Newbie in Reading

[mike_g]

WOW, can't beleive I just found you guys.

I'm Mike, based in Reading and love everything about flying and aviation.

Looking to make contact with locals and relatively locals and get into the sport, done a tiny bit of flying and gliding in the past.

I am a professional photographer so if any one wants some quality pics too, that can be arranged.

Hope to chat soon.

Mike

[Dragonphotographic]

Hi Mike

Like you I'm a newbie and a photographer

looks like Tip to Tip 2009 is going to be well covered

[norman]

It certainly is, at this rate there will be a squint off to get on the team.

[slim]

WOW, can't beleive I just found you guys.

I'm Mike, based in Reading and love everything about flying and aviation.

Looking to make contact with locals and relatively locals and get into the sport, done a tiny bit of flying and gliding in the past.

I am a professional photographer so if any one wants some quality pics too, that can be arranged.

Hope to chat soon.

Mike

Hi Mike,

I too live in Reading. I'm trying to pluck up the courage to ask Oracle if we can fly from the fields down at Thames Valley Park (my office is there so flying at lunch time would be possible )

Get in touch.

Stuart

[MarkRussell]

Hi all,

I too live near Reading (Mortimer Common) and work just north of M4 J11. After 20 years Hang Gliding and a few years flying Microlites from Popham I am converting to Paramotor (got a Fresh Breeze Simonini and Dudek Synth) with Stephen Hemsley in Basingstoke. I would love to make contact with any pilots (or trainee pilots) in the Reading area, especially if we can find a decent site to fly locally. I went over to Lambourn yesterday to have a look at Simon's Lambourn club site and think I will join them as it's a very nice area to fly (and hang out while it's not flyable). I'll also be flying from Basingstoke I suspect, but somewhere a bit closer than either of those sites would be great for after work flying.

btw: does anyone have any suggestions for local ground handling practice?

Cheers,

Mark Russell

[Guest]

Hi Mark, I trained with Stephen too and also fly a Synth. I see Stephen persuasion steered you towards the FB Simo (he was the FB dealer before Piers afaik). FB simo is a nice unit if high hang points are your thing. Did you train at Limepits and Crabtree? Are the gang still going at Blacklands Farm? I haven't been down there since last August and last thing I heard was that the Farmer had ploughed the field up.

We fly around the High Wycombe/Stokenchurch/Princes Risborough area if that suits. Occasionally down at Guildford as well.

Regards

Ian

[MarkRussell]

Hi Ian,

Not sure about Limepits? Never heard that mentioned, so far I've been down to Stephen's new house down in the New Forest and up at Crabtree. As far as I know they are still flying Blacklands though Stephen didn't seem overly enthusiastic about it and did mention that it's not always in a flyable state! I haven't been there yet myself.

Not sure if high hangpoints do float my boat yet, but as I'm coming from Hang gliding rather than paragliding I have no particular predisposition toward one or the other so figured I'd let Stephen guide me on that one. I'll moan at him later if I decide that I would have preferred low ones.

Regards,

Mark.

[Guest]

Limepits is on the northside of the A30 (other side of the road from Crabtree) and right by the layby. It is a great field for winds easterly round through northerly to westerly. There are some big pylons carrying cables which need avoiding (no problem really) but watch out for the farmer putting his cows in the field while you are flying (his cows seem more nosey than most and want to chew your gear). If this is a problem then move to the field immediately east. Crabtree is ok in a westerly anti-clockwise through to southerly but it's a pain carrying your kit all that distance from the car (and up a slope). Blacklands is fine but the grass can sometimes get a bit too long (caused me to break a prop there last year grrrr).

[datchetsteve]

Hi Stuart

I am looking for a place to ground handle / practise around the area and wondered if you could give me a bell sometime.

I have made contact with others looking to do the same in this area.

Cheers

Steve

07786 916654

WOW, can't beleive I just found you guys.

I'm Mike, based in Reading and love everything about flying and aviation.

Looking to make contact with locals and relatively locals and get into the sport, done a tiny bit of flying and gliding in the past.

I am a professional photographer so if any one wants some quality pics too, that can be arranged.

Hope to chat soon.

Mike

Hi Mike,

I too live in Reading. I'm trying to pluck up the courage to ask Oracle if we can fly from the fields down at Thames Valley Park (my office is there so flying at lunch time would be possible )

Get in touch.

Stuart

[slim]

Hi All flyers near Reading,

I'm out of the country until mid September so the hunt for flying fields will have to wait until then.

I've ground handled on the fields by the Thames at Thames Valley Park at the North end of the A329(M) but the land owners will not - thus far - give their permission for flying. Some muttered comment about risk to members of the public

You need to watch for the radio controlled aeroplane flying club who have a runway at one end of the field. They don't like it if they're flying and you get to close whilst ground handling.

Stuart