Wednesday, December 23, 2009
The joys of a local on a frosty day
The pictures tell it all - very enjoyable flight just poling around the local area.
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Local around the flooded local area
I had booked the plane for the Sunday, but the forecast was horrific and Saturday looked a better option, so I switched to Saturday morning. Turns out that was a good idea.
The weather was OK, some lower clouds, but scattered and easy to get above. The wind was modest, probably 230/10, given that Gloucester was using 22, I was hardly worried. BUT, I had planned a quick landaway, but my main concern was avoid anywhere with grass parking bearing in mind the soaking we have had in the last few weeks, it wouldn’t be funny getting the RV stuck in the mud, so in the end I settled for a local, much to the disappointment of my passenger, Rob.
We carefully pulled the RV out of the hangar, with the RV wing under the wing of the Citation also parked in the hangar, a bit of a delicate job and one you certainly don’t want to get wrong!
Of course I needed fuel, so a quick stop at the pumps, the we were off from 22. The airport seemed pretty busy, maybe because this was one of the few decent VFR days we have had for a few weeks. I had no particular aim, so bumbled over to Bredon Hill. First mistake was that I forgot my camera! Lots of flooding pretty much everywhere. The over the clouds to Evesham and the Cotswold ridge. We followed that to Bishops Cleeve then along to Cheltenham and behind Gloucester the the big bends in the River Severn.
I was below the clouds now at about 1800’ and it looked gloomier towards the south west. There was also a lot of traffic in the area, so I headed west and climbed through a gap in the clouds to 4500’ around Ross on Wye and did a few steep turns for the hell of it. Headed back to Ledbury, picked up the ATIS and headed back on in to Gloucester.
I got the usual standard overhead join for 22 with right hand circuits. The circuit had one in, one on the deadside and me joining overhead. I passed crosswind as another aircraft was taking off underneath and staying in the circuit.
I was visual with the PA28 ahead and followed him, trying to keep my distance. I was sure tjhat was the plane that ATC were talking about until he extended well downwind and flew such a wide base leg that I was sure he was leaving the circuit and wasn’t the guy I was number 2 to. But he was, he had to be on two mile final at least! I was forced out wide to stay behind and pulled on full flap and crawled along behind him.
I thought the spacing was OK and felt sorry for the guy behind me. I was given a ‘continue approach’, he had landed, but was taking his time getting to the turnoff, but ATC were sensible and offered me a ‘landafter’ which I was happy to accept – hell, I could probably land, stop and take off again before I came close to him!
The landing was a good one this time. Nailed the approach speed and made the stall warner holler long and hard before we finally touched and stayed touched!
The PA28 in front of me was taxying very slowly (OK probably the ‘correct’ fast walking speed, but…), so I had to slow to stay well behind. I noticed it was that PA28 with the snazzy paint job, I think from Wycombe, the one with a BEA colour scheme on one side and a BOAC scheme on the other – where the hell is my camera when I need it!
We parked up, shut down and put the plane carefully away. A nice flight even if it was a local. Probably one more just before Christmas, then that is my lot for the year.
The weather was OK, some lower clouds, but scattered and easy to get above. The wind was modest, probably 230/10, given that Gloucester was using 22, I was hardly worried. BUT, I had planned a quick landaway, but my main concern was avoid anywhere with grass parking bearing in mind the soaking we have had in the last few weeks, it wouldn’t be funny getting the RV stuck in the mud, so in the end I settled for a local, much to the disappointment of my passenger, Rob.
We carefully pulled the RV out of the hangar, with the RV wing under the wing of the Citation also parked in the hangar, a bit of a delicate job and one you certainly don’t want to get wrong!
Of course I needed fuel, so a quick stop at the pumps, the we were off from 22. The airport seemed pretty busy, maybe because this was one of the few decent VFR days we have had for a few weeks. I had no particular aim, so bumbled over to Bredon Hill. First mistake was that I forgot my camera! Lots of flooding pretty much everywhere. The over the clouds to Evesham and the Cotswold ridge. We followed that to Bishops Cleeve then along to Cheltenham and behind Gloucester the the big bends in the River Severn.
I was below the clouds now at about 1800’ and it looked gloomier towards the south west. There was also a lot of traffic in the area, so I headed west and climbed through a gap in the clouds to 4500’ around Ross on Wye and did a few steep turns for the hell of it. Headed back to Ledbury, picked up the ATIS and headed back on in to Gloucester.
I got the usual standard overhead join for 22 with right hand circuits. The circuit had one in, one on the deadside and me joining overhead. I passed crosswind as another aircraft was taking off underneath and staying in the circuit.
I was visual with the PA28 ahead and followed him, trying to keep my distance. I was sure tjhat was the plane that ATC were talking about until he extended well downwind and flew such a wide base leg that I was sure he was leaving the circuit and wasn’t the guy I was number 2 to. But he was, he had to be on two mile final at least! I was forced out wide to stay behind and pulled on full flap and crawled along behind him.
I thought the spacing was OK and felt sorry for the guy behind me. I was given a ‘continue approach’, he had landed, but was taking his time getting to the turnoff, but ATC were sensible and offered me a ‘landafter’ which I was happy to accept – hell, I could probably land, stop and take off again before I came close to him!
The landing was a good one this time. Nailed the approach speed and made the stall warner holler long and hard before we finally touched and stayed touched!
The PA28 in front of me was taxying very slowly (OK probably the ‘correct’ fast walking speed, but…), so I had to slow to stay well behind. I noticed it was that PA28 with the snazzy paint job, I think from Wycombe, the one with a BEA colour scheme on one side and a BOAC scheme on the other – where the hell is my camera when I need it!
We parked up, shut down and put the plane carefully away. A nice flight even if it was a local. Probably one more just before Christmas, then that is my lot for the year.
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