What a fantastic day! It’s one I’ve been looking forward to for some time and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Given the weather we’ve had this summer I got lucky, there were some scattered clouds at 5,000 feet but plenty of blue sky as well. A perfect day for my first lesson in the Bulldog.

Mark “Greeners” Greenfield, my instructor, decided the best plan for my first lesson would be to just get up in the air as soon as possible, throw as much at me as he could and then see how I coped. So after a short safety brief we were off and it wasn’t long before we were climbing up through the Kemble overhead. The first half of the flight was spent getting used to the aircraft, some turns and a bit of cloud surfing. It wasn’t long though, before Greeners asked me the question I’d been waiting to hear … “Are you ready for some aeros?”

First on the agenda was the aileron roll and after a quick demonstration Greeners handed over the controls. I nosed the aircraft forward to begin building speed towards 140 mph. Then it was pitch up, to get the nose above the horizon, centralise the controls then full left aileron … and over we went, all the way through 360 degrees and back to level flight again. What an amazing sensation!

Next up was the loop. Again we dove the aircraft to build speed, up to 155 mph this time. Then, with a quick check to the left and right to confirm the wings were level, it was full rear stick to get the nose pitching up, and up, and soon all you can see is sky. With the aircraft vertical you’re looking up through the canopy to try and catch sight of the ground coming back into view. And soon enough you’re up and over the top of the loop; the speed and g forces start to build as you pull harder on the stick to level the aircraft. Fantastic! My second aerobatic manoeuvre completed.

The final exercise was the stall turn. After building speed again I pitched the aircraft up to the vertical and tried to hold it there. Looking left and right to confirm the wings were level and then it’s wait … wait … as the speed starts to bleed off. And then just when it feels we’re going to fall out of the sky … full left pedal, a bit of right stick and we pivot about the nose of the aircraft and begin hurtling earthwards again. We let the speed build and then pulled the stick back, g forces again pressing me down into my seat, and the aircraft slowly recovered back to straight and level flight. Quite disorienting that one! But a fantastic feeling nonetheless.

And with the stall turn complete Greeners decided that was probably enough for a first “introductory” lesson! That afternoon we would be back up again, to consolidate what I had learnt in the morning and to start looking at some of the more practical lessons like take offs and landings!

As I sit here and write this though, a few hours after getting my feet back on the ground, my head is still very much in the clouds and I don’t think the smile has left my face. Tomorrow can’t come quick enough and the chance to get back up there and experience more of what flying aerobatics has to offer.