I saw a posting on Flyer Forum asking if anyone had done the route planning for the upcoming trip to Southern Italy. I responded to Mike and suggested we could compare notes on Saturday afternoon. Mike flies out of Upfield Farm near Cardiff. We agreed to a meet at 13:30 at Gloucester. That didn’t give me enough time to do the landaway I fancied AND ferry the neighbours son home for me to get back to the airfield by 13:30, so I settled for a local.
Before start start-up, I tried to put some of the 25 waypoints I need for the coming trip in to the GNS 430 and struggled. I couldn’t quite remember how to do it, so conscious that the battery was draining, I decided to leave it until later.
It was one of those days where the weather is overcast with some low cloud, but you can just tell that it will break up by the afternoon (and so it did). So I scuttled around in moderate visibility with a 2500’ cloudbase. Wandered over to the Malverns, then eastwards to near Wellesbourne, then headed back. Did a few steep turns for the benefit of my passenger. It is quite gratifying to hold a 60o AOB and hold it level. Then buzzed my local village at about 1200’ QFE.
The wind was very light and the runway had changed from 04 for take-off to 36 for landing. ATC were trying to juggle me and an approaching Falcon business jet (no prizes for guessing who had priority). As I was about to commence the deadside descent, ATC called and asked my position. They warned me of the Falcon approaching 09. I spotted it and I was obviously going to cross their path (albeit a fair way above), which is why ATC were asking. So I called visual and delayed my descent until I saw the biz-jet appear past my starboard wing as it crossed the numbers for 09.
Good landing and taxi back. Tried the waypoints again and managed to remember how to do it and got 5 of them in. 5 down 20 to go! Shut down and tidied up for the next member. I ferried Matthew home and went back to the airfield for a bacon baguette and a cuppa. The airfield café now seem to be making more of an effort – still not up to AV8 standards at Kemble, but not as dire and unwelcoming as it once was.
I saw Mike taxi land in his Pioneer 300 – nice homebuilt with a good turn of speed. we met up and wandered over to Aeros to use their nice facilities and planning table.
Mike and I compared note. He is going to Troyes with the main body, whereas I am going to Dijon and will join them in Cannes, so our first legs were different, but close. He was planning pretty much the same route across the southern alps to Cannes as I was, but had a nice ‘lower route’ pegged out that I can copy. That was as far as he had got, so talked through my routes down to Aprilia. Rome presents an interesting and meandering inland VFR route that I will go for – but I will have to keep my wits about me (not to mention the GPS!).
With that, we said our goodbyes and ‘see you in Cannes’! The trip for me is now due to start on Friday 19th May – time flies! I am pretty much finished all of the preparations and ready to go. I will squeeze one more flight in before then, but the bookings are now pretty busy – maybe a weekday evening to do some circuits.
