01 Feb 2011 - Permit arrived, just need the weather to play ball now now!

Awesome service from the LAA. Paperwork posted Saturday morning; Permit to Fly in my hand Tuesday morning! All I need now is some decent weather...

28 Jan 11 - Check flight - Done!

Well, the weather gods were smiling today - so thanking them for the opportunity, I decided to head down to Honington and do the check flight. I'm pleased to report that it all went perfectly; I'm not sure if it's quite the done thing but as I was up, I did a few loops to celebrate. It felt really, really good!

Now I just need to wait for the paperwork to be processed and I'll be back in business. Excellent!

26 Jan 11 Permit re-inspection - done!

Good news, KI's re-inspection was spot on (inspector very pleased) and she's now signed off ready for the check flight. If I'm lucky the weather might co-operate this weekend; if so she could be fully legal again mid-Feb so fingers crossed!

17 Jan 11 - Almost ready for Permit

Well, it's been a bit of a slog to organise all the bits and find the time, but G-AVKI, Tipsy Nipper number S102 is almost ready for Permit. The most recent task was replacing the main and nose U/C suspension rubbers which went well using the special tool designed by Neil Spooner of 'Nipper Flat Spin' fame. The rudder's ready to go back on after reaming the upper hinge, the engine's been rebuilt following head refurbishment, the ailerons are back on with no play and the sticking oil pressure gauge has been replaced. There have also been a multitude of other little jobs too which all seem to take more time than you'd expect!

Just need to chat with the inspector now and arrange a date for inspection. It'll be nice to get airborne in the Nipper again - can't remember the last time I was upside down... Should be fun!

All hoisted - ready to swap the main u/c suspension rubbers

Yours truly - looking very pleased with myself

Lifting the nose to change the nose u/c suspension rubbers

10th November 2010 - All is not lost...

Just a quick update - after some discussion with Adam, it would appear that I'll be flying G-AVKI for a little while longer. I'm currently sorting out a few issues that cropped up on the Permit renewal but expect to be flying her again in early 2011. Should get a few hours on her before she leaves for good this time and I'm very much looking forward to it!

My last aerobatic flight (for a while at least...)

Well, I've enjoyed dipping my toe into the field of aerobatics but for now I've come to the end of the line. As with many things it comes down to cost v enjoyment. Aerobatics doesn't come cheap, although I think I managed to do it for as little as possible! However, since I started on this journey last september, I've also done two flying tours in my Shadow. The first in June was Fly UK which took me to the north of Scotland and back, the second in September took me to france for 5 days. Limited funds dictate that I can afford to do either aerobatics or touring and I've chosen to go with touring for now as I've found that although aerobatics is great for the duration of the flight, touring is fun throughout the whole experience.

My last flight in Nipper G-AVKI comprised loops, rolls, chandelles and most fun of all - spinning! I landed (as ever) with a big grin on my face and as I shut down I can't help but think how lucky I've been. It's been a blast...

10th July - rusty!

I've had a busy few weeks since I last flew the Nipper, not least of which was taking part in FlyUK 2010 in my Shadow which was great fun.

This Saturday, I flew the Shadow to Marham, strapped Adam in so he could try it out and then took KI up to blow away the aerobatic cobwebs! I didn't do anything particularly taxing or impressive and unfortunately wasn't able to fly over the runway which was frustrating. It's very difficult to assess yourself without a line feature below. However, I did the usual loops, rolls, chandelles and a spin, all of which went well. As before, the thing I need is continuity, but I suspect that I will only manage a few flights between now and mid-August due to family commitments.

For the record, Adam really enjoyed flying the Shadow; I think he wants one!