Who goes first?

I had forgotten about the greasy-spoon resturant!

Unfortunately I had grease-burger special just before my stall & spin training…I ended up shivering and sweating simultaneously flying back to base, taxied in, shut down, got out and hurled in the grass!

I felt so bad that I had not really done the stall & spins properly, and worried that I wouldn’t recognise the symptoms, that on my first solo away from base I went and did a few on my own….completely against the rules!

The 310 owner seldom flies now but he had a Piston Provost after that and various twins, one of which ended up on the fire dump and subsequently in the local aviation museum due to unpaid fees. I think the Auster was an AOP 9.

I’d forgotten about the runway bar, the GA centre is on the A140 now. I went over there the other day and found out the old flying club bar and restaurant is under new ownership and open to the public. Its been refurbished with loads of pictures and stuff illustrating the history of RAF Horsham St Faith/Norwich Airport. Well worth a visit. No pictures of AFT’s aircraft though.

I think that we were treated as bit of a cash cow, putting 5 students at a time through 30 hours over 4 weeks was a nice little earner! But we always got the worst slots and evryone else took precedence over us, I did 4 hours in my first couple of weeks, and crammed the rest into the final 2!

I liked the runway painted on the bar, and the model Cessna, you could stand there pint in one hand, while you demonstrated the impossible approach and perfect landing that day with the other!

One of the ‘Friends’ of the club owned a Cessna 310 (G-EGEE)and an Auster, he owned a garage and some racehorses (hence the reg), I got to go in the 310 so I could camcorder another 310 that they thought the gear doors were hanging on.

I must admit I flew with them for a while and quite liked the atmosphere that the club had on the ground in their little portakabin. Nowadays a lot of flying clubs seem to be a bit up themselves and like to dress up with golden fish fingers on their shoulders and tell everyone how good they are. I think that flying schools should be more fun on the ground and very disciplined in the air. Too many want to take the money and boot the student out of the door after the flight. Still happy days in the 80s at Norwich, if a little strange!

I remember the incident well, I saw the practice you were probably sitting through and thought that it was a bit extreme low down. The school continued on for a few more years run by the brother. It closed when everyone moved on to flying commercially on airliners I think.
Things were different in those days!

Yes they certainly were!

the younger brother was a character, half way through the first lesson, he would announce that you seemed to have the hang of it, take of his harness and open the door…….

He would also suddenly ask you to turn onto a southerly heading, as he could only pick his nose when heading south….he would then open the door to wipe his soiled digit on the aircraft under-side…

If you saw another aircraft from the club you had to immediately engage in a dog-fight, it was bit dis-concerting to be doing Instrument practice and suddenly having control taken from you and the aircraft going onto an unusual attitude before you had chance to take the goggles off!

And of course you had to see if you could land and stop before the end of the Piano keys on the main runway…..

A very professional outfit by all accounts!

I remember the incident well, I saw the practice you were probably sitting through and thought that it was a bit extreme low down. The school continued on for a few more years run by the brother. It closed when everyone moved on to flying commercially on airliners I think.
Things were different in those days!

When did this happen, I can’t remember anyone having an engine failure through fuel starvation in the area recently. Was it some time ago?

Yes, it was during my RAF Flying Scholarship, I lived in Digs in Old Cotessey for 5 weeks during my Summer Holidays in ’86. The flying school was run by 2 brothers, one of whom was killed a week after I left the club, practicing his airshow routine.
He had practiced it at the end of my PPL FHT, but then the following week he tried entering the final spin a couple of hundred feet lower…..he impacted the ground at 80 degrees.
The Flying Club was wound up soon after (Anglian Flight Training as I remember?) They had 2 C150 (G-BEYM & ?) and a C172(G-AVIR)

I Ran out of Fuel once 4 miles out from Norwich at 4,000′, I seemed to get precedence over the other traffic then…..

When did this happen, I can’t remember anyone having an engine failure through fuel starvation in the area recently. Was it some time ago?

I Ran out of Fuel once 4 miles out from Norwich at 4,000′, I seemed to get precedence over the other traffic then…..

It was in a Cessna 150, I was with my instructor, we had been doing Air-air publicity photos, and I had warned him that we probably didn’t have sufficient fuel for the flight…but who listens to a mere stude….especially one that had been hauled over the coals for landing and uplifting 85 litres of fuel a week earlier (max useable in a C150 is 85 Litres)

Was just looking out the window at a Cesna ambling northward over the village, when I noticed an airliner on finals into Stansted suddenly adopt a parallel track, then swing back westwards when the Cesna was clear, though only just.
I thought that the airliners would always have precedence, any comments on this please.

If it was an airspace bust by the Cessna (not under his direction) the controller has no option other than to reroute the airliner (which is talking to him) to avoid a possible conflict. Separation distances are laid down and strictly adhered to.

If he can be traced, the Cessna driver can expect a very uncomfortable interview with the folks at the Belgrano (CAA – Gatwick)

Moggy