Future Pilot Profile.

Something a little different today, over the past month or so, a young aviator has been quietly training every day here at Lydd. Seeing as it his last day with us was on Saturday, I leapt on the opportunity to ask him a few questions after his 'qualifying cross country' in G-EOMI (the last major milestone before the final skills test of a PPL)

Nic has been training with us at Lydd since mid June and has managed to complete all of the ground exams and training up until his qualifying cross country in a very short time, going solo in just over 11 hours. 

Here are Mr Nicola Avitabile's answers to my questions about his Six Week Intensive PPL Course.

Firstly, I asked Nic to tell us a little bit about himself. 

"I was born in Singapore in 1998, with Italian parents. We soon moved to Bangkok and then to Hong Kong. I've been living in Hong Hong since 2002 and that's what I now call my home. At around the age of 11 i figured out that flying was for me and when I turned 16 I flew over here to the UK to commence my PPL training, with the support of my parents."

And then what made him want to learn to fly.

First Solo

"I believe it all started with a video game I had bought, 'Flight Simulator'. I started off with just a mouse and keyboard and after 3 years, I had a full simulator set up in my house. I then went off to gain some work experience with various different aviation related businesses which only made me fall more in love with planes. I recently got myself a job at a simulator centre and after 6 months of working, whilst also attending school, I've decided its time to start my career."


What his dream job would be and why. 

"I can think of nothing more I'd rather do than be an Airline Pilot with 'Cathay Pacific.' Not only do you get to fly hundreds of people around the world, but I reckon the pride an airline pilot has for getting their passengers safely from point A to point B is beyond what any other job can offer."


As I mentioned, Nic has taken most of his PPL with Lydd Aero Club during his school holidays, as a young man of only 16, travelling this far on his own must have been enough of a worry, without the added stress of learning to fly. Therefore I asked him what the biggest challenges he faced while learning to fly were. 

"I reckon the most challenging part of the flying has been the multi-tasking that comes with the navigational aspects. I found that having to talk on the radio, maintain the correct heading and altitude, while also keeping track of where you are on the chart, is highly demanding. But, as time went by and my hours built, I gained much more confidence and figured out that there is a lot to be said for the phrase 'Navigate, Aviate, Communicate'"

Departing Runway 21

Now that Nic's time with us has come to an end I was curious to know where he would go next after leaving Lydd, and what highlights he will take away with him.  

"The next step for me is to finish my high school diploma. On top of that i still have my Skills Test to look forward to back here at Lydd in October. But, once that's done, I will be applying for a variety of different cadet programmes, first and foremost will be the Cathay cadet program. As for the highlights I have really enjoyed; Meeting everyone at the Club and talking with such a lovely bunch of fellow aviation enthusiasts.
Doing my first landing,
Taking off ahead of an Airbus on long final at Southend.
Steep turns took my breath away!
The motivational speeches and advice given to me by the senior staff.
 Rob's constant quizzing about planes.
And my qualifying cross country flight."




 I also asked Nic if he had any advice of his own that he would be able to pass on to other young people who were or are undergoing flying training. 

A Pilot's Selfie

"The best advice I is first off, get a simulator. It's not exactly the best for practical skills but the technical knowledge you can gain is a great start. Secondly, inform yourself. It is vital to know what the requirements are to become a pilot and what type of routes there are to get a job. Finally if you can get a few hours of flying experience,  if you intend to apply for a cadet program, it will really highlight your interest."





Finally, I asked if Nic had any other comments he'd like to share and his reply was; 

"I would just like to thank everyone at the club for their constant help and commitment on helping me work towards my PPL. It is truly, highly appreciated and my time here has been an unforgettable experience."


Personally, I would also like to thank Nic for keeping my days interesting, I'd also like to wish him the very very best of luck with his school diploma and look forward to seeing him again in October! 

If you would like to follow Nic in his aviation training, click on the links below to his instagram and YouTube channel. 

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/321MrBest

Instagram - https://instagram.com/nictheitalian/

The Future Of Aviation.

Today, now that the commercial media storm has passed at Lydd. I can write to you about my 'Aircraft of the Month' for July.
I'm sure some of you have heard that a very important aircraft was due to depart from Lydd (EGMD) on Friday the 10th of July for its first, and longest flight across the channel to Calais (LFAC).


The aircraft in question, was The Airbus E-Fan. The first all electric aircraft that is due to be put into production by Airbus by around 2017. The aim of which, in the short term, is to vastly reduce the Co2 emissions of light aircraft in the general aviation industry, and for flight training. Eventually, Airbus Group Innovations and its partners aim to move from the 2-seater platform, currently being exhibited in the E-fan, up to a 4-seater, and, in the future, to a 150 seat commercial airliner.

Fortunately for me, I had the very unique opportunity to take a very close look at this aircraft as it was being assembled in the hangar at Lydd last week. It goes without saying that the importance of an aircraft like this is huge. The environmental benefits would be staggering, (when you disregard the cost of production at this early stage). And, to have had the chance to witness this remarkable plane in action for its first cross channel flight, allow me to give you my perspective;

Walking up to this aircraft, I was surprised at how small it was. Understandably so, considering that its two 32kW Siemens motors are small enough to fit in a lunch box. Spanning 30.8ft (9.4m) and standing 6.5ft (2m) the aircraft is similar to a mid sized microlight.


The E-Fan project originated during the Paris Air Show in 2011. The aim of which was to revolutionise the aviation training industry by producing a 2 seater training aircraft. The company who decided to take on this massive challenge was Airbus Group Innovations, along with Aerocomposites Saintonge. Designs for the first E-Fan were developed later that year, with a final a 'go-ahead' for the technology demonstrator (F-WILE) given in 2012. Once produced the demonstrator went through an accelerated development and construction phase which meant that the E-Fan was unveiled at the 2013 Paris Air Show. Following on afterwards, the demonstrator F-WILE also made appearances at the Farnborough Air Show and the ILA Berlin Air Show.

After assembly at the airport on Thursday,
F-WILE taxied to the runway for an initial test  flight which was unfortunately cancelled due to a radio interference issue. This meant the aircraft had to return to the hangar. A short while later F-WILE re-emerged and began its taxi run back to the runway for its test flight In full view of the press, with both chase helicopters hovering nearby, the Airbus E-Fan took off at 16:30 (local) and flew for a total of 15 minutes before touching down at 16:45 (local).


The next morning, the airport was flooded with every broadcasting agency imaginable, hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of camera equipment were focus on F-WILE and its test pilot Monsieur Didier Esteyne.


















After walking the aircraft to parking stand 'Delta' (just in front of the restaurant), Monsieur Esteyne began giving interviews to many different cameras, while swarms of photographers clambered to get the best angle on the aircraft itself. After around 20 minutes, Monsieur Esteyne began fitting his parachute and emergency beacon, clambering into the cockpit and running through the systems.

All the while the press were still badgering for a few words and a good picture. All I can say is; as a student pilot, I can think of nothing worse than trying to perform internal checks while having a photo lens rammed up my nose!

Soon the time came for departure, the press were asked to retreat to the safety of the viewing area, the chase helicopters started the engines and positioned themselves. And, without any warning and with no drama or finesse, F-WILE just started to move. Any radio controlled aircraft enthusiasts who are reading will know exactly how the E-Fan sounds when its moving, but for those of you who do not, it sounds remarkably similar to a hand-held drill.

 The aircraft lined up on runway 21 and was cleared for take off, in no more than 300ft or so, the E-Fan was airborne and began a shallow climb to around 1000ft, turning right at about 400ft. Just like that, the first all electric cross channel flight was under way. 

I am reliably informed that 43minutes later, the E-Fan (F-WILE) and Didier arrived safely at Calais (LFAC) accompanied by its chase helicopters and was welcomed with open arms.  

For me personally, this aircraft marks the beginning of a long and exciting road to development. I am very much looking forward to hearing more about these electric aircraft and Airbus's future developments. I hope that the electric aircraft, does for AVGAS, what the electric car did for classic motor enthusiasts. Meaning that for all the air work that needs to be done in the future, where there is no need for display, noise or leisure, can be done by these brilliant work horses. Graciously leaving our skies clear at weekends, to make way for the noise, power and spectacle of of a piston driven or jet aircraft, because no one goes to an air show just to look at a Spitfire.    

Sources; Airbusefan.com, Airbus Group Innovations, www.airbusgroup.com

I'm Back.

As some of you are aware, I have been on a short break from the flying at the moment, hence the lack of blog updates. I am however very pleased to announce that normal service can now resume and the blog posts will keep coming.


In case you were wondering, my short break consisted of a visit up to Treforest in Wales, to stay with a great mate of mine (Jack). The reason I'm writing about this fact is because Jack, much like myself, is a very keen young aviator and shares many of the same interests as me. Now, Jack attends the University Of South Wales and its Air Squadron and I was lucky enough to be invited up for the annual summer ball hosted at their operating base at RAF St. Athan. An interesting experience as I have never been to a UAS event and was extremely surprised to find that it was absolutely nothing like what I expected. I expected it to be much like the Air Cadet events that both Jack and I used to attend when we ourselves were in the Air Training Corps, but, as I mentioned, it was nothing like that.

Jack and I at the Sun 'n' Fun Airshow in Florida
2012

Once I get hold of Jack again I shall write another post all about the University Air Squadron with his help, but for now, the best thing I can say is; if any of you who are reading are pursuing a career in aviation and attend a university that has an air squadron. GO JOIN!



On to some more flight training, I have devised a time table that I aim to stick to for at least July that should give me around 32 hours over the month, putting me well on track for completion of the course by the end of my apprenticeship. I am very very pleased to tell you all that I have now flown the Robin solo, and took it for a wonderful local flight in the glorious weather we have been having recently also on my own.

route plan (SkyDemon)

As you can see here, the route I had chosen to take would give me about 45 minutes in the air. As the was a VFR (visual flight rules) flight I did not use any GPS equipment and had only my chart with me. It was a fantastic and pleasant flight and a real wonder to be able to do it by myself. For those that know about it it also gave me a unique perspective of operation stack.

 Here are the very few pictures I was able to take/have taken from my flight. I'm hoping soon to get the appropriate mount for my camera so as to capture some more in flight stuff as I go along. As it stands I now have over 15 flying hours of which 2 are solo.





Now that I have returned from my break, I shall be updating the blog as often as possible. For now, I need to get hold of Jack for you, I hear he is away volunteering with the UAS at Cosford. Also I am looking out for an aircraft of the month for July to cover for the end of the month.
Thank you all for reading, and sorry to have kept you waiting for this post.