Microlighters

Let's picture a scenario, you finally have your licence, you are legal to explore the wild blue yonder on your own. A pilot can only take so many circuits. It is time. Time to go explore the world. Time for your own venture out beyond the security of the cabbage patch.

How do you approach it? How do you plan the route?

Do you do this alone, or in the company of others?

Do you rely exclusively on a GPS, map, compass or dead reckoning?

What plans can you make regarding fuel. What are the considerations and options available. Do you use ground crew?

What about accomodation? Do you sleep under the wing, tent, guest house. How do you carry luggage?

What do you use as transport, how do you get from that airfield 5 km from town with an empty 25liter can for fuel. Do you carry a loose 25liter can and 2-stoke oil.

What about a medical aid kit, water bottle, space blanket?

Do you carry food with you, if so what type?

Does anyone know where you are going and the route you are taking?

Very valid post Morph, these are all things we need to cover. Especially the who knows where you plan to go and where you plan to stop over... Who has your contact no, who would be expecting you? What must they do if you do not arrive within X hours of your ETA.. I make a point to leave a flightplan with softness and always make sure someone is waiting for me at the other side.

Fantastic one!

Come on - Let's hear it...

Can EVERYONE and ANYONE please reply?

These are the exact types of questions I will have when I get my Aerie...

Thanks again!

Stan.

Heya Morph

As DH says a valid topic. I think to add to and very importantly every microlighter who does a cross country should go to the expense of investing in a set of pencil flares. Know of a guy who was doing game counting with a passenger. Went down in the bushes and passenger was seriuosly injured. Being in the bush was completley disorientated and valuable time was lost for search and rescue to locate them. Think pencil flares would have helped speed up the rescue under those conditions or for any pilot flying into unknown territory.

Think it's about R180.00 for a set at your local boat shop and fit's comforatbly in a pannier.

Your's in Walking
CHAZ

I always carried pencil flares, space blanket and basic 1st aid kit. Another point is to always fly in your flight suite regardless of how summery you feel. It is not for the flying but rather for when you are waiting to be resued.

Planning the route:

Firstly you start with a source and a destination. I have both Easyplan and Mapsource(Garmin generic with the Africa maps) but I also have the proper 1:500000 and 1:1000000 maps. It is very important to have these, in case your GPS goes on the blink Can and does happen

A huge consideration is the wind, so try and get a forecast from weather SA for as far as possible (7-days). Now consider the effect of the wind on the geography, i.e. mountains, hills etc I usually work out 2 or 3 routes to consider different wind directions. Easyplan gives you a nice vertical representation of mountain peaks and such and plan the altitude accordingly.

Now work out your stops. Long distance flying can be tiring and sometimes you need a bum break. I like to stop once every 2 hours. Using your cruising speed, wind speed, etc find airfields within that radius. This might result in the route being changed to accommodate these stops. Also ensure you find alternative airfields along or near the route just in case weather changes, you feel ill, have to do a precautionary. If a fuel stop is required remember all rotax motors can and do use Avgas. Just remember to carry oil with you.

Personally I never plan on ad-hock out landings on roads, fields etc. This is too dangerous, and it is a risk to assume you will find something safe.

I always check up on the landing sites with Google Earth. It gives you a very good idea on condition, directions, length etc.

Part of the little pack i made up for my little out of town flights is as follows :-
1.) Space blanket
2.)water or any form of liquid energade etc
3.)1st Aid Kit
4.) Dog tags with all relevant details and contact no's (you never know)
5.)Cell phone
6.)about R150.00 not in my wallet !
7.)and flight details and general flight plan left with softness.

Do you do this alone or in the company of others?

I hate flying alone, be it someone in the backseat or preferably another aircraft. Flying completely alone is like watching a movie on your own, having a meal on your own, or watching rugby on your own. I was going to say somthing about sex but then I thought some might object
If you cannot share the flying experience then it is a waste of time IMHO (In My Humble Opinion)

As far as safety goes, I would never venture into the bush alone in a 4X4, but some people do this in aircraft that reach far more desolate places. For safety it is always advisable to have at least two aircraft, maybe not in sight but definately within radio contact. The last thing you need is to disappear and them only discovering the wreck 18 years later. (This is what happened to a chopper that went down in Knysna forests years ago and only found this year)

I like to fly with others but my baby is so slow i am more of a burden then a pleasure so flying alone is ok as long as the music is good and i can chat to myself without getting shitty comments back then all is cool

My little baby can cruise at anything from 60mph to 85mph hands off.

So when flying with trikes I let them go ahead of me for 5 minutes. Them at 50mph and me at 60 mph we are always in radio contact but I finally pass them at around 30 minutes - their time . So if we are landing every hour which I will do in this case by the time I land and taxi back I hear them calling overhead the airfield.

If we are landing every 2 hours then I will give them 10 minutes headstart. etc Works like a dream.

On a long trip I put my cellphone earpieces in my ears and put the headsets over it. You won't believe how clear you hear and how easy itis to phone while flying. The nice thing is that you can phone people when you have to divert to other fields etc. while you are flying and it basically costs nothing. I also have a small firstaid kit with water and matches. 2 x 500ml spare oil. A leatherman. and a 10 spanner and ellen key to adjust the wing.