Flyer Magazine

A couple of weeks ago we looked at the UK’s airspace infringement hotspots. Since then, the CAA has come back to us with some information, so we thought we’d take a closer look at its view of the problem. There’s some genuinely useful information, but we didn’t agree with everything the CAA had to say. We also thought there were a few important things it should have said, but didn’t…

In the News
Land at Enstone gets outline planning approval, but we’re told the future of flying there is secure
We say goodbye to prolific aircraft importer Graham Smith
Jeppesen began selling aeronautical information in 1934, but the end of October marked the end of its paper chart products. From now on, it’s digital only
Amelia Richardson’s Young Aviator Award
Leading Edge partners with Intuous to add flight monitoring

Fantasy Hangar
Following the news of Murphy’s demise, Ed and Ian - Dave’s got the week off - pick an aircraft for their hangars that although inspiring, is no longer available 

Plus
SkyDemon Tip of the Week — Flight Logs
Weekend Weather
Events coming up

Links
PCL London 7th November - https://www.pilotcareerslive.com/events/uk-heathrow-november-2026/
The Flyer Show where are Britain's worst Airspace Hotspots - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFTPdj-n8-4&t=1s

#generalaviation #pilots #weather #aviationnews #pilotlife

It’s true, some pilots just don’t know how to start, taxi, park, use the fuel pump, and get in and out of the hangar without winding up other pilots. Here’s FLYER’s guide to good ground etiquette.

In the News
Tom Hamilton’s new aircraft, the Reach Aviation AC-6
Electric aircraft lands on a floating heliport in Manhattan
New Safety Sense Leaflet on Autopilots
Flying Scholarships for both private and would-be professional pilots
Boeing’s latest 20-year forecast for the airline industry: more pilots please
Shuttleworth has its best-ever airshow season
Jersey Aero Club celebrated in stamps

Fantasy Hangar
Inspired by the Electra operating from a floating barge in built-up Manhattan, we choose aircraft that could also land and take-off in less than 300ft.
Dave sends for the Helio Courier, a thunderous bushplane with very special wings
Ian opts for the elegant SkyRanger Nynja which won overall at the Popham STOL event
Ed goes raises eyebrows with the obscure Braunschweig ZF-1 Zaunkonig, a tank-buster from WWII with LAA links

Plus
SkyDemon tip of the week: chart settings
Weekend Weather forecast
Events coming up

Links
Aerobility Adventure of Flight talk tickets https://ow.ly/5zSX50ZSe2B
CAA Safety Sense Leaflets https://www.caa.co.uk/general-aviation/safety-topics/safety-sense-leaflets/
FLYER’s list of flying scholarships (free to read) https://flyer.co.uk/feature/want-to-learn-to-fly-these-scholarships-could-help-pay-for-it/
Jersey Aero Club 75 years stamps https://jerseystamps.com/
Pilot Careers Live Events - https://www.pilotcareerslive.com/events/
Ian's Cessna 182 Wingtip lights video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ze1XeeZL60

#generalaviation #pilots #weather #aviationnews #pilotlife

There are more than 1,100 airspace infringement each year in the UK which sounds a lot. But many are in the same places known officially as Airspace Hotspots, or as we prefer, Traps. What are these Traps? Why do they catch pilots out? What can be done to solve the issue? Is it the fault of the pilots, complex airspace or something else? That’s this week’s main topic.

News
Dodge the drones: mandatory EC by 2028
Skyfly gets $10m to swing its Axe
Has Gloucestershire Airport been SuperDried?
Search for Amelia Earhart’s missing aircraft turns into treehugging
£40k worth of flying scholarships for young people
First UK built Velocity SE
New boss at Tecnam. Ciao Giovanni!
First Kodiak 900 in Europe is for adventure flying
Swift Fuels’ Unleaded Avgas gets EASA and UK CAA approval 

Fantasy Hangar 
It’s time for a Perfect Pairing! What would you pair with your aircraft of choice?
Ian goes all Jilly Cooper in the Cotswolds
Dave sticks to his faithful Luscombe 8E but finds a Man Cave 
Ed raises one Spirit SE-1 and tops it with another Spyder

Plus
SkyDemon tip
Weekend Weather forecast
Events

Links
Aviator’s Ball tickets https://www.aerobility.com/aviators-ball-2026
Aerobility Adventure of Flight talk tickets https://ow.ly/5zSX50ZSe2B
Swift Fuels https://www.swiftfuel.eu/100r-stc
Coachmakers scholarships https://www.coachmakers.co.uk/our-awards-and-bursaries/aerospace-awards/Joe Costanza’s 
Man Cave Hangar https://youtu.be/840LlrgoFlw?si=dPss3jHd2KAI625s
FLY2026 https://forums.flyer.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=139024

#generalaviation #airspace #flying #pilotlife #weather

Is the UK the best place in the world to learn to fly? This week, we compare the sub-ICAO pilot licences across the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Europe, looking at flight training hours, medical requirements, aircraft privileges, passenger limits, night flying and instrument flying. We also discuss the challenges UK pilots face when flying abroad and whether greater international recognition of the UK NPPL could open up more opportunities. 

In the news, we cover the latest developments following the Elixir aircraft accident in France, the CAA’s plea for us to get more involved with local airspace infringement teams, the Professional Flight Training Awards and the latest news on the Ellipse RG microlight powered by the Rotax 916. 

Plus, Fantasy Hangar tackles the best aircraft for cockpit visibility. It;s just Ed and Ian this week (Dave's busy elsewhere), so who wins?

We also have this week’s SkyDemon tip, the latest flying weather forecast and upcoming aviation events. Do you think the UK offers the best route into general aviation? Let us know in the comments.

Links: SkyDemon - https://www.skydemon.aero/ 
Join the FLYER Club - https://flyer.co.uk/membership/ FLYER - https://flyer.co.uk/ 
Pilot Careers Live - https://pilotcareerlive.com/ Weather Coach - https://weathercoach.uk/
Adventure of Flight - https://www.aerobility.com/upcoming-events/2026/11/1/the-adventure-of-flight

#generalaviation #flying #airfields #pilots #aviationnews #pilotlicense

What do you choose? A new car or an aeroplane? Yes, after last week’s show where we talked about expensive new high-performance microlights, we go to the other end of the price spectrum. You can buy a whole aeroplane, airworthy and flying, for less than £30,000. We identify a range of possible aircraft available now in the small ads - there’s something for everyone.

And on a similar subject, TV chef Jamie Oliver achieved his PPL at Andrewsfield over the summer - now he’s helped save the airfield from closure. To celebrate Jamie’s involvement in flying, we decided that Fantasy Hangar should look at aircraft to suit Jamie. Some great choices!

- Dave picks something Italian…
- Ian is thinking culinary…
- Ed reckons a cool family wagon is needed…

In the news
- Elixir grounds its entire fleet of aircraft
- Wormingford Airsfield closes
- Mike O’Donoghue, formerly GASCo, is now General Aviation Programme Manager for CHIRP
- Jamie Oliver, who is dyslexic, achieved his PPL ground exams with the help of Pooleys and an audio app
- New brooms at the top at Continental 
- Three Johns appear at a special Aerobility event

Plus
- SkyDemon tip
- Weekend weather forecast
- Events coming up

Links:
SkyDemon - https://www.skydemon.aero/
Join the FLYER Club - https://flyer.co.uk/membership/
FLYER - https://flyer.co.uk/
Aerobility Adventure of Flight tickets https://ow.ly/5zSX50ZSe2B

#generalaviation #flying #airfields #pilots  #aviationnews