The Live Lounge

With over thirty years as a weekend warrior privately flying Cessna’s, Arrows and Rockwell Commanders it wasn’t until fate led me to end up with a share in a 2 seater light SportCruiser aircraft that I finally felt that I’d discovered the real fun of flying.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love the bigger aircraft and I have a passion for instrument flying (something you can’t really do in a sport aircraft), however my previous flying usually involved a trip from one hard runway to another, often passing over 4 or 5 grass or farm strips I’d never have the confidence to fly into. But once I’d gotten to grips with the SportCruiser I entered a world where high power to weight ratios and light airframes meant short and gnarly strips were finally within my reach.

As I started to explore the country I found there were so many places you can take a small aircraft, places I’d never heard of, like farmers fields, country fairs and even peoples back gardens. Instead of airport café’s and restaurants I had to take my own lunch and there was no high-visibility jackets to be seen anywhere, just a tee shirt and shorts in the summer and a nice pair of walking shoes.

Most of the time I’d get very limited information if any and with no markings or infrastructure to speak of, just finding the strip from the air was a challenge, but the sense of achievement once you’re safely on the ground is immense, not that there’s usually anyone there to congratulate you.

A few years ago I decided to share, what has now become a passion for me, through filming my flying and publishing it to my little YouTube channel, which I called ‘Short Field’.

I was blown away by the support I’ve had, and now 3 years later we’ve got ourselves a wonderful community of like-minded or just curious individuals that I can honestly say are friends.

During the Private Flyer Fest Show at Wycombe Airpark, I’d like to discuss all aspects of light sport aircraft flying, including discovering, planning and flying too ‘out of the way’ places. I’d also like to answer any questions people may have about starting and developing a YouTube channel and exposing your flying abilities (good and bad) to the public.

The General Aviation Unit (GAU) is the CAA’s dedicated team covers most aspects of sport and leisure aviation plus the regulation of commercial balloon operations and oversight of air shows. It regulates noncomplex aircraft including microlights, amateur built and historic aircraft, balloons, gliders, piston twins and singles up to 5,700kg maximum take-off weight. Members of the unit are specialists in airworthiness, flight operations and licensing. The Team is committed to making effective regulation that supports and encourages a dynamic GA sector.

Private Pilot Jon Hunt, will talk about his 30 year career in broadcasting at the BBC, and how that then led to the inception of The Flying Reporter YouTube channel.

With over thirty years as a weekend warrior privately flying Cessna’s, Arrows and Rockwell Commanders it wasn’t until fate led me to end up with a share in a 2 seater light SportCruiser aircraft that I finally felt that I’d discovered the real fun of flying.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love the bigger aircraft and I have a passion for instrument flying (something you can’t really do in a sport aircraft), however my previous flying usually involved a trip from one hard runway to another, often passing over 4 or 5 grass or farm strips I’d never have the confidence to fly into. But once I’d gotten to grips with the SportCruiser I entered a world where high power to weight ratios and light airframes meant short and gnarly strips were finally within my reach.

As I started to explore the country I found there were so many places you can take a small aircraft, places I’d never heard of, like farmers fields, country fairs and even peoples back gardens. Instead of airport café’s and restaurants I had to take my own lunch and there was no high-visibility jackets to be seen anywhere, just a tee shirt and shorts in the summer and a nice pair of walking shoes.

Most of the time I’d get very limited information if any and with no markings or infrastructure to speak of, just finding the strip from the air was a challenge, but the sense of achievement once you’re safely on the ground is immense, not that there’s usually anyone there to congratulate you.

A few years ago I decided to share, what has now become a passion for me, through filming my flying and publishing it to my little YouTube channel, which I called ‘Short Field’.

I was blown away by the support I’ve had, and now 3 years later we’ve got ourselves a wonderful community of like-minded or just curious individuals that I can honestly say are friends.

During the Private Flyer Fest Show at Wycombe Airpark, I’d like to discuss all aspects of light sport aircraft flying, including discovering, planning and flying too ‘out of the way’ places. I’d also like to answer any questions people may have about starting and developing a YouTube channel and exposing your flying abilities (good and bad) to the public.

The General Aviation Unit (GAU) is the CAA’s dedicated team covers most aspects of sport and leisure aviation plus the regulation of commercial balloon operations and oversight of air shows. It regulates noncomplex aircraft including microlights, amateur built and historic aircraft, balloons, gliders, piston twins and singles up to 5,700kg maximum take-off weight. Members of the unit are specialists in airworthiness, flight operations and licensing. The Team is committed to making effective regulation that supports and encourages a dynamic GA sector.

Private Pilot Jon Hunt, will talk about his 30 year career in broadcasting at the BBC, and how that then led to the inception of The Flying Reporter YouTube channel.

Join us for an inspiring seminar as we delve into the remarkable journey of Captain Suzanne Morgan, a long-haul pilot with British Airways. From her first flight as a child in a vintage glider named Bluebell to commanding the Boeing 777, Suzanne’s story is one of passion, perseverance, and breaking barriers in the aviation industry.