[damienair]

The history of the NMAI and their ongoing battle with the IAA to facilitate the proper training of both Weightshift and 3-Axis Microlight Pilots in Ireland is a long drawn out saga of more than 20 years and as yet is still unresolved. However the IAA in fairness do recognise the BMAA and UK Syllabus, and will convert a UK NPPL(M) Microlight rating to an Irish Microlight rating for both Weightshift and 3-Axis. This is the route I went down and can highly recommend it. I trained in Kernan Aviation in Tandragee and in 35 hours had my UK NPPL(M). Following this I contacted the NMAI, whom Liased with the IAA and I was legally flying in Ireland with my UK NPPL(M) Validated. A few years later I decided to do a weightshift conversion, which I completed with Gerry Snodden in Newtonards. Gerry Snodden is also a IAA certified Instructor and Examiner. Even though I had over 500 hours of experience flying 3-Axis Microlights I would never ever have for a second considered giving Weightshift a go without proper instruction.
There are also 3-Axis Microlight flying Schools in Abbeyshrule and Sligo which award an Irish Microlight rating, however there are currently no Weightshift Schools in this state.
Visit http://www.nmai.ie" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; for more details. Also look at http://www.bmaa.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

No my beloved EI-ELV is not for sale. I have a small family and time is a big issue for me at the moment. I used to log between 100 to 200 hours a year a few years ago, now I'm lucky if I break through 40 hours in a year. I sold my Skyranger 912s last summer as it was under utilised and had become a hanger queen. It has been 5 months since I last flew my Pegasus XL 462 and it does not bother me as much as I do not have a fortune invested in it. Next month I shall start flying again and in the mean time I will work on a few jobs to make sure that EI-ELV is fully airworthy and safe for the years flying ahead. Yes it is fully permitted and fully legal as am I.
There are loads of aircraft like mine for sale, check out http://www.afors.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - Weightshifts such as Pegasus XL's and Q's as well as Flash 2 Alpha's are available from £1,000 to £2,500 depending on their condition.

I wish you the best of luck in your training, please go to a proper training facility, it is amazing fun in a controlled safe environment. And will teach you the skills to enjoy flying for many years to come.

I am unable to attach a pic of my little XL for some reason. No one wants to see you win a Darwin Award.

[stovepipe]

Lynn, it doesn't matter how big the field is or how slowly you think you can fly, attempting to self-train will either kill or injure you.We're warning you to get proper training based on our very extensive collective experience, either with the UK, USA or Irish system. Between the posters here, we have several thousands of flight hours, in many types and in many different operating environments. Heed what we are saying and do it right from day 1, if only to prevent yourself getting your name in the papers for all the wrong reasons.

regards
Stovepipe

[damienair]

Please see below a link to another Microlight forum which is very timely in relation to this thread. No one here Lynn is trying to lecture you, we are just offering advice. The poor fellow involved in the accident in the Link below was offered loads of friendly advice too, he decided to ignore it and unfortunately missed out on celebrating Christmas 2012 with his family. We can only offer advice, if you decided we are wrong and you want to do it anyway, enough said.

http://www.microlightforum.com/showthre ... AIB-Report" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Cheers,

Damien.

[Lynn]

For the love of god lads will ye cool the jets. It’s not like I’m going out next week to kill myself. I have done a lot of research on this and it will be at the very least early Summer before I am in a position to buy a plane. I might even get a few more lessons. Thanks for the offer Jonkil. I’m not familiar with that type. Does the XL stand for extra large as I wouldn’t need that as I am not very chunky? What engine does it have by the way? Is it a 921? Does it have a stol? and what the hell is a whipstol and how do you do it? Also what is P1 and P2 in a crash? All these acronyms are driving me crazy, why can’t people simplify things for themselves instead of making it complicated?
 
Thanks for all ye’re concern for me and thanks Damien for that link to the accident report in the UK. I hadn’t seen that one. ‘Twas a great pity that he didn’t take heed of good advice, Lord rest him,  but I suppose he thought he was doing the right thing. As someone pointed out most of the lads that learned to fly in the 80’s had no one to show them only to chance it and I’s say most of them lads are still around dishing out advice to newcomers like myself. And there’s lots more like me who want to fly but can’t learn to do it properly like I did. It’s not everyone can afford to be going to the UK to get lessons. It’s very easy to buy a microlight off donedeal or ebay and indeed a couple of years ago before I did any training two different lads in this country were prepared to sell me their flexwing and show me how to fly it. One lad said I could pick it up in a couple of hours like he did.  When I did start lessons I realised how foolish it would have been to do that and the more I learned the more I realised how lucky I was that I didn’t listen to him.
I'm sure the lads in the NMAI are doing their best to improve things for microlight flyers and they must have great patience to put up with them boyos in the IAA. They have a lot to answer for. It’s time the public servants in this country spent more time serving the public and less time serving the public service.
 
Rant over
Lynn

[aviatorsguide]

Hey Lynn,
Not sure if said advice is worth any more than you paid for it, but there are lots of ways to learn to fly other than buying a microlight on your own. For the price of a cheap two stroke you could get a share in a vintage/basic 2 seater and go flying with the other groupies. Most people are delighted to have someone to split the bills and buy MoGas. You'd get to go a few places and fly with others who might tour around a bit. Kinda nice to broaden the horizons and get out and meet people. You dont need a licence to go out and enjoy that. Could be kinda boring even if you did master microlight solo hops in a farm field.... I had a friend do exactly as you dreamt of and he got fed up pretty quick. If you go flying often enough on your own you'll eventually see my point of view. If you took the laughing, joking, gossiping, pints and pontificating out of flying there is damn all left!

"Just sayin"

William

[Lynn]

I’m glad Damien showed me that thing over in the UK, I’m beginning to think that I may have been foolish thinking that I would be able to teach myself to fly. I have decided that I will spend the money I have saved on lessons instead of buying a cheap flexwing. I can then get a credit union loan to buy a decent machine. It’s a safer bet I’d say. I spoke to the instructor today and he will bring me over for a week in the springtime to finish me off. I will have to spare as much as I can to do this but it will be well worth it.
 
And then I was thinking if I could change my mind after reading this report twice, very carefully I might add, how important is it that these reports are made available to lads like me? Paul you said you wrote to the AAIU about this and I think this is a good thing you did but did they answer you back? Or how long is it since you wrote to them? Did you register the letter so you could be sure that they got it? Who is in charge of the AAIU? I was thinking of asking my local TD to ask a question in Dáil Eireann about this? I might need a bit of help putting a question together for him to ask whoever is in charge of it. Has anyone any ideas on how to ask it or who to ask?
 
Willie you talk a lot of sense about flying but I am very taken with, hanging out in the air, flexwing flying and there’s nothing to touch it on a fine evening. As for going places, sure if I’m in a hurry I’ll drive there and I have great time for myself and I’m fond of my own company. In my experience flying is populated with oddballs, myself included.
 
I look forward to some help in drafting this question for the TD to bring up in the Dáil and maybe we should all ask our TDs to do the same and kick up a right fuss about this.
 
Regards
Lynn

[stovepipe]

Hi there,
If you want to read a paper copy of an accident report, you can download and read it or, if it's an old report, you can ring the AAIU directly and they are very helpful people.Your local TD knows sod all about the AAIU and will feed you bullshit.

regards
Stovepipe

[Figle]

Hi Lynn just wondering what exactly your agenda is or who you represent? People here are just trying to help you out and give you advice not get involved In a political row we are just interested in flying and enjoying ourself. The AAIU will release the report went its ready until then you will just have to wait which report are you so in a hurry to see ??

[Figle]

If you want to talk about training or the lack of for weight shift so be it but starting a tread about the AAIU not releasing a report is the wrong way of going about you info search did you ever think of ringing the iaa and asking them where I can learn to fly in this country ??
Ok said my peace now enjoy

[N714GZ]

Obviously another agenda(or two) at play here. Hook, line and sinker lads.

[WingCommander]

Hey lads, this entire thread is for sure a piss take. Who in their right mind would even consider trying to teach themselves how to fly???? I love the part where they say;

'The field I’m going to use is huge big and I will be able to fly very low so as to keep out of trouble. I also intend flying very slowly at first until I get a bit better at it. I promise I will be very careful and only go out on calm evenings and not kill myself or anyone else in the process.'

Priceless, I'm busting my sides laughing at this..... Can you imagine the faces on the guys in the IAA reading this........, and they read everything on this forum!!!

[aviatorsguide]

Last few posts spot on. Think the generous and genuine responses to the OP show what a decent and considerate bunch we are. The IAA should be thankful they don't have callers like that to their offices.

[stovepipe]

Hi all,
Wind-up or not, there is a long and sadly continuing trend of individuals trying to fly without adequate training, equipment or maintenance and paperwork to back up same. IAA and AAIU people do encounter them from time to time and there will always be a few Darwin Award contenders in light aviation to fill the tabloids' front pages.

regards
Stovepipe

[Lynn]

Greetings from “The North Sea”

I’ve been offline for a few days while I was getting settled. I’m glad to see you’ve all been busy in my absence. Some lads seem to think that the more they say the more they know. ‘Tis a great pity that it doesn’t work that way or we’d have some real experts on flying on here. I wonder should I log these posts and get them signed off by the IAA? Maybe the “instructor’s and examiner’s panel” could answer that one?

Oh I get the whole “don’t rock the boat” thing some of you guys have going on here. Talk about “Hale Fellow, Well Met” and “I’m all right Jack”. But what about the rest of us poor sods? Do you think that flying begins and ends with you guys? Is there no room for beginners who will drive the sport in the future or does it all stop when your medicals run out? I wonder if high blood pressure is a dangerous condition for flying because from some of the posts on here I’d say there’s a few lads that would want to be grounded for a few weeks until they cool off a bit.

As for advising me to go up to the “wee north” to do training. Wouldn’t I look sweet heading for training up there the way things are now. Maybe I could fly a tricolour out of the sunroof in case they didn’t cop the “fenian” car reg. Talk about having a death wish, I think I’d stand a better chance, in the lower forty, flying slow and close to the ground.

I’m back on course for a bit of worthwhile work now so I will be able to fast track my training. If I’m not careful I’ll be earning as much as them boyos in the IAA and AAIU. Mind you I think my shifts are a bit longer than their ones. No hope here of turning up at half past nine or ten o’clock to arrange a two hour lunch and then take flight from the command centre by five to four. “Hard day at the office dear?” No, none of that here boy. But the money is good and I will be able to buy something decent, like a 912 quantum maybe, in no time at all. Just have to keep my nose clean and “keep her lit”.

Sometimes the wifi is a bit dodgy here so if I’m missing for days on end then don’t worry, it is not because I’ve killed myself committing aviation.

Great to be back
Lynn

[Rudy]

Lynn,
These lads can show you how to teach yourself.
They seem like experts real to me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... UvZeWmFyHU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;