Following on from my ‘Learning to Fly’ blog post I have more photos to share with you from my visit to the Sligo Aero Club. The plane above is a 1941 Piper Cub J3 it’s in beautiful condition and looks exactly as it would have done when it left the factory all those years ago. I’d love to get a go in this (I think!) the side windows come out so it’d be great for taking photos. What puts me off is that there is no fuel gauge, there is a dipstick to check the fuel level, Andrew told me that this works very well and he hasn’t run out of fuel yet!
The plane above is a SeaRay Amphibian aircraft which I suppose is a flying boat!! It was built by some of the members of Sligo Aero Club and has even flown to France! I couldn’t get over it, imagine being able to land on the water in this!…..I wonder should that be my next challenge 😉
This was my little plane 🙂 It really is a tiny little thing, to be honest I thought it would be a lot bumpier than it was considering it was fairly windy. Now back to the aerial photos (and a couple of bits of video). The video below is the plane taking off from the airport. It sounds very noisy but it wasn’t too bad for me because I had headphones on. Of course I forgot how badly my ears suffer so they were popping a bit, but it wasn’t too bad although I was slightly deaf when we landed. The take off and landing where really smooth, fair play to Sean the pilot for doing such a good job.
The photo above is Sligo airport and in the background is Strandhill. Not the best shot because of the rain on the window.
Here we have the Blackrock lighthouse which was built in 1819, the land in the background is Raghly.
Not 100% sure exactly where the photo above is. It was between Raghly and Lissadell so could be Maugherow. It’s very hard to pinpoint the areas from the sky.
Above is Lissadell beach, it’s a shame it was a dull day because the sea doesn’t look great…oh well I’ll just have to go back again 😉
Now I’m not sure where the photo above and the one below are of, they are to the right of Lissadell. I’ve asked on Facebook if I find out I’ll let you know.
Now for the mountains, the post wouldn’t be the same without them.
Another bit of video taken from the air this time (a very short bit and not a great one) but it’ll give you an idea. All photos and video taken with the Canon 1100D which Canon Ireland have lent me.
It’s so amazing seeing the top of the mountain with all the changes in landscape and the snow. I’ll never forget my flight and to be honest I’m planning the next one!! It was such a fantastic experience. The rest of my photos are here.
Magnumlady Blog 
Well done! Don’t know if I’d be brave enough to go up in that wee plane.
And you got some excellent photos.
Thanks Mairead, it was wonderful 🙂
Oh wow! What an amazing experience! X
It’s apparent that on my 20 trips to England (1974-2004), I’ve shortchanged myself by never flying in a small plane over it. Would love to do that. Judy
The first time I ever set foot in a plane, it was a Cessna 152. It was one of the most fantastic, memorable [and cramped!] experiences of my life. I have had to make a resolution never to do it again as I could very easily become hooked. I have since flown on a couple of commercial flights and they are about as similar as a motor bike is to a bus.
Your video of the take-off almost brought a tear to the eye. Brilliant, and thanks for reviving the memory!