Having moaned at the lack of any content or for that fact even a Newsletter, I have decided to start the ball rolling; maybe it will catch on. Here goes.
Having been thwarted for several years in getting to Newtonards for the Pooleys Air Day in Northern Ireland, the weather finally relented and lured me North. So Dean in his Pegasus and myself Shadow borne departed Broadmeadow on Friday the 21st of July. It was a hot, clear sun lit day, which are just a distant memory now. By eleven we were cruising at 60 mph and passing overhead Sleap Aerodrome, to the North of Shrewsbury at 3000ft.
Thermal activity was increasing and providing reasonable sport to Dean in his flex wing; as we descended on the approach to Ashcroft and the entry point into the low level corridor to Barton it got worse particularly as I was transiting new territory and having to navigate with not many landing options around. Even so 2 hours and 10 minutes saw us at Barton having received a good welcome and a great lunch. It was now very hot, and we sunbathed for several hours before heading on to Carlisle.
As we moved northwards, we were faced with a large bank of cumulus across our path and due to turbulence from the NE wind off the hills, we elected to climb. All the way to the Lake District we ascended and eventually at 9000ft, levelled out just above the cloud tops. Spectacular views with superb visibility ensured time passed quickly, and with 30 miles to run (power of the GPS) I called Carlisle who were expecting us and provided the necessary airfield information. Pulling 1000 RPM and lowering the nose got me 85 mph and an enjoyable high speed run. Rapidly I moved ahead of Dean and Carlisle was happy to let us take left base, even though they were operating on right base.
Carlisle proved well organised with a good welcome and no hang-ups with Micro- lights. Happy with us to camp airside we soon met up with the members of the recently established Pegasus school, I think they have just moved from Great Orton but do not quote me! Having talked flying for several hours and ensuring the aircraft were tied down on the grass in the lee of the hangars, we got a taxi into town. What followed is best summarised as a pleasant night on the town consuming not a small quantity of beer! Carlisle is a good night out and is highly recommended.
I woke up and realised the wind was strong, very strong in fact. This was followed by blind panic until I realised the plane was still there, even if I had a hangover and could not really recall going to bed. Looking over, I saw Dean sleeping around his tie down where he had, had a poor nights sleep. Unable to drop his wing due to wind strength he was definitely looking the worse for wear. Over the next few hours the wind slowly dropped to about 15-20 mph. I called Newtonards and they reported 12 mph from the East so we decided to take off having eaten a Mars bar for breakfast.
By now the long term forecast had changed, Northern Scotland was already suffering and it was moving our way. This effectively changed my mind over pushing on to Oban and the Hebrides, maybe next year? So West it was, in a straight line to Northern Ireland running along the coast to avoid small clouds and rain showers we climbed slowly to 7000ft and were whipping along with a tail wind of 20mph at times. Surprisingly there are many landing out options with numerous old airfields and glider sights and easy navigation. Crossing the coast out bound just South of Stranraer, I commenced a slow descent to get under the various restricted airways and then called Newtonards with 15 miles to run. Easterly at 10 and sunshine, great.
Coming into land I was surprised to see what appeared to be a line over the runway, which was exactly where my wheels were about to touch. So I applied power and landed just beyond, only then did I realise it was part of the Air Day accuracy competition! Substantial prize down the tube, I felt slightly sheepish, as normally I would never have got near it. Honest. Anyway what a welcome, few had made the journey in light of the poor forecast and we were made to feel genuinely at home. Micro-light pilots came over offering food and even a bed for the night; we entered our flight details and were the winners of the longest distance flown. Although we never did get our prizes, what ever they were. More food, tea, and ice creams, then time for a decision.
Clearly if we stayed over night we would be trapped by the approaching bad weather, but to return the same way was into a strong wind that was increasing and with low cloud on the Scottish mainland. Calculator out and an easy decision; head for Jurby on the Isle of Man, further over water but less flying time due to a slight tail wind and diagonally away from the poor weather. We called Russ who checked with Ronaldsway (I had previously called Jurby to check some days earlier). Air traffic in Newtonards agreed to provide cover and in fact tracked us via Belfast Radar and passed us over to Ronaldsway. Off we went out over the Irish Sea climbing to 5000ft in smooth air, and then spent the next 30 minutes staring at the instruments and feeling slightly vulnerable.
The Isle of Man appeared rapidly out of the haze and this was followed by a cruise along the spectacular coastline. Calling Jurby raised no response; which was no surprise as the radio is seldom manned. I landed on a deserted runway in a wind that was gusting 20mph to be met by a miserable sour face. Go away we are flying model aircraft and you are not welcome was the message. No flexibility was evident and by now a small hostile but nosy group was forming. Dean needed to refuel and this was just about permitted, I did some hasty planning and a telephone call. At this point the owner arrived and apologised but it was out of his control, as he had hired out the field, he even acknowledged my earlier call. Frustrated and pixxxd off we decided to push on aware of the passage of time (about 1830 hours).
Off we went heading to the English coast to the North of Barrow in Furness about 35 miles away. We now had a head wind but due to cloud and the desire for a safe altitude over water we climbed to around 6000ft, in fact the wind did not increase with altitude and we made slow progress towards Cark in the Lake District. Calling Ronaldsway I was surprised at the immediate response and the fact we were on his plot (40 miles away by this time), he was amused at our rate of progress and provided some humour and the weather forecast. With 15 miles to the coast I suffered some engine misfiring, nothing to panic as I had suffered this previously. Honest! Straight away I knew my air filter was blocked due to oil from blowback contaminating the air filters, this leads to air starvation and loss of power. Any solutions please tell me because even Rotax cannot cure it!
Dropping the nose I accelerated to 90mph and raced towards the coast leaving Dean miles behind sorry… Arriving at 3000ft and feeling happier over land I circled for 10 minutes until Dean caught up. Cark came into sight shortly afterwards and we landed uneventfully in a blustery cross wind and fading light. Out came the Jump Instructor, pleased to see us, pitch your tents, help yourselves to the BBQ, use the showers, do you need fuel, have a beer etc. It was nice to feel wanted; by now Dean was knackered from a day of fighting the bar and glad of the rest, one day he will see the light and go 3-axis! I spent the next hour with my toothbrush and soap, cleaning and re-fitting my air filters by torchlight, listening to Dean snore in his bivvi-bag.
Dawn broke the next day; as rapidly it clouded over, some drizzle and a wind of about 10 – 12 mph. Quickly we packed up, refuelled, said our good byes and got into the air. Looking over my shoulder the sky was black and thunderous, this chased us all the way to Barton, it was turbulent and visibility could have been better. But it was still nice to see the M6 grid locked down below. With a quick hour on the ground at Barton for Dean to refuel (I can manage 6 hours between top ups with the long range tank) we moved on towards Sleap Airfield for a bacon sandwich. The cloud base was now low and visibility is best described as marginal. Sleap is a nice field with multiple runways, the landing fee is not small, but I have paid far more else where, this would make a good Club venue, smooth tarmac, fuel available and not to far away. Good restaurant for Russ, and Ned with a small WW2 flying museum.
Ringing ahead Russ gave us the weather for Broadmeadow, not inspiring, so we made a rapid departure and headed for home. The church at Craven Arms and the Cadburys factory at Leominster were seen close up and low down before Hereford came into welcome sight. 15 minutes after the planes were tucked away, and with a mug of tea and the stories coming thick and fast the heavens opened up. Now that was luck.
All told lots of new experiences and lessons learnt, places visited and new friends made. Would I go back to Ireland? Yes the planning is underway, but not via the Isle of Man! There is fantastic scope, good fields, none of the French hassle, legal entry, and a warm welcome. Anybody interested? Finally thanks to Russ for his behind the scenes support and message passing.
Merv.