Today I was planning to make use of the long weekend for some XC flying for no better reason than to do some flying.
Turned up at the school/club to find that aerobatics were on offer in 30min sessions. I signed up straight away.
A fantastic experience that I'd recommend to everyone. First time I've ever worn a parachute, followed by 60 seconds of induction training in use of said parachute
Up and away in a Slingsby Firefly 260. Incredible performance compared to a PA28 / DiamondStar / C172. I had control for the easiest 60 degree turns to get things started. Then loop the loop twice before I get to take control. Incredible fun and a real feel of the Gs (+3, -1.5).
On to aileron rolls. Oh dear. I didn't like these at all. Great to fly but they caused my ears and stomach to disengage
and it was time for some straight and level. A couple of minutes to recover then back into a few more steep level turns - so much easier in this aircraft.
Next onto a spin. I still wasn't feeling 100% but wanted to see what a spin was like, for future reference of course. So off we went. We didn't turn as fast as expected and I followed through on the controls. By now I was going green so didn't want to recover from one on my own and our time was almost up so we headed back to the field.
Although it made my head spin (literally) it was an amazing experience and one I'd recommed to anyone here who hasn't given it a try. I'm looking forwards to doing this again later in the summer and to try a spin recovery, another loop and perhaps a barrel roll.
