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The aircraft, ALFA six Delta uniform BRAVO a piper Cherokee 181 arrived in Dubai on an extended fuel stop in the late 1970’s. It was registered then with the C.A.A in the UK and known as Gulf Bravo Echo Hotel Yankee, and sported a very smart red and white livery.
The aircraft was owned and operated at that time by Aerogulf Services, through the Aerogulf Flying School, a very busy training organization set up under the wing of Aerogulf to teach local and expat students how to fly. The flying school was located in the area of the cargo village on the south west side of Airport and abeam of the old Alpha taxiway, next to present hangar of Aerogulf Services. The chief Flying Instructor was Mr. Russ Hooper, a man standing 5 feet tall, a gentle giant, who was extremely popular with the students. He taught the ground school as well as periodically testing the students at various stages of their flying training.
Quinton Cope, of Masteg Middle East, an offshoot of Peel Middle East, purchased the aircraft from Aerogulf in 1981 and added the company logo “Masteg” to the livery.
Quinton leased the aircraft back to Aerogulf and learned to fly.
Aqua Diving Services became the owners in 1983, when Partners Clive Frost and Chris Young lost enthusiasm for flying micro light eagles in Umm Al Quwain, after having some near misses at the then new formed Umm All Quwain desert strip, where they kept their microlights, along with Bob Edward’s, in a hanger which they purchased from the old Royal Air force camp at the Al Qasimi in Sharjah and re-erected on the site of the present day.
Umm Al Quwain Strip. It didn’t take Russ Hooper long to convince the three new students the dangers of mixing weight shift
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type aero planes with the more conventional three axis controlled Cherokees. “You cannot mix the two” he said “if you do the result will be a serious accident”. We listened and learned. Aqua replayed the aircraft in the blue and white livery, as shown in the phtograph, with the aqua diver (diver) painted on the side by one of the Aerogulf artistic engineers. The aircraft remained leased to the flying school and was the backbone for cross country training, with its full avionics and instrumentation for all aspects of training both day and night, as well as VOR and ILS approaches etc. Being a four seater with the 180 H.P. engine it tended not to overheat in the summer when climbing with a full load as the two 140’s GBEOV and GBFOW did. That extra power certainly made a log of difference. Not to the air-conditioning through, that didn’t work even then.
Such names as Steve Hayman, one of the Flying Instructors, a very keen aerobatics pilot who thrilled the crowds at the Fly-in at Fujeirah flying GBYSZ an aerobat 120 and Barry Whitmore spring to mind. Both spend many hours teaching students. Barry is still with Aerogulf flying helicopters today. When Russ Hooper retired the infamous Tom Brown took over the Flying School, which carried on being very successful.
In the late 1985, due to the ever increasing cost of aviation fuel (AVGAS 100/130), and as it was becoming increasingly more difficult to obtain, approval was sought from the C.A.A UK by Aerogulf Services and the owners to carry out a modification for the use of Mogas 97 in the Piper Archer P.A 28-181-GBEHY |
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| This would then allow locally procured mogas fuel instead of avgas to be used with the Lycoming 0-360 A4M engine. It was agreed that a ceiling of 9000’ be set for approval, taking into consideration local terrain and those with a head for heights. Fuel tank temperatures did generally exceed the 20 Degree Centigrade limit that was quoted in the airworthiness Notice 98 for avgas in the aero plane. Two flight lets were completed to a schedule previously agreed by the C.A.A. The flight tests included a full throttle climb to 9,000 ft with the fuel pump off and a fuel tank temperature at sea level of 35o and an outside air temperature (OAT) of 35o agreed by the C.A.A. The flight tests included a full throttle climb to 9,000 ft with the fuel pump off and a fuel tank temperature at sea level of 35 Degree Centigrade and an outside air temperature (OAT) of 35o agreed by the C.A.A. The flight tests included a full throttle climb to 9,000 ft with the fuel pump off and a fuel tank temperature at sea level of 35o C and an outside air temperature (OAT) of 35o C. the test was repeated later the same day with a climb to 9,000 ft and a fuel tank temperature at sea level of 39 o (Hot Summer Days). During the ground running checks before the start of the climb the OAT was 37o C and the maximum temperature recorded downstream of the fuel pump was 43 o degree, during the full power checks 2250 RMP, this value was therefore selected as the maximum temperature limitation for take-off, in addition stopped climbs and cruises
we carried out with the fuel pump on and off. During all of the various test no evidence of vapor locking in the fuel system did occur, hence the results were acceptable to the C.A.A., provided additional temperature gauges were fitted on the fuel tanks and the temperature did not exceed 40o C, plus a gauge fitted to calculate the engine fuel pump temperature which mustn’t exceed 43 o C prior to takeoff when running at full throttle. The |
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approval for the use of mogas was confirmed in writing by the C.A.A. Uk for GBEHY on 26 March, 1986. this was a large contributor to cheaper flying as we were previously paying 23 Dhs per gallon.
In 1987, due to various changes in Aerogulf services, it was proposed by the owners, Aqua Diving Services, to form a syndicate of regular Pilots who flew GBEHY. The following pilots elected to purchase shares in the syndicate.
Clive Frost Trustee
Chris Young Trustee
E. Miller Member
Paul Phillips Member
Dave Higgins Member
Paul Gibson Member
Mike Cummings Member
Arne Skgonberg Member
Peter Lonsdale Member
Jan Altena Member
Tony Bucknose Member
Graham Wilson Member
The Dubai Flying Association was officially kicked off at a meeting help at the dubai country club on 6 october 1987, with their first aero plane A6 DXB also a PA28 181 Cherokee.
The first Fly-In of the Association was held in Fujeirah on 20 November, 1987. This proved to be a very successful event and many similar Fly-Ins have been held since, right up to the Most recent very successful Fly-In at Ras Al Khaimah in February 1999.
The aircraft GBEHY was officially deleted from the British registry on 25 August 1988, and in November of that year was transferred to the UAE registration and became A6-DUB. In November 1988 it was finally agreed that the GEHY syndicate would disband and that the aircraft would be sold to the D.F.A. Most syndicate members were of the DFA, and so those members exchanged their syndicate shares for debenture membership of the new association |
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The original purpose of the association was:
- Promote, wherever possible, and environment where continuous training could be carried out to enable pilot members to increase their flying skills and rating.
- To provide a social forum for discussing matters pertaining to the technical aspects of flying.
- To organize social activities for the benefit of the members.
Point a was changed later when the emirates flying school was formed and the DFA promoted flying for qualified pilots only and left the training of students to that organization. The Dubai flying association with their two |
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aero planes carried on using the facilities provided by Aerogulf Services after the Aerogulf flying school ceased to exist. Aerogulf provided What appeared to be a small railway carriage on wheels as the operation room, and use of the old flying school buildings as briefing room/classroom/ this was, at the time, a most generous gesture by the then general manager Mr.George Sobieki. Eventually, due to expansion at Dubai Airport, the association was ongoing construction until we arrived at Echo 1 with our new clubhouse adjacent to the Emirates Flying School on the North side of the runway. The first chairman of the DFA was David Gibbs, and treasurer Richard Stockdale. Richard still retains that post today.
A6 DUB still files more hours than any |
| The Dubai flying association with their two aero planes carried on using the facilities provided by Aerogulf Services after the Aerogulf flying school ceased to exist. Aerogulf provided |
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other lights aircraft in Dubai, is fully in serviceable and a pleasure to fly. She carries many happy memories for me, as I am sure she does for many, with numerous more to come. Happy landings. |
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| Bill loverseed from chichester, West Sussex died lat November when the 4-engined Dash-7 Aircraft he was piloting crashed and exploded near Ashberton. Witnesses descrbied how Bill appeared to pilot the aircraft away from the town before crashing into a field on the edge of Dartmoor. Bill Loverseed was the pilot who first flew A6DUB to Dubai in the 70’s. May he rest in peace |
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