I got a date

Exactly! Excuse me for being a trifle simplistic but surely bits are more likely to fall off that way?!

That’ what I told my son & wife when they wanted to train on Helos. They both went ahead with it anyway. 🙁

😀 😀 😀 😀 😀

:p :p :p :p There’s no accounting for taste!!!!!!!

Psychopaths fascinate me, but I wouldn’t want to live with one 😀

JC

😀 😀 😀 😀 😀

They still fascinate me.

Psychopaths fascinate me, but I wouldn’t want to live with one 😀

JC

At the risk of being a heretic, Helos were my first choice of aviation career until the RAF stoppped me in my tracks (when I were a lad, I always dreamt of lazily bimbling down the coast in 202 Sqn SAR Whirlwinds with the doors wide open, waving at the red lobsters on the beach!). They still fascinate me.

nonono, they’re scattered around! :D:D:D:D

Alex

Helos?? Nananananana, not for me, too many parts spinning 😀

Alex

Exactly! Excuse me for being a trifle simplistic but surely bits are more likely to fall off that way?!

Helos?? Nananananana, not for me, too many parts spinning 😀

Alex

😀 😀 😀
Been in one three times in my life and every time was scared! Don’t think I’ll ever be ferrying back and forth to the oil rigs!

Cobra gunship was quite fun too but I didn’t get to drive that.

M

I used to think that too but then I got to fly a Huey across the Mojave desert at 1000ft.

the only thing that was missing was having James Brown playing VERY LOUDLY

Melv

😀 😀 😀
Been in one three times in my life and every time was scared! Don’t think I’ll ever be ferrying back and forth to the oil rigs!

I must admit I’m a bit scared of those evil machines – just seems to me that there are too many ways in which they can kill you.

I used to think that too but then I got to fly a Huey across the Mojave desert at 1000ft.

the only thing that was missing was having James Brown playing VERY LOUDLY

Melv

I must admit I’m a bit scared of those evil machines – just seems to me that there are too many ways in which they can kill you.

Does liking these angry palm trees break forum rules?

Hmmm.. Moderator? They are GA but the problem is that THEY’RE SO DAMN UGLY! I’d accept a ride so long as no-one found out.

JC

I know – I mentioned the ‘H’ word with wreckless abandon.
I loved it and I don’t care who knows.
Does liking these angry palm trees break forum rules?

I speak from experience. I pulled this ruse when I had a trial helicopter flight.

No Janie!!!!!!

You didn’t cross to the dark side – surely?

Moggy

If the weather is crap and the airfield is not too far away – go anyway. You will may find the place full of bored instructors with nothing to do. They may enjoy showing an enthusiastic person around the place. They may even let you in the cockpit and talk to you about the flight. This is all valuable stuff.

I speak from experience. I pulled this ruse when I had a trial helicopter flight. I reckon I got an hour’s free ground school out of them!

Bless you if you read this and it was you who instructed me. 😀

Look out of window. Imagine you can see a brightening in the west and then realise that is the way the weather is going.

So glad its not just me that imagines its getting better even though the met office are declaring sh*t sh*t sh*t all day!

Marvel at the way he shrugs off your attempts to kill him by accident and how he remains calm and collected as you manically grin when he is explaining ‘effects of controls part one”.

How do they do that? I’ve always wondered.

Resolve to learn to fly, sell the house, sell the wife, sell parents to white slave trade and rob 7-11s until you have the money.

Yep yep yep – its all true – every word (unfortunately)

Thanks everyone 🙂

Andrew,

This may happen:

21/1/05 Look out of window. See rain. Decide that it probably will be OK in a couple of days.

22/1/05 Look out of window. Cannot see if it is raining as the fog is in the way. Swear. Check calender again and manually count the days until the lesson

23/1/05 Look out of window. Rain. Swear. Have a coffee, swear again. Check BBC24 weather to find long distance forecast. Decide it is a waste of effort. Swear. Look out of window.

24/1/05 Swear (it saves waiting) look out of window. Raining. Swear again. Marvel at how many new words you are learning. Kick cat. Check BBC24 weather and decide they obviously don’t know what they are talking about.

25/1/05 Look out of window at rain. Cry for a while. Swear. Look out of window. Imagine you can see a brightening in the west and then realise that is the way the weather is going. Check BBC24 weather again and decide they really don’t know what they are talking about. Resolve to write letter to BBC to complain about the lack of decent weather coverage on a predominantly weather channel. Call flying club and get really annoyed that they have no crystal ball.

26/1/05 Look out of window. Swear. Wonder out loud where all the rain is coming from. Blame government/ex-wife/current wife/pope/Al Quaeda. Check BBC24 weather. Overlook the fact the person on the screen has just said “Oh, you again”. Look outside front door and shiver.

27/1/05 Look out of window. No rain. Snow looks lovely though.

28/1/05 Look out of window. No rain. Slush looks terrible though.

29/1/05 Look out of window. Feel slight relief that life is back to normal and it is raining. Resolve to move to Gobi desert. Phone BBC24 weather to complain even though you have not even seen what they are saying. Call flying club. Get annoyed by their gung ho attitude. Can’t they see its raining? Kick cat again. Cat rips off several inches of skin from leg. Resolve to get dog.

30/1/05 Look out of window. Raining. Quelle Surprise! Send letter bomb to BBC weather centre. (It won’t go off – too wet) Catch weather on Sky News. resolve to send Sky News letter bomb. Note to self: encase in plastic bag. Look out of window again. Kick Dog. Pick self up from floor and resolve to sell Rottweiler and get another cat. Order plane ticket to Gobi desert.

31/1/05 Get up. Have coffee. Grunt. Look out of window. Raining. Decide that sitting in the house worrying about the weather only results in broken televisions, possible terrorist charges and pet-related injury. Get into car. Won’t start- too wet. Car starts. BBC radio news tells of wettest spell since records began. Wonder how long some of those records they play are? Note to self: Check to see if Bohemian Rhapsody is really ten days long or does it just feel ten days long?

Drive to airfield. Splash passers-by as they may work for the BBC weather centre.

Instructor introduces himself. Take instant dislike as he has a PPL and a clean shirt. How can he be this cheerful when the weather is that bad? Accept his offer of a coffee on the basis that you may derive some pleasure from throwing it over him.

Grin inanely as he tells that the weather has not been perfect so there may be some delay an possibly a cancellation. Grimace inanely as he wonders why you didn’t check the weather.

Sit at table near window. Stare at the rain on the airfield and think about various forum members you would like to slag off – if only someone would listen.

Become aware of a deep rumbling sound in the distance. Put it down to:
a) last night’s curry,
b) Thunder
c) The Rottweiler having got out of his chains in the shed and now coming for you.

Look out at the rain again. Wonder if Patty really is that short.

Realise there is someone shaking your arm. Pull back arm and get ready to punch lights out on annoying flying instructor who has disturbed your peace. Realise just in time and scratch nose instead making yourself look a little simple. Realise also the rumbling was an aeroplane engine.

Hear instructor say Mumblemumblemumblemumblemumblemumble ready mumblemumble weather better mumble good hour until it rains again mumblemumble lovely viz now mumblemumblemumble so let’s go.

Walk out to aeroplane. Marvel at how fresh the world is after a brief shower.

Have lesson.

Decide flying instructor is possibly the finest that you have ever met. Marvel at the way he shrugs off your attempts to kill him by accident and how he remains calm and collected as you manically grin when he is explaining ‘effects of controls part one”.

Resolve to build shrine to flying instructor.

Land

Sit with silly grin on face while drinking de-brief coffee.

Drive home.

Resolve to learn to fly, sell the house, sell the wife, sell parents to white slave trade and rob 7-11s until you have the money.

Get home.

Get savaged by cat and dog who have joined forces to get their own back.

Now, that is what flying is really like.

Enjoy it Andrew – just bear in mind how addictive it is!

JC