31/01/2007 by Pudsey.

Ooohh wowee!! Just checked my emails and there’s been some more tickets sold - one to the USA-ooohhh I’m an international superstar now!! Well what a day I’ve had - I’ve been flying and “they” haven’t - hee hee! I’ve spent the day with Anglian Flight Centres at Earls Colne flying with Bradley and three of his students. I went on a cross country to Ipswich in a Robin; a check ride and stalls in a Cesna 152 - ooohh scary, one minute we’re flying along (a bit slowly I thought), and then suddenly the nose drops and all I can see is the ground… ooohhhh! Needed some rest and a cup of tea before my last flight - another cross country (I like these) in another Robin to Debach and Chedburgh. Well I had a lovely time at Earls Colne - big thank you to Bradley - especially as he took some more photos of me - wonderful! Why did Nigel and Debs not fly… well they were going to Earls Colne in the Robin - until Nigel got it stuck in the mud… then they wanted to go in the Yak but it ran out of air and it wouldn’t start - oops!

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30/01/2007 by Pudsey.

I’m so popular, Neil Murfitt today bought five raffle tickets… wow!! Neil works with Debs and he’s mad on planes (ooh I’d love to go and live with him :-)) He’s been for two flights in the Yak and he wants to go again taking me with him - excellent!! (Ooh - don’t want to go with Stefan - engineer who works with Debs - he was nearly sick after his flight… and he wants to go again!!) Neil has been in a Harvard at Duxford as well - he went with Anna Walker and says she’s a brilliant pilot (well she would be coz she’s a woman says Debs!) He’s also got his eye on a go in the Grace Spitfire at Duxford with Carolyn Grace (hmmm - another Spitfire… wonder if she’ll take me??) Nigel has designed my poster today (at last!) but it’s worth the wait coz it’s great… he’s also started to email it to his pilot friends… ooh good - wait for the offers to flood in…

Download my poster by clicking here
(make sure you pin it up for all to see)!

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29/01/2007 by Pudsey.

Wow - two raffle tickets sold on eBay!! Nigel is doing a talk at Ipswich Radio Controlled Model Clug (ohh!) and the guys have bought not one, but two tickets! Great - that’s £2 raised for Children in Need - excellent! I feel really excited coz it all feels real now and I will be going to a new home at the end of the year (hope it’s better than Nigels or Debs… both beds are uncomfortable and neither can cook well)! Also at Nigels all he does is play on the pc - no conversation there! At least when I’m at Debs I have Ben to talk to… he’s been showing me his Bebo - it’s great… think I’d like one of those… I’m going to ask Ben to do my one - or Alice from JAM. Nigel is trying to get me a flying suit made - wow, my own suit - hope it comes with “wings”! I’ve got to go to Maureens to have all my vital statistics taken… oooh errr!!

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28/01/2007 by Pudsey.

Ho Hum. No flying today - boo! Seems like they had some shopping to do at IKEA - Ben wants a futon (a what?) Unfortunately the A12 was closed at Colchester and the alternative route was too far so they never made it this week (well we could have gone flying then! Why couldn’t we fly to IKEA?) - “Why” says Nigel - “coz there’s no-where to land”. Oh!! Thought we might sneak a flight in this afternoon - but no, Debs has panto practise - what?!! She’s playing the part of Andy Pandy (ha ha ha!) - apparently Nigel is trying to get together a group  to go and watch - well I hope he’s got my name on the list - can’t miss this chance for a laugh!! Looked at my new photos today - they’re brilliant again - well, what do you expect with me in them!! Need to get them printed and put in my album - ohhh I could spend all day looking through that… Such a handsome looking bear am I!!

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27/01/2007 by Pudsey.

Excellent… more hours added to my log book… they’ll soon be into double figres!! (Shame says Nigel - he’s into four figures!!) I’m sure it’s his age he’s talking about… ! Brilliant flight to Norwich - lovely clear blue sky - “good vis” they call it, (Seems like all pilot talk is strange - nothing normal!) We completed a Cuban 8 - hmm strange, but nice - you get a change to try it and then it all repeats itself! “Small Boy” came rushing out to take my photo when we arrived at Hanger 10… but he must be a poor aim as I can’t see myself in any of the pictures! He wants to get one of our “display take-off” - well he should have been at Elmsett - it was almost vertical - with a big push over at the top - weightlessness - weird - I’m an astronaut now! Debs also had a go at flying… hmmm, prefer Nigel - at least he keeps it at the same height! Didn’t have much chance to get to know Dale - had to get back before ‘night’! +3½ & -1 G today!!

More photos are available from the photo album page

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26/01/2007 by Pudsey.

Oh dear - so much for our snow… it all disappeared this afternoon, so I won’t be flying over snow-covered fields this weekend then. Found out today that we’re flying to Norwich International Airport tomorrow - oooh, sounds big and posh… do they let Yaks go in there then?? Oh yes says Nigel, they have to, YAKO is based there… oooh goodie - 2 yaks! Also heard we’re going to do some more aeros - a Cuban eight this time - it’s a figure of eight on its side in the sky - Right! Nigel says it’s just a mixture of loops and rolls put together and it’s fine… and he’s promised no cutting of the engine this time! Well ok I’ll give it a go - got to build up my “G” tolerance and this should help being a longer manoeuvre… hmmm - we’ll see! Hopefully I’ll have some more photo’s taken of my travels - must go and have a bath and wash my fur; perhaps I’ll fit in a “bearicure” too!!

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25/01/2007 by Pudsey.

Wow! Weather man was right for once… we wake up to snow… but not much of it - but at least it’s snow! Wonder if it will last until the weekend… want to go flying when there’s snow on the ground Wanted to have a snowball fight, but I only had the cats to play with… and they weren’t impressed with snow full stop… typical cat attitude! I’ve been reading up on this radiotelephony and I now know that Nigel is wrong to say “copy the traffic” - it should be “Roger the traffic” - but according to Nigel, everybody says it! Bet Dale won’t like Debs saying it on her flying lessons - I’ll let you know coz I’ll be there - ear-wigging!! I’ve discovered what QNH is - it’s the height you’re at above sea level - so if you’re flying at 1000 ft on QNH 1031, you are flying at 1000 ft above sea level and it’s referred to as “Altitude”. However, if you are flying at 1000 ft on QFE 1026 then you are 1000 feet above the ground - what a smart bear I am!!

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24/01/2007 by Pudsey.

Oh well!… kept looking for snow all day, but it never came… oh apart from 5 minutes of tiny flakes blowing around – it’s not fair (!) other parts of the country managed a covering of snow… suppose there’s always tomorrow… Nigel has been very busy today – he’s got my raffle tickets advertised on Ebay – wow! They normally don’t do that! Let’s hope now that lots of people buy my tickets so that I can raise lots of money for Children in Need… well that is what this year is about after all!! I’ve been reading up on this flying lark – thought it would be a good idea to know what’s happening! I noticed when I was in JB on Saturday that they speak in a funny way… Nigel kept on about ‘copy’ – ie ‘copy the traffic’ – what does he mean? Is he a photocopier coz they copy things?? What’s this QNH they keep referring to & what’s this ’24 left hand’?? Hmmm I was totally confused so I went looking for Deb’s radiotelephony book & course notes (apparently she has her radio licence… but doesn’t do much radio work – hmm!)… right, what does it all mean…

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23/01/2007 by Pudsey.

Cold - but bright sunshine to start the day - perfect for flying - where’s the pilots when you need them?? Nigel tells me they’re all at work to pay for the flying - oh!! What shall I do today then? Well, I wandered up to Whitton Estate as I could hear the sound of flying… and there I found the helicopters from Wattisham flying around - I guess the Army were having an exercise day - it was great fun watching them as they really stood out against a brilliant blue sky. I do hope Nigel contacts his mates from Wattisham - I really fancy having a go in a helicopter now… especially since Nigel can’t fly them! (He’s only had one ride and Debs hasn’t even been in them!!) No snow today - oh well what a surprise! Spent most of the day putting my photos in my album - they’re brilliant! My yellow fur and the yellow Yak really go together well… wonder if they can put a Pudsey logo on the plane??

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22/01/2007 by Pudsey.

Brrrr - weather’s turned colder now… heard there might be snow… can you fly in snow?? (No - says Nigel, not when it’s snowing - you’ll get lost!) Oooh - don’t want to do that then! But Nigel says it’s good fun to go flying after it’s been snowing - blue sky and white landscape… Sounds good - let’s hope it snows then! Getting bored with being on the ground again… want to get up in the air. Nigel says he’s going to email all his pilot friends (he has friends??!) and tell them all about me and what I’m getting up to, and see how many offers come in to take me flying. Hope he hurries up then - I’m sure the offers will come flooding in as they will all want to fly with me - well who wouldn’t!! Been sorting out my pictures for my album today - managed to get Nigel to put them up on the website at last - don’t know why he wouldn’t do them straight after the flight - he says he was busy (what??!) Now got to go to Asda to pick them up to put into the real album - enjoying this!

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