Post by vgp on Jan 9, 2009 14:55:14 GMT 12
Story may be a retread i.e sunday star times link - apologies if it has been posted before.
Pilot joins the jet set
By LIZ WILLIS - North Shore Times | Friday, 09 January 2009
After learning to fly just eight years ago, Abbas Shahroodi is living a childhood dream to fly at 700kmh in his own fighter jet plane.
In fact the Castor Bay resident had to buy two jets.
That’s because the Romanian Air Force was only selling the L29 Delfin advanced military jet trainers in pairs.
The speed thrill is greater than any sportscar, says the 49-year-old Gamma Computers director who emigrated from Iran 23 years ago.
"It’s like going downhill in a car when you have lost the brakes," says Mr Shahroodi.
"You cannot fly it slowly. It’s the highest level of aviation experience."
But his dream plane is not yet in his grasp.
"I’d like to experience something faster," he says.
This year he hopes to buy a Mig 23 or 29 and fly at two and half times the speed of sound.
"It can climb 50,000 feet in a minute. It’s like a rocket."
The experience of flying a fighter jet doesn’t come cheap – the Delfin jets gobble up to $1600 worth of fuel in an hour.
Mr Shahroodi says the planes cost $150,000 to $200,000 and complex certification is a further $70,000 to $80,000.
But the sacrifices made to achieve his "ultimate mission" to fly jets didn’t only involve money, he says.
Mr Shahroodi, who learned to fly at North Shore Aero Club, says the time and discipline involved in learning to fly a jet is incredible.
"You cannot make mistakes. Your mind has to be 100 percent."
It’s a real military aircraft so you can see what fighter pilots face, he says.
This means the planes come complete with things he never plans to use – ejector seats, gun sights and high speed combat cameras.
The plane can do a 360 degree roll at 700kmh which puts enormous pressure on your body so you need to build up your tolerance, he says.
"You learn to run everything to the limitations of yourself and the aeroplane."
It’s capable of 8 Gs which would mean if you weighed 70kg it would be like having a tonne of pressure on
your chest, says Mr Shahroodi.
The average rollercoaster exposes people to about 3 Gs. At 4 Gs people can black out and pilots learn to deal with this.
Mr Shahroodi has been up to 5 1/2 Gs – almost blacking out.
His planes – kept at Ardmore and Whangarei – create quite a sensation among locals.
Mr Shahroodi’s typical hour long flight is once a week from Ardmore to Whitianga for high speed aerial exercises before returning to base.
He hopes the Delfin jets will be used to train pilots at aero clubs to help others live their dreams.
www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/sundaystartimes/auckland/4812765a22400.html
Pilot joins the jet set
By LIZ WILLIS - North Shore Times | Friday, 09 January 2009
After learning to fly just eight years ago, Abbas Shahroodi is living a childhood dream to fly at 700kmh in his own fighter jet plane.
In fact the Castor Bay resident had to buy two jets.
That’s because the Romanian Air Force was only selling the L29 Delfin advanced military jet trainers in pairs.
The speed thrill is greater than any sportscar, says the 49-year-old Gamma Computers director who emigrated from Iran 23 years ago.
"It’s like going downhill in a car when you have lost the brakes," says Mr Shahroodi.
"You cannot fly it slowly. It’s the highest level of aviation experience."
But his dream plane is not yet in his grasp.
"I’d like to experience something faster," he says.
This year he hopes to buy a Mig 23 or 29 and fly at two and half times the speed of sound.
"It can climb 50,000 feet in a minute. It’s like a rocket."
The experience of flying a fighter jet doesn’t come cheap – the Delfin jets gobble up to $1600 worth of fuel in an hour.
Mr Shahroodi says the planes cost $150,000 to $200,000 and complex certification is a further $70,000 to $80,000.
But the sacrifices made to achieve his "ultimate mission" to fly jets didn’t only involve money, he says.
Mr Shahroodi, who learned to fly at North Shore Aero Club, says the time and discipline involved in learning to fly a jet is incredible.
"You cannot make mistakes. Your mind has to be 100 percent."
It’s a real military aircraft so you can see what fighter pilots face, he says.
This means the planes come complete with things he never plans to use – ejector seats, gun sights and high speed combat cameras.
The plane can do a 360 degree roll at 700kmh which puts enormous pressure on your body so you need to build up your tolerance, he says.
"You learn to run everything to the limitations of yourself and the aeroplane."
It’s capable of 8 Gs which would mean if you weighed 70kg it would be like having a tonne of pressure on
your chest, says Mr Shahroodi.
The average rollercoaster exposes people to about 3 Gs. At 4 Gs people can black out and pilots learn to deal with this.
Mr Shahroodi has been up to 5 1/2 Gs – almost blacking out.
His planes – kept at Ardmore and Whangarei – create quite a sensation among locals.
Mr Shahroodi’s typical hour long flight is once a week from Ardmore to Whitianga for high speed aerial exercises before returning to base.
He hopes the Delfin jets will be used to train pilots at aero clubs to help others live their dreams.
www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/sundaystartimes/auckland/4812765a22400.html
