Northern Pilots

[foxmoth]

Having recently moved just North of Manchester I wanted to join a group, ideally round an RV 7 or 8, unable to find an existing one I thought there has to be interest in setting one up - just about there now fingers crossed but I am surprised by the lack of interest, one of my prospective members did comment "most Northern pilots seem to prefer spam cans for a quick cup of tea at Sleap rather than anything with decent performance ! All the shares in RVs seem to be down South." whilst there are one or two interesting aircraft around there does not seem to be anything like the number that I saw down South, is there a reason for this?:confused:

[Heston]

Do whippets like RVs? I'm sure they're more comfortable in a spam can :)

[9 lives]

rather than anything with decent performance !

"Performance" as chosen by an aircraft owner/operator can have a widely varied basis. It can include economy, ease of maintenance, ease of insurance, ease of taxiing near snowbanks, hedges or long grass, rough ground capability, and other considerations. I would think that pilots choosing the aircraft that they fly, and perhaps make available to others have factored many of these aspects...

Or.... be innovative, and take up there the aircraft of your choice!

[foxmoth]

Step,
I think most will understand what the remark about performance (not my remark BTW) is meant to mean here and in context the RV fits pretty well, even taking your comments it fits many of them!
This is not so much a discussion about performance though but more about why there is such a N/S split - in Canada for instance there is a reason you see more float planes than in the UK, but my question is about different types being less common in one area of a Country than another - it is not as if the airfields/airspace/weather is that different up North than down South!
As far as being innovative and taking up the aircraft of my choice goes, if you read my post that is exactly what I am doing!:rolleyes:

[9 lives]

As far as being innovative and taking up the aircraft of my choice goes, if you read my post that is exactly what I am doing!:rolleyes:

Ah, okay.. I misunderstood, I thought you were looking to join an RV group to use their aircraft, I did not realize you were taking one up there.

whilst there are one or two interesting aircraft around there does not seem to be anything like the number that I saw down South, is there a reason for this?:confused:

Perhaps the people of the north just find a different type of aircraft interesting....

I'll travel to other parts of the world and see greater numbers of certain types of aircraft there, perhaps because they thrive there, which they might not in another locale. I see lots of PA-28 types in the UK, where you just don't see so many of those in other areas, they don't work as well... (just an example).

[bartonflyer]

If there isn't a hook to hang a flat cap then it's just not worth flying in :rolleyes:

[Curlytips]

I suppose that means in South East corner there should be lots of people wearing berets due to the pre-ponderance of Robin aircraft. They must breed here because it's close to home.....

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

I noticed this in many decades flying from Barton. Most local pilots were well wedded to spammy stuff and were fully signed up members of the Flat Earth society; with a handful of exceptions.

We even had a Citabria on the LAC Club fleet for a while at less per hour than a C150! Only a few of us flew it! Most shied away from tail wheels and aeros despite having one of the very instructors in both arts on site! Tailwheels and aeros or, at more cost, a boring C150 straight and level wheelbarrow? I'd have thought "no contest", but the Citab didn't pay through lack of use and got sold off.

If the Tiger Club had been based up north it would have sold off its Stampes, Tiger Moths, etc and bought C150s and PA38s!

No, I don't begin to understand it!

[thing]

Might be peculiar to Manchester and northwards. I fly from Lincs and there's a variety of stuff at the clubs around here (including an RV8 literally down the road from me on a private strip). We have a well used Firefly at our club and one of the lads has a Cap10. There are other tail draggy type aircraft owned by members as well. I Also frequent the Yorkshire clubs quite a bit and there's a similar variety of craft. You ought to drop into Breighton some time!

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

Yes, the few of us Bartonites who were not flat earthers were drawn to Breighton frequently!

Perhaps the excess of flat earthers in the Manchester area is due to the presence of that bleedin big airport encouraging 'hours builders' and airline wannabes? But hey, there's two even bigger airports in the SE!

[thing]

Could also be down to pure statistics. More people, more airfields darn sarf. There's not much north from here in terms of GA until you get to Scotland where it seems to pick up again. If I flew north from where I am I would pass reasonably close to Sherburn, Breighton, Beverley and than nothing until Eshott. Then nothing again until Dundee. If I fly south there are more airfields than you can shake a stick at.

Of course there are other strips but I'm talking about places where you could a least get a bacon butty and a cuppa.

Edit: Forgot Full Sutton and Bagby in my northwards trek before I get my head nailed to the ground.

[ETOPS]

foxmoth

By some strange coincidence there is an RV-7 group forming at Barton at the moment.

You may be the chap I've been in contact with about joining but are hidden behind your Pprune ID...........

[foxmoth]

You may be the chap I've been in contact with about joining but are hidden behind your Pprune ID...........

As of course are you, meeting up Saturday 6pm hopefully at the Barton airfield restaurant or PM me if you do not have my email:ok:

[1.3VStall]

foxmoth,

If you have any interest in a quarter share of a Jodel DR100A based on a farm strip NW of Manchester pm me.

The Jodel may not have the performance of an RV, but it's fun flying - and cheap too! (Oh and it feels more comfortable than flying over unlandable areas around Barton).

[mrmum]

Thing,
Maybe a second edit required? How about fabulous Fishburn, with it's new clubhouse. Possibly even Peterlee, not so sure about the catering there though.

[thing]

Does Fishburn have a caff now? Thought Peterlee was meatbombers, tend to steer clear of those places.

[N707ZS]

You won't get a bacon butty at Bagby if Mr Happy is on duty, the café was self service last time I visited, ie machine.

[flybymike]

Mr Happy won't be very happy about you calling him Mr Happy.;)

[ericferret]

Spam cans and boring Cessna 150's.

One of our female residents takes her 150 regularly around europe and beyond.
Romania and the edge of the Sahara (Ouarzazate in Morroco) being a couple of the many oversea destinations visited.

Seems to me that it is a case of not how big it is but what you do with it!!!!!!!

The 150 might get you there slowly(and cheaply) but you still have to go in the first place.
Ambition is more important then aircraft type.

Plenty of aircraft around with decent performance and attendent poseurs both up North and down South.

[N707ZS]

flybymike, that's a nice way to describe him, we were spoilt with Phil even John Dundon had manners and ran a good café.

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

ericferret - you miss the point. C150 is a perfectly capable aeroplane. But really awful to fly.

[foxmoth]

Ambition is more important then aircraft type.

Depends what you want to do, I have every respect for someone who tours Europe in a C150 but it is certainly not what I want to do in my flying - personally I want something I can turn upside down, ideally two up (yes the 150 Aerobat can do that but it is not one I enjoy greatly) and when I go somewhere I do not want to spend hours getting there. I have no problem with people who want to fly spamcans, just surprised that, when there are aircraft around that are SOOO much nicer to fly, how few in my area seem to be interested!

[V_J]

We certainly do have a cafe!

Take a look here... (www.facebook.com/430722603685687/photos/a.430841270340487.1073741826.430722603685687/849008778523732/?type=1&permPage=1)





Richard
Fishburn Aviation

[astir 8]

Since when is Manchester the North? :=

Just a bunch of southern nambie pambies from where I sit, and even then there's still another 100 miles to go northwards before you hear a loud splash!

[BoeingBoy]

It's true that there is little in way of 'interesting' aircraft in the North West. They do exist of course but are privately owned and few are shared.

Several years ago I tried to put together a ten man group around a Stampe and struggled to get enough members even when advertising at Barton/Blackpool/Liverpool/Sleap/Woodvale and even in the airline crew rooms at Manchester.

Spamcans rule up north, and I can't mock as I bought an Archer this year!!

:uhoh:

[funfly]

Could it be that them down south seem to be better off and maybe a bit cocky compared with us up here in the North West where we are more working class and perhaps a bit less flashy.

Head down :rolleyes:

FF

[funfly]

On a more serious note, I bought an all-singing/all-dancing aircraft with glass screen etc. and deeply regretted that I didn't buy an Archer with conventional instrumentation.

There is a lot to be said for having an aircraft that not only is well tried and tested, has reliability history and - importantly - can be maintained virtually anywhere. Loads of other pilots with experience to offer when you have questions and loads of history when it comes to advice.

That's my two penneth…

FF