WeeMan18
8th Jan 2009, 09:54
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3367/3177566268_f67a2585f3.jpg?v=0
Nightstop at Eaglescott.
A few months ago I found myself needing to increase my fixed-wing PIC time as most of my previous flying experience has been rotary. Having decided that the most economical way of achieving this would be by part ownership, I was lucky enough to be able to buy a share in the 1946 Aeronca 7AC Champion G-LEVI, based at White Waltham. The 3GPH burn rate and permit certification certainly help keep costs down and I was not put off by the 60kt cruise speed: after all, it was hours I needed, not miles.
I felt that flying a huge number of sorties around White Waltham would be rather boring and a wasted opportunity, so I considered something slightly further afield. I eventually settled on a plan to fly around the entire coast of Britain - not quite an expedition in the sense of reaching the North Pole but perhaps a stretch for a 60kt, 62 year old, 65hp aeroplane!
Having just read the 'landing on grass' thread I thought someone might just be interested in my trip and that I should probably share my experience with pprune. Of course, other people's holiday photos can be terminally boring, so feel free to click back and move on.
The pictures should speak for themselves so I won't waffle on too much. The picture set is on the Flickr link at higher quality (linked to map locations) with just a few shown on this thread. In short I collected the aircraft from White Waltham and flew back to Shoreham, my home field, in formation with my father in his Chipmunk. Having loaded the aircraft with various items of my old RAF survival gear, sleeping bag, rations, tent, baked beans etc I set off with the intention routing clockwise around the coast of the British mainland and returning to Shoreham.
The main limitations I had to consider were the aircraft's limited range (about 120nm comfortably), hence fuel availability and the lack of an electrical system. Yes kids, the Aeronca has no electrical system whatsoever - no navkit, no lights, no starter motor etc. Therefore no night or IMC options as although I was rated for them, the aircraft wasn't. I would also need occassional access to mains electricity to charge the handheld radio and my laptop and mobile, which I used together to get NOTAMS, TAFs, METARS etc from remote sites.
Having rapidly learned the art of hand swinging a prop solo I headed off from Shoreham on September 16 as follows:
Sep 16 Shoreham - Bournemouth - Landing fees and handling charges to bring tears to the eyes!
Sep 16 Plymouth - Double nightstop in Cawsand, Cornwall for a few pints of Tribute with friends. Very reasonable landing / parking fees for a commercial airport
Sep 18 Perranporth
Sep 18 Eaglescott - Sleeping in tent pitched under the wing. Very helpful staff
Sep 19 Swansea
Sep 19 West Wales (Aberporth) - Thanks for the cakes
Sep 19 Caernarfon - Tent on beach and a mean full English.
Sep 20 Blackpool - Took a v long time to sort out fuel/handling and not cheap
Sep 20 Carlisle - I needed to sleep in a bed and give the electronics a good charge so Travelodge
Sep 21 Prestwick - Nice little club with plenty of tea and toast for an underfed traveller
Sep 21 Bute - Tent under wing. Stunning scenery, enjoyable basic little strip. Kilchatten Bay village within walking distance. Great meal at the hotel very hospitable. Had to walk through creepy ancient stone circle in the middle of the night to get back to tent! No fuel or any other facilities here.
Sep 22 Fife
Sep 22 Eshott - Walked about 2 miles each way to nearest pub to get some food but chef 'feels like going home' at 8pm so more own brand baked beans it is. Slept in club house.
Sep 23 Fishburn - Interesting strip! Grass strip on top of a hill with a significant slope on either side. Had to have grass cutting tractor removed from the blind part of the runway before takeoff.
Sep 23 Wickenby - Tent under wing. Very helpful owner - gave me a lift to the nearest town to get a takeaway. Thanks for the hospitality.
Sep 24 Fenland - Nearly had to divert due to deteriorating weather but managed to push through safely.
Sep 24 Beccles
Sep 24 Stoke - Tent under wing. Short, narrow, curved grass runway with major obstructions: 250ft powerlines, railway and shed on one side, earth bank and marsh on other side. Very warm welcome from the guys runniong the Medway microlight factory.
Sep 25 Manston - Back to where it all started with an RAF Flying Schol and PPL at TG Aviation many years ago.
Sep 25 Shoreham - Back home past the White Cliffs of Dover, Battle of Britain Memorial, Seven Sisters. Good to be home.
A fantastic experience all round. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it to northern Scotland due to weather and potential problems with fuel availability, instead cutting across the north of the Glasgow/Edinburgh zones from Bute to Loch Lomond to Stirling to Fife. I have, however, seen the entire coastline of England and Wales, and some of the Scottish Isles and flew about 35 hours and over 2000 miles. Not bad for the little aeroplane. I had no technical snags that couldn't be fixed with a leatherman, had somewhere to sleep every night, met some great people and my radio battery never completely ran out before I could recharge it!
I few lessons I learned:
Hand swinging is an art form. If you know how much physical effort can be involved in trying to hand start a reluctant engine you will quickly learn to set the engine controls just right for the prevailing conditions. Seeing people crank starter motors for minutes fruitlessly will make you despair. At least I'll never be stuck because of a flat batery! Also solo hand-propping an aircraft without a parking brake has some fairly obvious dangers. You have to get it right first time, every time.
An aircraft with limited diversion range, no IMC capability and no night capability takes away a lot of options that you have in better equipped aircraft. Prior planning is essential and a precautionary field landing becomes a more important contingency option.
Not all farm strips have fuel - even if it says so in the book. Check before you get yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere.
It is easily possible to land at a strip that is too short to safely take off from. Not a player for me, but under other circumstances eg with two adults on board and only 65hp it could be.
Wear waterproof boots!
It was a great way to tour Britain and visit lots of airfields. Thanks to all the great people I met along the way!:ok:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3352/3176731421_d6497995cb.jpg?v=0
St Michael's Mount, Cornwall
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3421/3176733015_88a6571b62.jpg?v=0
Caernarfon
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3256/3177567558_70d4c4d2b7.jpg?v=0
Overnight accommodation at Caernarfon
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3515/3176735321_cff2dcdc62.jpg?v=0
Lake District
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3100/3177572134_1bb3bb915a.jpg?v=0
Bute
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3088/3176740413_8a8c718f06.jpg?v=0
Recceing the curved runway at Stoke
Full set here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/34104481@N05/sets/72157612242279583/)
Nightstop at Eaglescott.
A few months ago I found myself needing to increase my fixed-wing PIC time as most of my previous flying experience has been rotary. Having decided that the most economical way of achieving this would be by part ownership, I was lucky enough to be able to buy a share in the 1946 Aeronca 7AC Champion G-LEVI, based at White Waltham. The 3GPH burn rate and permit certification certainly help keep costs down and I was not put off by the 60kt cruise speed: after all, it was hours I needed, not miles.
I felt that flying a huge number of sorties around White Waltham would be rather boring and a wasted opportunity, so I considered something slightly further afield. I eventually settled on a plan to fly around the entire coast of Britain - not quite an expedition in the sense of reaching the North Pole but perhaps a stretch for a 60kt, 62 year old, 65hp aeroplane!
Having just read the 'landing on grass' thread I thought someone might just be interested in my trip and that I should probably share my experience with pprune. Of course, other people's holiday photos can be terminally boring, so feel free to click back and move on.
The pictures should speak for themselves so I won't waffle on too much. The picture set is on the Flickr link at higher quality (linked to map locations) with just a few shown on this thread. In short I collected the aircraft from White Waltham and flew back to Shoreham, my home field, in formation with my father in his Chipmunk. Having loaded the aircraft with various items of my old RAF survival gear, sleeping bag, rations, tent, baked beans etc I set off with the intention routing clockwise around the coast of the British mainland and returning to Shoreham.
The main limitations I had to consider were the aircraft's limited range (about 120nm comfortably), hence fuel availability and the lack of an electrical system. Yes kids, the Aeronca has no electrical system whatsoever - no navkit, no lights, no starter motor etc. Therefore no night or IMC options as although I was rated for them, the aircraft wasn't. I would also need occassional access to mains electricity to charge the handheld radio and my laptop and mobile, which I used together to get NOTAMS, TAFs, METARS etc from remote sites.
Having rapidly learned the art of hand swinging a prop solo I headed off from Shoreham on September 16 as follows:
Sep 16 Shoreham - Bournemouth - Landing fees and handling charges to bring tears to the eyes!
Sep 16 Plymouth - Double nightstop in Cawsand, Cornwall for a few pints of Tribute with friends. Very reasonable landing / parking fees for a commercial airport
Sep 18 Perranporth
Sep 18 Eaglescott - Sleeping in tent pitched under the wing. Very helpful staff
Sep 19 Swansea
Sep 19 West Wales (Aberporth) - Thanks for the cakes
Sep 19 Caernarfon - Tent on beach and a mean full English.
Sep 20 Blackpool - Took a v long time to sort out fuel/handling and not cheap
Sep 20 Carlisle - I needed to sleep in a bed and give the electronics a good charge so Travelodge
Sep 21 Prestwick - Nice little club with plenty of tea and toast for an underfed traveller
Sep 21 Bute - Tent under wing. Stunning scenery, enjoyable basic little strip. Kilchatten Bay village within walking distance. Great meal at the hotel very hospitable. Had to walk through creepy ancient stone circle in the middle of the night to get back to tent! No fuel or any other facilities here.
Sep 22 Fife
Sep 22 Eshott - Walked about 2 miles each way to nearest pub to get some food but chef 'feels like going home' at 8pm so more own brand baked beans it is. Slept in club house.
Sep 23 Fishburn - Interesting strip! Grass strip on top of a hill with a significant slope on either side. Had to have grass cutting tractor removed from the blind part of the runway before takeoff.
Sep 23 Wickenby - Tent under wing. Very helpful owner - gave me a lift to the nearest town to get a takeaway. Thanks for the hospitality.
Sep 24 Fenland - Nearly had to divert due to deteriorating weather but managed to push through safely.
Sep 24 Beccles
Sep 24 Stoke - Tent under wing. Short, narrow, curved grass runway with major obstructions: 250ft powerlines, railway and shed on one side, earth bank and marsh on other side. Very warm welcome from the guys runniong the Medway microlight factory.
Sep 25 Manston - Back to where it all started with an RAF Flying Schol and PPL at TG Aviation many years ago.
Sep 25 Shoreham - Back home past the White Cliffs of Dover, Battle of Britain Memorial, Seven Sisters. Good to be home.
A fantastic experience all round. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it to northern Scotland due to weather and potential problems with fuel availability, instead cutting across the north of the Glasgow/Edinburgh zones from Bute to Loch Lomond to Stirling to Fife. I have, however, seen the entire coastline of England and Wales, and some of the Scottish Isles and flew about 35 hours and over 2000 miles. Not bad for the little aeroplane. I had no technical snags that couldn't be fixed with a leatherman, had somewhere to sleep every night, met some great people and my radio battery never completely ran out before I could recharge it!
I few lessons I learned:
Hand swinging is an art form. If you know how much physical effort can be involved in trying to hand start a reluctant engine you will quickly learn to set the engine controls just right for the prevailing conditions. Seeing people crank starter motors for minutes fruitlessly will make you despair. At least I'll never be stuck because of a flat batery! Also solo hand-propping an aircraft without a parking brake has some fairly obvious dangers. You have to get it right first time, every time.
An aircraft with limited diversion range, no IMC capability and no night capability takes away a lot of options that you have in better equipped aircraft. Prior planning is essential and a precautionary field landing becomes a more important contingency option.
Not all farm strips have fuel - even if it says so in the book. Check before you get yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere.
It is easily possible to land at a strip that is too short to safely take off from. Not a player for me, but under other circumstances eg with two adults on board and only 65hp it could be.
Wear waterproof boots!
It was a great way to tour Britain and visit lots of airfields. Thanks to all the great people I met along the way!:ok:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3352/3176731421_d6497995cb.jpg?v=0
St Michael's Mount, Cornwall
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3421/3176733015_88a6571b62.jpg?v=0
Caernarfon
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3256/3177567558_70d4c4d2b7.jpg?v=0
Overnight accommodation at Caernarfon
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3515/3176735321_cff2dcdc62.jpg?v=0
Lake District
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3100/3177572134_1bb3bb915a.jpg?v=0
Bute
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3088/3176740413_8a8c718f06.jpg?v=0
Recceing the curved runway at Stoke
Full set here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/34104481@N05/sets/72157612242279583/)