Take to the skies
On a less political note, I went flying on Thursday with the RAF. It's only the second time I've been, but the first time was great. So, we left DC at 1110 and went to RAF Benson (just outside Oxford). There were 10 of us, 3 Corporals from the year above, 6 Cadets from the year below, and me, the only Junior Corporal. We spent a few hours travelling up in the minibus to Benson and when we got there we watched a safety video and then sat around for a bit watching Henman losing. He couldn't string two points together! Oh well, he's out now, and I'll have to content myself with second rate stuff when I go next week (more on that later), unless of course Murray gets through.
Anyway, after waiting around we went past two huge hangars with Merlin Helicopters and a big Ghurka symbol on the doors to the hut thing where we put on our flight suits, helmets and parachutes. I was half hoping that I would need to bail out, just to have the experiance, but then I might screw up and die, and that would be bad. Well, I waited for a bit until it was my turn. I walked out to the plane, a Grob Tutor, and got in. The Pilot did his engine checks and took off. Once we were up he gave me the controls and I flew about for a bit, trying to remember how everything was done. The pilot said that my flying was very smooth, so I haven't forgotten it all afterall. Anyway, after about fifteen minutes of the half an hour flight he took the controls back and we did some aerobatics. I was a bit worried at first, I'm not the best person with rollercoasters etc. but we did some of the more gentle things. We did a few wing overs, they're the ones in the films when the planes turn around at looks good, The Battle of Britain has the best examples (yes, I watch war films). Anyway, you climb up and then bring the wing over the nose and you turn around. We did a few small ones and the G force wasn't too bad until we climbed out of them, when it went up to 2G, which isn't too bad, but it's a bit constricting. Then we did a really big one. I looked up and thought: "Hey, there's a football pitch up there". So I've been upsidedown in a plane, what fun! And we went into 0G. 1 G is normal, 0G is weightless. We climbed and then dived sharply and I was lifted a little way out of my seat. Regrettably that was the end of the seesion, but I'm going again at the earliest oportunity I get.
Anyway, after waiting around we went past two huge hangars with Merlin Helicopters and a big Ghurka symbol on the doors to the hut thing where we put on our flight suits, helmets and parachutes. I was half hoping that I would need to bail out, just to have the experiance, but then I might screw up and die, and that would be bad. Well, I waited for a bit until it was my turn. I walked out to the plane, a Grob Tutor, and got in. The Pilot did his engine checks and took off. Once we were up he gave me the controls and I flew about for a bit, trying to remember how everything was done. The pilot said that my flying was very smooth, so I haven't forgotten it all afterall. Anyway, after about fifteen minutes of the half an hour flight he took the controls back and we did some aerobatics. I was a bit worried at first, I'm not the best person with rollercoasters etc. but we did some of the more gentle things. We did a few wing overs, they're the ones in the films when the planes turn around at looks good, The Battle of Britain has the best examples (yes, I watch war films). Anyway, you climb up and then bring the wing over the nose and you turn around. We did a few small ones and the G force wasn't too bad until we climbed out of them, when it went up to 2G, which isn't too bad, but it's a bit constricting. Then we did a really big one. I looked up and thought: "Hey, there's a football pitch up there". So I've been upsidedown in a plane, what fun! And we went into 0G. 1 G is normal, 0G is weightless. We climbed and then dived sharply and I was lifted a little way out of my seat. Regrettably that was the end of the seesion, but I'm going again at the earliest oportunity I get.
posted by CJM | 9:38 PM
1 Comments:
Thats pretty cool man! I wish I could do that stuff. One of my lifelong ambitions has been to construct a Spitfire MK IX to its original specifications - and learn to fly it. Unfortunately, my incredible eyesight gets in the way - so maybe after I manage the lasix and a few million dollars...
Post a Comment
<< Home