Raduno 2010: Thursday 10th June

Woke up early and looked out the hotel window at the weather. Overcast, but cloud didn’t look low, but oh cr*p…..the wind! It was very gusty in the town centre where I was, God knows what it would be like at the exposed airfield, but then all I had to do was take-off??

We popped out for a breakfast and I had a ‘full English’. Caught the taxi to Avignon airport and yes, it was still windy with even stronger gusts to boot! My instant reaction was that I could not take off in this, but I went into the terminal to get some weather anyway. The weather was saying basically that there would be a strong wind and I would again be beating into a headwind all the way to Genoa, but that it would smooth out and it was actually quite calm and CAVOK at my destination in the heart of Tuscany.

I went out to the plane and loaded it up and carried out a thorough A-check. While I was out there, it was clear that although the wind was solid with some heavy gusts, the solid wind was only slightly off the runway heading and the gusts weren’t that frequent – yes, I was starting to talk myself into giving it a try! I wandered back to arrivals and announced to Mazzie that we would give it a try and that if we could get airborne, we could certainly make it to our destination – maybe I need to sell the message better, what do you think?


Parked up at Avignon in a nasty breeze

However one thing was for sure, I had no intention of trying my planned inland straight line route from Avignon to St Tropez across some of the lower foothills in this wind, the chop would probably throw us around all over the place. So I was faced with an equally daunting prospect, that of trying to find a route through the tangle of controlled airspace and prohibited zones that clog the bottom of the Rhone valley as it enters the Mediterranean at Marseilles – oh for a 1-250,000 map! So I asked at reception if I could speak to the guy in the tower at Avignon. Well from the look on the lady’s face you would have thought I asked to speak to President Sarkozy of France! She said she was sure she could help me, so I said OK, tell me how I get through this mess to the low level VFR coastal route as I waved the map under her face. She blanched and said ‘I contact de tower!’ (yeah – thought you might!).

The guy in the tower was of course brilliant. I explained my problem and the impenetrability of getting through from here to south of Marseille and he chuckled and said ‘Yes, it does not look good, but ees not bad really’. He then explained that I would be routed via various published and marked VRP. First I would have to go to Avignon VPR SE (basically the Durance River) at 1500’ then contact Salon Approach on 135.15. They would route me via ME and LB VRP's again at 1500’ then pass me on to Marseille Tower for a transit of the Marseille / Provence International Airport at 1500’ across the runway centreline to the VRP S, where I would contact Provence Information who would then feed me along the various VRP’s that comprise the low level coastal route all the way to the Italian border. Well all that sounded pretty busy at low altitude (one of the ridges I would have to cross peaked at over 1500’) with a few frequency changes, but I knew once I was on the coast I was home and dry. I had done that route a few times and was quite comfortable with it.

So we bought a bottle of water for what would be a hot and long trip, put our lifejackets on and clambered in. I had already seen two other aircraft take off before me (albeit they were both nosewheel aircraft) and they both looked OK, so let’s give it a try. I started up, taxied to the hold for runway 17 at an intersection, as I most certainly did not need the full runway length in this wind, probably the same as yesterday, although this time only 20 degrees off to the left. Power checks complete, I buttoned up and taxied onto the runway. I carefully turned the aircraft onto the runway heading, applied into wind aileron and applied power, eyes fixed firmly on a point at the end of the runway and feet ready to dance on the peddles. We were up and away – PHEW! I climbed to 1500’, levelled off and went into economy cruise (for me that is about 2050 RPM, lean it back and I get about 125kts for 18 – 20 Litre per hour fuel burn. I certainly don’t want to go any faster on this trick low level navigation leg. The GPS had most of the VRP’s already in the database and I zoomed the moving map in to a scale of 3 nautical miles so I could see each of the closely bunched VRP’s clearly.


1500' max out of Avignon for a low level transit to the coastal VFR route

I made the first VRP, that of Avignon SE easily. This was easy to spot as it was simply fly SE to the edge of the Avignon zone to the River Durance. I then called Salon Approach on 135.15. I had trouble understanding him with his strong accent, he was clearly giving me a VRP, but I couldn’t quite make it out. After a few ‘say agains’, he eventually tumbled and said ‘eeet eees ze pointe to follow ze Durance reever’ aaahhhhh! Now I see it, it is Salon VRP ME. I find it on the map and the GPS, now we are in business. I report when I have arrived and he directs me onto VRP LB, still at 1500’ max. Ah! I can see this point on the map and GPS and there is a ridge directly in the way that I have to cross. I can see that we will make it over through a saddle in the ridge but the wife asks if I am sure we will cross at this altitude. Ridges look like that from aircraft, you are sure you are too low, but in reality you cross with a few hundred feet to spare. I assure her that we are fine and we clear the ridge by probably 200’.


The route through the mess of airspace at Marseille

I reach the VRP, which seems to be a small town. Salon Approach then tell me to contact Marseille Tower on 118.37 for transit. Great, I am left here, so I orbit while I change frequencies and put in a full call to Marseille. They are of course fine and tell me to head for Marseille VRP AN which will be followed by AW. It takes me minute or so to find it on the map and GPS, while still orbiting low-ish level – no pressure eh? I spot the VRP’s and head towards them I report at each. Then at AW he asked me to contact Marseille Tower on a different frequency. I do so and they explain that I am clear to transit at 1500’ and that basically they want me to go straight across the main runway at 90 degrees and right overhead the tower at 1500’ – OK this is familiar, it is unheard of in the UK, but very common in the US and when you think about it, it is pretty much the safest place to be at a busy international airport – oh this is cooooollll!


Transit approved - across Marseille Provence airport centreline

I cross the runway and head toward SA VRP. Well I obviously strayed as the Tower comes on and says that SA is virtually due south and I am headed SW. I correct and head for SA. Nearly there, one more VRP and I am on the coastal VFR route. I make SA then head for S. The Tower ask me to contact Provence Information – yippee, now I am on the coastal VFR route. I breathe an audible sigh of relief, that was hard work, but now I have done it and know what to expect, I would be quite happy to do it again. I stay at 1500’ and start the slow march from one VRP to another as I report reaching each and progressively change from one Information service to another. I am beating into quite a headwind of about 25 – 30 kts. The sea below is a bit sporty and white-capped. Having said that, at least the flying is smooth enough, no real turbulence. I don’t want to think too much what would happen if the engine quit!


Stunning coastal scenery from 1500' on the coastal VFR transit route

The VRP’s come and go, at least until I start to reach Nice, where they want me to descend to 500’ around Nice airport and keep a very close eye on my track and altitude to keep me from setting off TCAS on commercial traffic landing at Nice. If the engine failed now, I would probably only be able to get off a very quick ‘Oh crap’ on the radio before we ditched, best not to think about it eh? We start to get traffic warnings about opposite direction traffic at 12 o’clock, that’ll be the helicopters that ply their trade between Monaco and Nice then! I turn on all my lights and weave a bit left to right, both so that I can see them, but also so that they can see me. Mazzie is eagle eyed and usually spots them before I do, strong instinct for self-preservation I guess.


Lovely coastal scenery

We pass Nice and they relax the 500’ so I climb back to a dizzying 1500’ as we pass in front of the high rise and crowded Monaco. We cross the border and I switch to Milano Information and call them. No reply to several calls, but then I expected that as I didn’t get any response from them last time I was this way. So I stay on listening watch and consider my options. I am getting quite hot and although sipping water, I clearly didn’t bring enough and am starting to feel thirsty (dehydrated). My time planning is shot to pieces by this headwind which doesn’t look like letting up until we are well inland and near our destination. All things considered, a single long leg to Montecchio does not now seem like a good idea. I check Albenga (which I had nominated as an alternate on the flight plan anyway). I call them and check the wind, they are giving runway in use as 09 with the wind as 090/17 – phew, tough wind, but at least straight down the runway. That’s my mind made up, we divert into Albenga for a break, refuel, rehydrate etc.

I call Albenga and he is great, but he does struggle with my callsign of G-GDRV. I had to repeat it five times, eventually spelling it out like ‘First letter: Golf, second letter: Golf, third letter: Delta’ etc. I think he was struggling with the two ‘G’s’ at the start of the callsign, maybe he thought I had a stutter or something! Albenga is very easy to find as it sits in a valley about 4 miles inland. However, the final approach for 09 is interesting as it sits in a small and narrow valley, so as I am asked to join right downwind for 09, I decide to fly into the valley next door and cross the ridge between the two to position for final for 09. This of course leaves me high, so I side-slip a lot of this off and come in for a landing. Well the approach wasn’t good and I am a bit long and a bit fast and I am of course punished by this a gusting wind with good bounce, then another, well that was it, power on and go around, no sense in fooling around, let’s try that one again. As there is no traffic at the airfield, I fly a tight downwind and fly into the airfield valley and have to pull off a base turn that is so small that I am virtually doing a 180 turn on final. Approach much better this time and I am rewarded with a good landing. I have to backtrack as there is only one exit from the runway and that is at the threshold of 09. I ask the guy in the tower if he can close our flight plan and he is happy to do so.


Albenga airfield

We are really cooking in the sun under the bubble canopy as I trundle in to the AVGAS pumps, shut down and pop the hatch like a deep see free-diver coming up for air! The pompier does his thing under my close supervision. A chap who was sat under the tied down wing of what looks like a very nice N registration PA18 taildragger saunters over and we have a chat. He is an American touring Europe and is waiting for the winds to subside so he can get into Cannes. I give him the bad news that the winds I head Cannes giving were something like 100 / 25G35, he is philosophical and says he thought he would have to wait for early evening anyway. Turns out he knows Cheltenham very well and often stays in ‘The House in the Tree’ about two miles from Gloucestershire airport. Well that makes him either a ‘spy’ working at GCHQ or more likely someone working for one of the American aerospace outfits in the locale – small world!


Parked up at Albenga while I over-rehydrated!

I park up and head eagerly into the air-conditioned terminal feeling very hot, somewhat bothered and with my tongue literally sticking to my mouth! I fo straight over to the small café counter and down a Gatorade in one before I have paid for it. I buy another while I am at it. Of course the wife tells me to sip it slowly bless her. The next one goes down in five minutes and I grab a third, that lasts about 15 minutes while I check the internet for weather.

I spot the reception desk and realise I haven’t paid so wander over. Well what a world class performance this was. I was asked a huge battery of question by the lady at the desk, many of which seemed entirely pointless. She bashes away at the computer for at least 10 – 15 minutes then prints a multi-page bill which itemises pretty much everything with a small charge for each. They didn’t record my use of the toilet for a pee, but I think that was an error on their part! I have never seen such a performance or such an itemised by for a ‘slash and dash’ – the entertainment value made it all worthwhile.

I felt a lot better now, I had gotten pretty hot and bothered and dehydrated. I cooled down a bit more in the terminal then dragged the wife away from her cappuccino and loaded back into the plane for a one and a half hour flight along the coast to just south of Pisa, then head inland to Montecchio. The route was plan:

LIMG COAST GENOA COAST LA SPEZIA COAST PISA COAST CASTIGLIONCELLO DCT MONTECCHIO

I climbed to 1500’ and reported out of Albenga via the VRP’s then switched to Genoa for a transit along the coast. They gave me this at 1500’. Once passed their airport, I asked for a transit of La Spezia danger zone and was told that was not possible in no uncertain terms (what the hell have they got in there anyway?). The weather was clear so it was no problem to climb to 4000’ and route inland to the east. The sun and heat were starting to bother me again. I had been wearing a light coloured baseball hat to keep the sun off my head and the glare away, but I was hot alright. The just past the prominent marble quarry in the hillside and descending back towards the coast at Viareggio I felt very odd indeed. I ask Mazzie for a bag of some sort, ANY SORT. I just managed to get a sick bag before I threw up energetically twice. Most of it made it into the bag, some settled nicely on my T-shirt and trousers. OK, this was not good. I felt a bit woozy for a few seconds then sorted myself out. I was also starting to feel stomach cramps. This was not a good way to fly, but I didn’t judge it to be an emergency either. I could have called a PAN and diverted into Pisa or maybe back to Genoa, but that would have been an over-reaction. OK, I felt like crap and it wasn’t pleasant for my wife, but I carried on, knowing that there were a few airfields I could go into south and inland of Pisa if I felt I had to.

I was flying OK and speaking on the radio, but very keen to get to the airfield. The stomach cramps were coming every 15 minutes or so, but I could hold them for a while. I turned inland at Castiglioncello as planned and climbed to about 4000’. I willed the GPS to move faster as closed in on Montecchio. I eyed Siena airfield carefully, it would be an easy divert, but I know I could hold out until Montecchio and I didn’t come this far to be beaten by a bit of puke on my T-shirt (it was my stomach cramps that worried me more!). I heard another forumites on the same frequency who was ahead of me, but I was closing fast. Eventually I switched to Montecchio and advised them that there was a serious pilot urgency for a toilet immediately on arrival. Riccardo replied thinking I was hamming it up, but I assured him that I was quite serious. I spotted G-AXTA landing as I was approaching. I did a semi-overhead join and made a bit of a hash of the approach being too high and too fast. Side-slipping helped, but I was too fast so did a go-around. My next circuit could be described as ‘low level’ as I hauled her around at a modest altitude and back onto final, chopped the power, pulled on the flaps and came in and landed this time. Not an elegant landing, but it did the job and in the circumstances I was pretty pleased. Montecchio airfield is a private grass strip about 800m long, but with a pretty active flying community based there (No Dan, this is not where we went last time, this is different part of Italy well to the north of Rome)

I turned around and taxied to the hangar and parked where Riccardo indicated, popped the hatch and dashed for the toilet inside at the back of the hangar. I made it OK and suffered what you could call ‘explosive decompression’. I sorted myself out and noticed that they had a shower – fantastic. I stripped off and had a cold / lukewarm shower which cooled me down and cleaned me up a bit. The T-shirt was for the bin and the trousers were for a plastic bag. Mazzie dropped some spare clothes in and I donned swimming trunks and a T-shirt and made my formal appearance to my fellow forumites and apologised for my brief but dramatic entrance. Mazzie had been busy cleaning up any spots that got onto the aircraft interior and took out the removable seat cushions for a wash at the hotel. I do NOT get any form of motion sickness and I never have, it was not that. I can only assume it was a combination of a lot of things, but maybe mainly a bit of over-heating and over-energetic rehydration at Albenga! Riccardo did ask me if I was alright and I said I would be sure I was alright when I could fart without worrying about it!


Down safely at Montecchio airstrip, I must be OK as I am taking photos again!

I was in no condition to take advantage of the wine and olives on offer and sipped what water I could scrounge and I was now dehydrated again. I moved the plane to a proper parking position and we loaded up after a while and headed for our converted convent hotel just outside Cortona. We got into the room and I got myself properly cleaned up and helped cleaning the aircraft upholstery. We didn’t actually have much time as we were going out to the big meal of the trip at Residence Serristori, a fantastic agro-tourismo near Castiglion Fiorentino. I washed my only set of trousers and realised I would just have to wear them wet, either than or swimming trunks! Fortunately, they were proper hiking trousers, so would dry quick enough, it also helped to keep me cool, that’s for sure!


Fantastic meal at the agro-tourismo

This particular agro-tourismo is quite a complex. It has it’s own airfield, with a hard and soft runway (unfortunately the runways are only 550m long and a bit too challenging for the some of the aircraft), it’s own hotel type room, a great pool and a huge agro-tourismo type eatery. The meal turned out to be by far the best of the entire trip. The pasta was exquisite and the steaks probably the second best I have ever had. I was taking it very, very easy though and sipping water with a glass or two of wine and very modest amounts of food. It is a shame as I was so looking forward to really letting rip! We all agreed that my friend Dan who was at the last Raduno would have really appreciated the evening. All for the very modest cost of EUR 35 per head – all the food, wine and grappa you could drink!


Now THAT's a steak!!!

Raduno 2010: Wednesday 9th June

OK, now we are into Plan B type stuff. Having failed to get away from Troyes yesterday for a single log hop to Cannes, the plan was not to try this again today. The planned route was:

LFQB DCT ATN DCT VNE DCT MTL DCT CM DCT LFMD

So off to the airfield in unpromising weather. Low cloud and occasional light rain, but it looked to me like there was a brighter and higher overcast, maybe the low stuff was scattered and I could get 'on top'. First thing was to check with the Meteo guy on the airfield. He showed me the radar and TAFS and METARS en-route and they didn't look too bad and seemed to confirm that there was some low stuff but the solid overcast was quite high. So I decided to go for it and see how far we got, hoping of course for really good weather down south so we could cut across the low foothills of the Alps to Cannes.

Packed up and careful A-Check as the plane had been out in the rain all night. There was some water contamination in the first two samples from the port tank, so I wobbled the plane a lot to shake any more water out, but nothing more. mental note to take off drawing from the starboard tank!


The weather and rain at Troyes airfield in the morning

I carried out the power checks with only to controller in the tower for company at the airfield and on the airwaves. Lined up and off on runway 17. I climbed to 1500' and saw that the low grey stuff was indeed well scattered and carried right on up to an easy 4500' sort of 'between layers' but with plenty of view of the ground.


That's not so bad! Getting between layers at Troyes

Contacts Seine Information on 120.32 who handed me over to Paris Information on 126.10. Paris warned me about some military area if I continued up to 5000' (it certainly wasn't there on my map), so I climbed to FL55 abnd everyone was happy.

The airspeed and groundspeed readout on the GPS was telling me something pretty scary. I was getting my usual economy cruise 125kts indicated, but only 85kts groundspeed - holy high winds Batman, we got ourselves a real headwind here!

About 30 miles NNW of Lyon is a range of hills, with peaks at 3000'. They didn't look too scary from FL55, but they sure were kicking up some turbulence which knocked us about for 20 minutes or so as we battled away with the headwinds and now turbulence.

Lyon Information were very happy for me to transit on a direct track to VNE at FL55.


Lyon from the air at FL55

We ploughed on past Lyon on direct track for MTL and past Valence. I was starting to get worried about making it to Cannes in one long hop with the wind and the time it was taking (and of course the impact on fuel). A few calculations and I figured if the weather for Cannes was fine and if the weather was good enough to get over the lowe bits of the hills between Avignon and St Tropez, that I would still go for it.

I called Marseille information and got the actuals for Cannes. They gave me 4000m visibility and winds of 140 / 25 - AAAHHH! Plan C, divert to Avignon, one of the alternates I had already planned for.

I called orange Tower for a zone transit of their military class D airspace as they sit astride the whole damn valley. They were most certainly active. I had trouble making out the accent of the French controller who first told me to report at Valreas, then I was sure he said report '3 miles West of Caritat' (Caritat being the name for Orange airbase). So I complied only to be ticked off with a 'Why have you gone to the west, I told you three mile EAST'. I was given two orbits west abeam the airfield as he got a flight of what looked like Mirages off then authorised me to continue to the Avignon NW VRP and call Avignon.

Avignon Tower were fantastic, although I was alarmed when they gave me the airfield information. Runway in use, 17 with winds 140 / 17G37kts - yikes! That is some crosswind component in this little twitchy taildragger!

I decided to give it a couple ot tries anyway. the tower were great and routed me over the runway at 2000' while traffic behind lined up for a practice instrument approach. I went around left downwind for my first attempt at a landing. I vowed to be instantly ready for a go around and rehearsed the crosswind landing in my head then turned base and final. he did offer me 17 grass (me being a taildragger and all), but I decided on the hard runway as I didn't know how smooth the grass was.

The approach was OK and I could certainly feel the gusts. I eased her down and carefully felt for the ground as I chopped the power, held off and kicked her straight at the same time applying into wind aileron, then kept on holding off and off. Stall warner pretty constant and we touched but didn't stay down for long as a gust caught and put us back into the air for what was in effect a high bounce, I applied a squirt of power to stabalise things and though about a go around for an instant, but decided to try again, I wasn't going to run out of runway anytime soon! It seemed like a good decision because the second attempt was much better and managed to stay put as I danced on the peddles to control the plane while we rolled to a taxi pace. PHEW! That was without doubt the worst set of conditions I have landed the RV in. I wasn't smug yet though coz it ain't over until it is successfully tied down!

I even got a compliment from the tower, perhaps he was just relieved not to have to clear wreckage away!

We taxied in and I fuelled up and tied the plane down very securely facing into wind.


Avignon airport tower, too busy with approach and landing for any airborne photos!

We got a taxi into town at the terminal and he took us to the Best Western Bristol hotel in the town centre. Pricey and basic, but clean and fine for me. What a really nice tyown Avignon is by the way. A very old walled town with the walls still 100% intact and it was the seat of the Catholic Papacy before the Vatican (I didn't know that).


Yep, that's a walled city alright!

So we had a very good explore and a very good meal. It would be well worth visiting Avignon and environs properly for a few days some time.


The famous 'Pont sur Avignon' - I wouldn't mind, but it doesn't even go across the river!

Raduno 2010: Tuesday 8th June

Plan was for Troyes direct to Cannes.

The weather when we woke up looked OK out of the window, not windy and overcast but with what looked like quite high cloud, so still do-able. We packed and checked out and got a taxi to the airport. I prepped and packed the plane then wandered over to the Meteo building next to the tower for a weather brief. I told him in broken French of my intentions and I got a simple ‘C’est non possible pour le VFR!!’. I looked surprised as it didn’t seem that bad, but then he showed me the rainfall radar, with really nasty stuff with what he said was embedded CB’s being blown directly across my proposed route from the south west to the north east most of the day until maybe mid-afternoon. There was already a nasty patch over Dijon to the south as I did even consider a ‘dash’ to Dijon, a mere 70 miles or so south.

So I decided to abandon the attempt until the afternoon and go back to town for lunch, as the airfield café looked excellent but was never open once when I was there. So back into town for lunch. Sure enough the wind picked up and it was indeed raining.


Sheltering from the rain

About 14:00 I thought I could see it becoming brighter rainy weather, so another taxi fare back to the airfield and a trip to la Meteo. But the rainfall radar showed a nasty trailing part of the clag still due to go over between Troyes and Dijon until at least 18:00. With heavy heart and a lighter wallet I decided to quit for today. I then recalled someone said if you go to the Hotel Relais St Jean in the town centre, the owner who is also a pilot would pick you up and drop you off. So I asked at reception and this is what happened. It really is an excellent hotel, but at EUR 100 a night not hugely cheap, but beautifully done in a very old building with bags of character.


Excellent room at the very 'pilot friendly' Relais St Jean Hotel in the town centre

We met up with some American freighter pilots also staying in the hotel in the bar (where else) who had been in Troye for three days waiting for their DC8 freighter to arrive at the huge runway at Chalon Vatry. We swapped stories for a bit, before going our separate ways for the evening meal. Troyes is still a very nice town, but when you are a pilot that couldn’t fly that day, it can be pretty frustrating, but such is VRFR touring in Europe!


Rather nice restaurant

I was not made any happier by learning on the Flyer Forum internet that another Raduno attendee had flown into Troyes around lunchtime on the same day, refuelled and pressed on and made it to Avignon, although they did have the grace to say that there was some pretty 'interesting' weather along the way!

Raduno 2010: Monday 7th June

The plan was to fly two legs today, the first from Gloucester to LeTouquet (to clear customs), then from Le Touquet to Troyes, to stay overnight in Troyes. The route for the first leg was very simple.

EGBJ DCT GWC DCT SFD DCT LFAT

Well that is exactly what happened.

Loaded up at Gloucester, filed a flight plan and had previously filed the GAR. Filled the plane to the correct fuel level for our weight and balance and took off in OK weather. Climbed to 2000’ and plodded the familiar route direct from EGBJ to the GWC VOR at Goodwood airfield. Called Brize Radar for basic service and went overhead Fairford (inactive as usual). Transferred to Farnboro Radar at Membury and stayed with them until passed GWC.


2000' scraping my head on the clouds in the UK

Managed 2000’ close to base of clouds all the way. Along the coast the clouds disappeared and I climbed to 4500’ going along passed Brighton towards SFD VOR for the channel crossing. Blue skies all over the channel and a very good horizon for a change.


Unusual 'severe VFR' in the channel!

Crossing was easy and picked up first Lille Information, then of course Le Touquet Tower.

There was some quite low cloud / lifted fog literally along the coast at Le Touquet and the wind was a perfect crosswind at 250 / 10kts. They were not at all busy on a Monday and said that although the ATIS runway in use was 32, I could use 14 as the headwind component was much the same on either. So got a long direct into runway 14. I had to descend to below 700’ before I got below this low cloud, the scuttled into final for 14. I could feel the crosswind and held approach track, at least it wasn’t gusting. I was ready for the crosswind landing and did a reasonable job of it and parked up. Clocked up a logged 1.7 hours flying on this leg.


Mazzie at Le Touquet airfield

Off with the cross-channel gear and popped into the very good airfield restaurant for a coffee and a croissant. Refuelled, paid the bill, and turned around in about 1:15. Fuel was a not unreasonable EUR 1.85 a litre. Given that we are paying GBP 1.78 a litre at Gloucester.....


Le Touquet airfield from the air

The last leg for the day was again simple and to make it to Troyes.

LFAT DCT CTL DCT LFQB

The low cloud bothered me a bit, but I got the METAR’s and TAF’s for Troyes and they were much more encouraging. The cloud at L2K seemed to have lifted a bit as well and of course the coast is normally worse that either out to sea or inland, so decided to fly as it would also be easy to get VFR above the cloud in sight of ground.

We took off and climbed initially to 2000’, then later to 3000’ and stayed there just below scattered 'fair weather' CU all the way. A nice easy run to Troyes, talking to various French ‘Information’ radio centres for flight information service along then way. Always given a squawk and occasional traffic reports. Flying in France is very easy like this compared to the UK.

The scenery on the ground is very much a patchwork of forests and strip type farming field layouts that make for an interesting patchwork as they slide by beneath you.


French strip type fields

Spotted Troyes and contacted the Tower there. There were very happy for me to join as I wished, although I mistakenly joined for a left downwind join for runway 17 rather than the published right hand circuit.


Troyes airfield from the air

They were not at all bothered though. Wind was given as 240/05, so no real crosswind to worry about and made an easy landing. Asked for a granted a backtrack and I was happily trundling back along the runway to the taxiway for the terminal when I spotted a crank-wing Robin on very short final heading towards me. I did not hear any earlier call to clear him to land, either in English or French (which I have a vague understanding of aviation terms). I called out on the radio in English that I was on the runway and that he must go around immediately – it was my life here and the Controller didn’t seem to be doing much! The plane went around to my relief. Yet another example I guess of the consequences of using mixed languages at an airfield giving rise to a lack of situational awareness.

Refuelled immediately for a quicker getaway. I struggled badly with the automated refuelling pumps and credit card machine and the reception guys took pity and announced over an intercom that I could pay later and turned the pumps on for me.


Troyes airfield

I fuelled up then moved the plan to parking where they told me. They assured me there were tie downs. I parked up and shut down, but for the life of me I couldn’t find the ties downs they referred to, all I could see were a few obvious drain-hole inspection covers. Someone obviously spotted my strange behaviour and came out and lifted one of the ‘drain covers’ to reveal a hollow where chains and rope are stored and anchored for tie downs – DOH! Well, I can’t say I have seen it done like that before. I secured the plane as we unpacked and headed to reception.

Reception was excellent. Very new, very well organised and even though the guy there genuinely spoke almost no English, we managed with my appalling French to tell him what we were doing and order a taxi. I had previously booked a cheap Etap Hotel in Troyes town centre as I find the Accor Hotel chain excellent for internet booking AND you can cancel same day – vital for a VFR pilot (as it turned out).


The quite lovely town centre in Troyes

Troyes as a town is really lovely. It is the French equivalent to loads of Tudor timbered buildings in an old walled town. Only a couple of the gates still stand of the walls, but most of the building survive with narrow streets and extensive pedestrian streets. It really is a great place to stay, even if just for one night. Really, do NOT make the mistake of booking into the Novotel that you can walk to from the airport. Stump up the EUR 20 taxi fare and make it into this lovely town!

Raduno 2010: The Plan!

This was my ‘big trip’ for 2010. Members of the Flyer Forum had organised a trip to meet up in Cortona, Tuiscany, Italy for two days of merriment via a couple of stops in France to a grass airfield.

I decided to 'do my own thing' with the wife on the way down and back and to use the Raduno as the focus of our tour. The weather reports leading up to it of course were not fabulous, with poor weather forecast for the Rhone / Saone valley, it might be interesting as that we exactly where I wanted to route!

The PLAN, at least for me was:

Monday 7th June
Gloucester to LeTouquet (clear customs), then LeTouquet to Troyes, stay overnight in Troyes

Tuesday 8th June
Troyes to Cannes direct. Stay two nights in a posh hotel in the sun.

Thursday 10th June
Cannes to Montecchio direct. The official ‘Raduno 2010’ part of the trip where many other Flyer Forum pilots would gather and socialise.

Saturday 12th June
Montecchio to Albenga to refuel, then Albenga to Vichy. Overnight in Vichy.

Sunday 13th June
Vichy to Le Touquet to clear customs, then Le Touquet to Gloucester.

Well, that was the plan, but of course things do not always go to plan do they?

I'm a swinger now!

Well I have finally done it. After years of reading about and seeing a lot of it on the internet and discussing it on specialist forums on the internet, I have finally done it – yes I am a swinger!

Today I had my first experience of swinging.

Yes, I agreed to go to the airfield to get a few tips and hints from Manuel that might help out on my upcoming trip to Italy. One of the things I particularly wanted to learn was how to ‘hand-start’ the engine if, say the starter motor packer up or if the battery was flat (as has occurred a couple of times in the last few months), this process is also known as ‘hand-swinging’ the propeller.

Well, actually I learned quite a lot more beside. Useful stuff like how to fit the cowling (far from straightforward), how to jack the plane up to change a tire etc. So as Manuel finished the 50 hour service, we pulle3d the plane out to give it a ground run. But first, I had a lot of rehearsal in the hangar on how to hand swing the prop, precisely where the magneto would spark, the commands with the person in the aircraft and most important, how to swing the prop without losing your fingers with kick-back or decapitating yourself by inadvertently leaving sundry parts of your body in the arc of the propeller.



So first off, Manuel did the swinging with me in the cockpit and it fired after about three swings. Then we traded places and I had my turn. I got the sequence and stance right and tried once, nothing, not a sausage. I tried again, nothing. Third time lucky? Nope! Fourth time and by now I realise what hard work this is and wonder if I am doing it right. I do precisely the same thing again and the engine roars obligingly into life. I am of course still moving swiftly away from the propeller due to the swing technique Manuel showed me. Wow! That is so cool! This stuff really works!

OK, so now I know how to do it, of course I hope I never have to, but it is a really useful ‘get you somewhere’ trick if it is needed.

So that’s it – I am now a fully paid up member of the swingers club!

.......What, WHAT – well what did you think I was talking about?

Local

Went for a local to keep my hand in over the weekend. I had planned a couple of landings at local grass airstrips, but put that on hold due to the recent heavy rains and my concerns that the strips may be a bit muddy. The panel-mounted GPS was out getting a new battery fitted, but no matter, I can certainly navigate without a GPS.

The weather was fine for a change, albeit with a slight wind at 040/10, but straight down the 04 runway. In the end I ploughed a familiar route first down the Severn to Chepstow, then up the Wye Valley to Ross, then on up to the Malverns, across to Bredon Hill, south to Bishops Cleeve for a play along the ridge line, then pull up over the ridge for the AYIOS and back to the airfield.

I was mainly concerned with just double checking the metrics and fuel consumption for the power setting I normally use, so that my planning for the upcoming trip to Italy is accurate. If anything (as usual) I have erred on the safe side and assumed a lower airspeed and a higher fuel consumption than I was actually experiencing in flight – this really is quite a fast and slippery airplane! I did notice what another member of the group was reporting, which is that the fuel flow indication on the engine monitoring system we have was occasionally erratic, it was generally showing the usual fuel flow for the engine setting and leaning that I use, but occasionally, it would get erratic and indicate a fuel flow 10-20% higher than usual. This seemed to be cleared by putting the fuel pump on for a few seconds. Manuel, our resident aircraft engineer, says it is a glitch in the read-out and not a ‘real’ event. Worth knowing and I will continue to use for fuel reserves, my normal combination of fuel remaining on the EFIS and the good old-fashioned time flown vs dipped fuel on board at start of flight method.

The flight was good fun, just myself. The plane handles very noticeably different on landing with just one person on board with a much longer float before the stall warner starts to holler. Not something I will have to remember on my tour in Europe as we will be close to MAUW for most of the take-off’s on the trip.

Landaway to Goodwood

Well this is the year that I score a few numerical aviation milestones. OK, not much at all really, but I will be breaking the 500 hours total time mark and I aim to break the 100 airfields in my logbook. Currently I am on 483 hours and 92 airfields.

What is it with guys, the urge to collect, record and catalogue?
Anyway, as part of this effort, I have decided to ‘fill in’ on airfields that are relatively close and in many cases that I fly over heading to more distant destinations, but for some reason have never visited before. So this time it was Goodwood / Chichester. I always fly direct from Gloucester to GWC VOR on my way to France, so why no drop in there.

I was a little concerned to establish the state of the grass runways, but a few enquiries and a telephone call reassured me that it wasn’t boggy and it was really very smooth. The problem with the RV6 is that the spats are pretty tightly cowled and there is not a lot of clearance with the ground, so it wouldn’t take much to crunch them up and possibly at worst tip the machine onto it’s nose. The clincher was when they said they had a couple of RV’s based there and they were flying quite happily with spats on.

Saturday looked on the face of it to be an ideal day. I had checked the NOTAM’s of course and the weather was forecast to be sunny with minimal wind. So it was, but it was a sort of ‘high-pressure’ murky. I couldn’t see the Malverns from the end of my road (my personal ‘Malverns Test’), but the vis was OK, I could see that I was going to get a ‘goldfish bowl’ type view downwards until and unless I got on top of the haze layer.

Rob joined me for the trip and we pulled the plane out carefully past the Citation parked in the middle of the hangar, carefully getting the RV wing under the higher wing on the Citation.

We departed on runway 27 with a bit of a crosswind, then turned left onto track climbing to 3800’ as we crossed the Cotswold ridge. I contacted Brize Zone for a basic service as I was above their zone, but thought I had better speak to them anyway. Fairford was ‘cold’ (I already knew that) and South Cerney and Redlands Farm were meatbombing (as usual). So I routed close to Fairford overhead to avoid the parachuting. I was vaguely hoping for some sudden engine rough-running as it would be a hoot to do a PFL at Fairford, but no, not today!



It was murky alright. Certainly VFR, just claggy. It would have been clear of the haze layer at probably 5500’ or so, but there was no point in that as I would start to hit Category A airspace and upset people, so I carried on at 3800’ for the 45 minute trip to Goodwood.

I do find grass airfields hard to spot, but as I have been over Goodwood so many time, I know where it is, even then, I was only certain I had it with 4 miles to run. I did a standard overhead join for the main runway, 14. There was only one other aircraft in the circuit as I lined up on final.



I deliberately wanted to land long partly to avoid any ruts just past the numbers where most aircraft would normally land and partly to avoid a long taxi on the runway to the clubhouse and parking at the far end of 14. I managed this and pulled off a nice landing (grass is flattering anyway of course). I trundled slowly to line 2 as requested and parked up.

It was warm, the sun was shining and there is nothing quite like a grass airfield on a day like this. A member of Flyer Forum suggested I dropped in on him in Hangar 8 and checked out the interesting aircraft. So I had a chat with someone in the hangar and looked over a lovely Harvard and a black Stearman.



We wandered into the Aero Club and paid the somewhat hefty £17.50 landing fee. There is an excellent cafe and we ordered a couple of baguettes and drinks out on the patio overlooking the airfield watching interesting aircraft come and go in the sun – what a wonderful way of passing an hour or so as a Harvard, a Chipmunk and a Wilga all made their way skyward.



Of course, Goodwood isn’t just an airfield, it is also a motor racing circuit, using the old peri-track around the airfield, so after we spotted a few cars bombing around the circuit, time for a look. On the way out of the aero club, we spotted a statue of one of the original characters of the airfield, none other than Douglas Bader, who took off from this airfield on his last mission of the war as he was shot down over France.



There was a fabulous line up of Ferrari’s as a string of Lotus 7’s came in from their timed lap. Just to wander around the Ferrari’s and hear them as they started up waqs such a treat. We wandered over to the stands and watched as Ferrari’s and Lotus 7’s set off one at a time for a timed lap, the noise was joyous!



This really is a ‘happening’ airfield with loads to see and do and I was starting to feel a little more charitable about the landing fee. But time to head back. A quick check of the plane as I watched another aircraft taxi out to the hold, it was not obvious where I was going to taxi, so I was relieved at watching a local do it and noting his track. I checked the airport charts as I know they have some interesting noise abatement procedures and I was keen to follow them so as not to upset the locals.

Start up and a slow taxi out to the hold for 14 and power checks. They were fine and I powered up with one stage of flaps trying to get off the ground as soon as practical to minimise any bumps or lumps I might encounter. We were up and once established in the climb, I pulled the first turn to the left to avoid Westhamphnett, then another to avoid another town as we climbed through the downwind, keeping a wary eye on another aircraft joining downwind, we were well ahead of him and climbed up past him keeping him off to the right.

I changed to Farnboro Radar and managed to get a word in edgeways, just. It was still hazy and to help with visibility, I continued my series of occasional but regular weaves to the left and right so I could get a good look forward for other aircraft and hopefully, they would spot my movement if coming straight for me.

Closing in on Popham, I just spotted a high wind aircraft passing probably 100’ below and maybe 200’ to my left, no need for avoiding action, but a bit close for comfort. At the same time, Farnboro called me a quickly reeled off a traffic warning – good job I wasn’t relying on Farnboro alone. I gave Farnboro a quick ‘Visual – Clear’ reply. I am certain the other aircraft didn’t spot me at all. He certainly wasn’t talking to Farnboro either.

We carried on and made contact with Brize as I approached the M4. Did my usual route close to Fairford and just over the Brize zone until past Cirencester, then picked up the Gloster ATIS. I said goodbye to Brize who were overloaded and contacted Gloster Approach. Approach and Tower were combined on one frequency, so he was really busy and earning his money. I got my call in and was offered a direct approach to runway 18. I accepted this and called at 5 miles, the again when established on left base. I called final and was cleared to land.

The approach was good, I was aiming to land long-ish again to minimise the time trundling to the end of the runway. There was some crosswind from the right, so I concentrated on right aileron and left rudder in the roundout, what I did do though was a novice error as 18 is so much narrower than the main runways, that the picture fooled me into thinking I was higher than I was and I touched long before I was expecting to. It was gentle stuff fortunately, and it wasn’t so much a bounce as the runway gently and paternally whispering to ‘Now I know you didn’t mean to touch then, do have another try, there’s a good fellow’ – so I did and made the stall warner holler before we touched properly in the correct attitude.

I taxied back and shut down and gently manoeuvred the plane past the Citation into it’s allotted space in the hangar, crouching in the corner like a poor relative at a society wedding with the swanky Citations and other rich boys toyz lording it over us.

Well, it was a really nice day and an excellent airfield, well worth a look and a return visit. Better visibility would have been nice and I can live without the occasional ‘close encounter’, but that’s flying I guess.

Next, who know, let’s try for another ‘first’ airfield – maybe Southampton, Bournemouth, Dunkerswell, Perranporth, Fowlmere etc.

AVGAS Prices? JTFC!!!

Our aircraft runs on AVGAS like the vast majority of light aircraft around the world – OK there are a few AVTUR piston engines around and yes, I know about Rotax running on MOGAS, so you lot can suspend your smugness for a moment.

Gas prices go up and down right? Well, at least they have during the recent recession. Eighteen months ago, the price of oil peaked at a staggering $150 a barrel, so of course you'd expect the price of AVGAS to be hit to reflect this. Well, we are now told that oil is back up the dizzying heights of – wait for it - $85 a barrel, so of course the price of AVGAS is…….yes, higher than it was when oil was at $150 a barrel!!! Now I am no financial guru (although I do work in Financial services), but how the f*** do you square those numbers?

The current price of AVGAS at our home airfield of Gloucestershire (EGBJ) is now a gut-wrenching:

£1.72 a litre (including VAT). Holy f****** high AVGAS prices Batman!

Check this graph out!



Gloucester have historically been one of the ‘good guys’, consistently in the cheapest third of airfields on the mainland UK. I don’t know if they still are, but it is hard to believe.

The oil companies have of course wittered on about ‘ah yes, but UK government duty has gone up by 6p a litre’ and ‘ah yes, but we have to buy oil in US Dollars and the Pounds is weak against the Dollar’, sure, but not by anywhere near that much – do the math!

So, what are we going to do about it in the UK? Precisely nothing! We’ll whinge and bitch about it, then shrug our collective shoulders and say ‘oh well’. Of course the UK version of AOPA is the same organisation as the US AOPA in name only and does little to nothing to lobby effectively, they merely take annual subscriptions. And of course politicians will gabble on about it being a ‘green tax’ – how much of the duty is spent on green issues? Nothing at all, the UK government just goes around buying new nuclear weapons systems at a time when the super-powers are reducing their arsenals and fighting overseas wars that have nothing to do with the UK.

OK a vaguely incoherent rant I know. It is really hard for me as a motorist to think that £1.20p a litre for MOGAS is a bargain, but compared to £1.72p a litre for AVGAS???

OK, you guys grinning like Cheshire cats running on AVTUR conversions or Rotax engines can now say ‘I told you so’. Now, where is that brochure on Rotax powered VLA’s and ‘experimentals’.

Oh, and the ‘JTFC’ reference? Well if you have watched the excellent satire film ‘Team America’ you will know what it means, it is a extremely rude and blasphemous exclaimation!

Two year revalidation

JAA European licences are only valid for five years at a time. But within that, you also have to have to revakidate every two years, either by a full proficiency test or by flying at least twelve hours in the 12 months before the end of the two years, plus a further hours flight training with a JAA instructor.

I am due for my two years in mid-June this year, so thought I would get the hours flight with an instructor out of the way now. Well, I have a couple of hours with instructors already, but the key is that they were not JAA instructors (they were FAA), so I booked an hour with Phil Mathews, the CFI at my local Cotswold Aero Club.

Phil is a vastly experienced instructor although I think taciturn rather than garralous would be a better description of him. He doesn't say much, but when he does you had better listen, because it is worth hearing! He does not try to 'over-control' and is quite happy for you to make and then correct your own mistakes, but very little escapes his eagle eye! As such, I am very happy with this style of instruction.

While I was at the clubhouse waiting for the plane to return from an earlier sortie, Steve Noujaim walked in with his wife and was going to do a sortie in the lovely RV7 he will be using for the Cape Challenge, to try to beat Alex Henshaw's long standing round trip record to Cape Town and back in a small light aircraft.



The plane itself has an avionics fit that would put a modern 737 to shame, large 'glass cockpit' monitors pretty much everywhere! Hen is due to try his record run in just under a month.

Well the plane had returned and Phil was ready so I gave the plane a quick check and we saddled up ready for my 'hour with an instructor'. I did the usual start-up and taxi checks and power check at the hold for runway 27. I was finished before the plane in front of me and called 'Ready for departure'. The tower checked with the aircraft in front who was still a couple of minutes from being ready, so we were cleared to taxi around them from behind and line up for departure on 27.



I lined up and was cleared for take-off. I checked the windsock, slightly coming in from the right, then applied power smoothly and kept the plane firmly on the centreline with the usual deft footwork and slight into-wind aileron. The tail came up as I held her down to pick up speed, as despite the lioght fuel load, we were still heavy and at MAUW as neither of us are slender guys.

I climbed out to the west and levelled off at 2500'. Around May Hill, Phil asked me to do 360 degree steep turns to both the left and right, maintaining altitude. This I did as I really enjoy steep turns in the RV, it is such a joy!

This was followed by slow flight, maintain 80kts straight and level, then complete 360 degree turns in both directions maintaining altitude. I managed this but lost about 100' over both turns, a bit sloppy.

Then Phil pulled the power back, but not to idle and said that the throttle had become jammed in that position and that I could not alter the power, what would I do? This was a new one on me, but a good one. I experimented with the aircraft and realised that I could maintain altitude at a much reduced airspeed, so I said that I would make a precautionary forced landing and would try for Gloucester (as it was only some 20 miles away) keeping a wary eye on large fields en-route in case the engine decided to quit.

He then asked how I would land it given that I couldn't change the throttle. Clearly this was going to be a question of getting into the appropriate position near the airfield, then shut the engine down and do a glide landing. Yes, but how would I kill then eb=ngine he asked. I thought about it and said I would pull the mixture. This was obviously the correct answer rather than kill the mags as there was a better chance of restarting wth mixture if I found I needed a blip of power.

That over, we did a fly-past at Eastbach Farm strip in honour of a member who died in a recent microlight crash. Then onto another farm strip in the Forest of Dean which has a couple of short grass runways, far too short to safely land, but Phil was happy to pull the power and ask me to do a low approach and go-around on the 350m grass runway. I pulled a 'cloerleaf' turn and lined up on final. The altitude was good as I pulled on some flaps and got a nice glide approach angle and a good approach speed. At about 100', I carried out a go-around and climbed back to the west.

We headed back to Gloucester and I called over Cinderford after picking up the ATIS. Gloucester was very quiet and Phil wanted me to do a standard overhead join, so I asked for that. Back in the circuit, I was keen to make it a textbook approach and landing. The wind was veering a bit, generally down runway 27 though.

I flew a tigher base than usual to account for the 10-15kt wind. The approach was good until late final when I caught some chop and sink. I applied power to get the profile back and the had to quickly reduce it again as I came over the displaced threshold. I chopped the power and glided the roundout. Held off, and off, stall warner squealing, make it holler, pull back and back and touch - and stay touched, continuing to pull the stick until it was fully back. A bit of brake and yes, we make the first turnoff without a backtrack. We trundle in as I crane to see over the front (I can just about manage decent forward vision without having to weave).

Well, that;s the hour over as I put the plane away and go back to Cotswolds to do the paperwork with Phil.

A very nice flight and I particularly enjoyed the two PFL's, always good fun to see if you will get in. I just hope that if it does ever happen for real that I can remain as calm and do what I have been trained to do, I don't suppose you ever really know until it happens to you, I am of course blissfully happy never to actually find out!

Back to claggy old Blighty!

As the RV6 is now back on-line after a protracted annual, I did my group rules flight with an instructor the weekend before last. I did want to do the full hour’s workout so that it would cover my rating renewal due in June, but due to mis-communication, the instructor thought this was just a check on my landings, so didn’t have the necessary time. So I have booked the full hour for the Easter weekend.

While I was at it, I also booked last Saturday morning for a simple bimble. The day dawned and the weather was truly horrible, very low cloud, a good breeze and raining, so even circuits were out. So I changed the booking for the afternoon, when the weather was forecast to improve. Indeed it did, so I made my way to the airfield at 14:00 and met up with my daughter’s boyfriend.



The weather wasn’t great, but the lower cloud layer looked around 1200’ and had firmed up, it wasn’t raining and the wind was modest. So I decided that a local would be fine and if worst came to worst, I could easily scuttle back to the airfield at 1000’. I checked the plane out and gave the canopy a good polish. It was OK-ish for fuel, but very lopsided, with far more in one tank than the other, so I pulled the plane out and taxied over to the pumps to put a few litres in to balance it back up.



Rob clambered in and we buttoned up and taxied over to E1 for runway 22. As I was doing so, the wind seemed to be blowing some rain our way and the clouds being pushed over the airfield looked very misty and drizzly. But in most other directions, the weather looked do-able, so I decided to take-off and stay tight to the airfield to see what it was like. Once airborne, we climbed and at 1000’ I was level with a thin scattered layer. Above that and the next layer looked like it cut in at about 3500’, so I wandered out west a bit where the clouds looked thinnest and with large areas of the ground visible beneath the scattered lower clouds. I levelled out at 1500’ to the west of Gloucester and did a few turns, climbs and descents just for the fun of it.

I tried to decide where to go, but the clouds didn’t seem to open up in any particular direction. I could still see the airfield. Well, we clearly weren’t going anywhere, so I admitted defeat after fifteen minutes and called for a rejoin from a grand distance of five miles from the airfield. I was given a direct join at whatever altitude I could manage to maintain VMC.



It wasn’t anywhere near as dramatic as it may sound, as I was still between layers and could easily see the ground through the scattered lower layer. In any event, at 3 miles to run, I descended to below the lowest scattered layer and managed 800’ as I scuttled back in for a right downwind join for runway 22.

There was a flying school Cessna in the circuit doing circuits, and I tucked in behind them. Th approach and landing were fine as I taxied back after a very short 15 minute flight. Needless to say, the weather on the next day (Sunday) was glorious, such is the luck of the draw in the UK!

The trials and tribulations of licences!

A slim brown envelope arrived for me the other day. With it’s distinctive shape and Canadian government markings, I knew it had to be about my standard Transport Canada private pilot’s licence. Sure enough it was. Turns out that Transport Canada is going to reissue every pilots licence in a new ‘booklet format’, which will amongst other things include, wait for it, a photograph of the pilot!

It seems amazing to me that the JAA / CAA licence is nothing more than a pile of A5 laser printed pages folded in half to make an A6 booklet, many pages of it I might add, and of course without any photograph, so it is stated as only being valid with separate government issued photo id. The FAA licence is much better, but still not perfect. The FAA licence is a plastic credit card type licence, but still lacking the obvious, a photograph! Now it seems that Transport Canada is going to do the sensible thing of including a photograph, but doing it in a very old fashioned ‘passport’ type booklet arrangement. One day, someone is going to put it all together and join the 21st Century and put it all on a plastic credit card with a photo and a chip containing all the information needed – but clearly not just yet!

So, I read the form letter. I have been selected….. (oh goody) ……..yabedi yah……..fill in a simple form available for download from a web address……..(fine)………it will be free of charge (first bit of good news)……oh and it must contain a Canadian style passport photograph and be witnessed by the same category of people listed for a passport application – there’s the kicker!!! Of course that last bit is at my expense. Why won’t they accept a photograph without authentication and simply compare it to your existing passport photograph that the government already has (I have a Canadian passport), well that would be far to simple!

OK, this is going to be a pain and if I don’t do this, the licence gets cancelled in June. So, off to a professional photographer for a Canadian passport photograph (no of course it isn’t the same as a British one!), then get the photographer to stamp, sign and date the back of it. Then take that with the application form to someone on the ‘passport approved’ list of people that can vouch that it is a true likeness of me. You know, people like Doctor, Dentist, Judge, MP, Queen, George Clooney….. Actually, you can also get it signed by Flying Instructors……but of course only those accredited by Transport Canada. If I lived in Canada this would be a breeze, but as I live in the UK, a lot of hurdles.

Only one on that list that has known me for the required two years is the medical examiner that does my pilot exams. So now I need to make a special trip to see him with the application form, approved photo and he has to sign both with a prescribed form of words. Of course I must also pay him. Oh yes, then I send the whole lot to Canada and wait eight weeks. None of this is the end of the world and I do value my Canadian licence enough to go through these hoops, but after this, can you please leave me alone for five minutes? I am sick and fed up with government bureaucracy in all it’s forms, whatever the government!

Here’s a really crazy idea – why don’t flying licences work the same way as driving licences, where most countries recognise other countries licences and simply hand over the keys without further verification. Better still, how about one licence for all countries - me? No hesitation, use the FAA lock, stock and barrel! Yes, I know I'm dreaming!

Just having a rant really. I’ll wander off now and sink a beer or six in front of the TV and fantasise about my trips to Italy and Newfoundland in August!

Flying in the Caribbean

What with the RV6 still ‘out’ (since end of December) for it’s annual (final tweaking to leg struts and spats etc.), I was looking forward to sneaking in a flight with an instructor while I was on a cruise ship holiday in the Caribbean.

I asked for advice on the ever reliable Flyer Forum, and several contributors pointed me either at Barbados Flying Club, or a chap named David Hart who rented out his own plane on Antigua. After discussions with the wife, she agreed that Antigua would be best.

I called David about six weeks before the holiday and he just asked that I call him ‘when I was there’. So I called him again once I started the cruise. He put it on his calendar and just said to call again the day before.

So the day before I got in touch again and made arrangements. We were to meet at the stairs near departures by the toilets at VC Bird International Airport in Antigua at 10:00 on 4th March. Well we met up about 15 minutes after the appointed time by the usual but somewhat imprecise ‘are you David Hart?’ Q&A method for anyone that looked likely. I didn’t actually ask a very scruffy Rasta-type character with a stained T-shirt and flowing dreadlocks smoking something that smelled very suspicious who was actually sitting on the stairs, all the time thinking to myself ‘nah – surely not!’, but as the clock ticked to 10:10 I was starting to wonder!

He had previously asked me to bring my licence and when I offered it to him, he looked at the cover and said that was fine. I was kind of expecting a pre-flight brief with maps etc. but he casually asked what I wanted to do. Well, Monserrat would have been nice, but in the end I asked to do a leisurely around Antigua tour, which he said would take just over an hour anyway.



Well, no briefing as we passed through departures security (yes we were scanned, but that was all as David is well known at the airport and simply said we were going for a local) and walked straight out the plane near the end of runway 25.



VC Bird Airport is the only airport on Antigua (although I have heard there is another airstrip, but I can’t seem to find it). It is pretty small, but the runway is big enough for large jets flying direct from the UK, the likes of BA, Virgin etc. There is one runway of 2700m in length aligned 07 / 25. The apron is pretty small and David explained that it was chaos on two or three set days of the week, this not being one of them, so it was pretty empty and very quiet when I was there.

David did the pre-flight checks as I did a quick visual check of the plane myself. It looked in very good shape. It has recently been repainted and seemed well maintained albeit with a fairly dated, but IFR-compliant instrument fit.

I put my wife in the back, while I loaded up followed by David in the right-hand seat. I used an old checklist I used to use on PA28’s while training to do the pre-start checks and asked David about any differences he may operate for such hot weather use. It was a balmy 30 degrees centigrade and we get hot very quickly! Apart from that, the weather was scattered cumulus that hangs above pretty much every island, although is was a bit hazy that day, with no distinct horizon out to sea (fairly typical of the channel actually), but otherwise, visibility was fine, just not perfect for photographs.



I was happy to agree that David should handle the radio as the local accents were a bit hard on me, while I would fly the plane and David would let me do what I wanted when I wanted. On start up, there was a bit of a hiccough as the brakes on the passenger side weren’t working at all, despite a shutdown, some fiddling and pumping of the handbrake, David’s brakes were still not working. I commented that mine were fine and demonstrated. He decided that it must be just the passenger side and opted to continue, I was happy since I was used to using the brakes very rarely on the RV anyway.



We taxied out to 07 to do the power checks while the windsock said there was a ‘perfect’ crosswind (pretty much 90 degrees to the runway) from right to left with what I guessed would be 20kts – oh goody!

We were cleared for take off. David advised that I use two stages of flap (not something I would normally do) but yeah, fine. I positioned on the runway and applied full power with a lot of into wind aileron. We picked up speed slowly (compared to the RV6) but normally for a PA28 and I rotated smoothly at 60 kt IAS. We climbed away as I tweaked the rudder and ailerons to maintain centreline. I cleaned up during the climb as usual and we levelled out at 1500’.

The request to ATC was for a clockwise tour of the island, so I duly did a right turn and ran parallel to the coast. Unfortunately, this aircraft does not have intercom connections for the back seat, so my wife was sat in the back seat with headsets on acting purely as ear defenders.

Initially, I found that I was losing altitude, in part because David runs his engine at a touch under 2400 rpm and in part me being subconsciously used to the much lower ‘picture’ I was used to flying straight and level in the RV6. I soon got over that as we started a bimble.



David was pointing out the geographic features and the houses of the various stars, including Silvio Buslesconi, Elton John, Eric Clapton – each was of course buzzed dutifully in turn, but no one was in!

The marina at English Harbour looked particularly interesting, as did the nearly ‘Nelson’s Dockyard’. Mental note to visit there after the flight.



David called for clearance when crossing the extended centreline of the runway, but there was no traffic so no problem. The flying was easy, but we did pick up some chop at various points due to the local effect of some of the hills. A few steep turns for better camera angle and ‘one handed’ photographs by me made for some fun if unconventional flying. I was amazed at the colours of the sea, with the various shallow sandy bottom bits, coral reefs, deep water etc. Fantastic turquoise colours that the photographs struggle to do justice to.

We then came to the deep water harbour for Antigua at St Johns. There were four cruise ships at anchor, including of course the one that I was on, so a couple of orbits were in order for more photographs.



We then called for clearance to pass the upwind end of the runway for the final bit of the bimble, which we did an orbit for as a passenger jet was taking off and climbing out. When we saw it was clear we proceeded.

I did a bit more of the island coast and said I was happy that we had seen everything. David called for a rejoin and we were given a right base join for runway 07 with the wind at something like 140/20 – nice! So of course I left it a bit late to turn a long-ish final and like a novice wound up to the left of the centreline, but I put that right, dropped the power, put two stages of flaps on and we were well high for the piano keys, but as we wanted to be at the other end, I was aiming further down the runway anyway. David chipped in that I should avoid the piano keys and the first third of the runway anyway due to a hill on the right at that end of the runway, which with this wind would give some pretty interesting chop and sink!



Even with my aiming point, I was still high, so pulled on the drag flaps and pretty much chopped the power altogether and did in effect a glide landing, with the nose well off to the right to allow for the crosswind.

In the flare I kicked her straight and put in quite a bit of into wind aileron to hold the runway heading and we touched in a ‘firm but fair’ landing, which in the conditions, I was pretty happy about. David seemed pretty happy too - at least I think he was as he managed to prise his hands away from his eyes at this stage and started breathing again (only kidding – no, really!).

We parked up and packed up. In the end it was 1.3 hours logged start-up to shutdown. David escorted us through an empty arrivals and we were waved through. We were saying our goodbyes when I reminded him that he probably wanted paying for the flight. It came out to $US 220 – not fabulously cheap, but certainly value for money as far as I was concerned. A great flight with wonderful scenery.

Annual blues

Yes, it’s that time of year that the aircraft goes into it’s annual service, inspection and permit reissue. We are fortunate in the group to have a licenced aircraft engineer as one of the members, so he, with the help of other group members, carries out most of the work and charges his time at an ‘at cost’ (actually probably below that) rate.



Of course the ‘quality’ of the service is excellent (given that he will be flying it I suppose). The downside is of course that it is only in his spare time and at weekends, which can lead to protracted downtime. Basically, the plane will have been out of commission for probably 6 weeks. Not a huge problem especially as it happens over the winter, but I find that if I don’t fly for two or three weeks, I start getting pretty ‘itchy’ to get into the air. So desperate in fact that I consider full rental through my local club – the Robin is at least a bit more interesting than yer run-of-the-mill spamcans normally used for flight training.

When the plane does come back on-line, I will line up the club instructor and do my ‘one hour training’ required for JAA at the same time. At this rate, probably after my big vacation for the year starting on 20th February for two weeks. A cruise in the Caribbean. During which, I will try for a ‘sneaky’ flight with a contact I have made in Antigua, which is one of the island stops.

So plans for 2010? Well, get the JAA licence signed off for another two years. A quick flight in the Caribbean. A couple of the usual cross-channel forays, maybe trying for some destinations I haven’t visited yet (Brittany).

But the ‘big trip’ for 2010 is planned to be a flyout with the Flyer Forum to Tuscany, in Italy, with the wife in early June. We will do our own thing getting down there, probably stopping for sightseeing and meals out etc. at airfields en-route in France as we make our way down the Saone valley. Tentative plans for stops include Troyes, Beaune and maybe Cannes en-route to Lucca in Italy. We would then most likely ‘blast back’ quite quickly with just one overnight stop.

Hope you don't mind the photo Manuel, and I of course forgot to mention that Lyndon helps a huge amount with the annual servicing in a very cold hangar - thanks guys!

The joys of a local on a frosty day

The pictures tell it all - very enjoyable flight just poling around the local area.

Local around the flooded local area

I had booked the plane for the Sunday, but the forecast was horrific and Saturday looked a better option, so I switched to Saturday morning. Turns out that was a good idea.

The weather was OK, some lower clouds, but scattered and easy to get above. The wind was modest, probably 230/10, given that Gloucester was using 22, I was hardly worried. BUT, I had planned a quick landaway, but my main concern was avoid anywhere with grass parking bearing in mind the soaking we have had in the last few weeks, it wouldn’t be funny getting the RV stuck in the mud, so in the end I settled for a local, much to the disappointment of my passenger, Rob.

We carefully pulled the RV out of the hangar, with the RV wing under the wing of the Citation also parked in the hangar, a bit of a delicate job and one you certainly don’t want to get wrong!

Of course I needed fuel, so a quick stop at the pumps, the we were off from 22. The airport seemed pretty busy, maybe because this was one of the few decent VFR days we have had for a few weeks. I had no particular aim, so bumbled over to Bredon Hill. First mistake was that I forgot my camera! Lots of flooding pretty much everywhere. The over the clouds to Evesham and the Cotswold ridge. We followed that to Bishops Cleeve then along to Cheltenham and behind Gloucester the the big bends in the River Severn.

I was below the clouds now at about 1800’ and it looked gloomier towards the south west. There was also a lot of traffic in the area, so I headed west and climbed through a gap in the clouds to 4500’ around Ross on Wye and did a few steep turns for the hell of it. Headed back to Ledbury, picked up the ATIS and headed back on in to Gloucester.

I got the usual standard overhead join for 22 with right hand circuits. The circuit had one in, one on the deadside and me joining overhead. I passed crosswind as another aircraft was taking off underneath and staying in the circuit.

I was visual with the PA28 ahead and followed him, trying to keep my distance. I was sure tjhat was the plane that ATC were talking about until he extended well downwind and flew such a wide base leg that I was sure he was leaving the circuit and wasn’t the guy I was number 2 to. But he was, he had to be on two mile final at least! I was forced out wide to stay behind and pulled on full flap and crawled along behind him.

I thought the spacing was OK and felt sorry for the guy behind me. I was given a ‘continue approach’, he had landed, but was taking his time getting to the turnoff, but ATC were sensible and offered me a ‘landafter’ which I was happy to accept – hell, I could probably land, stop and take off again before I came close to him!

The landing was a good one this time. Nailed the approach speed and made the stall warner holler long and hard before we finally touched and stayed touched!

The PA28 in front of me was taxying very slowly (OK probably the ‘correct’ fast walking speed, but…), so I had to slow to stay well behind. I noticed it was that PA28 with the snazzy paint job, I think from Wycombe, the one with a BEA colour scheme on one side and a BOAC scheme on the other – where the hell is my camera when I need it!

We parked up, shut down and put the plane carefully away. A nice flight even if it was a local. Probably one more just before Christmas, then that is my lot for the year.