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First Flight10-12-2024Photodj3.jpg
My Love Affair with Aviation10-12-2024TextLike so many LAA members, David Joyce’s love affair began when as a boy he found himself living close to an airfield, in his case Rougham, the base of a squadron of US Army Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses. Aeromodelling naturally followed and he thought himself destined for a career in aviation until human nature stepped in in the form of starched-aproned nurses with warm hearts and smiling faces, and he was led astray into the world of medicine. But the aviation bug had embedded itself somewhere in his psyche and he later took up gliding and power flying. On retirement he set about building a Europa – a three year task - leading to many flying adventures.

G-XSDJ has seen a wide variety of scenery, from the rugged coasts of Ireland to the chilly wastes of the Arctic Circle, the heat of a Spanish summer and the balm of Venice and the Canaries. It has also taken David to the gloom of the former East Germany and the delights of the Black Sea. A full listing of its many ports of call would make this an extra-large newsletter but there’s more to tell.

David had grand plans to fly his lovely machine all the way to Australia but when his son Patrick developed Motor Neurone Disease this plan had to be abandoned. Instead, encouraged by Patrick, he flew the length of Norway to the North Cape and together they completed 2 Dawn-to-Dusk challenges. The first involved photographing every lighthouse around the coast of Ireland. The second was to fly over every island in British waters shown on the 1/2Mil chart (119 since you ask), a flight of 1704 nautical miles – the equivalent of a transatlantic flight – for which in 2010 they jointly won The Royal Aero Club’s Norton-Griffiths Challenge Trophy.

David completed a third on his own when he photographed each of Wellington’s battlefields. Flying over Spain the air temperatures were so high that he risked heat stroke as well as engine overheating.

David’s gripping story had many more adventures. Suffice to say he gave us a fascinating evening for which many thanks.
Axe Aircraft12-11-2024Photoaxe.jpg
Axe Aircraft12-11-2024TextPhil Hall introduced us to what I believe is an entirely new aircraft concept: a combination of a canard configuration machine integrated with a quadcopter – the Skyfly Technologies "AXE"

The airframe sits normally for conventional take-offs and landings, but with the rotors fixed at 45 degrees to conventional vertical position, for vertical take-off the nose of the aircraft pitches up to 45 degrees so that the rotors are now horizontal, giving maximum thrust for vertical take-off. 2 combined motors on each pylon projecting from the tips of each of the fore and aft wings. Dr Bill Brooks, a long-established aeronautical engineer and all round great bloke, is responsible for the design and led the early trials using radio-controlled models, the largest of which was 1/3 full size.

The lift rotors-cum-propellers are driven by pairs of 35 kwh motors, the power for which comes from 16 Lithium-ion battery packs, currently mounted just ahead and behind of the central 2 place cockpit.

Rotor-borne flight control is achieved through electronic wizardry of the type used for the typical 4 rotor drones, for wing-borne flight a conventional-looking stick and rudder pedals are used.

You won’t be surprised to hear that much of Phil’s talk was taken up with discussion of the bureaucratic obstacles the company has had to face, although Phil generously called the CAA `partners’ in the endeavour. He did, however, explain that the company found themselves negotiating with no less than 4 separate CAA divisions: Policy, Licensing, Airworthiness, and Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems, each of which seemed to operate in its own watertight compartment. One Catch 22 is that the aircraft cannot be fully tested because no rules for such machines exist!

The Company has, however, been allowed to fly tethered flights and hover taxiing, operating under e-conditions, where ‘e’ stands for experimental.

The current 2 seat manned version fits into an 8 metre square and has an empty weight of 246 kgs, and a MAUW of 690kg. The intended envelope, with a vertical take-off and landing, is to achieve a max speed of 100 mph (87knots) with an endurance of 1 hour.

The videos Phil showed demonstrated that the 1/3 sized model is capable of conventional flight with an exceptionally short take off run, and that the full sized 2-seater can currently air taxi with ‘conventional-flight’ testing to follow in the coming months.

Our thanks to Phil for a most interesting, enjoyable and mind-expanding Strut talk. We wish him and his AXE team every success.
Tims trip08-10-2024TextTim Houlihan gave us a most interesting and enjoyable account of a recent flight that he and his son, in company with a fellow Europa owner and the latter’s wife, had made to Venice. The story was well illustrated with slides of the route flown, airfields visited and the weather and stunning scenery encountered along the way.

The first leg was to Dover via Popham where Tim and son Anthony were joined by a second Europa whose crew asked for the short crossing from Dover as opposed to Tim’s more usual direct route. Their first night stop was at Macon, near Geneva. The party spent the next day and night in Macon before pressing on to Albenga for a night stop in Alissio. From Alissio they progressed to Venice, staying overnight at Venice Lido airfield.

The next day took them on to Verona and another night stop before starting their return journey. From Verona they flew up to Bourg en Bresse, another night stop. Then it was Le Touquet via Sezanne. After a further night in Le Touquet it was time to brave the Channel crossing again.

In short, it was a major undertaking and Tim is to be admired and congratulated on leading such an expedition.
What did you do in the RAF?13-08-2024TextRetired Group Captain Laurie Hilditch gave us a flavour of the life of a 1970s RAF air defence pilot, and what a complex life it was. Having trained on Chipmunk, Jet Provost and the Gnat (all quite small aircraft) he made the giant step up to the front seat of the Phantom F-4K which had an empty weight of 31,000lbs and a max AUW of 56,000 lbs. This UK variant was equipped with two RR Spey afterburning engines each giving a max thrust of over 20,000lbs. It had a Vne of 515 knots and was capable of Mach 1.9. It was cleared to -3/+8.5G. That must be the equivalent of going from an Austin Allegro to a formula one race car.

In the air defence role (the RAF had previously used the Phantom in the ground attack fleet) they carried one 20mm gatling gun with a max rate of fire of 6,000 rounds per minute (although it carried only 1,200 rounds) and a mixture of air-to-air missiles. It was the RAF’s first fighter capable of head on interceptions.

The pilot’s job involved a whole lot more than flying the beast: he had to master the complexities of its operational performance envelope and, as this was a pre-digital aircraft, this involved not only memorising a massive amount of data, it also required a considerable amount mental gymnastics.

By the conclusion of the talk those present were all mightily impressed that all this was within the compass of one human being.
BBQ Night09-07-2024TextA most excellent BBQ was enjoyed by a number of members with burgers, sausages and salad in abundance, plus some rather excellent cake and dessert, rounded off with a presentation by Arthur on Farm Strip flying. If you fancy having a go in a very short landing aircraft or have always wanted to land in a particularly challenging strip, get in touch with them at www.farmstripflying.co.uk. I am sure they will be delighted to hear from you.
RAF Cosford11-04-2024TextThe sun shone as we made our way to and around RAF Cosford. First stop for many was for coffee and cake followed by a tour of the first of the three big hangars. For many, this was the most popular with aircraft dating back to the first world war and some innovative test aircraft. For several, lunch called, followed by the second hangar which was the Cold War hangar, being relevant to one or two who served in the RAF at that time. It was a stark reminder of what could have been. The third hangar, called Hangar 1 oddly enough, contained a variety of aircraft of different shapes and sizes, plus a small art gallery and the history of the base.

Too soon it was time to leave and as we pulled out of RAF Cosford, we realised we were missing one, despite several head counts. Turning the coach around on the narrow exit road was no mean feat but the Strut never leaves a man behind!
April Meeting09-04-2024TextErnie Hoblyn entertained us with stories of building and flying replica Sopwith Camel biplane and Sopwith triplane with some interesting photos of not only the build process, but also in-air photos as part of his role in the Great War Display Team. My take-away from the evening was the difficulty in flying them. If your nose itches on take-off, scratch it when you land!
March Meeting 12-03-2024TextIn spite of a slight delay caused by a missing cable, David Beale managed a wonderful presentation about building and displaying his Mew Gull G-HEKL.
New outings23-03-2024Text Two outings arranged ( to include in March 12th newsletter )

Jet Age Museum / Kids Day / March 23rd . Saturday
Arrive 10am at the Museum
Cockpit time in the jets for the kids !! (1m tall minimum ).
( book with Mike ) info@carouselgolfing.com
RAF Cosford Museum / April 11th Thursday
Coach from Staverton 9am / return 5pm .
Many new exhibits to view / restorations .
Reserve your place on the coach
return : £20
( book with Mike by April 1st ) info@carouselgolfing.com
February meeting13-02-2024TextKath Burnham who is a type rated instructor on Dakotas was our speaker for the evening and gave a fascinating talk about her life as a pilot of these iconic aircraft, plenty of amusing anecdotes kept the audience enthralled from start to finish.
January 2024 meeting09-01-2024TextIt was the clubs AGM, which came and went in about 3 minutes. Some said it dragged on a bit. Afterwards, we were entertained by Richard Goodwin talking about his aerobatic flying, and his jet powered Pitts aircraft. One or two Europa fliers went away with some interesting ideas for their own aircraft.
December 2023 meeting12-12-2023TextA slide show of aircraft photographs was presented by Dave Haines and Steve Smith with a quiz element thrown in to check whether the audience had been been paying attention! Dave and Steve have attended the Rallies for many years and scour the airfields around to get photos of unusual and interesting light aircraft, and a very entertaining evening was had by all. The first part of the quiz was an identification game with members scoring from very high to very low! The second half was a challenge to name all of the aircraft types used by the military - who knew there were so many! Being the last meeting before Christmas, a glass of wine and a mince pie were served to all.
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11-03-2025From 7:00pmThe Victory ClubBurlington HouseLypiat Rd.Cheltenham, GL50 2SYSpeaker TBA
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300Farm Strip GuideI managed to buy a duplicate copy of the Farm Strips guide at the LAA Rally. Cost me £19.95. Anyone like to take it off my hands at £10?

Contact Rowland at rowlandcarson@gmail.com
farm.jpgSale
300C42 Group membershipCurrently, 4 in the group. We are looking for two more members to fly with us.
No joining fee or purchasing a share.
£112 per month and £40 an hour wet.

Contact Julie on 07816685746
jmrt.jpgSale
4008 Share in Glos Super 150 AirtourerG-AYWM is a two-seat aeroplane, hangared and maintained at Gloucestershire Airport, Staverton
* NARC issued April 2024
* Garmin 430W nav/comm and Mode S transponder. ILS/VOR. PLB equipped.
* Four-point harness restraints
* 120 knots cruise
* Lycoming 150 hp engine + constant-speed propeller; engine hours 1,291 at September 2024
* Star Flying Group has eight equal members, written rules and officers elected with specific responsibilities
* Flying cost £82 per tacho-hour - this includes the cost of home-base landings
* Annual fixed costs approx £1,500 per member - Cotswold Aero Club social membership included
* Detailed 10-year maintenance/financial history and 2024 group accounts are available on request
* The aeroplane is insured for £50,000. In addition, the group has sundry assets of £8,000
* Annual utilization has been under 100 hours for the past few years
* Online booking
* A Pilot magazine flight test article is available
* Go to YouTube 'Glos Airtourer' for a short video of G-AYWM
* As a non-part 21 aeroplane, UK NPPL, national PPL or UK Part FCL licence holders are eligible to fly the Airtourer.

Share Price: £3,000.

Contact Michael
airtourer@gmail.com
airtourer.jpgSale
600Vans RV-7 Empennage and Full Set of RV ToolsNot looking for 2024 prices, just a fair offer also saving the buyer shipping, VAT and hundreds of hours build time.
Can separate tools from kit if required.
Contact Pete 07737060404 or e-mail peterjkendall@hotmail.com
Due to a move to Australia and the hike in cost of Vans kits I am selling my 75% complete RV7 empennage kit. The vertical stabilizer, horizontal stabilizer and rudder are complete, internally primed and where needed painted just moulded fibreglass tips to fit. All built parts are signed off by an LAA inspector. The emp kit includes the electric trim plus elevator (Still in the box) and includes all the hardware (rivets and fasteners etc.) to complete plus plans, drawings and the LAA project record file and build photos if required. These kits were all manufactured as pre-laser cut parts.
The tool kit is very comprehensive and includes (But can be split out) the 1-year-old compressor. The inventory list follows:
Hyundai silent oil free 24L 1450 rpm 7 Bar 240v 750w nearly new with 2 air lines and air hoses.
3x rivet gun + 4 off pneumatic drills including 90 degrees.
Multiple assortments of flat and mushroom rivet billets.
Oil pressure tester as new
2 x new Torque wrenches with inspection certs 20-220 NM with various drives and 0-15NM (or lbs)
190 off brown and 140 off silver Clecos and pliers.
Various clamps.
Straight edge
Counter sink tools.
Manual squeezer with multiple heads and dimple tools
Drill bits including 30,40 plus drill stop tools and counter sink stop tools, special long length 30 and 40 and Perspex drills.
3, 4, 5, 6 Rivet gauges
Centre pops.
14 off different shaped titanium riveting Dollies.
Back riveting plate 12 x 4 inches including back riveting set
Avery hand riveting and dimpling tool (C-Frame) more
rv7.pngSale
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NoPortraitHappy ChristmasHappy New Year to all our members and friends
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Strut MeetingThe February Meeting will be held on Tuesday 11th February. The speaker will be Mike Bromfield talking about the Flying Classroom.11-02-2025PURPLE
Strut MeetingThe March meeting will be held on Tuesday 11th March. Speaker TBA11-03-2025PURPLE
Strut MeetingThe April meeting will be held on Tuesday 8th April. Speaker TBA08-04-2025PURPLE
Bodmin Fly InKernow Fly In PPR required26-04-2025GREEN
Pooleys Air WeekendPooleys Air Weekend Saturday and Sunday. PPR required10-05-2025GREEN
Mull Annual Fly InGlenforsa weekend 24-26th. PPR required24-05-2025GREEN
SleapkoshSleapkosh at Sleap. 12-13th. PPR Required.12-07-2025GREEN
Vintage AerobaticsBreighton Vintage Aerobatic competition and summer BBQ. PPR required12-07-2025GREEN
Lundy Fly InLundy Sunday Fly In. PPR required03-08-2025GREEN
LAA RallyLeicester. 29-31st. Slots bookable.29-08-2025GREEN
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