1996 Fliught to Catalina

1996 Flight to Catalina Island, California

Feb. 22, 1996 Gillespie – AVX – Gillespie N303GS; PA 28-161
Departure Gillespie: 1224 local time Arrival Catalina: 1336 local time
Runway 22; Wind 260/32 kts
Departure Catalina: 1454 local time Arrival Gillespie: 1541 local time

Together with Barry Nichols and my son, Carsten, I had a great fligth to the island of Catalina, located just off the coast of California. The flight in itself was uneventful, but I do remember a very strong cross-wind component! I wasn’t sure whether I could attempt it, but Barry assured me I could… and I did! I overshot the base leg on purpose so that I could aim at an angle into the wind, then turned the planes nose to runway direction just before touching down…. it was one of my best landings!

in the middle of the picture you can just see the airfield

and here we go….

After landing we went into the terminal where we paid landing fees, which isn’t standard in the USA! That’s right, they charge landing fees there and not per weight of the aircraft but per person on board!

We had lunch at the restaurant there before taking off for the return flight. We unfortunately didn’t have time for any sight seeing and hoped to return some day, but we never did.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2005 Peter Busch

A friend in need…. is a friend indeed!

First written August 2005

And for this past week in 2005 I had been indeed a friend …. to a complete stranger. His story is sad, but true, and I would like to share it with you. I’m not telling you this to receive pats on my back or anything, but to make his story known.

I heard about his plight in a pilot’s forum. Years ago Pete was a professional pilot as well as a well know aerobatic flyer. It seems that 17 years ago he had an on-the-job accident that got treated wrong and caused him to lose his medical and thus his job. All these years he has pain and depends on crutches. He is understandably frustrated and bitter, but he hasn’t given up hope that he can still be cured.

When I read about his plight, and that he wanted to come over here for treatment, I felt I had to help, if only with the translations. I ended up organising his appointments at the clinic, arranging his accommodations, driving over 200 km to pick him up, driving him to the clinic, and just plain doing what I could to help. Being on crutches and speaking no German it was difficult enough for him. Remember, I didn’t even know him! But he turned out to be a very funny, very nice gentleman!

The first clinic didn’t hold up to his hopes and he was quite depressed. After all, the rest of his LIFE depended on getting healthy again!

I convinced him to try another clinic I knew about (a sport clinic in Bad Nauheim. This meant a train ride for him to Frankfurt, where I picked him up at the main station and drove him another 50 km to the new clinic. Being a pilot, I knew he’d enjoy visiting some air fields so I showed him a couple. Then I had to leave him again on his own…. I had to work in between and even managed a visit with my daughter and my granddaughters!

He was thrilled with this new clinic! They found out what his problem is and he has hopes again. They have to have more tests done, but that wasn’t possible at such short notice. He’ll have to make arrangements for that at a later date, but for now he had to return to England. They did say he shouldn’t be using crutches.

I drove to pick him up again and, since he couldn’t get a train back to Cologne to catch his bus back to England until the next day, I offered to let him stay at my place I have a guest room that is a mess, but still usable heehee  I had an important meeting early the next morning which meant getting up very early and dropping him off at the train station in my town. Again, don’t forget the poor guy is on crutches, can’t speak the language, and had a suitcase to carry! But it seems everywhere he went, people offered their help and he was very pleased with the generous help everywhere! Today I got a call that he arrived back home safe and sound!

So, as you see, it’s never boring in the life of Westy! And beware if I ever decide to help you! I think Pete never did so much walking around (which he now knows is NOT good for him) then he did during his time with me!

We hope to get the next appointments made in October. I’ll keep you all up-dated. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!

Having our first German beer while still in Cologne

 

And touring the town

And sight-seeing the big Cologne cathedral

One of the airfields we visited, Egelsbach, located south of Frankfurt

And of course touring Frankfurt

And stopping by another airfield, Reichelsheim/in the Wetterau

And it was here that I took this fantastic photo

 

My flying Experiences

Fliegerische Tätigkeiten/Flying duties 

Datum Tätigkeit
   
22. May 1983  Erste Ausbildungsflug /First lesson
June 1984 Erwerb PPL-B (Motorsegler) in Babenhausen, Hessen / PPL for power glider
August 1987 Erwerb PPL-A (Motorflug) / Walldürn (EDEW)

PPL for Single Engine

May 1989  AZF
April 1990 Erwerb PPL-C (Segelflug) / Babenhausen, Hessen PPL for glider planes
March 1990 F-Schlepp Berechtigung Walldürn/airplane tow rating
May 1991 CVFR / Aschaffenburg
27. Oktober 1991 Erwerb PPL-D (Freiballon, Heißluft)                                 PPL for hot air balloons
September 1995-July 2012 Sachbearbeiterin für Luftaufsicht,

RP Darmstadt

4. April 1996 Erwerb Lehrberechtigung PPL-A, B,

at FTC Worms

Flight instructor, PPL single engine and power glider

Juli 1996-May 1997 Fluglehrerin, LGM Mannheim

Flight Instruktor in Mannheim, Germany

 

31. Oktober 1997 Erwerb CPL II, LGM Mannheim

CPL for single engine, in Mannheim, Germany

Dez. 1997 – May 1998 Fluglehrerin, AC 77, Reichelsheim (EDFB)

Flight Instruktor in Reichelsheim

Juli 1998 – Nov. 1998 Fluglehrerin, FlightTeam, Mosbach – Lohrbach

Flight Instruktor in Mosbach, Germany

ab May 1999 Fluglehrerin, LSV Worms
Oktober 1999 Flight Instruktor in Worms, Germany

Erwerb PPL-F (Ultraleicht) / Mosbach – Lohrbach

2001-2002 Ausbildungsleiterin, LSV Worms

Head Instruktor in Worms

June 2003 Umschreibung alle Lizenzen gem. JAR-FCL

transcribed all licenses to JAR-FCL (European licenses)

2. October 2013 Crash at EDFC with a powered glider as passenger