Robert’s Flying Microbe
The 14th October 1965, I did my Radio License in Brussel. Sitting in a small room with headset and hand micro, I had to simulate a flight from Antwerp to Liège. All the responses from the supposed tower, was so distorted that I you could hardly understand a word, but I passed..
From 1971, I have all the figures; mainly Cessna 150 – Marchetti S 205-18F – Cessna 172, all rented planes from my Club, until September when “The Wonderful Ercoupe” stepped in my life. .
| 20 August 1971 it was the
beginning of a wonderful period; I bought my first plane an “Ercoupe”
OO-AIA ser.nr.4834 a 90hp - 415CD. Flying was more fun, you could enjoy the pleasure to feel free and relax without controls all the time. After 1hr36 test flying with instructor
Guido De Brouwer I was ready to fly my first own aircraft, based in
Antwerp. |
Thinking it was cheaper to rent a plane in the Club, logic when you look the hours I did during a year. I am now astonished how less I flew during those eight years. I was stupid, selling this beauty who gave me tremendous pleasure even with no flying hours.
The OO-AIA was stored in Kortrijk and sold to the UK, then to Ireland, back to UK for restoration and actually this Ercoupe is flying in France at St Rambert D’ Albon (LFLR), asF-AZOV, with the happy owner Jérôme Villand.
I even applied (1972) to be an astronaut, but the Belgian Government retracted the budget, the copilot disappeared also. In 1972, I had a Dutch and an USA license nr: 2055922 so I could fly the Dutch and American registered planes in Belgium, but never used it. After flying alone all the time; my children where too small to enjoy the pleasure of flying and I could not find a nice copilot, and I did not enjoyed my grass hopping anymore. I did not rent any plane during 22 years and stop nearly flying between 1979 until 2001.
If I cannot find it in the air, I try to find it in the water. I started scuba diving in 1978 and bought a Zodiac boat. My family agreed with this adventure, everybody liked the water fun. My youngest son Olivier took also a diving course and we both had good fun. Diving in clear water, with the trim suite well balanced, give you the impression to fly under water; again that flying microbe.
In 1980, I made even a check fly with J.Vermeiren (RAAC) during 45 minutes, but only reappear in a real plane in 1993. With the Cessna 150 -1hr60 dual and 2hr59 solo.I tried the Ultralights and had a training license from 20 August 1987 until 1989. I remember sitting in a kind of beach seat with a lot of noise, and anxious everything will fall apart, at Liernu airstrip near Namur. Not a joy and I aborted that type of flying machines. Ok, I was looking for alternatives.
We are now 2001- 2hr00 dual and 7hr48 solo; I rent a Cessna 152 at the RAAC, I had a training license and was obliged to start from scratch, passed my written exam for Reglementation in Brussel, yes, with a 20/20. My theory instructor was Raf De Vijlder, his method is incredible, and pumping the flight regulations in your brains as you force feeding a goose for his “foie gras”.
Because my International license was not valid any more, I need also to pass a flying skills test with an examinator to obtain my PPL International.10 October 2001, I bought Ercoupe II, OO-PUS a 415D of 1947 ser. nr: 4577 – 75hp in Ostend from Gerrit Titeca. It was the only existing Belgian Ercoupe, assembled by Intair in Antwerp (1947). Now I have a plane and no international license.
2002: Was the training year with instructor, and realized that I have to learn all about navigation in a modern space. Before it was so easy, on a new Michelin map, put a line from A to B, make quick calculation with the slide computer, heading straight to it with the compass. That is still quite the same, but those new reference points, the transponder, VFR maps, incredible. Luckily, the flying itself was the same.
