The Challenge

The challenge is very simple - to fly this "flyke" from one end of the UK to the other. I've learnt that the single most important consideration is the wind - if it's too windy (more than 10-15mph) I have to sit and wait. However, thanks to the engineering of this unique machine, I can at least make progress on the ground by cycling (which is fine until I get to a steep hill, then I have to walk and pull it behind me!. Even in the worst of British weather, therefore, I can be sure I'll cover some distance every day.

What's my flying range?

I'll start the trip with a full tank of fuel (14 litres) which will give me a range of 2 hours flying at 30mph. Normally I'd get more airtime on a single tank of fuel, but because I'll be carrying more luggage than normal (camping gear, clothing, spares etc), then I need to burn more fuel than normal to keep me airborne. The airspeed of 30mph will equate to 30mph of groundspeed only when I'm flying in zero wind conditions. Into a headwind, my ground speed will be slower, and with a tailwind, I'll go faster. This is why I'm going Land's End to John O'Groats and not the other way round - the prevailing winds tend to be westerly in the UK. When I'm low on fuel, I plan to land and refuel at a regular petrol station, just as shown in the video on the home page. I can locate petrol stations from the air using my GPS or my Iphone's "Gas Station Finder" application! I can cycle from the landing field to the petrol station, wheel it in and fill it up. I need to mix a bit of oil with the petrol as mine's a 2 stroke engine, but I'll be carrying a supply of this with me all the time.

Camping

The best (least) winds are late evening and early morning, and this is why it makes sense for me to camp by night rather than cycling around late in the evening looking for hotels/B&Bs etc. I can land at sunset, set up camp for the night with my tent/sleeping bag that I'm carrying with me, and take off again first thing in the morning - if the wind behaves as it should! A big challenge will be finding suitable landing fields/camping sites but this is where I'm working hard to cooperate with farmers and landowners throughout the country. Those that I've approached so far have been very supportive of the charitable nature of this expedition, and the least I can do is to offer to take a few aerial photos of the farm which I can then email as a gesture of goodwill! Do let me know if you think you might be able to help me with this - do you have an open grass field that I could use, perhaps? I can be emailed here

Controlled Air Space

My aircraft is registered with the CAA and is legal to fly in the UK, but I'll need to ensure that I don't stray into controlled airspace as I won't be on radio. As a result, my bedtime reading during the trip will focus on the fine detail of the CAA's aviation maps! Amongst other things, I'll need to make a detour around the airspace of large city areas like Birmingham and Manchester. I've also made a note of the Red Arrows display venues around the UK in August for obvious reasons!

Ultimately...

All being well I will reach my destination at the northern tip of Scotland within 3-4 weeks, but as this has never been done before in this type of machine, that's a bit of a guess. The uncertainties of the weather, and the notorious unreliability of a 2 stroke engine (even a superbly built German example thought it may be!), will no doubt challenge me. Rest assured that I absolutely will not be flying if the weather's not right, and this is why the trip might take longer than predicted - but as a school teacher I have at least got 5 weeks available if I need them!