Date: 3/4/2016
Time: 11:00 - 11:35 (10:00 - 10:35 GMT)
Aircraft: EuroFOX - G-UFOX
White Waltham (still not France)
We
arrive early at the airfield - 7:30 is quite unheard of for a non-morning person
like me. We are hoping to go to Le Touquet for a day trip today, which means
an early start. But the visibility is not conducive - we hang around and have
a cooked breakfast whist hoping we can get to see Hannington Mast - always a
good indicator of the visibility. But it is just murk. Soon it is evident we
won't make our flight plan time and with the showers now forecast for the afternoon
(it really is April), we decide to cancel the flight plans rather than delaying
them. I guess it isn't to be this weekend. OK, let's go somewhere else - we
decide on White Waltham.
My turn first - after checkout, we line up on 21
and we are off. We head off north to Hannington and then east toward the M4
- A329M junction. This is the reporting point sierra for when approaching White
Waltham from this direction. I give them a call reporting my position and inbound
- I am rather surprised to be asked to "pass my message". I then go
through all the information that we have already given when we phoned for PPR.
I am slightly irked that he made me do this, but not anyone else. Maybe I just
woke him up.
On
to Waltham and I join from 1300' overhead and then descend on the deadside.
I think I headed for the wrong greenhouse, so got the circuit slightly wrong,
but the visibility still isn't wonderful. Indeed, when we turn final, I can't
actually see the runway, but fortunately during descent I noted the position
of the hedgerow relative to the runway and this guides me easily into runway
11. A gust lift me a bit whilst on final, but it is a long runway, so not an
issue. There's the long cross-country taxi towards the clubhouse and the visitor
parking area.
We go in and sign-in. We have some tea and I avoid
having a third breakfast of the day.
Ian
has the left seat for the return journey. Again we are off from runway 11 and
then follow the M4 west. Ian has a deviation to go and have a look at Sherfield
on Loddon and we also get to see Stratfield Saye House. Back at Popham the approach
to 21 is still suffering with the wildly swinging wind. He has one T+G before
the final landing.
Never had rain 'til late after all that.
Was amused the see White Waltham airfield televised
that evening on the "Dogs Might Fly" TV show where they have trained
Dogs to fly a light aitcraft.
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We
arrive early at the airfield - 7:30 is quite unheard of for a non-morning person
like me. We are hoping to go to Le Touquet for a day trip today, which means
an early start. But the visibility is not conducive - we hang around and have
a cooked breakfast whist hoping we can get to see Hannington Mast - always a
good indicator of the visibility. But it is just murk. Soon it is evident we
won't make our flight plan time and with the showers now forecast for the afternoon
(it really is April), we decide to cancel the flight plans rather than delaying
them. I guess it isn't to be this weekend. OK, let's go somewhere else - we
decide on White Waltham.
