First up, please be patient, there are a lot of photos to load (there’s about 20mb of photos so you may want to leave it for 10 mins and come back)! I don’t post often here any more because I don’t feel like I have all that much to contribute any more. However, I think this thread will be quite unlike anything posted here before so I hope you enjoy it.
All of these shots are a collection taken from the GA World, mainly from my flying training in the last year or so.
I started my PPL back in 2008, so we’ll go in some kind of chronological order. I started my training at Stapleford, just inside the M25 in Essex.
My first ever ‘land away’ with my instructor was at Earles Colne, near Colchester.
A view of the aircraft whilst doing my walk around.
Parked up after landing at Earles Colne.
A based aircraft.
The airfield.
A wingview on the way home, and the Dartford crossing (QE2 bridge which cross the Thames on the M25)
A few months later was my ‘cross-country qualifier’, which is basically a requirement of the PPL where the student has to complete a solo flight over 1 day at least 150nm in distance and stopping at 2 other airfields. I flew Stapleford-Shoreham-Lydd-Stapleford, and was the first time that I really felt like a pilot, having to make my way back in one peice by myself.
The cockpit, before I had to swap planes due to a technical fault!
Here’s Shoreham airfield and the terminal, along with a based Navajo aircraft. Also a quick snap of my plane before setting off to Lydd.
I then flew along the South coast, here you’ll see Brigthon marina, Beachy Head and a couple of wingviews including a wind farm near Rye, Kent.
Next stop was Lydd, here’s an overview followed by the terminal and then a couple of aircraft that were around.
By: enml - 17th January 2010 at 20:32
Thanx for sharing! Absolutely fantastic!:)
By: G-ANPK - 16th January 2010 at 17:41
Dan
One other small correction the Eclispe N117EA is not based at North Weald but with a small flag on it`s tail i would guess it`s from the Isle on Man.
Other than that some good photos there.
G-ANPK (NW ground crew)
By: 91Regal - 14th January 2010 at 17:25
A very interesting thread,thank you. One small correction – on the trip to the Isle of Wight presumably you meant to say Portsmouth rather than Plymouth ( the Spinnaker Tower gives that away…… ).
By: A Spalding - 14th January 2010 at 16:45
I have flown over both Orlando and Tampa many times and took lots of snaps both times.
Then you have no excuse not to post them here then 😉
Cracking stuff as always Dan. Perhaps you can teach me a thing or two on Saturday with a beer at a very famous aviation beach bar…..
By: Uzzy - 14th January 2010 at 13:28
Brilliant….a superb selection,& a nice change to see a diff aspect from the normal pics of a/c..look forward to the next batch !
Thank you for sharing,if you need a photographic assistant let me know. :):)
By: supermario - 14th January 2010 at 12:28
Awesome thread, a great insight into the progression of a pilot !!!
By: T5 - 14th January 2010 at 02:03
Great snaps, Dan.
I am flying every day myself at the moment, albeit State side, and like you, I enjoy heading to airports miles away for a bite to eat. It works out to be quite an expensive lunch but it’s a nice way to build hours.
Flying over the big airports here is also a real thrill. I have flown over both Orlando and Tampa many times and took lots of snaps both times.
By: A330Crazy - 14th January 2010 at 00:17
A great little read and nice to hear of your progress and see the pictures of your flights along the way.
Really liking the angle that you’ve got on some of those aircraft, the Biz in particular – and the LCY approach shot is great – I see you have both the A318’s in the frame as well as a 170! 😎
All the best for the year ahead Dan… If your ever down LHR way give us a shout. 🙂 Take it easy.
By: CloudWarrior - 13th January 2010 at 23:54
Brilliant thread. Thanks for taking the time and effort to put it together.
By: PMN - 13th January 2010 at 23:40
It’s all very well learning how to fly but when are you gonna learn how to use a camera? :diablo:
No, seriously… All joking aside, when are you going to learn how to use a camera?
A nice selection, EI-CNT Chops! (See what I did there?) Must have taken ages to put together but it’s a hell of a thread! Something a bit different and it’s really nice to see you finally passed and are flying yourself. We still need to get something sorted. It’s been a while since Alghero!
Paul
By: wannabe pilot - 13th January 2010 at 23:21
And finally, seeing as bizjets are technically ‘GA’ here are a few from work.
Holding above the cloud.
Final 05R at MAN with a stiff crosswind and heavy rain.
Mustang.
Cruising DUB-FAB, and final approach for FAB.
Challenger.
Aproaching Cambridge.
And parked up.
Citation XL.
Inflight dodging CB’s.
Approaching LTN and slowing down RWY26.
Then to conclude this thread, last but not least is approaching LCY.
I hope you enjoyed it!
By: wannabe pilot - 13th January 2010 at 23:09
More recently I flew up to Turweston airfield, not before doing an airborne ‘lap’ of the nearby Silverstone Formula-1 race track (which you can see also has a runway).
Before dropping by for a quick coffee at Bourn airfield in Cambridegshire.
I was then lucky enough on the way home to get clearance to fly through Stansted’s airspace and straight overhead at 1000ft.
The last time I flew was last week when the whole country was a bit frosty.
And was again cleared through Stansted’s airspace, this time told to position to cross the approach behind an inbound Ryanair, giving me this view down the runway.
By: wannabe pilot - 13th January 2010 at 23:00
I then hopped over to Rochester airfield in Kent for lunch one day.
And took another friend up to Wellesbourne Mountfield airfield, up toward Birmingham. First up is my 172 parked up, along with the terminal and a few shots over the airport and city of Oxford on the way home.
The final 2 trips of the Summer were firstly a trip to the Isle of Wight for the day with my girlfriend..
Firstly passing Brighton (note the old burnt down pier) followed by Plymouth on the way down.
Overhead Cowes on the Isle of Wight, and a wingview of the ‘Needles’ as I did a quick lap of the island before landing at Sandown airfield.
And then a trip to Gloucester for the day…
A view of Blenheim Palace near Oxford on the way.
An overview of Gloucester and the terminal.
And a look down the runway as we headed in to town for the day.
A Manx 2 getting ready to depart for the IOM, followed by a view from the cockpit at the holding point behind the Dornier.
By: wannabe pilot - 13th January 2010 at 22:44
I passed my PPL in July 2009, and about a week later I took my first ever passenger, Adam Spalding! We went for a little flight over to Southend, his wingview and approach views (complete with sarcastic comments!) can be seen here:
http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6684713&nseq=5
http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6663203&nseq=4
http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6724281&nseq=0
Here’s a few of mine from on the ground at Southend, we were pretty much free to walk around airside and right underneath the Olympic A319.
I then changed flying clubs over to the nearby North Weald, where I moved up to the Cessna 172. This is primarily to ‘build’ my hours ready to start my Commercial license later this year. Here’s a couple of nice bizjets based at North Weald.
My first trip with my girlfriend was around the Kent coast just for sightseeing really, the first is a wingview over the port of Dover followed by a couple of overviews of Southend as we passed on the way back.
The next couple of trips were with a few mates, firstly to go and see the V Music Festival near Chelmsford from the air.
And another trip over the Port of Felixstowe.
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January 13, 2010 at 10:22 pm