MY OTHER PASSION IS...
Fascinated by aviation and boating from a young age, Richard Krause has indulged both interests as an adult and is the lucky owner of both a classic plane and a Landau 29
Cockpits, cabins and crews – boats and aeroplanes are more alike than you might think. Food in the galley and deck angles are equally important for keeping passengers happy, and piloting either vessel you must overcome the elements to get underway and dock in the place you actually planned to. All without putting a dent in either your craft or your pride. The satisfaction one receives from both are equally exhilarating so it’s no surprise that many pilots are also keen boaters.
As a child, I lived so close to an airport that I could watch aeroplanes landing and taking off all day, much to the annoyance of my teachers. My career choice was ingrained from an early age. I learned to fly when I was 17, before I could drive a car. Later I became an instructor and progressed to working as a first officer and then a captain for a major commercial airline.
I developed a love for all things nautical at an early age, too. Whilst our house was almost as far from the sea as you can get, I remember being fascinated by the model boats cutting through the water on a local pond. Sailing became my other big passion in adult life and my way of relaxing during my downtime from flying. Recently, after many years of sailing, my wife decided we should try staying on a more even keel so we moved into motorboating. We now have a Landau 29 that is perfect for us.
Commercial flying is of course highly regulated and controlled. You go when and where you are detailed, whether it be Christmas day or your wedding anniversary. Don’t get me wrong, flying 300-odd passengers is very rewarding and sometimes challenging. The Airbus A321 and A330 jets I fly do this very well and are fantastic aeroplanes. But after a while you start to miss the freedom that small private aircraft can give you. The ability to play with a cloud, gently meander along a beautiful coastline, or even see who has a swimming pool in their back garden is so much fun. When the opportunity to join a small flying group with a plane of its own cropped up, I grabbed it and rekindled my other passion.
Flying can be prohibitively expensive but keeping things simple makes it possible. G-OCUB is a Piper J3 Cub. Actually, it is the military version called an L4 Grasshopper. It was built in 1943 and was delivered to the US Army Air Corps in France during WW2 as a spotter aircraft looking for tanks and guns. It was unarmed, but was rarely shot at as this would give away the enemy positions. One ingenious American pilot did fit rockets to an L4 and called her ‘Rosie the Rocketeer’. It certainly surprised the German infantry!
Built of tubular steel, wood and fabric our Grasshopper is one step up from a kit in a model shop. As a classic aeroplane, it will slowly appreciate in value yet you can still buy a good one for around £40k. Of course it needs hangarage but that’s where group ownership helps. We can do the maintenance ourselves and the frugal little 90hp engine burns about 20 litres per hour, propelling us through the air at a heart-stopping 80mph! Apart from a radio, altimeter and airspeed indicator, there is nothing complicated. It’s what we call ‘seat of the pants, stick and rudder’ flying that is affordable and hugely enjoyable.
So, on a beautiful clear and calm summer day I have a dilemma. Take out the boat or the plane? Quite a pleasant dilemma to have really. I love them both equally and I can explore coastlines, estuaries, coves and marinas from above as well as sea level.