Astroguy

Here is a flight in the circuit with full set up to landing with a view of the stick and the sight picture of landing. Rob ...fellow pilot is my 5th passenger since my passenger rating....we fly in VFR minumums for a few circuits with full set up base to final and landing full clip. we are flying the Ikarus C 42 LSA flight in the circuit with full setup for landings X 3

Just another newbie flight video.... my 3rd passenger!!!! Confusion on the runway... my fault. c 42 Ikarus LSA

Thanks Yenn.... absolutely.... when I climb out with my little Ikarus.... it feels every bit the same as the Cessna 150 but I can climb faster!! Yes the rules with ultralights are highly varied around the world for sure..... Here in Canada we have an "Advanced Ultralight" catagory which allows this LSA to fly under it's rules. Advanced Ultralights here in Canada are company manufactured... must follow manufacturer prescribed maintenance..... and must be under 1,230 lbs Max TOW. Thanks for the contact sir. DaveP

Yes I do understand for sure that I was able to pull this off cheaper than most other locations on this earth... I regularly meet folks who've purchase a $25,000 motorcycle or snowmachine toy and think that I"m crazy for my expense... so I've been able to rationalize my spending that way. Thanks for the feed back antonts DaveP

Hargraves.... well thanks sir. It's very affirming to hear from folks with similar stories and I love the fact that you pushed yourself at your age which was almost identical to mine at your startup in aviation..... I was 56 when I started this and I really sort of figured that I might be out of the game due to my age but I feel that I've become more of a force now than when I was younger....... I have to admit that more than a few people at work and such sort of consider me a bit daft as to waste so much time and money on a "license to do nothing" as one chap told me. It took alot of resolve and a great family to keep my pushing through even though it might have scared them a wee bit. I'm really proud of them! Thanks again.... I'll be in Australia myself one day god willing. DaveP

Hey Nico 13..... right about the astronomy bug.... I've ground and polished a couple of mirrors and probably had at least a dozen nice scope from Dobs to GEM newtonians... I always loved the Newtonian. I did emulsion based astrophotography in the early '90's and have built two roll off roof observatories in my time... but alas like you.... I got too tired of trying to stay up late enough with work, kids, and last minute socked in overcast sky!!! So I started doing other things..... and I really do still do 'astronomy'... I go to starparties and the like and still have a large social life in my local astronomy club. What kind of telescopes are your choice or what do you have? Now that I have completed a lifelong goal of mastering a flying machine and staying alive.....before I die, I've also had the life long goal of getting my carcass to Australia.... ever since the age of 15 years after I'd read a National Geographic major story about an Australian woman called Robyn Davidson who had crossed the Gibson desert west from Alice Springs to Carnarvon solo, with camels.... After that Australia became an obsession. So now that I've completed my ' fly before I die" life quota... Australia is my next thing and then I will have completed two of my highest priority life obsessions. Where abouts are you in the land? are you city or rural....concerning light pollution and sky quality for astronomy. I actually managed to witness that second comet impact of Jupiter which was observed by an Austrailian in 2010.... Anthony Wesley.... so between that and the Comet ShoeMaker Levy impact on Jupiter in 1994, I"ve now witness two live action events in the heavens. It's wonderful to just be able to contact the world so easily... maybe I'll see you around some time eh? DaveP

Correct sir... I am from Eastern Ontario Canada. Yes the ikarus c42 ultralight is considered LSA under GA in most of the world but for some reason in Canada it is still falling under Advanced ultralight category. Making it and easier to achieve goal. Would love to go to Australia someday. Thanks for the feedback

I'm 56 years old and I work in the medical field and I will routinely come into contact with people who assume that there is a tomorrow but learn that tomorrow is now in jepordy. Every year I take a course to learn something ... last year I recieved my HAM radio license for instance. I've wanted to fly all my life and with kids and money issues it's been a no go. But last year my wife purchased my ground school GA and a discovery flight on a Cessna 172. I knew that I"d never be able to affort the often underestimated cost of getting my PPL for finacial reasons but I enjoyed the 45 hours of ground school like an excited kid and after flying the Cessna for my first 5 hours it became painfully apparent that I didn't have the money to complete a PPL but at the same time I was so addicted to the takeoff, the landing... the entire thing. I was obsessed. The average Cdn PPL takes between 65 and 75 hours although only 45 hrs are required. I'd spoken with a few pilots and it seemed unofficially that the school quote price of PPL of $7500 Cdn was on average much closer to $17,000 to $18,000 Cdn to complete the basic PPL. I knew that this would never work out for a guy who was old enough to know that I wasn't going to make money doing this.... I simply wanted to pilot and land an airplane before someone tells me that I don't have a 'tomorrow' as it were. I was never going to make money flying so the outlay of that cost was frivolous. But I was hooked. I have a pilot friend who told me to not bother with a PPL because after all that I'd just have a license to do nothing! Then one day one of my ground school GA instructors mentioned about Ultralights and the local company that had an LSA. After one discovery flight on the Ikarus I was again .... wholeheartedly enthused because although it was much like a Cesssna 150 but smaller it was just so enjoyable to fly. The Ultralight CFI and I clicked immediately and the rest was a no brainer. My new CFI had obtained his PPL by age 17 and had well over 1,000 hours..... so I immediately switched out of my unattainable GA toward my new path. At the end of the day the Ultralight world was still every bit total freedom in the sky and my cost to fly myself into the skies like a god was a very relax $6,500 Cdn all in. Plus the added advantage of being able to get up in the air solo much earlier than GA.... I think I was solo at 13 hours including my Cessna time and although many will say that it is dangerous to get going too fast... I say that some risk is good. Again I work in a field where people wrap themselves in bubble wrap and eat right and excercise , look both ways before crossing the street... never would ride a motorcycle or smoke a cigarette.....and yet... there they are without a 'tomorrow'. SO here I am.... a low hours pilot who can on any decent weather day text my flight school and the next thing be flying over my house or clipping the clouds (500' below of course) at 3,000 ft. So the GA ground school was grand and much more involved than the ULPP groundschool. It was 45 hrs for the PPL groundschool and only 20 for the ULPP ground school ... I took both ground schools because I enjoyed this stuff so much. I actually went to Oshkosh this year with one of my GA groundschool instructors. Other cool things are...... that I can move up to 25 of my LSA hours towards a Rec Pilot permit with 5 more hours crosstraining.... I think also.... I can move up to 10 hours of my LSA hours into a PPL but that's very unlikely I would. Anyways all I've ever said since my first Cessna flight....all I want to do is simply take off , cruise and look down at my world, and land the thing , and stay alive.... all solo, no one else in the cockpit. Once I'd done a solo, I considered this all I ever wanted to do and I would never be on my death bed regretting not attempting flight. But again, here I am still addicted a putting evey penny i have selfeshly into a passion,( I"ve cut of my oldest for cash payouts to university in her 5th year)...Flying is better than a drug.... I am high for two whole days after a flight! I feel so successful and feel that I"ve again learned something and work my brains. What a confidence boost doing what all my co workers think is dangerous, fun, crazy etc.... but they'd never do it! ULPP in the LSA world is the correct choice for anyone in my situation, age and financial wise. One other interesting thing is the LSA that I fly is a Comco Ikarus C 42 but it is only considered an ultralight if a few parts of the world including Canada but in the USA and Europe Britain it is not considered an Ultralight . So basicallly I can fly a 1,200 lb max TOW machine with a 4.5 hr range, side by side seating, fully VFR instrument, full control surfaces and trims, with an 80 hp 4 cycle 4 cyl liquid cooled engine. It was a great trade off and if I never fly another single minute in my life, I can call it well spent time and money and will never have the regret of not attemping it. Such a huge boost to my little ego it is! Anyhow...sorry for the long winded response but you got me thinking with your question. Great and thanks DaveP

Hey... Just looking for some expertise here. It has come up recently that are little LSA ikarus tends to break a stall much cleaner when doing a Tailwind stall versus a headwind stall. However the relative wind indicated AirSpeed are both identical? Where am I wrong on this? In practice on this aircraft it's seems to be a real affect despite it not making sense. Thanks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhZthiUF0ow:14 Well , I receieved my PAX rating! This video is a long one.... sorry , but I'd wanted to give you a flavour of these tests. What if looks and feels like. I can now carry a passenger in the Ikarus LSA that I've been flying for the last 70 hours or so. i am so enthused with flying and I want to share it. My first passenger was my oldest child.... it really gave me alot to think about but I knew if I was to trust myself I had to put it to the highest level..... carrying your own daughter. The flight was one hour of beautiful sites and emotions. Thanks Claude from Ottawa who fulfilled my PAX rating flight test, and also to Paul and Zach...... my flight instructors from Ontario Advanced Ultralights. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhZthiUF0ow:9

It's really interesting how each teacher has a little 'signature' move .... it really makes a long lasting impact eh? I hope to become much more proficient in the next clump of hours as I"m not there yet, with only 50% of my forced landing looking reasonable and safe. Thanks for the contact from Australia!

Well that is definitely interesting plus I've never heard of that as a practice but makes good sense to try it. Thanks very much

Right you are. I was talking to a pilot today about my forced Landings. After three more today one being long one being short and one being perfect. Still have to nail this part but he said to just keep doing it over and over until a force Landing feels normal. This sounds like good advice. The first time you're in the practice Zone solo and you have to cut the throttle to idle... It certainly does not feel normal but over time I can feel that normal is creeping in and hopefully better judgement. Thanks for the great response

Yes Nev.... alot of airtime will be now put into this weakness! Last week I was doing beautiful engine outs when solo but I think I was selecting best field before my "surprise" engine outs.... so that ended up not being all that applicable in the real world as I just demonstrated. I will really start in ernest on forced landings now.... meaning a true surprise. Yes I saw physics in operation with one forced landing.... from 2200 ft I was doing well to reach mid field landing but at about 600 ft I realized that suddenly I wasn't going to make the field.... and subconciously I was pulling back on the stick and increasing my LD ratio . Once I figured out that I had dropped my airspeed subconcioulsy I finally eased the stick forward to pick back up to my 66 knots best glide and bang .... there I was making the field and clearing the dreaded hydro wires. Newtonian and subatomic physics seem to have little to do with our basic instints eh? PS I should note that we are flying an Ikarus c42 ultralight that is dry weight of 600 lbs and a Vso of 35 knots with a POH max demo crosswind of 15knots. Again Thanks Nev.... feedback appreciated

Thankyou ... I really do appreciate hints that others have gained specific knowledge through. There is a huge amount of info available and it's nice to have a high review to help me out with my reading. I will download these but I need to get a kindle I suppose. BTW we are flying an Ikarus c42 ultralight that is dry weight of 600 lbs and a Vso of 35 knots with a POH max demo crosswind of 15knots. Thanks again okay the hardcover JAROS book is in my free shipping Amazon cart as on now so thanks. I really have to invest in a Kindle....here in Canada we have an ereader company call Koobo and we purchased Canadian but it ended up being a poor decision as very few books go to Koobo.

No problem at all... but I don't see that you did drift it? DaveP

Thanks Nev.... Yes I agree it's too little time ... so I will be at least doubling the required time here in Canada for ULPP instruction. I have much to learn about everything especially rapid weather changes. My flight instructors did start teaching one at 54 hours and one at 130 hours and both have over 1,000 hours now.... I plan to flight instruct so I thought I'd take the course offered me but just build hours until I can feel that a familiarization flights can be my starts. Yes... huge responsibily,.... scares me enough for sure.... We'll see how for I get before I try for the Instructor flight check rides and tests but for now I'll just be flying but with flight instructor in the back of my mind as a possibility.

My early Flight Instructor Training on a windy day! I'm in my early stages of flight instructor training and I'm finding it quite a surprise.... it is harder than it looks!!! This video is a bit long and more to give someone an idea of early flight instructor training rather than entertainment value. vg I am enjoying the experience and look forward to a few famiiiarization flights. Firstly I need more hours in the right seat and have to write another exam in Ottawa... then I have to co-ordinate with a Flight Instructor Examiner in another city to complete my check flight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGzjdatLTVk

Nice to be able to pass the REAL test eh?

I've read somewhere that in days past a field Force Landing was part of every Pilots expectations because of engine reliability and such. But very few people have the opportunity to experience it now thankfully or not

Dial tone mode... Wonderful sentiment!. Thank you for you're forced Landing stories. Sounds like you've had more than most.... Like they say with 2 smoke engines it's not if it will fail it is when it will fail. All my snow machines and chainsaws two smokers can be unreliable.

This is very interesting... Do you mind telling me what kind of airplane and engine you were flying. As well as what altitude you had your engine out at

Correct .. good point about the different reasons for forced Landings. My rental has a very reliable 4 stroke 4 cylinder but no I was not thinking about illness or snakes.

Right it isn't ideal for sure. Trying to find a place that isn't covered in windmills or has cattle all over it is getting to be tougher and tougher. Sometimes I just pretend a certain area is a potential Landing Zone even though it isn't really. As I fly about and look for potential landing zones as I'm flying there are times that you can't even think to find anything other than Treetops