Essex Microlight Club

Essex Microlight Club was founded in 2003 by a handful of pilots who share a passion for microlight flying. It was in a sense a club even before it was formally called a club, on the basis of the pilots, who had their aircraft based across various airfields scattered across the county, arranging informal flyouts, followed up with discussion and banter about the flights and anything to do with flying.

Although the membership has risen since those early days, (now about 40) and although now formally established, we remain very much an informal club. This is partly because unlike most microlight clubs, we are not centred around an airfield. We are instead still scattered across different airfields and farmers strips and this gives the club a certain underlying informal character. Also, the lack of formality is in keeping with the general ethos of microlight flying; being able to fly wherever and whenever it takes your fancy (subject to the weather!) with maximum freedom with minimum rules and those include minimum club hassle, club bureaucracy and club rules.

Having said that, the very fact that we are scattered across Essex, for most of us any without the benefit of having many, if any other microlight pilots based at our individual airfields, means that EMC serves as a focus for our microlight flying.
This focus is in terms of:-

• Group flyouts. Flying is always more fun as a group rather than flying alone and it can sometimes have safety advantages too

• Events, such as our EMC Flyin to be held at Damyn’s Hall.

• Mutual Support, such as letter writing to support an airfield or being trailered out of wheat fields in Kent when the engine seizes up

• Banter and camaraderie amongst us, where we can all share our flying experiences, embellished where necessary with exaggeration and lies. This is all part of the fun.

• General discussion about microlight flying. I think it’s fair to say that EMC has it’s fair share of members who have an acute awareness of the issues facing mirolight flying, hold strong opinions and who do not hesitate to express those opinions.

• Meetings.

We reserve one day per month to meet up at a pub to spend the evening engaged in discussion and banter dedicated to all matters to do with microlight flying and our flying exploits over beer and for those feeling hungry, followed up with a meal, normally either a curry or a pizza but it does vary. Feel  free to  join us

Steve Sebastian - EMC Chairman

Copyright © 2009 Essex Microlight Club