I spent a great day as usual at the Lt Gransden 'Children in Need Day' on Sunday 2nd September 2001. Congratulations to everyone who again made it go so smoothly and successfully.

When Tracy Martin had finished her exciting display in the Bell 47 G-MASH, I wandered happily back to the car (only the raffle ticket draw remained, running late - it's always other people who win the raffles, right?), and I drove home.

I'd only been in for 5 minutes when the phone rang. It was John Jefferies ... 'Mike, you've won the flight with Neil Scanlan in the Slingsby Firefly T67M!'  What??  Quick word with Neil (ex-Skyline instructor, of course) ... and he agreed to 'stand by 15 ...' 

Sped back to Little Gransden ... already 1830hrs, and clock ticking for Neil's return to his base before sunset. Parachute on. Cockpit briefing.  Just a few new features for this PA28 / Cessna man to absorb in about 5 minutes:
 - flying from the right hand seat (a new take on crossed controls!)
 - wobbly prop control and MP gauge
 - joystick, not wheel
 - fuel-injected, no carb heat
 - HSI, slaved to compass
 - electric trim
 - amazing all round visibility (esp. above!)
 - BIG engine (260hp, Vne 200kts !)
 - no bill from Graham at the end!

And once Neil had started her up and finished the cockpit checks, she was mine for the taxi, power checks and takeoff!

Rotate about 55kt (very soon!).  Climb at about 1400 fpm!   So easy to maintain climbout heading with all the power driving us up.  4000 ft in no time, turn to NW, and big cumulus cloud straight ahead over St Neots.  'Shall I go left or right, Neil?'
'No, just climb above it and we'll go play in it.'  But before we reach the cloud:  'All OK, Mike?  Right ... follow me through ...' and we're immediately in a full loop, my first aerobatics ever ... utter disorientation, but a fabulous sensation!  Then ... 'now you do one ... go on ... keep pulling back ... keep pulling back ...' and over we go again, gently relaxing back pressure as the horizon reappears from the top of the windshield.  This time I've kept in touch with the rest of the world!  'Good first loop,' says Neil.  'Hey!'  And then ... that world goes crazy again as he turns her into a "Victory Roll".

And then we go above that big fat bunch of beautiful white cumulus at about FL55, with Neil encouraging me to just fly how and where I want, above it and inside (it's like being in a big white tea cup - but not into IMC!) - steep turns, fast climbs and dives and zooms, combinations, going through holes, skimming the tops, etc ('max. 200kt, min. 60kt, throw it around, you'll hit your own limits before this plane does!').  Brilliant!

Then we leave the cloud behind, pass back over Gransden at 180kt, and quickly head for my home village. 3 miles to run and Neil says 'OK ... show them a couple of loops.' and I do a pair in quick succession, one quite good, the other a bit less controlled at the end, but we still level out over the village!  Then the next highlight: 'Can I try a really steep turn ... say 80 degrees angle of bank?'  'No problem ... just give it some power and watch the VSI.'  So there I am, wings almost vertical, screaming around to face back towards the airfield in about 15 seconds!  Rate 1 Turns - eat your heart out! 

Time to go home.  Quick landing briefing ... prop control to forward, standard RW28 approach from Wimpole at about 75kt, full flaps when ready  ... but then Neil says 'we've got time for one last bit of fun' and tells me to stay at about 100ft on final.  Then at the threshold he takes control and whams her into a tight left bank that takes us round the hanger and right over the heads of the brave souls still left behind on the ground!  No respite for me though ... as soon as he's straight and climbing again, 'You have control,' and it's a quick return to late downwind, reconfigure again, and a military 180 degree final, just as the rain begins to pour!

Finally things begin to go a bit loose ... driving a brand new type on a short curving final in the rain, with the throttle and the column both in the wrong hands, is not conducive to a perfectly stable approach. I keep lowering the nose when I'm trying to add power!! And vice-versa!  Not enough time to adapt.  But with Neil's help I reach the flare ... but then the opposite controls get the better of me, and wings begin to wobble!  'You have control Neil!' ... and of course he recovers her instantly, puts her on the ground, and immediately gives her back to me on a nice, newly greasy surface.  But we roll out with no problem!

We taxied in. A few envious old friends still around to welcome us back! Off came the chute, and Neil and his partner hurriedly re-embarked for their trip back to Lincolnshire.

Neil Scanlan was the instructor at Lt Gransden who first taught me to land an aeroplane.  And he's clearly still having to do that!  These days, Neil works for Hunter Contract Services, who use the brilliant H67M (the most powerful Firefly, with full USAF military specification) as a basic trainer for new military pilots before they move on to the jet trainers.  HCS kindly donated this flight for our Children in Need raffle.

To Neil, and to HCS ... many, many thanks for a fabulous experience, and for 30 minutes in my logbook in a new, complex type.

And thanks again to John and Mark Jefferies, Dave Poile, Graham and Dawne, and everyone else who made the Day so great as usual ... especially for me!

And PS.  Jealousy? ... Bill Manley's as green as HMED!
 

Mike Lloyd.