What a wonderful day for flying!!!
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Bletchley
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It certainly was, I didn't get airborne until after lunch due to other commitments. My reward for arriving late - 2 spinning trips and converting a young lady from two seat to single gliders.
The pay back - 5 very pleasant trips between Bicester and Thame towing gliders back towards Booker after they had fallen out late in the afternoon, must see if we can get the sun to set somewhere else in the sky flying west was an absolute...............
The pay back - 5 very pleasant trips between Bicester and Thame towing gliders back towards Booker after they had fallen out late in the afternoon, must see if we can get the sun to set somewhere else in the sky flying west was an absolute...............
making the most of the weekend
Andy
Thanks for showing us who has got all the good looks in your family :-) Are the cakes at Compton still as good as I remember them?
I had moderate fun at the weekend….
Planned to fly up to Yorkshire on Friday evening. The TAF’s and F214&5 indicated that the CB’s would be well spread out, and that vis would be OK between them. Or perhaps that was just my overoptimistic interpretation! I had already decided to go the “Eastern route” (from Rochester) to avoid being funnelled into that dangerous piece of low airpsace NW of North Weald in crappy weather. But looking at the actuals up the East Midlands during the afternoon, there were too many OVC 003 for my liking. My mind was made up when I used that most scientific method at 1500: I looked out through the grime of the office window at a resolutely dark and threatening sky, and called it off.
The 18hr TAF’s indicated that Saturday morning mist would clear 8-11. This gave ample time to watch 2 Kiwi’s attempt to paralyse an Irishman (perhaps best to gloss over that AA !). We drifted down to EGTO for 1115 to find its customary halo of murk sitting on the hill. Actuals indicated better conditions in at least the northern part of East Anglia. So we sallied forth at 1200. Into the clag at 500’ and over to Southend Approach ASAP for a radar service. Unsurprisingly the skies were quiet. Plenty of time to contemplate the moisture dousing the Robin, wondering whether carb ice conditions were rife. A quick call to Earls Colne revealed them to be as quiet as a Belgian comedy club.
After Southend, better trust ourselves to the USAF, so over to Lakenheath “Rargersquakthreefaaaaavwanfoweridentsayyourinetntions” or something like that. I had forgotten their speed of delivery. By this time we were in & out between layers at 4500’. A PA32 cruised overhead at FL110 en route Newcastle – Guernsey. By Ely conditions improved and we began to enjoy life. FL 065 in bright sun shine with solid stuff well below. The sun is always sweeter when you have left ground-bound greyness.
Waddington looked after us with their customary professionalism, and almost all their traffic was clearly below the scud. They gave us a very sudden handover to Doncaster Sheffield (where did the Sheffield bit come from?) for de-confliction. We saw the traffic straightaway - a Ryanair 737 turning sharply and descending into the clouds for an NDB approach. Apparently they are getting radar this week, to much relief no doubt. Can’t imagine that Ryanair, Tui? and the rest are very happy about spending so much time in Class G. Want to bet that some sort of TMA mushrooms over time?
Time for a descent into Sherburn, and the Tykes are clearly made of stern stuff, because the circuit was pretty busy despite the shoddy weather.
The return on Sunday was delayed to maximise the delights of the Yorkshire dales. I had thought a 1700 departure would enable us to see some interesting traffic returning from displays around the country. But it was all very calm. Even Doncaster Sheffield had no traffic as we passed over at 55 (he claimed it would get busier at 1900). Great viz over to the Lincolnshire coast and the Wash. A blissful evening, so much better than the A1 or M1 option. Slipped past Southend to a somnolent Rochester. Job done.
Skua
Thanks for showing us who has got all the good looks in your family :-) Are the cakes at Compton still as good as I remember them?
I had moderate fun at the weekend….
Planned to fly up to Yorkshire on Friday evening. The TAF’s and F214&5 indicated that the CB’s would be well spread out, and that vis would be OK between them. Or perhaps that was just my overoptimistic interpretation! I had already decided to go the “Eastern route” (from Rochester) to avoid being funnelled into that dangerous piece of low airpsace NW of North Weald in crappy weather. But looking at the actuals up the East Midlands during the afternoon, there were too many OVC 003 for my liking. My mind was made up when I used that most scientific method at 1500: I looked out through the grime of the office window at a resolutely dark and threatening sky, and called it off.
The 18hr TAF’s indicated that Saturday morning mist would clear 8-11. This gave ample time to watch 2 Kiwi’s attempt to paralyse an Irishman (perhaps best to gloss over that AA !). We drifted down to EGTO for 1115 to find its customary halo of murk sitting on the hill. Actuals indicated better conditions in at least the northern part of East Anglia. So we sallied forth at 1200. Into the clag at 500’ and over to Southend Approach ASAP for a radar service. Unsurprisingly the skies were quiet. Plenty of time to contemplate the moisture dousing the Robin, wondering whether carb ice conditions were rife. A quick call to Earls Colne revealed them to be as quiet as a Belgian comedy club.
After Southend, better trust ourselves to the USAF, so over to Lakenheath “Rargersquakthreefaaaaavwanfoweridentsayyourinetntions” or something like that. I had forgotten their speed of delivery. By this time we were in & out between layers at 4500’. A PA32 cruised overhead at FL110 en route Newcastle – Guernsey. By Ely conditions improved and we began to enjoy life. FL 065 in bright sun shine with solid stuff well below. The sun is always sweeter when you have left ground-bound greyness.
Waddington looked after us with their customary professionalism, and almost all their traffic was clearly below the scud. They gave us a very sudden handover to Doncaster Sheffield (where did the Sheffield bit come from?) for de-confliction. We saw the traffic straightaway - a Ryanair 737 turning sharply and descending into the clouds for an NDB approach. Apparently they are getting radar this week, to much relief no doubt. Can’t imagine that Ryanair, Tui? and the rest are very happy about spending so much time in Class G. Want to bet that some sort of TMA mushrooms over time?
Time for a descent into Sherburn, and the Tykes are clearly made of stern stuff, because the circuit was pretty busy despite the shoddy weather.
The return on Sunday was delayed to maximise the delights of the Yorkshire dales. I had thought a 1700 departure would enable us to see some interesting traffic returning from displays around the country. But it was all very calm. Even Doncaster Sheffield had no traffic as we passed over at 55 (he claimed it would get busier at 1900). Great viz over to the Lincolnshire coast and the Wash. A blissful evening, so much better than the A1 or M1 option. Slipped past Southend to a somnolent Rochester. Job done.
Skua
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G'day skua, excellent posting - enjoyed reading it! No offence taken, I can easily admit that my brother is better looking (and nine years younger!) than me 
! We didn't have time for a cake at Compton, but the applie pie at Dunkeswell was fair.
I'm not yet as comfortable im IMC as it seems you are - I look forward to the day when I will feel I have the experience and skills to set off "into the clag at 500’" - for now I content myself with occasionally flying up through a very thin cloud layer, and I have just reminded myself that I must book an hour or two with an instrument instructor to practice some approaches as I already fear how much those skills may have deteriorated in the few months since I did the IMC rating!
Cheers!
Andy
! We didn't have time for a cake at Compton, but the applie pie at Dunkeswell was fair.I'm not yet as comfortable im IMC as it seems you are - I look forward to the day when I will feel I have the experience and skills to set off "into the clag at 500’" - for now I content myself with occasionally flying up through a very thin cloud layer, and I have just reminded myself that I must book an hour or two with an instrument instructor to practice some approaches as I already fear how much those skills may have deteriorated in the few months since I did the IMC rating!
Cheers!
Andy
