Mikehotel152
10th Apr 2008, 11:01
Aha! Gotcha. You thought I might be Ewan McGregor or his aviation alter ego. Sadly not, but the title of my post reflects the enjoyable and lengthy trip I did yesterday.
We started the morning at Elmsett in Suffolk. A luscious green strip under Wattisham's MATZ. A quite stunning morning with blue sky, birds singing, dew on the grass, not a breath of wind. Why do people fly from busy airfields with concrete when they could start their flights from places like Elmsett!
We paid our reasonable landing and overnight fees, did the checks, and got airborne at 9:30am. Our routing took us just west of the small market town of Hadleigh and we stayed low to admire the pretty villages enroute to Nayland's grass strip. Some might say it's more like a ski jump than airstrip. What a slope! We pottered around, getting to North Weald half an hour later for a pit-stop and to swop aircraft.
Hopping into a fully fueled 172, we took off again for Leg 2 down to Compton Abbas. A little bumpy at 2000 feet, passing overhead the courteous but straight-talking chaps at Elstree, then participating in the aerial dodgems over Wycombe Air Park (always a laugh of horror a minute) and down past Reading to Boscombe Zone. MATZ penetration was granted without delay (the controller being very friendly as always) and we arrived at the picturesque strip at Compton Abbas at about midday. What a lovely setting, on top of a hill, with extraordinary views. No wonder their restaurant was heaving with punters, including an Army Lynx crew who subsequently performed a death-defying take off and break off the northern edge of the strip and disappearing down into the valley below. One Steak and Ale Pie and one Lamb Casserole later and we took off again for a flight to Fairoaks.
Another jolly experience with the busy airspace north east of Southampton dodging conflicting traffic and random gliders later, we sneaked between Blackbushe and Farnborough (complete with rows of swanky corporate jets) to Woking in order to join the circuit for Fairoaks. Yet another kind controller helped us get on to the ground amidst the lunchtime rush and my co-pilot leapt into the waiting arms of a cab to Heathrow. Poor chap was off for a few hours kip before flying a 767 to Mumbai...
And finally, the last leg of my flight the Long Way Down to the South West and Long Way Round London began. All alone and without my trusty navigator I headed east and admired Epsom Racecourse while orbiting in order to get a word in with Biggin's busy controller. After obtaining my clearance to fly overhead, I did just that and headed for the QEII Bridge, a familiar landmark from my PPL days. Then back over Brentwood, Ongar and home to North Weald.
A lovely day and a bit flying with a great friend, visiting interesting airfields and seeing new sights. http://forums.flyer.co.uk/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif
We started the morning at Elmsett in Suffolk. A luscious green strip under Wattisham's MATZ. A quite stunning morning with blue sky, birds singing, dew on the grass, not a breath of wind. Why do people fly from busy airfields with concrete when they could start their flights from places like Elmsett!
We paid our reasonable landing and overnight fees, did the checks, and got airborne at 9:30am. Our routing took us just west of the small market town of Hadleigh and we stayed low to admire the pretty villages enroute to Nayland's grass strip. Some might say it's more like a ski jump than airstrip. What a slope! We pottered around, getting to North Weald half an hour later for a pit-stop and to swop aircraft.
Hopping into a fully fueled 172, we took off again for Leg 2 down to Compton Abbas. A little bumpy at 2000 feet, passing overhead the courteous but straight-talking chaps at Elstree, then participating in the aerial dodgems over Wycombe Air Park (always a laugh of horror a minute) and down past Reading to Boscombe Zone. MATZ penetration was granted without delay (the controller being very friendly as always) and we arrived at the picturesque strip at Compton Abbas at about midday. What a lovely setting, on top of a hill, with extraordinary views. No wonder their restaurant was heaving with punters, including an Army Lynx crew who subsequently performed a death-defying take off and break off the northern edge of the strip and disappearing down into the valley below. One Steak and Ale Pie and one Lamb Casserole later and we took off again for a flight to Fairoaks.
Another jolly experience with the busy airspace north east of Southampton dodging conflicting traffic and random gliders later, we sneaked between Blackbushe and Farnborough (complete with rows of swanky corporate jets) to Woking in order to join the circuit for Fairoaks. Yet another kind controller helped us get on to the ground amidst the lunchtime rush and my co-pilot leapt into the waiting arms of a cab to Heathrow. Poor chap was off for a few hours kip before flying a 767 to Mumbai...
And finally, the last leg of my flight the Long Way Down to the South West and Long Way Round London began. All alone and without my trusty navigator I headed east and admired Epsom Racecourse while orbiting in order to get a word in with Biggin's busy controller. After obtaining my clearance to fly overhead, I did just that and headed for the QEII Bridge, a familiar landmark from my PPL days. Then back over Brentwood, Ongar and home to North Weald.
A lovely day and a bit flying with a great friend, visiting interesting airfields and seeing new sights. http://forums.flyer.co.uk/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif