Archive: Flying Lessons
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Jul 03, 2012
No CommentsMy First Flying Lesson
‘Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings’. The first line of John Gillespie Magee’s poem, High Flight, inspired me to find out what he was actually feeling when he composed it during the Second World War. So before trepidation knocked on my door, I picked up...
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Jan 19, 2012
No CommentsLanding An Airplane
As the adage says, what goes up must come down and in aviation, landing is a phase of flight which can give pilots both pride and embarrassment. Landing an airplane requires precise control of speed and descent and it is essential to fly a good approach in order to land smoothly and safely. When I...
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Oct 14, 2011
No CommentsStalling A Plane
As one of the deadly sins of piloting an aircraft, stalling a plane is an integral part of learning to fly. Why? Because if you are to avoid a stall in flight, you have to experience how the aircraft handles pre-stall. Secondly, if you do inadvertently get yourself into a stall, you have to know...
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Jul 25, 2011
1 CommentTake Off
This is the moment you have been waiting for. The plethora of checks required before setting off are necessary for the safe operation of the aircraft. After all, once you’re up in the air, it’s not as if you can simply pull over if something goes wrong. Many plane crashes are caused by failure to...
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Jul 15, 2011
No CommentsThe Pre-Flight Aircraft Inspection
Air travel is still the safest means of transport and a large part of this is down to the pre-flight aircraft inspection. This involves a thorough external check of the aeroplane to ensure that all the flight control surfaces such as the ailerons and rudder are free from obstruction, the fuel isn’t contaminated with water...
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Jul 06, 2011
1 CommentCircuits
A hair-raising experience, I’m sure you will agree! I prefer to have a little more metal around me when I’m flying. However, whether you are learning to fly a microlight or a Boeing 747, circuits are an important part of learning to fly any new aircraft. Flying a good circuit is crucial to the safe...