26/07/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

Here is a short movie from our recent Freedom Wings days, June 28th and July 24th & 25th with the young carers from Spurgeons. Every carer whom we met during the last few days playing with aeroplanes have a very special and important job to do.

They sacrifice so so much to care for loved one who have a wide range of disabilities.  Spending time with them certainly brightened up our day and we sincerely hope they all had a day to remember. 

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21/07/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

It has been ages since i enjoyed picnic in the park with friends. My Harry and his lovely girlfriend Mira celebrated their birthday on Parliament Hill on Saturday. My friend came up from the country to join in on the festivities. I liked the spot as i could watch aeroplanes turn onto finals to land on Heathrow rwy 27 from where we sat. Today, i took Paul flying on a local vfr flight around Cranfield for just over an hour. Paul was the very first person who came flying with me years ago when i had a trial lesson at Sywell. It was great to take him flying now i am a qualified pilot.

Harry works for an amazing creative photographic magazine and gallery called FOTO8 and Host Gallery. It is run by one of the nicest person that i have met in a while called Jon. Check their online gallery. I am unable to go to their summer show tomorrow as i am giving a talk to the Redbridge Rotary Club.

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03/06/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

The first time i met William Hynett, Britten-Norman’s Group Chief Executive was over a beer at Aero Expo 2007, High Wycombe. BN is the only independent aircraft manufacturer left in the UK. They also assemble Cirrus in their factory on the Isle of Wight. I went there once in a PA28 out of Lasham. Andrew Mackay-Johnstone (one of the trustees of Aviation without Borders) is a very close friend of the man who runs Cirrus and promised to take me flying in a Cirrus SR22 - the same planes that BN assemble…I found this great picture of an Islander (also made by BN) on the web

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02/06/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

This article is by Kelly Armstrong who flew with Gautam Lewis, on January 27, 2008 EGTC - EGTC, 3 circuits and local Visual Flight Rules flight (VFR)

It is a crisp sunny Sunday afternoon that will see me taken up into the skies by newly qualified and keen-as-mustard pilot, Gautham Lewis. I will be his second charge since those wings were earned and look forward to experiencing first hand the fruition of many months of hard graft.

We approach Cranfield Airport – an airstrip in Northampton that has long swapped its spitfires and bombers for less deadly machines – and make our way through a series of former military barracks, set in neat little rows, buildings that now house students studying aerospace engineering.

Cranfield has rather a cosy feel to it, a sharp contrast to the overbearing and fortified nature of international airports. Once past the security gate, Read the rest of this entry »

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06/05/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

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05/05/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

It was last may that i took my friend Luca flying out of Lasham during the early part of my private pilots licence training. That time Paul was giving me lessons on stalling and steep turns - we also went cloud bashing as it was put to me. The day was boiling hot and visibility was great. Luca was sick in my rucksack 3000 feet up which meant that we had to finish the lesson early. I did manage to get a few circuits in at RAF Odiham though. Read the rest of this entry »

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04/05/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

Last year we took Rusty gliding from Lasham - the weather then was sublime. This year, Edward and I, had planned to take Rusty home to Norfolk to have lunch with his parent for the day to celebrate his birthday. Well, seeing there was a party on Friday night, we did not see him until mid afternoon on sat. The weather was also not as brilliant as last year..so, with weather and a later departure, i planned a route to Wellesbourne Mountford instead and get Rusty some birthday cake. This we did and once back in london we ended the day with some fish and chips or as i like to say cod and potatoes, wizardora see ya lata… watch the short slideshow with backing music from The Doctors of Love, which is one of Rusty’s bands….
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03/05/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

Weather is starting to get better so the best way to spend a day for me is to do some flying and keep building my hours. My initial ideas was to fly to Sibson. Local weather around the airfield was not brilliant and i still want to explore destinations with longish runways before i start to visit fields with short grass strips. So instead I plotted a route to Wellsbourne Mountford (EGBW), close to Birmingham CTR. Read the rest of this entry »

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28/04/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

 Early this morning it was looking like a fine spring day was going to be had…however by the time i check the weather online i was not sure if i would get to fly from a new airfield - White Waltham. This airfield is one of the oldest in the UK and i have met many pilots who trained here. I had arranged to meet Bruno who is one of  West London Aero Club’s instructors. We met last year at Cranfield and become good friends. White Waltham is just on the edge of the London Control zone. Read the rest of this entry »

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26/04/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

It has been  more then 28 days since i flew Terry’s PA28. The Cessna 172 is still in the maintenance hanger awaiting some parts. Thus, i had to have a check ride with Terry to make sure that my flying skills are up to scratch - I was given the all clear.   Read the rest of this entry »

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18/04/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

(Edinburgh - UK:  April 17th, 2008)  Aviation Without Borders and the Scottish Aero Club will be hosting an ‘Introduction to Aviation’ day on 19th April 2008 beginning at 10:30 at Perth Aerodrome. The day is named, for obvious reasons, Smiling Wings day and, with the support of EADS, will be Aviation Without Borders’ first in Scotland.

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28/03/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

I picked my friend up from Heathrow this morning. He returned after spending a few months in Nepal. During his travels, he met a photographer. My friend Paul explained to the photographer that I was a pilot and to his surprise he had taken this photograph of Gautam Budha Airport (my own name is Gautam)….a nice message from the photographer too which reads “Dear Gautam, maybe one day you will fly to the birthplace of your namesake”

cheeky me has edited the image to make me the Budha….zoom in to the face for a close up. I have to one day visit this airport..

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04/03/2008 by Mr Shoe Wingtips.

My friend Owen Williams now lives in Thailand. This latest creation from his mind has an aeroplanes among other transport vehicles. 

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