Christchurch and District Model Flying Club
 

Flying with the Aces,

by Brian Wiseman

It was last year at the L.M.A show at Cosford.

Ali Mch...you know who, saw me at one of the stands and asked me to come with him to the flight line. I vaguely knew him. It was early on and there were few people there. He said he had to test fly two planes and would I like a go. I could hardly believe it. First was a Wellington. Two engines, he handed me the transmitter. Open it up slowly he said so I did. Take her steady now, more throttle and gently lift off and we were up. I did a few circuits and handed the trannie to him to land it.

Then the helpers put a fast jet on the runway. Take her off he said, I could not believe my luck. Feed the power in gently: I opened the throttle. Keep her down he said and we sped along the runway give her more throttle, then after we had lifted off full throttle, so I did hold her down, then take her up vertically. So I did. I put it into a loop; you certainly need a lot of sky for these planes. Then a loop with a roll on the way up, one at the top and on the way down. Then he said put it away on the left and do a fast fly past as low as you can. So I set it going, lower he said and down it came gently. It seemed very low to me but he said go lower and so I did. It must have been going at 200 m.p.h. Then the problems started.

I cannot steer it I shouted. He grabbed the trannie and tried to steer it, you’re right he shouted, I cannot steer it either. The plane was coming straight for us. Duck he shouted and I felt him move.

I threw myself as hard as I could to the right. As I fell I must have hit my head on the bedside cabinet, and ended up a sweating heap on the bedroom floor. It of course disturbed my Wife. She was not very sympathetic. She told me that I always get over-excited the night after I have been flying, and it is not good for me, if I do not calm down then she will give all my planes away to Oxfam.

I crept back into bed, lay very still and tried to sleep.

Post-dated 1 April 2009 - Ed

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