News

According to William Boyd a modicum of overt restrained triumphalism is socially acceptable after passing your GST. William can now look forward to flying his own Rans S6 Cyote that he has been renovating for the past couple of months.

James Nicholls scored a double success today by firstly passing the General Skills Test for his Microlight Pilot’s License and simultaneously winning first prize in the “Weird Headgear of the Year competition” James has already bought a share in an ex RAF Thruster with two friends who thankfully have a lot more taste in hats. .

This year’s “National Gary Week” is being celebrated by Gary Crosbie (left) and Gary Loughran (right). Coincidentally they are both also celebrating passing their GSTs in Thruster G CGFZ and their shared taste in Flying Jackets. Congratulations Garys .

Celebrity Chefs James Martin and Paul Rankin will be demonstating dishes featuring eels from Lough Neagh in their TV cookery programme. The TV company wanted to show the Chefs flying over the Lough Neagh fishing grounds where the ingredients for their dish were caught so our Thruster became a celebrity camera ship for the day. Equipped with five cameras, four microphones and one celebrity chef (Paul Rankin) G CGFZ completed a tour of the Lough with enough film to make a whole series of cookery programmes. Pictured below are Chef Rankin, the sound engineer, Thruster G CGFZ and the hungry looking pilot. See the programme on ITV later this year.

As foretold by the Instructor prophet it came to pass that on the 23rd day of August Congregational Church Minister Reverend Paul Bradley did ascend into the heavens on his own for the first time in Thruster G CGFZ. Great was the rejoicing of the assembled multitude as Rev Paul descended gently and returned to earth. Paul can now hold his own  in discussions about flying with his friend Gabriel. Congratulations on your First Solo Paul.

Joe McCarrison had spent some time trying out different types of flying machines before deciding that the Thruster was the one for him. He quickly bonded with G CGFZ and on 22nd August undertook his first Thruster solo flight. Congratulations Joe you made the right choice (eventually).

The British Microlight Aircraft Association bursary program supports young pilots of the future to help them gain the National Private Pilots License. Today 1/8/2019 Tom Martin justified the BMAA’s confidence and investment in him when he qualified for his license by passing the General Skills Test. Tom is pictured proudly wearing his Northern Ireland Microlights flying jacket next to the Thruster he trained on. Congratulations Tom

‘Long’ travelled all the way from Vietnam for the sole purpose of flying in the legendary Thruster over the sensational Strangford Lough. The Thruster experience has gained cult status throughout the world and next week we even have a booking from an indigenous native from Coalisland. (‘Long’ took the opportunity to visit his daughter in Belfast while he was here).

William Boyd is a Master Baker from Newtownards who started to learn to fly in Cessnas but soon realised that it was a half baked idea because it was less dough to learn to fly on a Microlight. On 25th June William was ready for his first Solo which turned out to be a piece of cake. William is pictured after landing his Solo and being congratulated by Microlight Flying Magazine editor Geoff Hill who also took the opportunity to put in an order for industrial quantities of freshly baked hobnobs. Congratulations William.

Just 7 hours after first sitting in the Thruster Sprint Gary Loughran flew his first solo flight in it and performed a textbook landing drawing the admiration of the airfield staff. Wisely Gary has already brokered a deal with his wife to facilitate engaging in his new hobby and we all hope she enjoys her new suite, kitchen, wardrobe, car, exotic foreign holiday and diamond tiara.

James Nicholls is a Road Surface Contractor who can claim responsibility for the runways and taxiways at London City and Heathrow Airports. Realising that landing on them would be more fun than building them James decided to learn to fly, and on 11th April 2019 after less than 9 hours tuition on Thruster G CGFZ James embarked on his first solo flight. James did justice to the runway surface at Newtownards by making his First Solo landing look very smooth and professional. Congratulations James…

Reece Griffith is a second year Aeronautical Engineering Student at Queens University Belfast and has an academic interest in the theory of flight.  Putting theory into practice is not normally as easy as it looks but in this case it certainly was as it only took Reece just over 6 hours from his first flying lesson in Thruster G CGFZ to his first Solo flight on 3rd January 2019. Congratulations Reece on a very competent First Solo.

Sean Scullion officially became 16 at midnight on 4th December 2018 and by 10am that day had submitted his CAA Self Declaration Medical and flown his First Solo in Thruster G CGFZ. As sunrise that day was at 0826 Sean completed his First Solo flight 2 hours and 4 minutes after he was legally allowed to do so. Sean was given permission by his school to take the morning off for his First Solo but must be back behind his desk for his end of term exams tomorrow, so it will be back revision tonight but he may find a few spare minutes to fill in an application for the young person’s BMAA flying bursary. Congratulations Sean.

Wings Night this year at the Ulster Flying Club saw five new Microlight Pilots being presented with their Wings Certificates by veteran World War 2 bomber pilot Bill Emes. Clement Buchanan, Roy Clarkson, Edwin Calvin, Bobby Moore and Tom McCrea were also presented with engraved crystal whiskey glasses by the club which they put to use before posing for the obligatory group photo.

18 year old dairy farmer Andrew McConnell from Glenherry completed his first solo flight in Thruster G CGFZ on 28th October after only 10 hours instruction. Andrew is already plotting to evict Daisy and her mates from the lower pastures to make way for a landing strip of his own. Congratulations Andrew you can now indulge in some Moo-ted celebrations.