As a result of the current restrictions imposed by government to counter the Covid-19 pandemic, no ILAS events up to 5th May can proceed and are therefore cancelled.

However, as flying events in general fall well below the 5000 visitor limit set by government as the size of public gatherings which are cancelled up to the end of August 2020, there remains the possibility that events after 5th May CAN proceed. 

Please refer back to this website for the latest news on whether or not ILAS events are proceeding and always check again for the latest news immediately before travelling to any ILAS event.

Terry has advised that he is cancelling Third Tuesday gatherings until further notice. As soon as he gives us the all clear, notifications for future gatherings will once again be posted in our Events Section

We'd like to wish a Happy Christmas to all our members, their family and friends.  Enjoy the festive season and best wishes for the New Year. May the 2020 flying season be safe and enjoyable for all.

See you at the AGM. 26th Jan 2020 at 12 noon.Weston Airport

Best regards, 

ILAS committee

Our Harvest Fly-In this year took place on Sunday the 25^th of August. The weather at the field in the morning was excellent with bright skies and light winds.

The full report, including a full listing of the visiting aircraft, can be read here

It is time once again to invite all members to put forward their nominations for the 2019 ILAS Awards in each of the five categories:

1. Air Touring Award.

For the best journey by an ILAS member in command of any aircraft (any type, any registration) during the judging year (the 12 months  up to Monday 7th October), based on a log of the trip.

2. Homebuilt Award.

For the best new build ILAS permit type aircraft first flown during the judging year.

3. Vintage/Classic Restoration Award.

For the best re-build/renovation of an ILAS permit type aircraft that was returned to flight during the judging year.

4. John O’Loughlin Exemplary Airmanship Award

For the best display of airmanship in the operation of homebuilt and classic/vintage aircraft.

5. Aerobatics Award

For the best display of aerobatics from an ILAS member.

We are inviting members to make their nominations by email to chairman@ilas.ie not later than Sunday 20^thOctober. You may also nominate yourself if you wish.

The ILAS Awards function / Christmas dinner is planned for Saturday 7^th December 2019 at the Lucan Spa Hotel in Lucan, Co. Dublin.

Nominations are especially important for the Airmanship Award because the judges may not know of the incidents or events that demonstrated airmanship. Equally, nominations are important for the Air Touring Award and Aerobatics Award because the judges may not know about the event. 

When nominating a person for an award, please give reasons why you think that person deserves the award – the more detail the better. Nominations without supporting justification cannot be accepted. On the other hand, multiple nominations of the same person won’t confer any advantage. The Permit Secretary will be aware of first flights of C&V and Amateur-built aircraft if the paperwork has been submitted.

There is a separate FAQs document which you can access by clicking on the link below. If you are having trouble locating please send a mail to webmaster@ilas.ie.

ILAS_Awards_FAQ_2019.pdf

Good luck to all entrants and please get those nominations in.

Our Mid-summer Fly-in provided another wonderful day at EIIF.  The usual two day format had to be shortened to just one day due to impending adverse weather forecast for the Sunday.  However, that one day was blessed with glorious flying weather and was graced by the attendance of over 20 aircraft and a good attendance of members and guests to enjoy those aircraft.

An additional highlight this year was the inauguration of the new clubhouse.

A full report is available by clicking here.

This is an important SB from Champion re Slick 4 series mags. They recommend inspection as soon as possible, but before 50hrs. Many of the ILAS fleet have this model fitted.

 Slick Service Bulletin SB1-15A

It is also available on the "Technical and Advisory" page within our Downloads section 

  ILAS is 10 years old today!  

  25th Jan 2019.  

You can read all about the background here.

Congratulations to all our members over the years and particularly to our founders in SAAC and CAACI for their foresight in bringing the two organisations together to create something more than the sum of the two parts.  Congratulations in particular to all those members who served on the committee or helped out in so many other ways down through the years.  Your efforts have brought about the creation of a strong and vibrant society that enhances our sport.

We have achieved a great deal together in this past decade.  Most importantly, we have preserved and developed the freedom that the permit system gives us while also expanding its scope.  Along the way, we have created the opportunity for members to get together and share their knowledge and enthusiasm as well as showing off the fruits of their labour in their natural habitat; flying our machines throughout our country and beyond.

Nothing is perfect of course and we have had slips along the way.  however, we have mostly learned what we could from them, fixed the problems and moved on.

Our ambition is still not achieved either.  There remains a great many improvements that we have in mind.  As we move into the second decade of ILAS, we have the energy and the talent to achieve these improvements, and much more besides.

The links on this post are accessible to members only and require log-in.

The draft agenda for the forthcoming 2019 AGM (at 12 noon on 27th January is now available to members.  

ILAS AGM 2019 Agenda

The draft minutes of the 2018 AGM had previously been uploaded and can be accessed via this link: 

ILAS AGM 2018 Draft Minutes

The Committee Minutes page has also been updated with approved minutes of all committee meetings held in 2018.  The draft minutes of the latest meeting on 17th January this year will not be available until adopted by the incoming committee.  That page can be viewed via the link below:

Committee Minutes

To be honest, I did not take a whole lot of notice of the ILAS Condor project while it was developing.  How things have changed!  

I was always very keen that ILAS should pioneer the use of permit aircraft for flight training, but when it eventually became possible, it was too late for me personally.  I felt I had to go ahead with my pilot training because I was getting closer to the completion of my own RV-9 project.  I eventually did so, finally achieving the PPL in November '17.  So I saw the Condor as good for ILAS but not really relevant to me.

If I was starting now, I would certainly do my 'ab initio' training in the Condor.  For one thing, the cost would be perhaps 50% of some of the commercial outfits.

Secondly, my own aircraft will be a 'tail dragger'  like so many permit aircraft in this country.  So training on the Condor would have been especially appropriate for me.  True, EI-BDX is flapless, so I would have had to acquire the skills of approach and landing with flaps on another aircraft.  But that is much easier than transitioning to tailwheel landing from a tri-gear aircraft.

Now, having achieved a PPL in C150s, I need to exercise the privileges of this 'license to learn'.  So it makes complete sense to further my flying education by adding that tailwheel endorsement.  As I write, I am abut 9 hours into that process and it is going to take me another few hours.

However, the result will not be merely an ability to land a tailwheel aircraft but a completely transformed level of 'stick and rudder' flying skills.

So what's it like to fly?  Well, I can tell you that,coming from a series of C150's of about the same vintage, it is a pure joy!  I am okay with overhead wings but the Condor's low wings  just feel so 'right'. Changing from a yoke to a stick, which I was worried about, was just a non-issue from the start and actually feels much more natural.  A particular joy of this type is its responsiveness to the rudder.  In the C150s, I couldn't really feel the rudder and didn't need it that much but BDX gives you such a nice coordinated turn with rudder that you actually enjoy using it correctly.

EI-BDX is in great shape - probably almost as good as when it left the Rollason factory.  But it still has a very 'classic' feel and in comparison to the beat-up C150s I trained in, which are just worn out, it has an atmosphere that I would compare with Triumph Spitfires or Mini-Cooper rally cars of about the same era.

The Rollason Druine Condors were always conceived as training aircraft.  In fact the original business model was that they remained factory owned and were leased out to flight schools across the UK.  It is certainly the case that EI-BDX demands better flying skills.  Obviously, you need to be far better with the rudder to counter P factor on take off and to keep her straight on the ground.  But, in addition, without flaps, speed control in the approach and landing phases is far more important and you also need to be far more active in using the throttle along with pitch to keep a stabilised approach.  

 In comparison, the C150 (the only point of reference I can talk about) can be 'driven' down or dragged in.  It seems to cope with a far wider range of ineptitudes than the Condor and the student pilot won't always know that he or she has done anything wrong.  In the Condor, the threshold can climb up the windscreen or disappear under the nose very quickly unless you get the speed right.  Round-out speeds outside of the optimum range for the conditions (50-60 knots) will result in a very firm arrival or a balloon/bounce.

As a builder, I would love to get stuck in to re-organising the panel of BDX.  Crossing hands to use key controls like mixture and carb heat (both located above my 'stick' hand) is not ideal .  Nonetheless I was working those controls without needing to look at them within the first hour.

Yes, you can learn the basics of flying in a C150 but the Condor will make a pilot of you.  I recommend you give it a go.

Details of the Condor group and how to get flying in EI-BDX can be found by clicking below

Fly the Condor.

I will keep you posted on how I am progressing as my training goes on.  Look out for updates to this post.

Loman O'Byrne