Our second taste of microlighting after an enjoyable intro in Popham, UK - this time at the opposite end of the earth at a small regional airport called Illawarra south of Sydney, Australia.
Mr Mike and myself decided to give it a go. It was in fact a birthday present for him but it would have been rude for me not to join in the fun!
Rather than the enclosed cockpit of the Ikarus C42 (which we flew last time at Popham) Australia can entertain the more traditional open type of microlight in the warm conditions which gives you a much more exhilarating 'seat-of-the-pants' type experience.
What Mike wasn't anticipating was the engine partially cutting out mid-flight whilst passing over Lake Illawarra! That's enough to cake your pants on a lazy Friday morning. It sorted itself out after a couple of engine revs, but ultimately led to the demise of my flight since it wouldn't play nicely from there on.
All in all, a great way to experience cheap and exciting flying - contemplating whether to try for the private pilot's license now!
By Darrell Grundy - visited on 28 December 2007