Modern GP One alongside older designs I flew our Skyleader GP One light sport aircraft up to Warbirds Over Wanaka 2016 last Wednesday in order to avoid predicted bad weather on Thursday.
An unexpected privilege was to meet the Martin Jetpack guys when they arrived late that night. I got to know some of them over the weekend.
When the weather 'bomb' rumbled in on Thursday, it was very impressive - really dark thunderclouds followed by prolonged torrential rain. Fortunately the large puddles (mini lakes) drained away before the public arrived.
Our GP One demonstrator was parked in the Sport Aircraft line-up. Lots of pilots stopped by and made positive comments about the aircraft's design and performance. Many others appreciated its aerodynamic shape and roominess. I had some great conversations with pilots who were looking seriously at buying a light sport aircraft such as the GP One.
I stayed with the Otago Aero Club microlight bods. One of them, Craig Buist, was delighted to park his little Sea Rey amphibian under the wing of the huge Catalina flying boat.
Today the airport was closed for most of the morning, after a Harvard warbird ran off the runway and collapsed onto its belly. By the time I left in the afternoon, there was NW turbulence. Flying above the windward mountain slopes allowed me to avoid the worst of it. Further east things settled down, so I crossed the Old Man Range and tracked down the Waikaia Valley. I ended up plugging into a cold southerly and dodging showers as I got nearer home. A very satisfying weekend.
An unexpected privilege was to meet the Martin Jetpack guys when they arrived late that night. I got to know some of them over the weekend.
When the weather 'bomb' rumbled in on Thursday, it was very impressive - really dark thunderclouds followed by prolonged torrential rain. Fortunately the large puddles (mini lakes) drained away before the public arrived.
Our GP One demonstrator was parked in the Sport Aircraft line-up. Lots of pilots stopped by and made positive comments about the aircraft's design and performance. Many others appreciated its aerodynamic shape and roominess. I had some great conversations with pilots who were looking seriously at buying a light sport aircraft such as the GP One.
I stayed with the Otago Aero Club microlight bods. One of them, Craig Buist, was delighted to park his little Sea Rey amphibian under the wing of the huge Catalina flying boat.
Today the airport was closed for most of the morning, after a Harvard warbird ran off the runway and collapsed onto its belly. By the time I left in the afternoon, there was NW turbulence. Flying above the windward mountain slopes allowed me to avoid the worst of it. Further east things settled down, so I crossed the Old Man Range and tracked down the Waikaia Valley. I ended up plugging into a cold southerly and dodging showers as I got nearer home. A very satisfying weekend.
 Martin Jetpack |  'Sea Rey' amphibian with 'Catalina' |  A formation of Yak 52 warbirds |  Spitfire + ME109 |  A different tale |
