Airplay Aviation - Latest News
January 2012: As is so often the case, perseverance with the weather has finally given us some excellent winter training, with perfectly clear smooth conditions. So much so, that both Martin Delves-Yates and Andy Pulley have flown first solos, and Fred Gardner has passed his GST- well done to you all!
December 2011: A period of exceptionally poor weather has made it difficult to maintain continuity for a lot of students, although Neil Hubbard has managed to successfully pass his GST during a gap in the weather. Neil is now just waiting for the weather to improve enough to complete his qualifying cross-countries.
David & John Lawrence have successfully had their world speed record ratified by the FAI, and David has finished the british microlight championship in second place after a close-fought battle with Rob Grimwood throughout the year.
Lastly, P&M Aviation have revealed two new major developments for 2012. The new topless GTR wing is rated to a full 472.kg max load, and with a cruise speed range of up to 95mph hands-off is set to replace the GT450 as the wing of choice for good all-round handling and performance. The wing also features the new STARS handling system, which promises to revolutionise the handling of the latest generation of high-performance microlights. Also, the new PulsR trike (available summer 2012) aims to make use of these high cruise speeds whilst still retaining a high level of comfort. The largely enclosed cabin virtually eliminates the wind rush up to 95mph, and with a high degree of adjustability the trike can be setup for many pilots of different sizes.
Prices for the GTR start at around £34K (inc VAT) with a projected price of £48K for the PulsR. At least one GTR has already been ordered for Sutton Meadows, please contact us if you'd like to arrange a demo flight in one of these new aircraft.
September 2011: Neil Hubbard has successfully flown his first solo flight in the school GT450, and has started rapidly building solo hours- well done Neil!
Dave's competition season is going well, with consecutive overall wins at the first two rounds of the British Nationals, although disappointingly the World Championships in Israel has been cancelled for this year.
June 2011: Congratulations to Fred Gardner, who recently flew his first solo in his syndicate-shared Pegasus Q, and David Peto who completed his course with a GST pass!
Also recently, David Broom organised a club flying trip for Cambridge Microlight club members and former students. The planned route around the Scottish highlands was abandoned due to a marginal forecast, but the group of six microlights had a fantastic three day tour around middle-England and the Welsh coast, including a memorable flight over Snowdon just after a snowstorm (in June!).
Finally, Airplay have been loaned the very latest in performance flexwings, a P&M QuikR wing. Available both for cross-country training and demonstration purposes, if you are interested in a new aircraft, now is the time to come and see the range on offer!
March 2011: The spring has finally sprung, and the recent dramatic improvement in the weather has led to a flurry of activity at the airfield. Training has continued apace, with Kevan Ward completing his restricted license and James Downie gaining an unrestricted license. Kevan & James are looking for partners to build a syndicate on a new GT450 to be based in Suffolk.
Airplay's main school aircraft has received a new sail as part of ongoing maintenance, in a patriotic red/white/blue colour scheme.
David Broom and John Lawrence have flown John's new QuikR to two World Microlight speed record claims, managing over 165kph! The claims are subject to ratification by the FAI later this year.
The British Microlight team (of which David was a part of) are also due to be presented with the Prince of Wales Cup at the Royal Aero Club awards ceremony in May.
January 2011: A very poor spell of weather over the winter period has proved frustrating for those of us that want to be in the air. February has in past years provided excellent training weather however, so we live in hope! In the meantime, John Lawrence has taken delivery of his new QuikR, which will be based at Sutton. Also, Airplay has been investigating the use of HD video recorders to record both trial flight experiences and regular training sorties complete with voice recording of the in-flight intercom system; if trials prove successful we hope to offer this service later this summer.
November 2010: Congratulations to Al Bassam, who recently flew his first solo in the short winter evening conditions, and Kevan Ward, who recently qualified for his restricted NPPL microlight license.
On the aircraft side, Flylight have recently announced a new stablemate for the Dragonfly, called the MotorFloater. Sharing many design aspects with the Dragonfly, the new machine offers a budget option for people who want to take advantage of slow, efficient single-seat microlights. Prices start at around £10K including VAT. Please call us for more details.
September 2010: David is pleased to report that after an interesting and close competition, he & co-pilot Chris Levings won the Silver medal at the European Microlight Championships.
David has also successfully retained his British Championship title for a second year, finishing in style with an overall win at St.Michaels airfield near Blackpool.
July 2010: Congratulations to both Richard Dedman & James Downie, who both successfully completed their first solo flights this month!
David will be away from the 2nd-16th August, as he has been selected for the British Team at the 2010 European Microlight Championships- this year being held on home territory at Sywell in Northamptonshire! A last-minute class change means that David will be flying in a borrowed SkyRanger microlight with former student Chris Levings as co-pilot. You can keep up with the team's progress at www.britishteam.org, and the official website at www.emc2010.org.uk. Wish us luck!
June 2010: It's been an exceedingly busy couple of months at Airplay, with the consistency of the weather allowing many students to make rapid progress. Ian Munday has successfully flown his 1st solo, and Stuart Blount has finally completed his restricted license after a record 14 years of training (including two long layoff periods)! Well done to them both!
The Sutton Meadows round of the Nationals was again a huge success, and having been chosen as the finish point for the FlyUK Round Britain tour for the 2nd year proved an irresistible draw for many pilots. Over 70 aircraft attended the event, which we believe is the largest number of aircraft that the airfield has held at one time in its entire 26 year history!
The team of Rob Grimwood & John Waite won the event, with some close competition from Neil King & Alan Weatherall in their Blade, who came second. David Hadley put in a consistent performance to clinch 3rd place.
March 2010: The recent improvement in the weather has allowed us some more consistent training conditions. Kevan Ward recently flew his first solo, and Baz Myers also successfully passed his GST for the grant of a restricted NPPL- congratulations to them both!
February 2010: Please note there is likely to be an inflationary price rise at the end of March to cope with the increasing cost of fuel. If you are thinking of purchasing a block of lessons or a full course, any purchases before this date will of course be honoured at 2009 prices.
You can also see the edited TV short that the Paul O'Grady show filmed at Airplay below. This was filmed last winter and illustrates how nice winter flying can be (as long as you wrap up warm!)
January 2010: The poor weather over the winter has undoubtedly affected flight training, with many students unable to drive to the airfield even on nice flyable days! Luckily we have managed some good days, and the cold weather has at least provided smooth, clear air for our students to practice in. Airplay student Richard Dedman has received his new GT450 to complete his training in. Finally, a repeat of last year's successful National competition and Fly-in is to be held in 2010 at Sutton Meadows; the dates for the diary are the 26th and 27th of June, with the party on the Saturday night. See you there!
November 2009: The 2009 John Holloway trophy (for best organised round of the BMAA Nationals) has been won by Sutton Meadows for the competition held in July of this year. The trophy will be presented at the BMAA AGM to be held at the Flying Show at the Birmingham NEC on the 28th of this month. Airplay Aviation will be having a small stand at the show to promote the school, and look forward to seeing you there!
September 2009: An extremely busy September with near-perfect flying conditions all month. Congratulations should go to new student Lee Kempster who passed his GST after only 3 weeks of training, and to Stuart Blount who has re-soloed on his XL after a break of nearly a decade!
September also saw the club invited to an open day at nearby RAF Wittering
and student Oliver Rash accompanied David in the only flexwing to fly in on the day. Don't worry, for those that missed it there is another open day planned for next April!
August 2009: CFI David Broom is pleased to announce that he is now the solo British Microlight Champion. After a busy season of competition flying, the results from all the rounds are combined into a league score, with Dave out on top of the solo class after flying a borrowed Shadow 2-stroke microlight. It is a pleasure to be able to put these skills back into training the very best pilots.
Speaking of which, congratulations go to Graham Bruford-Row (seen right), who has just flown his first solo in the GT450. Also, Gary Ungless has recently passed his GST to obtain a new NPPL. Gary is very much enjoying flying his new Dragonfly single-seater and thermalling alongside the successful hang-glider group based at Sutton. The Dragonfly offers realistic sink rates approaching those of a pure hang-glider, but with the obvious benefits of an electric start and an engine!
July 2009: This has proved to be an extremely busy summer for Airplay Aviation, with a heatwave that has had us flying in T-shirt & shorts for most of the month! Will Furness has completed the unrestriction of his license, allowing him to fly cross-country. Hang-glider pilot Andy Hollidge has begun his microlight course in order to fly with Peregrine Falcons that he is training, and successfully flew solo after only 5hrs of conversion.
The Sutton Meadows Nationals competition was a huge success, and with the FlyUK tour of Britain choosing to end their week-long trip at Sutton we had a very big party to celebrate on the Saturday night! With two live bands and fireworks, as well as hovercraft racing and a fantastic barbeque laid on by the Cambridge Microlight Club, this event really has put Sutton Meadows back on the map as a leading centre of microlight activity.
May 2009: Congratulations to Will Furness (who has completed his restricted license after a short winter layoff) and Renate Zeigermann (who has completed her unrestricted license ready to take part in this years FlyUK tour of Britain and also the Centenary Bleriot channel crossing expeditions). Also, Baz Myers has successfully flown his first solo, and is looking forward to rapidly building his hours on his own Rapier flexwing.
April 2009: The British Nationals competition season has started, with CFI David Broom taking an early lead in the solo championship after the first two rounds (at Over Farm and Sywell respectively). Preparations are underway for the Sutton Meadows round to be held on the 27-28th June. All are welcome to the Saturday night barbeque which will include spectator-friendly tasks in the evening and a live band.
March 2009: Apologies for the late update- we've been snowed under (both with work, and literally)! February's snowstorms provided us with some of the most beautiful flying ever: I hope to have some photos up in a gallery section on the website soon.
Also, the great run of weather has lead to a huge influx in students and pilots carrying out refresher training, as well as a number of existing students completing their licenses. If you're planning an intensive course this summer it would be best to book soon!
January 2009: Unfortunately the good December weather hasn't carried through to 2009, which has limited the number of flying days slightly. Luckily however, our position at sea level in the Fens means that we often have conditions suitable for circuit training when other schools are grounded, and we have been taking full advantage!
Also, we have negotiated a deal with the Cambridge Microlight Club, so that all Airplay students have an honourary free membership of the CMC during their training. This allows use of their facilities and involvement in club activities including fly-outs etc.
December 2008: The excellent start to December has allowed many of our students to rapidly build their solo hours and prepare for their final skills test. Much of the best training is done in the winter, due to the calmer air usually found.
Many aircraft and engine manufacturers traditionally increase their prices in the new year, so if you are at all interested in a new P&M or Flylight flexwing microlight it would be best not to delay! We currently have a number of syndicates forming in order to buy new aircraft, which can of course be an extremely cost-effective way to fly!
Airplay was also recently chosen to film a short VT for the Paul O'Grady show, which highlighted the brilliance of microlight flying at this time of year. The edited film should be included in the next series of the show, sometime in 2009.
November 2008: It's been a very busy month here at Airplay, with the calmer winter weather allowing students to make good progress.
Congratulations to Renate Zeigermann who has recently carried out her first solo flight in the GT450. She now plans to continue her course on her partners Kiss450 microlight and be ready to take part in next year's FlyUK event.
Also, with the colder weather we've been very motivated to fit the Thermoflash heated clothing system to the new school machine. As the only school in the UK to offer this system, our school aircraft offer the comfort required to make the most of each lesson. It's like sitting in an aerial Jacuzzi!
Finally, we have now received a Flylight Dragonfly sub-115kg microlight for use as a demonstrator. We are authorised UK dealers for the Dragonfly and have a number of these machines (as well as happy owners) on-site at Sutton Meadows. If you are interested in one of these fantastic aircraft please give us a call for a chat!
October 2008: Airplay now have now upgraded our main school aircraft to the GT450 microlight, manufactured in the UK by P&M Aviation. The GT450 is one of the highest performance flexwings on the market today, with a true hands-off cruise speed of anywhere between 45-80mph, and a full 450kg takeoff weight. It is also the current European Championship winning machine. All of our students have converted well to the performance available, and the slightly larger trike offers a very comfortable aircraft for longer trips.
September 2008: Despite the poor weather, we managed some flying in the short spells of sunshine over the Sutton Meadows 25th anniversary fly-in weekend. The barbeque was excellently timed between rain showers, and everyone had a great time.
Both Steve Wilson and Will Minns have taken delivery of their new Dragonfly single-seat flexwings, and have promptly completed their license courses on them. Steve simply had to do the two navigation cross-country exercises, and at 2.5l/hr it was a cheap way to complete the unrestriction!
August 2008: Airplay has pleasure inviting you to the Sutton Meadows 25th Anniversary fly-in & Marie-Curie Cancer Care fundraising day, on the weekend of the 6-7th September. All are welcome, pilots or not, and please do bring the family! There will be a barbeque on the Saturday night (and overnight camping is encouraged), and discounted trial flights on the Sunday (including a donation to the charity). Our usual £2 landing fee will be waived for the duration of the weekend. This is the biggest event in the Sutton Meadows Calendar- make sure you get there early! For more details, please look at the BMAA Events Page.
July 2008: We've been enjoying the hot summer weather here at Airplay. It's rare to be comfortable when flying in T-shirt & shorts, so we've been taking full advantage.
As has William Furniss, who recently flew his first solo and loved the outstanding climb performance of the 912 Quantum without the weight of an instructor in the back!
June 2008: Congratulations to Steve Wilson, who has now passed his General Skills Test and obtained his NPPL (restricted). Steve is now eagerly awaiting delivery of his single-seat Dragonfly soaring trike (which is just one of the many fine types of flexwing microlight Airplay are dealers for) before completing the navigation elements of the unrestricted license.
Also, new student Tom Larnach has gone from complete ab-initio to solo inside 3 weeks. Tom first flew solo on Friday 13th (good job he wasn't superstitious)!
May 2008: BMAA approval has now been completed for the Thermoflash heated suit installation on our school aircraft (the only one in the UK). Initial testing has promised comfortable heat conditions for our students all year round; simply dial in the required temperature, and 'Bio-fluid' coolant is pumped around your suit. Cold winter training is a thing of the past!
April 2008: Despite the poor weather, a number of pilots & aircraft flew into the official opening day for a rather rain-soaked barbeque, and a photographer from the Ely Standard was on hand to capture the event. This follows a number of improvements made to the airfield and facilities, which now sports an improved garden & patio area (with soon to be erected sunshade), and repairs made to the entrance road.
Congratulations to Steve Wilson, who has recently become Airplay's first student to be sent solo. Since starting his course in February, Steve has accomplished his first solo after only 18hrs dual training.
Steve was shortly followed by Will Minns, who has now flown solo following a 10year child-induced break from microlight training. Well done to them both!
March 2008: Preparations are well underway for the Airplay official opening day fly-in and celebration, to be held at the airfield on Saturday 5th April. Already more than 50 people have expressed an interest on coming to the event, with any interested parties or future students welcome. A barbeque will be running throughout the day and into the night, with the usual £2 landing fee waived if you bring some food/drink.
Those who would like to partake in the local brew would be welcome to camp on the airfield, or there is the award-winning Anchor Inn just down the road.
For more details and to register interest, please look at the BMAA website
February 2008: Training has commenced, with both trial lessons and new students booking in. The weather has been very kind, and an intensive training programme (along with the freedom of having a dedicated microlight field) means that our early students have made fantastic progress already.
January 2008: Airplay Aviation begins trading, and over the winter period a portacabin has been installed at Sutton Meadows. The plan is to renovate this 40' cabin over the next few months into a waiting room with tea/coffee making facilities, a briefing room and office with a shop for popular microlighting spares & equipment.