I checked the plane out nice and early at Gloucester. I find it relaxing to be able to do this in a leisurely fashion as you don’t miss anything and it helps to set the tone for the coming flight, especially if you do not feel rushed or pressured. The plane was in good shape and the paintwork felt good, it had obviously been properly polished (we pay for this to be done once a month or so). Neil helped as we wheeled the plane out of the hangar, then I booked out with Gloucester as usual.
A trip to the pumps was necessary, so I took advantage of this and made sure that we had the sort of overall load we will be using in our touring at the end of June, just to get used to the weight and handling of the plane at these weights. The weather was excellent, scattered cumulus with minimal wind, but the forecast was for the Cu to build and to have scattered showers from midday onwards, with the sort of gusts associated with showery Cu’s.
Suitably refuelled, we carried out power checks and called ready for departure. The circuit was quiet and we were cleared for a right turnout after noise abatement on 27, then en-route to the north north east to Throckmorton, a mere 20 miles of so distant – by the time I levelled out in the cruise, it would be time to start the descent! Lined up and power up and we trundle away. I get the tail up and ‘feel’ for the direction with the rudder bars. I hold her down as she starts hopping on the runway, then ease off and she pretty much flies herself off, no positive ‘rotate’ action as such really. I wait until the end of the runway, then put in the required ten degree noise abatement turn and start a moderate climbing turn onto track.
I get up to 2000’ and start to establish the plane in the cruise, remembering that we are still running it at a fairly high power of 65% as we are still running in one of the cylinders. By the time we finish changing frequencies and getting settled in the cruise, we can see past Bredon Hill and can definitely see Defford disused airfield. From that landmark, at about 2 o’clock we can make out what must be Pershore, then from there, we look again at 2 o’clock and see what I am pretty sure must be Throckmorton. I keep my eye on that as I change frequency and try the special frequency allocated for the day with the call-sign Pershore Radio (although why we think in the UK that we must have a frequency and speak to someone at an airfield eludes me, the US system of self-announcing on a UNICOMM of MULTICOMM, then each pilot sorting themselves out vis-à-vis each other just works and works really well, we would do well to emulate this!).
I get no response to my initial three calls, but they may be on a low powered Icom, so we continue. I hear another plane coming in from Wellesborne direction also calling Defford on the same frequency, but he seems to be speaking instead to another ground station who was clearly annoyed that someone was using ‘his’ frequency (I rest my case!). As we close in to the overhead, I hear no other traffic and the Wellesborne one is still several miles out. I can see the airfield clearly now, it is the classic three triangular runway wartime type configuration. Two of the runways are being used for the show and only a small part of runway 08 / 26 is being used (pretty much the bit between where the two other runways intersect) giving about 550m of runway, short by some standards, but plenty long enough for the RV, even if heavily laden.
Throckmorton airfield, runway at the bottom between the intersection of the other two
I try the radio again and this time get a response. I am given the runway in use (26 as I expected) and the QFE. I decide to join high along the runway at 1500’, then descend onto left crosswind etc. This will allow me to see a bit of the runway, only part of which is in use. I fly along and note what Lyndon had said, that one of the biggest landfill sites in the area is located to the south, with an attendant massive bird strike hazard. As this is in the direction of the circuit, I make a point of flying quite a wide circuit so I can get well outside the dump. I give position calls on every leg and turn base. Power down a lot and bleed the speed off to the flap limiting speed. Click on two stages of flaps and stabilise the speed and descent.
G-GDRV on the ground at Throckmorton
Turning final for 26 now and the picture is good. I note a few cones on the runway (it is technically a disused airfield after all, although local rumour has it that there are strange Hercules night flights there from time to time) which mark the rough ‘displaced threshold’ area. Do I am aiming for a small part of the runway a good one-third into the actual runway concrete. Speed good, picture good. Keep it coming down. OK, chop the power and round out. Hold her off, stall warner starting to pip. Hold her off more, settling a bit, off a bit more. Stall warner constant now. She touches, slightly tailwheel first. Mains down, feeling a little light, not a bounce, not even a hop really, just floating slightly, hold off more and we are definitely down for what in the RV must qualify as a smooth landing – I am tickled with that!
A Tornado flyby - noisy!
We are marshalled (as expected) very professionally to the static display line of aircraft. We are only the second to arrive. We trundle in and shutdown where indicated. A very short flight, but lots of fun as you are obviously kept very busy and there is the fun of a ‘new’ airfield, especially one with a limited runway length.
SE5 replica
The show was very well attended with an eclectic mix of displays. Quite a few interesting visiting and displaying aircraft, including two scaled SE5 biplanes, a Stearman, an RAF ‘Huey’, two Belgian Air Force Augusta’s, a couple of Chippes, etc. There were also static displays from a Triumph TR car club, loads of gleaming HGV’s, Fire engines and police static displays (Throckmorton is some sort of police centre), vintage and current military vehicles and battle tanks etc. There was of course an air display, with the SE5’s, Brendan O’Brien and his crazy antics in the Cub, a Cap 10 doing aerobatics, a paid of Twisters doing synchronised aerobatics etc. We had a flyby by two Tornados, a Spitfire and a Seafire.
Seafire flyby
All in all a really nice day, with a weird mix of things going on. We both contributed generously to Help for Heroes, I can at least spare the sort of landing fee I would otherwise pay! There were two convincing showers, and we chose to huddle in the RV with the canopy down.
Armageddon is on it's way!
Neil flew back once we were cleared to leave after the final display at 16:30. All the departing planes sorted themselves out and we chose to leave pretty much last. As a backtrack was involved, we intelligently backtracked three aircraft at a time, then lined up as each departed in turn. It is amazing what pilots can do without being ‘told’ to by someone on the radio you know!
