Another "Pedant"
 

Have you seen Mr. Clarkson driving? Thank God he wont takeflying up as a hobby and ...... what the hell does "pedants" mean and why would the CAA want them up there? ... (Plainly, it only wants pedants up there) Over!

Very funny article, how true
The two people :
"two private plane enthusiasts who never once talked about the speed of their machines or the convenience, or the sheer, unbridled fun of skimming the treetops at 150mph. Instead, they talked for hours about parking and refuelling. "
are probably James May and Colin Goodwin (Autocar) who share a Luscombe at White Waltham.

To be fair, in a Luscombe of limited oomph all you can do is "check your plane for two hours, take off, sit still, speak gibberish into a radio, land, eat cheese and then sit still again till you’re home again."

Regarding Clarkson's wholly accurate comment about boats and naked women, I think boating (of the kind that will attract women, never mind naked ones) is potentially a lot more hassle than flying. Serious boating, as far as I can see, tends to be done by people who are obviously working at most very part-time, and have funds which only a TBM700 owner would match in aviation terms. One has no chance at all of pulling a bird with the sort of boat one would get with a PA28 type of budget. And the utility value of a boat, even the fastest one, is close to zero unless you live in say the Greek islands or Croatia.

He could have written an essentially similar article about any pastime you care to name

That's very true too, but GA is the one pastime which really needs a better image with the public.

WR,

Quite so, I would have liked to seen a similar argument on sports cars. Made me laugh though :D

Pulled the Mrs when I didn't even own a car. Admittedly she now considers she made a terrible mistake, but wit and repartee will always pull a better class of chick than a spamcan.

It's all well easy to judge other people's hobbies when you're well overpaid to try sports cars and make a bit of humorous banter for a living.

I found his books (never bought one, but from what I've read by the shelf at WHS) rather boring and useless.

He reminds me of Chris Moyles, very opinionated pontificator, but still the funniest/most interesting parts of their shows is when their sidekicks speak.

But hey, he's entitled to his opinion just like we are entitled not to listen to / read what he has to say.

And Steve Wright! Why doesn't anyone tell him he's not funny any more? (Was he ever?)

Steve Wright, now thats a man who loves the sound of his own voice! Boring as f@#k!

Clarkson loves to be controversial, I quite like his non pc attitude in this day and age, I wouldnt take what he says too seriously!

Was James May the presenter who "flew" that Cessna from Cannes to the UK, only to get "beaten" by a car?

"Was James May the presenter who "flew" that Cessna from Cannes to the UK, only to get "beaten" by a car?"

Absolutely, and if they had used an aircraft of equal value to the Bugatti Veyron, say a malibu meridian, even with the penalty of the first hour on mopeds they would have been back in the UK before JC had made his 15th fuel stop somewhere near Dijon.

Funny how the car always wins.

Personally I almost always use aircraft to go somewhere (work related) and funnily enough they save me a heck of a lot of time and stress.

Best not tell that to JC though.

SB

Am loving how many people here have got their knickers in a twist about this. Nice work, Mr Clarkson!

http://www.helicopter-redeye.com/XX%...0Sheffield.jpg

Sea King from the Romeo Alpha Foxtrot skimming the River Delta Oscar November (Don) in Sheffield (I see no adenoids..)


Hotel-Romeo Out.


NB Library Picture from the Bravo Bravo Charlie

Since we're on the subject of Clarkson and we're hardly ever off the subject of GPS, here's a story that features both...


Saturday's Telegraph featured a much more sympathetic article involving private flying from the ever-excellent Michael Wright - here.

The car vs aircraft race was a bit of a farce, if they had not set of at a time that JM was going to run out of daylight then it would have been a whitewash the other way round. And if he thinks flying is boring I think Clarkson should come down to UH and try the Top Gun profile in the Extra.:ooh:

I love witty people,the more absurd the better but in my own humble opinion,I find JC a bigheaded git and he just bores me to distraction.I especially,"liked" his comment about light a/c noise disturbing peoples peace.I suppose its different when he roars down the street in his Ferrari,posing in his shades and looking around to see if anybodys looking.
T....R. :rolleyes:

I thought the article was a hoot...........

I've never seen so many knickers in twists than I've seen here and on the other side in the last 24 hours.

C'mon Gen aviators, lighten up.

Cusco:rolleyes:

Also if May had gotten his night rating it would have been different. Although I don't think he would have tried to land at London City somehow.

Sorry. Knickers slowly beginning to unwind as we speak.:hmm:http://www.pprune.org/forums/images/icons/umph.gif

You've got to giggle! :D lol

I don't know what has made me laugh more the original article or the indignant posts from the anoraks defending themselves!!!!!

:p