Living my dream

28 posts in this topic

Posted

One thing I really like with this blog is that see people are flying with our loved little planes... Some of you fly long distances to get to Oshkosh and others fly coast to coast. Keep bragging about it, keep the dream alive!

Here is my contribution to the bragging... I am right now living one of my dreams, a timid 2000 km trip around France... Starting with the Loire valley castles before doing the main ( "main" meaning" with airfield") islands on the French atlantic coast. Down to the Basque country and then home again across the Massif Centrale (the mountain range in the center of France). 

image.thumb.jpeg.abb4ce14389b99881af79a1As usual I'm writing about it on my blog http://avidsimonini.blogspot.fr/ where I try to post regular updates and photos. There will most likey be a film later this autumn.

Fred 

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Posted

Awesome ,keep the pictures coming :BC:

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Posted

Brilliant pics!  Sounds like a great adventure.

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Posted

Neat trip! Thanks for sharing. 

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Posted

I checked your blog out.  Thats a great shot of Chambord.  Some seriously cool pictures.  Keep them coming Fred!!!

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Posted (edited)

Grounded in paradise

In my dreams I'm an amazingly skilled daredevil pilot, flying in any condition and never afraid of anything. Well, today is reality and I find the gusty crosswind too strong both here for takoff and where I'm supposed to go next to be comfortable.
And it is expected to be the same tomorrow... Unless there come a dramatic change in the weather I will stay another 2 nights here.
You don't have to feel sorry for me, where are worse places to be grounded than Ile d'Yeu....

And it gives me ample time to prepare both myself and the plane for the next leg.
 
 

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Edited by FredStork
Edited due to strange picture formats at first post...
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Posted

Time to spare, go by air.  Nice pictures!

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Posted

I confirm, no need to feel sorry for me... (Note the mussel side reading - available at Amazon...)

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Posted

Have a beer for me Fred, I'd like to toast you for achieving your dream! Wonderful photos, looking forward to another of your videos.

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Posted

The last island

As expected, Monday morning the wind had dropped and I could leave Ile d'Yeu and continue my journey. Next stop was Ile d'Oleron, the last of the 3 islands. Having lost 2 days I planned only a lunch and on the VAC it said "restaurant at the airfield". When arriving, in a rather different but very nice restaurant, it was to be informed by the owner, having his lunch with his parents, that the restaurant is closed on Mondays (and Tuesdays as we were past the magic French date "August15th"....) BUT if I didn't mind sharing their bread, sausage, pate, ham and melon I was more than welcome... A very nice meal and the father's stories from his career as helicopter pilot continued while he drove me to the filling station in his cabriolet...

After that, 2 days with wife and children in the Basque country before taking off for the center of France. 
 
So much for sightseeing... I noted a greater than normal EGT difference between the 2 cylinders and took out the spark plugs. One spark plug had some "stuff" between the electrode and whatever the other part is called... I cleaned them and the temperature was back to normal. My theory is that they don't like to start drowned in oil... While the new, longer, sparkplugs allows me to start even after a longer period of rest one sparkplug of each cylinder is still drowned in oil whilst the other is protruding and allows the engine to start. So, short stop not a problem, longer stop better purge the oil before starting. 
It is very hot here, 37 degrees celsius, 100 Fahrenheit, and the engine is taking excessive RPM at takeoff if I pull full throttle. When I grow up I will get an in flight adjustable prop...
 
To be followed...
 
 

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Posted

What is image #5 all about? 

The truck is real cool

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Posted

If you could get a bit closer to them beaches before taking the photo all of us  wouldn't mind, :)

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Posted

Ha, I was thinking the same thing about the beach! That truck would feel right at home somewhere in the depths of Camp Sholler during AirVenture. :)

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Posted

Dusty,

the truck is the "different but rather nice restaurant", I guess it started with just the truck and a few plastic chairs and then cames some organic growth... Ther is even a small stage inside noe for rock concerts once a week...

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Posted

Great pics!  I love seeing these planes used for cross country trips like this!  Life time memories made mr!

 

:BC:

 

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Posted

Thanks for the great pictures and narrative Fred.  I will probably never get to France so this is the closest I will get, but better yet in an Avid!  You don't get that in your average tour.

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Posted

My one European trip was to France 20 years ago.  Despite the stereotypes, the French people were gracious, polite, and very nice to visitors.  I did see some folks get the 'Ugly American' treatment.  But they were Ugly Americans and deserved it.  The biggest thing I found was that since I spoke a little French (amazingly that some of that 4 years in High School and 1 year of college actually stuck), and always tried to ask questions in French first, they appreciated the effort and took me off the 'Ugly American' list.  They also immediately informed me they spoke English.  I'm sure they didn't want to have to listen to me butcher their language any more than necessary!

We spent most of the time in Paris, with one trip to Bordeaux on the TGV - very nice!  The sites and history were amazing.  I remember standing at the cornerstone of one church, with the date on it 1245 or so, and thinking about the fact that it was built 200 year before anyone in Europe even new America existed.

That trip I got to add to my resume that I performed on stage at the Lido in Paris.  But that is another story :P

 

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Posted

The inland, Blois and back home again

I had bad internet connections the last days so here is the wrap up of the end of the trip...

As mentioned I headed for the center of France. I wanted to go and visit the current owner of my previous plane, a J3 Kitten. It turned out the owner was gone on holiday but I have seen my old plane in the hangar. At the airfield I met an English couple who were there waiting for some friends arriving from the UK in an ultralight as a local English ultralight school (yes, local as "in France and not very far away") were organizing their yearly "Chilli and Cheese Fly In". I rapidly found myself invited, flew to their private field and spent an excellent evening.

Next morning, Saturday, I went to Blois and the yearly Ultralight fair, biggest in Europe. This is an event where you will meet just everyone and see all the new stuff and trends. Rotor wing is still the strong trend with a refinement of the top of the line auto gyros and new sexy helicopters. There were also more high performance fixed wing planes, one difficult to tell a part from the other, flying at 300 km/h and with price tags like luxury cars than you could shake a stick at. Maybe the really new thing this years was an timid, but noticeable, increase in tail wheel planes. I particularly liked the Stampe replica (full scale and still class ultralight in France!).

Blois was the last stop of my trip and from there I had a 3h15 flight home. It has been 2 fantastic weeks and I will live long on this. I will be doing a film about the trip but seen the volume of the material I have it will be sometime during the autumn...

Thank you for your comments and  encouragements!

 

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Posted

Thanks for all the pictures and the travellog!  Of course I'm jealous, but looks like a fantastic trip, and great memories as well!

Mark

 

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Posted

Wow, what a great trip. Like Mark said the memories will serve you well for years. Thanks for the pictures!

Kenneth

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Posted (edited)

I got to see Paris, WW2 Historical Etain and Verdun, and lots of friendly folks around Challon and Southern rural France when I was on leave from the Army in Germany about 55 years ago - Wanted to see where my Mother's side of the family came from.   I also went to England and tracked down my Father's ancestors places.  Great Photos Fred, and you stirred some good memories.   EDMO

Edited by EDMO

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Posted

Great pictures! Thanks for posting . . .

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Posted (edited)

Some of you followed my posts about my 2 week flight around France back in August. I have been working on a film from the trip that has taken more time than expected. 

Well, it is finally done and posted. It breaks the basic rules of a YouTube clip, it is long and fairly slow - but it was a long and slow trip.

There are some really nice sceneries, France can be stunningly beautiful when seen from the right angle… At the end there are a few minutes from this year’s Ultra-light Festival at Blois. Obviously small compared to Oshkosh but rather impressive for a ultra-light only event (Ultra-light in France is up to 450kg at takeoff, max 100hp and stall below 65kph for 2 seats).

The film is called “Old dreams never die” in reference to the film I did 3 years ago of what should have been this trip but ended at lunch the first day after a hard landing.

 

 

Edited by FredStork
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Posted

I think the video was posted at just the right time. A lot of us here in the USA have had or are getting bad weather this weekend. It gives me the chance to take the time to watch your almost hour long video. I've watched so many of your other ones and always enjoy them.

Thanks for posting them up Fred!

Are there other members from this group over there that you fly with? I know there are other Kitfox/Avids you've been with in your videos. 

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Posted

Fred - what a great video of an amazing trip!

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