Epiph,
You are clearly after a reaction.
As it happened, on Monday the weather perhaps wasn't as bad as Simon tells us. After all, he was merely a dog walker, the fact he is a weatherman isn't really relevant as all he can add to the story is that where he was it was foggy. Certainly when I drove into work on Monday morning it wasn't foggy. I remember commenting that it was as if the motorway gantries warning of fog patches were acting as a fog dispersal system.
If you read RVDTs earlier post, you would see the 'updated' (not the sensational 'Simon' earlier) TAF read;
TAF EGBB 061103Z 0612/0712 30005KT 9999 FEW030
PROB30 TEMPO 0612/0618 5000 BR
BECMG 0617/0620 0300 FZFG VV///=
SA 06/12/2010 11:20->
METAR EGBB 061120Z VRB02KT 8000 NSC M03/M03 Q1002=
As another that was flying around Birmingham and Wolverhampton on Monday, and can verify that generally it wasn't as bad as Simon paints it, this event could simply be a case of getting caught out by the weather.
Am I defending this? Not necessarily as I don't know the full story.
However if it turns out that the point of departure was clear, the route was clear, Halfpenny was asked about their weather and was suitable at the time, I would defend the decision to land in a school playing field, because it's a lot better to do that than challenge the consequences of trying to carry on!
If you then read RVDTs link;
A helicopter on route to Halfpenny Green airport made a unsheduled landing on the Ounsdale School field during break time on Monday morning. Staff and students became aware of the helicopter as it passed over the school field but were initially unable to see it through the thick fog. The unusually dense fog made it impossible for the pilot to continue and the large field was a fortunate opportunity.
"Made it impossible for the Pilot to continue and the large field was a fortunate opportunity"
Good call