No cycling this weekend. Saturday I'd arranged a practice flight from Earls Colne to Bedford for a fly in/track-day in July. Sunday The Lady BumpyConstant's folks are over, so I'll be busy coming up with something to cook - I'm thinking steak and ale pie. I will supply a recipe after the fact.
The area is congested airspace, near the Stansted CTA, so lots of radio work if I don't want to become an infringer. There were a few restrictions NOTAM'd on the day, including an RAF flyby directly over Bedford, so I'd be zigging-zagging, and possibly flying inverted in a 4-g dive at some point. A good day for using Satnav to keep me out of trouble.
The morning arrived blustering and showery, but MacReady would have gone up. I headed out from London and met up with Simon at Earls Colne. He was his usual positive, professional self, and after a brief discussion over the screaming wind, we decided it was all go. I threw together an old-school plan using the whizz wheel, rulers and pens, just for the fun of it. Satnav's great these days though, so I wouldn't really need it.
Bottom right to top left then back. Avoid pink and red bits. Don't hit anything.
In numbers.
Once done we had coffee, then tanked up. Immediately after it blasted rain down, so we played around with the Satnav. We'd be relying on it in this crummy weather.
Never too wet for MacReady.
Soon enough the shower passed, I continued the checklist, Simon fiddled with the Satnav, and the O-320 fired up. The strong wind meant only a touch of collective needed to hover. T's & P's were green, a brief 'Whisky Delta departing north', and I pushed forward to take us up. Aloft I clearly saw the bands of rain streaming down from the north. More zig-zagging required, and it was great to be back up again.
I mostly avoided the showers, and when I couldn't, grannying through with my eyes closed worked best for me. I requested Basic Service off Farnborough and dialled in the transponder code, whilst Simon fiddled some more with the Satnav, which finally broke it. Back to the chart and dead reckoning. Satnav's overrated anyway, I'm sure Macready would never have used it.
The old Bedford aerodrome. Don't land on any cars.
A successful landing.
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