Flying through the sky with the wind rushing past and onto my face, experiencing the most incredible views of the towns and countryside way down below, everything looked so small, the cars reminded me of toys and I was truly astounded by the amount of open land, fields and woodland, the winding snakes of the tarmac roads all joined and intertwined, resembling a huge patchwork.
The microlight lesson began with a briefing from a qualified instructor, he was friendly and not phased by the questions I asked, such as ‘will I wear a parachute?’ I was stunned when said ‘no’, apparently the whole microlight is attached to a parachute, so the entire craft comes down so there is no need to wear a chute. Well that is clever, but what happens if the engine fails? I admit I was a bit nervous but I’m the kind of guy who likes to all the facts before I try anything and I also needed the reassurance that all would be well! In answer to my question, the instructor told me that it was highly unlikely that the engine would fail but should the unexpected happen the microlight becomes a glider and will be landed in the nearest safe place and be picked up by the ground crew.
Okay, I was happy and listened intently to the instructor’s briefing about the controls before putting on a safety helmet and climbing into the microlight, fastening myself securely in place I was ready for take off. The engine started and the craft began moving down the field, it was a bit bumpy but it was only a matter of seconds before we were in the air and climbing. It was breezy and the microlight was buffeted around slightly, but I was too busy looking at the ground below and spotting the landmarks to be bothered by it. We continued to climb to cruising height which was about 1,000 feet, this experience was utterly amazing, the fresh air, cool air and so much to look at! The microlights engine hummed away, it wasn’t that loud nor was it irritating, the tone and pitched varied slightly on take off and landing and that’s about it.
The ultimate part of the lesson for me was when the instructor passed the controls over to me and I took control of the craft. I found the controls easy to operate and loved turning the microlight gently round before he resumed the controls and we started the descent. The landing was also a bit bumpy but I was feeling so elated it was no big deal.
A microlight lesson is fun, providing the opportunity to experience flying in a truly remarkable and memorable way. I highly recommend that anyone who is able to give it a go, its a great experience which although not an extreme sport, is most definitely a brilliant thrill and a fantastic feeling, just remember to wear something warm, it’s surprising how nippy it is when cruising 1,000 feet up in the sky at speeds of about 40 miles per hour.
Tags: Microlight flying experiences, Microlight gifts, Microlight lesson
