My Favourite Aircraft

I've gotten so caught up in starting uni that I had completely forgotten about this post, I had started to write it but it no longer fits the context I was writing in so I'll start again...

A question often asked when you say you're studying Aerospace Engineering or just that you like aircraft is "What is you're favourite plane?" I've had to answer it a couple of times in the last week, my favourite is easy so I'll leave that to the end, but a top 5 would be much more representative of what I like, and also a bit more difficult to work out. Anyway, here goes:

I say here goes, but before I get started with the top 5 I will quickly list a few that didn't quite make the list but I like and on a different day might make the list:

• L39C Albatross
• F-16 Fighting Falcon 
• Eurofighter Typhoon
• Panavia Tornado
• Airbus A380
• Boeing 747-800
• Boeing 787-900
• Airbus A350
• Cessna 337 Skymaster
• Icon A5
• Vickers VC-10
• Airbus A400M
• Boeing C-17 Globemaster III
• Avro Lancaster
• Douglas DC-3 
• Radial Rocket

5: The Boeing Stearman

Breitling Wing-walkers at RIAT 2013

© Graham Haley

I have always loved the Boeing Stearman for the look and sound of it, also, the thought of flying in one with the open cockpit has always been a dream for me. The old bi-plane design with radial engine up front has a sense of nostalgia to it that reminds me of World War 1 aircraft. I also get a reminder of the early days of flying when the pilot had much less instrumentation in the cockpit and each flight was it's own adventure.

I have always had a soft spot for the sound of a radial engine and if you haven't hear one I suggest listening to this link on the Radial Rocket site. I can remember walking home from school one sunny afternoon around a year ago, I looked up when I heard an unusual sound. Sure enough there was a bright yellow Boeing Stearman flying at around 1,500ft. The sight of an aircraft like this that you don't see flying everyday combined with the wonderful engine note really did make my day.

© Graham Haley

4: Supermarine Spitfire/Hawker Hurricane

Hawker Hurricane (Left), 2 Supermarine Spitfire's (Right) @ RIAT 2010
© Graham Haley

I have never been able to choose my favourite of these two iconic WWII fighters, the noise made by the Rolls Royce Merlin and Griffon engines used in them seems to have an effect on everyone. Although the sleek metal design of the spitfire is enough to win over most, you have to admire the wood and canvas rear half of the Hurricane as well as it's status as the unsung hero of the Battle of Britain.

Although I can't decide on a favourite, they are both great aircraft and British icons. If anyone was to ever offer me a ride in one I definitely wouldn't say no.

3:  SIAI Marchetti SF.260 

Image from http://www.pilotfriend.com

Aside from the fact that I would love to own one of these aircraft in the future and tremendously enjoy flying the one I have for flight sim, there is one reason why I really like them...

Wing-tip pods (fuel tanks)!!! 

Image from http://www.pilotfriend.com

Almost all aircraft can be made to look better by the addition of wing tip fuel tanks, fact. The Marchetti is a wonderful airframe that is fully capable of aerobatics as well as being a superb cruising aircraft for general aviation due to it's high speed. They are flown but a number of air-forces as trainer aircraft and by some as fighters, most notably they are flown by 'Air Combat USA' who featured on one of the 'Top Gear' American specials.
2: Avro Vulcan 

Another British icon to add to the list, the cold war delta wing is recognised by many. I have been privileged enough to sit in the pilot's seat of one of these aircraft as well as standing under at least 3 that I can remember. One of those 3 was XH558 at RIAT this year when we were allowed to cross a live taxiway in one of the best hours of my life (that however was to do with a multitude of aircraft passing including the Red Arrows and an Airbus A400M).

XH558 'Raising the Gear' after take-off on Saturday 20th July @ RIAT 2013
© Graham Haley

The number of systems visible in the bomb-bay of a Vulcan is incredible. In XH558 there is also the plaque's of supporters names on the bomb-bay doors. For those that don't know Vulcan XH558 is the only Vulcan still flying and is privately owned by the Vulcan to the Sky Trust. Currently they are looking to do some major works to the aircraft in order to extend flying life by another 2 years but the aircraft will be grounded in 2015. If you do ever go to see XH558 then look for my name on the final plaque in the bomb-bay.

One of the main reasons that the Vulcan is so famous is it's part in the first Operation 'Black Buck' where XM607 flew from Ascension island to the Falklands and back with the help of Victor tankers. I have been fortunate enough to meet the pilot of the first mission, Martin Withers DFC, which at the time was the longest bombing mission in history. 

XH558 taking off from runway 09 on Saturday 20th July @RIAT 2013
© Graham Haley

Not only do I love the Vulcan for it's history and the amazing story of it's successes, but like man others I love the sight of the huge delta wing flying through the sky. Finally, anyone who has ever heard the sound from the 4 Rolls Royce Olympus engines will understand my love for this amazing aircraft.

1: De Havilland Sea Vixen 

The only flying Sea Vixen at RNAS Yeovilton Airday 2009
© Graham Haley

 For my explanation of why I like the Sea Vixen so much I shall just tell you the story of first seeing one. RNAS Yeovilton Air Day was the first airshow that I went to (I'm not aware of going to any others that I may have been to earlier in life), I was in one of the hangars having a look around at the stands when I heard some awesome jet engine sounds. Not the roar you get from a Typhoon or F-16 using reheat, but a bassy, thunderous sound. Upon poking my head outside the hangar I saw what I thought was a superb aircraft, clearly old, but the twin tail booms and swept wing design with the fuel tanks on top of the wing was simply the best thing I had ever seen. A cliche I know, but it really was love at first sight.

The only flying Sea Vixen at RNAS Yeovilton Airday 2009
© Graham Haley

After the Sea Vixen had landed and the Rolls Royce Avon engines whined whilst she taxied, (I say she as the aircraft is known as 'Foxy Lady') I went over the have a look. The details on the Sea Vixen were something else, the triangular jet intakes in the wings, the slightly offset cockpit and the general look of the aircraft was superb. Unfortunately the camera and my use of it were much poorer than they are now so I don't have any superb photo's of it, but one day i hope to go down south and at least see one flying again.

University registration

Another quick post for anyone going to university in the future...

DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN ONLINE BEFORE YOU GET TO UNI!!!

I just registered in about 5 minutes simply because all I had let to do was show some ID, click [I ACCEPT] twice and click finish. As for registering with the University health service, I had already done pre-registration online and filled out the health form that they'd sent me, that simply meant I had to hand the form in rather than wait in a queue. I was then told where the exit door was, after giving the woman a bemused look and saying "That was quick." I left, walked home with a student I met from my course while I was there and here I am.

I know it's the third post in 2 days and I'm as surprised as you probably are...normal service of occasional posts will be resumed shortly.

Lost Already

A very quick one, but I would recommend to everyone that the check which building they are meant to be in before searching for a room that doesn't exist in that building, it helps tremendously.

I was only a minute late and it didn't matter as there was still a queue for collecting forms but I  thought I would post for your entertainment, please laugh, Like and subscribe and I'll post again soon.

Moving in!

Hi all,

It's been a while due to preparing for uni, but I don't think any of us expect regular posts to happen any time soon.

I moved in to my flat in the Endcliffe student village in Sheffield yesterday, It is quite possibly the biggest student room I have ever seen and probably the biggest I will ever see but I'm not complaining.

There are 4 of us in the flat and plenty of space for everything other than we only have 3 freezer drawers (I guess that just means eating a lot of fresh food which is likely to keep mum happy).

I missed church this morning as I slept through my alarm which is a great start to waking up earlier. I needed the sleep anyway and there are plenty of churches to go to next week. By the looks of it I may well be going to Horizon (formerly Endcliffe) Methodist Church which is only about a 5 minute walk from my flat through the botanical gardens which is nice.

As for university, I'm in Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with fairly busy days but then I have a lot less to do towards the end of the week.

I'll do my best to update this as often as I can and don't worry, the posts about my computer and new flight sim stuff are on the way!

Just a quick update.

Hi All,

Just a quick update to let you know what's going on...

I'm still waiting for some flight sim stuff to arrive that I'm planning to review, when I find some time and have it all set up then I will get going on it. 

I've been rather busy sorting things out in order to go to Sheffield in a few weeks so I haven't had much time to write or review. But while I can't provide you much entertainment at the moment, I would suggest going online to 4oD and having a look at the Dispatches program on Ryanair. It was an interesting documentary including interviews with some pilots regarding their safety concerns with the airline and it does raise some questions. I found out about it from a discussion on the 'Airplane Geeks' podcast which is always worth a listen if you're interested in aviation.

I highly recommend the Airplane geeks, have a listen and you'll see why!

Anyway, I should be back with something more interesting soon but hopefully that should give you all enough entertainment for now.

Scholarships

I figured that finding a picture would not make much difference for this post so I’ll let you think of it for yourself.

[Insert nice picture of lots of paperwork here (you may also use an annoying webpage form if you prefer)]

I’m sure you get the idea of what a scholarship form is going to look like so that’s not really the point of the post. The actual point is to let anyone going to university know that there are a lot of scholarships out there that are available, and not just for engineering courses. 

I would recommend that you apply for as many scholarships as you can however annoying the paperwork is! After all, a day or two’s work on a form isn’t too much when you could be receiving a fairly large bit of money. One word of warning though, make sure you are eligible for the scholarship before spending a day or two filling in the paperwork for it. I can tell everyone from experience that it’s not fun to find out you can’t receive the scholarship ten minutes after sending the main form off.

Many of the scholarships shouldn’t be hard to find, Schools/Colleges should know about some, some will be offered by your university and can usually be found on their website or you are contacted with information of them, UCAS sometimes contact you with some, and there are more that can be found by typing your course followed by the word scholarships into Google.

As mentioned in my last post, I had applied for a scholarship with the M6 Toll which I will not be receiving. I have also applied for another which is results based so I should find out on the 15^th August; I’ll mention that again in another post though.

Thanks for reading, if you have any questions then just leave a comment and I’ll reply as soon as I can. 

Please like, comment, subscribe etc. And good luck to anyone awaiting results.

I Return

Seen as it’s been about 2 months since my last post I feel that I should probably explain where I have been. Firstly, with exams during June followed by my sister’s wedding at the end of the month I didn’t find myself with much free time. The time I did find was used for relaxing a bit, and getting over the stress of exams. To be completely honest, I wasn’t in the mood for writing blog posts. The first couple of weeks of July were fairly busy anyway, and then I was working at the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) for a week on the Air Cadet Comms Team. Whilst at RIAT I received a letter in the post from the M6 Toll which dad opened thinking it may be a speeding fine. As it happened it wasn’t a speeding fine, not that this is a surprise seen as none of the family uses the M6 Toll, in reality it was a response to my application for one of their scholarships which was one of the reasons I started blogging. The response was not the news I was hoping for so, I have been thinking for the past week or so as to whether or not I wanted to continue writing. As you may have guessed by the fact that I am writing this, I have decided that I wish to carry on. I am not entirely certain at the moment still so some feedback would be greatly appreciated.
 

A wonderful Boeing-Stearman at RIAT

© Graham Haley

Vulcan XH558 taking off for the Saturday Display at RIAT

© Graham Haley

Seen as this is a short post and I will be writing more in the foreseeable future, I thought I would give a list of posts that should be coming soon:

·         University Scholarships

·         RIAT

·         Favourite Aircraft

·         My Finished Computer (nearly there)

·         Reviews of various new Flight Sim Hardware and Software (Possibly videos)

Thank you for reading and as said earlier, any feedback really would be useful.