Hazy Sunday Afternoon

<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="id163.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Duxford"><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="id165.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Avranches"><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="765a0780.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> <A HREF="id163.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Duxford"><U>Duxford</U></A></div> <div> <B>Hazy Sunday Afternoon</B></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>Hazy Sunday Afternoon</I></div> <div> Sunday 18th June, 2006</div> <bR> <div> Almost three weeks of gloriously sunny weather, and naturally there are no planes available. JM is sat in a corner with no prop, waiting for 'the Big One' - annual, 150 hours and prop hub A.D., MB is in bits, also having its annual. I was quite surprised this afternoon to see Victor November on the pad, looking for all intents and purposes 'available for hire'. Quick as a flash, I wrote my name down on the booking sheet, thereby preventing someone usurping my opportunity and set about doing some flight planning.</div> <bR> <div> Probably the reason for the plane being there was the fact that this wasn't one of those gloriously sunny days. It was in fact distinctly hazy, visibility being around ten miles, possibly down around six in places. I planned  an 'out and back' navex, via Gloucester overhead, then down the river to Newport, North to Hereford and back.</div> <bR> <div> Now Joe Howse was up at the airfield, and he volunteered to come along as passenger. Joe, you'll  remember was P1 for that memorable Warrior flight back from <A HREF="id63.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="3 A trip to Henstridge"><U>Henstridge</U></A> in the early days. Oh, hark at me, "early days" indeed! Anyhow, we take the covers off and preflight nthe aircraft. I'm glad I tested the fuel, as, despite having flown already today, there is water in both tanks. The plane was obviously refuelled after its last sortie, since the tanks are brim full. I wonder if the water got in via the fuel?</div> <bR> <div> There was nobody in the tower, so after a few blind calls to 'Enstone Traffic' we were on our way. A straight out departure from runway 26 put us pretty much on track for Gloucester, and once cleaqr of the circuit, we changed to Gloucester Approach. Initially the frequency was quite broken, so we maintained a listening watch until we were closer, then we asked for a flight information service and transit through their overhead. Beyond Gloucester, it started to get more murky, and we decided to reassess our route every few minutes to ensure we weren't pressing on into too poor conditions. After Gloucester, we spoke briefly to Filton, who passed us almost immediately over to Cardiff. As we passed the Severn Bridges on our left, we saw another aeroplane  on a reciprocal ehading and below us. We were well clear of him, so I waggled my wings, but he didn't waggle back. Oh well.</div> <bR> <div> Last time I was down this way, I was doing my night rating, pretty much at the same time of day, funnily enough, although this time of course in daylight. The turning point at Newport was easily identified, and our new heading of 020 degrees would take us directly to Hereford. Now the murk was starting to look like gloom, and after having to divert round one cloud, decided that once we were past the ridge, we'd cut the corner off and start heading back.</div> </td> </tr></table></body>