Sanicole Air show

My family some friends and I are going to go, to the Sanicole air show which is the only civil air show in Belgium.
This years theme are " It takes two " and the celebration of the 35th year since the end of Vietnam's war.

Paul Bonhomme aand steve jones with the red bull matadors, Turkish stars, the skyhawks, swift aerobatics, Twister duo, B-17 sally, Flying Bulls, Belgian air force etc...

This years air show particularity will be the sunset air show, the performers will be performing at noon with special effects. It looks really exciting !!!

The air-show will take place on Sunday 19 september...

Speed, altitude, field ?

We are at 2500 feet QNH level flight 60 knots, flying the aircraft in football mode like we say. Football mode is used in low speed flight, so we are flying on the rudder pedals.
Look outside my instructor says, I'm checking out the airspeed, in fact my eyes are stuck on the airspeed indicator. Speed is life you know. 

I'm doing a 360° degrees to the left in football mode.

Me: _What was my initial heading ?
Instructor: _I don't know...


Ok I have to estimate my starting heading and find a visual point on the ground.  Yes I tend to forget some times I'm in Visual flight rules. Flight sim's fault.

Me: _Oh I remember the road !
Instructor: _Good now same thing to the right.

Gotta get myself in a football club I think.


2mins Later...

Wings leveled at 2500 feet, flaps up 55 knots angle of attack near 14°

Instructor: _keep level flight ! Keep level flight ! OK no ease on the yoke !


Full throttle, rudder to the right, 70 knots pull up, climb !
Wow, a first stall for me. We lost 300 feet. The left wing stalled before the right wing. A mini spin recovery. The tomahawk is not the most forgiving in stalls. 

Flaps 21 , throttle idle, level flight.
Full throttle ! Rudder to the left, more, more, more to the left, flaps up 70 knots pull up and climb.
The tomahawk is definitely not forgiving much in stalls. This makes it fun to fly.


2500 feet, 90 knots, engine failure. 
Whisper: Speed is life, speed is life, speed is life. 

Look for an open field in the wind. Wait, where does the wind come from ? SPEED ! Ok wind 220/11 knots. Downwind leg, 
Check engine instruments
Fuel pump...on,
Carburetor heater...on,
Mixture...Rich
Monitor engine instruments, it will not fire back up. 

Get the speed back to 70kt.

Take off the headset
unlock doors
prepare for impact


I'm saying to myself, turn, no too high too fast... Ok now.


Instructor: _ You're sure we're gonna make it ?
Me: _ Uhhh..., yea..., no... Yes !!!


Flaps 21, full flaps. Go around, flaps up, climb at 70 knots.

2 seconds later...

later engine failure, there is a highway just ahead 200 meters, yea but there are high trees on the way. We won't make it. 
Ok go around.

10mins later...

_Charleroi tower, OO-VNI, with information Zulu, ahead of thuin at 1500' request landing instruction.
_OO-VNI, roger, report overhead thuin, QNH 1018, enter left hand downwind rwy 25.
_QNH 1018, left downind rwy 25, we will report overhead thuin OO-VNI.

I was able to fly the VOR. Trying to stay on the radial.


_We are overhead thuin, OO-VNI.
_OO-VNI, report on downind.

_On downwind, OO-VNI.
_OO-VNI you are number 1 call back on final.

_On final, OO-VNI
_OO-VNI, you are cleared too land rwy 25, winds 190 at 7.
_Cleared too land, OO-VNI. 

One hour and six minutes of pure work, I loved it. A really fun flight we did.
But back home I had to catch some few winks.

14th July

We woke up at seven a.m. The sun was rising. We were looking forward at assisting to the parade of the 14th July on the Champs Elysée. Aware of the weather previsions we just thought it wasn't going as bad as it actually was going to be.
We left the hotel room at nine a.m and took the subway. A part of the leg was out in the open, we could get view of the sky.
<< Seems like the previsions failed to be right for today >> Said my Father
I wasn't so sure about that as there were cirrus clouds high over us.
We got off and settled about 300meters away from the Arc de triomphe. Which was revealed to be as a not so good nor a bad ideas, because we still got to see SOME of the Parade. So at about half past ten it started.
The rain stroked the drops were as big as a bomb. We got the raid before the planes.
But I didn't miss a bit of it !