Is it still as much fun ?????????????

[farri]

I can still remember the first time I flew,it was in a Wheeler Scout,donated by two great guys,( John Baumont and Bill Waugh ),to the newly formed, "Far North Queensland Ultralight Association".

 

The Scout was to be used for taxiing training and was not to leave the ground,it had pitch and rudder controll only and this was controlled by the stick, I fitted rudder pedals so that we could get used to using the rudder correctly then set about testing it.

 

Of course when it got up speed it wanted to fly,so I let it,I got about 3 feet off the ground and flew for about 50 meters," I Was Flying ", it was as if I`d gone to the moon.

 

Have we lost the spirit of fun and adventure with the new breed of recreational aircraft,with all their mod/cons and price tags that only a chosen few can afford????

 

Frank.

 

 

 

[facthunter]

Is it still as much fun?

 

There wouldn't be many who could answer this. You would have to have been there THEN and still be here NOW. Also New experiences are just that. New and "exciting", but they can only be new once.

 

Once if you flew planes you were a fairly different person. (Different from "normal"). Now there are many exciting things to do that compete for the space that flying filled.

 

The big change is the ever increasing COST of the flying experience, and with an examination of "Bang for your Buck", might be disappointing as time goes on. Flying is not something that you should let yourself become "stale" with either and as all the rules and procedures become more complex and harder to understand there is a lot of work needed to keep on top of that. Nev

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

i was there then and still here now. i know were i'd rather be. back there. my spirit of flying is stuck under a big bag of paperwork and visa payments made to faceless canberraites.

 

hard to get motivated these days.

 

i suppose facthunter is right in a way. todays newbies would find as much thrill getting airborne in a expensive parrot as i did in the stolaero prototype. give me the great leap backwards anyday. return ANO95:10.

 

 

[XP503]

I wasn't there back then but I absolutely love the idea of minimalist flying. I do enjoy the mod-cons of say a new Tecnam, especially on long x countries, but I try and fly the Drifter out at Boonah at least once a week and every time I do I have a smile from ear to ear just like Orville and Wilbur would have had back in the day.

 

I just wish I saw more rag and tube paddock hoppers around.