tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58749496320634027772023-11-15T18:57:36.087+00:00Microlight Flying Lessons - Fly NI AirsportsSome informative stuff about Microlight Flying in Ireland.
Lots of details about the flying club, students, aircraft and equipment!Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02059508324230532223noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5874949632063402777.post-25495356017181448492012-01-26T12:34:00.001+00:002012-01-26T12:35:31.459+00:00Cape Wrath<object width="640" height="504"><br /> <param name="movie" value="http://www.bbc.co.uk/emp/iplayer/player.swf"></param><br /> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><br /> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><br /> <param name="FlashVars" value="playlist=http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/playlist/p00nlnkl&config=http://www.bbc.co.uk/emp/iplayer/config.xml&config_settings_showFooter=true&config_settings_showUpdatedInFooter=true&domId=emp&config_settings_suppressRelatedLinks=true&embedPageUrl=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00nlnkl&guidance=unknown&embedReferer=http://flyni.blogspot.com/2012/01/propellerheads.html&config_settings_showShareButton=true&uxHighlightColour=0x005761"></param><br /> <embed src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/emp/iplayer/player.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="504" FlashVars="playlist=http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/playlist/p00nlnkl&config=http://www.bbc.co.uk/emp/iplayer/config.xml&config_settings_showFooter=true&config_settings_showUpdatedInFooter=true&domId=emp&config_settings_suppressRelatedLinks=true&embedPageUrl=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00nlnkl&guidance=unknown&embedReferer=http://flyni.blogspot.com/2012/01/propellerheads.html&config_settings_showShareButton=true&uxHighlightColour=0x005761"></embed><br /></object>Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02059508324230532223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5874949632063402777.post-77498680004896957142012-01-26T12:21:00.004+00:002012-01-26T12:27:08.158+00:00PropellerheadsSome great footage of <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00nlnkl">Microlighting here</a>. The mid-air refuelling isn't something we would normally do, but we might start having a go at that!<br /><br />main programme <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01bfczz/Wonderland_Series_4_The_Real_Magnificent_Men_in_Their_Flying_Machines_A_Wonderland_Film/">here</a>, but only available for a few more days<br /><br />regards, Victor<br />www.flyni.co.ukVictorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02059508324230532223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5874949632063402777.post-13944808254687153122011-03-24T07:43:00.002+00:002011-03-24T08:10:14.020+00:00First SoloHi there,<br /><br />everyone remembers their first time at most things - and flying solo is no different.<br /><br />Gerard Murphy has been with us for a while and has had no luck with the weather over the winter. Every morning he was booked in it was too misty. And then there is the Man Utd match schedule....<br /><br />A recent lesson on a great day was cancelled due to Man Utd playing Liverpool - but we wont go into that!<br /><br />And so on the 18th March, a flying instructor was sitting in the back seat with nowt to do, greaser landings every time. Time to get out, with the big bonus being he brought himself and the aircraft back in one piece<br /><br />Regards, Victor<br />www.flyni.co.ukVictorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02059508324230532223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5874949632063402777.post-19706921561127099112010-11-08T22:36:00.004+00:002010-11-08T22:42:09.838+00:00Volcanic Ash PicturesBit late.....but here's some pictures of the week of the volcanic ash back in April/May 2010.<br /><br />Ian Gregg and myself got clearance right through the middle of the Belfast control zone early evening. Unheard of to get this clearance at this time of day as the jets are usually ferrying commuters back to Belfast City Airport.<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_GB&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fmicroflyer08%2Falbumid%2F5537153000457094993%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_GB" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br /><br />Great conditions, and all the jets were lined up with nowhere to go!<br /><br />Regards, VictorVictorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02059508324230532223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5874949632063402777.post-68632770665281616762010-11-02T23:46:00.004+00:002010-11-03T00:20:01.520+00:00Dancing in the clouds with EricaHi there,<br /><br />Every now and again you meet someone who is so taken aback with their first flight in a Microlight (real Microlights not the 3-Axis closed-cockpit imposters!) that you remember what its all about yourself!<br /><br />You see, us old cynical flying instructors after a while look at flying as another form of transport. We think about how much petrol the aircraft is drinking, when our permit (MOT) is up, how fast the aircraft is flying at today, and how many more hours we need to fly on that particular day before we can go home. What I'm saying is....it can easily become like any other paid work.<br /><br />So when Erica and the other first timers came for their first lesson on Saturday - it really did start off like any other day at work. Low cloud threatened the day, but lifted around 11am leaving clear skies, with lots of broken low cloud at around 1000ft. Winds were far lighter than forecast, so glorious conditions. As the morning turned to afternoon the cloudbase lifted to around 2000ft with light cumulus clouds rising to around 4000ft. That's when Erica arrived....<br /><br />I can honestly say that i have never heard someone say 'Wow!' & 'Amazing' so much in the space of 40 minutes. Soon after take-off we headed above the clouds, and after a few minutes we were at 4000ft, dancing around the clouds in an open-cockpit microlight with nothing holding you in other than a seat belt. The sun was out so made it feel a lot warmer than it was. The air above the clouds was as smooth as silk, not a ripple of turbulence. An amazing,fabulous & glorious waste of 40 minutes of our lives that we wont get back. But what the hell, we can always remember it!<br /><br />Why is it that when you need a video camera you never have one to hand? Ah well, there's always the next time. So thanks Erica for reminding a cynical old fool what flying Microlights is all about ;-)<br /><br />And no thanks for the BBC Northern Ireland weather forecasters for the hash they made of Sunday. Torrential rain forecast on Sunday all day (on Friday evening), with it turning out as good as Saturday....arrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhh<br /><br />So sorry to everyone we put off on for Sunday, there's always another day, even in the winter!<br /><br />Regards, Victor<br />www.flyni.co.ukVictorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02059508324230532223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5874949632063402777.post-60480009716681032622010-09-14T10:07:00.003+01:002010-09-14T10:12:26.022+01:00Norman calls half timemany of you may have been watching Norman Surplus attempting his round the world trip in a Gyrocopter. He has had quite an adventure and has ended parking up the machine in the <a href="http://gyroxgoesglobal.blogspot.com/">Phillipines for the Winter</a><br /><br />The weather weather window he needed to head further north and negotiate the Bering Straits was very small and unfortunately he has missed it this year. Looks like next Spring he will be continuing the flight.<br /><br />regards, Victor<br />www.flyni.co.ukVictorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02059508324230532223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5874949632063402777.post-33600843153675039222010-09-08T23:05:00.010+01:002010-09-08T23:31:46.956+01:00recent flight - thanks BillHi there,<br /><br />found this on youtube, from one of our trial flighters. Great spell of weather at the end of August/start of september<br /><br /><object width="432" height="266"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AEz2Tz6aNpY?fs=1&hl=en_GB"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AEz2Tz6aNpY?fs=1&hl=en_GB" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="432" height="266"></embed></object><br /><br />Lots more stuff to add to the blog as its been at the bottom of our to-do list for a while. Thanks to Bill for prompting me to get blogging again <br /><br />Regards, Victor<br /><a href="http://www.flyni.co.uk">www.flyni.co.uk</a>Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02059508324230532223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5874949632063402777.post-61238172464060106672010-03-23T22:26:00.002+00:002010-03-23T22:44:11.785+00:00Gyrocopter FlightNorman Surplus is off on a round the world flight in a Gyrocopter!<br />No-one has tried this is a Gyro before, so well worth keeping tracks on him.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.gyroxgoesglobal.com/">His website </a>has some details, a blog and a GPS tracking device that gives you his position<br /><br /><object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10093262&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10093262&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/10093262">Gyrox Goes Global</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3354415">Gyrox Goes Global</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p><br /><br />What a great adventure, Good Luck Norman!<br /><br />Regards, VictorVictorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02059508324230532223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5874949632063402777.post-59654239165210802012010-03-08T21:52:00.003+00:002010-03-08T22:30:16.440+00:00Goodbye winter, hello spring....Hello All,<br /><br />Been a long winter in these parts,usually the only difference between Summer and Winter in Ireland is that the rain is warmer in the Summer. This year was quite different with a long hard frost, even Lough Neagh froze over!<br /><br />Visitors may notice a few small changes at the airstrip, we have removed the fence along the runway 16/34. This makes the runway much more open and less intimidating to low-houred pilots. The grass on both sides of the gravel is safe to land on, but still needs to be reasonably dry. If in doubt, land on the well-drained gravel....<br /><br />Standing out in the wind and rain day in, day out wouldn't do any of us any good. And alas, our trusty windsock was a bit ragged a few weeks back. Some stitching and orange dye sorted that out and we are good for another year - hopefully.<br /><br />The marker barrels (aka obstacles) have been removed, and the fence that was about 10 metres before the threshold of 34 has been removed. This lengthens the strip considerably as you can touch down right at the start of the gravel.<br /><br />Old faces are starting to re-appear, and some new students too - so we will keep updating on progress (good and bad!) throughout the Spring and Summer. Grumpy old flying instructors (like me) usually fly round in circles all year with students. This year will be a bit different and I'll blog about me (along with students) re-discovering all the airstrips (and beaches!) that I used to land at.<br /><br />Light winds and blue skies this week, lets hope it continues ;-)<br /><br />Regards, Victor<br />www.flyni.co.ukVictorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02059508324230532223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5874949632063402777.post-60485789829085973512010-03-08T21:09:00.001+00:002010-03-08T21:15:54.425+00:00This blog has moved<br /> This blog is now located at http://flyni.blogspot.com/.<br /> You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click <a href='http://flyni.blogspot.com/'>here</a>.<br /><br /> For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to<br /> http://flyni.blogspot.com/atom.xml.<br /> Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02059508324230532223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5874949632063402777.post-39273468495197174112010-03-07T22:10:00.005+00:002010-03-07T22:38:05.465+00:00Allinghi RacingHere's a fresh idea in the world of Yacht Racing. The Americas cup is a huge event and has been underway in Spain. The Allinghi race team have bought 2 spotter planes (Airborne Trikes with weather stations fitted on the nose of the aircraft)<br /><br /><object width="432" height="266"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/40r8yXUTcSk&hl=en_GB&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/40r8yXUTcSk&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="432" height="266"></embed></object><br /><br />more details from the Allinghi site <a href="http://www.alinghi.com/en/news/features/index.php?idIndex=227&idContent=21252">here</a><br /><br />Think the idea was that they flew ahead & sent weather reports back automatically with custom software (bit like the F1 cars) Unfortunately it didn't give them the advantage that they thought it would, the BMW team won!<br /><br />Regards, Victor<br />www.flyni.co.ukVictorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02059508324230532223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5874949632063402777.post-28485679838914689392010-01-09T21:59:00.006+00:002010-01-09T22:28:10.840+00:00The frozen NorthHello All,<br /><br />its been a while.....in fact we are in a whole new decade. Just as we were all getting to grips with the noughties, they turn into a stroppy teenager (well in a couple of years anyway)<br /><br />The New Year has brought with it the longest 'proper' winter in 30 years - so open cockpit flying isn't on many people's agenda. It warmed up today to around -4 on the ground so I thought I should go out for a spin and leave the work to another day.<br /><br />Some amazing pictures attached of Lough Neagh frozen over to a couple of miles out from the shoreline. Thanks to Jim Davison and Pete Durrans for the extra ballast ;-)<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.co.uk&hl=en_GB&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.co.uk%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fflynipix%2Falbumid%2F5424854150893056609%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_GB" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br /><br />Cheers, Victor<br />www.flyni.co.ukVictorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02059508324230532223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5874949632063402777.post-40634946755113759592009-10-19T11:18:00.007+01:002009-10-19T21:44:50.099+01:00Autumn SunshineHello All,<br /><br />Isn't Autumn a fabulous season? Just when the Irish Summer seems to have killed all the flying off for the year, along comes September and October.<br /><br />So far, some fabulous days have been had with lightish winds and crisp-clear days. The trees are starting to lose their leaves with a whole spectrum of colours being displayed before they give up the ghost and drop them before winter.<br /><br />We had a recent visitor from Australia who brought (probably) the best day of the year with him. Bill Runciman is a semi-retired Accident & Emergency Professor who travels round the world attending conferences on A&E procedures. In his spare time he flies a Flylight Dragonfly and an Airborne Outback 912 with a Cruze wing in Adelaide. On his travels he hooks up with any trike fliers that he can for the day for a spin.<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="370" height="237" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.co.uk&noautoplay=1&hl=en_GB&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.co.uk%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fflynipix%2Falbumid%2F5394378888457926497%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCPGmsqy-m9fmXw%26hl%3Den_GB" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br /><br />So off we went, across to Slieve Croob, Newcastle, Tyrella Beach, St John's Point lighthouse, Ards Peninsula and finally to Newtownards Airfield. Smooth air - Stunning views and a day to remember (even for me who has seen it all before)<br />I took some pics from the back seat, but I dont think they give the day justice at all. It's also great to speak with guys from other parts of the world that share your hobby. Where we have our problems with the weather and cows breaking out onto the runway (occasionally - not often!) Bill says that Kangaroos running on runways is a hazard for them!!<br /><br />Thanks Bill for a great day - an absolute pleasure.<br /><br />Cheers, Victor<br />www.flyni.co.ukVictorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02059508324230532223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5874949632063402777.post-14968842404497243252009-10-03T22:10:00.003+01:002009-10-03T22:23:06.429+01:00Airborne SSTAirborne have been busy getting a strutted wing flying with their XT base.<br />Flies hands off at 70knots with great handling apparently, some photos below<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="425" height="288" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.co.uk&hl=en_GB&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.co.uk%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fflynipix%2Falbumid%2F5388483303665843137%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCIjY1s3Ipvr1aw%26hl%3Den_GB" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br /><br />The flying wires have been replaced by solid uprights and no kingpost at the top of the wing.<br /><br />Cheers, Victor<br />www.flyni.co.ukVictorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02059508324230532223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5874949632063402777.post-64826212563593846942009-09-22T23:01:00.005+01:002009-09-22T23:13:44.382+01:00Trial Flight PicturesWe are currently trying to get an easy way to get trial flight pictures up on the web for first-timers to view after the event. Work in Progress, but it looks like we will use Picasa in some way and drop the code onto an area on the Flyni site.<br /><br />For the geeks amonst you, pictures are taken with a Nikon D90 with a 10.5mm fisheye lens (to get the wide angle) Here's some pics below from a couple of the good days in September.<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_GB&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fflynipix%2Falbumid%2F5384385217463742833%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_GB" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02059508324230532223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5874949632063402777.post-82629015895412942622009-09-22T22:57:00.002+01:002009-09-22T23:00:11.798+01:00Sling makes it Round the WorldHi There,<br /><br />bit last with the post, but James and Mike made it <a href="http://www.airplanefactory.co.za/world/default.asp">round the world in their Sling</a>.<br /><br />They built their aircraft from scratch and flew it round the world for a test flight....Congratulations!!<br /><br />Regards, Victor<br />www.flyni.co.ukVictorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02059508324230532223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5874949632063402777.post-81857422318933763192009-08-21T14:51:00.006+01:002009-08-21T15:11:29.066+01:00Sling now in Sri LankaJames and Mike are in Sri Lanka at the minute, so not far till they get home.<br />Have a look at this video, taken from their time at the Annual EAA event at Oshkosh<br /><br /><embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1119669386" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=34611929001&playerId=1119669386&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="428" height="283" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed>Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02059508324230532223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5874949632063402777.post-31561337826283393462009-07-18T17:32:00.008+01:002009-07-18T18:29:33.027+01:00Mike Blyth - Round the world flightMike is quite a famous Microlight pilot, and has done various trips mostly in a flexwing trike. He also runs an aviation business in SA and has been developing a new aircraft with James Pitman.<br /><br />They left today for a round the world flight, <a href="http://www.airplanefactory.co.za/world/default.asp">check out their website</a> and keep track of what they are up to. They had quite a send off by the looks of it earlier today, lots of wellwishers and press. There is a google map that tracks their progress, they should be quite a bit towards the west coast of Africa by last light. Some pics below, and lots more on their website<br /><br />Cheers, Victor<br />www.flyni.co.uk<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.airplanefactory.co.za/world/images/gallery/gall8eb.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://www.airplanefactory.co.za/world/images/gallery/gall8eb.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.airplanefactory.co.za/world/images/gallery/gall8ub.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.airplanefactory.co.za/world/images/gallery/gall8ub.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.airplanefactory.co.za/world/images/gallery/gall8p.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.airplanefactory.co.za/world/images/gallery/gall8pb.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.airplanefactory.co.za/world/images/gallery/gall8wb.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.airplanefactory.co.za/world/images/gallery/gall8wb.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.airplanefactory.co.za/world/images/gallery/gall8vb.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.airplanefactory.co.za/world/images/gallery/gall8vb.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.airplanefactory.co.za/world/images/gallery/gall8zb.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.airplanefactory.co.za/world/images/gallery/gall8zb.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02059508324230532223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5874949632063402777.post-43445166341116293562009-07-17T11:58:00.008+01:002009-07-17T12:13:32.894+01:00Microlight Pylon RacingOK, so its not the <a href="http://www.redbullairrace.com/">Red Bull Air Race</a>......but the recent Microlight world air games had some pylon racing. Guys flying up and down the runway inbetween blown up 'gates', bit like slalom racing in the air<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dkAVJ55DHJM&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dkAVJ55DHJM&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />the footage is pretty spectacular and makes it look and sound very dramatic. The trikes these guys are using are topless wings, which have made an appearance over the past couple of years.<br /><br />What 'topless' means is that they use metal supports from the base bar to the wing instead of wires.And...they dont require wires at the top of the wing. All of the manufacturers are either releasing them or just about to.<br />Means they can go faster.........and its all about speed apparently ;-)<br /><br />Regards, Victor<br />www.flyni.co.ukVictorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02059508324230532223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5874949632063402777.post-22842970073920775132009-05-06T22:49:00.004+01:002009-05-06T23:12:40.264+01:00Round the World in a MicrolightSome of you may remember the now de-commissioned breakfast show on Channel 4 - the Big Breakfast? Well it was essential viewing for me around 10 years ago while eating my Corn Flakes, before setting off for another boring day in work. Although it was quite funny and a young Denise Van Outen was good to look at, I didn't think it would change my life quite as much as it did.<br /><br />Around the end of 1998 they wheeled on a short, posh and rather austere little man dressed in a fancy boiler suit, pointing out to the presenter where he had just flown his open-cockpit Microlight. Tales of crossing the alps, being buzzed by Mig fighters and flying across the North Atlantic seemed unbelieveable. I found the whole thing absolutely fascinating, in fact I must have talked about it so much that someone bought me a lesson - and the rest is history. Little did I know that this odd little man would inspire me to take up flying Microlights!<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.brian-milton.com/video/wind-sand-stars-uk.swf"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.brian-milton.com/video/wind-sand-stars-uk.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />The Video is one of Brian's promo vids that he created when trying to sell the story to TV stations round the globe. He has just published a lot of his <a href="http://www.brian-milton.com/">video material on his website,</a> really worth a good look. And his book of the adventure is well worth a read.<br /><br />Regards, Victor<br />www.flyni.co.ukVictorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02059508324230532223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5874949632063402777.post-81238008036418273812009-05-06T20:34:00.005+01:002009-05-06T22:40:24.434+01:00Tumbleweeds and Skyranger SwiftHello All,<br /><br />Just when you thought that the tumbleweed had taken over the blog site, then it comes back to life!<br /><br />Its been far too long since my last blog post on what's happening at the field and all things Microlighting.Since January we have had to choose our flying days wisely, seems that even the good days are far too wet and windy.And dont get us started on the so-called BBC weather forecasters (BBC Northern Ireland's Angie Phillips has a lot to answer for)<br /><br />Nevertheless, we are still flying when the weather allows so dont be shy in getting in touch for your first lesson.<br /><br />We've seen a few more students getting started on their training over the last few weeks, and a new arrival at the airstrip - a Skyranger Swift<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flyni.co.uk/uploaded_images/332_2_Image005-778477.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.flyni.co.uk/uploaded_images/332_2_Image005-778474.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Skyranger Swifts start their life as a box of tubes in a cardboard box, and after a few months non-stop work are transformed into quite an aeroplane. Performance in many respects outstrips many (of what most people would call) 'proper' aircraft.An Airborne trike will sit happily at 70-75mph, a Swift will just leave it standing with its engine almost just ticking over.<br /><br />Quite remarkable....and for sale I'm afraid - so get in touch if you're interested.<br />Lots of other Microlight stuff happening, so keep checking back as I wont leave it for another 3 months for my next post<br /><br />Regards, Victor<br />www.flyni.co.ukVictorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02059508324230532223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5874949632063402777.post-87323060902155396772009-01-26T11:15:00.004+00:002009-01-26T11:25:56.023+00:00BBC Archives - Microlight RallyCame across a great video the other day on the BBC website.<br /><br />The footage is from 1987 and has been reclaimed and published by the blokes at the BBC archive - Fascinating to watch.<br /><br />Anyway, the 30 minute film is about a Microlight rally from Cumbria to the East coast of England. Back then Microlight Flying was still in its infancy, but nevertheless was established enough to have capable airworthy aircraft available.<br /><br />Most of the trikes shown are old Mainair Flash 1s which were probably top-of-the-range back then. There are still plenty of them about and flying!<br /><br />We can't embed the link into the blog, so we will <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/aerialjourneys/5337.shtml">just have to link to it from here</a><br /><br />Cheers, VictorVictorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02059508324230532223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5874949632063402777.post-90462272684695115692009-01-09T08:04:00.003+00:002009-01-09T08:28:57.297+00:00Test Success and Elvis-Leg re-appears!Hello All and Happy New Year,<br /><br />Its been some time since our last post (which was more of a plug for our gift vouchers for Christmas - Sorry!)<br />And we have been fairly busy with things at the field.<br /><br />Regular visitors from elsewhere should be aware that runway 12/30 is no longer in use - at least for the Winter anyway. Instead, we have a new all-weather runway running 16/34. Work isn't 100% complete, so pilot briefing is essential before coming into land with prior permission required at all times.<br /><br />Apart from that it's been great weather the past while and we have managed to get another two guys through their Flying Test. Congratulations to Steve Hardman and Mike O'Brien, both have put a lot of effort into getting their license with long drives across the country on many occasions - so well done! We missed getting their photos for the blog, they must have been too busy making a bee-line for the pub ;-)<br /><br />One of our other students went out flying with me at the weekend and seemed to develop a severe dose of Elvis-Leg. For those of you that have no idea what I am talking about, I will explain. Elvis Leg is the condition that Microlight pilots get when they are under a bit of pressure (normally caught by student pilots but sometimes older more experienced jockeys also)<br /><br />The condition manifests itself by the right leg shaking similar to Elvis' leg on stage doing a dinger in his heyday. Very funny to see from the backseat, but easily resolved. Setting the hand-throttle, resting the leg and chilling out for a minute normally does it. Anyway, no shame in it Tommy we have all been there!<br /><br />2009 is lining up to be a busy year ahead. The weather gods have promised us a great Spring, Summer and Autumn and we have lots planned. I will try and update regularly so keep an eye on the blog occasionally<br /><br />Cheers, Victor <br />m:07747806029<br />w:www.flyni.co.ukVictorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02059508324230532223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5874949632063402777.post-28840967538840465222008-11-23T12:55:00.004+00:002008-11-23T13:11:28.901+00:00Ho Ho Ho!Christmas is a time of Hibernation when it comes to Microlight Flying in Ireland, with good flying days few and far between, we really do have to pick our days carefully around the weather. So its an opportunity to so some aircraft maintenance, ground school with students, and a bit of maintenance on the runway!<br /><br />We also do a fair bit of promotion regarding our Gift Vouchers around the Christmas period, and you should be seeing some adverts in the local press over the next few weeks. We have restructured our vouchers as <a href="http://www.flyni.co.uk/flying-lesson-main.asp">20, 40 and 60 minute lessons</a>. This gives a bit more choice for everyone.<br /><br />We also are doing a <a href="http://www.flyni.co.uk/flying-lesson-main.asp">2-hour Microlight Adventure</a> voucher, where we take a morning or an afternoon and fly to the County Down coast, quick stop for coffee at Ards and then return. There are Free DVDs going out with this voucher for the remainder of 2008....until the stock runs out! And students remember our training rates are very different to the Gift Voucher rates.<br /><br />That's the shameless marketing plug over, there is some flying stuff going on and we will update the blog very shortly with a bit of proper flying info... <br /><br />Cheers, Victor<br />www.flyni.co.ukVictorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02059508324230532223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5874949632063402777.post-35108494997442371572008-10-29T08:01:00.003+00:002008-10-29T08:08:24.844+00:00Airborne E-News<a href="http://www.airborne.com.au/pages/ml_enews_latest.htm">Some recent news from Airborne down under</a>, some pricing changes to the trikes. It just coming into their summer down there, so some news of fly-ins etc while we are getting ready to hibernate for the winter (after getting a good stockpile of nuts of course)<br /><br />The Ausssie dollar has fallen a fair bit in the last couple of months, making their gear a bit more attractive on the pocket!Victorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02059508324230532223noreply@blogger.com0