Life at North Weald. Life at Andrewsfield.

Intrepid though we are there are still two things that bite as: weather and bureaucracy. The weather: fine in the UK (no surely not!). Passing heavy showers in Holland and Belgium. I ring Lelystadt and ask what the weather is like: "not nice, but possible". A veritable invitation then! The bureaucracy: Mode Sierra transponders or not? The Dutch authorities require Mode Sierra above 1200ft. Charlie-Charlie, being not long off the production line has Mode-S among it's vast array of buttons to push. India-Juliet also is suitable equipped, but the Missus is waiting for Mike's Mrs to OK the expense. Still 1200ft, that's a dizzy height for some Circus outings.

Charlie-Charlie's water crossing. Rob, Mike and Shane.

Charlie-Charlie sets off from North Weald. As ever Steve and Bob taking the longest water crossing possible. India-Juliet and the Missus make ready at Andrewsfield. I put my life jacket on and duck my head to get under the wing, but not enough, flap and head collide, head comes of worse. Blood is running down my face. Mike leaps for the first aid kit, I get the feeling he's been waiting a long time to use it. Thankfully he produces a plaster and not a needle and thread.

Steve get's twitchy. Kingsferry Bridge.

Repairs complete and power checks done and the Missus sets off after India-Juliet. We flyers of aircraft in their original trim with steam powered instrumentation elect to go via the Dover VOR to Dunkirk and then up the Belgian coast. So why is the Continental engine in the Missus so relevant? Mike is in the back of his beloved, having insisted that I play P2 to Shane on the way out. But Mike's ear is finely tuned to his aircraft's performance. A tap on Shane's shoulder means "Carb-heat to hot" (as there is no vox on the rear intercom). And being a Continental there's a lot of applying of carb-heat. Shane's shoulder is getting sore.

Clouds. Sloehafen.

Dover is reached and we head out over the water (carb-heat to hot) talking to London information. There are plenty of clouds around, but so far no rain. We're approaching the Belgian FIR and I realise that I can only hear people talking to London Information and not London Information themselves. A blind call to London, and then a call to Ostend, Ostend let London know (thank you), and "Do you have mode charlie on your transponder?". Yes, we do, but Ostend are not getting any altitude reports. We re-cycle and various things and Mike shouts from the back that Mode-Charlie has recently been repaired. Seems it's broke again. Ostend are fine with Mode-Alpha as long as we report any altitude changes, not sure what the Dutch are going to make of it though. We press on. Mike, in the back wants a leak. We look the other way. (Carb-heat to hot).

Mike. Zeeland Bridge.

Into Holland (carb-heat to hot). Dutch military don't seem at all concerned about transponder modes. What's more worrying is the large rain storm straddling our path and coming our way. Shane makes a large detour to the left and behind the storm is another in front of our new path. Shane picks his way behind the first and in front of the second and gets us back on track, by which time we're nearing Lelystadt. Dutch military ask us to confirm our height and that we have mode-Charlie. I explain again that is broke and they ask us to standby. We standby (carb-heat to hot). And we standby. Eventually, I call them ask to change to Lelystadt - approved. Oh well don't know what that was all about, but I guess an aircraft with no height report under Amsterdam's TMA caused some consternation.

Lelystadt. Charlie-Charlie and Nick.

We see Lelystadt (carb-heat to hot) and work out the approach. Follow the dyke, turn north and then turn downwind. There are wind turbines everywhere, I don't think about engine failures (carb-heat to hot). All goes well, we land and park by the pumps. India-Juliet and Charlie-Charlie are already here and refuelling. Mike fills the Missus and we head for immigration, which is taken very seriously.

The Missus. The Old Man.

Inside and some food, which loses something in the English translation and we're not really sure what we've ordered. Bob and Steve have to get an IT professional over to help enter their flight plan home. Steve is getting flustered and looking for fuel and matches for revenge. Despite incurring an earlier head wound, the IT professional saves the day and serenity returns.

India-Juliet, delayed. In the shadows....

India-Juliet's crew decide on a quick tour of the museum and then to the aircraft, they have to get to Rochester, so Shane M can bring the twin back to Andrewsfield. Charlie-Charlie and the Missus mob take their time and head for the exit. We can't get out though until the man from immigration is back from lunch. I don't know how India-Juliet got passed the two sets of locked doors, but the tower have told them to wait to have their passports checked - time advantage lost then.

A hill. Every kind of waterway imaginable.

All aboard and off we go. Everybody gets a strange windshear on climb out. Shane (H) as ever laughs it off and we begin the low-level run across the lowlands to dear old lumpy blighty. Charlie-Charlie are given a traffic report "Traffic in your 12-o'clock is a 747, 2000ft". Bob has very definitely moved to grown up aeroplanes then.

flood plains. and canals.

Hmmm, beginning to feel queasy. (Carb-heat to hot). Hmmm, seriously queasy, wonder if MIke has any sick bags on board. I formulate a plan B, which you really don't want to know, in case the answer is no. Mike passes me his last bag, phew! I wait a suitable interval for the crew to get back to the controls and then fill it. So, having filled a sick bag, where do you put it? (Carb-heat to hot). I make a little pocket between all the flight bags in the back and prop it between them thinking Mike will never speak to me again if that goes over. (Carb-heat to hot). Still feeling better.

Windmill!. Drag.

The drama over and the rain receding, we are over Belgium with Ostend warning us to watch out for a banner towing Cessna. Bob in Charlie-Charlie gets a picture... it's almost stationary with all the drag and the headwind. (Carb-heat to hot). India-Juliet gets a low-voltage warning light, but elects to make the channel crossing using the age-old aviation backup of crossing fingers. The Missus heads out to sea and Dover. I see Lydd in the distance and take a picture for later reference. (Carb-heat to hot).

Ah-hmm... Lydd. Des-res, The Thames.

Past Dover and a Super Decathlon passes us by (carb-heat to hot). India-Juliet makes it to Rochester with the warning light still glowing. Richard decides if starts he'll take it home. It does and he does, it transpires later that the warning light connection has worked loose and the circuit fails to light on. Over the Thames for the Missus and Shane wants pictures of his office in Southend. Hanningfield appears on the left, as good as home now. Great Leighs, and then 27R and we're home. I quickly extricate the sick bag and stow it the rubbish relieved that it is still in tact. OK, now to face the others and have the mickey taken - it was the bang on the head guys!