Clearprop! News

Welcome to the Cleaprop! news page. If there is an article you would like to submit to the news page then please email it to the webmaster. We are grateful to receive any news relevant to our sport. Items can be from one line to full page articles. We also welcome pictures which we post in our photo galleries.

July 6th 2008-  Fixed Wing Hire- We are pleased to be able to extend our hiring to the fantastic Ikarus C42. Leading the way in the world of microlighting and taking advantage of recently changed rules we are now making top spec aircraft available to everybody. No need to buy an expensive share. Just turn up and fly. The rates are also fantastic from just £45 per hour wet. Why should you pay for an expensive share?...Answer...You don't have to now! More details can be found on our aircraft hire page or just give us a call.

June 15th 2008-  Spamfield- A great trip was had by a bunch of us this weekend as we jumped in our various aircraft and headed for the Isle of Wight and the annual bash at Sandown. Hundreds of microlights flew in as well as some autogyros and various other aircraft. It sharpens the concentration when you are flying in a busy circuit and at times it resembled Heathrow with a line of aircraft coming in on finals. The weather was great which was a bonus as we were sleeping in tents. With the airfield right on the edge of town a trip for an Indian was on the cards for the evening and then a stroll to the local supermarket in the morning for a cooked breakfast. We all had an excellent time and are looking forward to the next group trip.

June 12th 2008-  Another GST Done- Congratulations to Peter Webb who has just sailed through his GST as well as two ground school exams all in one day. Great effort! Pete has gone for his restricted licence and is now patiently waiting for his new licence to land on his doorstep. He will then be free to fly his Flash 2 Alpha flex wing which is sat here in the hanger. Peter plans to get some flying under his belt and go for his unrestricted licence in the not too distant future. Well done Pete!

April 14th 2008-  Flying Farmer- A bit of focus and another student sails through his GST. Congratulations to John, on passing his GST with flying colours. He was highly commended by the examiner for an outstanding flight despite the pressures that a test can bring. We will miss John here at Clearprop. He has become a good friend of ours and we have all enjoyed his company when he has been here for lessons. John plans to base his aircraft near to where he lives but has promised to fly in to us now and then. We look forward to seeing you John. Just as Vinny did last month John decided to get the test done and with a few weeks focus that is exactly what he has achieved. Well done John!

April 9th 2008-  Glider Pilot Goes Solo- After successfully qualifying to bronze level as a glider pilot Martin decided to have a go at microlighting. Thirteen hours later and he has made his first solo flight in our Ikarus C42 microlight. Congratulations to Martin from the Clearprop team. Now, with the summer weather on the way he just needs to consolidate his solo flying and get his GST under his belt. Interestingly just an hour before Martin flew solo he was expressing some annoyance with himself for not quite putting everything together at the same time. This is often experienced by students and as we told him before he flew today, 'one day soon it will all fall into place'. Well that's just what it did today! Well done Martin.

March 6th 2008-  Dual Flex Wing Hire- Well, we said, 'watch this space'. After many months in the sidelines Geoff Weighell and his team have managed to gain CAA approval for the dual hire of microlights. This means you can now hire our flex wing and take a passenger. This is great news for those who don't want the responsibility or costs of running their own machine. If you would like to make use of our Quantum 912 then give us a call and book your slot. More details are available on our flex wing hire page. This is a great example of why we should support our association. Congratulations to the BMAA team!

March 5th 2008-  Congratulations Vinny!- Well done to Vinny on passing his GST today! Who said you can't fly in the winter? It was just a month ago when Vinny decided to 'get the job done' and has managed to do just that. The weather has been very kind to us in recent weeks with plenty of flying being done. With a share in the C42 it won't be long before Vinny starts on his adventures away from the safety of Redlands and the true wonders of flying a modern aircraft will be realised.

February 29th 2008-  Flex Wing Hire- Would you like to be able to hire a flexwing microlight? Well now you can. We are offering a Pegasus Quantum 912 microlight for solo hire on a flat hourly rate of just £60 per hour wet. That means no hidden costs, no maintenance, insurance, fuel or any other expense. Just turn up and fly. The aircraft can even be taken away overnight on agreement with Clearprop! You can find out more by visiting the hire page or just give us a bell.

February 20th 2008-  Wonderful February - Here at Clearprop! we are great believers in making the most of the British winter. February has offered us a couple of weeks of great flying weather. Our team and many of the other folk here in Swindon have being venturing out and experiencing air as smooth as silk. Fligths have been made to places like the Isle of Wight, Wales and further afield. The are some superb photographs in our gallery giving a glimpse of some of the trips that have been made. On rainy days it is always good to remind ourselves of the better days when we have been out having fun.

January 15th 2008-  Shares in Ikarus C42 - Clearprop! are now able to offer shares in an Ikarus C42 aircraft. The aircraft is top spec and the terms of the share scheme are very competitive. This is a great way to have a chance to fly a modern, great performance, go places aircraft at an affordable rate. Also don't forget that the aircraft is located just five minutes from Junction 15 of the M4.

December 16th 2007-  Another Student Goes Solo! - It might be the middle of winter but there are still plenty of opportunities to take to the skies and whenever these opportunities arise Clearprop and our students are poised to fly. Congratulations to Paul Smith on achieving his first solo flight in the C42 at the weekend. Well done Paul!!

December 9th 2007-  E-Vouchers Launched - Need to get a voucher fast. We have the answer with the launch of our new E-Voucher system. Instead of mailing a voucher out to you we email it to you and you can then print it out at home. No more worries about postal delays! Of course we are still happy to post vouchers out, at no extra cost, to those who would rather not have to print their own but please be sure to purchase your voucher in plenty of time to avoid disappointment.

November 2007-  Further Successes - Congratulations to Amanda Mackinnon and Richard Hacket who have both flown solo this month adding to the growing number of Clearprop! students who have gone solo. This is a good result especially after such a wet summer. Flying continues during the winter and no doubt there will be others going solo for the first time soon.

October 2007-  More Students Go Solo - After a patchy summer of flying due to the wet weather several of our students are now reaching the heady heights of solo pilots. Congratulations go to Hugo Hall, our youngest student at just 16yrs, Vinnie Warner and Peter Webb who have all flown solo for the first time this month.

September 12th 2007-  First Student Goes Solo - Back in January Dave and the team were busy building the school when Tim Rich's partner turned up to buy him a gift voucher for his first flight in a microlight. After working out how to switch on the new computer and which end of the card machine to put the card in we managed to provide her with a voucher! Shortly afterwards Tim flew for the first time and never looked back. During the summer he continued his lessons and today became the first Clearprop! student to fly solo. Congratulations Tim!

September 6th 2007-  New Aeoroplane Finally Arrives! - At last we finally have our own Ikarus C42, G-CETR, in our hangar. The aircraft is proving very popular with both students and others all wanting a go in this amazing machine. Fitted with the 100hp Rotax 912s engine the aircraft heads to the heavens at a rate of knots. Dudley described it as, 'one of the few light aircraft I have flown that actually pushes you back in your seat on take-off'. It is definetly fantastic fun to fly. It has already had tweny hours put on the clock in just a few days!!

September 5th 2007-  Art Gallery Goes Live - Clearprop! is able to offer unique paintings, with a microlight flying theme, created by respected local artist, Sarah Sollom, wife of our Chief Flying Instructor, David Sollom. Our online gallery has a selection of paintings which can be bought through the school. If you don't see a painting you like then you can always commission your own. A framing service is also available and we are happy to post paintings to anywhere within the UK.

August 20th 2007-  New Ikarus Arrives - It's been a long time waiting but finally we have a new Ikarus C42 fixed wing aircraft on the airfield. Well, it's not ours but one we have been loaned by Aerosport due to bureaucratic delays at their end. Hopefully we will have our own aircraft on the airfield soon. In the meantime we are able to once again get back in to fixed wing training with the loan aircraft. To find out more about this amazing new plane follow this link.

August 1st 2007-  New aircraft on order - It is with great excitement that Clearprop! can announce the ordering of a brand new Ikarus C42 aircraft. Delivery is expected around the middle of August . Watch this space for more info coming soon.

June-July 2007-  Record rainfall dampens airfileds across UK - No sooner had we announced our official opening and the heavens did the same. The rain just kept on coming until eventually it broke through, flooding the new office. Thankfully however there seems to be some sun on the horizon and we can finally get back in to the swing of lessons. The airfield has remained useable throughout the appauling weather due to the fantastic drainage. This has been a big help for us as we have been able to make use of every small window of weather that we have had.

May 15th 2007-  Clearprop! opens its doors to the public - After a few hectic weeks Clearprop! Microlight School is finally up and running. We are proud to welcome students new and old to our new set-up including a completely transformed school room complete with small shop, office and a dedictaed briefing room. To find out more about what we offer please have a browse around our web site. We also look forward to welcoming you so please feel free to drop in any time.