Why I fly and why I
Each flight holds a memory for me with so many favourite moments to choose from in what is such a short career tbh but the reason I fly helis can be put down to two people. 1. Noel Edmunds for getting his JR on bbc kids to as many times as he could; and 2, My father for saying one day while I was working a corporate 9-5 "I don't know why you don't do your flying - you've always wanted to"
Best moments well they're...
1. My first lesson in a 22 out of Southend and thinking "wow" whilst the instructor was doing pirouettes showing me as he said "what this baby can do"
2. Some 11 years after my first 2 lessons (I then stopped for financial reasons - a corp 9-5 can do that) and about 2 weeks into training start - going solo. I recall that "ohh feeling as I turned left base for the first time" and the radio conversation with exec tower when he asked me to use the parallel taxiway to avoid waiting for incoming traffic, "unable Helicopter 243EH" "But you're a helicopter" - "yes I know but I'm also a student on first solo and my instructor gave me specific instructions, so I'll wait", "ok but you're a helicopter", "Affirm, unable, will hold". I think the Tower guy liked me after that as he was very pleasant and accommodating over the next few months.
3. By far the best moment and one I waited to do for sometime after returning home from assignment, and that was to surprise my father after arranging to meet my parents for lunch at a local restaurant where I had landed behind, to have him come out after dinner and look at my new car in the back car park. My father is scared of heights but took left seat in the 44 for his first ever ride in a heli, which was a rapid London sightseeing trip, as dusk was approaching followed by a really confined landing back in the garden. He loved it and I felt fulfilled to give the guy that pushed me that experience.
Last edited by PDMG; 17th Jan 2016 at 13:04.
Reason: Sp