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questions - web@soloflight.co.uk We look forward to welcoming you to Soloflight.
Coffee Break
- WOW - click HERE to see what we mean. Click F11 on your keyboard to see them full screen.
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Click HERE to read Cold Front Fright by Glen Stewart
FREE: The Piper Cub downloadable cardmodel. The little Piper Cub is an aviation legend . This bright yellow little model demonstrates that some aircraft can be just slow and nice to look at. It's one of the easiest to make and has always been one of the most popular models.
Rules of the Air
1. Every takeoff is optional.
Every landing is mandatory. 2. If you push the stick
forward, the houses get bigger. If you pull the stick back, they get
smaller. That is, unless you keep pulling the stick all the way back,
then they get bigger again. 3. Flying isn't dangerous.
Crashing is what's dangerous. 4. It's always better to be down
here wishing you were up there than up there wishing you were down here. 5. The ONLY time you have too
much fuel is when you're on fire. 6. The propeller is just a
big fan in front of the plane used to keep the pilot cool. When it stops,
you can actually watch the pilot starts sweating. 7. When in doubt, hold on to
your altitude. No-one has ever collided with the sky. 8. A 'good' landing is one from
which you can walk away. A 'great' landing is one after which they can use the
plane again. 9. Learn from the mistakes of
others. You won't live long enough to make all of them yourself. 10. You know you've landed with
the wheels up if it takes full power to taxi to the ramp. 11. The probability of survival
is inversely proportional to the angle of arrival. Large angle of arrival,
small probability of survival and vice versa. 12. Never let an aircraft take
you somewhere your brain didn't get to five minutes earlier. 12a. Stay out of clouds. The
silver lining everyone keeps talking about might be another airplane going in
the opposite direction. Reliable sources also report that mountains have been
known to hide out in clouds. 14. Always try to keep the
number of landings you make equal to the number of take offs you've made. 15. There are three simple rules
for making a smooth landing. Unfortunately no one knows what they are. 16. You start with a bag full of
luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience
before you empty the bag of luck. 22. Keep looking around. There's
always something you've missed. 24. The three most useless
things to a pilot are the altitude above you, runway behind you and a tenth of
a second ago.
17. Helicopters can't fly; they're just so ugly the earth repels them.
18. If all you can see out of the window is ground that's going round and round
and all you can hear is commotion coming from the passenger compartment, things
are not at all as they should be.
19. In the ongoing battle between objects made of aluminium going hundreds of
miles per hour and the ground going zero miles per hour, the ground has yet to
lose.
20. Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, the experience usually
comes from bad judgment.
21. It's always a good idea to keep the pointy end going forward as much as
possible.
23. Remember, gravity is not just a good idea. It's the law. And it's not
subject to repeal.
25. There are old pilots and there are bold pilots. There are, however, no old
bold pilots.
"Keep the aeroplane in such an attitude that the air pressure is directly
in the pilot's face."
- Horatio C. Barber, 1916
"When a flight is proceeding incredibly well, something was
forgotten."
- Robert Livingston, "Flying The Aeronca"
"The only time an aircraft has too much fuel on board is when it is on
fire."
- Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, sometime before his death in
the 1920's
"Flexible is much too rigid, in aviation you have to be fluid."
- Verne Jobst
"If you can't afford to do something right, then be darn sure you can
afford to do it wrong."
- Charlie Nelson
"Just remember, if you crash because of weather your funeral will
be held on a sunny day."
- Layton A. Bennett
"I hope you either take up parachute jumping or stay out of
single motored airplanes at night."
- Charles A. Lindbergh, to Wiley Post, 1931
"Never fly the 'A' model of anything."
- Ed Thompson
"Never fly anything that doesn't have the paint worn off the rudder
pedals."
- Harry Bill
"Keep thy airspeed up, lest the earth come from below and smite
thee."
- William Kershner
"When a prang seems inevitable, endeavour to strike the softest, cheapest
object in the vicinity, as slowly and gently as possible."
- advice given to RAF pilots during W.W.II.
"Instrument flying is when your mind gets a grip on the fact that there is
vision beyond sight."
- U.S. Navy "Approach" magazine circa W.W.II.
"Always keep an 'out' in your hip pocket."
- Bevo Howard
"The Cub is the safest airplane in the world; it can just
barely kill you."
- attributed to Max Stanley, Northrop test pilot
"A pilot who doesn't have any fear probably isn't flying his plane to its
maximum."
- Jon McBride, astronaut
"If you're faced with a forced landing, fly the thing as far
into the crash as possible."
- Bob Hoover
"It occurred to me that if I did not handle the crash correctly, there
would be no survivors."
- Richard Leakey, after engine failure in a single engine, Nairobi, Africa,
1993.
"If an airplane is still in one piece, don't cheat on it. Ride the bastard
down."
- Ernest K. Gann, advice from the "Old Pelican"
"Though I Fly Through The Valley Of Death I Shall Fear No Evil, For I Am
At 80,000 feet And Climbing."
- sign over the entrance to the SR-71 operating location on
Kadena AB, Okinawa
"You've never been lost until you've been lost at Mach 3."
- Paul F. Crickmore
"The emergencies you train for almost never happen. It's the one you can't
train for that kills you."
- Ernest K. Gann, advice from the "Old Pelican"
"If you want to grow old as a pilot you've got to know when to push it,
and when to back off."
- Chuck Yeager
"Never fly in the same cockpit with someone braver than you."
- Richard Herman Jr, in "Firebreak"
"There is no reason to fly through a thunderstorm in
peacetime."
- Sign over Squadron Ops desk at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, 1970.
"An airplane might disappoint any pilot but it'll never surprise
a good one."
- Len Morgan
"To most people, the sky is the limit. To those who love aviation, the sky
is home."
THE AVIATOR MAN Day after Day He was running the race He was on his way up A boy, a child, a man But, in one simple moment He sailed the skies.. Clay Greager owns The Last Flight
Out, an aviation specialty shop in Key West, Florida. Well worth a visit if in
the area. Clay knows a lot of interesting local folklore and has a unique
philosophy that is enjoyable to listen to.
By
Clay Greager
He was smooth and cool
Never afraid
To break a rule
And climbing the hill
Conquering his fear
And feeling the thrill
And moving fast
Never doubting
That it would last
Who made himself a name
He reached for his dreams
And finally found his fame
This picture did fade
All was quiet
And a legend was made
He followed his plan..
He earned his wings..
For he was the AVIATOR MAN
THE DAYS THAT WE HAVE FLOWN
By
Timothy S Bastion
You came to me,
like a frightened child,
and asked me how to fly.
I took your hand,
and led you up,
and showed you how and why.
We have looped and dove,
and rolled and spun,
and cut patterns from the sky.
And when we were done,
we'd had some fun,
and you learned how to fly.
Though you walk this earth,
you've soared like an eagle,
seeing your shadow in the clouds.
You've done marvellous things,
since you've spread your wings,
and you've made your instructor proud.
And now that you have,
let go of my hand,
and set out on your own.
I hope that you,
will remember me,
and the days that we have flown.