Primarily for general aviation discussion, but other aviation topics are also welcome.
By TopCat
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1804717
davef77 wrote:There is a good recording here of British Team Unlimited pilot, Phil Burgess, flying with a heart-rate monitor.

Question: why does he wear those gloves? They look quite bulky.
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By skydriller
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1804723
Im guessing you get sweaty in a work-out like hes getting doing that routine and wearing gloves means no chance of hands slipping off the controls during competition... but they do look quite large... Dave?
By GAFlyer4Fun
#1804740
ROG wrote:I admire those guys who can fly aerobatics---but after a few manoeuvres I decided that it wasn"t for me.
My idea of a challenge is landing the PA-180 on a tennis court---again not for everyone.


I totally get it that some people make that decision about aeros after a few manoeuvres and some people take to it straight away. There are different motivations for having a go in the first place. On the basis that you at least gave it a go, I will say from my own experience that some people might take a few flights rather than a few manoeuvres to really know if it is something they can grow into and enjoy. (speaking as one of the converted).
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By davef77
#1804755
TopCat wrote:
davef77 wrote:There is a good recording here of British Team Unlimited pilot, Phil Burgess, flying with a heart-rate monitor.

Question: why does he wear those gloves? They look quite bulky.


My real answer is that I don't know in this specific instance.

In general it is quite common for aerobatic pilots to wear safety gear. I know that Phil often wears a Nomex flying suit and gloves - which all make sense in case of fire, but in this case I can't make the same argument for gloves and a T-shirt :wink:

I think that those are RAF gloves and so are actually a lot less bulky than they look - fairly fine leather actually.

I fly with leather flying gloves in the winter, for me it is a trade-off between keeping warm (no heaters) and still being able to feel the controls.
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By davef77
#1804756
GAFlyer4Fun wrote:
ROG wrote:I admire those guys who can fly aerobatics---but after a few manoeuvres I decided that it wasn"t for me.
My idea of a challenge is landing the PA-180 on a tennis court---again not for everyone.


I totally get it that some people make that decision about aeros after a few manoeuvres and some people take to it straight away. There are different motivations for having a go in the first place. On the basis that you at least gave it a go, I will say from my own experience that some people might take a few flights rather than a few manoeuvres to really know if it is something they can grow into and enjoy. (speaking as one of the converted).


I have said this here before, but as well as the aerobatics, which I am clearly obsessed with, the competition thing really surprised me.

Competition flying gave my flying a focus that I never had before. I now have a purpose to every flight that I make. As a result I fly a lot more than I used to (though less this year). I am thinking as I drive to the airfield about what I will be practicing and thinking about goals and targets for my flying.

It is an old saw, but Aerobatic competition is really a competition against yourself, and I do love the focus that it brings to improve my control of an aeroplane.

I am a 'hands-on stick & rudder pilot' and aerobatics, for me anyway, is the ultimate in that aspect of flying.
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By Maxthelion
#1804837
I fly aeros so much now that a flight without them feels utilitarian in the extreme. It's just weird to take off in an aerobatic aeroplane and have to focus on nav and coms and flying in straight line at a consistent altitude. Who does that stuff for fun?
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By Charles Hunt
#1808556
My back causes enough problems at 1G so sadly anything more is out for me, also after my one aerobatic sortie my internal gyros were out of alignment for a week.

A shame, but there it is.
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By davef77
#1808587
Charles Hunt wrote:My back causes enough problems at 1G so sadly anything more is out for me, also after my one aerobatic sortie my internal gyros were out of alignment for a week.

A shame, but there it is.


I am not a model of fitness. I am old, have a bad back and could do with loosing a bit more weight.

I am certainly not suggesting that you take up aeros, and that it will fix your back. It won't.

Fly at the level that I fly at now is demanding, and takes a while and a lot of practice to get to.

But...

While I am sure that some people are more prone to feeling poorly as a result of flying aeros than others, I think that I am probably one of those people. When I flew my first aerobatics, a long time ago now, I felt "sick for a week" too. I was very disappointed because I was very interested in flying aeros and assumed that this meant that I wasn't up to it.

Actually, it is a matter, to some extent, of training and practice. You acclimatise!

I find that I still feel a bit queasy when flying after a break - I will need to build up after lock-down for example.
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By Ibra
#1808624
Paul_Sengupta wrote:I now have a headache just imagining those manoeuvres!


It stops hurting once you start it :lol:

The only time I felt aerobatics was hurting is when flying as safety pilot with no clue what the sequence was :roll: (funnily in one case it was someone with some medical restriction, not sure what it was exactly and I am not a cardiologist but his stuff was still intense, I was slightly out of shape after his landing; him no problemo, you either have the substance in your blood or you don't :lol: )
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