It’s Bank Holiday Monday and 7 members of HFC are gathered at Andrewsfield by 09:15 for the August fly-out. The weather is perfect, clear blue skies, temperature about 23C and rising with no haze. Low cloud is forecast in the west but we’ll deal that as and when.

Two club aircraft are booked. Steve M and Richard have the Archer (G-BZDH) and Shane and Nick have the 172 (G-BXXK).

Since the last fly-out Steve R and Rob have joined forces with Peter (me) by buying shares in Cherokee (G-ASUD). Steve’s son Sam is also along for the ride but decides that 3 up in the Archer will be more comfortable than 4 up in the Cherokee.

Jane is nursing her sick mother, so no 152.

Most of the flight planning had been done the afternoon before at Steve M’s BBQ party, where Shane had also declared that today would be a “shorts” day. Have we all remembered? All except Rob whom, to avoid much ribbing throughout the day, has very stylishly rolled his trousers up to his knees.

Last minute planning and improvisation

Uniform Delta is fuelled to the tabs and Steve R is in the P1 seat. Peter is naving from P2 and Rob is in the back. Richard and Steve M are having trouble firing up the Archer after taking on fuel. I wave as we taxi past and Steve M gives me a thumb’s up, so we taxi to the hold for runway 27L.

Nick practicing for the wing walking, and Delta-Hotel fuelling

With 8-10 Kts down the runway we’re soon airborne and heading north to Haverhill at 1300 feet so as not to annoy those nice people at Essex Radar. At Haverhill we turn west, climb to 3000 feet in the clear blue sky and talk to Duxford Info. Not much happening there and we are soon clear to the west and talking to Cranfield. Visibility is fantastic for such a warm day and we hear Nick (XK) and Steve M (DH) on the radio so we know they managed to kick start the arrow. Overhead Daventry VOR we change to Wellesbourne Info then give them a call from Gaydon. ATC instruct us to call “when airfield in site”. Viz is so good we can already see the airfield so Steve R presses the PTT, which immediately disengages his brain. “Golf Uniform Delta has uniform in site”.

Wethersfield and Wellesbourne

We have made good time, the 20 Kt headwind forecast on the TAF was only 10-15 Kts.  Wellesbourne are using runway 18 and there is a blustery SW crosswind. We approach from the south to avoid over flying Wellesbourne village and join down wind. Steve R is struggling to keep the centre line on final approach as Peter & Rob enjoy the view of Charlecote Park.

 
Charlecote Park - <<National Trust Site>>

Over the numbers and we see an Avro Vulcan but we don’t tell Steve as he has his hands full as he flairs, floats and greases the runway in very tricky conditions. (Makes you sick, doesn’t it).

We follow ATC’s instructions and park up on the grass near the clubhouse. Before we are out of the aircraft DH & XK park up beside us. The restaurant/café is well patronised but it’s a little early for lunch, so we pay our landing fees at the tower and settle for coffees all round.

Vulcan and Vampire at Wellesbourne's museum

Time to swap seats. Peter is now P1 in UD, Rob sitting in P2 but in his head he’s still in Cuba. Steve R jumps in the back and finds Rob’s new digital SLR camera (Ah! boys toys). Shane is at the helm in XK and Richard in DH. It’s an uneventful flight west as we approach Worcester but then see our clear blue sky interspersed with low cloud rolling off the distant Welsh hills. As we descend to 2000 feet we here XK report overhead Bromyard. That puts them about 5 miles south of track. We descend even lower as we skirt north of Leominster and join dead side at Shobdon for runway 27. Across the active at 1300 feet to downwind at 1000. Turn final and the wind is virtually straight down the runway. 2 stages of flap, flare, float, float, float, I should have used full flap, and rumble onto the tarmac. Loads of room.

We

Time for lunch, and three members of Nick’s family have arrived to see him. We discover that they live in Bromyard. Ah! The penny drops.

The café is so overwhelmed with customers that they can’t cope, so they stop taking food orders before Rob has a chance to order his lunch. Still, there’s a very nice restaurant at Kemble, Rob. Just hang on a bit longer.

We bid farewell to Nick’s family and head southeast to Kemble. Richard remains P1 in DH and Nick takes a second stint at the controls of XK. Steve R is back in charge of UD with Rob still in the P2 seat. After 3 years of part ownership of UD Peter now takes his first flight in the back seat. Now where’s that digital camera. The cloud is still low as we pass to the north of Hereford and we all keep a good look out for the mast at 1210 feet to the west of Ledbury. We cross the River Severn 6 miles southwest of Gloucester and the clouds are dispersing. I can just make out the Severn bridges 20 miles down river.

River Severn and bridges

There’s a glider in the air at Aston Down so we skirt to the east, then south to Kemble. Kemble village is on the extended centre line of runway 26 approach so Steve R does a military style curved approach onto final and a long float to touchdown. We are still only half way down the 2000 metre long runway so we fast taxi to the end and turn off to the fuel pump.

UD dog legs on to final. XK and DH mix with illustrious company

By the time we have refuelled and parked the aircraft the others have almost finished their refreshments. With a tight schedule to get the rented aircraft back to Andrewsfield by 18:00, and another stop at Wycombe to be made, they decide to head off while Rob orders his belated lunch and Steve R and Peter relax in the afternoon sunshine. This is definitely one of the advantages of having your own aircraft.

There is a whoosh and a roar as a Hawker Gnat takes to the air, making almost as much noise as Delta Hotel. Shame they missed that.

UD crew (Rob, Peter, Steve R). Not the gnat

With Peter back as P1 and Steve R navigating we attempt to find hold Alpha for runway 26. The Pooleys plate shows a peri-track behind the tower so we taxi along it till we see a sign for runway 26 pointing across the grass. We follow the sign until ATC tell us we are going the wrong way and to do a 180 back to the taxiway and follow it all the way round. So don’t believe all the signs you read on an airfield. Before we reach the hold for 26 another aircraft does exactly the same thing.

Kemble is big! XK crew, Nick and Shane

Airborne once more, we head southeast and call Brize Radar for MATZ penetration and a FIS but get no reply. North of Swindon and onto CPT VOR at Hampstead Norris where we turn northeast towards Wycombe. The “headmistress” at Wycombe Tower is correcting everyone if their radio procedure is not spot on and gives us runway 24 left hand; so as we are already on the reciprocal heading we position to join downwind. As we descend to circuit height there is a built up area right on the nose. Shall I go left, away from the airfield, or right? Steve R makes the decision for me and we go right. “Golf Uniform Delta downwind”. “Golf Uniform Delta you are too close to the runway” (Slapped wrist No1). We are past the built up area so I turn 90 degrees left for a more extended downwind. “Golf Uniform Delta Final” “Golf Uniform Delta you are clear to land”. I hear the message but don’t respond as I am concentrating on how close I am to the rooftops of the houses below. “Golf Uniform Delta you are clear to land” (Slapped wrist No2). I acknowledge and hear Richard call “Golf Delta Hotel ready for departure”. “Golf Delta Hotel hold”. Richard holds.

“Golf Delta Hotel hold. You must acknowledge” “Golf Delta Hotel holding” (Slapped wrist No3). As we taxi to the parking area DH & XK depart for Andrewsfield. We pay our landing fee and sit out on the wooden decking with ice cold drinks.

Yak and XK at Wycombe

We don’t stay long and are soon back in UD with Rob at the controls, Peter navigating and Steve R in the back for another play with Rob’s camera. Rob errs on the side of caution and requests start up from “the headmistress”. Start up is approved and taxi instructions to the hold for 24 given. Power checks reveal a fouled spark plug and we spend 5 minutes doing lean mixture engine runs to clear it. We lose our place in the queue to two other departing aircraft but finally get airborne and head northeast to Bovingdon. Overhead the BNN VOR we turn east towards Stapleford. At Potters Bar Rob announces he can see his office. I didn’t know he worked in Potters Bar. He doesn’t, his office is at Canary Wharf, 15 miles to the south.

Lea Valley. Canary Wharf

Stapleford is closed so we announce our transit to Stapleford traffic and head towards Chelmsford. As we approach Andrewsfield two hot air balloons are just leaving the ground. We give them a wide berth and join overhead to check the signal square, and into the circuit for 27. From right base we can see another balloon inflating below final approach, but it will be another 15 minutes or more before it’s ready for lift off. The setting sun is directly into Rob’s eyes as we turn final but he makes a good landing and we are safely home.

Balloons on final

Nick and Steve’s son Sam are there to greet us but Steve M, Richard and Shane have already left for home. Fortunately the bar is still open, so we sit outside the clubhouse in the last of the evening sunshine with a pint of IPA and complete the paperwork.

WHAT A GREAT DAY!

[Text: Peter] [Photos: UD - Rob, Steve R and Peter. XK -Nick and Shane, click the links to see them all]