IN FACT, I AM TOLD by people who seem to know, that one can’t fully enjoy good food and good music simultaneously. Only one can have your undivided attention at a time. The word undivided pretty much clinches it.
What’s all this got to do with flying? Well, I was browsing through my favourite online aviation chat site the other day when I came across a discussion on what was the best way to listen to music while flying. That’s not a difficult question, you buy an airline ticket and use the best whiz-bang ear thingies you can afford.
But no, that’s not the answer the punters were looking for. It seems they were keen to be PIC of a 50 year old 210, Bonnie, or Boere Boeing, with a wandering autopilot, while giving their full attention to Beethoven. Hmmm not for me.
This feels so wrong, on so many levels, yet when I expressed this opinion on the forum I was shouted down by pretty much everyone. Most of my detractors thought it was an age thing, and rather rudely offered advice on how to drag myself into the current century, for which I failed to thank them.
But I am still on a roll, and I will tell you why in a moment, because you – dear reader – as they used to say, have two advantages, you are more intelligent than the mob I was dealing with, and you can’t answer back.
So here are my thoughts on the matter, and once you have bought into my argument, I will tell you a story which I think pretty much clinches it.
Denne historien er fra March 2022-utgaven av SA Flyer Magazine.
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Denne historien er fra March 2022-utgaven av SA Flyer Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Iris - her early years: IRIS FLIES ACROSS SUDAN
Laura McDermid continues her stories about Iris McCallum's early years in East Africa and the Sudan. In part 1 of this story she recounts how she had to fly a bunch of Belgian Missionaries to Aweil, a city in northwestern South Sudan, from Wilson in Nairobi in her old mate 'ARN', the Piper Aztec 5Y-ARN.
UGLY IS PRETTY: LEAR 25 VS PILATUS PC-6
When you go to a party where you don't know anybody, you should always go for the 'Ugly' girl, because she will be happy that you chose to spend time with her.
CIRRUS G7 LAUNCHED IN AFRICA
What makes one aircraft better than another? Range, Speed, or carrying capacity, short field performance, operating costs, high wing, low wing, side stick, traditional control yoke?
PRESIDENT'S TROPHY AIR RACE 2024
The annual Presidents Trophy Air Race (PTAR) is the highlight of the year for many competitive general aviation pilots.
THE ABSA LOWVELD AIRSHOW 2024
This year marked the thirtieth edition of the Lowveld airshow – and it was widely acclaimed as the best ever.
PREVIEW: AFRICAN AEROSPACE AND DEFENCE EXPO(AAD)
Guy Leitch finds out from AAD Exhibition Director, Ms Nakedi Phasha, how the buildup to this year's biennial expo is going, and what visitors and exhibitors can expect.
APRIL 2023
April has been a very quiet month on the local aviation marketplace with only nine new registration allocations and three deletions, according to the officially-supplied register review.
PIPISTREL PANTHERA FINALLY HERE
One of the world's most eagerly awaited piston single engine aircraft designs has finally arrived in South Africa. ZU-KTR is a long awaited Panthera, proudly owned by Bertus Kritzinger, a Free State trucker, and based at New Tempe in Bloemfontein, where the well-known Ferriera Aviation has assembled it.
STAGGERWING - ALREADY OLD WHEN NEW
The Staggerwing was the climax, and the end, of an era.
The Aim of Bombing
In modern warfare it's not the soldiers who die - it's the civilians. One of the best examples of this is carpet bombing.