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How times have changed?

Pilots of today often wonder why it was that anyone ever favoured unstable aeroplanes. It is not very easy to explain, but perhaps a comparison may be made with the introduction of self-changing gears for motive cars. There certainly was, and perhaps there still is, a prejudice against this simplification of motoring, so much so in fact that its progress has been retarded by popular opinion. But why is popular opinion against it? Why was the opinion of pilots against the stable aeroplane? Probably because if one can do a thing, one likes it to be difficult. With self-changing gears even women can learn to drive without ------ Well, let's leave it at that!

From Flight Without Formulae, first published in 1940.

Poor Air Vice Marshal A. C. Kermode would twirl in his grave if he knew what girlies get up to these days. Unsupervised, too!

I'm actually rather grateful to AC for his fascinating book, but that snippet made me chuckle. I wonder what he'd have thought of GPS?

Bordeaux

ACK would probably think GPS was reluctantly invented by men to assist us female pilots, as no way can/could women be expected or able to read aviation charts.....lol

Whereabouts in SW France are you? Hopefully off to stay with friends middle/late August who live at Le Village Aéronautique des Lac at Biscarrosse

EGBJ, EGBP, EGTW, EGVN, EGBS

Hello Jude,

I was at B. last weekend - there's some lovely flying to do around there, and it's a big seaplane centre , as you no doubt know.

I'm just a short flight away, at Libourne, LFDI. I hope you'll be in touch when you're down there

Bordeaux

GPS was definitely developed for male pilots because men will not read a map or ask directions under any circumstances.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Nice one Peter. So the training fixes and "Pan" position requests that I hear male pilot ask for are just to keep 121.5 up to speed then? :)

JoJo the Airpark has at least one Piper Cub Amphibian to rent or have lessons (owned by 2 of the residents). I had an hour of T&G's on the Lake there. Would be nice to meet up. Peter has my details.

EGBJ, EGBP, EGTW, EGVN, EGBS

I apologize for what is about to be total thread disconnect (as opposed to a gentle drift), please pardon me!

Jojo and Jude, I'm looking for a plane which I believe was flown to Biscarrosse, but seemed to fade from view. It is a red, which and yellow Thurston Teal Amphibian (like the one beside my name) which was flown away from a friend's place in Norway a couple of years ago. I'm very interested in what became of it. I was told that it's new owner was in a helicopter accident, but no word on the Teal.

If you know of it, please let me know....

Thanks!

Home runway, in central Ontario, Canada, Canada

So the training fixes and "Pan" position requests that I hear male pilot ask for are just to keep 121.5 up to speed then? :)

Yes.

I say that only a little bit tongue in cheek, because GPS is there 99.99% of the time and you can always fall back on VOR/DME, so the only people who should ever need to call up 121.5 for a position fix are those without any radio nav kit, or those in some other kind of trouble (e.g. GPS with a flat battery, above an overcast).

I am sticking my neck out here but I think the UK 121.5 D&D system was set up mainly for the RAF whose planes were traditionally incapable of navigating other than map/compass/stopwatch and despite being flown by very good pilots did get lost quite often. Only ~ 7 years ago I was talking to a RAF Hawk instructor who proudly told me they have absolutely no nav kit in there and fly 100% by map reading.

However, nowadays one hears that D&D are not at all busy (presumably because most of the RAF does have nav kit nowadays) and they appreciate people calling them up for practice fixes.

Details passed on

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

However, nowadays one hears that D&D are not at all busy (presumably because most of the RAF does have nav kit nowadays) and they appreciate people calling them up for practice fixes.

If you can get your message through between all the chatter of bored low-cost-carrier pilots...

EDDS - Stuttgart

It has been rumoured that Ryanair won't pay for ACARS so their pilots have to call up FIS services to get wx. No idea if that's true but one hears them on the radio quite a lot doing this.

Or maybe ACARS is Pay as You Go, so the use is discouraged?

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Why else would Ryanair do this? I have spent what feels like hours in my life listening to FIS read the whole weather of Europe to Ryanair crews.

The business model of this airline seems to be to create attention by pissing off the maximum number of people possible. That now also includes FIS and VFR pilots that can't get through

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