Flying to the North Pole

No - not me - definitely not me!

I saw a posting on Flyer Forum where the redoubtable ‘Timothy’ was debating whether the demand for him to talk about his solo flight to the north pole was greater in the west country or ‘ooop north’. In all innocence, I posted a reply to say ‘west country please’ and next thing I knew, I ended up organising and publicising it!

Well, it was the least I could do really. I was happy to offer Timothy a place to stay at my house, I am only a 20 minute drive from the airport and have a spare room now my daughter has moved out. So we booked a date, Friday evening 25th July. I liaised with the airfield manager, Darren and he kindly offered the main terminal at Gloucestershire Airport from 19:30, so we booked the time for 19:45.

By way of publicity, I sent ‘Private Mails’ to all the pilots on the Flyer Forum who had Gloucester and Kemble listed as their base. In addition, I liaised with a contact at the LAA Gloster Strut who promised to send details to all of their members. In addition, I spoke to the four main flying clubs at the airfield and they agreed to put an A4 notice I had knocked up on their notice boards.

Timothy said he was already bringing his own PC’s and projectors and only needed screens. I asked Darren if he had any screens, which he didn’t seem, to but being a true gent, he bought one on the airfield account.

I wasn’t certain how many were attending as it was only with the Private Mails that I asked for a positive or negative response. I got 20 ‘definites’ from this, so I assumed the number would be somewhere between 20 and 40 – 20 being ‘respectable’ and 40 being ‘excellent’.

I turned up at the airfield at about 16:30, not because there was anything I could do until the scheduled flight for the Isle of Man left at 18:30, but just to be there with nothing to do! I grabbed a cold can or two and just sat or wandered around watching the planes come and go – am I really sad? I guess so, but this is just my idea of relaxing and kicking back.



At about 18:30 I picked out the distinctive shape of a twin on approach to runway 27. I guessed this was Timothy in his Aztec, so popped out my camera and started snapping away. Sure enough it was him, so I let myself through airside and snapped a couple more of him and Catherine (his hitch-hiker for the trip back from Canada) unpacking. And yes folks, Timothy really does arrange his propellers so that both are 12 – 6 o’clock!





Catherine’s parents were waiting, having driven up from Minehead while I showed them all to the Aviator for a quick bite to eat.

By the time I got to the terminal, it was all set up courtesy of Darren and the fire crew! As the hour approached, a few more people were turning up while I helped Timothy set up. He uses two screens and we only had one, so I pressed a somewhat reluctant flipchart stand into service. He show a map of the journey on one and photos on the other – and very effective it is too!

Eventually, a grand total of 24 assembled, I was hoping for more, but this was OK.



Timothy delivered his talk. For me, the highlights were:

• His obvious awe over the scenery at Svalbard,
• How he went on the trip solo despite having planned on an experienced co-pilot,
• His amusing tale of a low level pass of the ice strip near the north pole with astonished American tourist faces watching some ‘mad Brit’ beat the strip up in a small twin.
• The obdurate radio guy at Resolute who was as helpful as a chocolate fireguard.

There were questions throughout as Timothy indicated that he would prefer it that way. It was an excellent talk and Timothy is an experienced and compelling speaker. When I say that the talk went on until 10:30 without a break, it may sound like a bit of a marathon, but I for one (and I am sure everyone else) hardly noticed the time passing, it was that interesting and dryly amusing in the way that Timothy is.

The talk was concluded with a gratifying round of applause from an attentive and well informed audience.

At the end of the talk, two forumites also based at Gloucester introduced themselves to me. The internet can be strange like that, you have forum conversations with people based at the same airfield as you, but of course you have never met them and wouldn’t know what they look life. Anyway, I finally met GavM and ADP. They asked if Timothy and I would be interested in a pint at the Aviator followed by a ‘play’ in a wrap screen commercial twin squirrel (helicopter) approved simulator!

Well the answer would normally be ‘you bet your ass I would’, but as both Timothy and I needed to be up early the next day (Timothy to get to White Waltham by 09:15 and me to be wheels up hopefully for Deauville at 09:15), I could only spare a little time and asked Timothy if he was OK for this. Well he was, so off we went.

ADP (Adrian) works at this place airside and explained that it was a £300,000 simulator that was used to train commercial pilots and where they would log the time as it counted towards the ratings. Well it certainly looked the real deal. All of the dials were in fact screens all driven by Windows software – I guess it was a toss up what crashed more, the software of the pilots! No, really the software behaved very well.

I have never flown a helicopter and have no idea what the controls are nor how they work. ADP gave me a quick briefing and I was pretty much the first up. I found the take off straightforward enough as was flying it. Really not too tough at all. But coming to the hover and landing – no there’s the trick! Thinking about it, I guess that is the same for flying fixed wing as well.



Anyway, I managed to get it nicely into a vortex ring (whatever that is, but from what the simulator did, it’s bad – a bit like a stall. On the other hand, I did get it out of it, nose down and power on – again’ like a stall recovery. But even with Adrian doing the power, I couldn’t land it and crashed nicely on runway 27 at Gloucester!

The others fared better, but I think they had a bit more experience and if not, then certainly more aptitude! Timothy of course was set up to do a IMC approach on the ILS into Brize, which he did nicely – you can go off a person you know!



Well, we all had a play until about 00:30, when Timothy and I had to make our apologies and take our leave.

It really was an amazing simulator and I think we are all sorry that Adrian is changing jobs in a week or so to go and work for Cirrus. On the plus side, maybe I can swap some rides in the RV6 for some ride in an SR22!

Now that I have met Adrian and Gavin, I am sure I will be in touch and arrange some evening flying or maybe mini-flyouts. The trouble is that I am now pretty much wiped out for August, with a business trip to India from 28th July until at least the 9th August, maybe until 16th August. The off to Canada to see Dan and do some flying for a week on 23rd August.

Still I might squeeze in an evening or two and I have booked two weekends in September. I will have to leave all of the weekends in August to the rest of the group, so I don’t feel particularly guilty.

Spamcans - Gotta love 'em!

I am going to visit my buddy in Canada in late August and I plan to do a four day tour around New York, Toronto and Ottawa in a hired Cessna 172 while I am there. I have the appropriate licences and have lined up the club aircraft and a checkride.

The only slight fly in the ointment is that I have a grand total of 2.5 hours in any type of Cessna. I know and I agree that after a while and experience of a few different aircraft, that ‘a plane is a plane is a plane’, especially ubiquitous training aircraft like a C172 etc. However, I want to make sure I have some recent experience and am familiar with the ‘gotcha’ type differences that a C172 may hold before I appear for my checkride in Canada and make a twit of myself!

So I booked a one hour checkride at one of the local schools at Staverton that have an all-Cessna fleet. This was for an evening flight after work and I rolled up in plenty of time and got changed.

While waiting for the instructor, I admired the weather and the aircraft pottering around the airfield. Sunny and warm with only a modest breath of wind – wonderful! I even saw ‘my’ RV6 (OK, I have a share) line up on 22 and take off.

My instructor turned up and ushered me into the briefing room to find out what I was after. I explained I just wanted a bit of a workout on a Cessna 172. So we agreed on a few turns, then a few stalls in various configurations, a PFL and a few circuits with mixed landing types when we got back.

We drove over to the aircraft (the club is the other side of the airfield from the parking apron) and I popped out my commercially purchased C172 checklist and started working through it on a guided walkaround. I found the checklist illogical and annoying, as did my instructor. Still I carried on and Neil pointed out the specific things to check on a walkaround.



I have to say my personal favourite was checking the fuel in the gascolator. I have never seen anything like this before. Basically, you open the oil check door, locate a button with one hand, bend down and reach under the aircraft with the other hand holding the fuel drainer, press the button, see where the fuel is squirting out and try to hold the fuel drain under the flow to catch some fuel – long arms required!

I also particularly enjoyed testing the stall warner. Nothing can be seen or reached externally, so you have to wrap your mouth around the aperture in the wing and inhale sharply (note that I have resisted using the sexually suggestive words ‘hole’ and ‘suck’ respectively!). You are rewarded by a vague and faint rattle, a but like the sound you make blowing over a blade of grass held between your thumbs).

The fuel system is simple and easy, no electric pump (one of the benefits of a high wing design) and just stick it on ‘both’ and the fuel will feed from both tanks.

Walkaround complete, we climbed in as I started up. It fired up easily and first time and the engine sounded sweet. Taxy out to E1 for 22. Power checks are straightforward and simple enough. I line up and power up for take-off. This is no RV6 as we trundle down the runway. The airspeed slowly builds and the plane feels like it is running on rails it is so directionally stable compared to the RV. Eventually at 55, the plane starts to hop and at 60 I give it a gentle rotate and we are off. Trim for 75kts and the rate of climb is about 600 fpm – sedate and stable.

We head towards the Malverns as I climb to 1500’ and level out so I can see the level picture. I get this easily first time and we do a few turns. She is heavy in roll (OK, heavy in everything, but then most things are compared to the RV), but feels very stable.

We resume a climb to 3200’ to do a few stalls. The first is a stall recovery on first signs in normal flight configuration. The plane just gets a bit mushy, so I apply full power, nose down and recover. This was a pleasing 75’ altitude loss. The second is in landing configuration with full flaps and recover on his command. This was the same again really, the stall is a complete non-event as I power up, push forward and pull some flaps off, recover and clean up. Very well behaved in the stall.

Then we drop to 2000’ as he pulls the power for a PFL. I run through the drill and spot a remarkably runway like long and narrow ‘field’ roughly into wind, so I nominate that. ‘Yeah, it might work if you can avoid the jumps’ Neil announces. I don’t see any obstructions, but Neil knows that this is a ‘horse gallop’ for the local stables. Sure enough, closer in, there are jumps to one side, but the right hand side is clear and plenty wide enough for the Cessna. I run through the checks, radio and shut down drill. The Cessna just seems to float and glide forever and is in no hurry to loose altitude. I extend my base then turn final. Still way high, so full flaps. I know that you can’t sideslip with full flaps in the C172, something to do with the wings blanking the airflow over the elevators leading to loss of control, crash and death, so I can’t do that! On short-ish final, still high, I throw the plane around in some steep ‘s-turns’ which helps to lose height. Short final now and much better, probably no more that 200 feet now and it seems clear to me that we will ‘get in’. He give me the go-around.

Back to the airfield at a leisurely 90kts as I call for rejoin. Standard overhead join for 22 and I ask for and am given circuits.

The overhead join goes well as I come in for a normal landing. I line up on the centreline pulling on flaps and stablising the approach to 60 – 65. I am high, so full flaps. Still high and Neil advises to pull to power completely on short final. So I do as we come in for a glide landing. Not one of my better landings as I misjudge the heaviness of the controls and pull back too much and balloon a bit. But I hold off the second time for a not-terribly-graceful landing. Power up, flaps up and off again.

Second approach is with Neil’s preferred 20 degrees of flaps only. This is better and I find this a lot easier. The Cessna is very floaty.

Third and final approach is for a flapless. The approach is faster and much ‘flatter’ as I come in at 70. Neil advises me to be very careful over airspeed as the plane could just float all the way down the long 1000m runway! I get the speed right and hold off pretty well though I say it myself. While I was training, I always enjoyed flapless landings best of all, somehow I found them the easiest of the lot. This is my best landing of the three, I think I am getting used to the relative ‘heaviness’ of the plane now.

We taxy back and shutdown. Neil is keen to get off home as he has logged five hour today and is pretty tired.

Well a surprisingly useful lesson. I have picked up on a lot of the ‘oddities’ of the C172 and re-familiarised myself with the forgiving and relatively heavy controls and easy but ponderous landing characteristics of the plane. This I am certain, will serve me well when I do the checkride in Canada – I just hope it hasn’t screwed me up for handling in the RV6!

Caen and the D-Day experience

I had promised Mark, my next door neighbour, a trip to the Normandy D-Day beaches for some time now. He is something of a military history buff and enjoys flying, so this would be an ideal combination, with a low level pass along the beaches of course!

This was to be my first overseas trip of the year and I was pessimistic of my chances in the week leading up to it, as the weather was terrible – showers, angry clouds and strong winds – welcome to the UK in July (so much so that the huge RIAT airshow due on the same weekend at RAF Fairford was cancelled for the first time in 38 years due to waterlogging of the grass areas)!

But as the week wore on, the forecast for Saturday look probably do-able with a bit of shower dodging and Sunday looked pretty good, so it was yet again a case of ‘stick your head out of the window in the morning’. On the assumption that it was a ‘go’, I visited the airfield late Friday afternoon and filed the GAR and Flight Plan and generally prepped the plane with all the gear I needed, packing it as far as I was able to achieve a sensible weight and balance.

Saturday dawned with a light wind and a broken overcast, possibly the odd shower later, but small and isolated. The 214 / 215’s agreed and promised better weather for Sunday (good, because I can’t afford to get stranded). So I decided to ‘go’. I picked Mark up next door at 08:00 and off we went. My preparations the night before paid off in time saved, so I could brief Mark properly on the liferaft, ELT, seat belt cutters and what he should do in the event of a ditching.

The plane was virtually out of fuel, so over to the pumps for a ‘full to the brim and then some’ refuel. While I was sure I could get fuel at Caen, I wanted to make sure I had enough for the round trip if for some reason they couldn’t oblige.

That complete, we mounted up and took off at about 09:15. Although the RIAT airshow was cancelled, the restricted airspace for the event stayed in place, so my routing was not the usual ‘straight line to GWC’, instead I used:

EGBJ DCT BATH DCT PORTLAND DCT ORTAC DCT CHERBORG DCT CARENTAN DCT OUESTERHAM DCT LFRK

Basically, almost due south, coasting out at Portland, then SSE to the Cherbourg peninsula, down along the east coast past Utah beach, then east along the other beaches, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword, onto Pegasus Bridge over the canal and into Caen Carpiquet.

Due to the cloud base, I could manage 3000’ – adequate, but I would of course like higher, especially over water. I called Bristol Radar, as although I was going to pass below their controlled airspace, I would come close, so better that I am talking to them. As it turned out, he was the most helpful guy I have ever come across, volunteering to get me Caen weather (yes please). So I pushed my luck and asked if he could also get the status of D021 and D023 (two military danger areas I hoped were ‘cold’ so I could fly through them – they usually are at the weekend). He dutifully obliged – he must have been REALLY bored!

As is not uncommon, the cloud thinned and lifted over the channel as we coasted out and I climbed to 3400’ – I had to stay below 3500’ as there was a low-level airway heading to Jersey I needed to fly under. I was now talking to London Information. Some way out into the channel, they advised me to change frequency to Jersey Radar. I was not planning to cross their zone, but I would be touching ORTAC (at the corner of their zone), so I was surprised by this request and wondered if somehow I had blundered into their zone. A triple check with GPS and VOR radials revealed I hadn’t. I needn’t have worried, they gave me an immediate squawk and FIS until I was at ORTAC, then a freecall to Deauville Approach.

Deauville were fine as usual. We were now approaching Barfleur to the east of Cherbourg. As I coasted in, I requested a descent to 1000’. Deauville seemed surprised at this and asked me to repeat. I was worried that they might say ‘no’ for some reason, but they were fine and down we went to 1000’ for the rest of the trip, hugging the coast so Mark could get some good photo’s of the beaches and points of interest. Easy for me too, my alternate in the event of engine failure were miles and miles of sandy beaches!

The run down the beaches at 1000’ was great fun and gave some rewarding views. I spotted the American Military Cemetery at Omaha beach (popularised by ‘Saving Private Ryan’) so I did an orbit at 1000’ with the power pulled back somewhat to reduce noise while Mark snapped away on the camera.



Onwards we went to the still visible remnants of the Mulberry Harbour at Arromanches. Then onto the target for the weekend, the Canadian ‘Juno’ beaches at Courseulles-sur-Mer.





We easily picked out the visitors centre and orbited that. The on to the eastern beach, Sword around Ouistreham and then up the river and canal toward Caen and the famous Pegasus bridge.

We spotted this easily, but I didn’t remember until later that a few years ago, the actual bridge was removed and replaced by a bigger, but very similar looking bridge. As I was about to start my first 1000’ orbit, Deauville warned my of another aircraft coming in from behind and descending, either planning to do the same thing or possibly on his way into Caen airport, he advised me to head east for a few minutes, I was happy to oblige! After about two minutes, he advised that I was clear of the traffic and could resume. So back we went and clicked away merrily at the wrong bridge! As it turned out, the location of the old bridge was at a visitors centre about 100m away, so many of the photos Mark took got both bridges in it anyway, together with a full size replica of a Horsa glider!



Orbit complete, I called up Caen and got approach instructions. I was given a right base join for 31. As I called right base, I was then immediately made number three to two aircraft on long final. I quickly spotted one and then spotted the other, which looked like a biplane painted dark grey and hardly standing out from the overcast! I tucked in behind him and called final.

On final, the controller offered me 31 ‘hard’ or ‘grass’. I hadn’t even realised they had a grass strip, but no thanks anyway. They were giving the wind as 260/10, but the windsock didn’t seem to agree, so I judged my approach and there seemed to be very little crosswind. As we approached to short final, I spotted the biplane again, but this time trundling slowly along the runway, having presumably touched down ‘on the numbers’, with the first exit three-quarters along the runway – thanks pal! I had already been cleared to land so I assumed the controller was giving me a ‘land-after’. Then on very short final, the controller piped up and in very broken English with a lot of ‘aaahhhs and errrrs’ eventually gave me a ‘you tack ouf agin and chreye agin pliiz’. The moment she piped up, I knew it was a go-around, so powered up and was well into the go around before she found the right words!



Around we went for a left hand circuit and came in again, this time number one and a clean runway (always a bonus). I didn’t think there was any traffic behind me, but just in case, I stayed high and aimed to touch down well past the piano keys to minimise the taxi trundle. This I did with a good landing. I was directed to the grass parking area which while not billiard table smooth, wasn’t too bad. I parked next to the biplane which turned out to be painted a dark olive green and in German WW1 markings. I shut down, unpacked and set the plane up for overnight parking (stick secured to the rear with seat belts etc. I didn’t bother with chocks as it would take a hurricane to move it in the grass.



Last time I was here (three years ago now) we left via the tower, but I went and checked all the doors in the main terminal building first. The third door from the right was signed as ‘aircrew’ and was open, so in we went. We had arrived at the right place and a very pleasant lady with very little English helped us.





With my very poor French (and Mark’s excellent understanding of French but his apparent refusal to actually speak a word), we got by. Yes, there would be fuel tomorrow and yes, we could pay all the fees tomorrow. Douanes? A gallic shrug and a smile – we had correctly notified them with advance notice and full details the day before as it said on the French AIP and Caen plates. This is not at all unusual, I have rarely actually seen customs at a French airfield. She was kind enough to call for a taxi to take us to the SNCF station in Caen, as that was the best place to hire a car.

Waiting for the taxi, Mark and I visited a small monument by the tower to the Canadian regiments that finally took the strategic airfield in early July 1944 in hand to hand fighting.

Well, of course by the time we got to the station, all of the four car hire places were shut for lunch (this is continental Europe remember). The earliest to re-open was at 13:30 – well it was 13:00 now so a beer and a juice at the local bar was in order – the bill for this reckless extravagance? – a mere EUR 11 – AAARRRGGGHHH KEEEYYRRIIIIISSSTT! This is gonna hurt!

The rest of the trip went better in comparison. On the Saturday we went to Benys-sur-Mer and the Canadian cemetery then onto Courseulles and the Canadian visitors centre.



The visitors centre was fine except for some ‘political correctness’ nonsense with one entire substantial room devoted to why Canadians like Canada (no kidding!) and how bad we were to the Inuit (and this has what to do with WW2???).

We drove in the direction of Ouistreham to get to Pegasus bridge before it closed, but spotted some more Canadian monuments along the way, so stopped at them. We came to the famous house on the coast that the clip of the landings always show, of a Canadian soldier running off a landing craft with a distinctive French house on the shore. This was the first house liberated by the beach landings and sported a decent sized Canadian flag.





We managed to get to Pegasus Bridge with 45 minutes until it closed, so we whizzed around and then realised that the original bridge had been moved to this site (complete with bullet marks) – ooops! We both hoped that Mark had managed to capture this bridge in his aerial photos as well (he did, but of course more by accident that design).



We stayed at the Ibis in the centre of Caen. The Accor Hotel group (Mercure, Ibis etc.) are a pilot’s best friend because they allow for cancellation on the day of arrival! To be fair so do the Campinile and B&B groups.

We got ripped off with a below par evening meal in a very nice restaurant in the ancient quarter of Caen. It was full of stuff heads of deer and other game and incongruously a huge Moose! A mere EUR 130 for the two of us, for a so-called fillet steak (about 1cm thick) from a cow that had clearly died from malnutrition!

The next day, we headed to Omaha beach and the American Cemetery. The American do things differently – they have a few HUGE cemeteries whereas the Commonwealth have a lot of smaller ones. I have to say it is very impressive and now has an excellent and remarkably ‘balanced’ visitors centre and display (i.e. it actually acknowledges the contribution made by nations other than the US). Of course this was popularised very movingly in the film ‘Saving Private Ryan’ (based on a true story of the Niland family, but only loosely) with the emotional opening and closing scenes taking place here. You have to visit to understand it. On the northern edge of the cemetery is a path and a low wall which is on the top of the low ridge that overlook Omaha beach and is precisely where many of the German defenders were sited. A visit here is a very moving experience and it is very hard now to watch the opening 15 minutes of the film without tears coming to your eyes.



We dropped the car back and noted that everything was shut on Sunday (unlike Le Touquet where quite a lot was open). We just managed to refuel, but crapped-out on the wine front.

Back to the airport where we had to find some way of getting back airside. A disembodied voice on the ‘buzzer-phone’ on the door mentioned something about the Air France desk. So we waited there for a bit and when no one came, spotted a guy reading a paper by the security machines at departures, he motioned asked for our passports and my licence and beckoned us through. We went through the now time-honoured charade of stripping almost bare (OK, emptying my pockets and taking my belt off) to walk through machines that were turned off anyway.

We went to the office and paid the exorbitant EUR 8.50 fee (bargain of the trip). We refuelled, filed the flight plan and were away by 15:00 local (14:00 UK time).

The weather was overcast and showery south of the airfield, but looked sunny with widely scattered clouds north of the airfield over the water. I didn’t mess about with low level runs and climbed to 3500’ to stay below the very occasional cumulus as we back-tracked the same route back to the UK.

The weather was great, but I still had to stay below 3500’ to clear that bloody low level airway into Jersey. On the way back, I decided to show Mark the Cerne Abbas Giant with his large appendage, keeping a careful eye out for aircraft at this ‘honeypot’.

The return trip was uneventful, except for a glider passing a couple of hundred feet to our left and below (but still too close for comfort). I did spot him, albeit late, but early enough to take avoiding action (which wasn’t needed), so I waggled wings instead.

Bristol Radar were very busy and I barely managed to get a QSY in well north of their airspace. That and getting the Gloucester ATIS and the initial call to Gloucester distracted me so that when I looked around I spotted that I was barely a mile east of Nympsfield at 2400’ while glider winch launch was in operation. Oh crap – what an idiot! I felt really bad and hoped they didn’t have to suspend launch activity. I made a mental note (and did) to call and email them later with an apology.

Gloucester were fine as usual and I got a standard overhead join for 27 with right hand circuits. Then at 4 miles they changed it to 22 with right hand circuits. No bother. Around we went, taking care to be precisely over the upwind numbers at 1000’ as a Sligsby took off below us so we passed overhead while he was climbing out – Mark and I kept a very careful watch out for him as he passed underneath. The approach was good as was the landing. Down at just before 16:00 local.

We taxied in and shut down, we unpacked and I asked Mark to use the car shampoo to wash down all the leading areas of the plane and the front of the prop for fly-splats. Of course, he thought the front of the prop was the front (i.e. grey side) so missed the real front (i.e. the back) - so I had to give the real front a decent clean – clear – errr perhaps not!



This was a very good trip and blew my ‘touring cobwebs’ away. The usual very ‘relaxed’ French ATC (I wonder if the hysterical, shrill and barely competent lady controller at Le Touquet has relocated to Caen now?) – having said that, Deauville were great.

A good trip and I look forward to taking to wife on a long promised trip to Deauville . Honfleur in two weeks time – as usual, pray for the weather!

Local and the North Pole!

No – not the hordes of Polish workers now in the UK – a planned talk at my local airfield by an intrepid aviator who flew his Aztec twin solo to the North Pole!

First the local.

I hadn’t flown for since the 7th and the ‘itch’ has been getting worse for the last few days. I booked the plane for Monday evening hoping that the wind would die down (it has been VERY blowy the last few days). Well, it was OK. The weather was sunny with scattered, thin cumulus at about 4000’ and a wind reported at the airfield as 200V250 / 11 – fine by me.

I shot home first to get changed and picked up my daughters boyfriend (as he is always keen to go flying). The airfield was quiet and Rob helped a lot by opening hangar doors, helping wheel the plane out etc. He is very keen and quick to learn.

I booked out for a local to the SW, then checked the fuel – oh nuts! Only about 30l on board, so a trip to the pumps in order. No particular hassle, it’s just in such warm, sunny weather, any time spent with the canopy buttoned up, but not actually flying means you get very sweaty very quickly.

We put 70 litres in, so now plenty on board. Just before I was about to climb back in, an Arrow pulled up behind us, so I climbed out and pulled the plane forward so he could pull up far enough to start fuelling (a little consideration for others is no bad thing). We started up and taxied out to runway 22. Power checks complete, a glance at the windsock said it was pretty much straight down the runway – you learn to get very sensitive to ACTUAL wind strength and direction (as opposed to reported winds) in a taildragger!

Cleared for take off, I taxied past the displaced threshold and started the take off run. The take-off itself was nice and smooth (though I say it myself) as we headed straight ahead towards the ‘bends in the river’ the other side of Gloucester and headed down the Severn towards the Bristol Channel.

Rob got a couple of pictures of the bridges as I headed up the Wye valley at Chepstow. I got Rob to take the stick and he held it nice and level and carried out some gentle turns to follow the course of the river.

As the plane had just had it’s 100 hour check, I was carefully monitoring the gauges and digital engine readouts for any unusual behaviour – none appeared.

We wandered over to Ledbury for an orbit of the grass strip there, then I whistled up the Gloucester ATIS. I called for a rejoin at Tewkesbury and was given a standard overhead join for 22 with right hand circuits. I could have asked for a direct join, but it’s been a while since I did a ‘standard overhead’, so what the hell!

All went well and I managed to get the plane slowed to sensible circuit speed (I needn’t have worried as I was the only one in the circuit). On base, the Tower advised me that some genetic throwback had started a huge bonfire on short-ish final to runway 22 and given this and the current wind (they were giving 250 / 11), would I like to change runway. Turning final now, I saw the windsock and it looked only slightly off of 22, the smoke didn’t look too bad, so I opted to continue.

In the event, the smoke was no bother and the wind definitely favoured 22 – only slightly off runway heading – so a good decision. The landing was good, although I could have ‘nailed the tail’ on the ground quicker than I did – last remnants of my nosewheel ‘bad habits’.

Nice flight in excellent visibility. I am definitely ready for touring now. Locals are OK, but I really need to go somewhere now. Trip to France planned for mid-July!

On the other topic, I frequent an internet forum called ‘Flyer Forum’. I joined this in 2002 and have found it an excellent and generally friendly source of information and debate (unlike the apparently un-moderated but much better known PPRUNE – where they seem to spend vast amounts of time ‘willy waving’ and generally insulting each other without mercy). Here I got wind of the flyout to Italy that I took part in in 2006. On this flyout, I met ‘Timothy’, a vastly experienced ex-commercial pilot who normally flew an Aztec twin, but was actually flying with another forumite in a C152!

Well, in April 2008, Timothy fulfilled a lifetime ambition and flew his Aztec via Norway and Spitzbergen, to the North Pole (solo), then onto various airports in the extreme north of Canada, across the Greenland icecap to Iceland, then back to Biggin Hill. We all followed his posting avidly on the forum and since he returned he has written an article that was published in Flyer magazine about the trip.

Well, I asked if he was planning a talk in the west country anytime soon and this turned into him agreeing to do a talk on 25th July at Gloucester airport if I organised it. I agreed to go this and have since worked with the very helpful head of ATC at Gloucester who has booked the terminal building and I am now in the process of publicising the event to the aviation fraternity in the local area.

So Friday, 25th July 2008 at 19:45 in the main terminal at Gloucestershire (Staverton) Airport EGBJ – be there! Admission free.

Ramble and rant about overseas touring

My ‘big tour’ this year is one I have planned for a while now. This is a visit to my buddy in Ottawa in August to hire a plane and fly from:

1. Ottawa to New York (Westchester / White Plains) via Massena to visit my sister,
2. New York low level city trip, then Niagara Falls and Toronto City Airport,
3. Toronto City to Ottawa.

As part of the preparations, on my last visit in February this year, I had lined up the paperwork and medicals etc. for a written test to get a full Canadian PPL based on my standalone FAA PPL.

This was a mini-performance in itself which I have already written about. Suffice to say that it didn’t end in February and I had to actively chase Transport Canada to persuade them to chase the FAA for an answer to a very simple question (which I was sure the FAA had overlooked – and so it turned out). Anyway, I finally got my Canadian PPL in early June – precisely four months after applying for it.

While I was in Ottawa in February, as part of the preparations, I visited my preferred flying club (where I had flown on a P U/T ‘trial flight’ basis the year before), Rockcliffe and introduced myself to one of the Senior FI’s there. I explained my plan and asked if I could hire one of their C172’s. He agreed in principle (subject to a check ride – of course) and even talked about the relatively complex and fiddly Canada to USA border clearance procedures and where to read up on them (I am a Canadian passport holder, so easier for me to get into the USA than a Brit). He said that he couldn’t actually book a plane for me there and then as their system didn’t load dates that far in advance and advised that I should contact them 8-10 weeks before the trip. So far so good. I had previously checked Rockcliffe out on the internet and noted that they had several write ups on trips their members took to US destinations and made various recommendations for US destinations.

So having done what I thought was ‘all the right things’, including personally introducing myself to a senior Flying Instructor at Rockcliffe, once the actual licence arrived in early June, I called the same FI at Rockcliffe and re-introduced myself and explained again my plans and asked to book a plane for a check ride followed by my planned trip.

There was something in the vague and non-committal way he was responding that made me wonder. It told him about my flying experience (not vast at 400 hours TT, but hardly a beginner either) and again he sounded a bit vague but promised to get back to me. I was left with a somewhat uneasy feeling, but put it down to the fact that English wasn’t his first language (Ottawa is probably the most bi-lingual city in Canada). Two days later I got an email from him saying that he had now spoken to the club CFI (……hmmmmm……that sounds ominous…) who wanted to ‘keep trips to the USA down this year’ and wasn’t keen to rent to ‘someone they don’t know’ to make such a trip!

OK – not happy now! So I emailed back and politely pointed out that I had flown with them before, met their FI in February when he raised no objections at the time. I would be flying with my buddy who lives in Ottawa and was a long-serving member of the Canadian Armed Forces and he would be happy to ‘vouch’ for me. This didn’t cut much (i.e. any!) ice with them and they responded that the USA was out, but they would be happy to rent to me ‘provided I passed the check ride’ (they mentioned this every time and I was getting bored with the repetition). They also asked for copies of both the Canadian and FAA licences (why the FAA one I don’t know), copies of my last few logbook pages (fair do’s) and a note of recent touring and experience in the C172 (OK – fair enough).

I had already carefully planned my trip to New York, bought the maps, marked the routes up, prepared the PLOG’s, prepared flight plans, made enquiries about the trickier stuff (New York low-level city route, Niagara Falls traffic patterns etc.) only to be told that although I had discussed it with them in February, that they would not now rent me the plane for the trip, but I could change plans and do something else purely within Canada – NOT HAPPY! Had they told me this in February, I would probably have gone along with it and planned something else, but now I feel a call to other clubs coming on.

I tentatively booked with Rockcliffe anyway and sent the information requested while at the same time emailing my buddy with the news and suggesting alternatives along the lines of:

- Check with other flying clubs in Ottawa / Montreal / Kingston and see if they all had similar concerns and restrictions – if so then it must be a general rule
- Drive to Massena in the USA and hire an FAA aircraft from there and stay in the USA.
- Do alternative tours in Canada only – like Ottawa to Quebec City or maybe the Bay of Fundy etc.

Well, my buddy is a resourceful kind of guy who sees ‘no’ as the first step on the road to a ‘yes’. He made a few calls and spoke to some other clubs. If I know him, he probably ‘talked me up’ and made me sound like a cross between Charles Lindberg and Chuck Yeager – I hope not! Anyway, the good news is that ‘the other club’ in Ottawa were happy to hire a C172, subject to a checkride (of course!) for the planned trip. They want a substantial deposit on account (I have seen this before when I trained with a school in the US – they are a long established club, so I am not too worried), but it looks like a go-er.

So I will be speaking to this other flying club and sending them no doubt much the same information and a substantial deposit ‘on account’.

What I don’t understand is what I could possibly have done differently and why people say one thing then do another. With hindsight, I suspect that I should have made a point of speaking to the CFI. Needless to say, I will not be doing future business with Rockcliffe Flying Club.

I am hoping to arrange a similar flying holiday next year in the summer. But this should be easier (note ‘should be’) as I hope to fly with my bother-in-law’s brother, who lives in Texas (he is an aircraft owner and an FAA Instructor) and maybe my sister (who lives in New York) and my buddy (who could fly down from Canada). The trip could be entirely in the USA around Texas, New Mexico, Nevada etc. My contact in Texas could easily arrange a rental for me and even do the checkride / combined FAA BFR. Sounds strange to be looking forward to next years trip before I have done this years, but that’s what GA touring is about I guess.

Taking the 'War Department' flying!

It had to happen! The wife wanted a trip in my 'new' plane now that I had taken others up and not actually managed to kill them or myself!

Well, I had the plane booked for a local on Saturday afternoon and the weather was excellent. So of course I had to oblige. I was hoping to do a 'landaway', but as one of the other group members booked the plane after me, it didn't leave enough time, so a local it had to be.

She know how long the 'boring bit' takes as I check the aircraft out, book out etc. so brought a book and sat reading it in the hangar while I toiled away! I announced we were ready and she helped me manouevre the aircraft out of the hangar.

I gave her the safety brief, especially the harnesses and canopy opening - she knows the rest already, then away we went.

Gloucester were giving runway 36 with the wind 330 / 05 variable - fine. It is amazing how obsessed you get with the wind in a taildragger - when I flew nosewheels it was 'yeah whatever' unless it was howling a gale!



And yes, it is a snug fit in an RV6 - she was chuckling at how cosy me and the neighbour must be (he is a bit bigger than the wife!).

Off we went on 36 with the aircraft skipping along happily, then flying itself off. Up to about 3800 and I followed my now 'time honoured' local route of the Malverns, Defford, Bredon Hill, Winchcombe, Gotherington then back in the Gloucester - with of course a few turns and steep turns thrown in for fun.



She is an excellent passenger, but wasn't going to take the stick any time soon.

Rejoining, we were still on 36 as I was given a standard overhead join. This was fine, but 36 is narrower than the other runways and the base to final leg heads straight for a hill, so it focuses the mind somewhat.

I was high (as I usually am on 36 for some reason), so side-slipped the height off. My wife has seen me do this before, so was not unduly alarmed by the aircraft sliding sideways.

Good approach gradiant now on short final with the required speed. Over the threshold and roundout. Fly level and back, back, back - no baloon and minimal crosswind. Stall warner chirping, now constant, back more and we touch and stay touched - whoppee - no bounce or hop! I see the wife give a 'startle reflex' as we land - it was a good landing, but the tailwheel makes it noisier and a bit bumpier than the Arrow or the Beech Bonanza she was previously used to - I guess I should have warned her. No matter, she is fine.

She enjoyed the flight and now has a feel for the plane and the touring I have planned withb her to France should go fine.

Another lovely flight. I really want to go touring or at least 'airfield collecting' next time - maybe Southend or Bournemouth, not been there yet.

Pleasant evening bimble

On checking the bookings for the plane, it seems that June is pretty popular, with a booking for every weekend now. So I thought I would get in early for July as I am planning on a couple of trips to France. Even so, a couple of weekends in July had already ‘gone’, so I booked two that were left, one for a Caen trip with my neighbour and another for a trip to Honfleur with the wife.

The Caen trip is on the same weekend as the huge RIAT Airshow at Fairford. That’s a pain because they will create a bloody great big RAT (Restricted Airspace) in a huge upside-down layer-cake arrangement directly between Gloucester and the south coast (where I need to head). No matter - a quick look at the charts and I will head south towards the ‘gap’ between Bristol and Lyneham, then coast out at Portland (if the Danger Areas are closed) routing to Cherbourg, then along the east coast of the Cotentin peninsula overflying the invasion beaches headed for Caen – should work nicely.

With the June weekends being heavily booked and things at work being very busy (with a one week business trip to India in early June), I decided to keep my newly-minted taildragger skills up to date with a quick local of an evening after work (blessed be the long summer evenings!).

The weather on Wednesday was pretty good – a bit like to opening sequence of the Simpsons – odd puffy clouds and light winds. Despite the forecast for rain by late afternoon, this had not happened by 15:00, so I checked the on-line booking and booked the plane for the evening. A quick trip back home to see if anyone wanted to come with me as self-loading ballast and my daughter’s boyfriend volunteered.

Drove the 20 minutes to the airfield and parked up. Quick check of the NOTAMS (can’t be too careful, even on a local, especially in the summer – I would hate to blunder into a Red Arrows display).

I booked out and checked the plane out. Amazingly, it had nearly full tanks – great, no trip to the pumps. The plane was in good order and I noted that the brakes had been serviced from the tech log.

Pulled the plane out and got in. Gave Rob another safety brief (he had one last time, but I wanted to go through the key safety points again, especially the seat belts and canopy opening / jettison). Started up and lit up the panel. The ATIS said basically that all runways except 27 were closed due to grass cutting and that the winds were 220 / 10 knots. OK, could be a crosswind here, but I am happy with 10 knots, so we set off.

The brakes were noticeable ‘rumbly’, but we had be warned that this might be so, so no drama.

Power checks OK and I was cleared for take off on 27. The windsock showed very little wind, so the wind had dropped since the ATIS, but be aware of a possible crosswind from the left, so a bit of left aileron and read with right rudder during the take off run. In the event, I didn’t seem to need any more than normal. The tail came up quickly and the RV started hopping merrily down the runway like an excited toddler heading towards the beach. I let her climb gently away which she did with the usual aplomb.

We turned on track to the north west and continued the climb to 3200’ (I always like to avoid round 1000’s and 500’s) and levelled out there. Top of climb checks and lean the mixture. Before I knew it, we were over the Malverns. Time for a few normal and steep turns! The RV handles steep turns really well and is a pleasure to fly.

I let Rob try a ‘normal’ angle of bank turn for a full 360 degrees. He is a keen Flight Simulator ‘pilot’ and it showed! He had his eyes glued to the instruments, especially the altimeter most of the time. I explained visual reference flying to him. I made a similar mistake when I was learning and was ‘rewarded’ by my instructor sticking a piece of paper over all the instruments and making me do a couple of manoeuvres purely visually, only to be rewarded by the ‘reveal’ when he took the paper away to see that I had only lost 100’ – so it can be done!

The visibility was much better than last time and Rob got some much better photographs.

Despite Gloucester being very quiet, I was spotting several aircraft in flight. None close enough to worry, but then if you can see them at all, it is a worry!

Over to Bredon Hill to check it is still there and I played ‘spot Croft Farm’ from a safe 4200’. We spotted it and heard at least two aircraft heading in to Croft Farm. While orbiting Croft Farm, we spotted to twin about 500’ above heading in a Brize Norton direction.

Over to my home village to ‘buzz the town’ (of course from the correct legal altitude – besides the village is so small, I have to turn around the outside). More pictures as I set course to the North East and climbed while getting the latest Gloucester ATIS. Winds had dropped and were minimal and variable (that’s what I like to hear).

Suitably organised, I headed back to base and called for rejoin over Gretton. The airfield had not combined TWR and APP frequencies and were very quiet (apart from turning around the scheduled Dornier commercial flight from the Isle of Man). I was given a direct long final join for 27.

I misjudged the height a bit and was too high and too fast over the racecourse – the RV is very slippery. So I pulled to power and held altitude to slow the plane. Once closed, I put some power in and started a sideslip. Managed to get to a sensible height over the distinctive ‘doughnut’ shaped office building (about 2 mile final). Called final and cleared to land. Speed slowed to flap limiting speed and dropped the flaps. Got 80kts and decayed this to the desired 70kts. I ran through the landing in my mind.

Good approach path, good speed, windsock hanging with the odd flicker at the bottom to show it was still alive – but barely – my kind of wind! Cleared to land and backtrack (they really ARE quiet). Over the hedge for 27, past the displaced threshold. Power off, fly level. Edge back on the stick, tiny movements as the elevators are powerful and sensitive. No balloon, back more, a bit more, stall warner starting to chirp, back more, more, wheels touch – bit of a small hop, back more, touch again and we stay down, stick fully back to anchor the tailwheel. We are down – good landing – pleased with that.

Carefully slowed the aircraft, gentle braking. Now going very slowly, carefully turn the plane around for the backtrack. I am possibly being too careful about this, but rather that than an embarrassing pirouette! Taxied back and shut down.

Lovely flight in good weather. I can’t wait to go touring now. I have two weekends booked in July, both for trips to France (weather permitting of course).

And no Manuel – I didn’t grease the fuel caps!

Yet more locals!

Surprisingly, the aircraft wasn’t booked at all over the weekend, until that is it was booked late in the week for Saturday for its 25 hour service. Sunday was a great day weather-wise – sunny and warm with scattered ‘fair-weather cumulus’. Unfortunately, I had flown it on Friday evening and had to paint the front window. However, I did this in short order and my thoughts turned to flying again at about mid-afternoon. A quick check of the booking system showed it was booked for one hour between 16:00 and 17:00 with a note to say the person wasn’t going to fly, but just wanted to take the GPS unit out of the plane and home so he could program the flight plans for a coming trip.

Great, so I booked it for 2 hours from 17:15! I gave Mark, my neighbour a shout to see if he was interested in a local as he hasn’t flown in this plane yet (and I owe him a trip to the D-Day beaches). He was up for it, so we piled in the car and off for the 20 minute drive to the airfield.

We got there about 16:30 and there was no trace of the other group member and the GPS was still in place. No matter, I checked the plane over in the hangar then pulled it out onto the ramp. I gave Mark the safety brief, especially how the canopy releases and seat belts worked. It was approaching 17:00, but to while away the time, Mark and I watched someone at the pumps trying to ‘hand-prop’ start a biplane. He was having a few problems with a couple of trips to look under the engine covers and tinker. What surprised me was that he was doing all this without anyone in the cockpit (I thought it was a ‘golden rule’ to have someone competent at the controls?). I guess if I was a gentleman, I would have walked the 100 m or so and helped out? Well, he got it going eventually, but I suspect he was a bit hot and bothered.

Hmmmmm…..17:00 and still no show by the guy who wanted the GPS. I wasn’t certain how to remove it. Managed to pull it out, but it had a serial port connector (which I could easily take off) and a brass connector that looked like it was screwed in – well that was too much for me, so rather than tinker with something I wasn’t certain about, I refitted it and assumed it was a ‘no show’ by the earlier booking. Just in case, I left a note on the locker and booked the plane out.

Of course it needed more fuel, so we refuelled and added some 64 litres. By now it was 17:20. I checked the hangar and still no show by the other group member, so we mounted up and called for taxi clearance. It was runway 04, so off to B1 for 04 crossing 36.

I pointed out to Mark the restricted forward view while taxying and that I could just see forward without having to resort to weaving. We pulled up to B1 as I did the power checks. The plane was fine and all readings were as expected. I called ‘ready for departure’.

I had previously explained to Mark about the differences between taildraggers and the nosewheel aircraft he had previously flown with me in. I checked the windsock, minimal wind, maybe a little from the right, then I applied power, stick slightly forward of neutral to raise the tail. Tail up, modest dance on the pedals and the plane started to ‘skip’ happily along the runway – she was getting ready to fly. Ease back a bit and off she went, happily climbing away at 1000 fpm with two big guys and a decent fuel load. Mark was amazed at how little ground run it needed.

I flew straight ahead until past the noise-sensitive Staverton village (I kid you not, there is a lady there that sits outside with a clock and binoculars recording the registration of every aircraft that overflies the village and sends the list into the airfield as a noise complaint!), then set course to see if the Malverns were still there. We climbed to about 4000’ then set the plane up for the cruise as I allowed the speed to build, pulled the throttle back to cruise and leaned the mixture. This gave a very reasonable 23 lph and 135 kts airspeed.

I showed Mark a few normal turns then a few steep turns. He flies model aircraft, so has some idea of the forces involved and what is going on. I gave him the controls and he managed straight and level and some modest turns. He quickly adapted to the very sensitive controls and immediately declared it ‘like a fighter’.

We flew down the Wye Valley at 3000’ and checked that the two Severn bridges were still there – they were! Then we headed back to the airfield IFR (I Follow the River) up the Severn. I got the ATIS and called Gloster Approach overhead Lydney. They gave me a straight-in approach to long final for 04 and asked me to report at 4 miles.

Overhead the bends in the Servern, a helicopter called and reported at the same position as me. I didn’t catch his altitude, so asked Gloster – it was fine, he was only at 1000’ and shortly he reported visual with me.

I played with the GPS and for fun set ‘direct to’ Gloster – well, it would also give me the range so I could accurately report my 4 miles. I do find this unit not as easy as the Garmin 430’s I am used to, but I will have to get use to it I guess.

I had a cruise descent on, but was still pretty high. I reported 4 miles and was cleared to land – circuit not busy then! I was way high and fast, so power back and started side-slipping. This worked well as I unwound from the sideslip and brought the speed back by flying level with the throttle close. Once in flap limiting speed, dropped one stage of flap, then the second and set up for about 80 kts. Two mile final now. At one mile, brought the speed back to 70kts. Good altitude now with one pinky red and one white from the PAPI’s. Tower reported wind agreed with the windsock – 050 / 05 kts – almost perfect!

I had earlier briefed Mark on what to expect on landing and not only NOT to be alarmed if the stall warner went off before we touched, but to be alarmed if it didn’t – coz it would mean we could well bounce! Fortunately, he is an experience passenger and used to my dry humour!

Rounded out and flew level as she eased down. Gently back on the stick, back a bit more, a bit more, more yet….. chirp of the stall warner, back more, stall warner now constant, more yet and the wheels touch – and stay touched! Back more on the stick to nail the tailwheel – stick fully back, ride the landing roll with the pedals (not much needed and she slows to an easy taxi without any braking (I find I rarely use brakes with this aircraft, only really for engine start, occasional turns and power checks).

A good landing and again I say as much to Mark – not to brag, but to ‘condition his expectations’ for future landings in less than ideal conditions like today.

Taxi in and shut down. The other group member has turned up and is quite understanding that I took the plane after his booking slot. He shows me how to undo the GPS unit (which of course is simplicity itself) and heads off with it to program in his flight plans for a Scotland trip starting tomorrow.

Mark thoroughly enjoyed the flight and the handling of the aircraft. I remind him that he needs to come back to me with one or two weekends that he is free for this D-Day beaches trip so I can book the plane.

Well, another good flight in near ideal conditions. I am now looking forward to ‘breaking out’ of the local area. Maybe I should book a weekend for myself and the wife for one of my long overdue trips with her to one of the channel ports – this time either Etaples or Honfleur.

Flying with passengers again

Since I am now signed off, I retained the additional booking I had for Friday late afternoon / early evening so I could go for a bimble if the weather was OK.

All week it had been great, sunny and warm. But Thursday was cloudy, windy and rainy and Fridays forecast wasn't good. I had promised my daughter's boyfriend, Rob a local flight once I was signed off, so he was ready and waiting and praying for the weather. I warned him not to pay too much attention to the forecast as it was often wrong.

Sure enough, although Friday was forecast as rain, all it turned out to be was low-ish cloud with the odd spit of rain. Very little wind and reasonable visibility. So after work I picked Rob up and we headed off to the airfield. To save time at the airfield, I gave him part of the passenger brief in the car and finished that off in the plane with the aircraft specific bits. He had not been up in a small plane before.



I did the A-check - of course fuel needed - and pulled her out past the biz-jets that we share a hangar with. I sent Rob over to the pumps while I started up and taxi'd over. Once that was done, we buttoned up and requested taxi. Gloster gave me 04 with a wind of 050/05 - perfect!

The take-off was smooth and the plane climbed at it's customary 1000' fpm. Unfortunately, the METARs of 1800' cloudbase were optimistic as it was early evening and the cloudbase was starting to drop. The most I gor was 1500', but as we headed north, I was around 1200' with poor visibility. Still, it would be OK for a local as I know the area well.



I pulled a steep turn or two just to show Rob what it was like then let him handle the stick for a few munites. He did very well and didn't make the usual novice mistakes.

We flew around my village and took the mandatory photos of the house, the flew around the local secondary school where Rob works. I wandered over to Bredon hill and flew around the back of it, but with the top now in the cloudbase, I thought it prudent to head back to the airfield.

We scuttled back at 1200' and I was given a direct to downwind join for 04. The scheduled flight for the Isle of Man was getting ready to head out from Gloster.

A good approach to 04 as I called final and was given late clearance as the scheduled flight positioned for departure on 09. I got the approach speed right and flared, maybe a fraction too much with a slight baloon, but easily controlled for, though I say it myself, a very smooth landing - but then again, the conditions don't often come much better - 050 / 05 on runway 04. I did tell Rob that that was a good landing - not to brag, but to condition his expectations for future flights. I made that mistake once before when I pulled a near greaser a few years ago flying with Dan when I landed at Caen on one of my first flights with him - well he measured every other landing against that assuming my Caen landing was 'normal' - it took me years to convince him what was 'normal' in small plane!

Rob really enjoyed it and made it clear that he would very much like to go up again. He was amazed that we had been airborne for 30 minutes as it felt so short.

Nice to have an appreciative passenger who enjoys it so much, it really makes you feel pretty good too!

Taildragger sign off!

It seemed pretty odd to be looking out of the window on Monday hoping for a decent wind, but that is exactly what I was doing! What I really need now is a nice 10-15kt wind so I can do crosswind tailwheel circuits as the final part of my tailwheel complexity sign-off.

I called the airfield at 15:00 and they confirmed a wind of 050 / 12kts. Now I wasn’t scheduled to fly until 18:00 and the wind typically dies down of an evening, but it was enough for me to at least turn up and expect to fly. So it turned out. The wind was still reasonable at 18:00, so Phil agreed we did crosswind circuits.

I booked out and told the tower we wanted crosswind, so they advised that although 04 was in use, that they would put me on 09 with left hand circuits – oh great – the ‘long march of death’ again on a very warm, sunny day under the RV’s bubble canopy!

Away we trundled as I carefully positioned the stick according to the wind position for the taxi. Lined up at 09 and did a crosswind take off, with the crosswind coming from the left (so even more right rudder than normal once the tail came up). Take off was OK, a bit too much into wind aileron, so we started to turn once I got airborne, but soon corrected that and climbed away.

Did four landings on 09 (with right rudder and left aileron), the last one was fun as Phil realised that we didn’t have time for a normal height circuit before the scheduled metroliner flight to IOM wanted to take off and we would end up being held, so he took control and with tower consent, did a VERY low level circuit and handed back to me on a normal looking approach on short final for 09 – you know, he could have asked me to do the low level circuit, but NO – he wants to have all the fun himself!! Spoilsport! (well, it isn’t much fun for an instructor otherwise is it?).

Then we switched to 36 so the wind was from the right – so left rudder and right aileron (it is preferable to have the wind from this side as you have more rudder authority – not that the moderate crosswind of 12kts was taxing this).

Did four landings on 36.

One or two of the landings were good with very little, if any bounce and the rest had a modest bounce or two, but of course it was my job and good training to control and cope with this, which I guess I did do. I think it is fair to say my movements aren’t entirely fluid, but I do know what I am trying to do and I do it, but obviously not as fluidly as Phil or Roly.

Phil’s comments were that I know what I am doing and that I am safe, but not expert and that I need is to do crosswind landings myself now and build my confidence and personal limits. To my great pleasure, he signed me off for tailwheel in the logbook.

So now I am fully signed off – at long last! It will be nice because from now on, my monthly group bills for landing fees will be less than the bill for the hourly rates! I can’t wait to ‘catch-up’ on the ‘backlog’ of flying I want to do. I already have passengers chomping at the bit for one or two locals and a promised weekend in Caen – not to mention weekend breaks in Honfleur with the wife.

Well, better get on with it then!

Pray for bad weather!

With a nasty combination of pilot availability, instructor availability, aircraft availability and weather, I am still trying to get signed off on my tailwheel complexity for the RV6. Last time, I found out my instructor was off on a three week holiday and not back until 19th May. Well, that was too much, so I contacted the CFI at Cotswold and Phil was astonished that I wasn’t yet signed off and was happy to take up the reins. So I booked three sessions with him, the first on Saturday 10th May.

I am OK with ‘into wind’ landings, so I was looking for a decent wind so we could do crosswind landings. But again the weather was ‘unkind’ – by that I mean it was a lovely, sunny day, warm and without a breath of wind – ideal flying weather, except when you want to do crosswind training!

I bumped into Phil inbound from one of his lessons as I was checking the plane over. He asked if I still wanted to go. I said yes, may as well refresh myself (and demonstrate to Phil) with a few normal landings.

Listening to the tower in the clubhouse I was astounded. The guy in the tower could barely take a breath and there were people ‘stepping on’ each other with multiple transmissions. The circuit was full and people were going around – it sounded like Heathrow on a bad day! What the hell was going on – was it really just the weather? Phil advised me that it was the LAA ‘Young Eagles’ day where pilots volunteer to give youngsters their first taste of small aircraft flying – OK that explains it – hope they still allow us to book out for circuits!

They did and we set off. Unfortunately we were on runway 09, which mans the long march from the apron around to the other side of the airfield – all that with the bubble canopy of the RV buttoned up – so we were getting warm pretty quickly!

We seemed to have hit a quiet patch as I took off for circuits. The take-off was good and we climbed away. With the warmer air and a heavier instructor (my other instructor is quite small and light), I noticed the difference in performance and it occurred to me that this aircraft was very weight sensitive compared to the production aircraft I was used to, where weight seems to make little difference.

My first landing was at the same airspeed as I use with my lighter instructor and the plane definitely had a higher stalling speed this time. Still a good landing, but not so much time to fly level and bleed the speed back. Phil suggested I try for 70kts next time and that worked fine as I held off for longer and was rewarded with another good landing.

Basically, after three good and one (dare I say it) very good landing, Phil suggested we call it a day as I he agreed, I really needed crosswind and wasn’t particularly learning anything in these conditions.

On my final circuit, there was a Robin flying a VERY close circuit (I swear he was flying along the runway centre-line), so with ATC permission, I turned the long way around onto base. As I was joining base, I could see a TB20 on converging course from downwind – so a quick reduction in power and we passed safely underneath him – no drama, definitely not danger close, but could have been interesting if we didn’t have our wits about us.

Good approach and in view of the traffic behind us, I did try to land ‘long’ (which we did), but the runway is still so long and I really needed a slowly taxying aircraft to steer off the end of the runway, that I had to slow on the runway to walking pace. The tower were switched on and gave the TB20 a ‘land after’. This didn’t bother either me or him as the runway is plenty long enough and I was very close to the turnoff.

Well, a good session. What I learned today was that the RV is very sensitive to weight which in turn affects stall and therefore approach speeds. This explains why when flying solo and using the same ‘numbers’, the aircraft still has waaayyyy too much energy. Now we all know that from our flying exams, but it is the first time I have actually experienced it in practice – but then this is by far the lightest aircraft I have flown, so maybe no surprise. I am now confident of nil or into wind landings.

Well, pray for windy weather – next session booked for Monday 12th May after work.

Solo Taildragging

With my instructor now off on holiday for three weeks, I decided to keep my hand in and do some solo general handling and a couple of circuits.

The weather was OK, low pressure with cumulus and scattered Cumulo-Nimbus with attendant showers. Needless to say as I was setting off to the airport from work that evening, the mother of all CuNim’s came across – it was huge and looked like something from the film ‘Independence Day’, just at the bit where the mother saucers burst our of the cloud! However, I carried on as it would soon clear.

Checked the aircraft out in the hangar as the showers blew over. The wind was within the limits set for me, so I booked out.

Fuelled up and took off from runway 27 heading IFR (I Follow the River) to the south west. The RV6 was agreeably sprightly with only one person on board and before I knew it I was at 3000’ over the bends in the river. I wrote out a list of things I wanted to do, among them was playing with the avionics. So I tuned the VOR to BCN and tracked in for a bit. Then I played with the GPS and the ‘goto’ function. By this time, I was over Ross on Wye and could see another shower ahead, so I turned and headed towards the Malverns.



Around the Malverns, I started with the steep turns. The RV absolutely loves them! Before long, I was poling 70 – 80 degree angles of bank with a couple of G to maintain altitude. The plane really does love it (and so do I!).

The showers seemed to start to close in. It was annoying because I just knew that by sunset, the clouds would disappear for a lovely clear night (exactly what happened), but that is not now. So I decided discretion to be the better part of valour and around Bredon Hill, contacted Gloster Approach for rejoin (I didn’t want to chance gusty and variable direction winds with a limited sign-off on a taildragger.

I was given direct in to final for 22. I had trouble spotting the airfield in all the shadow, although I knew where it was from the surrounding landmarks. I flew through a small shower, just enough to give the canopy a nice ‘power shower’! The wind wasn’t a problem, at about 240/08. My approach was OK (not great, but OK). I rounded out, pulled the power and started to flare. I touched earlier than I wanted (slightly misjudged my height), but very gently and tried to ease back on the stick to bleed the speed off and fly level. But the RV is very sensitive in pitch and I ballooned it a bit. I recovered this, but bounced on the next touch – that’s it, I’m out of here! Power on for a go-around – maybe I could have landed off that, but what’s the hurry and why press the position?



Next approach was better, but I still didn’t get all of the flying out of her before we touched and was punished with another bounce. I recovered this, added a blip of power before touching down again and held her on this time.

Why is it that with the instructor, I can punch the into wind landings out like shelling peas, but by myself it is not so good (could be the lighter weight of course)? Maybe I need a blow up dummy in the right seat, maybe I’ll ask him for a picture – that would work!

She is an absolute pleasure to fly, and I think that solo practice and landing consolidation is called for. I am sure I have got a few lessons ahead on crosswind landings once my instructor returns from holiday in mid-May. No hurry – I’ll get there and undoubtedly be a better pilot for it.

Crosswind Circuits

With a ‘perfect storm’ combination of:

• The aircraft being out of commission (500 hour magneto check and big bill for new magneto distributor disks),
• Really crappy weather,
• Lack of an instructor (he is Saturday and weekday evenings only),
• Personal injury (bruised ribs from a dramatic fall while finding new and exciting ways of not stopping while ice skating),

I have not been flying for five weeks, despite being close to the end of my now very protracted taildragger training.

I have got the general handling and into-wind landings sorted, but really need crosswind landings yet for full sign off. So in hope, I booked Monday evening for both the plane and the instructor.

The previous Saturday and Sunday had been really poor weather. A mixture of poorly defined stratus cloud and mist with some drizzly rain and very poor visibility. Monday dawned little better, but from my office window I seemed to imagine it improving (i.e. getting not as bad) slowly through the day to something that might permit at least circuits from 17:00. The wind was good for crosswind, not too gusty, but a steady 10-15 kts.

By the time I set out for the airfield, I was confident of flying as the cloud had lifted considerably.

I rocked up at 16:30 and started checking the plane out. That complete, Roly turned up and we agreed to meet at the pumps as I wanted a bit more fuel on board.

I started her up working carefully through the checklist. With taxy clearance, I started out for the pumps, being careful to keep the stick position correct for the wind direction. Since my training by Roly, he has reconsidered his advice on stick positions and it now accords with what I had read and have been advised by other group members. It is another thing you have to think carefully about in a taildragger that you pay scant attention to in a tricycle gear plane.

I parked into wind and put about 20 litres in each tank. Then the ‘long march’ to B1 for 04 for a few into wind refresher circuits first (I hadn’t flown to five weeks). Again, I was careful to keep the correct stick position during taxi and keep the speed down (rather than zoom around like a go-kart as you see some of the tricycle gear pilots doing).

Power checks complete, we took off from 04 for left hand circuits. The take off run went well as I got the tail up early, danced on the pedals (although not much dancing was required as the wind was pretty much straight down the runway) and before I knew it she was flying. The RV6 really has bags of power and get airborne very quickly, even close to MAUW.

We climbed away and were careful to turn before Staverton village (noise sensitive area). I did the usual downwind checks and calls – I was the only one in the circuit and I think the Tower could barely conceal their boredom. Turned base and pulled the power back. Maintained height to bleed the speed off to within flap limiting speed and pulled flaps on.

Set up for a reasonable approach to 04, wind sock pointed directly at us, so right down the runway and tower reporting 040/13. The approach was OK as I crossed the numbers and pulled the power. She settled as I started to pull back slowly on the stick and fly level just off the ground. I could just feel the mains just kissing the ground, but continued to pull back, and back until the stall warner chirped and we touched for good. Well, that was a close as I suspect I may ever come to pulling a ‘greaser’ in a taildragger! Roly was pleased as he said ‘they don’t come much better than that’. I was well chuffed as I dropped the flaps and gunned the engine and got airborne again.

The next circuit was again pretty good though I say it myself – not great, but good.

The third was a really great approach - I was feeling terribly pleased with myself for a nice, stable approach where I didn't have to touch the power or muck around with airspeed, while I was congratulating myself, the tower interrupted with a 'clear touch and go' as I was on very short final - nothing odd about that except that I had totally forgotten to call final myself - OOOPPPSSS! (Tower thinking what a numpty I am - pride comes before a fall and all that good stuff - I guess we have all been there!). Mind you, the landing was good as well. All of this surprised me as I was five weeks out of practice and the previous solo effort wasn’t as good.

So we agreed to progress to crosswind circuits. I requested runway 36, with the wind at 050 / 13G17 – not heavy, but plenty sporting enough for my first attempts in a taildragger.

The first one went very well, but that is where it ended. The rest varied from OK to ‘not too good’ – firm but fair, with a bounce or two, but nothing so bad that a go-around was in order.

The bottom line is that I was making the novice error of applying the movements as three separate inputs – rudder / into wind aileron / pull back to fly level - almost like a military drill rather than as fluid, combined movements. However, the last one went reasonably, so I finished on a high note. I did find it fun holding the plane straight along the runway by dancing on the rudder bars as I controlled the landing and subsequent take-off.

So 12 circuits in total that session, three into wind and nine crosswind. I would guess that I will probably need one or two more sessions with Roly on crosswind. Unfortunately, Roly is away on holiday for two weeks, so it will have to wait for his return, probably more evenings as he is block booked well in advance on Saturdays.

He is happy for me to fly solo into a steady wind, so I will do this to get really comfortable until his return from holiday, then launch into crosswind.

I now have about 7.5 hours on the RV since I bought into the group in December. This is dragging on, but I suspect that anyone who has been trying to fly anything VFR since December may have had a pretty torrid time of it.

Bollocks! Bollocks! Bollocks!

Bollocks! Bollocks! Bollocks! Bollocks! Bollocks! Bollocks! Bollocks! Bollocks! Bollocks!

This tailwheel sign-off business is proving to be very frustrating. I have been part of the group since late December and for various reasons, have only managed 6.5 hours flying (and 41 landings mind you!). Combination of weather (mainly), plane going tech, holiday, lack of instructor etc.

For the last three weeks, I have been hoping for evening lessons to do crosswind landings for full sign-off, but the plane has been tech (magneto 500 hour check revealed we needed new distributor disks - no I don't know what these are either!). It is hard looking out of the window at perfect flying weather with no plane.

Magnetos sorted last week and finally got the plane back in commission last Saturday. So booked tonight with the instructor.

Being careful, I checked my voicemail on the mobile about an hour before setting out - great, no messages.

Headed off to the airfield and of course the weather was fine - too fine, only a breath of wind with a pretty weedy crosswind. Never mind, I'll take what I can get.

I get to the club to be intercepted by the efficient administrator at Cotswold who seems upset that I didn't get the message from one of the other owners that when he turned up to fly at lunchtime, the right tyre was completely flat!

Sure enough - flat as a pancake and no one around at this time to look at it.

So another session cancelled.

Well, try again for one or two evening next week, but God! This is an exercise in frustration! Well, wlecome to the joys of aircraft ownership and flying in this country I guess! Still pissed off, but I feel a bit better for this rant!

Maintenance!

I have been having rotten luck in the last four weeks since my solo circuits. Every time I have booked the plane, the weather was poor or blowing strong gusts - outside the 'limits' set for me on solo circuits until I get full sign off.

Then of course the clocks changed - great I thought - lovely, still evening circuits after work! No - the plane was due a 50 hour check AND a 500 hour magneto check. Then it turned out the magnetos needed two new distributor disks (as if I knew what one of those was!) and of course they had to be ordered. Bottom line was nearly two weeks of ideal evening weather and no plane. So I booked with an instructor for this Saturday, hoping to do my crosswind circuits and hoping the plane would be ready.

It turned out that it needed final checks and the repaired spat and engine cowling put back on, I was hoping it would be a mornings work and OK for a lesson at 13:00. I turned up to lend whatever help I could, givem my complete lack of knowledge about anything to do with mechanics and engines.

Manuel was working away and Lyndon was refitting the spat. I was handing Manuel screws and bits like a nurse in an operating theatre.

'Washer?'
'Washer'

'Crinkly washer?'
Crinkly washer'

'Coffee?'
'OK, I'll go!'

Meanwhile, Lyndon was attaching the now repaired spat (damaged in a disagreement with a rut on a grass runway - not me I hasten to add).


"How many bloody screws hold this thing on???!!!"

It wasn't looking good for midday and when the instructor appeared he too decided it was no go and took another student up. I could still try for solo circuits later. About 14:00 it was all back together except the cowling as Manuel took it outside for a test run of the engine.


"I'm sure there was something else I meant to do!"

That worked fine, so back in the hangar for the fiddly process of fitting the cowling with thin wire rods through an array of piano hinges. This was not intuitive stuff.

That complete, Lyndon left and we broke for lunch at the Aviator prior to a test flight. I thought I would salvage something of the day so offered to act as 'self-loading ballast' for the flight.

After lunch we went up, the the ATIS warning of shower, hail, strong winds and plagues of locusts and the black death (OK, maybe not locusts and black death!). It was the classic unstable atmosphere, chunky cumulus with clear bits. Off we went and climbed to about FL90, playing in and around the tops of all but the higher cumulus - needleass to say, I couldn't reach my camera! It was a very enjoyable flight and Manuel was having a good play with some nice steep turns - this plane cries out to be rated as aerobatic (as is now possible in the UK on an aircraft by aircraft basis).

The plane was fine, but the winds were outside the limits I am under, so I decided to try for circuits with the instructor during the week next week in the evenings.

I wandered back into the flying club and grabbed on the new charts and paid my annual subs. I was aware that I was a lot later than my wife expected so headed home thinking she might be starting to get concerned. I arrived back to find he stretched out on the sofa reading her latest book as she registered my appearance with a casual glance up and a 'how was you day' as she looked back at the book before I could reply.

Hmmmm.... maybe not too concerned!


....Oh yes - still waiting for the Canadian licence - two and a half months and counting.

Solo taildragger circuits

After trying to fly every weekend since being given 'partial sign-off', althought eh forecast was for solid rain, the morning looked OK, murky, but little wind and easily 1000' cloudbase. Plus I had an email from one of the other group members who said he would probably finish earlier than his booking.

So I set off for the airfield hoping for at least a session of solo circuits.

As it turned out, the other member was out of currency according to group rules and was having a refresher session with 'my' instructor. I had a quick chat as they shut down. Roly confirmed it was good enough for me for circuits, so off I went. For once there was also plenty of fuel.

However, the wind was 130/9kts on runway 09, so some crosswind, but it was a steady wind. But runway 09 meant the 'long march of death' around to C1 for 09 - the other side of the airfield. So I carefully taxied around, taking care to keep the stick in the right position for the wind as I navigated the taxiways.

Line up and start the take off run. Allow into wind aileron and remember that I am lighter than I have ever been, so the plane will be a lot more sprightly. It was and the tail came up quickly, but I caught it in time and got enough rudder in to stop the swing. Before I knew it we were up and flying - you really don't rotate in the RV6, it tells you when it wants to fly and you'd better go along with it!

I am now getting used to the rapid rate of climb and we quickly gained the 1000' circuit height as I swung around crosswind for 09 with left hand circuits. I was behind one of the flight schools PA28's so held the revs back to somethin like 1700 rpm to keep a nice sedate circuit speed so I didn't chew his tail off in front.



I though about what I needed to do and did the downwind checks. Power right back and allow the aircraft to slow so I can get flaps on. Two stages in and 80 kts IAS on final. Let the speed bleed back, a bit high, less power, speed maybe 70-75 - damn, I wanted 65. Plane pointed a bit right to allow for the crosswind. Over the hedge. I was a bit fast and left the power on a bit too long. Round out, kick straight, feels like I am level, 3-point position and we touch - not hard, but a bit of a 'Spitfire bounce', control it and down again, bigger bounce this time - I don't like this - rather than risk a third and even bigger bounce, I push the throttle and the RV responds immediately as I do a go-around.

As I climb out I call 'go around' and clean up. Climbing out to circuit height, I figure what went wrong. Too much energy - a bit too fast, left the throttle on too long and didn't fly level long enough (or at all really?) to bleed the surplus off. OK, lesson learned, truy again.

Next time, better approach and speed, but again a bounce, and another, not as bad and probably could have controlled the third one, but decided to power up and 'get out of Dodge' again.

OK, getting boring now! Analyse what yiou are doing wrong and deal with it - you know what to do, why aren't you doing it? Tried not to beat myself up and vowed to make this a good one. Just get the airspeed right, fly level and the plane will settle itself - you know how to do this!

Third approach was better and speed was good. Fly level and hold off, hold off, three point attitude and we touch. She doesn't bounce this time, but I feel the tail wheel starting to bounce - damn, c'mon Steve, anchor the stick back in your nuts - you know better than to let the tail flap like that. I get it back in my nuts and sure enough, the tail stays stuck! Clean up and off we go again.

This time, the tower issues a general broadcast as the clag closes in even more and light rain starts to spatter the canopy. This isn't a passing cloud, this is the steady claggy rain that was predicted. I am very keen to get a few circuits in now no that I have cleared the cobwebs. I debate about a couple more circuits but decide against it and tell Gloucester on the downwind that this will be to land as I am starting to get wet up here. The last thing I want is to worry about the weather, crosswinds and landing - too many risk factors at this stage.

I set up for landing and manage another good one (not great, but good). I roll all the way to the end and vacate at A2.

What a bummer, I was just getting into that.

Once again, I realise just how important it is to consolidate your learning with solo flying as you don't realise just how much feedback you are getting from your instructor even when he is saying and doing nothing - that in itself is of course feedback!!! Of course what I must develop is my own internal voice advising me.

All in all a good session and I learned a lot. I think I will need at least two more serious solo sessions in suitable weather and wind to really nail simple landings and get the consistent and develop my own internal voice, before going back to Roly for 'the crosswind challenge'!

Weather rant and big trip plannng

Taildragging

Having now received ‘limited sign-off’ for the taildragger, my instructor wanted me to ‘do a few hours’ by myself to get comfortable with the RV6, then go back to him for some ‘serious crosswind training and full sign-off’. By limited, he means winds 10 kts or less and no more than 30 degrees off the runway heading.

So of course I booked a slot for the very next weekend. At the appointed time, the weather looks good, but the winds are well outside the prescribed limit. I didn’t even have to look them up on the METAR’s, just looking out of my bedroom window said 15G25!

So of course I booked a slot for the very next weekend. At the appointed time ……… well, you get the picture!

I have now booked a slot for this coming Saturday. I am praying to the weather goods for their favour. This will be the Saturday that all the Irish will be heading home from the Cheltenham Gold Cup, so it might be a bit busy with Biz Jets!

Not that the weather was particularly bad. Had I been flying a nosewheel aircraft, I would certainly have flown and not been worried about it at all. To be fair, once I have been fully signed-off and have confidence in crosswind landings, I would also ‘probably’ have flown the RV, especially as Gloucester airport has three runways and the wind cannot be more than 30 degrees off the runway heading anyway. But I can see that wind is a far bigger factor with tailwheel aircraft than with nosewheel and I will have to think quite carefully about wind at some of the large, single runway French airports (and particularly about alternates with more favourably aligned runways).

Planning for the Big Flying Trip 2008

On another subject, I have been planning and thinking through the ‘Big Flying Trip’ I am planning for August 2008. Actually, not a very ‘big’ trip at all due to serious constraints on holiday this year (just changed jobs, lower year 1 entitlement etc.).

I am planning a visit to see my buddy in Ottawa, then hire a C172 and fly for a four day tour to New York City then back via NY low level city tour, Niagara Falls and Toronto City Airport.

As I am not a hairy-ars*d sky god who thinks that planning is for students or low hour clear-sky-only wimps or who cares what Jeremy Clarkson thinks - I have been getting all the maps and AFD’s together and planning the routes and airfields etc. Yes, I know it’s in August and ages away, but for me the planning is fun and adds to the anticipation and makes sure I don’t miss out on anything.

Although I have flown in the USA, that was mainly training and I have not done any touring as such. So although I have read-up on radio procedures and flight services, I have not actually used the likes of Flight Following – so this will be something of another first for me. I have asked a few detailed questions of my American brother-in-law’s brother, who is an FAA instructor.

One thing I have noticed is how much clearer the UK maps are than the FAA ones and how much better the UK internet airfield facility is than the AFD paper books you have to buy. I know that there is an element of ‘what you are used to’, but even so! The Canadian and USA maps are a bit like Jeppesen VFR maps, the land is always tinted green or other colours to indicate relief.



UK maps have land below 500’ as white and only tint for land above that altitude or for forests etc. (of course tinting for forests in Canada and USA would lead to maps almost entirely green anyway!). Its just that I find it a bit harder to mark up my track – I have taken to using pencil and marking the track with four parallel lines on the US maps, otherwise the track isn’t immediately obvious – for CAA maps, I use a medium ‘permanent’ marker in black and it stands out a treat.



I also like to mark ‘balloons’ on the map to indicate actions I need to take at various points along the track, like altitude changes, who to speak to on the radio etc. In this way, I really don’t need a PLOG at all (although I usually do one, I find I rarely refer to it). The only way I have found of making this work on the US charts with sufficient clarity is to cut out the sticky part of post-it notes and stick that on the maps at the appropriate point. It works fine, it’s just a bit more fiddly, that’s all. I suppose on the upside, US maps cost a fraction of the UK ones.

Anyway, the planning is going well and I have all the routes and airports planned, marked up, printed out and in a folder etc. Flyer Forum has again been a wonderful source of information and I never cease to be amazed at where the forum members have flown – I swear if I planned to fly around Tibet, there would be a person on the forum who has already done so and is willing to provide valuable tips!

What I will do now is to double check everything, programme the waypoints in on my backup Garmin Pilot 3 backup GPS and start to figure out what happens after I shutdown with transport, hotels and the like.

And yes – I am already thinking about 2009! Maybe a trip around southern USA, or maybe the Baltic countries.