When Mr May needed to get from a Top Gear shoot to another location last year, he hired a heli.

He writes. He acts. Convincingly.

*Engage Pedant mode*

James May writes.....

"Some of you will want to write in and direct me to the sycamore seed, but, strictly speaking, that is an autogiro. So there."

Someone write in and tell him Autogiro was a trademark name. Gyroplane would be more correct.

*Disengage Pedant mode*

I bumped into him on 31st May at Goodwood. He looked like an overgrown student. In fact I'm sure he IS an overgrown student.

And I agree, he is an actor but then, aren't we all? ;)

I'm sure FLY 7 has a point about jealousy - as someone told me once, anyone can fly a plane (which you just trim out & go to sleep from boredom), but only a few posess enough skill & precision to fly helicopters!

I'm quite happy to stick with that, and the fact that I can normally land much closer to a beer than plank pilot - part of the laziness, I suppose, but I can live with that! :ok:

Enjoyed the article though - got to give him credit for good writing!

james may
 

i think he jealous, even though he got the rolls soft top for beer drinking sessions , its not as satifying as flying a rotary aicraft well, and when your finished you can have that beer , come on james we challenge you to try a few hours see how you get on?? bit like being gay, you never know till you try helispeediii [not gay]

Ah, what a fantastic bit of literature!!

The subject is immaterial. I really really enjoyed reading that piece.

For those of you who seem to have taken his point of view at face value...I think you have missed the point completley.

That man May can write...... Reminds me of "Oh my best Beloved"

DB

Oh he can write! Look at the reaction he's got! It's all to wind the Hamster up,should be good for the new series, lots of fixed wing v's heli's banter.:ok:

Ohh bloody <biiip> :hmm: ..

Mr. James May. Nice writing, I'll give you that :ok: - if you read here on pprune ..

Now, comparing women to helicopters, you are absolutely right, Spot on. But being afraid of nearing a helicopter then, doesn't that say more about you and your skills with women :E ??

Remember, runways are only for Beauty Queens. Us "chumpa-chumpa"-pilots don't really need them. We don't need to show off on a shiny wooden floor before getting airborn, we just grab flying by its balls and show off when we get airborn ..
Because Mr. May. How fast can you fly sideways and backwards in your little shiny Cessna 172 ?? - How slow do you dare to fly ??

Let me add: Normal airplanes like your Cessna are like American cars, they really don't like to corner, they prefer to go straight ahead if you let them pick. Helicopters on the other hand, they just loooove cornering ;) ..

Best Regards;
madman - an absolute TopGear fan :} ..

Guys....Guys....(Ladies too)....lighten up!

That was a very funny article....and he seems to be stepping on some corns as I read the responses!

Shy is right behind him in the humour department and plainly saw the story for what it was.....plain good fun!

Now just imagine, if they could start a flight version of Top Gear.

"And this week, we put Billie Piper into the Bell 47 to see how she goes around our testing hover taxi course.

Following that, Jeremy, James and the Hampster each have to make an aircraft out of a car and fly across the channel with the winner being first to down a beer at the Brittany pub.

Finally, the Stig puts the latest S76C++ through its paces on the helicopter race course."

In retrospect, I guess it would be better without that Clarkson buffoon.

OK James, if you read Pprune, here's an open offer to you - an hour in a Schweizer for an hour in a Cessna and let's see if you can convince me that fixed wing is more fun. :}

Cheers

Whirls

Whirly: is that a fun hour airborne or a fun hour .. er.. shall I say.. not airborne?

Sorry Whirls .. couldn't resist it. Feel free to castigate me.

Regards

Cron.

Cron, consider yourself slapped. By one who slaps.

An hour airborne of course; it's a Schweizer with dual controls. I cannot comfortably comprehend anything else in that aircraft for an hour. :eek:

Cheers

Whirls

I know that piloting a helicopter requires skill, however flying to New York or Hong Kong or wherever in one is not really practical is it? Helicopters have their uses but they are somewhat limited in many respects. As for "anyone can fly a plane (you just trim it out & go to sleep from boredom)" .......that comment is either meant as a wind up or it is a startling display of ignorance/arrogance.

No, one rspect; flying to New York or Hong Kong :}


http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...s/38bd6a41.jpg

Cheers

Whirls

PJ,

You're easily startled, old chap. Are you from the USA?

P.S. this whole thread is a wind-up.

I wouldn't mind giving it a Whirl... ;)

My Fair Whirls,

Times getting so bad you have to bribe a feller into going out with you?:oh:

Isn't a sycamore seed nothing more than an object shaped so that it can autorotate? It is neither an autogyro nor a gyroplane.

As Mr May has been fortunate enough to have a whirl in a Harrier, I think we would have to do a lot of convincing in this plank/rotary competition! :(

Whirls,

Also limited in the payload department are they not? as well as the range department, oh and they don't fly very fast so get a bit of a headwind component and its a bit of a bummer. They are pretty maintenance intensive per flying hour too....
Helicopters are uniquely very useful for certain tasks. i have no issue with that. Helicopter pilots more skilled than fixed wing?......well i'd have to take up cudgels with you on that point! Its just a different skill. You are not "sky gods".

ShyTorque,
No, not american.....i just lack your apparent pomposity.

Kind regards.

Looks like it Sassy Dahling :{

Still, May get an offer or two :ok:

News to me :confused:

Oh, and Private jet - we are Sky Gods; most of us can fly fixed wing as well but took the sensible route.

Cheers

Whirls