Veteran flight: help needed
 

I am due to fly a WW2 Pathfinder Force veteran from Newquay to Doncaster tomorrow so that he can take part in the Remembrance Day commemoration at York on Sunday and then to fly him back to Newquay on the Sunday.

I think I may be coming down with a bug and would like to ask if anyone could take these flights on for me if necessary?

If I'm OK in the morning, I'm happy to do them but would like to have a back up in case the worst happens.

Alternately, if someone can take them on but wants to be sure one way or the other now: I'm happy to hand the flights over regardless.

Obviously, I don't want to let the veteran down so would be really grateful if someone can help.

Many thanks! :ok:

Hi Jon,

Talk of a cross country!!
Is this one of your skyUber trips? I would love to help, but this would be around 8 hours in my plane to do the round-trip from London. Do you still fly the SR22? It'd be a hell of a lot faster in that!

I hope you find your replacement! :-)

Best Wishes,
Alex

Alex

Thanks for this.

Yes I still fly the SR22.

No it has nothing to do with Skyuber. I don't do those trips any more as the FAA in their wisdom say they aren't covered by the cost sharing rules.

Yes it's a long way (Cambridge Newquay Doncaster Cambridge X2) but then: how far did these guys fly for us?

Once again: if anyone can help, please let me know.

Many thanks!

Do you want it flying in your aircraft, and will you foot the handling/landing charges? Also, any particular reason for landing at Doncaster, as there is LEA, Rufforth, Breighton etc. I'm IFR current on the SR22 and have FAA/EASA tickets.
Cheers

SK

Thanks for the offer.

The reason for Doncaster is that they have an ILS and the weather looks as if we would need it. Also the people who were meeting the veteran are located there.

I would happily pay the fees, although Doncaster agreed to waive landing fees and the handlers offered a 50% discount.

The problem we would have with you using my aircraft is insurance: I have no way of adding you to it on a Friday evening.

As things stand, having received no offer by then, we made the sad decision to cancel the flight a couple of hours ago as I'm getting worse rather than better and I didn't want to risk the flights there (I'm based at Cambridge) but also the risk that, having got him there, I might not be able to fly him back.

I know that the veteran is disappointed, and I would love to find a way of making it possible for him to go; but I have to be realistic and not yield to the getthereitis that I feel.

That's a real shame then, as I'm sure we could have made it work with the insurance tomorrow morning while I was getting myself to Cambridge, and flown up tomorrow afternoon/night once the weather has moved through if he's not fussy about timings. As a veteran (Army) it would have been nice to help, but my meagre flight instructor earnings don't afford me my own aircraft and fuel for gallivanting around the UK.
Nevermind! Oh well, suppose I tried! :}

SK

Thanks again, I do appreciate your having made the effort but given that as far as I know my insurers only work weekday office hours, I don't see how we could do it on a Saturday morning.

Must have been a tough call to cancel JZ but it was the right one.

Yes, but VERY painful, I'm sure for my veteran much more importantly than for me!

A plug for Project Propeller while we're at it. I've done it a couple of times including this year at LEA and FWIW Doncaster were very helpful in marginal conditions (loads of us did an ILS cloud break then visual to LEA and they couldn't have been more accommodating).