Member Articles

Heather McCann's story of how she got to fly biz jets

My job is a little different from the standard flying job in the UK. I fly a Hawker 800XP for Netjets Europe. Netjets can be best described as a corporate airline catering for those folks who used to fly Concorde or First Class but with the flexibility of your own jet. So how does an Australian end up flying in Europe on a bizjet?

I started flying in Australia many years ago. It was my second career. I started as a lab technician at uni when I caught the flying bug. After flying every thing part time I was qualified and ready to work. I went to the Kimberly region of Australia (ie the North West) and worked for a charter company doing scenics and general charter flying. After a couple of years of that I headed to Broome and became a Coastwatch pilot. After a few years flying an Islander I headed east to get a proper job.

I flew Bandeirantes and Twin Otters for a small airline in Cairns, Queensland and finally Dash 8's for a Qantas regional. Then I got the travel bug. I came to the UK in April 2001 and set about converting my licenses. After much effort and pain that was done in 2002.

I tried to get into EasyJet where my husband works but wasn't successful. So after a while I got a job with Netjets. Now all that bush and charter experience has paid off. No two days are the same. Certainly it's rare to visit the same airport twice in a tour, let alone in a day. The Hawker has a good range and is very flexible. It can operate into London City with no problem and get all the way to Moscow.

On any given day we could be flying to Iceland or to Morocco or even to parts of the Middle East or Russia! Customer service is paramount and we do get to meet some very interesting people. Unlike the airlines, we load the bags and sort the catering out too. Also we don't have a door so we have a lot more contact with who's travelling with us. That's something I do enjoy.

If a routine job doesn't appeal, definitely give the corporate world a look.

What Caledonian Seaplanes taught us about flying
By Beverley Harrison

Location: Drummond Hotel at St. Fillans at the east-most end of Loch Earn and a mere two hours from Edinburgh. (00407W 56 24N)

Time: Most arrived in the afternoon of 5th September and all departed during the morning of 8th September. At least I avoided the long drive either end of flying - although conversely no one else was back in the office by lunchtime! Thus my election to do the writing.

Our instructor, chief everything and mentor was Marilynn McDonald, ably assisted by "Buttercup" and umpteen ducks trying to teach us how to do it properly.

Personnel on the September BWPA course/flying days were: Wendy and Paul Ryder, Lucy and Andy (plus dogs), Sophie, plus her mother Eleanor and Beverley

Weather: good floats flying weather was anything to produce smooth water, or as close as it is possible in Scotland. So..

evening of the 5th / good, fit for floats flying.

6th / started well if changeable. Marilynn flew lots in order to get everyone through at least once and everyone's activity of the evening before paid off, although lulled us into assuming things would always work. Towards the end of the day glorious sunshine, but increasingly rougher water, so not a fit surface.

7th / good walking weather. Happy dogs, but no flying.

Early morning 8th / when most were thinking of departing, it was raining hard at 07:00, yet

steadily getting better thereafter. Flyable (maybe) by 08:30. Stable at 09:00. Two more of us flew. Great learning points.

We were all weather watching, even when not flying, since the mountain environment is different. I had been trying for ages to get an instructor to get into the detail that was then covered in the two days plus at St. Fillans, on Loch Earn. Getting so close to the hills concentrates the mind and is unavoidable flying off a loch surface at just over 300 ft. surrounded by mountains and hills rising to over 2,000 ft! Conversly it proved earlier reminders to use gliding techniques like lift, in this case from the ridge immediately below.

It is good to stretch the flying experience range doing something entirely different, in this case flying a Piper Super Cub with added challenge of the floats and all the associated extra discipline of the water environment

For all of us it was a good few days amongst other pilots from BWPA and others also passing through the seaplane experience at Loch Earn. It made me get out more from Fife-Glenrothes amongst other local Scottish airfields!

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To Microlight or what to Microlight that is the question?
Rosemary Simpson answers a few of your questions and invites you to go microlighting in Kent

Question: It's dangerous isn't it? The aircraft are made from scrap heap parts and it's engines look good on a strimmer!

Answer: No No NO ladies! (women doesn't sound right in this context). The accident reports do not support the 'dangerous' perception. The aircraft are all certified to one of the toughest standards in Europe, called Section S. Their Rotax engines are now used on light aircraft too.

Aircraft that have an all up weight on take off of less than 450kg are classified as microlights. So there are makes of aircraft that can be registered as light aircraft or microlights depending on their owner's choice of engine size etc. You'll be able to fly fast or slow machines, basic or well equipped, flex wing or fixed wing--the choice is yours.

If you want to do boring flying then you can do that in a new whizzy microlight, the Ikarus C42. It looks like a light aircraft, flies as fast as a spam can, has a cockpit without too many air holes and

even has a heater! However, if you want to try a basic "seat of your knickers" flying machine that is FUN to fly at only 45kt then there is the opportunity to do that too.

Admittedly microlighting is even more male dominated than light aircraft flying. Of 50 members in KMAC only 3 women are pilots. Part of the problem is the capital outlay needed to own or part own a microlight. However the rules have changed recently and it is now possible to hire a microlight in nearly the same way as a light aircraft. I painted the outside of our house [developing repetitive strain syndrome!] to "earn" my first microlight. It was bright blue and yellow. You didn't want to know about the engine did you?

To get more information about microlighting or if you want to learn to fly e-mail me at rorosimpson@supanet.com or see my web site http://www.flights-with-rosie.co.uk/.

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