Take the pilot’s seat
Angelina Jolie loves the adrenalin rush and John Travolta is practically a professional. But what is it really like to fly your own plane? As Jersey Aero Club prepares for its annual air rally, we take to the skies above the island to find out Words : Antonia Windsor AS YOU FLY low over startlingly blue water, with pink [...]
Angelina Jolie loves the adrenalin rush and John Travolta is practically a professional. But what is it really like to fly
your own plane? As Jersey Aero Club prepares for its annual air rally, we take to the skies above the island to find out
Words : Antonia Windsor
alt="The Piper PA28 Warrior is a typical aircraft used for flight training by Jersey Aero Club"
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AS YOU FLY low over startlingly blue water,
with pink granite cliffs rising up from the
lacy white fringe of the sea, you could be
forgiven for mistaking the island spread out
below as somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.
The reality, though, is that you’re still on the
territory of the British Isles, and what you’re
looking down upon is Jersey, the southern most Channel Island.
This view is not from a commercial passenger jet, but from
‘Delta Tango’, a Piper PA28 Warrior, and you are at the controls.
Over the headset an instructor points out the oyster beds that
can be seen as black parallel lines in the water below and the
coast of France as it appears like a chalk mark on the horizon.
alt="Stars at flight:Actor John Travolta, licensed pilot"
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Flying has long been a popular pastime in Jersey. With
France just 15 miles away, it’s possible to have a seafood
lunch in Saint-Malo in Brittany, stock up on cheese and wine
in the hypermarket and be back at the Aero Club’s Jersey base
in time to catch the sunset.
“Private flying is no longer the preserve of the ultra-rich,”
says instructor Chris Winch. “We have people from all walks of
life enjoying the thrill and freedom flying gives you.” Nor do
you need to own a plane to fly. Once you have a private pilot’s
licence, you can hire a plane from the club and just pay for
flight time. The totally uninitiated can sign up for a trial lesson.
alt="Stars at flight:Actor Morgan Freeman, licensed pilot"
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Many non-Jersey residents come to the island to take their
pilot’s licence, completing their 45 hours of flying time in a
laid-back environment where they can look down and see
kite-surfers skimming over the five-mile strand or take in the
Normandy Landing beaches.
“A lot of people come over here and do a residency: they
complete their licence in a month, flying for two or three
hours a day, and spend the rest of their time studying for the
written exam,” Winch explains, as the plane flies over the
Echrehous, a group of tiny islands, little bigger than rocks,
situated seven miles off the coast, halfway to France.
alt="Stars at flight:Actress Angelina Jolie, licensed pilot"
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On your first flying lesson, known as a trial flight, you are
instructed about the meaning of all the various knobs and
dials, and you experience the thrill of lifting the throttle in
take-off. This aircraft feels very small if you’ve only ever flown
in a larger passenger plane before. Buried in the beige velvet
interior, the ashtrays are remnants of a different time, and the
lighter socket is now more likely to be used to plug in an iPod
or laptop. The runway you take off from is quite short and in
less than a minute you are out over the water. Your instructor
explains how to steer, as you take a circuit around the island.
“The plane has dual controls,” explains Winch, “so we can
both operate the aircraft, but basically once you are up in the
air, it’s just a case of keeping the horizon steady in front of you.”
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It feels effortless to keep this little aircraft airbound, and
flying it is surprisingly relaxing, with plenty of time to take
in the beauty of the patchwork fields below.
Back at base, club member Eveline Hawkin brings up
the Jersey International Air Rally, a yearly event that the
club has hosted for 53 years: “It’s an opportunity for
pilots to really celebrate their flying. We have regular
contenders from the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Belgium,
Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland and Spain.”
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Competitors must prove their flying skills in a number
of classes, such as a timed circuit, a spot landing and a
treasure hunt. “The hunt is fun. Pilots have to identify
various features on the coast of France, or take pictures of
certain landmarks,” explains Hawkin. “But we have to be
careful not to give out details too early or competitors may
scour the coast in the days leading up to the competition.
Some people take winning the rally very seriously.”
Although much of the event takes place around Flers
aerodrome in France, the celebrations and gala dinners are
in Jersey, and the Aero Club is open to guests who want to
soak up the atmosphere. As Hawkin says: “There is a fantastic
buzz about the place during that weekend. If anyone wants to
catch the flying bug, this is the time to do it.”
VIEW FROM THE AIR
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Martin Leusby, 57, (left), a business
development manager, has flown
in the Jersey International Air Rally
nearly every year since 1986. He has
won the event four times:
“I was 34 when I learnt to fly, satisfying
a childhood ambition. I had wanted
to join the RAF but didn’t pass my
medical. My first experience of the Jersey International Air Rally
was when my local flying club in Peterborough organised a
team of us to go. I’ve continued to go since then. There’s a real
mix of pilots, from people like me who can just about afford to
own a plane, to those who scrape together just enough to hire
one, and the very wealthy for whom the sky’s the limit.
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“I fly as often as I can in my Cessna 172, which I’ve had
since 1985: it’s now on its third engine. Jersey is one of my
favourite places to go, because it’s a different experience to the
British countryside. I love the weeks of planning beforehand;
the adventure of landing on an island, and the celebratory
atmosphere when you get there. Although it’s a competitive
environment, there is also a lot of camaraderie. Whenever a
newcomer arrives, the old-timers take them under their wing
– pun intended – to make sure they come back next year.”
LEARN HOW TO FLY
- A round-island trial lesson with Jersey Aero Club
costs £65 and you can take two friends along for £5
each. Other trial lessons taking in the French coast or
the Normandy Landing beaches are also available. To
book a lesson, contact Jersey Aero Club, Jersey Airport,
L’Avenue de la Reine Elizabeth II, St Peter, Jersey, on
+44 (0)1534 743 990 or email info@jerseyaeroclub.com - The Jersey International Air Rally takes place
27-29 June, with functions at the local Aero Club and
Pomme d’Or Hotel open to non-competitors. For
further details contact Eveline Hawkin on +44 (0)1534
743 990 or email evelinehawkin@hotmail.co.uk - Jersey Aero Club’s 45-hour private pilot’s licence
course costs £5,665 and includes equipment,
tutorials and all exams; www.jerseyaeroclub.com
