Do you want to know how to become a private pilot, how to use your licence for fun and recreation, and how to start a career in aviation? Is it your ambition to learn to fly in order to simply enjoy flight or to start a career in aviation? WouldContinue Reading
The B-52 has been in service for over sixty years and is forecasted to remain so for many years to come. It is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber capable of carrying up to 70,000 pounds (32,000 kg) of weapons with a range of over 8,800 miles (without air toContinue Reading
With mounting pressure brought on by the adverse effects of exhaust fumes from combustible fuels, we are looking for ways of enjoying all the benefits of travel while reducing carbon emissions, and this doesn’t just apply to the growing use of hybrid or fully electric cars. We also need toContinue Reading
The A-10 Thunderbolt II, also affectionately known as The Warthog, the Hog, or the A-10 Warthog, was developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) by Fairchild Republic Company’s OEM Team, which is now part of Northrop Grumman Corporation Aerospace Systems. The official name is based on the Republic P-47Continue Reading
The Airbus A320 is a family of aircraft that includes the A318, A319, A320, and the A321. The most recent variants include the A319neo, A320neo, and the A321neo. The A320 family is one of the most versatile and therefore successful aircraft families in the history of commercial aviation. The A320Continue Reading
Clear air turbulence or CAT for short is an aviation phenomenon that can suddenly occur in cloudless areas, causing a buffeting effect on aircraft. It can happen in the absence of any visual clues like clouds and is most prevalent during the winter months of the year, particularly when flyingContinue Reading
You set off in good time only to be held up on the motorway, so you arrive late, join the queue for the car park, and eventually park about a mile from the main entrance. You walk across the grass, reminiscing about a misspent youth at the Glastonbury Festival, andContinue Reading
Learning to fly didn’t come easily to me. I was not a quick learner and took more than the average amount of hours to reach each milestone. I consoled myself with the thought that people who take longer to learn things learn them more deeply. I wasn’t particularly confident either.Continue Reading
For many pilots and aviation enthusiasts the idea of being able to fly in a Spitfire is probably on their bucket list if not at the top of it. With the restoration of these thoroughbred warbirds at an all time high Spitfire flights are more easily obtained than at any other time since World War II.Continue Reading
In this post I’m going to list those airlines that have carbon offsetting schemes, as well as other ways of compensating for the carbon footprint and environmental impact of your travel choices. If you’d prefer to watch a video version of this post there’s one here and at the footContinue Reading
In this post/video I list many of the companies involved in the field of Urban Air Mobility and the aircraft in development. Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is the term applied to VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) and eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) vehicles designed to carry one or moreContinue Reading
Hello, my name is Ben Lovegrove and in this video I’m going to introduce you to the XM655 Maintenance and Preservation Society based at Wellesbourne Mountford Airfield, near Coventry, Warwickshire, in England. Like so many other people I was captivated by the sight and sound of a Vulcan at airContinue Reading
In this post I’m going to list ten apps for pilots. I say list rather than review since I have not downloaded these and tried each one. The best and obvious way to determine if an app suits your need is to download the free trial and see for yourself.Continue Reading
Listen to those Merlin engines roar in these clips of Supermarine Spitfires in flight at Duxford and Goodwood aerodromes. I filmed these at the Goodwood Revival, the Battle of Britain 75th Anniversary airshow at Goodwood on September 15th 2015, and at the Battle of Britain 60th anniversary airshow in 2010Continue Reading
This is a follow up post to the one I published on 5th September, prior to the 2018 Goodwood Revival. Last week’s post was entitled Goodwood Revival 2018 – No Air Displays. The video version of that post has received over 1,500 views and plenty of comments since it was publishedContinue Reading
After 19 years of thrilling the crowds with spectacular air displays it seems the Goodwood Revival 2018’s aviation activities will be confined to the static displays and pre booked pleasure flights. The days of a Goodwood Revival air show are over, for this year at least. The 2018 Revival’s timetableContinue Reading
Chilbolton Observatory is one of Hampshire’s finest abandoned airfields. During World War II it was once home to squadrons of Spitfires, Hurricanes, Mustangs, Typhoons, and Vampires. Opened in 1940 as a satellite airfield for RAF Middle Wallop it was used by the RAF and USAAF. After the war it wasContinue Reading
The Goodwood Revival never disappoints and there are always lots of reasons why I return each year but to make the most of it takes some planning. Whether your main interest is motor sport, classic cars or bikes, vintage fashion, or historic aircraft then there’s plenty to see. Here areContinue Reading
Learning to fly and obtaining a Private Pilot’s Licence isn’t cheap but you can avoid unnecessary expense with a little forward planning. Flying lesson costs will vary but in the long run the cheaper hourly rate may not be your best option. In this post I discuss the cost of obtaining aContinue Reading
For some students the prospect of studying the PPL Ground School subjects is just as daunting as learning to fly itself. Perhaps you were not top of the class in Maths or English. Maybe you doubt your own abilities, or is it the thought of speaking on the radio thatContinue Reading
In a previous post I described my journey from the first trial flight through to PPL completion. Whether, like me, it took you several years or just a few months to obtain your own PPL what are you going to do now that you have your pilot’s licence? The post PPLContinue Reading
For some the path from a trial flight to the acquisition of a Private Pilots Licence is one that takes only a few months to complete, but for me it was to last a little longer. My first taste of flying was as a child in the 1960s. My father had hiredContinue Reading
Airshows are a great day out for individuals and families. They can be enjoyed by anyone from aviation enthusiasts to those who may not a first consider themselves interested in aircraft, but who enjoy the spectacle and the occasion. With that in mind here are 5 essential tips for enjoying airshowsContinue Reading
The majority of new aviation businesses will at some point consider what presence they need to have online. They will start with a website and then ask themselves the question should we use social media? Is it right for our business? The answer to this question will depend on several things. ThereContinue Reading
Since the beginning of the current wave of interest and innovation in commercial drones and unmanned aviation people have been using social media to promote aerial photography. It has always been the obvious way to show off your latest still images and video clips of a view that was previouslyContinue Reading
I had my first trial lesson in the early 1980s and went on to gain my PPL. In 2013 I began exploring the emerging world of unmanned aviation and the use of drones for aerial photography. The experience of both GA and UA puts me in a strong position help othersContinue Reading
In July 2015 the aerospace giant Boeing predicted that the world would need 558,000 new pilots during the next twenty years. If this forecast for half a million pilots jobs is correct (and they should know, being Boeing) then there has never been a better time to [easyazon_link identifier=”B008J6GYF2″ locale=”UK”Continue Reading
