In this month’s issue:

• EASA Allows Microlight Hours to Count for PPL SEP Revalidation
• Down on the farm 25 this month 5.20 – Tony Palmer
• Getting Back in the Air After Lockdown
• Armchair Air-show

EASA Allows Microlight Hours to Count for PPL SEP Revalidation

Been a while coming, but at last EASA are acknowledging the technical advancements that make many microlites practically indistinguishable as a class from Group-A machines.

You can read an extract from the (indecipherable legalese) official text in the pdf downloadable from the BMAA here: bmaa.org/files/EASA_Allowance_for_Microlight_flight_time_to_PPL-LAPL.pdf

Down on the farm 25 this month 5.20

Klemm L25C G-ACXE,

No movement but there is talk about Jim returning soon and we will have to keep apart, not sure quite how it will work if its 2 person job? Maybe we will have to wear proper masks and gloves?

Tiger 5084

Engine running during the lockdown: – on 7.5.20 the Tiger was given a 20 mins flight to keep the engine from suffering any possible corrosion, Tony Berryman was getting itchy feet and hands!! It was with the freshly painted prop, it seemed to climb better, maybe it was because of the single pilot or the new smooth prop???

Although I

had fitted a new antenna etc to cure the radio interference it had not seemed to have done anything. I am afraid I had to bite the bullet and go for the Gipsy screened plug setup. So I brought a set of screened plugs, leads, metal covers for the distributor cap and points for both sides. Fitting the left side harness is a pain in the provable you know what, as you have to remove the push rods and tubes, ducting etc to install it. Thanks to Peter Harrison for letting me look at his plane to figure out the best way of doing this and his verbal help.

The leads are contained in metal tubes adjacent to the engine and that section is bolted to the heads, even with it tucked behind the push rod tubes the 90 deg elbows onto the plugs are touching the air ducting. So I used my new “English Wheel” and added a couple of blisters on the ducting and now you don’t have to force the panels into place and if it had run like that it would have vibrated and worn a hole at the contact point. I had to repaint all the ducting.

Tony Berryman came over (keeping a 2m spacing) today 30.5.20 and we ground ran the Moth, it started on the button but the throttle seemed stiffer than normal but that was down to the new points covers not having a detent to locate on the small screw on the side of the magneto housing as the old ones had.

Tony Palmer

Getting Back in the Air After Lockdown

A couple of resources full of safety reminders to consider before going flying again.

GASCo Return to Flight Briefing: gasco.org.uk/returntoflying.html

And a ‘get back to flying’ checklist from the CAA: publicapps.caa.co.uk/modalapplication.aspx?appid=11&mode=detail&id=9614

Armchair Air-show

Aerobility, the charity founded in 1993 offering disabled people the opportunity to fly an aeroplane, has come up with a great publicity generating idea; a Covid lockdown defying air show!  OK, you won’t actually get to eat pricey hamburgers on a windy airfield while being sprayed with avtur – it’s going to be on-line.  It will be a YouTube presentation, free to view.  Looks like it will contain specially commissioned material with: previously unseen air-display footage, in-cockpit cameras and pilot commentary.  The ‘lineup’ confirmed so far looks to beat any real-life airshow by a mile: SR71 Blackbird, Solar Impulse, F35, F-104, F18, Vulcan, Spitfire, Chinook, Concorde, The Blades, Red Arrows.  I’ll certainly be watching it.  Grab a hamburger and join me on the sofa Saturday 20th June, 2 – 6 pm.

Full details here: aerobility.com/armchair-airshow-2020

Events

Corona Virus Restrictions  There will be no club nights for the foreseeable future; we will inform you once the restrictions are lifted.

For the latest list of events, go to the Events page on the Strut website.