Our First big Microlight Adventure.
I was originally inspired to take part in the Wingspan 2003 event when it was first suggested a few years ago. I though it was just the thing to do in the Jabiru powered Xair I was struggling to get through the tortuous BMAA system. By 2003 I at last had a full permit to fly and 75 hours on the plane. Although I felt it a daunting task to fly right through England, I was encouraged by Alan Boyd to give it a try. I took the whole week off before the event and intended to go on Wednesday with Alan Lindsay (Blade 582) and meet up with Alan Boyd and Ken Gay (both Quantum 912) who couldn’t get away until Thursday. I spent a few stressful days looking at changing weather forecasts and rebuilding my luggage compartment. Wednesday arrived with heavy cloud and a forecast for increasing winds. Thinking it was a no-go, I went down to the airfield to make a final fitting of the luggage compartment. While I was there, Alan Lindsay turned up, the wind dropped and he decided to go at 4.30pm. Not being ready, I decided to wait until tomorrow for the others, however Thursday arrived with low cloud and rain, so none of us got away that day either.
Friday 22nd August
I'm ready to go!
I woke at first light and pulled back the curtains. Yes! A calm and sunny morning. Let’s go! We set off at 9.45 with the weather still good. Picking up a tail wind over the sea made the crossing thankfully shorter. This was my third sea crossing but the first from Donaghadee. Still not a pleasant experience! I stayed under clouds at 2500-3500ft while Alan and Ken went over the top. With the Luce Bay zone inactive we were able to detour round the coast and shorten that crossing too. Heading for Kirkbride meant that the third crossing of the Solway Firth was also shorter. Landing at Kirkbride gave me a chance to get my dry suit off and top up the tanks. We had a cup of tea and snacks at the club and set off again with 15mph winds. It was a bit slow getting to the coast, but once we passed Whitehaven we picked up a slight tailwind and progress improved. Sellafield soon loomed up, and as I'd been told, it is huge! Morecambe Bay soon appeared and we were glad to see that the tide was out. We called up Blackpool for landing instructions and were given a low approach, not above 600ft to runway 25. Just as well really as the cloudbase was lowering and I was down to 300ft in the end. By the time we had taxied up to the GA grass park, the cloud had come right down. As we organized fuel for tomorrow's trip and taxied round to the pumps, it began to rain. We paid our landing fees (£7.50) and overnight parking (£3.00), then got a taxi into town. After trying a lot of B&Bs together with no luck, we split up and got rooms with no problem, then set out to sample the delights of Blackpool. One thing we had to try was the 235ft high Pepsi Max roller coaster. We finished up with a Chinese meal at a restaurant called Mr Foos.
Saturday 23rd
We were up early for a 7am breakfast and took a taxi to the airport. The forecast showed low cloud from Blackpool right down as far as Bristol, but with the promise of it lifting by the afternoon at the latest. We waited for a quite a while with no sign of improvement and eventually went back into town. After fish and chips in a restaurant we went along the sea front, where Ken took part in a survey about Blackpool. She was surprised to find out how we got there. "By plane, our own." "All three of you in one plane?" "No one each!" The sun started to come out so we took another taxi back to the airport. By the time we got there it was cloudy again and a pilot told us that he was down to 300ft coming in through the Manchester corridor and it was getting worse. We decided to leave it and went back into town to find rooms. While wandering along the promenade in the evening we ran into Richard and Raif from Portadown. They had set off two hours after us and were forced down into a field. After spending the night with no food, they had made it into Blackpool. We all went to Mr Foos again and went on the town afterwards. I left early but Ken stuck it out to the end and had a few stories to tell!
Sunday 24th
We had breakfast at the normal time of 9am this time. The cloud was still very low but the forecast again said it would clear up later. This time they were right, and by 12.00 the cloud was lifting. We flew for 30mins to Ince Blundell where we topped up the tanks. This was familiar ground to me as I had passed my GFT here in a flexwing. The next bit I was slightly worried about, the Manchester low level corridor, but I felt better knowing Alan and Ken had flown this before on a trip to the PFA rally at Kemble. Soon after we started down the corridor, it got warm and bumpy. The thermals kept lifting me above the maximum height of 1250ft. It wasn't long before we were onto my south of England map passing Telford and heading to overfly Pound Green microlight strip. This is where I missed slightly the better visibility you get in a flexwing, as Alan called out a warning to look out for the gliders. "What gliders? Where? Are they anywhere near me?" The compensation was that I wasn't getting the tossing about as much as Ken and Alan were. Next stop was Long Marsden. Alan called them up and we got some rather hard to read joining instructions. You would have thought that a big event like the World Air Games would have a decent radio, but no, it was a hint of what was to come. As the field came in sight we all wondered where the grass runway was. Alan had to call again to confirm that it had lines drawn across it and people wandering around on it. We were a day late, but glad to have made it. The tents were dragged out and put up for the first time and we walked over to check in at the reception office. This turned out to be closed and we didn't find it open until we were leaving. After watching the competitors returning we met a few people from home who had driven over. I met up again with Seamus and Gordon on the Xair stand. There was only one other trade stand because the organizers hadn't bothered to invite any.
Monday 25th
We had breakfast at the only catering wagon. While wandering around the airfield we found that Avon Microlights had bought in extra food and tried to provide catering, but all the posters they put up mysteriously disappeared. In the morning the last of the other visiting microlights packed up and left. We watched all the planes take off for the days competition, then I waited for a flight in the Verner Xair Falcon, while Ken and Alan went next door to see the drag racing. Afterwards we tried to find fuel but surprisingly there wasn't any on site, so Gordon Salter from Xair gave us a lift into Stratford to get some. We had tea with the other guys from home and as we didn't fancy tonight's entertainment, karaoke, we headed off to bed early for an early start tomorrow. We could hear the karaoke MC complaining that nobody wanted to sing and that this was a poor turn out for what was supposed to be a world event. That's what comes of not advertising the event or organizing trade stands and facilities for visitors.
Tuesday 26th.
We got up at 6am. It was overcast but OK. So we packed and had breakfast. Take off was about 8am into wind. We chose to go north of Luton so it was due east into a headwind, making it a bit of a long trip to Sandy in Bedford. As we arrived overhead, no one was answering the radio. We saw what we thought was the runway, but right beside it was a field of horses. Normally you would never fly anywhere near horses, so that didn't look right. Then nearby we spotted quite a big grass airstrip with a GA plane in it but no microlights. Alan called out that he was going in there. I didn't like the idea as there were no microlights and the other place was correct according to the GPS. Fortunately the problem was solved when a voice came on the radio and said 'don't land there, come back over to Sandy and land beside the horses'. Apparently the GA field was on a limited movements agreement and they might have tried to impound our planes. The horses weren't so much bred for pedigree more 'pedigree chum', and were totally immune to aircraft noise. After a cup of tea in the clubhouse, Snowy Barton, (a name we had heard of in the microlight world) took us to get fuel. We took off south past Henlow heading for Stoke, home of Medway Microlights, under the zones between Luton and Stanstead. Approaching Hunsdon Microlight strip we stayed below 1500ft to clear the Stanstead zone and saw the airstrip right on the edge of the inner CTR zone. We were about to switch to North Weald and inform them of our presence but they had already spotted us on radar were telling two aerobatic planes to look out for us. We were then treated to an amazing display of tight formation loops flown around us. I was sorry didn't get that one on video! Soon we were crossing the wide part of the Thames south west of Southend at point on my map called Flarestack. From here we could see the City of London away in the distance. As Stoke came into sight we had plenty of fuel left so we decided to push on without trying out their curved runway. It got warm and breezy as Headcorn came up on the GPS and one of those oddball things happened. When we switched to Headcorn's frequency, my radio was swamped with noise that no one else got and Alan's GPs kept going down. Fortunately it came back just in time for him to spot the field and lead us in. We thought that the staff here would all be experts on the latest procedures for flying into France, especially as so many had just been through a few days before. This was not the case with the controller on duty today and confusion reigned until the boss arrived some time later. The paperwork was then arranged and we got off again at 4.30 down to Folkestone, where I could see the white Eurostar lines disappearing into the Channel Tunnel. We could see France very clearly now and climbed to 4000ft as we passed over the white cliffs, picking up a 70mph ground speed over the channel. We switched over to La Touquet to overfly their airfield and listened as they operated in both English and French. Approaching Abbeville we called them up in English but continually got no reply even though there was some activity going on in French. We were 50 miles into France so we pushed on landed anyway, although a helicopter cut in front of Ken. This didn't seem to bother anyone and no one came to tell us off. There were still some English guys there from the Wingspan 2003 crossing, so we taxied up and parked beside them. The airfield was extremely well equipped and had a motel and a very good restaurant on site. The motel had one room free so we decided to share that rather than put the tents up again. We had a very good meal with the guys and heard all about their trip to Alderney. After a reasonable amount of French wine I had the a very good night’s sleep, unlike Ken who's earplugs weren't as good as mine!
Wednesday 27th
We got up late, having forgotten about the time difference, just as the others were leaving. It was fairly windy and warm so we relaxed and chatted with Aidrian from Middleton microlight club. A hang brackets had arrived to fix Rob’s Mercury which got blown over. Rob arrived later from Paris and they fitted it using washers and an Air Creation hang bolt from the local Microlight club. The club owner took us to get petrol at 2.30 as the avgas pumps were closed. He also gave us an old French map when we hadn't been able to buy one here or at Headcorn. We set off at the last minute for La Fleche, stopping at Dreux to hastily refill the tanks. Once again no one had answered us on the radio, but we were getting used to that. Not surprisingly it was a bit bumpy but with a slight tailwind. As we got nearer it started to get noticeably hotter. I spotted the airstrip first and lead the way in to a rather parched grass runway at La Fleche. Reg Whittell was just packing up for the evening, and after tying down the planes, he took us back to stay at his converted hunting lodge, from where he runs Leading Edge Microlight School. That evening we enjoyed an excellent meal under the stars in the back garden. As the rooms only had two beds we voted to banish Alan to another room.
Thursday 28th
Taking it easy.
After a good night's sleep we were up a bit later and had breakfast at 10 while the students had already gone to the airfield. After a wander around the grounds and through the woods with Reg's excitable young dog, we borrowed some bikes and cycled into the town of La Lude. It was cloudy but warm. Perfect weather for cycling. What was impressive was that there was an excellent cycle track near the house that went the whole way into town. It seemed to be built on an old railway line. One thing we did hear a few times were fighter jets flying nearby. We must make a note to stay away from their airways! La Lude was a classic French town complete with pavement cafes were I tried out my French to order a selection of baguettes. He came back with a hugh spiel in French that I eventually grasped meant that he had to nip over to the bakery to get some fresh bread. Apparently they bake the baguettes about four times a day. They were certainly worth the wait in the end. We had planned to fly over the Loire in the evening, but the light spots of rain on the way home had turned into thunderstorms in the evening so we watched some videos with some new arrivals from Manchester. We discovered from them that the Blois microlight show is not at Blois airport! Three more were expected to fly in but couldn’t manage it, so we got keeping our room. It dried up later and we had a BBQ in the garden.
Friday 29th.
We were up earlier to overcast and misty morning. Had breakfast at 9.30 and went to the airfield at 10.30 hoping to get to Blois via Le Mans. The Manchester guys were still there and had decided to go direct because of the weather. We considered flying up the Loire to Blois but changed our minds in the air when it looked stormy in that direction. Once on a direct track to Blois we slowly began to diverge. After a bit of discussion Alan and Ken found that they had not altered their GPS route to the new coordinates we got from the Manchester guys. We spent the next five minutes with me calling out the numbers as Ken and Alan bounced in the thermals trying to punch them into the GPS. After only an hours flight we were there. As we had heard, there would be no radio as it was too busy for that. You would be guided in by red and green signal bats. Could I remember manual signals from the books in my training days? No. I just hoped they'd be fairly obvious. As it turned out it was a bit of a free for all, although as we were a day early it wasn't too busy. After landing we were smartly marshaled to the parking area and got into a bit of a dispute right away. We parked in a row along the perimeter fence but they wanted us in rows running in another direction with me in the fixed wing parked in another area. After showing us pictures of the parking at last years event we gave in and I was able to park in the front row nearby. Unlike Long Marsden the organization was very efficient. We put up the tents and walked to the check-in office were all the aircraft documentation was examined and we were issued with pilot ID cards to wear. Washing facilities were arranged with the campsite next door and you purchased a coloured wrist band for each day you were staying. There was a cafe for breakfast and a large hall set out with tables to cater for the evening meals. As we sat outside the cafe in the evening we spotted a familiar 582 Blade flying overhead. It was Alan Lindsay, along with Steve Elsbury, Tim and Mike whom he had met at Headcorn and flew with in France.
Saturday 30th.
The first day of the Blois ULM show. By now many more microlights had arrived and more were flying in all the time. There was quite a bit of heavy cloud cover. When the sun came through it was hot, but otherwise it was cool in the brisk wind. Indeed with the conditions proved too much for one flexwing pilot who crashed his Kiss on the runway opposite the Kiss stand. Not surprisingly it was removed in very short order. I went to the Xair stand and met Joel the designer and Gordon Salter from England. Seamus wasn't able to make it as his passport had run out. There were many weird and wonderful machines that the British system protects us from. One of which was the Mini Explorer. A wide body fixed wing that could sleep two in the back. It even included a little sink! Most of the 19 French registered flexwing types seem to be lightweight 2 stroke models with no pod. They may be cheap and fun to fly, but judging by the numbers at the show, they don't seem to fly the long distances we sometimes do at home. We met up again with alias Dastardly and Mutley from Scotland who had been down to Barcelona. They had plenty of stories that I couldn't repeat here!
Sunday 31st.
I woke and looked out on a beautiful morning, just perfect to fly down the Loire. Alan unfortunately had been kept awake by some serious snoring and wasn't quite ready for an early start. We did manage get going by 10 after some route planning and slow service at the cafe. I heard afterwards that shortly after we left it got too busy and they stopped aircraft leaving until the evening. Flying due south we soon found the Loire and had a great flight down as far as Samuir. It must rank as one of the classic flights in this part of the world. If I get to do it again I must get the coordinates of all the famous chateau as we seemed to have missed a few. From Samuir we turned north which soon took us directly over La Fleche again and on to Le Mans. Once again there was no answer on the radio. This was a bit surprising as it is a commercial airport with restricted zones all around it. We kept a good lookout and continued on in and found the reason for the silence on the radio. It was Sunday and the tower was shut! The local aero club was operating however and we were able to get fuel and a lift to the car museum from a friendly pilot. After a look at the cars and chocolate bars and drinks from the machine, as the restaurant was shut we decided to try and walk back. The airport fence was just across the road, if we could get over that fence we could avoid the very long trek back by road. Just by the traffic lights there was section that looked promising. Alan was soon over and just as Ken got halfway up, some gendarmes pulled up at the lights. They took one look at as and laughed. Obviously we didn't look like master criminals! After all that we found that we could have just walked up the road by the race track and got in through the gliding club entrance. We took a bit of a snooze to let the thermals die down a bit and left at 4.30. It was still fairly bumpy for a while. Indeed Ken hasn't forgotten it! We stopped at Dreux again to refuel. As we weren't speaking French on the radio they didn't answer us, but there was some activity going on. One thing I did grasp with my limited French was that they had changed the runway direction while we were halfway round the circuit! I was about to tell Alan who was leading, but he had already changed direction as he had worked it out from the tow plane and glider on the runway. This time a woman came over to talk to us as we put in the spare fuel we were carrying. We made it to Abbeville in time to put tents up in daylight. We had another good meal with all the others heading home.
Monday 1st.
We woke to a clear morning with a heavy dew on the tents. Coming out of the restaurant after breakfast the wind came up very suddenly. Trees bent over, the restaurant door slammed. Oh no! Just what we need! Thankfully, just as suddenly the wind died away again. We got a flight plan in, refueled and left with Alan Lindsay, Mike and Tim (Quasar 582 and Q912). A Quik also left with us but disappeared into the distance. We routed down the coast along mile after mile of beaches. Crossing again at 4000ft we flew around and over some puffy clouds. A very beautiful sight, except for all that water down there!. My gauge said it was 3deg outside and not much warmer inside. The rubber immersion suit didn't help. I ordered up a nice hot curry when we arrived at Headcorn. After lunch Tim and Mike lead us on a more direct route back up to their field at Nunum near Ashwell. It took an hour and a half against a fair headwind. After a cup of coffee we headed for Sywell (Northampton) but decided to push on to Coventry as fuel reserves and progress looked good. As we parked up at the GA grass park someone came striding up. Had we done something wrong? No it was the GA manager coming to welcome us! He organized everything for us. A wonderful reception and a very pleasant last evening at the Three Horseshoes with a bed for the night and not a damp tent.
Tuesday 2nd.
Another beautiful morning and a very good breakfast at 7.30. We got back to the airport and away about 10.30, east of Birmingham control zone over Roddige, west to Ashcroft and up the corridor to Ince Blundell. It got cloudier and noticeably colder as we moved further north. We bought fuel from John North and pushed on after an hour. Progress was slower against a headwind and with the tide in at Morecambe Bay it was a bit of a drag. Stopping at Wigtown this time also meant that we took the longer crossing across the Solway Firth, but as we approached it we heard William Byrne on the radio at home. Nearly there! We topped up and set off again for Ards. The sight of our home coast brought on that expected burst of speed. I was in the lead and in a powered dive from 4000 to 2000ft but Ken still passed me! We all met up again at the coast, joined left base for 22, landed together and back tracked slowly down 22 to a little reception from our club.
Ken, Alan B, Gordon and Alan L.
Wednesday 3rd.
I Remembered to hang my tent out to dry for the next time!