Flying with the Little Prince

Passing your Private Pilot's Licence is both an achievement and a passport to adventure. Often the challenge of flying from Denham to the Isle of Wight is an early adventure then as you and your flying friends gain more confidence you can venture across the English Channel to Le Touquet. From France it becomes possible to continue on to Spain or Germany, maybe Italy, or flying north across Belgium and Holland to Denmark and Sweden. Only your imagination, the weather and enough money to buy the aviation fuel will limit your adventures.

Soon you meet pilot groups who are planning a flying trip in South Africa, Australia or the USA, and invite you to join their flying safari. In these cases it is easier to fly commercial jet to the country and hire aircraft when you get there. Similar to renting a car but with extra complications. There will be some exams to pass to show that you know the air law of the country and the local flying regulations and conditions. Then there is the check flight with a local flying instructor who wants you to demonstrate your flying skills in take off, landing, navigation, stall recovery, tight turns and emergency landing procedures in the event of engine failure. This will be a busy couple of hours of intense concentration before you are signed off and ready to go.

This book follows on from "Play It Again Sam" which recounted my experiences flying from London to Cape Town and back over two months in