Project Propeller 2009

[DX Wombat]

This seems an appropriate time to bring this to your attention. If any of you ladies and gentlemen can help PLEASE do. Pilots (and aircraft) are always needed to convey these wonderful veterans to their destination. It is very difficult to convey in words the sheer joy of this event. It is a privilege to be able to fly a veteran to their destination and the cost of a day's flying is a small price to pay for what they did for us. I've got the club's C152 booked already. Hope to see some of you there. :ok:
Project Propeller (http://www.projectpropeller.co.uk/)
AA hope you can avoid this date for the Duxford Cessna Fly-In 2009.
This thread has also been posted in the Military Forum as I hope some of the ladies and gentlemen from there may be able to volunteer their services too.

[AMEandPPL]

This sounds like a fantastic scheme, and my first thought is how much I'd like to help. I'm a part-owner PPL, so aircraft availability is not a problem. Nor, frankly, is the cost (as you rightly said ! ). I have taken many folk, old and young, for "fun" flights over many years.

My nagging doubt is this . . . . . . what if everything is set up, then on the appointed day the weather is a bit iffy ? I'm one of those who only has a basic PPL, never bothered even with an IMC rating. If I can't see where I'm going, I'd rather stay on the ground.

I would just so HATE to dash the hopes and dreams of expectant veterans if the planned flight was not one I'd be comfortable with. And I'd hate even more the possibility that I might, myself, feel pressurised or duty bound to press on in such a circumstance . . . . . potentially with unmentionable consequences.

I hope I'm not totally alone in having this nagging doubt ?

[Shunter]

AME, I wouldn't let such concerns bother you. There are plenty of basic PPLs who attend the event. It was the best flying day out I've had since I got my license a couple of years ago and I'd recommend it to anyone. I've stayed in touch with the 2 chaps I flew down, and we've been up a couple of times since then. I'll certainly be back in 2009.

The only skills you'll need are 1) quick and accurate on the radio, and 2) nice and slick in the landing and vacation; purely due to the volume of traffic. I believe the landing rate at Old Warden this year was higher than a Heathrow rush hour.

PS. Plenty of time to get an IMC rating done before PP comes around :ok:

[AMEandPPL]

purely due to the volume of traffic

Thanks for that !

Sounds like some PFA rallies I flew into at Cranfield many years ago . . . . . .

"Golf -* *, Finals, contact six ahead " ! !

[DX Wombat]

"Golf -* *, Finals, contact six ahead " ! ! Nearly as good as at Halfpenny Green then - EIGHT ahead! ;) Landing at OW was interesting, so many aircraft arriving at the same time that VATCO didn't get the time to tell me to turn left off the runway so I turned right to where I could see spaces only to be told I should have turned left. :O Never mind, it was a really special day made all the better when, as I left OW for Duxford to refuel, my passenger turned to me and said, "Now I know why you love flying so much." :) He was a former Rear Gunner so hadn't really been able to see much of the countryside he was flying over.
AME, it's a brilliant day and I cannot begin to describe the real joy of it. Seeing those lovely old gentlemen easing themselves out of small aircraft then spotting one or more of their former colleagues (another one still alive!) is pure delight. Have a look at some of the things which have been written in Flyer Forums. 2008 (http://forums.flyer.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=39492&highlight=project+propeller) Photos (http://forums.flyer.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=44623&highlight=project+propeller) I'm a basic PPL and made it to Old Warden this year in one of HAC's C152s. I tried to fly to Bruntingthorpe but it was patently obvious that it would be impossible so went by road as did many others. In spite of the weather a great day was had by all. DO register, it is something you will probably never regret. I'll have KC booked as soon as I can get down to Shobdon on Monday.
My passenger and I enroute to Old Warden. The photo was taken by DJ from Prestwick who was flying with 10W and his veterans. My passenger told me he had not been in a light aircraft for over fifty years. :ok:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v604/DX_Wombat/Flying%202008/USAMay2008167.jpg

A few of the assembled aircraft. Photo also by DJ.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v604/DX_Wombat/Flying%202008/USAMay2008234.jpg

[DX Wombat]

Tut tut, nearly fallen off the forum. :(

[Nibbler]

I've been asking about and have had a few instructors / PPL pilots who were very willing to join in, expect multiple registrations from our flying school!

Such a worthwhile cause.
:D

[hatzflyer]

It has been my pleasure to fly many veterans over the years.I was approached by someone connected to this event a few years back and asked if I could take a veteran who had been let down by another aircraft owner .Upon contacting the said veteran,he made it clear that he was doing me a favour by allowing me to take him!
Come the day,aircraft feulled and ready ,no passenger in site! No phone call, no apology. When I saw him a few weeks later he explained that he had the offer to go in a "better plane " than mine so he went in that one!
Good job that didn't happen in the war!

[S-Works]

I am happy to help again. Last year I did the shuttle flights from Duxford to OW and had a lot of fun, previous years I have taken vets. One year I even drove my guy as the weather was shocking but we still had a good time.

A worthy event and a pleasure to hear some of the stories. I still have my signed copy of Faster than the sun written by Peter Twiss. Fascinating reading.

Lest we forget.....

[C172 Hawk XP]

Come the day,aircraft fuelled and ready, no passenger in sight! No phone call, no apology. When I saw him a few weeks later he explained that he had the offer to go in a "better plane " than mine so he went in that one!

That's disgraceful ! I hope that so-called "veteran" would henceforth be banned from the event !

I'm very interested in taking part next year. Praying for nice weather !

[DX Wombat]

Nibbler - that's excellent news I'm sure you and they, AME and C172 will have a great time. A word of warning, as Bose is well aware, it becomes addictive. :) Also, once Dennis has you on his "Little List" there you remain for evermore. :E
Hatzfkyer - that is absolutely atrocious behaviour. I hope you eventually received an apology.

[Wessex Boy]

I did last year's event 4 months after re-qualifying as a PPL with 2 vets and found it enormously rewarding.
I had to pick mine up from Sywell and it was the first time I have had to do 4 flights in one day, very tiring but great fun.

Having an ex-canberra CFI in the RHS doesn't add to the pressure at all :O

I have registered for next year
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p219/atkinsjs/Project%20Propeller/ProjectPropeller003.jpg
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p219/atkinsjs/Project%20Propeller/ProjectPropeller023.jpg
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p219/atkinsjs/Project%20Propeller/gbozivd1.jpg

[aceflyer-jerz]

I've only just picked up on this thread.
I did Project Propeller for the first time this year 2008, due to the fact that I availed myself a bit late in the day, so I was offered a short straw.
They needed help in the West country. 2 from Dunkewell and 1 from Exeter (Rufus Heald, who helped out by driving to Dunkeswell to join with the others going)
Enthusiastically I said yes, so it was going to be Elstree to Dunkeswell to Old Warden back to Dunkeswell and finally home Elstree. It was going to be a long day.
A bad start was leaving my A/C keys at home, fortunately my Wife got out of bed and came out with my keys and met me half way so that I could keep to my tight schedule.
I arrived on time having run the gauntlet of a fog bank which finished just short of Dunkeswell.
It was a pleasure to meet up with Rufus Heald, not only was it his magazine articles that I used to follow but the fact that in my first year of flying, when I was with friends over a Christmas holiday in Devon I made the arrangements to be checked out at Exeter in an Aerobat to be able to do some local flying there. I'll give you one guess who checked me out.
On our return to the airfield due departing Heavy ahead of us I ended up too high on the approach. Rather than do an orbit Rufus suggested a side slip to lose 1000ft. During my training days I was never taught to sideslip, I knew the basics, so with Rufus's encouragement I did it. It was the best elevator ride I've ever had, Rufus's inspiration made it a doddle, I had control all the way down as I levelled off 20ft over the threshold. It seemed so natural and easy following Rufus's instructions.
We both sat there with a big grin across both our faces as I rolled out to a satisfactory landing. :)
The thing is that I never knew then who it was that I was with, just an old bugger of a CFI I thought. It wasn't until years later when I saw him writing in Pilot mag. that I realized who it was that I was with.
I took my first log book with me when we met again to show him his entry with me in my log book all those years ago. I felt privileged to have received some of the inspiration of such an experienced veteran. It was likewise going to be a privilege to have Rufus on board as my P2.
The others with us, one hadn't flown since the war. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the flying, for them it was over 2hrs, myself twice that, it gave plenty of time to hear many exciting stories of their war years. The event at Old Warden that day was a brilliant, my three were overwhelmed by number of old colleagues they met up with there and what they had in store for them.
I felt very privileged and pleased to have been part of this magnificent reunion experience.
I would certainly like to do it all again, alas ! for the time being I'm without an aircraft, as I carelessly parked mine in lake recently. :(