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Aerobatics piles the G-forces onto Dr Ned Restom of Avoca Beach Dental, NSW, as his plane loops, rolls and stalls.
“When learning aerobatic flying, the first thing you’re taught is a wingover. You fly the aircraft straight then pull the nose up gently to assess the area around you. That’s a 2G manoeuvre and it helps build your G-force tolerance when you’re training. You’re only able to tolerate around 15 minutes flying at the start—any more and all those G-forces make you sick.
“You then progress to two or three aileron rolls and a wingover. This is followed by aileron rolls and a loop, hesitation rolls, slow rolls and stall turns. Loops are great fun but you’re under 4 to 5G for around six seconds. Then you put all those manoeuvres together to create a routine. At that stage, the plane flies at a minimum altitude of 3000 feet (900 metres) so there’s room for recovery if you muck anything up. I’ve been flying aerobatic for two years and I’m up in the air at least two to three hours a week. I’m endorsed to low-level aerobatics of 1500 feet.
“I also enjoy formation flying with four or five other pilots. A lot of the pilots are ex-military. Formation flying began in World War 2 and the idea is to be close enough to see the hand signals of the other pilot so you don’t have to communicate on the radio. It’s the most complex flying you can do. You’re constantly checking the aircraft beside you while the lead aircraft is completely in control. The planes are travelling at over 300 kilometres per hour and are between one and two metres away from each other depending on the tightness of the formation.
“I have 320 hours of aerobatic flying and own two aircraft. They’re ex-military planes—one from the Royal Australian Air Force and the other from the Royal New Zealand Air Force. I keep them at the Central Coast Airport in Warnervale. Central Coast Aeroclub offers all types of aerobatics displays for birthdays, special occasions or for flying enthusiasts.
“Aerobatics isn’t actually very dangerous. You’re well-trained on all the manoeuvres and checked thoroughly. The chances of things going wrong are very low.
“I find that aviation and dentistry have a lot in common. They’re very procedural, they follow protocols, and you need to work as part of a team. Aerobatic flying appeals to the thrillseeker in me and gets the adrenaline flowing. For me, fuel, speed, G-forces, precision, planning and a trustworthy plane is a recipe for happiness.”
