CLUB NEWS

Article from THE BAY Magazine July/August 2009

Editor: Lesley Williams

Editorial Consultant: Sarla Langdon

Designer: Simon Williams

Email: Lesley@the swanseabay.co.uk

Tel: 07812393150

When my husband Simon was given a flight over Gower for his birthday, I had mixed feelings to find that he could take our daughter Lindsay and me with him!

Now I�m not the most confident flyer, but when the day arrived, the sky was blue and the sun was shining, I actually began to look forward to it.

We arrived at Swansea Airport (Fairwood) and met up with our pilot, Dave Turner of Cambrian Flying Club who introduced us to the Cessna 172 which looked to me to be just a bit small for 4 people. Once we were all safely strapped in and with our headphones on I could see that behind us was enough room for luggage had we wanted to make a weekend of it!

Dave talked us through exactly what was happening when he went through all the safety checks and got the go-ahead from air traffic control. It was then that I realised he was instructing Simon as to what he was going to do once we were airborn � this wasn�t just a sightseeing trip � he was having a flying lesson!

The take off was very smooth and we were quickly flying out towards the Loughor Estuary and down towards the Whitford Lighthouse. At this point Simon took over the controls and Lindsay and I held our breath � if we hadn�t been able to hear Dave telling him that he was now in control, we wouldn�t have been any the wiser.

We followed the coastline all the more popular bays with their little cafes and restaurants until we reached Mumbles Head and flew right past the lighthouse.

Our flight was scheduled to last 30 minutes but we were all having such a fantastic time we asked Dave if we could keep going, which he was happy to do. Dave confessed that teaching out of Swansea �Fairwood was much more enjoyable than other airports as Gower offered him something different every time he took off.

To end our flight we flew over Swansea Bay and up the river to the Stadium and then back over Sketty and out to Gower to return along the coast so that Lindsay, who was seated on the right could have the coastal view.

Once the airfield was in sight, Simon lined the plane up with the runway and brought the plane down to within 50ft when Dave took the controls and smoothly landed the plane.

I think this has to be one of the most exciting experiences you can have locally and I can highly recommend it if you want to find that special present � it certainly beats socks!

By: Lesley Williams

RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS

NEVER TOO OLD

Retired head teacher Eric Lamborn has proved you�re never too old to learn

At 79 he qualified for his PPL with Cambrian Flying Club

Eric from Port Talbot, is no stranger to flying, however, having originally earned his �wings� with the RAF Reserves. His love of flying was fostered in 1943 when he trained as a teacher at Trinity College, Carmarthen and became a member of the University�s Air Squadron, flying Tiger Moths out of Pembrey Airfield, and later piloting Spitfires and early jets.

Things have changed quite a bit since then, he says, �In the old days it was �light the fires, kick the tyres and buzz off�. You had a map and flew along railway lines and if you got lost, you came down to look at the names of the stations. It�s more complicated these days. In our day you didn�t have GPS!�

Club Member Eric has appeared on BBC Wales Today and on BBC Radio Wales and has been featured in Today�s Pilot Magazine