Compton Abbas Latest Club News
Fly Out to Alderney or Kemble?!
And so it was on Friday 7th June 2013, we attempted a fly out to Alderney. After much flight ... more
... planning and preparatory work and a lot of umming and ahhing at the Ops Desk, the merry band of budding fliers decided that the rather ominous blob of bad weather on the rainfall radar, conveniently sitting between EGHA and EGJA, was probably a bit of a show stopper! Not to be too downhearted, the little group decided that there was still some flying to be had to the north and were soon to be heard cogitating on where they could fly to. After lots of banter and male indecision it was decided that the hardy bunch would fly to Kemble for a spot of lunch.
Leaving the Ops girls behind, the little group took to the skies and returned several hours later after a great flight and some light refreshments. It was duly noted that the request of gifts made by the Ops team was ignored, as the lovely girls are still waiting for their presents! Maybe next time?!
Talking of next time, the next fly out is scheduled for Friday 19th July with the destination earmarked as Sywell. Anyone interested in joining the fly out should contact Chris directly via chris@abbasair.com
Bruntingthorpe Fly Out
On Friday 17th May 2013, an eager group of pilots started congregating at Compton Abbas Airfield for ... more
... the latest fly out, this time to Bruntingthorpe.
After lots of sharing of information, route and weather discussion, a group of resident and club aircraft took to the skies and set off to the North!
The weather proved to be a little unfavourable so sadly not all of the aircraft got to their final destination. A couple had to make alternative plans and have a separate adventure. Those that did make it all the way, spent a few hours wandering around and looking at the amazing array of aircraft that are housed there, as well as having time for a spot of lunch.
The Compton based aircraft started to return back to base with the ever loving Ops Team counting them back in one by one.
The next adventure is a fly out to Alderney; interested folk should contact Chris at chris@abbasair.com to book a place!
Visit to NATS Swanwick
And so it was on the first Monday in April that a lucky group of Comptonites got to visit NATS Swanwick. ... more
... After a thorough security check the merry band were taken to a darkened room in which to receive an informative briefing on the company, to include the history of NATS, the services they provide, the finances and interesting information regarding flight delay statistics. After the briefing, the blinds in the room were gradually raised revealing the amazing sight of London Area Control.
The group received a demonstration of iFACTS (Interim Future Area Control Tools Support) which is the recently implemented advanced support tools for controllers to use, enabling them to increase the amount of traffic that they can comfortably handle without the use of paper strips.
The remainder of the visit was spent in D&D and London Information and many useful top tips were gleaned, here are just a few that you may find useful:
London Information
- The frequency for London Information in our area is 124.75 and 124.6 East of the Goodwood/Midhurst area.
- London Information can rapidly pass weather to pilots using information from several sources, including small aerodromes.
- They are happy to pass operational messages for pilots and can provide the latest Danger Area information, i.e. opening times and whether active or not.
- Pilots can use the service to practice RT, to include position reporting.
- Pilots are encouraged to call London Information rather than ‘be lonely’ in the cockpit or just to maintain a listening watch; you don’t have to give them the full spiel. (Farnborough West are on 125.25 and Farnborough North on 132.8 both use a listening squawk of 4572).
Distress and Diversion Cell
- The frequency for London Centre is 121.5.
- D&D are always ready to provide you with a service if you wish to make a practice PAN call, or if you would like a training fix.
- They still use radio triangulation and sometimes they use the squawk method.
- If you squawk 7500, 7600 or 7700 then a klaxon goes off and position lines automatically triangulate to a flat screen map. The map can be zoomed in to various types, even to an OS 50,000 or an AA roadmap. D&D would then assist you to the nearest and safest aerodrome.
- If you are lost (you can squawk 0030) then you should always call them to save the situation from deteriorating, i.e. infringing controlled airspace. Do not turn your squawk off but call someone straight away. You may be asked to call an Air Traffic Control Centre and asked to comply with headings given. Hopefully, the CAA will not admonish anyone; they would just want to know why the infringement happened in order to help prevent it from happening again in the future.
- If you are without an engine over water then you can be steered to a position that a ship was in minutes earlier in order to be on hand in the event of ditching (using ships AIS website - http://www.shipais.com/index.php)
A huge thank you goes to David Pulman at NATS Swanwick who hosted the visit for us. David gave a very interesting and insightful tour and was an excellent ambassador for NATS.
South Easterly Winds at Compton
Today, 7th April, was new club member Janices' first time flying in a South Easterly at Compton in her ... more
... beautiful Chippy. This is how she recovered!
Southampton Airport Visit
After a huge amount of interest, a merry band of Compton members were lucky ... more
... enough to go on an outing to Southampton Airport on the 18th March 2013. Mike Glen, Southampton Airport’s Airside Operations Policy and Planning Officer, gave our members a detailed briefing covering the history of the airfield, the airfield layout and present day operations. After a thorough security process the group headed airside, the first port of call being the airfield’s fire station. The Visual Control Room was the next stop followed by Solent Radar where they picked up lots of really useful information that all of us could benefit from knowing, such as;
- Solent Radar welcome pilot’s to call them up on the radio rather skirt around the edges of the zone. Even flying on the edge of the Southampton zone can cause the controllers to have to take precautionary action with traffic within the zone.
- Solent Radar are happy for aircraft to transit the zone and will provide a service subject to controller workload.
- When changing your squawk, make sure that you go from Alt to standby to change the transponder code.
- If you are under a service from Solent Radar make sure you tell them that you are leaving the zone and changing frequency. If you don’t then they have to go to the trouble of trying to track down that you have landed which increases their work!
All in all, a very interesting, informal and worthwhile visit was had by all.
Aviation Bingo Club Night!
Sticky Vicky (ably assisted by her beautiful Welsh helper Glenda) welcomed everyone to the airfield on a very ... more
... cold evening in February. After a scrummy meal which the lovely Laura and bonny Ben prepared, and a good serving of drinks from our exquisite Emma, the tension mounted and our resident Bingo caller Sticky commenced proceedings. After a little rule explanation the first game got underway. In order to ensure that we had an aviation theme Sticky had done a bit of research and had found some rather interesting facts in order to bore… I mean, enlighten the members with.
Bingo! House! Hangar?! These were the words that could be heard shouted out by our very competitive members as the five rounds of Bingo were played out in the restaurant. There were some very lucky prize winners, all taking a delightful Compton souvenir for their homes.
After the raucous Bingo had finished, Sticky held a raffle and several lucky members won some lovely prizes from yummy cake, chocolates and alcohol to tea/coffee and cake vouchers in our very own restaurant. Sadly there is always a booby prize – a couple of old beer tankards!
I think it’s safe to say that the evening was a great success if you measure these things by the laugh-o-meter readings! Keep your eyes peeled for the next club event – you never know what we might arrange next!
B747-400 Full Motion Simulator Experiences!
Our lucky Compton members were offered the chance of having a go in a ... more
... B747- 400 full motion simulator during February at a very competitive rate. Sixteen willing members donned their Captain’s outfits and pitched up at the special location near Bournemouth Airport. After receiving some light bedtime reading a few days before the experience, and an in-depth briefing on the day, each group of four took to the simulator and had an experience of a lifetime.
Each member had thirty minutes at the controls receiving instruction from our very own Compton member, Dean Hillier. Dean is a serving Captain on B747s for a Cathay Pacific. After thirty minutes in the hot seat, each member then took to one of the three jump seats to watch their other colleagues take command of the aircraft.
On receiving some rather excitable feedback from the lucky few, it is quite apparent that the experience is absolutely amazing and one definitely not to forget in a hurry.
One of our members, Dr Peter Mounce said, “It’s a bit different landing at 150 knots and with 250 tonnes behind you! The movement in the sim is just like the real thing would be with acceleration/deceleration forces. On one landing when using air brakes and reverse thrust I was filming through the video camera from a rear seat and nearly shot forward off of the chair!”
Following his evening on the flight simulator club member Alan Eveleigh said, “Firstly a big thank you to Dean, what a great guy for making this possible. He pitched the evening at the perfect level delivering expert tuition, humour and taking questions in his stride - a true professional, and my new super hero! And of course with the combination of what has to be simply the best flying club to be part of has made it a truly memorable occasion. I have attended many club evenings and taken part in a few outings as well, and have to say how well you guys do it all for us. We are lucky to have amongst our club, some very generous people who are prepared to put themselves out for the enjoyment of others, who share the same passion. Thank you seems too little, but so heart felt.”
This activity could be booked again there is sufficient interest. So if you think that you might be interested, then just drop Vicky and email at vicky@abbasair.com
Tim 'Le Bee' flies to Spain in his flexwing
Here is a link to an article written by our very own club member Tim Jackson (or 'Le Bee' as he is know ... more
... at Compton due to his honey making skills - in fact his honey is on sale at the airfield if you are a fan of the nectar!).
Great reading and some spectacular photographs...
Compton Barn Dance - Christmas Stylie!
At last the 1st of December had arrived along with the long awaited event of the year! Hangar ... more
... One was a hive of activity with all manner of comings and goings! Bits of wood, hay bales, fairy lights and alcohol were going in and several aircraft were coming out! After much preparation, hard work, arranging, sorting, organising and generally bossing people about, Hangar One had taken on a whole new look ready for the evening’s entertainment.
Bang on the dot of seven o’clock a rush of thigh slapping, gun swinging cowboys and cowgirls arrived (oh, and a man on a horse too!) After a delicious meal of lasagne and garlic bread the band started limbering up and the real merriment began! It was great to see so many of our members ‘taking their partners by the hand’ and swinging the night away, stripping the willow, partaking in the Sicilian set and generally having a jolly good time. Even though the temperature outside was minus five, those of us that were skipping and flouncing around the dance floor managed to keep ourselves warm (oh, and the alcohol helped a bit too!!)
The evening absolutely flew by and before we knew it we were on our last dance and sadly on our way home. Thank you to all of you who came to our party, we hope you all had a great time. Keep your eyes peeled for our 2013 events, coming soon to a website near you!
Alderney Trip!
On Vicky’s birthday (9th November – just in case you didn’t know this gives you ... more
... plenty of warning for next year!), G-BPCK went to Alderney - flown by our newly qualified member Mike Dorrien-Smith and accompanied by very own Deputy Chief Flying Instructor, Chris Kotze. The purpose of the flight was to provide Mike with the necessary ‘cross channel’ check out and basically give Chris a nice jolly to the Channel Islands!
The intrepid explorers were fortunate to have a good flying day and after all the necessary pre-flight checks, flight plans and GAR's, said a fond farewell to Compton Ops and set off in a southerly direction. After 1.2 hours of flying and a lot of boat spotting later, the merry band finally touched down in Alderney. After a quick check in with flight clearance and a bit of form filling the explorers decided to hire a taxi in order to have a whistle stop sightseeing tour of the island.
The return leg was a tad quicker at just an hour, with the aid of a southerly tailwind. G-BPCK arrived home safe and sound and all the better for her travels.
On arrival back at Compton, Mike stated that although the thought of crossing the channel and flying Special VFR in Class A airspace was intimidating, it was actually very straightforward and highly recommended it to other members.
Anyone interested in following in Mike’s shoes and having a trip across the Channel with the aid of an instructor should contact Chris via chris@abbasair.com.
Compton Wine Tasting Evening - October 2012
On a very cold and dark evening all was quiet apart from the sound of car engines climbing the hill to ... more
... Compton. The reason for the arrival of vehicles was down to the fact that some kind soul had arranged a wine tasting evening. The prospect of a few sips of wine was obviously an attractive proposition as we had many a smiley face attending the evening. Those smiley faces soon became rather pink and jolly as a little bit of alcohol passed their lips!
With Little Miss Hughes as the ‘comedic compere’ the evening commenced with tables of six willing competitors on each team. A six discreetly covered bottles of wine were circulated, one behind the other, with a little drop being poured into eagerly awaiting receptacles. Once slurped, swizzled and downed (rather than politely deposited in a spittoon!) the teams had to listen to the ‘three wise monkeys’ (two wine experts and our very own Mr Hughes) who tried to convince us that they knew what each wine was and where it came from. After trying three whites and three reds, team scores were announced and it was quite clear that apart from one group who must have been cheating, most of us knew very little about what we were drinking!
A huge thank you must extend to all three judges for making the evening so entertaining. Particular thanks must go to Simon and Bryn from St Aubyn Leschallas Wines Ltd who not only gave up their spare time to entertain us but also provided all of the wines for the evening. Anyone wishing to purchase any wine should quote ‘Compton Abbas Airfield Call My Bluff Evening’. Simon and Bryn can be contacted via their website www.slwines.co.uk
Heathrow Tower Visits 15th & 16th September
Just one of the benefits of having many lovely club members here at Compton Abbas Airfield is that it provides us ... more
... with lots of rather excellent contacts in very high places! On this particular occasion height is indeed rather important as one of our members agreed to host two visits to London Heathrow’s super brand new Control Tower. Towering 87m above the airfield, Heathrow’s Tower houses the latest Air Traffic Control technology and provides a clear 360° vista giving the optimum ‘birds eye view’ over the airfield for the staff inside.
The visits proved extremely popular with members at Compton hence the requirement to accommodate them all over two days. Our member Brian Ringrose hosted the visit providing an informative and impressive visit which was greatly appreciated. Several members commented on the atmosphere within the tower, saying how calm and peaceful it was. All were very impressed with the view over the airfield and even managed to time their visit to coincide with the new A380 taking off!
Club Fly Out to Bruntingthorpe
It was on a bright and sunny Friday morning that the car park gates were opened and a hoard of eager pilots ... more
... spilled in through the Ops doors ready to take on the days fly out to Bruntingthorpe. This was the first time that we had held a fly out to this location causing much excitement and anticipation - thanks to Captain Hughes and Captain Farrow for the idea!
After much deliberation and cogitation over maps, a mass exodus took place as twelve aircraft departed the skies of Compton to the North.
The chicks put in a call to Ops a while later to inform them that the merry brood had safely arrived at Bruntingthorpe. From here on in all was quiet until the Comptonites could be heard one by one calling up on Mother Hen’s radio on their return leg.
So what did the flock do all day at Bruntingthorpe?
Well, for those of you that didn’t know, Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome is the home of the Cold War Jet Collection including a Victor, Hunter, Canberra, Comet, Sea Vixen, Super Guppy and much much more. As you can imagine the troops had a whale of a time getting up close and personal with these amazing aircraft.
The merry band also managed to make time for a spot of lunch before setting off on the return leg back home.
Mother Hen welcomed and counted them all back in one by one, pleased to see her flock safely returned. Much laughter and merriment could be heard at the Ops Desk signalling a great day had by all!
Here’s looking forward to the next adventure….
Particle Accelerator Visit from Compton
On the evening of 22nd August a small group of Compton members gathered at the Particle Accelerator in ... more
... Oxford, for a tour of the inner workings of some of the most advanced scientific experiments today.
We were told to report to reception at 1815 sharp, given a brief but informative talk (with pictures) of what the particle accelerator does, and how it is used in today’s world. From an in depth understanding of the structure of human DNA, learning and researching cancer prevention and cures, to developing cheaper solar roofing panels – it was all fascinating.
Then for the exciting bit; we were given a tour of the actual accelerator (can you believe us lot were let loose in there?!) - luckily it had been shut down for most of the month, so we could go inside. After going through three security doors, we entered into the small passage way, safe guarded by 7 foot thick concrete. Once inside the building we could see the inner workings of the accelerator – hundreds of magnets surrounding a metal pipe; it came as quite a surprise that the pipe that carries the electrons at the speed of light is just 1 inch in diameter!
It turned out to be an extremely interesting and exciting visit, and something that not many people can say they’ve done! A massive thanks to Emma Jones (Compton member and Pilot) for organising a rare and electrifying trip.
Bembridge Fly Out & Summer Camp Over
At last… a lovely hot spell of summer weather! Fortunately our fly out and summer camp over was ... more
... arranged for Friday 27th July which fell on one of these good flying days! So it was at the respectable hour of 11:00 that a little gathering formed at the Ops Desk and after some cogitation and deliberation a little procession of aircraft took to the skies. On arrival at Bembridge the group of Compton-ites strolled in the sunshine to a local fishmonger where they purchased Larry Lobster and Colin Crab at the request of the management. After a yummy lunch at the Crab & Lobster (can see a theme here...) and some good old banter the merry group along with their new companions set off for the return leg to Compton where the Mother Hens were waiting to welcome back their chicks! A jolly good time was had by all.
After the successful fly out we kept the airfield open a little while longer in order to welcome some late flying for our members. A couple of individuals took us up on the offer including our very own Emma from Ops. Although there was a slight breeze it was a beautiful flying evening. And finally a gaggle of members gathered to take part in a barbecue and some chit chat and Larry at last took centre stage and provided a very tasty end to the day!
Drippy Emails...
Here at Compton we like to keep our members motivated. Read below the email sent out by the Compton Boss in an ... more
... attempt to keep spirits high, and a few 'choice' replies from our members. Entertaining reading on a rainy day!
"Wet, wet, wet.
Apparently there has been a smidgen of precipitation recently. For me I rather thought there was a hint of dampness in the air. However, yet another planned activity (the aerobatics competition) has been abandoned this week-end due to what the organizers say was poor weather! Actually we only had an inch of rain on the day and we could see for over a quarter of a mile with a good one hundred foot cloud base. We did have hangar one flood to a depth of approximately four inches, but this was only for the three hours it took us to pump it out!
So, due to the perceived wet weather we have introduced a number of extra activities for you.
The Compton over eighties nudist water polo team:
We still have a few vacancies to fill within the team. Benefits include, no kit outlay costs, no changing room cubicle congestion and a chance to eye up the opposition. Please bring along all your own equipment; no lose articles allowed.
Floatplane ratings:
Whilst the damp weather persists we are able to offer a range of floatplane activities. Our Cessnapit 150 aircraft can be hired in order that you can be taken through the motions. However should you wish for something a little more laid back we have other bog standard course available. Please ensure all the paperwork is completed before leaving.
So, come on, hurry up to Compton before conditions dry out!!!"
Replies...
"G'morning Compton,
Thank you for the invitation and I will, of course, be front and off centre for the polo as a volunteer under 80 ball boy.
I retain the right to 'Mankini' in light of fare competition, although the weather should give the male athletes plenty of excuse.
Might I recommend that we rename 'summer' 'England', in order to eliminate hope and get into a dew point many countries would envy.
This will also allow us to be constant with our seasons and when asked about the weather can explain simply that 'Its England' all year round these days, fantastic.
Who needed the four seasons that ended in the early twenty first century.
May I also request that the IMC rated instructors begin 'visits to the sun', 30 minute tours above 4000ft. This is an emerging market and probably a rare experience for the natives.
I will look forward to volunteering my services for the polo and continuing daily life humiliating myself at CA, but always with the fondest of memories".
"Love to be part of the water polo team but must be on a day when am not walking the carp......"
Our club Member Bill Chaffey
It is with great sadness that we write to inform you of the sudden passing of our dear member Bill Chaffey. ... more
... Sadly Bill passed away a couple of weeks ago and Bill’s funeral was held on Tuesday 29th May in Sherborne. As a mark of respect we managed to arrange a fly-past for Bill over the hotel in Sherborne where his wake was being held. Seven aircraft flown by Compton members and staff took part in order to honour Bill’s memory. Bill was such a lovely, warm gentleman and will be greatly missed by all. Our thoughts go out to Bill’s family at this time.
Attached is a picture of Bill's favourite Compton aircraft - fiddy!
Fly Out to Perranporth
Hoorah, what a day, the 25th of May
At last the sun did shine for a fly out day
Off to ... more
At last the sun did shine for a fly out day
Off to ... more
... Perranporth the team did race
With a hearty tailwind to give them pace
Once on the ground they took to their feet
And wandered off down Perranporth streets
They dipped their toes in the deep blue sea
Soaked up the rays and were filled with glee
After lunch with sun blushed face
They took to the air to return to base
With a sturdy headwind it took them some time
But in they came in a processional line
Keep a look out for the next fly out date
Make sure you join in as they are so great
We’ll keep our fingers crossed for lovely weather
And hope that our fly out days keep getting better!
Compton Fly Out to Duxford...
You can’t beat a bit of Old Blighty weather can you?!
Some of our eager beaver members were ... more
... queuing at the gate, bright eyed and bushy tailed, in anticipation of partaking in the Duxford Fly-Out!
When all of the ‘party’ had convened (some less bushy tailed than others), there was much cogitation and deliberation at the Ops Desk over the weather forecast on route to Duxford. Sadly, but sensibly (yes, there are sensible people out there, even at Compton) the decision was taken to cancel the Duxford fly-out.
Not to be down-hearted and beaten, some of the ‘party’ continued with the optimism and decided to fly-out elsewhere instead. ‘Team one’ flew to Filton, followed by Kemble for a spot of lunch, and then returned to Compton. ‘Team two’ went to Popham (for what turned out to be a PA28 fly past after having taken the incoming thunderstorm in to account) followed by Old Sarum for tea and cake and then returning home to Compton.
Eighteen aircraft (including the Stearman and the Chippy) and forty members planned to participate in the fly-out benefiting from reduced landing fees and reduced entry into the Duxford museum. We definitely plan to arrange this fly-out again in the future due to the interest created. In the meantime we have our next fly-out arranged for Friday 25th May 2012, this time we will be attempting to fly to Perranporth! If you are interested in joining the party then please contact Chris via chris@abbasair.com.
April Club Night...Flying the Mosquito
Although the weather was not quite hot enough for mosquitos outside; we were all warm and snug inside with a ... more
... better type of mosquito!
With an extremely packed restaurant the lovely Peter Henley came and gave a very interesting and informative talk about the Mosquito aircraft and his flying experiences with it.
The evening was very well attended with over 60 of you coming to see us and once again everyone enjoyed a scrumptious hearty meal (this time, yummy lasagne, salad and garlic bread) together with excellent cheaply priced drinks to wash it all down with (rather a lot of them in the end!).
Peter showed some fantastic photos of the Mosquito and regaled us with the intricacies and quirks of the aircraft with a few humorous tales thrown in for good measure.
After a few questions and once all the glasses were emptied everyone turned out into the night full and happy.
Thank you to all of those who attended the evening, it was so lovely to see so many of you supporting our latest club night.
The Compton Girls x
Good turn out!
IMC success at Compton...
Congratulations to two of our club members who recently gained their IMC rating in record quick time! As a result ... more
... of the uncertainty surrounding the IMC rating due to the imminent EASA changes we decided to kick start some instrument training (at the very competitive rate of £184 per hour :) ).
Warren Dickson, who has been with us since his very first flying lesson at the age of 17, passed his test with flying colours under the watchful eyes of both instructor Ian Huntley and our CFI Andrew Dixon in mid April. Damian Rayne, who brought his Cessna 182 to live with us at the end of last year, passed his test just a week after Warren (apparently without the aid of his swanky glass cockpit...). Congratulations to both who have been treated to a slab of Compton cake for their achievement (the best bit of the rating).
We are still offering instrument training whether just a few hours to up your skill level or the full course. Email emma@abbasair.com for more information.
UL 91 Information...
Lycoming Releases First ... more
... Series of ASTM D7547 UL 91 Unleaded Avgas Approvals.
Action Enables EASA SIB 2011-01R1 for Multiple Aircraft Platforms.
Williamsport, PA – April 17, 2012 – Just weeks after Lycoming Engines, a division of Avco Corporation, announced it would seek Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval to operate certain engines on ASTM D7547 UL 91 unleaded avgas, it has received FAA approval to update its listing of approved fuels.
Lycoming’s newly available Service Instruction SI-1070R lists 35 engine models approved to operate on ASTM D7547 UL 91 fuel. The models are members of the 235, 290, 320, 340, 360, 435, 480 and 540 engine families. SI-1070R also specifies the lubricants to be used in conjunction with UL 91. SI-1070R is available at Lycoming.com.
“Our approval of UL 91 supports recent actions by European fuel producers and EASA that have resulted in progressively wider availability of unleaded aviation grade fuel supplies for light aircraft,” says Michael Kraft, Lycoming senior vice president and general manager. “We are continuously working to expand our specified fuels list. Distribution of UL 91 has provided a well-conditioned aviation suitable solution for engines originally designed for lower octane leaded aviation and automotive fuels.”
In conjunction with Lycoming’s approval to operate certain engines on UL 91, Lycoming is entering into a collaborative program with the FAA, Shell Aviation and TOTAL to examine the long-term effects of UL 91 on “purpose built” aviation engines and lubricants. This program will provide supporting information for more extensive unleaded avgas solutions. Shell Aviation produces AeroShell lubricants and TOTAL is a manufacturer of ASTM D7547 UL 91 avgas.
UL 91 originally entered into distribution in Europe largely to serve engines approved to operate on automotive specification fuels. European Aviation Safety Administration (EASA) Safety Information Bulletin 2011-01R1 provides aircraft level approval on the basis of engine approval.
Together with EASA Safety Information Bulletin, SI-1070R immediately enables the use of UL 91 on certain Lycoming-powered aircraft produced by manufacturers, such as Cessna, Diamond, Piper, American Champion, Aviat, Maule, Tecnam, Cub Crafters, Zenair, and more; certain Lycoming-powered helicopters produced by manufacturers such as Robinson, Helicopteres Guimbal and more; experimental aircraft kits manufactured by Van’s, Glasair, Lancair, Zenith, Safari, Inpaer, and others.
In the United States, UL 91 will require an additional approval by the airframe manufacturer to operate aircraft using that fuel. There are no known distributors of UL 91 in the United States at this time.
According to TOTAL, 18 U.K. airfields currently offer UL 91 and another 3 are making arrangements to offer the fuel. In France, the fuel is available at 10 airfields with four more preparing to offer it. Switzerland has four airfields with the fuel and plans are also in place to offer the fuel at airfields in Germany and Belgium.
“UL 91 is not a replacement for 100LL, but it is a very robust aviation-suitable alternative to automotive gasoline at lower prices than 100LL,” Kraft says. “Lycoming remains vigorously supportive of a long-term unleaded 100LL replacement fuel which could uniformly serve the entire installed base. Distribution of UL 91 and our collaboration program represents an excellent opportunity to prime the pump for a ‘UL 100’ future.”
About Lycoming: Lycoming Engines specializes in engineering, manufacture, service and support of piston aircraft engines. Based in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Lycoming piston engines power more than half of the world's general aviation fleet - both rotary-wing and fixed-wing. Lycoming Engines is a division of Avco Corporation. More information is available at www.lycoming.com.
DH Heritage Aviation offers Tiger Moth training and solo hire at Compton Abbas
De Havilland Heritage Aviation is now offering tailwheel training in their beautiful Tiger Moth G-ADXT which ... more
... is based at the airfield. Under the guidance of Compton's CFI Andrew Dixon who has over 30,000 tailwheel hours, and Chris Nicholls who has instructed at Compton for almost ten years on the Tiger Moth, we have a great team on board.
Once you have been checked out by one of our instructors the aircraft will be available for solo hire too.
Just give us a call or pop us an email for more information. The Tiger Moth will be available on weekdays throughout the year and we'll need a couple of weeks notice to book you in.
Dual training is £280 and solo hire is £250. All you need to do is become a member of Compton Abbas Airfield and book in! https://www.comptonabbasairfield.co.uk/?agent=abbasair&page=appform&menuopen=members.
Voler en France - a success!
Thank you to everyone who came to our French Evening last night, with more than 50 of you it was packed ... more
... out!
After a hearty Boeuf Bourguinonne, pommes & petits pois, with fromage et biscuits for dessert, it was time to begin.
Cpt. Dave Farrow kicked off the evening with his entertaining demonstration of how important it is to have your life jacket ON when crossing the channel, Clive Birchall then took over on the practical side of things with an informative talk on Flight Planning & the use of Afpex. Thanks to both of them for all the hard work and effort they went to, it paid off!
Many thanks also to Tim Jackson who rounded off the evening perfectly with an extraordinary account of his trip round France in a flexwing Microlight. Complete with pictures and videos, Tim's talk went down a treat with everyone there, with lots of questions being asked at the end. If anything was to encourage you to take to the skies & pop over the channel to France, that was it!
Brilliant evening had by all, as ever it was great to see you all - we really do have the most extraordinary club members up at Compton, thank you for all your support!
Compton Xx
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Compton Abbas Visits the Lulworth Gunnery School November 2011
Another oversubscribed Compton Club Day! Eighteen of you enjoyed this day out, with lots more on the reserve list ... more
... for hopefully another visit soon! The day started with an introduction in to what the Gunnery School and an overview of all the ammunition used on the tank 'Challenger 2'. Our members were then able to carry out some shoots in the simulator and have a tour around the heavy armored wing. Like a gaggle of excited school girls and boys everyone was then able to climb over the tank, start it up and sit in the driving seat! Finishing off with a visit to the Five Tips Ranges where Challenger 2 was firing (a good example of why you should check your notams and avoid the danger areas!) it was a fantastic day out for everyone. A big thank you to our member Ed Bluhme who organised the day for us, everyone really enjoyed themselves as you can see from the big smiles in the pictures below!
Compton Christmas Club Day December 2011
Wow! It was December, and it was sunny, there was no rain, no clouds, and just a sprinkling of snowy showers was ... more
... on the horizon. So apart from the 20 knot winds (which put the microlights out of action) the weather was pretty good. Amongst the festive music there was lots of studious planning going on for the Compton Christmas Treasure Hunt - 12 competing aircraft headed off to take photos of the 6 locations that related to the clues. After a few 'heated discussions' the winners were announced; David Morgan in his YAK 50 completed the course in 38 minutes with all clues correct, and Mark Coreth and his navigator completed in 46 minutes in their Jodel. Congratulations - mini prizes available to collect from New Years Day!
Compton Visits Bournemouth Tower September 2011
As all our lovely Compton Club Members know who they are talking to on the air ground radio (you can't miss ... more
... us nagging you on the way in) - we thought we would organise for everyone to see who they are talking to when they fly down South! Numbers were limited and we filled our allowance of 25 people - with a waiting list. Everyone had a great time with a visit to the tower itself to see how it all works, time for questions and answers, and perhaps most excitingly a trip round the airfield in a 4x4! Thanks to Bournemouth ATC for being so accommodating and providing an interesting and useful visit for our members.
Arty Farty Evening - October 2011
A huge thank you to Mark Coreth, our in house famous sculptor and owner of aour beautiful currie wot who gave a ... more
... fantastic talk and demonstration of his skills! Starting off with a hearty lasagne and a few rounds of drinks everyone was ready to settle down and learn how it’s done! Mark started off, can of Carlsberg in hand, with an explanation and brief video of the making of the famous ice sculpture which was an art installation in Trafalgar square and Marks Square amongst other world famous locations.
The life size sculptures of polar bears attract millions, and is just one of Mark’s many projects. We were then treated to seeing Mark in action, as he sculpted a polar bear out clay! As he did this each of our members had their own block of clay, and were presented with the task of creating their own miniature polar bear, in the process our Compton members skilfully created a kangaroo, sausage dog, blobs of clay, ant eater and the occasional success that did actually resemble a polar bear!! Well done to Steven Garrett who won best Compton member sculptor of the year, receiving a free drink and a morph key ring!
After all this excitement it was soon time to go home, although not without everyone’s own little creation of the evening, thanks to Mark! Being the lovely man that he is - he donated all his time and materials for free. We therefore donated the members fee of £8 to the evening to a local hospice.
Club Fly Out 7th September 2011
Once we had all pinched each other to confirm that no, it wasn’t a dream, and yes, Emma had organised a ... more
... club fly out on a day that had produced flyable weather (albeit 20 knot winds and some nasty showers to dodge) everyone settled down to plan for the ‘suprise’ location which was mutually agreed to be Shoreham.
With a beautiful route overhead Beaulieu, Stoney Cross, the Needles and then direct to Shoreham along the coast, our club planes arrived just in time for lunch. After an uncharacteristically energetic addition to the day in the form of a walk down to the lovely Shoreham coast, all returned to undo their hard work and munch away on some proper British food in the iconic art deco building. A smaller fly out in terms of numbers than usual due to the terrible weather forecasts, it was nice to see solo hirers meeting each other and sharing flying and experience. Keep your eyes peeled for the date of our Christmas themed club day with some exciting games!
1940s Ball – 3rd September 2011
What a great evening! The night kicked off around 7:30pm with a fantastic aerobatics display by Dean Hiller in ... more
... the Pitts S1, the perfect backdrop for the first drinks with the sun just setting on on the terrace.
Over 90 people attended so our WW2 decorated hangar was at capacity with a healthy, 50/50 split of 'old' and 'newer' faces. Everyone had made an effort and was decked out as 1940's officers, sailors, ladies & gentry, as well as those who thought outside the box including Dean the pitts pilot (stealing more of the limelight!) in his person sized paper mache plane!
The local fancy dress hire company have even been in touch saying how impressed they were West and I can't begin to imagine how big the mountain of mash was to feed so many people, and all washed down with beer from local brewery sixpenny handley and some authentic jam roly poly and custard.
All this to the music of Glen Miller and other 40’s stars played by a brilliant young band from Clayesmore School - they were extremely professional and apart from their age you would never believe they were a school band! By the end of the night everyone went home having had drinks, dancing and lots of laughs. What more could you ask!