Sirrus

I repaint aircraft and use them to follow bicycle races -e.g. Tour de France, La Vuelta etc.-, to get to and from Grand Prix Races and the occasional airshow. Currently awaiting their turn in the paintshop are:- a recently rebuilt Spitfire PR11. The large oil tank under the nose alters the profile of the aircraft and being a photo-reconnaissance aircraft, carried no guns, Also awaiting the painters attention is this... a Jurca J100 Spitfire replica. Built out of wood, using the Jurca plans, this one is powered by an 1200 hp Allison V-1710-81 engine and is as quick as the original, but costs a lot less money! Time will tell what colour scheme it will eventually have.

The paint scheme was fictitious for a static aircraft. Having had the provenance of a fictitious aircraft questioned, and, in doing so ruining a story line for a future adventure, and several hours work, I am minded not to answer any more questions about this aircraft.

This is a CH-46E.

The scheme is fictional but based on a CH-46 of HMMT-164 which carried an experimental gloss green scheme in 2015. It is/was being lined up for a new story line for later on in the year.

All cities are, unless the city fathers are have a little foresight. There is not a week passes that a cyclist is injured/killed in London these days. Amsterdam has more cycle ways than any other city I've been to, Nice has a cycle path along the Promenade D'Anglais and I noticed that cyclists in New Orleans use the tramways to avoid the traffic! I once saw a cyclist on Highway 192 heading West out of Kissimmee and marvelled at his bravery. Belgium is the place to go for cycling. Every Sunday, roads are closed, and cycle clubs run their own races. If there is a collision between a car and a cyclist, then the car driver is deemed to be at fault, or so I was told. And, MAD1, Sturmey-Archer still exists right here in the Netherlands! So, if you needed to you could order a new Sturmey-Archer 3 speed hub for your bike (via your local bike shop). They do make a 5 speed hub, with an internal brake, and an eight speed hub, also with an internal brake as well as a 3 speed hub for tricycles. A walk round to my local bike shop I think. Not good at all, When I had my hip done, the guy in the next bed had a new knee replacement. He's now pain free and walking normally. I see him regularly at our physio class. He's now waiting to have the other one done! And to bring the thread back to Flight Simming, I wanted a cyclist, just to explore different places, and I found this:- ...and the motorized bicycle is a French built Solex 3800 with some fanciful additions. I went looking for one but they are now "collectors items" with prices to match! As to the Curate on the bike, he looks familiar!

A real race that separates the committed from those who should be committed! You must be a cyclist, sir. That's how you knew about Bianci bicycles... These days I ride a Pashley tricycle, but I used to be a 14 mile a day guy, 6' tall and 75 kilos/170 lbs on a lightweight Claude Butler road bicycle.

So,whilst others have been making their way back home from Australia, at home in Amsterdam, I have been recovering from my second total hip replacement. Major surgery indeed, as one has to learn to walk again! However, with the passage of time, and a very pretty physio, I am able to walk, drive and fly again, so I took on the delivery of two refurbished EC120s to be delivered to Nice from Paris. It so happened that there was also a major cycle race happening at the same time so our route nearly planned itself. The route was:- Day 1 Le Bourget to Chavenay Day 2 Chavenay to Montargis and then on to Auxerre Day 3 Auxerre to Chalon (after watching the team time trial!) Day 4 Chalon to Valence via Mont Broiully Day 5 Valence to Sisteron (a gliding paradise) Day 6 Sisteron to Nice and hand over our EC120s. Our ride from Amsterdam to Le Bourget was one of our “hack” aircraft, which is also available for lease or rent. At Le Bourget we picked up our Colibris and a Diamond DA42 which would act as mother ship should anything untoward happen on our way South. "Our" Diamond DA42 with Sean Beckett and I flying. Somewhere South of Chalon, the weather deteriorates into rain, not at all what we were expecting. At least, we had no snowfalls as we wound our way through the Alpes Maritime. The first EC120 with Lottie Vincent at the controls The second EC120 with Joe Grimley in charge. He hated the colour scheme which will be altered when its new owners take it over. Finally, we made Nice. One of my favourite cities, I learned how to “prune” a large yukka tree here from one of the City's Parks Department employees (with a chainsaw!). This is in a pot, but in the ground they can grow up to 30 FEET TALL!!!! Hence the chainsaw. It starts to grow back within a year. We hand over the EC120s and spend a couple of days in a cold and wet Nice (to watch the finish of the race) before all climbing back into the DA42 and returning it to Le Bourget and taking our Cessna Titan back to Amsterdam. With the Cycling World Tours now coming thick and fast, I shall have to see if there are any more jobs that take me near to a race:-) As an aside, my business partner in Florida sent me a picture of a heli he has just bought. He doesn't think it was ex HMX-1, the Presidential Flight, but a special scheme as adopted by some aircraft of HMMT-164. He'll know more when he gets it in the hangar. Hmmmm...

I do "ferry" runs taken from a RW sources, Skyliner and Air Britain, and, if none of those appeal to me, I try to learn to fly something I don't usually fly, like a glider or a helicopter. Currently, I'm trying to master the autopilot in the Bell 407!

I use FSX.

...sitting under all that flammable hydrogen for nearly 5 DAYS! How high would your blood pressure be? Would you have bitten your nails down to the quick? Did they carry a doctor to deal with nervous fliers? Granted airships looked magnificent but an aeronautical dead end, unless, of course, someone can prove me wrong.

I send my deepest condolences for the loss of your friend. 60 is no age to leave this world. I shall say a prayer for him.

As a non-starter, I don't know if this applies to me but here's my two helicopters used in preparation for the rally. I nearly got a ride in the RW in this. It was in the helipad on the 192 and I could have had a flight in her, but my lady wouldn't drive up to KISM to come and collect me. Sulk! A Bell 407, a Jet Ranger on steroids. Wonderful!

Yes, very true, the default DC-3 in FSX is a case in point. I note the US registered aircraft do not have to display their tail numbers/registrations on their wings.

In that case, you should alter where the aircraft's registration letters are. They should appear on the top right wing - being readable from the rear - and the bottom left wing - being readable from the front. Otherwise, you may have the Campaign Against Aviation (CAA) looking for you!

I have this problem. An aircraft, bought for a rally I couldn't do, and now it's costing me money. So I ring my agent in Australia, Clem Clackett (what the Americans call a good 'ole boy) and ask him to put the aircraft up for sale. He tells me he's just moved from... to... and, despite being incredibly busy with the move, he'll add the aircraft to the Clackett Air Sales site. Several days later, he tells me he has a mature couple interested in the aircraft and he's arranged a test flight that afternoon. He's had the Cessna washed and polished so she looks her best. The couple turn up. With him on board, they take it for a flight West of Perth, and, after getting used to the controls they put the aircraft through its paces... some short take-offs and landings... they taxi back to the hangar and park the aircraft. Now dealing with agents has always been a problem, as seen here in George Sheridan Knowles picture of two guys from Redcoat negotiating with an agent of a leasing company. Although, I have never, yet, set fire to an agreement, I have torn up two or three in my time. Eventually, a deal is done. I get back the purchase price plus a little extra, the agent, Clem Clackett, gets his fee, and the couple get a really nice aeroplane. Don't you love a happy ending!

Did you remember to shut the door on the last A320?

RMS Britannic and RMS Olympic were similar to their sister, apart from the fact that the bulkheads went all the way up to the main deck. Britannic didn't last long but my Dad was a cabin boy on Olympic. Some of her interior still exists on a Celebrity Cruises' "Celebrity Millenium". My Dad went on to get his Master's ticket but came ashore in 1937 to marry my Mum.

Having just had the second one done, he has my undying gratitude. My surgeon tells me that they should last between 15 and 30 years, so I could be 106 when the warranty runs out!

So what happened to me... I have been suffering pain in my right hip for some time, so I see my doctor. She sends me for an x-ray, and the result shows some osteo-arthritis in the hip. I am asked how I'd like to deal with it and I go for some physio and painkillers. Towards December of last year the painkillers don't seem to be doing as well as they used to. I see a specialist, who also sends me for an x-ray. This time, I am sat down and he shows me the x-rays. He tells me that there should be a significant gap between where the ball is in the hip joint, and where the socket is. On my x-ray there is no gap. "This means Mr Cirrus, that there is no cartilage between two bones so you are experiencing a great deal of pain." He pauses, "Therefore I would suggest you have a total hip replacement, and that will be..." he scans a laptop and hmmms, "February 10th. Any questions?" We chat for a while and I slowly walk back to my flat. Roll on into the New Year and I am preparing for the 2024 Australian Rally, aircraft are hired so I can survey the route, and I drive some of it in a (hired) Ford F-150 Ute. Finally I decide on an aircraft for the Rally. A low-time 1971 Cessna 310Q, for which I paid (I think) under market price. With the aircraft re-registered, and a quick look at her systems, she was ferried down to Jandakot and hangared. I believe I can complete the B+H course before the surgeon cuts me up. Then, back in Amsterdam, the phone goes and, the surgeon has a cancellation...February 10 has just become January 17!!! I have enough time to tidy up the office, talk to my offspring, quickly go over the will - the odds against dieing "on the table" is 100,000 to one, but it does happen - and I'm off to a nice private hospital to get my undercarriage reset. Along the way I will find that I have Nordic ancestors, but that, as they say, is another story. Which leaves me with a nice 310, parked in a hangar in Perth I can't use until mid-March - 6 weeks minimum before I can drive or fly - and hangar fees pilling up by the day. Hmmmm!

I have one where you launch your glider - no towing or winches - from the top of Pikes Peak, in FSX N38* 50' 26", W105* 02' 39" should find it. You have to use gravity to launch so getting your glider up there is going to be fun! Launch and do a circle of Pike's Peak, it does not matter which way initially... I used to do a circle where you would overfly the USAF Academy (KAFF), then Colorado Springs Muni (KCOS), Butts AAF -Fort Carson (KFCS) and then return overflying Colorado Springs Muni (KCOS), and landing at USAF Academy (KAFF). However, after doing an anti-clockwise run around the top of Pike's Peak, I tried to get as far as possible from the peak. My first attempt was within a mile of Denver International (I would have made Stapleton, if it was still there.) Of course I will try again...it is one of my saved flights. So something easy to hone your gliding skills with!

Try the 2024 Australia Challenge...either as a timed contestant or an untimed participant. Fun is almost guaranteed.

This is the freeware IRIS Diamond DA42 for FSX. The IRIS DA40 is also freeware for FSX. Thank you everyone for your good wishes. This has been hanging over me for a while and if I have been irritable/annoyed/bad tempered with anyone I apologize for that. I will try to be nicer in future.

I had hoped to take part in the 2024 Australian Rally and did do some work on selecting aircraft. From this... and this... to this... and this... to this... and this... However, I have been informed my my doctor I have to have surgery early in February, meaning I will miss at least a week, maybe two of the rally. Therefore, I will not be entering the Rally this time. Hopefully I will be up and about for the next challenge. My suggestion would be a rerun of the 1936 Schlesinger Race, maybe with modern equipment. Thanks.

As used by US Presidents...New York 2009... Sorry about the snatched photo, but I was on the Statue of Liberty and it was time for me to catch the ferry.

I believe I did say it sounded like a dance one would do with one's favourite lady...not exactly a ringing endorsement.