Category Archives: sport

Above the clouds… Pilot’s dream

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At least 6ooo feet up per month, that is only the motor’s plane that pilot of light aircraft can hear. But..how much does the experience cost?

copyright Patricia Floric 12/2009

No one but not nothing! Nobody else around, you slowly escape from the surrounding city to pierce clouds and take entirely place in the sky.

For those who got the chance to experienced this extraordinary journey, the landing is difficult.

The mind still flooding in the fantastic above they just want to go back. But the dream is not free and serious dreamers have to check twice their budget before enrolling.

“I wanna fly”, is a old wish. Leonardo Da Vinci and men spend time and risked their life trying to find the prototype of a flying machine.

Some aviation history:

copyright Patricia Floric 12/2009

It is only the 15th of October 1783 that the French brothers Mongolfier became the first men to fly during 25min through 9km around Paris.

Following them, a million of inventors around the world experiment and organised challenges and records to find a machine always more speed and going higher.

In 1893, the German engineer Otto Lilienthal manage to fly and land safely with his aircraft machine.

However, accorded to many the real first aircraft was born in 1899, by the brothers Wright. Influenced by long birds observations, the American brothers built the lighter and first successful aircraft.

copyright Patricia Floric 12/2009

The End of the 19th century and later the WW1 are known as the most prolific periods for the aviation. The most crazy and genuine inventors create a thousands of unforgettable flying creatures.

Today, you do not have to be unconscious or unreasonable to dream about flying. You do not have to be a nut or crazy inventors. The only thing which can compromise your trip in the sky maybe the money.

To become a pilot you need a license. It exists 4 different categories:

  • UK National Private Pilot Licence (NPPL) only for short distance flight in UK during the day.
  • JAR-FCL Private Pilot Licence (PPL) European License
  • JAR-FCL Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL)
  • JAR-FCL Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL)

As a hobby you can choose to pass the NPPL or PPL, knowing that NPPl is more restrictive. Once you paid and pass successfully you license you may become a member of aviation club to practice as regularly as you can. People without hours of flight will see their license suspended.

Cost to Pass the PPL: Around £3000 and £4000

  • to pay theory books and instructor
  • medical certificate (not so strict for private pilots than professional)
  • to pay the at least 45 hours of practice (around £80 to £250 per hour depending of the type of aircraft and aerodrome prices)However, many student finish after 60 hours.

Once you have got your license, it is important to keep it safe! Do not forget that it is a serious and expensive hobby. The aviation’s regulations asked each licensed pilots to practice regularly or they will lost their rights.

Every 2 years, the pilot has to renew his license by a new medical certificate plus the proof of spending at least 10 hours per year in the sky. Remember that each hour cost approximately £100.

So, if flying is a serious dream, do think about investing a budget. Then you will relaxed and and get high without surprised.

copyright Patricia Floric 12/2009

Fair Play… What does it mean?

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When I was young I practiced different sports: Basket-ball, Dance, I played Football with my friends… and the first rules that I learned was the fair play!

The same Fair Play that the FIFA promotes in their website: “The generic concept of fair play is a fundamental part of the game of football. It represents the positive benefits of playing by the rules, using common sense and respecting fellow players, referees, opponents and fans.”

However, watching the last football games Egypt/Algeria and France/Ireland I am wondering what happens to this “fundamental part” of the sport?

Egypt/Algeria

The first meeting in Cairo was already announced as Dangerous. An Egyptian friend of mine explained me that the government try to secure as much as it can for it. Unfortunately, since the Algerian team was on the Egyptian land, the supporters started to fight. Then, the Fifa ” asked the Egyptian Football Association and the highest national authorities through the relevant ministries to provide written guarantees that confirm the implementation of the necessary additional safety and security measures at any time for the Algerian delegation. “

Fifa called again to Fair Play for the second game in Sudan….and it seems that no one hear it. Reading comments on Twitter, Facebook, we learned that it is a massacre in Karthoum, not only supporters but women and children may have been hurt during inexplicable furious attacks… Suddenly the Fifa stops commenting it! The media too… what is the reason?

… They are all busy trying to resolve the questioning victory of France vs Ireland.

Thierry’s hand

If the problem of Algeria/Egypt is primarily visible in a supporter context and is symbol of extreme violence, besides France/Ireland game is relax. so what’s the problem?

Thierry Henry just forgot that Football it’s a game to play with the foot… nothing really important, if it was not the reason why France is now selected for the World Cup.

Ireland, angry that the referee did not notice the fault, asked for another game against France, claiming a fair one that time.

Ireland’s manager, Giovanni Trapattoni said earlier to the Telegraph: “All European people saw the situation. I am sure that, if the referee had asked Henry, he would have admitted to the handball. “I am upset for fair play because we are told many times about fair play.”

But this morning, the Fifa replied to the Football Association of Ireland, which asked to replay the match held on 18 November “that the result of the match cannot be changed and the match cannot be replayed. As is clearly mentioned in the Laws of the Game, during matches, decisions are taken by the referee and these decisions are final.”

France are once really quite about its victory. Happy to go to the World Cup, everyone feels ashamed to speak about the reason why, thinking “Is-it really fair”…

Fair Play seems to have been fairly contested this last days and the Fifa has a lot to improve to make that rules to be respected by supporters and players… World Cup, we will be watching you!