To Rain or not to Rain Rain had been forecast for much of the weekend, but this changed in the previous evening’s forecast, and so I took the opportunity for a quick solo flight in the Arrow. The best weather appeared to be to the West, and the combination of that with a free landing voucher for Swansea firmed up the destination. I had been reading a flying book by
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Braving the snow at Leicester
A really cold month It’s been a cold March – one of the coldest on record – with heavy snow affecting many parts of the UK. The forecast for the Easter Weekend at the end of the month looked fairly stable – quite cold, cloudbase of 2,000 to 4,000 feet, little chance of rain (or snow), an Easterly wind of about 10-15 knots. Not ideal, but OK for a short
Continue readingSouth Wales Tour
After a period of prolonged bad weather and cancelled flying opportunities, both Andy and I were keen to find a way to get a good trip in. We both negotiated to be able to take a day off work at short notice and looked for a gap in the weather. Today looked the best day with good visibility and low winds, so the plan was put into effect. After a
Continue readingUnder the radar to Manchester Barton Airport
Manchester City (Barton) Airport Approaching Manchester City (Barton) airport requires GA pilots to fly between Manchester International and Liverpool commercial airports via the low-level corridor. This is a tunnel of airspace just 1300 feet high and 4 nautical miles wide, funnelling traffic to keep it out of the way of the large passenger jets landing and taking off. It’s an obvious route for me to take if heading further north
Continue readingLocal round trip after Christmas
A challenge just to get into Kemble airfield Few pilots were flying today, despite it having the better weather forecast for the week. Rain seems to have featured strongly for some time, with parts of the country flooded including some peoples homes. Today was a late decision based on a combination of weather forecast and family commitments. It wasn’t a certainty that I’d even make a flight. The road into
Continue readingBath and the Bridges
A full load of passengers ready for check-in I’m still at the stage of taking friends up for a short flight. I have a (short) backlog of potential victims. Perhaps word may have got around that I’m reasonably competent not a complete loony. Belinda had asked me to take her for a flight, and also her daughter and nephew, Ben. She couldn’t have picked a better day, with almost clear sunny
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Business Trip to Cambridge
Company Travel Policy In my previous company which had tens of thousands of employees, the company travel policy stated clearly that the CEO’s personal permission was required for any private flight. My current company (total employees = 1) also has the same policy, but it’s much easier to persuade the boss (myself) that I could fly to a business meeting instead of driving. My accountant assures me that this is
Continue readingCambridge on a balmy summer afternoon
The Arrow is back! I’d planned a flight this afternoon, but learnt that the Arrow had completed its flight check the day before after repairs which had it out of action for almost two months. My 60 day currency before I needed a flight check with an instructor was only 3 days away, so on arrival at the airport when I realised that someone else had cancelled their booking I
Continue readingEvening landaway to White Waltham – through Atlas Control
War zone AWACS aircraft orbitted overhead, scanning the sky for unusual activity. Banks of radar controllers monitored the frequencies, checking that all known traffic remained on their assigned track. Helicopter gunships and tornado fighter aircraft stood ready to take to the air at a moments notice should any anomoly occur. Banks of surface-to-air missiles were deployed around the city to respond even more quickly. No, not Afghanistan, but London 2012
Continue readingFamily Flyout to Alderney
Plans for a family flyout I’d been working up to a family flyout for some time. The Jubilee Bank Holiday at the start of June gave us a few days and probability of good weather to plan something more adventurous. The initial plan was to take the club Arrrow to France for a couple of nights, staying overnight in Dinard and Cherbourg, returning via Alderney on the last day. However
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