A614 up hill from Londesborough roundabout? Only one I can think of without permanent cameras and on a holiday route. Never seen a camera van around there though.
Well, a few years ago I went on a speed aware course and when they asked everyone why they were speeding most were embarrassed to speak so then I said at 30mph I fall into a trance become dangerous! It’s only when I go faster I become alert and safer which there was confusion and disbelief with the lecturers. I didn’t mince my words when asked if my motoring will change after the course!!
I started flying Microlights (Factory was only 5 miles from me in Rochdale) in the mid ‘80s. Soon moved on to Gyros after seeing an American vid. Bought an Air Command Commander in kit form. Flew that until the CAA grounded that make for being dangerous, so bought an old Bentsen that someone had built in 1966. Real good fun, but now, with most using a Rotax 4 cylinder engine they certainly aren’t cheap any more. Plus, it’s probably still a 38 hour course to get a PPLG. Ken.
Been on many. The flight is boring but the landing and takeoff are spectacular. I live walking distance to Jamie whatsitsface Motorcycle racer now commentator who owns a mini airfield where I’ve taken off from many years ago
Excuse my ignorance as I don't have any real experience of either of these formats but, wouldn't an ultralight/microlight aeroplane be inherently safer than a gyrocopter? If the engine fails in the former at least you'd have a chance of sufficient lift from the wings to get you down in something approaching safety but, I assume, not so with a gyrocopter as there'd be no appreciable lift from the blades? I'm genuinely curious to hear experienced views.
The scary thing is at the time I went up thirty yrs ago they only had one bolt through the central join to the wings followed by a ‘chicken’ strap which was an M6 on a cable loop!! Omg wtf??
We used to call into Crosland Moor (Huddersfield International Airport) airfield many time when on route from Heywood to Burton Constable. Always a nice welcome (Could even get a drop of petrol sometimes) from Jamie’s Dad who owned it then (80s/90s). Twas easy with microlights, but some bigger aircraft had to take care (depending on the wind direction) or they could (And did) end up in the quarry where the runway ended. Ken.
In an autogyro or helicopter, if the engine fails you will lose drive to the rotors but you can autorotate to the ground. Effectively, the air coming up from underneath will keep the blades turning, not enough to keep flying but enough to drift gently to the ground. Think sycamore seeds https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autorotation
Not quite right, Helmut Visor, First off, an autogyro is auto rotating all the time as there is no drive to the rotor after it leaves the ground.Second, when the helicopter is flying it’s dragging air down through the rotor from the top. If the engine loses interest in keeping the rotors turning the pilot as very little time to put the Heli into free wheel or the rotor would just stop turning. Once it’s free wheeling the air direction changes from coming in the top, to coming up from underneath. Clever how the rotor can continue unabated with the air direction changed. From a great height a helicopter could safely auto rotate a long way vertically down, but, way before it got near the ground it would have to attain some forward airspeed (Start flying again) and it would then have enough energy in the rotor to safely flare to a gentle landing. I’m not sure about the decent rate of an auto rotating heli, but the autogyros I had, would, without engine but a nice attitude decent about 1500 ft per minute. With some of the unreliable engines like the American Mc Culloch it wasn’t what to do if the engine stops, but, what to do when the engine quits. No big deal. Ken.
