It's nearly September - time for an update!

Back in the hot and dry part of summer (21st June to be exact) we celebrated an old friend's mother's funeral. She was a good age and it was a jolly affair as she'd had a full and happy life. And it was a chance for me to meet up with many friends from long ago, some of whom I hadn't seen for 30 years or more. Today, just nine weeks later, we had what amounted to almost a re-run, for her husband this time, who died last week at the age of 99. Once again, those faces from the past, looking as we all do a tad 'more mature' these days, met again. And one, Liz, chastised me 'for not updating that Blog'! So, earliest to latest, here we go.....


Claire becomes a Vet! And we celebrate!
In early July, elder daughter Claire finished her degree course at The Royal Veterinary College in London after five hard years, and is now a fully qualified Veterinary Surgeon. It's been her ambition since she was little, and she has worked tirelessly towards that goal not only in achieving high academic standards, but also in building up a 'CV' of working with animals - farm work, sanctuary work, working with vets, lambing in all weathers, helping at pig farms, working with horses, at zoos, and a special project with the elephants at Knowsley Safari Park. This latter won her a prize along with her veterinary degree - the prize for the best dissertation on 'exotics'.

Anticipating this success, I had booked my wife Chris and myself into the Holiday Inn Bloomsbury, and on Monday 19th July we enjoyed lunch and a G&T or two while speeding south, first class, on a Virgin Pendelino from Wilmslow to Euston. After checking into the hotel, we caught the Tube up to Cockfosters where Claire and boyfriend Dave met us to drive to her student house in Potters Bar where Dave prepared a barbecue and the fizz flowed!

Next morning was the start of the Big Day.... Claire's 'investiture' into the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, and presentation of her degree and 'exotics' prize, at the Guild Hall in the City of London. (For larger images, click on the picture).

Dave and Claire arrive at the Guild Hall

Claire, begowned, before the ceremony


Claire receives her 'Exotics' prize

The Principle reminded us all that no-one gets to qualify as a vet without a great deal of parental support, both financial and otherwise. How true! So he asked the graduates to applaud us!

The graduates applaud the parents!


Claire with proud parents!


Class of '10! Playing 'Scottish Widows'. Claire, being tall, is back row 5th in on the left


Claire at 'The Anchor' on the South Bank that evening. Then the four of us went for a fabulous meal at 'The Don'. 20th July was also Chris's birthday, so we had a double celebration!

The next day, Wednesday, Chris and I enjoyed a visit to the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Art, and to the Science museum. The weather all week was sunny and hot (about 29 degrees C), and we breakfasted at pavement cafes or at the 'Cafe in the Gardens' which as its name implies is in the gardens of Russell Square, just round the corner from our hotel.

On Thursday we returned home on probably the friendliest and most luxurious railway companies operating on Britain's railways - the delightful 'Wrexham & Shropshire', one of the few 'open access' companies; that is, they don't hold a franchise, they simply operate a train service on the franchise holders' lines. Anyone can do it - you can. I can. 'Grand Central' run a service from Hull to London Kings Cross, and 'Wrexham & Shropshire' run from the delightful London terminus of Marylebone, to Wrexham via the Chilterns. Over Saunderton summit, down into the Vale of Oxford to Banbury, and on to Birmingham, Shrewsbury, and Wrexham.

Wrexham & Shropshire train

The on-board service is efficient and friendly. It's only a short train - three standard class Mk3 coaches, and a buffet / First class coach with a class 67 diesel at one end and a Driving Van Trailer (DVT) at the other. The engine pulls the train to London, and pushes it back to Wrexham from the back of the train, the driver driving from the DVT at the front. Lunch in first class is stunning - three full courses (we had soup or pate, lamb shank, and a choice of dessert washed down with a very acceptable bottle of Cote Du Rhone). The coaches are ex-Virgin, but fully refurbished with a silver paint job, and sumptuous grey upholstered seats. Highly recommended! We got off at Shrewsbury, and a nondescript Arriva Wales diesel train whisked us back home to Wilmslow.

What a super week!

Saturday 24th July - Northern Dragons 'Real Ale by Train'
Made famous by Oz Clarke and James May on their 'Drinks in the UK' TV programme, the Trans Pennine Ale Trail is well worth doing. This was the third time I've done it, and it's always a great day out.

One gets a day return ticket from Wilmslow (in our case) to Leeds, arriving in Leeds in time for lunch (home made pies in the Scarborough Taps just across the road from the station) and the first of many pints of good real ale.

The first 'Northern Dragons' trip in 2009; some of the Dragons at Leeds en route to Dewsbury (L to R, Adam, Steve, Vince, Daniel)

The previous two trips comprised members of the 'Flyer' internet forum (the name 'Northern Dragons' derives from the largely southern membership of that forum exclaiming that their 'northern' UK flying charts were blank sheets simply stamped 'Here Be Dragons'). This trip, however, was a contingent from our local pub in Wilmslow, the Horse & Jockey. It comprised me, Tony (retired builder), Malcolm and Ray (retired BA long haul captains), Frank (retired Astra Zeneca exec), and Steve (not sure what he does).

Ray, Steve, Vince, Tony, and Malcolm tuck into home made pies at the Scarborough Taps, Leeds, at the start of the 'Ale Trail'. Frank took the picture.

After Leeds, one travels one station back towards home, to Dewsbury. Ray had an extra pint (or two) at Leeds, so he and Malcolm missed the train and caught the next. The real ale bars from now on are actually on the station platforms, a mere step or two from the train.

We were in boisterous mood, and as the ale flowed, so did the chat and the anecdotes. It transpired that Malc and Ray's time flying for the BA Super 1-11 Division at Manchester a few decades ago were fun years! Eight hundred feet up and down Blackpool prom in a 1-11 was was one memory, showing the passengers the Blackpool illuminations (for that was the purpose of the flight) under a nine hundred foot cloudbase! Try that today - the on board live telemetry would report what you were doing back to base, and bye-bye licence!

Next stop was Hudderfield. Once again Ray was delayed by 'that extra pint', but this time it was us that got it wrong. We trooped out onto the platform a couple of minutes before our train was due, a train with 'Huddersfield' on the front rolled in, so we got on. It was the local stopper! Ray finished his pint, and emerged onto Dewsbury platform in time to step onto the train we should have caught. As we waited in our vibrating 'Nodding Donkey' (Pacer) at Mirfield for the passengers to board, Ray swept past at 70mph on the Trans Pennine Express! By the time we got to Huddersfield, he was into his second pint there!

Final point of call was Stalybridge, with its famous Buffet Bar, where the last pints of the day were enjoyed before returning to Wilmslow.

I must be getting old. On the 2009 'Dragons' trip, we'd finished off with a couple more in the pub opposite Manchester Piccadilly station!



Monday 2nd August - Dave takes to the air
Claire loves flying in the Chipmunk and intends to get her pilot's licence as soon as she can afford it (note to Claire; one can never afford it. You just have to do it!). But Dave had never flown in anything smaller than a Boeing 737 and she was determined he should experience what real flying is like, in the back seat of the Chippy. The weather and the forecast was good, though the cloudbase was bit too low for aerobatics, which as this was to be Dave's first flight, was perhaps as well.

The Chipmunk is two seat, one behind the other. Each cockpit has a full set of instruments and flying controls, but some stuff, such as the radio and transponder, are only in the front. So that's where I sit. I can, of course, only take one other person with me at a time.

(Pictures by Claire, except last one which is by Dave. For larger images, click on the picture).

I strap Dave into the rear seat


Dave, ready for the 'off'

Just about to 'commit aviation'

At Liverpool, we live with some bigger neighbours


Claire's turn

Dave was perhaps a bit tense. After take off, as we climbed out over the Mersey I asked if all was OK - he sounded fine (our only communication was the rather noisy intercom). "If you don't like it at any time", I said, "just say so and we'll go straight back".

As soon as I'd levelled off and set up for cruise, I gave him control. Wow! Just as Claire was when she first took SL's controls, he was a natural! Nine times out of ten, if I do that with a novice I have to take it back within fifteen seconds as they vastly overcontrol our 'think it though the sky' aeroplane and get totally out of sync with it, despite my warning of its sensitivity.

But Dave did just fine, holding height and heading remarkably well. I took control again just to demonstrate a steep heading change (roll to 70 degrees in an instant, pull hard for a second as the earth revolves around the wingtip and we are pushed into our seats by the 'G', relax the pull and simultaneously roll level, revelling in the joy of using those powerful and precise ailerons). "OK with that?", I asked. "Fantastic!" he replied. Low cloudbase ruled out any aeros, but he was clearly happy with 'pulling 'G''.

After we landed back at Liverpool, he had the biggest grin on his face I'd ever seen. "I'm going to do this", he vowed; "learn to fly". "Hang on", said Claire. "We can't afford both of us to do it!".

But somehow, I think they probably will.



Friday 6th August - The Scarborough Flyer
A day out Scarborough - steam hauled there and back! When I booked this day out for Chris and I the organisers were promising our motive power would either be 'Bittern', a Gresley A4 pacific, 'Princess Elizabeth', Stanier's first 'big engine' design for the LMS after he joined them from the GWR at Swindon, or 'Duchess of Sutherland', Stanier's masterpiece and a member of probably the finest class of locomotive ever to run in Britain. My luck was in; on 6th August, it was my favorite locomotive in charge of the 'Flyer' - Sutherland!

'Duchess of Sutherland' at Wilmslow

We left Wilmslow at 07:52 and picked up more passengers at Stockport before leaving the mainline at Heaton Norris Junction and heading towards Stalybridge. I had booked us in 'Premier' class (cheaper options were 'First or 'Standard', but my belief is that if you do these things, you do them in style). By Denton (our first stop to top up the locomotive's tender with water) breakfast was being served. A 'Full English' with fruit juice, cereal or porridge, bacon, egg, fried bread, sausage, hash browns (or kippers), toast, and tea. And Champagne!

Soon we were pounding up the bank past Diggle to Standedge Tunnel, and being only one coach back from the loco the magnificent sound of the Duchess making light of our twelve-coach train up this steep climb was music to the ears.

We routed via Wakefield, south and east of Leeds including another stop for water, to join the East Coast Main Line south of York, then east through Malton to arrive in Scarborough by about 1pm. We had passed through some rain on the way to the East coast, but the weather in Scarborough was dry and fine so we walked down through the town to the sea front, enjoying some traditional fish & chips and a pot of tea in a cafe on the way. There's an active fishing quay on the bay which we walked around, and miles of golden sand with little groups of donkeys every hundred yards or so giving rides to children. The southern bay at Scarborough is dominated by the brooding presence of the Grand Hotel, a monument to Scarborough's more salubrious past.

We ascended to the upper promenade by the cliff lift railway and decided to have a look at the Grand. It is pure 'faded elegance'; a magnificent staircase superbly decorated rises from the now rather nondescript foyer with its tacky bars. We found our way up through one of thes bars to the terrace which overlooks the bay. What a view! Every visitor to Scarborough should come up here.

Cliff Railway

The view to the south from the balcony of the Grand Hotel

We returned to the station in time for me to board the footplate of 'Duchess of Sutherland' at the fireman's invitation. After the 'Planet' locomotive I fire at the Manchester Museum of Science & Industry the Duchess's firebox look enormous. "How on earth do you fire down to there?" I asked the fireman, indicating the cavernous firebox stretching into the distance. "Oh, I don't", he replied. "I just fire the back end and the sides and fire works its way down to the front.

We steamed out of Scarborough on time at 17:00 with me enjoying a fine pint of real ale served at table, and a spirited run to York got us there early so we had to wait on the Ouse bridge just outside the station until it was time for us to pick up those of our passengers who had got off at York on the outward journey.

After leaving York, the evening meal was served. Soup or pate for starters, lamb shank with all the trimmings for main course, choice of dessert, cheese and biscuits, tea or coffee, and for us, a bottle or two of red to wash it down. How civilised!

We arrived back at Wilmslow on time, about 21:00, after a fantastic day out.

Here's a video someone took of our train later that evening speeding through Holmes Chapel, heading from Wilmslow to Crewe after we had left it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zPq-HpVGHk&feature=related




Saturday 14th August - Smooth FM at Concorde
I'm 61 today, but hey ho it's just another working day at Concorde. It's tough, but someone's got to do it. Today is a bit different; the radio station Smooth Radio are broadcasting from the hangar at the Concorde Conference Centre, and I was interviewed on air by their presenter Derek Webster. This is getting to be a habit - the Phil Wood Show on Radio Manchester a while back, interviewed in our Chipmunk at Woodvale by BBC TV in May, and now this. Pity it doesn't pay!

Here's me in a picture from the Smooth Radio website conducting a 'Concorde' tour that morning.

Sherlowe fly-in, 3rd July 2010

Another great day out! This time it was down into deepest Shropshire to Bob Pooler's delightful strip at Sherlowe, near High Ercall. And today, my passenger was Malcolm Elliot, and ex-BA 747 long haul pilot, biker, and all-round great guy!

We got airborne off Liverpool John Lennon's runway 27 with no delay, climbed out over the Mersey estuary to exit the Liverpool Zone at Chester, and I handed control to the rear seat as Malcolm climbed us to 4,000 feet by the time we were south of the Peckforton Hills. "I'm not used to climb rates like this" opined Malc, more used to four Rolls Royce Turbofans than an aging Gipsy Major. "Glacial, innit", I replied.

I took control for a barrel roll and a loop; not my best - it's few months since I flew aeros and the barrel roll went deep in the exit due me rolling too soon in the pull-up. The loop was better, but not great. I need to 'up' my aeros currency! But I love the way in a loop the ground disappears behind you as the 'G' comes on, then there's sky, sky, sky, then upside-down Shropshire comes whizzing over your head from behind, then you're diving back down into the landscape, farms and fields visibly expanding, as the 'G' comes on as I throttle back to contain the engine RPM within limits, then soar up to regain lost height.

Malc flew us again until the Wrekin (a lone hill near Shrewesbury) was about four miles ahead, when I called Shelowe and started looking for the strip, which I'd not visited for over three years.

Sherlowe is a delightful spot. Lower Grounds Farm, almost in the shadow of the Wrekin, owned by Bob Pooler. Bob fought initially (and many of us supported his fight) to get Sherlowe established as an airfield with planning permission, and the strip now provides 'grass roots' pilots a lovely place to land. It's a grass strip, oriented 33 / 15 so often subject to crosswinds, with the southern half sloping markedly downhill.

Well today the wind was right across; ninety degrees to the runway, so I decided to use 33 to land uphill as the wind would be same on either runway. We joined overhead, descending, at ninety degrees to the runway, heading west, then turned left for a downwind for 33, descending to treetop height to weave between the outlying houses in the rural landscape to position short final for 33. The runway was viewed through the right hand side of the canopy on final, such was the crosswind from the left, and the touchdown was a bit touchy-bouncy as I kicked off the drift and kept the aeroplane within the narrow grass runway limits as we 3-pointed onto 33. A touch of power kept us rolling up the hill to the mid point, where we were marshaled to park on the west boundary.

We got the usual warm Sherlowe welcome from Bob, booked in, bought some tombola tickets, and a cup,of tea. Malcolm won a big decorative candle on the tombola which later took a bit of stowing in the Chippy to get it home! We settled into a couple of comfy seats to sip our tea and watch the arrivals of other aircraft, and a lovely display from a Sleap-based WW2 Yak fighter. Lunch was a burger (and very good it was - real beef so most tasty), then we took a tour of the assembled aeroplanes. Bob gave a spirited display of slow flying in his demomstrator Aviat Husky (he is the UK agent for Aviat Aircratft), and later a lovely aeros display in the resident Slingsby Firefly.

Where had the time gone? It was 2:30 already and time to go. We thanked Bob, fired up the Chippy, and as Sherlowe was by now busy with arriving and departing aircraft we stuck with the official 'runway in use' of 33 for departure - uphill. I taxyed down the hill to the 33 threshold, turned, and away we went, charging up the hill, onto the level section by the clubhouse (named 'Terminal One'), to lift off with a left turn-out. On reflection, runway 15, downhill, might have been a better choice.

Malc flew us back most of the way to Liverpool, with me taking over from Delamere for the approach and touchdown on 27. Amazingly, neither our departure in the morning, or our return in the afternoon, were delayed by commercial traffic. We were straight out, and straight in.

As we vacated the runway and I called 'Liverpool Ground' on 121.95 to get cleared to Kilo (the GA apron), I ran the canopy back on its rails and cool air blasted in to ruffle our shirts and hair as we blattered our way onto the apron, parked, switched off all avionics, and shut down the engine.

Another Great Day Out!

LAC Summer Solstice Fly In and BBQ

Sierra Lima (and me!) at the Kenyon Hall Farm strip
(as with all pictures, click twice on the picture for a bigger image)

Way back in summer 1978 I joined Lancashire Aero Club (LAC) at Barton Airfield to learn to fly, obtaining my PPL (Private Pilot's Licence) the following year. Subsequently, I enjoyed decades of fun-flying from that lovely grass airfield; Barton was our playground! It was pure 'grass roots' aviation; a great clubhouse where one could socialise even if the weather made flying unlikely, no silly 'PC' rules, a relaxed attitude to operations (non-mandatory radio, for instance), lots of interesting flying going on (tailwheel aeroplanes, vintage aeroplanes, aerobatics, home built aeroplanes) as well as more conventional types.

A few years ago Manchester City Council (the owners of Barton) refused to renew our lease or to consider selling us the site. Instead, it was sold to property developer Peel Holdings, the owners of Liverpool Airport and the Trafford Centre. LAC lost its home, and Barton lost its 'grass roots' atmosphere as security barriers and fencing and pay-car parks appeared, and the relaxed atmosphere and interesting flying disappeared. We'd lost our playground.

Some LAC members continued to fly from Barton despite much higher hangarage fees, but many de-camped. Our own Chipmunk group had moved to Liverpool John Lennon Airport, others went to Sleap, Breighton, or Blackpool. But despite not having a home. LAC continued as a flying club. Have a look at our web site .

The hunt for a new home was on, and not long ago the committee decided on Kenyon Hall Farm near Wigan as our new base. It was just a farmer's field, but now has a 580m mown strip, and clubhouse, and aircraft parking areas.

I made my first trip to there today, to visit the LAC Summer Solstice Fly In and BBQ (and sleepover for those so inclined!). It might seem a bit daft to drive from my home in Wilmslow, to Liverpool, to fly to a field just south of Wigan... and then do again the other way round to return home. But hey, who said there was anything logical about this fun-flying lark! And anyway, in today's lovely hot sunshine, driving my MX5 with its electric folding hard-top roof 'folded' was a bit of fun in itself!

The MX5, roof down, ready to go!

Since this is the first description of a Chipmunk flight on this blog, I'll describe the flight preperations and Air Traffic proceedures in some detail. But since they vary only slightly from one flight to the next, I'll omit them from future blog postings.

When I arrived at Keenair Aviation on Liverpool's General Aviation apron, there was no sign of our aeroplane. The Keenair staff usually get her out of the hangar onto the apron first thing in the morning if she's booked to fly, so the refuelling truck will fill her up on its early round. But this morning.... no Sierra Lima to be seen. She wasn't in the Hangar either; maybe someone was sneaking in a quick flight in her before mine, but the booking-out book showed no entries since last Sunday. I knew she'd had a tailwheel problem earlier in the week, and the work to replace a cracked tailwheel leg and fork had only been completed late yesterday, so maybe she was still in the hangar at Ravenair (who do our maintenance) at the far end of the GA apron? A walk down there revealed her nestling at the back of Ravenair's maintenance hangar, with several other aeroplanes blocking her in. And no-one from Ravenair was about.

Eventually a Ravenair instructor came by, and after I'd collared him he went to find the operations guys to get Sierra Lima out. But they weren't about. Never mind, we'd shift the obstructing aeroplanes ourselves and had just started doing so when another Ravenair guy turned up and asked if I was sure Sierra Lima was released to flight, as the engineers usually move her across to Keenair's hanger when they've finished working on her. A quick call to our group secretary, who called the Ravenair maintenance boss at home, who confirmed she was fit for flight, sorted that. They hadn't moved her last night as there hadn't been time to do that after they'd finished working on her.

At last - Sierra Lima was out in the Liverpool sunshine; it looked like the trip to Kenyon Hall Farm would be on. I turned on the fuel, set the brakes, checked the magnetos (mags) were 'off' in both front and rear cockpits, and that the throttle was closed. Opening the left hand cowling I pulled the ring that presses on the carburetor float, allowing it to 'flood', then pumped the handle on one of the mechanical fuel pumps until I heard fuel gurgling into the carburettor and pooling in the inlet manifold before trickling out through the manifold overflow. Now I could 'prime' the engine - suck fuel vapour into each cylinder so she'd start. I pulled the propeller through four revolutions to 'suck in' the fuel vapour, and also to check that the cylinder compressions were OK.

I shut the cowling, climbed into the front cockpit switching on the mags in the rear cockpit as I did so, set the throttle, switched on the master switch, the starter enable switch, and the front cockpit mags. I looked around to ensure it was safe to start, shouted 'clear prop' while rotating my right fore-finger with my right arm extended upwards, and pressed the starter button.

There was a tortured groan as the starter clutch engaged and the prop moved about a quarter of a revolution and stopped. This is normal. I released the starter button and the prop bounced backwards as the clutch released. When I judged it had bounced as far back as it was going to, and before it had a chance to bounce forward again to its resting position, I hit the starter again. This time, with more forward distance to travel before the compression of the first cylinder overcame the strength of the starter motor, it moved nearly half a revolution. And stopped. Once more I released the starter button, the prop bounced back further than it had the first time. On the third judiciously-timed application of starter, the prop made it over compression and the engine spun a couple of revolutions before raggedly barking into lumpy life.

I set the revs at 1,200 rpm, let the brake off, and Sierra Lima rolled forward. About two notches set on the brake lever was enough to give me differential braking on the main wheels so I could steer her with my feet, and we slowly blattered our way around the apron to the Keenair hangar, canopy open, the prop blast ruffling my shirt and hair, giving some welcome cooling on this hot, hot day. I shut down and went into the office to sign out in our bookings book, and to book out with Air Traffic (dHC1, one on board, to Kenyon Hall Farm strip, leave the zone at Burtonwood, 2 hours fuel, 15 minutes en-route, departing 11:00 zulu).

Sierra Lima on the Liverpool GA apron

Back out on the apron I completed the pre-flight checks, re-primed the engine, climbed aboard, started up, and taxied to the far end of the apron for the power checks. All checked out OK, so I paid attention to the radio fed into my headset. A Ryannair Boeing 737 was geting his taxy instructions; when he was done I pressed the transmit button on top of the stick:

"Liverpool Ground good morning, Golf Bravo Charlie Sierra Lima at Kilo for taxy"

"G-BCSL good morning. Taxy via Kilo to Foxtrot to hold for runway 09, QNH is 1015"

I read back the taxy clearance and the pressure setting and rolled towards holding point Foxtrot which is about two thirds of the way up runway 09, noting the Ryanair was rolling towards the holding point down at the beginning of 09.

"Sierra Lima, your clearance after take off will be to leave the zone at Burtonwood VFR not above 1,500 feet on the QNH 1015, squawking 0260"

I read back the clearance.

"Sierra Lima, readback correct, call Tower on 126 decimal 35"

"12635, Sierra Lima, good day". Changing radio frequency to Tower, I listened initially to ensure my transmission won't break into a converstion already in train there. But the frequency was free, so I hit the transmit button; "Liverpool tower Golf Bravo Charlie Sierra Lima, approaching Fox"

"G-BCSL roger, enter runway 09 and backtrack as required. Break. Ryannair 326 line up and wait 09, there's a Chipmunk taking off in front of you from the mid point"

I watched the Boeing turn slowly onto the runway (I was facing it as I entered the runway at the mid point from the opposite direction) as I acknowledged my clearance and heard the Ryannair pilot acknowledge his instructions.

"G-SL, can you turn around and take it from there please? And an early left turn would be appreciated. You are cleared for take off runway 09, surface wind 180 at 10".

As I spun the Chippy round to face up the runway I replied "Clear take off 09, and an early turn will be no problem". I did a last minute check of the flying controls (full and free movement) and opened up to full power. The Gipsy engine note changed from its relaxed blatter to assume a businesslike unsilenced steady and very loud roar. Pushing the stick forward brought the Chippy's tail up in seconds. Seconds after that we were in the air. I held her down to accelerate to 70 knots, then rolled into a steepish climbing left turn out over the grass leaving the runway behind me vacant for the Ryannair. As I levelled the wings on a track for Burtonwood I heard the 737 get his take off clearance. I doubt he'd even had to stop on the runway.

"G-SL, thanks for that. Call Approach 119 decimal 85. Good day".

"11985, cheers, SL". I follow the same frequency-changing procedure as before; "Liverpool Approach, G-BCSL"

"G-BCSL hello to you, call me passing Burtonwood".

"Wilco. Sierra Lima"

The air was unstable; the sun heating the ground is kicking of some powerful thermals, columns of ascending hot air, which are sustained and even accelerated by the instability, making flying bumpy. Up ahead I saw a bunch of gulls circling in classic 'soaring' style, and a couple of seconds later I flew through their thermal a few hundred feet above them. There was a heck of a thump as I hit it, lifting me bodily out of the seat despite the Chippy's four-point harness. Those birds can sure read the sky!

Fifteen minutes later, having signed off with Liverpool Air Traffic, I had located Kenyon Hall Farm strip east of the M6, north of the M62, and just south of Stephenson's Liverpool to Manchester railway line. I got the speed right back on final, and floated over the hedge to a silky touchdown on 23. This is my kind of flying; stick and rudder, down in the weeds, weaving between the trees and feeling the angle of attack through the stick while eyballing around the landscape to arrive over the threshold at the correct height and speed for a minimum-float smooth return to earth on a short and undulating rough field. It's like being a bird!

The clubhouse and aircraft parking area were up at the 05 end of this short bowl-shaped strip. I'd completed my roll-out about halfway along the runway, so I opened up to taxy to the end, turn off to the left, and swung Sierra Lima round to position next to the (so far) only other arrival. I got an enthusiastic welcome from Kate, who'd organised the event as I climbed down from the aeroplane, and many 'old Barton' faces were evident around the barbecue.

What a delightful spot this was! What a contrast to John Lennon Airport I'd left only fifteen minutes earlier. Peaceful countryside, the clubhouse (a tastefully converted container!) nestling under an old oak tree with tables and chairs out on the grass in front of it. Woods and trees all around, with fields of swaying tall grass in the adjacent hay meadows.

Sierra Lima in front of the KHF clubhouse



Sierra Lima ready to depart from KHF strip

A cooling glass of lemonade was first on the list of priorities, followed by a burger and sausage from the barbie. We spotted the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Dakota doing a display a mile or so north, at Golborne, and willed it to give us a fly-by, but it wasn't to be. Kate's phone was alive with folk saying they were flying in, and pretty soon the arrivals started in earnest; nice to have more visitors, but it meant the limited aircraft parking area soon began to fill up. We moved the Chippy out of the way so it wouldn't get blocked in, as I wanted to be away soon after 2pm.

The lovely blue Luscombe from Barton arrived, as did a bevvy of utralights, a Cub, and a lovely Bucker Jungmann biplane. There was even a nose-wheel aircraft there - a Streak Shadow. I was the second departure of the day, the first being a Super Cub who on departure gave us a demonstration of that aeroplane's low speed and high rate of climb performance, passing over our heads at several hundred feet despite starting his take off run not quite at the beginning of the mere 580 metres of the strip.

As I prepared to depart, Paul Tomlin (LAC's official photographer) asked me to stay low for a good shot. Hmmm. The downwind end of the field had a gap in the low hedge at the end of the runway - I could aim to pass through that! The picture heading this post is actually one from Steve Kershaw, but it is of that take off. I started right from the end of the strip (runway behind you being famously one of the useless things in aviation), let off the brakes, and got her into the air remarkably quickly despite the ninety degree crosswind and high temperatures on this lovely hot afternoon. After lift off I held the aeroplane down to just above the grass as she accelerated along the strip, whizzed through the gap in the hedge, then I used the excess energy in a short zoom-climb to a few hundred feet before adopting the Chippy's more usual, sedate, climb-out profile.

Liverpool were on runway 27 now, so that gave me minimum routing as I'd be approaching the airport from the direction of landing (just as runway 09 - the reciprocal - had this morning launched me towards KHF strip). And there was little commercial traffic so I got a clearance immediately to enter the zone at Burtonwood, then to proceed direct to right base for 27. With about four miles to run I was put over to Tower, who cleared me to 'final' as someone took off, then gave me a landing clearance as I reported 'final'.

In deference to Sierra Lima's tailwheel problems, I did a 'wheel' landing (landing the aeroplane in the level attitude, on the mainwheels, then allowing the tail to gently descend, rather than the more usual '3-point' landing where the aeroplane is flared just above the runway and touches down on all 3 wheels simultaneously).

There was no sign of tailwheel shimmy, so the new parts had obviously cured the problem (KHF strip is grass, and tailwheels don't shimmy on grass so that landing had not been a test of whether the problem had been cured or not).

'Tower' handed me over to 'Ground', who cleared me to Kilo (the entrance to the GA apron) and I taxyed up to the Keenair parking area, let the engine temperatures stabilise for a minute or two, then switched off the radio and transponder followed by the mags, while fully opening the throttle (to prevent 'run-on'). The prop clanked round to bounce to a stop between compressions, I switched off the master switch, and sat back in comfortably-reclined seat of the tail-down Chippy to let myself return to earth before climbing out.

Just the oil to wipe off the airframe and from within the engine bay, and the paperwork to complete, before getting the MX5's top down again and hitting the road home.

What a cracking day out!


For a series of high quality pictures of the event by photographers Paul Tomlin and Steve Grimshaw, go to:

http://www.lancsaeroclub.co.uk/lac/clickgallery8.asp

On that page, click on either of the two opening pictures to enter Paul or Steve's gallery, and it will open in larger size. Hold your mouse over the right hand edge of the picture and a 'next' button will appear, enabling you to move on though the pictures.

Father's day!

I spent the morning leading a walk near Mobberley for the AE, W&DFPS (see 'Walking' section of this blog). The Cheshire countryside, in the rich full growth of high summer, is stunningly beautiful on a fabulous day like Sunday. Afterwards, we enjoyed lunch at home (with my mother, who came to visit), and relaxing in the garden. Well done to my wife, Chris, for providing the lunch and also for taking me out for a lovely meal at the local Turkish restaurant in Alderley Edge as a father's day treat tonight. Yum!

Here starts the Blog