausing briefly – in fact 3 hours longer than anticipated, due to a delayed flight – in Abu Dhabi.

There is a huge amount of building and development work going on around the airport, as can be seen from some of the many cranes in the photo. One thing which looks really great is the control tower at the airport. Depending on which way you look at it, it’s either a sail, with the control room at the top; or a half-buried crescent moon, ditto.

The structure is huge and is almost 400 feet tall. I didn’t get a chance to see the tower from different angles, but this picture is how you see it from the passenger terminal. Here’s a link to more images of the tower: Abu Dhabi Airport Control Tower.

Nice to see something a bit more adventurous in airport design.

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