Newly arrived from the UK

[TomJ]

Hello everyone. I just arrived in Melbourne after 25 years away (grew up in Perth). Most recently I was in the southeast of England, where late last year I got my NPPL(M) licence flying a C42 Ikarus. Unfortunately, since then I've only done sporadic flying, with some differences training and a long distance trip to Germany in a Flight Designs CTSW.

 

So looking forward to getting into the air, freeing myself of what will no doubt be quite a lot of rust (I notice at 51 that the rust sets in earlier than when I was 25 :), and getting myself an Australian licence/certificate. And meeting some of you at the airfield.

 

Right now I'm looking at Lilydale, Coldstream, Tooradin and Tyabb, since I'm in Elwood. Any I've missed (figured not Moorabin as I'd spend too much time on the ground)?

 

 

[planedriver]

Surely that's not really the Tom Jones? No, it couldn't be, but welcome anyway mate.

 

Where did you do your training in the UK?

 

When I was a young bloke and couldn't afford to fly, I conned, no, that's not really the right term, or is is it? that I wanted to be a pilot so over a period of a year or so, booked trlal instruction flights with 11 out of the 13 training organisations operating at the time at Biggin Hill.

 

I'd already done my first flight training at Shoreham in a smelly Auster J5 which nearly made me puke, but being a bugger for punishment came back for more.

 

Maybe you suffer from the same affliction.( or is that affection?

 

Kind Regards

 

Planey

 

 

[TomJ]

Haha. No, Tom Johnstone is my name and singing is not my game!

 

I did my flying out of Chiltern Park, a small airfield south of Oxford near the Thames, and just below the Benson approach. Made for some nice close ups (but not too close!!) of Chinooks.

 

The NPPL(m) in the U.K. involved navigation and some flights to other airfields, so I had the experience of landing on the 2000m old RAF runway at Kemble, as well as the over a forest for a steep downhill grass landing pleasure of Popham.

 

Flying the C42 was a pleasure. The CTSW was much trickier for me - more twitchy and would float endlessly if you carried a bit too much speed on landing. Though that might have been down to lack of time on it.