Duxford

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="045085a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Golf Mike Bravo going around...</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Golf Mike Bravo going around..."><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Golf Mike Bravo going around..."><U><B><IMG SRC="03b0e0e0.png" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALT="up" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>   </B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="14"><B>     </B><A HREF="id162.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Abbeville"><U><B><IMG SRC="02f0e0e0.png" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALT="previous" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>  </B><A HREF="id164.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hazy Sunday Afternoon"><U><B><IMG SRC="0300e0e0.png" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALT="next" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="046d2e83.jpg"> <div> <IMG SRC="78ba0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id116.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bembridge"><U>Bembridge</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id117.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Isle of Man"><U>Isle of Man</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id139.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Check outs and Bimbles"><U>Check outs and Bimbles</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id150.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Shobdon"><U>Shobdon</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id151.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="First Passenger"><U>First Passenger</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id154.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Back in the 40"><U>Back in the '40</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id152.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Flyer Magazine Bash"><U>Flyer Magazine Bash</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id153.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Kemble"><U>Kemble</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id155.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Shotteswell and Goodwood"><U>Shotteswell and Goodwood</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id156.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Night Training 1"><U>Night Training - 1</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id157.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Night Training 2"><U>Night Training - 2</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id158.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Touch of HEVN"><U>A Touch of HEVN</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id159.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Night Training 3"><U>Night Training - 3</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id160.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="On to the 10"><U>On to the '10'</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id161.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Getting used to the 10"><U>Getting used to the '10'</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id162.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Abbeville"><U>Abbeville</U></A></div> <div> <B>Duxford</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id164.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hazy Sunday Afternoon"><U>Hazy Sunday Afternoon</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id165.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Avranches"><U>Avranches</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id166.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A little Jodeling"><U>A little Jodel-ing</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id203.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sywell"><U>Sywell</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id204.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Compton Abbas"><U>Compton Abbas</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id205.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Back to Bembridge"><U>Back to Bembridge</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id206.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Rochester"><U>Rochester</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id207.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sleap"><U>Sleap</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id208.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A look at Leicester, more Jodelling and "><U>A look at Leicester, more Jodelling and back to Sleap!</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id210.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Bonus Bimble"><U>A Bonus Bimble</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#CCCCE4" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Duxford</I></div> <div> Sunday 28th May, 2006</div> <bR> <div> Well, the whole Italy trip turned into a bit of a disaster, and thanks to the wettest May in 22 years, we never even got off the ground! In fact today (Bank Holiday Sunday - the day after we were scheduled to get back) is the first nice flyable day for almost a fortnight. A few brave souls did manage to dodge between the fronts and get down there, more on that later.</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="78cc2af0.jpg" border=0 width="450" height="175" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="10" VSPACE="0">We'd heard that there was to be an evening meet of the 'survivors' of the Latina trip at Duxford, and it seemed like a good idea to fly in for the day. Okay, we wouldn't get to the evening do, but there'd be people around and plenty to do during the day. Thus Neil Gascoigne (my co-pilot for the Latina trip) and I booked JM for the day and set off.</div> <bR> <div> Duxford requires PPR by phone, due to the large number of displays and airshows that are held there, and they will brief you on the arrival procedures for the day. The route itself is simple -- 084 degrees for 59 nm, and no real airspace issues. We do pass just South of Cranfield, which is a busy IFR training field, so a call to them will not be amiss. Neil flew the outward leg, which went without incident. Cranfield sounded busy, and asked us to report passing Woburn and then Stewartby brickworks and then leaving frequency. We arrived bang on track and within a minute of our PLOGged ETA. The join was downwind for runway 24, and we parked next to a Grumman AA5 on the apron (which we subsequently discovered was being flown by one of the Latina 'survivors' who'd stopped here on his way up North).</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="78e40f00.jpg" border=0 width="320" height="240" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">               <IMG SRC="78f40f00.jpg" border=0 width="320" height="240" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> We spent much of the day poking round the exhibits, and met up with Martin, a local forumite. Martin also happens to work at Duxford, so he was able to sneak us out the back exit to the local pub for a very nice roast lunch, and then sneak us back in again. Interestingly, one of the aircraft we saw there - G-BIMM was the plane on which Neil had done his taildragger rating some time ago.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="793408b0.jpg" border=0 width="320" height="139" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="794409a0.jpg" border=0 width="320" height="154" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="79240980.jpg" border=0 width="320" height="152" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> Then it was time to return home, and my turn to fly. Last take off is at 1745L, with the airfield closing at 1800. So predictably we started up at 1740... Anyhow, taxi to the hold and do the power checks. Right mag... 50RPM drop. Left mag... 350RPM, splutter, pop, bang!</div> <bR> <div> Poo!</div> <bR> <div> Okay, try leaning the engine for a couple of minutes.... Nope. Try <I>vigorously</I> leaning the engine... Nope. Get back on the radio, we'd like to taxi back to the ramp in order to try and fix the mag problem. Okay, but the tower shuts in 5, though we'll hang on for you (nice people!). We park and stop. Both Neil and I get on our respective mobiles to call people we know for ideas... Pretty much they all suggest what we tried: vigorous leaning at 2000 revs. Anyhow, we start up and give it another go, with the same result.</div> <bR> <div> Plan B. By now the airfield is officially closed, so we throw in the towel and hand in the keys at the tower for safe keeping. Neil put in a call to Martin, who agreed to come back and meet us at the Guard House. So... back to the Red Lion! The upside to this problem is that we can now get to the evening meet. The downside is that we need a way to get home afterwards. Very generously, Martin agrees to drive us back after the meet, in return for much plying of free food and fullfatcokenoice. We finally arrive back at the airfield sans aeroplane at 20 past midnight! (you know what they say... "Time to spare? Go by air!")</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="79640f00.jpg" border=0 width="320" height="240" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> Update: Several days later, the club recovered the aircraft, and said that although there was a large mag drop, once in the air it cleared itself. I don't know how common this sort of thing is, but I really can't square taking off with a very rough magneto and not having harsh words said by the AAIB after the engine quits in the air...</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>