Photos from Lundy Fly-in 16 July

Well I did not expect that response from a few innocent photos.

True Lundy is short and bumpy in places, but with the right aeroplane it is no worst than than any other farm strip. In fact Keevil was worst than Lundy!We had the advantage this year of mixamatosis on the island so no rabbit holes. As can be seen from the photograph the wind was straight down the runway. I personally would not take a nosewheel aircraft in, particularly one with poor prop clearance, but that is individual choice. Those having the most problem were the Europa, with their large bouncy single wheel. When pilots phone we do give a thorough briefing on what to expect and put off those with unsuitable aircraft.

Lundy has a certain magic which does make any visit very special and something worth doing if you have the opportunity. The staff on the Island are very enthusiastic about the event and are alway looking for ways to make things better, within the constraints set by the Landmark Trust.

The Husky was taking off, its the new 200hp version, which was airborne almost instantly so an ideal aircraft for Lundy ( and no I am not on commission).

Re The Lundy fly-In,
It looks fantastic, and I see at least two machines from White Waltham, including Pete Cuniffe’s Jungmann, which has the most forgiving undercarriage, to mop up the bumps.

I think the Devon Strut boys will (by arrangment) fly with you if you are a Lundy virgin.
As I recall, the way it works is to position into Eggresford, and pick up your ‘guide’.

😀 The King Air is a wonderful aircraft. Yes, I am very fortunate to be able to fly it (and get paid for the privelidge too).

Is that the cowling of a sexy Beech I see? 😀

*This post is a little out of context with the thread after some previous post were moderated – I just wanted to point that out so that I don’t come across as a total loon 😮 *

Here in Ohio we have pretty dramatic thunder storms this time of year. Some are isolated cells, but more often than not there is a line of storms that can be hundreds of miles long (ie rather hard to fly around in a light GA aircraft). These storms can produce very damaging hail, tornados, wind shears, severe turbulance etc etc. Just recently I flew a trip where there was a solid storm line stretching from the North East of Arkansas clear up to Lima Ohio. Fortunately we were flying to Arkansas that day, so we were able to fly ahead of the line on the way down there and then broke through the line to fly behind the line for our return leg. I landed at Lima the other day and the damage from that particular storm front was supprising. About 10 aircraft pretty much torn apart and a T-Hangar building ripped off it’s foundation and totally destroyed (I suspect some of the destroyed aircraft were in this hangar complex).

Ohio has a lot of ‘County Airports’ which typically have runway lengths of 4-5000ft. They are generally fairly well maintained. In addition to the county airports there are a large number of privately owned grass strips of varying quality. Most of these are Prior Permission Required airfields.

Winter flying here has it’s own challenges – icing, snow/ice covered runways etc. We also have the Appalachian Mountains just to the East of us which generate their own weather. The Proximity of Lake Erie generates ‘Lake Effect’ which in the winter is just a giant snow making machine.

Moving West you get into the Great Plains where storms can be extremely severe with high winds, then you hit the Rocky Mountain range which presents it’s own problems.

Florida itself is not sunny and calm all the time (although of course there is some very nice weather to be had there too). Weather there can get pretty severe during the Summer months with tropical storm systems and Hurricanes. Thunderstorms are pretty much a daily event in Florida during the Summer months.
Wall to wall good weather? I think not. You have to be VERY aware of the weather when flying in the States, mainly because it can change so quickly depending on the area you are flying in, the time of day and the season.

Here is a selection of photos I have taken showing some of the different conditions (and terrain) I have flown through/over during my time here.

I think a lot of you who bash FAA training and flying over in the States do not take into account that the training is geared towards flying here. Of course it is not the same as CAA training. It is a different environment afterall (both physically and politically).

Back on the topic of Lundy, the fly in there looks like a lot of fun!. I used to be based at RAF Chivenor. Lundy was a prominant feature on the horizon whenever I walked on the beach in North Devon. I never did make the trip over there though.

Not so much size as power:weight that counts!

That Husky looks a little tail low. Is he landing? 😮

Judging by the flapsand position of the flying surfaces I suspect a short take off is in progress….
Nice photos – thanks.

Not so much size as power:weight that counts!

That Husky looks a little tail low. Is he landing? 😮