Manchester (EGCC) METAR/TAF
August 8 2010 Helicopter Fly-in at Halfpenny Green/Wolverhampton Aerodrome
August 14 2010 Helicopter Fly-in at City Airport Manchester (Barton) (TBC)
GYG Karting
I’m always looking for somewhere to go in the chopper, and particularly when I have my boys here, and we want to go off and do something fun. Yesterday I visited Glan y Gors Park karting circuit in Cerrigydrudion, Corwen, North Wales. GYG is an outdoor go-karting circuit set in the welsh countryside and is owned and operated by Ed Davies. It’s a family afair with his wife, sons and daughter plus a few others all helping out at some stage or another.
Silverstone has got to be the ultimate in events where the helicopter community attend in droves. I attended the qualification day (I couldn’t get entry tickets for the race) and there was certainly no shortage of movements on the day and I am reliably informed that the movements increase significantly on the main event day. As most people know by now, HeliAir have secured the rights to operate the heliport for the next umpteen years and Silverstone 2010 was to be the main event for them since establishing a base there as part of a permanent site. I’ve already reported on the practice day, but all eyes were going to be on the main events and I know that many of the staff were nervous . Read More→
CPOP 2010
I’m trying to get up to date with my blogging so I’m writing about the Cholmondeley Pageant of Power before I blog about my visit to Silverstone and my trip in a Cirrus to Marseille in the South of France. I visited on both days and this article is an amalgamation of both days.
CPOP is now in it’s 3rd year and is set in the grounds of Cholmondeley Castle in Cheshire. It is a celebration of classic and modern automotive transport whether designed for land, sea or air. Central to the fun is a 3 mile race circuit which is situated within the grounds and then there are air displays, power boats racing and shopping stalls dotted around the outside. Read More→
One of the main Motor Racing events, Silverstone, is looming and as most of you will know attracts thousands of spectators from all over the world. The majority of those descend on the racing circuit by road but quite a few, in fact hundreds, arrive by helicopter. HeliAir have negotiated a contract with Silverstone to be the provider of helicopter services at the racetrack and as the Managing Director is a member of the HCGB he has arranged for private traffic to be able to attend at significantly reduced costs.(Thank you!) All helicopter traffic that flies in must attend a special briefing and fly a practice trip into the airfield to ensure that pilots are familiar with the procedures. There are literally thousands of movements and it is critical that flights are able to enter and exit the racetrack smoothly. There are movements every 45 seconds and you simply have to get it right or the knock-on effect can be quite dramatic. Read More→