Flying can be fun, exciting and down right dangerous too. Hanger Talk is fun and anyone who has ever hung around an small airport or in the pilot’s lounge knows that some of what you here is complete BS and some is real. What is the old saying you can believe how much of what you hear?

Well, sometimes living it puts you into a whole different perspective than listening to someone else talk about something that happened to them. After all the stories you hear are most likely just talk. Now then let me tell you about my first airplane; a Jeanie’s Teenie. It was a lot of fun indeed.

Although that Volkswagon engine was little bit of trouble, I flipped it over on an emergency landing in a strawberry field, deep furrows. Actually I almost died in it a couple of time. Well the scariest time was when the engine quit coming over the airport perimeter fence on take-off.

Oh no, oh yes! No way was I going to attempt to turn around, as I did not have the altitude or speed to go for it and had read enough NTSB reports to know that was a dead end deal. In fact as it was, I barely got the wings level to turn with the furrows before crash landing in that field.

I guess the farmer had a sick sense of humor putting the furrows perpendicular to the runway, in case someone lost an engine on take off. Well that was one time I almost died, another time I hand prop’ed it at 3,000 ft AGL when the engine quit. Set up an 85 kt glide, un-did my seat belt (open cockpit plane - see picture below) and then hand propped it, three times, third times a charm.

To hell with that; man, talk about 180 pulse rate and adrenal glands pumping. I guess that is the closest I got to being a test pilot. Must be a young man’s sport? Fearless Youth! I guess it’s true what they say;

“There are No Old Bold Pilots”

The problem with an open cockpit low-wing aircraft is if you flip you may not live. If I would have had more altitude that day I might not have been eating strawberries for lunch? I might have gotten the engine re-started like the other time? Oh well what can I say; adjusting the valves using a business card on the old Volkswagon Engine. Well you know how Volkswagon engines are?

The wing span was so short that when you sucked off the power you became a flying brick. Yah, well Mr. Collins, “I Learned about flying from That!” So much for the “Flying Magazine Columns.” Well the Jeanie’s Teenie was a fun plane. Here is a picture of one.

http://members.eaa.org/home/homebuilders/images/selecting/kits/kits/Teenie%20Two%20(aka%20Jeanie’s%20Teenie)-1.jpg

L. Winslow is an Aviation Advisor to the Online Think Tank, a Futurist and retired entrepreneur. Currently he is planning a bicycle ride across the US to raise money for charity and is sponsored by http://www.Calling-Plans.com and all the proceeds will go to various charities who sign up.

First, I would like to say that the amount of bad things that arise from airsoft guns are incredibly low (less than 1%), proportionally to the entertainment derived from the use of the product. I am a firm believer in not ruining something for good people just because of malicious activity from the bad.

Now, I’ll come right out and say it; if you are not careful with an airsoft gun, somebody could get hurt. We’ve all heard of kids getting shot by cops because they were not careful enough. Some people use airsoft guns to rob stores and threaten people. You might be wondering why an airsoft vendor would point out the negative aspects of the product.

The amount of injuries that come from airsoft is much lower than it was twenty years ago. In fact, the injury rate is less than that of golf! Still, people still get hurt. Most injuries are face related, and that is why it is important to always wear a face mask when playing airsoft. A cup wouldn’t hurt either; it’s not necessary, but it would spare you a lot of pain.

Another thing people sometimes forget is that airsoft guns are not toys. You need to treat an airsoft gun as a real gun, except when playing airsoft, of course. Never shoot somebody if you are not playing airsoft. Some people think it’s okay because it only stings for a second, but not only can being careless lead to a serious injury, but it is just plain mean to shoot someone if they are not ready.

True story: The first time I took my friend paintballing (surprisingly, I play paintball more than airsoft), he acted like an idiot. We were walking to the field, and he shot me in the foot. It didn’t hurt, so I wasn’t mad, but then he really angered me. He shot me in the back, and I started to yell at him, and he shot me again! I started to run, and he kept shooting, and I kept getting hit. In that second, I had an incredible hate toward him, incredible. My friend thought of the paintball gun as a toy. After the incident, well, let’s just say he’ll never shoot me unexpectedly again. However, one time during a battle, he did shoot himself in the hand accidentally, which halted the game for about ten minutes. What’s the point of this? Accidents can happen.

As long as you are careful, accidents won’t happen. With all I have described, you’d expect airsoft to be a dangerous thing, but it isn’t. Hardly anybody uses airsoft guns maliciously, 99% of people play safely with airsoft guns (and those who don’t do not usually get hurt, although they deserve to), and with the recent advancements in airsoft technology, the sport is becoming increasingly popular and exciting. I wrote this article because I want people to have fun and be safe with my products. Do not be discouraged by this article, in fact, be encouraged. As I said, the rate of injury is INCREDIBLY low with airsoft, and the chances of anything going wrong are improbable. But if you become too comfortable, something could go wrong, and that’s something you don’t want to deal with.

I hope I didn’t scare you off from buying a gun! I can sum this article up in two words: Be careful. You already knew that anyway, right? I just wanted to elaborate, extensively, on that little phrase for your reading pleasure.

The author is a partner on the website http://www.mrairsoft.com. MrAirsoft sells lots of high quality, yet cheap, airsoft shotguns.

We often here about Think Tanks in the news, but what do they really do? What problems do they solve and what do they think about? Well, as a coordinator for the Online Think Tank you would be surprised at all the topics and the sub-topics are also incredible as well.

Not long ago we were contacted by a lady with a degree in aviation safety and she wondered if she qualified for the Online Think Tank. Indeed, aviation safety is very important and we have the safest skies anywhere in the world now. Aviation Safety has never been better, but that is no reason to stop there, as there can always be improvement.

A Degree in Aviation Sciences, Aerodynamics, Aviation Safety or Other Experience

Many people graduate from high-tech colleges that offer Aviation Degrees and some also attend the famous Embry Riddle Aviation colleges. Aviation Sciences are cool and I am a pilot and study such things as well and I can tell you that those with a knowledge in aviation can bring a lot to the table in a Think Tank.

If you are interested in joining a Think Tank and participating in Aviation Topics and you have a degree in aviation, are a pilot or simply love aircraft, then perhaps you might consider joining a Think Tank that specializes in aviation endeavors? Ask yourself; What sort of work do I do now in the aviation sector.

Types of Aviation Topics Discussed in Think Tanks

• The airport expansion needed to support the A380
• MAVs of the Future, sensors
• Commercial Use of UAVs
• DHS, Military Use of UAVs
• Aerodynamics, efficiencies, new designs
• NASA SATS program
• Privatization of Space and Space Ports
• Anti-Terrorist technologies
• Airports of the Future
• Carbon Nano-Tube Construction in Aviation
• Cargo Aircraft - increasing efficiency
• Runway Safety - debris, incursions
• Rotorcraft - efficiencies, design, aerodynamics
• Hypersonic - propulsion theories
• Aerospace Design
• Transitional Flight Aircraft
• FAA - shortages of workers, systems, etc.

What are your interests in aviation? What other interests do you have? Are there any things you wish to fix in the world? Do you have any original thoughts or concepts on technology, philanthropy, world issues? What are you interests? Adding aviation to the mix can really increase the intellectual strength of a Think Tank, as they are always looking for intelligent people to help change the World.

L. Winslow is a Aviation Advisor to the Online Think Tank, a Futurist and retired entreprenuer. Currently he is planning a bicycle ride across the US to raise money for charity and is sponsored by http://www.Calling-Plans.com and all the proceeds will go to various charities who sign up.

Personally, I have worked in aviation most of my life; here is my website; www.AircraftWashGuys.com .

Water is a precious commodity and as the population grows the water resources become more valuable as there are more people using a finite amount or sometimes during drought periods even less. One recent architect asked if it is possible to collect the rain water from an Aircraft Hanger to re-use as water to wash aircraft?

Certainly this is possible and in Texas where he is at, they do get a good amount of rain. It thus makes sense to collect this rain water. But how much does it cost to collect? Well, a 250 gallon water tank costs about; $350.00 at an Agricultural supply company. Fittings, filters run about $50.00 and the tank will have to be mounted on the ground due to 8.2 lbs per gallon weight. So, you need a transfer pump, electric about $75.00 or hand crank about $60.00

Next you need a pressure washer if you are going to clean the aircraft in the hanger. Each 50 feet of hose is about $28.00 and the most inexpensive electric pressure washers that a truly reliable are about $125.00 and up.

Labor will run you quite a bit, I suppose, as much or more than the costs. In San Antonio, there is a company named Industrial Equipment Specialties they are located just South of Seguin. They are a Hydrotek, Hotsy and Landa Dealer and they do coin-op car washes and probably have access to all the components and could give you a better total installed price? Or you can do it down and dirty on your own and save some money; “Home Depot it”

Most hanger’ed aircraft need to be washed every other week or wiped down weekly, with a fresh water wash monthly. If flown, during the two week period they will need to be wiped down after each flight and fresh water washed after 3 takes-off and landings over salt water or every other week when flown a lot. All this is probably over-kill for your project, but I hope some of it is of value the rest go ahead and pass on to your client if you think it might help them.

L. Winslow is an Aviation Industry Advisor to the Online Think Tank, a Futurist and retired entreprenuer. Currently he is planning a bicycle ride across the US to raise money for charity and is sponsored by http://www.Calling-Plans.com and all the proceeds will go to various charities who sign up.

One of the great contributions of the 2006 Winter Olympics towards Turin is the construction of Torino Caselle airport to enable it to deal with the large number of passengers flocking as both participants and spectators for the sporting events.

While before Turin was relatively isolated from the air it is a now accessible from many major airports across Europe from both traditional and low cost airlines alike.

The best flight deals to Turin are often found with the low cost operators - easyJet and Ryanair both fly from London, while passengers who are unable to find a direct flight and are happy to complete part of the journey on a combination of bus and train will find that easyJet and Ryanair both have flights to Bergamo from several locations, although the additional journey time can amount to several hours depending on connections via Milan.

If the budget airlines don’t fly to Turin from your local airport and you don’t want to fly to Bergamo you’ll need to resort to one of the major airlines, or if you’re already in Italy visiting Rome then you can catch an internal flight from one of Rome’s Airports, while those visiting Milan can drive or take the train from what is Turin’s nearest big city neighbour.

As always it pays to do some research to get the best prices and while prices have dropped over the last few years in the wake of the best advice is always to visit easyJet or Ryanair to get a benchmark price for the dates you are travelling.

Once in possession of this data you are in a position to visit some of the major travel websites for their prices. It is sometimes possible to get up to 30 per cent off published ticket prices, although this is becoming less common as the airlines sell more tickets direct, but in a few minutes you can establish whether there are any good deals going for your travel dates.

For more information on flights to Turin and other useful travel information visit http://www.bella-torino.com.

Are you afraid to achieve your dream to fly? Most of us are prevented of flying on their own for various reasons - lack of time, bad weather conditions etc or most often the reason is money. The financial problem is now solved to some extent by the ultralight airplanes, but a new concern might be stopping you from flying - their safety.

How safe are the ultralight airplanes? The short answer is safe enough. The long answer requires you to consider some important factors.

Nowadays the safety of the ultralight, microlight and homebuilt/experimental aircrafts really equals that of the certified light airplanes. Then why asking about safety at all?

Mostly people are afraid to fly ultralight aircrafts because in the past they used to have very poor reputation (which actually came mostly from rumor). The ultralight aviation was not regulated at all which was allowing many unexperienced pilots to fly on aircrafts with questionable safety.

Today most countries regulate the ultralight aircrafts to some extent and the pilots have either get a license or agree with some restrictions like avoiding populated urban areas, night or bad weather conditions. This really improved the safety of ultralight flying a lot.

Today only the Experimental Aircraft Association keeps some statistics on the ultralight accidents. It reports 101 accidents with 20 fatalities over a 3.5-year period - considering there are thousands of ultralight flights with thousands of planes, the figures are not so scary at all.

And most accidents are results of human mistakes. I know you don’t want to be one of them. There are many things that YOU can do if you want to fly safer:

Get better training. It makes sense to spend more money on instructed flights than risking your life. Don’t hurry to make your first solo flight and even on it, have your instructor presented in the airplane.

Ensure your aircraft is safe. This is a common sense, but still needs to be emphasized on. Check the wings, the propeller, the fuel, everything. Then double check.

Don’t fly in bad weather conditions. Makes sense, doesn’t it? Better to miss a planned fly rather than killing yourself or breaking your aircraft in the storm.

Get an emergency parashute system. It costs about $2,000 and I know sometimes that could be 50% of the price of your ultralight airplane. But these $2,000 are not even 1% of the cost of your life, so just spend them without postponing.

Use a helmet. You can get a motorcycle one, it won’t cost you a lot. The helmet saves you not only in case of accident, but also from hitting a bird or a bee in case you fly open-air vehicle.

Use common sense. Leave the great cascades to the professionals, don’t fly close to buildings or rocks… just don’t do anything that does not make sense.

The pilot is by far the most important factor in most ultralight aircraft accidents. Follow the steps above, fly reasonable and you’ll have no problems at all. Then you’ll be able stop reading articles like this one and enjoy your ultralight flights.

More information at Introduction to Ultralight Airplanes - http://ultralight-airplanes.info

Those who have recently bought property in France will be pleased to hear that it has just got that bit easier and cheaper to visit family and friends in Blighty. Perhaps you are searching for a property to buy - then you can now access most regions of France cheaply and easily!

Paris based airline Air France has made travel to and from the continent and further abroad less of a chore by dropping long haul levies by seven euros (4.6 pounds).

The changes came into effect on February 3rd and will see surcharges on transcontinental flights go down by one euro to 21 euros.

Long haul trips are five euros cheaper per sector, reducing the charge to 33 euros.

Air France cited the fact that oil prices have remained below 60 dollars (30 pounds) a barrel for some time as the reason behind the move.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, which is not only the oldest but now the largest airline company in the world since merging with the French national carrier, has followed suit by lowering the extras on its longer journeys, as well as on European travel.

Earlier this month, Sky Team, the group which both KLM and Air France belong to, was awarded Best Airline Alliance by Global Traveller Magazine.

Air France also performed well at the awards as an individual managing to scoop the prize for best transatlantic airline. Scheduled airline fares to France are becoming more competitive.

These changes are also a response to the success of the budget airlines offering low cost fares to corners of France. RyanAir, Flybe, Easyjet and others have had a significant effect on property prices. Property prices have risen significantly in the area around French airports served by the low cost airlines.

Howard Farmer

1st for French Property - Travel Services

French Travel

1st for French Property - we have French property from 15,000 euros - stone houses, land and farms. Residential, vacation and investments property for sale across all of France. Investments: leaseback, buy to let and reversion property.

Ruining lives with Mis-Information

During my school years, high school, college and some graduate school, I was always taught, that when writing a paper, or anything for that matter, your information should be correct, and that all sources should be checked. This has come up a few times in the past years, in some of our most revered newspapers and magazines. The problem, though, has become that this is not the same for the internet.

As noted on my website, I have been working for an airline, for a long period of time. It has been a big surprise to me about some of the nonfactual and other items that are not correct on some travel oriented websites. Even thought I have even sent e-mails to the webmasters of some very well known sites, they still do not change the information if it is wrong or different.

All of us in the “web making” community, must start to hold these people accountable for the wrong information they post. In the case of the website I am talking about, I believe that the airline I work for has lost money over the wrong information that has been made. This intern helps us lose passengers, profit for the company I work for, and in the end, raises for the people I work with, of which, affects our families.

I can promise on thing, if you see any information on our website that is incorrect, we will change it, but I do doubt this will happen, as we check our sources, again and again.

www.travel-GENIUSES.com

If you want to buy a helicopter, the internet has become a great source of information and contacts. Many manufacturers have websites describing their helicopter models in detail, and sometimes rare bargains can be found when helicopters are sold at government or police auctions.
New helicopters range from around $200,000 for a small chopper with two seats, to a larger, multi-passenger model for $400,000 and more. Used helicopters for sale vary in size, price and year. It depends on whether you are looking for a domestic or work helicopter or if you desire a used military helicopter. If you find buying a new helicopter is a bit beyond your budget, you might consider leasing one, or looking for an auctioned one. Some benefits of leasing are: enjoying benefits of ownership without a huge expenditure. However, leasing incurs significant running and insurance costs, and the helicopter technically does not belong to you.

Some of the most widespread and popular helicopters include the Robinson R22 and R44 series, or Bell and Hughes helicopters for those with a larger budget. Helicopter auctions often also feature used military and police helicopters such as the Bell UH-1. More generally, light civil helicopters can be divided into three categories:

Light piston-engined types - if you want a cheap personal helicopter for two, the Schweizer 300 or the Robinson R22 would be your choice. They can fly at about 80-110 mph. With a minimal seating capacity and small size, these helicopters are light, easy to fly, and easy to maneuver. Surprisingly, the light piston-engined helicopters use a more expensive fuel than that of the kerosine based turbine engines but they consume less fuel. However, the Schweizer 300 or the Robinson R22 are less interesting for for charter and corporate use. They are more popular, however, for training and personal use.

Light turbine helicopters - McDonnell Douglas 500E, Eurocopter Squirrel and the (Agusta-) Bell Jet Ranger are widely used around the world because of their practicality, comfort, size, speed, and versatility. Their look is sporty and their performance is pretty good, however they are usually substantially more expensive than their piston-engined relatives.

Twin-engined helicopters - Stronger, safer, faster and more versatile helicopters include the likes of the Dauphin, Sikorsky S-76, Agusta 109, and Eurocopter Twin Squirrel. These are powered by 2 engines and have flight capabilities above those of single-engine helis. These are the preferred choice for the high-end market with a much higher price bracket.

Helicopters from all of these categories can be found at auctions. Helicopter (and general aircraft) auctions are typically held by the government (federal or state), the police, IRS, or sometimes also banks who seize helicopters as collateral. An auction may be a great chance to save a lot of money while getting a quality helicopter. However, there are some tricky issues and pitfalls to them as well, which one should pay attention to.

- when purchasing a helicopter at an auction, start by observing. Attend the preview (usually held a while before the auction, and open to the general public). Stay cool during the auction, and decide what you want to bid beforehand. Never get into a bidding war, it’s a surefire way to buyer’s remorse.

- do not be too hasty. Looking at some auctioned helicopters, you may get the feeling of a once-in-a-lifetime bargain, but in fact the market is pretty large and great opportunities are around all the time. It is best to observe a few auctions first to get a feel of the process, and only actively start bidding once you have a good idea of the market.

- beware of any too-good-to-be-true claims. At an auction, odds are they are just that - not true. Liability for a seller at a public auction is relatively low, and two powerful words - “AS IS” - basically free the seller of any responsibility. It is up to you to pinpoint them on essential statements and be wary of any outrageous promises.

- should you win the bid, insist on a written contract, and ask that all important figures and claims are mentioned (e.g. about prior owners or repairs, engine hours, or the timespan until you get the plane). Don’t forget that the price you will pay is usually higher than the winning bid. Most auctions include a 5-10% buyer’s premium.

For a large directory of helicopter auctions, check out http://www.seizedaircraft.com

The skies of Malta will welcome the Malta Air Show 2007 later this year, with display teams from across Europe, the US and possibly Canada participating.

The air show traditionally comes late in the Malta holidays season, and is a welcome late boost for the island’s tourist industry with aviation enthusiasts descending for the weekend.

Despite some complaints from residents about noise and safety levels, the air show does produce publicity and income for the holiday and Malta hotels industry, which in previous years has been a welcome addition to the island’s fortunes as visitor numbers have slipped away.

The 2006 event was a truly international one, as well as the Armed Forces of Malta participating, the French, Italian, Dutch Swiss and Spanish all had planes and crew in attendance, plus the British Royal Air Force and US Air Force.

Among the planes taking part were two Alpha jets from France, one of which performed an aerial display, six F-16’s with two Dutch F-16’s flying, and from the RAF two Harriers and two Tornados, with one of the Harriers undertaking an aerial demonstration.

Pick up points from around the island are available for spectators wishing to attend the show, and on previous occasions this has led to heavy traffic in and around the event, again making some local residents none too happy about the event.

While the organisers might have been able to justifiably claim in the past that the air show formed an important event in the calendar of tourist events drawing extra visitors to the Malta hotels, more conventional aircraft have reduced the value of this for 2007.

Malta Flight

After some years of a declining tourist market, Malta has been boosted by the arrival of low cost flights from London and Dublin, traditionally important markets for the island.

Before the new cheap Malta flight passengers started arriving in November from London Luton, and in February from Dublin, the depressed Malta holidays market was in danger of being relegated from a mainstream travel destination to niche status, but the Ryanair flights have helped to start a turnaround.

Estimates suggest that an extra 80,000 visitors could visit Malta in 2007, bringing a real boost to the hotels in Malta and the island’s economy overall.

‘When Malta is accessible,’ comment local destination guide YourMalta.com, ‘Then holidaymakers will come. It’s not just the Malta weather, but the history and a friendly people that draws people.’

The increase in visitor numbers could see property price rises, with two international estate agents who deal with Malta properties predicting a ten per cent rise in property values for 2007.

As with most popular holiday destinations, a percentage of tourists decide to buy a property in an area they like, and Malta is no exception.

The advantage Malta has for UK and Irish visitors is that they drive on the same side of the road and English is spoken, and for non British Isles visitors Malta has well known language schools where they can learn English.

A 2 bedroom apartment in the popular Malta holiday resort of Qawra is currently on the market for LM 72,000, and a three bedroom two bathroom apartment in equally popular Mellieha for LM 138,000.

For details of hotels in Malta and more information about Malta visit YourMalta.com