Leaving Sywell

[Maxflyer]

Today I had the priveledge of being part of the Northants School Of Flying mass flyout, to its new home at Sibson. Ten aircraft ranging from a Moth to a Pitts Special left in formation, turned back to the field for a fly past and then headed off to our new home. A good number of people turned out to wave us off, funnily enough though, I didn't notice the airfield mamangement!

So that's it. Sywell is no longer our return destination, no more rejoins over Pitsford Reservoir or the dulcet tones of Den in the tower giving us the QFE.

Farewell Sywell long may you remain free of housing/warehousing. Hello Sibson. Home to a great flying school, parachuting and a warm welcome to fellow aviators and enthusiasts.

The adventure has just (re) started.

[yakker]

Best wishes to NSF Sibson. Sywell's loss is Sibson's gain.
NSF is a great flying school, and long may it continue to be so in it's new home.

[stiknruda]

Nice people, Lucy, Roger and Frank.

Hope it all goes well.

G-WREN, a Pitts with over 4000 a/f hours, crikey who hasn't flown it?

Stik

[TheOddOne]

Very sad but I'm glad that people are looking forward rather than crying over what's been lost.

Personally, I've had contact with NSF for nearly a quarter of a century, from having a cup of coffee in there after my first solo landing away to the use of their facilities when we've held aerobatic competitions at Sywell.

I look forward to visiting them in their new home soon.

The Odd One

[david viewing]

Good luck at lovely Sibson! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, sliding in over those trees until any runway more than 2500' seemed just ostentatious!

I do hope that no-one will take exception to this word of advice from one who has made the trip from Northampton to Sibson hundreds, if not thousands of times: do take care on the A605. I hate to admit it, but those speed cameras are there for a reason.

Long ago, when traffic was much lighter than today, my visits often involved leaving work early and flying in the evening. This meant I would catch up with the school bus, which stopped outside various isolated houses on the A605, including a little terrace just to the N of Oundle, a place that you will come to recognise. At this stop, a child would emerge from the bus and cross to his home on the other side of the road. I always thought that this was a dangerous exercise and took care to move past the bus if it was stopped there at the slowest speed, just in case.

You can imagine the devastating, sickening horror with which I read one day that this young boy had been killed by a speeding car at that very spot.

It's often said (probably wrongly) that driving to the airport is the most dangerous part of flying. On the A605, it definitely is. Please take care. Sorry if this seems patronising, but it's well intentioned.

[Halfbaked_Boy]

Hey people, well I'm very certain that we're destined for many great new memories at Sibson, as we have witnessed at Sywell for the past 80 years - I wonder if the phrase 'laissez faire' ever meant anything to Bletsoe-Brown...!

I was lucky enough to ride the trip there in the Moth, and managed to get a few pictures, but I won't overdo it. :)

G-ANSM
http://www.cheappilot.com/jack/2.JPG

'Captain' Karl and 'Huggie' (!)
http://www.cheappilot.com/jack/3.JPG

How often to you see THIS at a small airfield...
http://www.cheappilot.com/jack/11.JPG

Our first turning point, 'Pitsford Reservoir' (the farmstrip is the other side of the reservoir)
http://www.cheappilot.com/jack/13.JPG

Formated with GBUUF, en route to our new home
http://www.cheappilot.com/jack/15.JPG

Cheers, Jack.

[hekokimushi]

i got some videos of them coming in a formation 3 batches. not very good video... as my hand was shaking due to the wind. my god it was quite windy, one of the aircraft had to go around.

;p

just did my QXC from sibson. a loong wait. finally today's (29/04/05) weather was good enough.

total trip... man... landed back home at 14.30... but woz good.

happy flying see you guys at NSF Sibson.

nelson

[Halfbaked_Boy]

Very very well done on the QXC, managed to get mine in first time which was - quite incredible!

Indeed, Yellow, Greens, Blues, and I think we had a Red Team as well. In yellow we had Tom in the Slingsby as 'Yellow Leader', Cap'n Karl and his instructor Huggie in the Cub, and Charlie and myself in the Moth.

By the way, where did you manage to get your videos from mate?

Cheers, Jack.

[G-KEST]

All the very best to NSF in its new home at Sibson.
Cheers,
Trapper 69
;)

[hekokimushi]

will post them later. i was standing sort of... right beneath the control "tower" window checking out all the "birds"

man... that little Pitts flies fast. i think Frank flew it... it looks small... but yet seems so fast.

today also met a lad whom i think is completing his aerobatic.

[Flyin'Dutch']

Never been to Sibson yet; seems a good excuse to go and say hello.

[FlyFreeWbe]

It's a great airfield, you'd enjoy the trip. I've been there a few times even before NSOF were thinking of moving in, visiting a lot since november last year, talked to Lucy mostly..thinking of becoming a member, there's a lot of types I'd like to fly :)

Nice pics btw FFW

['India-Mike]

Learned to fly at NSF '91 with Mark. 700 hours later still have my NSF wings and very fond memories. Mark, if you read this I'm the ex-RAE Bedford guy.

Thanks - very best of luck to you all....