Latest / Flyer Magazine / Learning to fly : Where is best in the World? - The FLYER Show - 15th October 2026

Transcript

Learning to fly : Where is best in the World? - The FLYER Show - 15th October 2026 · Flyer Magazine

• 0:04
  SPEAKER_03: This is the Fly Show in podcast form from the team at Flyer.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_03: It's your weekly dose of general aviation news, views, and flying chat.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_03: In this episode, we ask the question: where in the world is the best country to learn to fly?
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_03: Plus, there's the usual observations, digressions, opinions, and all sorts from the team.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_03: So if you like aeroplanes, airfields, airspace, and the world that surrounds them, you're in the right place.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_03: Hello and welcome to this week's Flyer Show from my bloody windy Wodsmate.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_03: My name's Ian Steager.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_03: I'm Ed Hicks.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_05: And there's no Dave.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_05: Dave's away.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_05: Where's Dave?
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_05: Dave is away at the moment, so it's just the two of us.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_05: There's a song there.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_05: There's a song there.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_03: We're not going to sing it.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_03: Right, so in uh this week's show, we'll be asking: Is the UK the best place in the world to learn to fly?
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_03: So make sure you watch for that.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_03: That would be good.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_03: But before we get into that, if you are a regular watcher of our output, please do us a big favour and subscribe to the show on YouTube.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_03: It costs you nothing and it really, really helps us.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_03: There's something like somewhere between sort of four and a half thousand and ten thousand people who watch this.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_03: And a relatively small percentage of you subscribe.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_03: So come on, do us a favour.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_03: It'd be really good.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you very much.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_03: Your challenge this week is to subscribe and tell us in the comments that you're a new subscriber.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_03: That would be even better, wouldn't it?
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_03: Big big thanks to Sky Demon.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you very much, Sky Demon, for supporting this show.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_03: And here is this week's top tip.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: Hi, I'm Hannah from Sky Demon, and this is this week's Top Tip.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: For most European countries, Sky Demon gives you access to AIP plates and some third-party flight guides with visual approach charts and aerodrome charts that are geo-referenced, which means they can be overlaid directly on the map during your flight.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: You'll find these in the Airfields tab.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: This blue button here indicates that the plate is geo-referenced.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: Tap it, and the plate will appear on the map like this, with your route and aircraft symbol overlaid.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: There is also a setting to allow georeference plates to be overlaid automatically.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: Go to Setup, Navigation Options, Automatically Show Georeference Plates.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: The plate will pop up when you fly in its vicinity.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: As long as you downloaded it before you set off.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: For more information, go to our website skydemon.arrow.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_03: Charts on screen, it's just like magic.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_03: It is, and georeference even better.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_03: So it's a good thing.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, it's like that thing.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I like that too.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_05: If you're waiting for the weather, it's uh later on in the show.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_05: Uh you can always skip forwards if you really can't wait, but otherwise, just keep watching.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_03: Should we have some news?
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, I've got the first story this week, and this continues a bit of an update on last week's sad story about the double fatality that took place uh in France in with an Elixir aircraft which uh which crashed uh during a pre-production test flight with two of its test pilots on board.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_03: The BEA, which is the French equivalent of the AAIB, along with Elixir, have determined that the problem was the left flap departed the aircraft um as it as it kind of turned and therefore lost control.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_03: They also stated that the um BR, sorry, not the BR, yeah, the BRS was activated, although pretty late and pretty low.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_03: Um so the the the fleet remains grounded, the FAA have uh have additionally grounded their fleet as well.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_03: That before then they hadn't done that, but they have done it now.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_03: Um we're just waiting to find out what caused the flap to depart and whether that's something that can be fixed with a kind of fleet-wide inspection or whether it was something that was unique to that one aircraft.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_03: Uh so I guess we'll find out about that in due course.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, for sure.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_05: Uh news from me.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_05: Um so the CAA is encouraging pilots, flying clubs, and airfield operators to work together to reduce airspace infringements.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_05: Um, and this is through what they're calling local airspace infringement teams.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_05: That's L A I T, because they love an acronym.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_03: They do.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_05: Um so the idea with the LAIT team is to bring together local aviation stakeholders and identify infringement hotspots, uh, examine the causes of those infringements, and develop practical measures to improve safety and obviously hopefully reduce infringements.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_05: Uh they say that rather of rather than focusing on individual infringements, uh.space structure and procedures to identify potential problems and consider whether changes will reduce the risk of pilots inadvertently entering controlled or restricted airspace.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_05: Perhaps the most interesting thing for UK pilots is that the local airspace infringement teams say they want to provide an opportunity for those pilots and airspace users to raise concerns about particular airspace uh arrangements and suggest improvements.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_05: Now we all know there are bits of airspace on the charts where there's tiny slivers and triangles and mean little bits.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_05: Or ledges.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_05: That really that you sometimes you have to question why they're there and the usefulness of them, and I mean invariably lots of these uh lots of the infringement uh reporting that takes place, it seems like the same spots come in for the same scrutiny.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_05: So I'm hoping that if in if enough pilots engage with this, and even if you're not local, if you're a user of those airspace uh uh you know, airspace when you say you're going across the Solent, so you use you might be based elsewhere, but you you cross the channel.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_05: There's if you have a view on this that you should really participate.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_05: Because I think if the CA are going to get behind this and say we are gonna make improvements, then we can we can kind of uh we can filter into that and they they can provide the improvements.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_03: Oh that would be good.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_03: I mean the cynic in me kind of says, well, that we'll that they may well say, ah, we need someone to sponsor that air change, airspace change, etc.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_03: etc.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_03: But the other thing that I kind of find interesting about this is there are I think there's something like 15 different 15 or so different late infringement teams up and down the country.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_03: So that that's that's good.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_03: I I think aviation tends not to be a local activity.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_03: I mean you might go for a local bimble, yeah, but it's aviation is about flying to different places.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_03: And if we fly up to Scotland for argument's sake, you will we are coming, David, honest.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_03: We will we'll go to Easter.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um then you have to you're gonna go to various different through various late areas on the way.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_03: And if you look on the website, um, and the website's linked in the story on flyer.co.uk, you'll see there are some late areas that produce information around it, but not all of them.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_03: Um and so I think I think we could there's a better getting those local bits and pieces and more information about those traps out to a world uh to a UK wide audience would be a an even better thing.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_05: But for certainly for me, the idea, you know, they say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and getting the same result.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_05: When you've got little bits of airspace that maybe generate lots of infringements, maybe you have to you have to look at that airspace and go, is there a reason why that's like that?
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_05: And can we improve it?
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_03: I was looking on the website and I saw that there's a document that's not actually produced by a uh local airspace infringement team, but it's produced by Oxford Airport about how to use Oxford Airport.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_03: And it's 19 pages long.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_03: It's pretty well produced.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_03: 19 pages is a lot.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_03: And you look at some of the illustrations, and they're like, oh my god, I'm frightened.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_03: What the hell what the hell is going on there?
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_03: One other chance is like someone played whack-a-mole with a red stamp all over it.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_03: And it's like, yeah.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I've I flew into Oxford not that long ago now, and actually, having read that, we having read that, I thought, wow, this is going to be complex.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_03: And it was much, much simpler than it actually appears.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_03: When you actually do it.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_03: When you actually do it.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_03: But so that there is a there is a bit of a balance to be struck there, I think.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_03: Um Right, next thing up, we have the um professional flight training awards that are coming up on Friday the 6th of November.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_03: These are kind of associated with Pilot Careers Live.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_03: And they the short lists have just been announced.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_03: So we've got people in the best flight instructor, best groundstool instructor, best integrated student, sim instructor, etc., etc.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_03: etc.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_03: I think there's a whole bunch of categories.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_03: Great evening, Friday the 6th.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_03: So if you're at all involved in professional flight training, why don't you come along?
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, details are on the website, uh, Pilot Careers Live, um, and and join us.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_03: That's exciting.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_03: Tickets are available.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_03: So that'll be good.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_03: And then Polit Careers Live is the next day.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_03: If you haven't nominated anyone, you've left it too late for this year, um, but there's always next year.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_03: Great.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_03: So nice to see people being uh recognized.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_03: Well, we kind of launched the awards because we realised that there's there's a whole load of people who go through a whole load of stuff, and lots of people sort of dedicate their entire lives to producing the best pilots we can.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_03: And it's not really recognised, so we kind of wanted to do something about that.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_05: Very good.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_05: Excellent.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_05: Some micro light news.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_05: Nick Buckley, the UK's Ellipse Aircraft agent, has announced that the order book for the RoTAX 916 IS-powered Ellipse RG, that's opening now ahead of the UK aircraft being UK approved in 2027.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_05: And get this.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_05: The price is pretty competitive, um, considering it's got the range topping RoTAX.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_05: It's gonna have uh four or uh four-blade Duke or five-blade helix propeller.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_05: Five blades.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_05: I know.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_05: Whoa.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_05: And uh and Garmin Axis Avionics and Autopilot.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_05: Apparently, all of that for£269,995 with the VAT.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_05: I think that's that's gotta be the cheapest UK 600 kg microright with a 916.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_03: I think you're absolutely right.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_03: And I think you know the the the Axis system is great, we know about that.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_03: The Garmin Autopilot is awesome.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_03: You know about that.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_03: 916 IS Amazing engine.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_03: Great engine.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_03: Um so I think you know, it's a it's a good package.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_03: And although I don't happen to have£269,000 in my pocket to spend on a new aircraft.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_03: In terms of new aircraft, that's a relatively low That's a that's a lot seems like a lot of aeroplanes for At which point there'll be people coming in the comments and sending emails going, You only feature the most expensive one.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_03: No, there are plenty of others that's thrust us around for three and a half grand and etc, etc.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_03: etc.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_03: Because you know, new aircraft costs.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_05: But yeah, new aircraft cost money.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_05: So um and ASM only takes choice.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_05: But yeah, no, look, look uh looking forward to that next year.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, me too.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_03: Me too.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_03: A uh a quick message again for the people out there.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_03: If you uh come and see this, which you obviously are at the moment, we would like you to think about joining the Flyer Club at flyer.co.uk forward slash membership.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_03: It's it kind of pays an awful lot towards what we do.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_03: It supports everything we do and costs you now£7.50 a month or£65 a year, and you get access to everything we do, you get full access to the forums, you get access to our back library, you get access to back library videos that are members only, you get access to member-only events, you get access to the free landing fees, other discounts.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_03: For£7.50 a month, frankly, it's a bargain.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_03: Um, to be honest, we can't do what we do unless we have enough people to join.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_03: So great value in gym relationship.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_03: Join us.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_03: Join the best flying club in the UK, fire.co.uk forward slash membership.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, quick reminder: if you if you go to any of our events or if you use any of the landing fees, just a favour, take a picture of yourself out flying, uh, send it in.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_03: And uh we love to see our best to feature it.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, we love to hear about your adventures.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_03: Let's see.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_03: Right, discussion topic.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_03: Now, I remember that chap, Grant Shaps, who I think is probably unemployed now.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_03: Sir Grant Shaps, I should say, shouldn't they?
• 12:08
  unknown: Yes.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_03: Sir Grant Shaps, who's unemployed now, once said, probably at a flying show somewhere, I want to make the UK the best place to fly in the world.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_03: And we kind of took the Mickey out of that a little bit.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_03: I believe the phrase was best place in the world for general aviation.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_03: Best place in the world for general aviation.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_03: We don't think we're there yet.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_03: He'll probably say, Well, I'm not in charge anymore.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_03: Um, however, it kind of led me to think, I reckon that with a whole load of the changes that have come through on the MPPL recently, yeah, we've got a pretty stonking license.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_03: And I thought it would be interesting to find out whether the UK might not be the best place in the world to fly for German aviation, because we all know that's probably America and France.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_05: Yes.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_03: Um, it's pretty good.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_03: Have we got the best place?
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_03: Have we got the best licence?
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_03: Have we got the best place to learn to fly in the world?
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_05: Okay.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_03: So we thought we'd have a look at that.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_05: So a good place to start.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_03: How many hours does ever each licence require you to have?
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_03: Well, we took a look at uh places where we took a look USA, Canada, Australia, IASA, the UK, and New Zealand.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_03: The UK is up there.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_03: It's not quite the highest, but for a UK MPPLA with an SCP class rating, you need a minimum of 32 hours.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_03: Um, New Zealand's higher than that, 40 hours, 40 hours plus.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_03: Um everywhere else is is a bit lower.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_03: So ISA land, not that too, not that different.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_03: That's only at 30 hours.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_03: The US sport pilot license is is a is a surprising to me 20 hours.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_03: Is that too little?
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_03: I think it might well be too little.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I th I think everyone gets hung up on the minimum hours kind of thing.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_03: You re this is the foundation of your flight training.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_03: You need to do to do that right, you need to do that comfortably, you need to, you know, whether it takes you 20 hours, unlikely, 30, 40, 50, 60 hours, doesn't really matter because that's the foundation of all of your learning.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_03: Get that absolutely right and nailed, I would suggest.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_03: And I think the average the average time to solo is around about 10 hours, isn't it?
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, you know, if you learn there's a big difference.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_03: If you happen to be a a super bright, well-coordinated youngster who can fly twice a day every day in lovely weather, it's gonna not take you very long.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_03: If you're once a month, if you're a once a month person and have a more senior outlook on life, that's gonna take a bit longer.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_03: Old that meant old, by the way.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_03: So I reckon I reckon 32 hours is not unrealistic at all.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_03: Probably gonna end up doing a bit more than that anyway, but don't won't worry about that.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_03: So I reckon, you know, we're we're there or thereabouts on on that.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_03: And I think in 20 hours, I I'm I'm not sure I'd be that happy with 20 hours, to be perfectly honest.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_03: Uh what about medical requirements?
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I think here, this is where we really nailed it over pretty much everywhere else.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_03: I think in the UK, we've got the PMD, the pilot medical declaration.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_03: Basically, jump online, go and experience Selma, fill in a declaration, declare it, you're done.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_03: There are some things that you can't that will disqualify you.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_03: But effectively, it's kind of like um if you can if you can drive a car, you should be okay there.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_03: You do need to read the details.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_03: But I reckon that's pretty good.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_03: Uh in the US, they only need a driving licence.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_03: So everyone in the US has got a driving license pretty much.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_03: You can learn to fly at you can learn to fly, you can learn to drive at school.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_03: Um, no, seriously, you can.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_03: I know someone in Florida who learned to learn to drive at school, got a driving license of 15, daughter of one of the people who used to who used to work for us in the States.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_03: Like I I mean you drive around Florida and you go, I can see why they got their license at 15, but it it was absolutely mad.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_03: Um so the driving license is is pretty easy there.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_03: Um a bunch of other so in IASA land, you need the the the lapel.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_03: When when we were in IASA land, yes, and you had to have a lapel medical here, you could get that with your GP, GP sign off.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_03: So that's pretty good.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_03: New Zealand they got something called DL9 Medical, which is that's kind of like an HTV class one sign-off.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_03: But you you go through your equivalent of the GP.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_03: Um so I reckon I reckon we've got it, we've got it nailed there, personally.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_05: UK PMD is absolutely brilliant.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_05: I completely agree.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_05: I think the PMD, I I I know other I've spoken to other people off the record in other countries in regulation, and they go, your PMD is fantastic.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_03: On that point, if you're listening from the CA, please do me a favour.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_03: Don't f mess with it, okay?
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_03: It is it is good, it's working.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_03: Don't mess with it.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_03: Don't put it on your agenda, not on your to-do list.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_05: Okay, so um we've covered the hours, covered the medical.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, what aeroplanes can you fly?
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_03: Again, we're a bit of a winner here, I think.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_03: Um so in the UK, single engine, up to 2,000 kilograms, max all-up weight.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely brilliant.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, in the US, they've they've now been liberated.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_04: Yes.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, because before they could only fly light sport LSAs, light sport aircraft that had that max takeoff weight.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_03: Mosaic came along, did away with all of that.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_03: So there's got they got a few other bits and pieces, so it can't be pressurized and stuff like that.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but but they've got up to four seats.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_03: Australia up to 1,500 kilograms, which frankly covers most of the four seats we looks.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_03: New Zealand, surprisingly, it's up to 2,730 kilograms with an appropriate type rating, so some extra stuff to do.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_03: YASA, same as us, up to 2,000 kilograms, which frankly, for most people, is gonna cover pretty much.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_03: So I reckon we're we're we're up there with that.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_03: Well done.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_03: Well done, UK.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_04: Okay.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_03: Um uh how many passengers can fly?
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_03: Now you might have four seats, and we know from a weight and balance point of view that doesn't necessarily mean you can take four people.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_03: You know, stuffing four overfed people uh in a in a PA28140 off a short runway is not gonna have happy compute.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_03: Well not compute, it's not a good thing.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_03: However, again, we're we're winners here.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_03: In the UK, you can take three passengers, no problem at all.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_03: YASA, three passengers.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_03: New Zealand, five passengers.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_03: That's amazing, which is amazing.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_03: I guess that's a 2,730 km.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, that really helps.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_03: However, USA, eh- one passenger max, even if you got a four-seater, no problem.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_03: Canada, uh-uh, one passenger max.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_03: So you get a buzzer, uh-uh.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_03: Australia, one passenger max.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_03: So we're up there, three packs, no problem, if you've got the weight and balance.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_03: Obviously, the laws of physics will trump regulation.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_05: Yes, every time.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_03: Every single time.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_03: Funny that is indeed, isn't it?
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_05: Yes.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_05: Um, okay, so we've got all of those things.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_03: Yep, but where can you fly?
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_03: Ah, so this is this is a little bit of a trick.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_03: These are all sub-IKO licenses, so they're not mutually recognised everywhere.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_03: So that becomes a bit of an issue.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and here the real winners, I think, has to be said at EASA.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_03: Um, because you know, with your laptop, you can fly anywhere in any EASA state, no problem whatsoever.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_03: And if you were around pre-Brexit, and I guess you were definitely around, but if you were flying pre-Brexit and you had a lapple, you could do the same.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_03: You could fly anywhere, you could certainly fly to France, all of those places, no problem at all.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_03: Since Brexit um and since the transition, your MPPL uh is restricted to the UK, yeah.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_03: Um and not across the Channel, unfortunately.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, if you have certain kinds of microlights and if you have certain kinds of amateur built aircraft, yes, France has said, yep, that's okay, that's fine, come along, fill your boots.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_03: That's the non-part 21 types, isn't it?
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_03: I think it's not applicable to the rest of a YASA land for sure.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_03: Um, some countries will let you in with permission, but it gets complicated.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_03: Again, USA abroad doesn't work, but they probably don't worry that much because we've got a big country, lots of spaces to go.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_03: Um Australia is a giant country.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_03: Australia's a giant country.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_03: No, absolutely.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, interestingly, in Australia, you can only with with that recreational pilots license, you can only fly in the local area unless you've got some kind of navigation sign-off and you can go further.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I would have thought navigation in Australia would be pretty easy and just keep the sea on one side, isn't it?
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_03: Basically.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_03: No one really wants to go to the middle.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and New Zealand.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_03: So so all of the others need permission because they're non-IKO licenses, obviously.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, the UK, if you only fly in the UK and if you're not the kind of person who ever wants to go overseas, and I if you are, that's absolutely fine, but I think you're probably missing out on something.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_03: Um, then then the MPPL with an SCP rating would be fine.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_03: It would be amazing, I think, if YARSA and the S and the CEA went, you know what?
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_03: We can have some mutual recognition kind of stuff going on.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_03: We can make an agreement.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_03: We'll accept your non-IKO lapple.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_03: Um and if and you can accept our UK MPPL.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_03: What do you reckon, Peeps?
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_03: Let's make it happen.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_03: That would be really good.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_03: We should write to the head of the CEA and the head of YASA.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_03: They'll probably both go, well, that's the thing for the politicians to sort out.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_03: I think they they would exactly say that.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_03: But I think you know that would that would be a big benefit to the people.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_03: I think of all those people from France you could come over and experience fish and chips and chicken tikka masada.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_05: Um it's going to be a short list.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_05: Um amongst those aeroplanes, uh, if you've got an aerobatic type, can you fly arrows on these licenses?
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_03: And no.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_03: Uh USA, yes, Canada, yes, ERC yes, and UK, yes.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_03: Australia, New Zealand?
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_03: Not so much.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_03: You need kind of a higher medical and and different bits and pieces.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_04: Okay.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_03: But so we're we're we're still at the top winning, I think.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_05: Okay, and you can do that uh in the UK with just a five-hour aerobatic course.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_05: Absolutely, yeah.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_05: Well, that's really good.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_03: Um Yeah, don't don't try and self teach yourself aerobatics.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_03: That's the one of the worst it's the worst thing, I think, ever to try and teach yourself around.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_03: Self teaching aerobatics or formation stuff like that.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_03: No, I'm gonna Don't go.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_03: In in the Arsenal land, you need uh thirty hours pilot in command post issue of your uh That seems fair.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_03: Which again, yeah not a bad not a bad thing.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah and a five hour course.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_05: Um what about night flying?
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_05: Aerobatics at night or just night flying?
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_05: Not aerobatics at night.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_03: Night flying, again, well, kind of a yes, you can in the UK, no problem.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_03: You can add a night rating to your SCP class rating.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_03: And you can in the Arceland as well.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_03: And you can onto the support pilot license.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, we know from experience that tons of people fly at night in America.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_03: Every air almost every airfield is open permanently.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_03: Click on the PTT, put the lights on land, fuel, go and get a bite to eat, whatever, come back, click them on again, take off, fill your boots, no problem whatsoever.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_03: Less so in the Arsenal land, and and less so, probably even more less so.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_03: In the US.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_03: Even more less so or less less so.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_03: Anyway, one of those.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_03: You can in the UK, we just have this severe shortage of places with lights.
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_03: Um in New Zealand you can do it, so that's a good thing.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_03: Uh in Australia, uh-uh, forget it.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_03: No ordinary night privilege for you, and not in Canada, unless you upgrade your license either.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_03: Because they know it's more dangerous than the Americans, the other side of the border.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_03: Joe figure.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_03: Uh and finally, um IFR flying.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_03: IFR flying.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_03: Well, we, I have to say, are the champions of the world here.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_03: Wow.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_03: You can add to your MPPO SE SEP class rating, yeah.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_03: Uh an IMC rating or instrument rating restricted or whatever the current trend of calling it is.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_03: Um so basically, it means you can fly out of sight of the surface, you can fly in cloud, you can't fly in class A.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_03: No.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_03: So you can't fly airways, but uh, as everyone knows, you can fly in cloud, you can you can make instrument approaches, no problem at all.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_03: You can train for it.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_03: Um, absolutely, and you can do it.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_03: Um so in Australia, no, USA, no, Canada, no, Australia, no, New Zealand, no, uh, at least not on their medical, which is a DL9, which I think I've mentioned before.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_05: You have mentioned that.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so yeah.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_05: So on that basis, do you feel you can say the UK has the best licensing option for PPLs?
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_03: With one mini caveat, I think I can say absolutely we've got the perfect combination of everything with the only caveat is that we're restricted effectively to the UK.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_03: And we're an island nation.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_03: And we're a small island.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_03: And we're a small island, and there are many, many joys and experiences to be found just the other side of that little bit of water.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_03: Um there are.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_03: I used to be able to do it.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_03: And we can no longer do it, which is I mean I I have to say I'm not a tourer.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_05: I I fly for the joy of flying, and so I'm entirely fine with that.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and if you if people are entirely fine with that, that's absolutely fine.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_03: Clearly.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_03: But you're right, there is a whole world out there.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_03: There's a whole world out there, and you know, being able to pop over there is is is is just one of those things that reinforces the whole magic carpet experience of aviation.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so I would say but that's a small caveat.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_03: So actually, you know what?
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_03: I reckon we probably are, in terms of balance and everything else, as long as the CA don't mess with it, please don't mess with it.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_03: We've got we have the best.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_03: We've got the best PPL.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_03: And when you think about you know the the infrastructure we got, we don't have an infrastructure that's anything like France or the US, no, for sure.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_03: But we have an amazing strip infrastructure.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_03: We do.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_03: The farm strip infrastructure that we've got is just so widespread.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_05: Yep.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_03: It's absolutely brilliant.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_05: So do you agree with Ian?
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_05: Uh is the UK the best, or are you out there in another country going, no, this is wrong.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_05: There's a reason why we are better.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, absolutely.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_03: I reckon, I reckon, I reckon we've pretty much got that about right.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I think that's been very interesting.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I hope so.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_05: It must be time for.
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_05: Okay, so fancy hanger.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_05: This week, uh one of our regular viewers suggested best vis uh aircraft with the best visibility from the pilot seat.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_05: Um so there's a few airplanes out there, and clearly I'm gonna ask you first.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_05: Because I can't ask Dave.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_03: You can't ask Dave, because Dave would have gone, I don't know, Luskum or thrust or something that wouldn't have.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_05: Well, I I can guess.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_05: I could almost guess what Dave might have picked.
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_05: I might throw that in later.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_05: Okay, okay.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I am lucky enough a while ago to have flown in an aircraft which had, I reckon, the absolute best visibility from the cockpit.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, really?
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_03: Take a look at this picture.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_03: Ooh! That's a nice little bit of you can spot there's some water, yeah.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_03: There's some shadow.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_03: You can't really tell what it is at this point, although if you're an aficionado, you'll know.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_03: You'll know.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_03: Take a look at this.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_03: Here it is.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_03: It's the Lockwood air cam.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_03: Um so designed by Phil Lockwood on behalf of National Geographic.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_03: They said we want to go and do a whole load of filming, we want to do it over the Congo.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_03: We don't want to die in the trees.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_03: We don't want anyone to die in the trees.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_03: We want, you know, if there's an engine failure, we you know, and you have a four-sylander.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_03: We don't want you to get eaten by the wildlife or any of that stuff here.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_03: Um so we need another engine.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_03: So Phil Lockwood went, okay, we can put two pusher engines on, so kept kept those out of the way for the photography.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_03: Stuck the pilot right at the front.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_03: Two-seat tandem thing, although there is a three-seat version now.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_03: Um, with a just an unobstructive view completely forward.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_03: So for for designed for filming.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_03: The second engine wasn't designed for speed, it has to be said.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_03: No, designed for security.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_03: It's just a spare.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_03: And a bit of extra horsepower for stuff.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_03: It's a super stole aircraft.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_03: And you can get airborne in like 100.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_05: Well, I remember so the the when we did that uh did the photos for that uh of you in the amphibian air cam, uh you flew the one on the normal wheels before you flew that one, and you took off across the piano keys, too.
• 27:45
  SPEAKER_05: We were lined up at the hold and you said, Oh my god, and we just went straight.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_05: It was it's it's a very short field aeroplane.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_05: And the experience of flying in the air cam, because I've had a go in one too, it is pretty amazing.
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_03: I I think if if I had they're not approved in the UK, no, sadly.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_03: If I had a large hangar in the space and it was approved, and it was approved, and if if I was just couldn't make up my mind what I wanted for my third or fourth airplane, it would be an air cam.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_03: A little bit of low noise, slow speed, low level loitering over the British countryside in the summer would be amazing.
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_05: The magic thing about pushers is you don't get any of uh all of us who generally fly aeroplanes with a propeller on the front, and that just messes up all the airflow.
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_05: What you realise is that when you're sat out at the front and there's no propeller in front of you, actually the airstream is quite a lovely thing.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_03: It is.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_05: It is.
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_03: I completely agree with you.
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_05: With a big windscreen in front of you.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, well, and they've got they they they have uh you can buy an optional canopy.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_03: Which I don't think does anything for it personally.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_03: If it's warm.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, you know, I I I only really ever want to fly that when it's warm.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_03: Who fancies that in the wind?
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_03: No.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_03: No.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_03: No, absolutely not.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_03: It's not the cheapest airplane around, though.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_03: It's probably gonna be it's got a couple of rotax.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_03: No you can put the 914 in, or then or the most people have the 912, which, you know, frankly, 200 horsepower is more than enough.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_03: But you've got a couple of those.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_03: But you're gonna be looking at you're looking at something like$170,000 by the time you bought the kit and a couple of RowTaxes.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_03: That's without any avionics or or anything else, or spending the time to build it.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so it's not super cheap.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_03: I do think that's a great choice, though.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_03: But I do I do think it's it's uh one of the airplanes I've flown that kind of stands out, if you know what I mean.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_03: That is a great choice.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_05: How about you?
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_05: Uh for me, um, I went for this though, and it's the Edgeley Optica.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_05: Because I know it's good to be proud to be proud of a British design, and actually I think the Optica is the most spectacular flying experience for a pilot.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_05: And because it's got a bench seat up front, you can you've got two other people with you, so three people can enjoy this spectacular bubble.
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_05: It really is.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_05: It's like flying in a giant spherical kind of optical world.
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_05: Um designed by John Edgely in the late 70s, it was intended for low-speed observation.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, John always believed that it would replace a helicopter, sadly it never did.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_05: Um, but it has been uh it's been one of those oddball constant aeroplanes in the world of aviation ever since.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_05: Um you can loiter at 70 knots for a long time because it's got a lot of fuel in it.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_05: Um and it's powered by a 260 horsepower Lycoming 540, and that engine is in that weird shrouded section behind the cabin.
• 30:37
  SPEAKER_05: It's a ducted fan, which means it's quiet, and again, you've got no prop blast over you.
• 30:42
  SPEAKER_05: It's all very smooth and lovely.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_05: I've got to fly an optica earlier uh in summer this year, and it is well, I say an optica, is there's only one in the UK.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, um, and it is a magical flying experience, and the view is stunning.
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_05: And if you're in one of the outboard seats, literally the doors curve down underneath you.
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_05: You can it's a bit vertigo-inducing sometimes.
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_05: I was gonna say and the the literally the windscreen comes down to your toes, which can be a bit weird because on approach you're like you see a lot of the runway that you don't normally see.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_05: Um but it is it's a magical experience.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_05: Um only 22 were built, uh, and amazingly, ten of those were destroyed in a factory fire at uh when the uh the company was based at Old Serum in Wiltshire.
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_05: Um and not many of those are are airworthy now.
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_05: I think there's one in the States, one in Australia, and one in the UK.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_05: So um uh but the UK one is for sale, and John has finally and other bits of and all sorts of bits to do with the designer are for sale.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_05: So if you fancy an optica, it can be used.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_03: Because the one that's one of the aircraft that's been not not only the aircraft for sale, but the whole project has been for sale for a long time.
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_05: I think I think we've probably got to the point where it went through a number of different manufacturers.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_05: The usual story of never quite certification happened and then running companies running out of money and then other people taking it on and going, I can make it a success.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_05: And it's never quite it's a real I always think it's sad when you've got an aeroplane that's clever and unique and it never gets the traction that it deserves.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_03: So um There's um Th there's a book that I um listened to on audio book where I was driving the other day.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_03: Written by Pete Bowers.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_03: Ah.
• 32:25
  SPEAKER_03: Of Waco Aircraft fame.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_03: Um and it's titled something like Reality Doesn't Negotiate, or you can't negotiate with reality.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_03: Something like that, anyway.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_03: And it's basically about his story of buying Waco and then effectively selling Waco, and then he comments a little bit on the on the failure.
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_03: There are some there are kind of some similarities there that it's it's a very unique airplane.
• 32:45
  SPEAKER_03: And he kind of he reckoned that you know, maximum worldwide there were probably like 2,000 people who might buy a Waco.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, which is a tiny, tiny, tiny market.
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_03: Was a was a real interesting.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_03: It's a tough world.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_05: Um other good choices, uh, because clearly we're missing Dave.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_05: So we need to keep you some other options.
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_03: I think if Should we just give him losing ones?
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_05: No, no, no.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_05: If Dave had been here, I I know that the answer for Dave could have been Luscomb, because Luscomb made an odd aeroplane called the Luscomb Observer.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_05: Did they?
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_05: Yes.
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_03: Wow.
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_05: Um so it was a tandem Luscomb.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_05: So it looked for all the world like a regular Luscomb that Dave is always quoting as the world's best aeroplane.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, but it's tandem.
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_05: Well, pilot up front, in the middle, single seat, uh, and in the back, an observer who was surrounded.
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_05: Where in the bike?
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_05: Oh, behind the pilot.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_05: Did it have like perspex wings or something?
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_05: No, no.
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_05: And I guess actually, this is one where the passenger maybe had the better view than the pilot.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_05: But he was surrounded the passenger was surrounded by perspecs.
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_05: Dave would have would have laboured this as being his answer to this question.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_05: Um, but it would have been a good Dave option.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_05: Um I did think about the breezy home built.
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_05: Do you remember that?
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_05: You basically have a truss fuselage, an engine on the back tail, and you use the wings off a cub or a champ.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_05: Um but I think with that, um the fact you have to wear goggles because you don't get anything to protect you from the wind blast, and the fact that you're sat on a truss, which is sheer terror.
• 34:19
  SPEAKER_05: Um I I'm still going, I like to be inside a cockpit.
• 34:23
  SPEAKER_05: Um maybe the maddest choice would be the scaled composites 226 Raptor that Mike Melville had to sit on and supervise.
• 34:32
  SPEAKER_05: I I thought about that one.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_03: Um but that was that was very unique.
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_03: But I think you know, when you've got a beautiful view, you want to enjoy it, don't you?
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, the only thing you could I would be thinking when I sat astride that fuselage was right, have I flown enough?
• 34:47
  SPEAKER_03: Can I get back down now, please?
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_03: Oh my god, look at this view.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_03: You can't balance joy of view with abject terror.
• 34:53
  SPEAKER_05: With your body weight.
• 34:54
  SPEAKER_05: No, and that's why I think the optica is a winner.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_05: You may disagree.
• 34:59
  SPEAKER_05: Maybe actually the um the the adjudicators of this need to be you, our viewers, in the comments.
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_05: So tell us, uh, do you pick Ian's AirCam?
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_05: Is a good choice, but obviously my optica is better.
• 35:11
  SPEAKER_05: Tell us in the comments, maybe you've got a better choice that we haven't covered.
• 35:15
  SPEAKER_03: And for those of you uh for those of you who asked for it, we're working on trying to figure out how to get the how to get the pole working properly.
• 35:22
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 35:22
  SPEAKER_03: Um and predictably.
• 35:26
  SPEAKER_03: So we'll we'll get there.
• 35:28
  SPEAKER_03: Don't worry about it.
• 35:28
  SPEAKER_03: Don't worry about it.
• 35:29
  SPEAKER_03: Anyway, so yeah, let us know.
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_03: Uh it must be time for oh no, I'm not gonna do that.
• 35:34
  SPEAKER_03: It was time for fantasy hangar.
• 35:36
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 35:36
  SPEAKER_05: Now it must be time for the weather.
• 35:38
  SPEAKER_05: Yes.
• 35:39
  SPEAKER_05: Uh shall we take a look and see what Simon has in store for the weekend for us?
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_03: Let's go for it.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_02: Evening all, hope that you are well this evening and getting ready for some flying this weekend.
• 35:50
  SPEAKER_02: This is how tomorrow shapes up Friday.
• 35:52
  SPEAKER_02: We've got a cold front that clears away from the southeast on Friday morning, and you can see that it leaves us with a really pleasant day.
• 35:59
  SPEAKER_02: Broken cloud, a northwesterly breeze, some showers across northern and western parts of Scotland, but really nothing too bad at all.
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_02: A really pleasant day.
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_02: Typical bases getting up to about 4,000 feet, topped at about 10,000 feet.
• 36:13
  SPEAKER_02: A pleasant day.
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_02: Now, a chilly start to Saturday morning high pressure builds in.
• 36:18
  SPEAKER_02: Could be a few showers just drifting onto these eastern coasts of England, where we may see some thicker cloud, I think, um, during the morning.
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_02: Nothing too heavy, but still there will be showers there.
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_02: Clear skies further west, and it looks as if those clear skies hang on across much of Scotland, across much of Western Wales, southwest England, Ireland into the afternoon.
• 36:39
  SPEAKER_02: But you can just see here this setup of showers coming through the channel.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_02: Now, be really careful of this one.
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_02: If that sets itself up into a convergence line, which I think it could well do, we could find some really quite hefty showers developing across um South East England, running through the channel, bringing CUNIMs and bringing bases of 2,000 feet tops could be at 20,000 feet in those.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_02: Be really careful.
• 37:05
  SPEAKER_02: Light aircraft have been caught out before crossing the channel in that situation.
• 37:09
  SPEAKER_02: So watch the forecast very carefully.
• 37:11
  SPEAKER_02: For other 4,000 foot bases, 8,000 foot top.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_02: It's yes, some cloud across eastern areas, but western parts being mostly clear skies.
• 37:20
  SPEAKER_02: Cold again as we get through in towards Sunday.
• 37:22
  SPEAKER_02: You see those showers again affecting southeastern parts of England through the channel on Sunday, aligned with the wind.
• 37:28
  SPEAKER_02: Again, this is a convergence line that just lies down through um the channel.
• 37:33
  SPEAKER_02: Again, acunims around during the course of Sandy associated with those showers.
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_02: So cross channel is looking pretty dodgy through Sunday.
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_02: I'll check the forecast more carefully as you get closer to it.
• 37:45
  SPEAKER_02: But just be aware of that.
• 37:46
  SPEAKER_02: That one is again bases at 2,000 feet, opposite 20,000 feet.
• 37:51
  SPEAKER_02: Really easy to get caught out by those lines of heavy showers.
• 37:54
  SPEAKER_02: Further east, yes, we've got some cloud drifting in off the sea to 4,000 feet.
• 38:00
  SPEAKER_02: It's at 8,000 feet, looking like best further west with a basis here at 4,000 feet, opposite 8,000 feet.
• 38:08
  SPEAKER_02: Some cloud getting into western Scotland across Ireland as well later on in the day, and possibly some rain for the far northwest of Scotland by the time we're getting through to the end of the afternoon.
• 38:19
  SPEAKER_02: But generally it's looking pretty good.
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_02: Just that across the channel and be really, really careful.
• 38:27
  SPEAKER_02: And what better place is to talk about convergence lines, what causes them, how you can forecast them.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_02: Uh then coming to Aviation Weather School part one.
• 38:35
  SPEAKER_02: Um my next course is completely online, hosted live by me over the consecutive Tuesday evenings of the 3rd and the 10th of November between 6 and 30pm and 9 pm.
• 38:46
  SPEAKER_02: This is your chance to get weather smart and weather confident.
• 38:49
  SPEAKER_02: I will show you how to spot weather windows five days in advance.
• 38:52
  SPEAKER_02: I'll show you how to make the most of a forecast from official sources, and I will build your confidence in forecasting cloud basic cloud to help us with visibility, wind at different levels, and I'll show you how easy Met actually is.
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_02: So get yourself along, get yourself booked on, use the QR code or go to weatherschool.co.uk, and I look forward to seeing you there.
• 39:14
  SPEAKER_02: Have a great weekend.
• 39:16
  SPEAKER_02: I'll see you next week or bye for now.
• 39:18
  SPEAKER_03: I think it's getting better.
• 39:19
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, it's a bit mixed bag.
• 39:21
  SPEAKER_05: Maybe better on Saturday.
• 39:22
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 39:22
  SPEAKER_05: So um we'll see.
• 39:24
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 39:25
  SPEAKER_03: Certainly not going to be as windy as it is now.
• 39:27
  SPEAKER_03: You said that makes the famous Michael Fish comment.
• 39:30
  SPEAKER_03: You might have heard there's a hurricane on the way.
• 39:32
  SPEAKER_03: You're wrong.
• 39:33
  SPEAKER_03: You're wrong.
• 39:33
  SPEAKER_03: That's a bit far.
• 39:34
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 39:35
  SPEAKER_03: Um yeah, events.
• 39:37
  SPEAKER_03: Well, given the time of year, there are very few events.
• 39:42
  SPEAKER_03: It is a quiet one It's unusually quiet right now.
• 39:44
  SPEAKER_03: This weekend coming up.
• 39:45
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 39:46
  SPEAKER_03: Pilot Careers Live in Dublin.
• 39:47
  SPEAKER_03: So if you're in Dublin, if you're thinking of becoming a professional pilot, or if you know anybody else, get yourself down to the Dublin Convention, so the Convention Centre Dublin, CCD, as it's known, on the Liffey.
• 39:55
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 39:56
  SPEAKER_03: You'll need a ticket in advance.
• 39:57
  SPEAKER_03: You can find that on pilotcareerslive.com.
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_03: No problem at all.
• 40:01
  SPEAKER_03: And then there's also on Sunday, the 1st of November, which is not this weekend, we got uh the three Johns.
• 40:09
  SPEAKER_03: I I don't quite I can't remember.
• 40:10
  SPEAKER_05: Oh that that was the um uh the Adventure of Flight, which is the airability event uh which is being held at the Geographic Society in London.
• 40:19
  SPEAKER_05: Yep.
• 40:19
  SPEAKER_05: Uh we'll put a link in the video description.
• 40:22
  SPEAKER_05: Um if you want to buy tickets, it's obviously raising money for airability.
• 40:25
  SPEAKER_05: That's fantastic.
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_03: It remains for me only to say thank you very much for watching.
• 40:30
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you very much, team.
• 40:31
  SPEAKER_03: That includes you, Henry.
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and thank you much.
• 40:33
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you much.
• 40:34
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you much, Lick.
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you to my speech therapist.
• 40:38
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you very much.
• 40:39
  SPEAKER_03: Have a great weekend flying, and don't forget if you're not a member, flyer.co.uk forward slash membership, and if you can subscribe to our YouTube channel.
• 40:46
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you very much.
• 40:47
  SPEAKER_03: Bye.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_03: Bye.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_05: The order book for the Rotex uh for the Ellipse 916IS uh Ellipse RG is um did I don't what what was that mess that I made of all of that?
• 40:59
  SPEAKER_05: I don't know.
• 40:59
  SPEAKER_05: No hang on.
• 41:02
  SPEAKER_05: Some microlyte news.
• 41:03
  SPEAKER_05: Uh Nick Buckley, he's the UK's uh U dear.
• 41:10
  SPEAKER_05: Some microlyte It's gonna be one of those days.
• 41:16
  SPEAKER_05: Join the Flyer Club and be part of the UK's biggest general aviation community.
• 41:21
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• 41:28
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• 41:34
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• 41:35
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