Thank you Moggy C!

As for the woman, well in fact we met in France when she was studying a year abroad so you could say that it’s the British women stealing French men 😉

[Slingsby]
Well, this is very recent for me as I had my first solo flight less than 2 weeks ago. I wanted to have a go at it to start doing “mild aerobatics” but also for the fun of flying something different. You see, I am more of a “CESSNA” man as I learned on a C152, then flew the C177 and over here I have been flying a C172 for nearly 2 years and with my limited experience, I can’t think of a plane further away from the trusty C172 than the Slingsby T67M, which is why I was quite confused during the first session.

*Stick?
It may not be common but before I had never flown a plane with a stick, only control column, even the PA28 that I fly now and then has a control column. That in itself is Very different. Furthermore the Slingsby, being a sort of Porsche of the air is VERY sensitive, so you tend to over compensate everything at first. My instructor described it as “writing”, ie doing tiny movements with the wrist. I am slowly getting used to it and it actually becomes a pleasure to have such control.

*Variable pitch propeller?
To add to the confusion, this verion the T97M has a VPP and although I had a go at that in the C177, it also takes time to change your routine checks around to incorporate the “blue knob”

*Low wing?
The slingsby is a low wing airplane and compared to the C172, I still have trouble at the touch down to evaluate the distance from the ground but a few more circuits should do the trick.

*Cockpit, canopy
The cockpit lay out is different as you have a row of instrument at the top an then the T intruments. On the canopy side, it’s marvellous and weird to have a full 360 view all around.

So, my first flight was a load of confusion but I enjoy new challenges and the second flight was much better as it saw me going solo 🙂 Again, if the C172 would be let’s say a Renault Scenic, the Slingsby would be more of a Porsche and at the moment, I can wonder around town in that Porsche and park but I can feel that on a track it would perform!

It’s light, it’s fun and with the right training you should be able to do wonder in it.

I am looking foward to my next flight but unfortunately I have a bl**y sore throat+cold that keeps grounded at the moment…

cheers!