Rochester

<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="id205.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Back to Bembridge"><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="id207.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sleap"><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="88ba0780.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> <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> <B>Rochester</B></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>Rochester</I></div> <bR> <div> Tuesday 22nd August, 2006</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="89cc2f50.jpg" border=0 width="450" height="245" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="10" VSPACE="0">This was a slightly painful trip. All the time I was training, and driving down to Strood to visit my parents, I kept promising that one day I'd fly in to Rochester, and then Dad at least could watch, even if his leg meant that he couldn't actually get into the plane to come flying. And then Dad died, and for a while I didn't want to go near the place. And then Mum died, and I was having to drive down pretty much every week to sort out the estate, check on the house and so on. Well, nearly a year has passed, and it was time for one last trip, to collect their ashes and bring them back to Didcot. My intention is to have them scattered at Old Buckenham, where Mum grew up.</div> <bR> <div> After the July heat wave, August has been a dismal month, dull and wet with rain most days, if not thunder. I've managed a few sorties into the local area, plus some bad weather and crosswind circuit practice, but this was the first 'proper' trip since Bembridge a month ago. So, with the trip all planned out, I get on with the preflight.</div> <bR> <div> And there we hit a snag. The previous day's hirer had left the main switch on and the battery was now flat as a pancake. No juice at all; nothing. So I had a chat with Paul, and he came out with the "aeroplane jump start kit" -- basically a battery in a box with a set of jump leads. These plug in to an "external power" socket located behind the port wing root. The idea was that once the plane was started, the battery would charge itself and be fully charged by the time I reached Rochester (I could take the 'kit' with me as a contingency in case it didn't start on the way back). So, with external power plugged in, the engine started first time and was adjusted down to a low idle speed. We had power. Then Paul unplugged the external battery and everything went dark! It seemed that the plane was not producing enough energy to power the electrics (and this was without any of the avionics or lights switched on).</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="89d40f00.jpg" border=0 width="320" height="240" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="10" VSPACE="0">Plan B. Swap over the battery. We'd take the fully charged battery from the external power pack and replace the battery from the plane. This involved taking the engine cowl off to access the battery, which was in a box fixed to the rear bulkhead. Soon enough, the battery was swapped and the plane put back together, and I could set off. Only an hour late...</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="89e40f00.jpg" border=0 width="320" height="240" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="10" VSPACE="0">The route was East to Westcott NDB, avoiding Bicester, and then BNN, LAM and direct. There was nobody on the radio at Enstone, so I quickly left the frequency and listened in to Luton Radar. On passing Aylesbury, I called them up and asked for a Radar Information Service. They gave me a squawk, but only offered FIS. Ah well. Other than the chatter on the radio, other traffic in the area seemed to be well spaced apart. It's a concern, since the 'corridor' between Luton and Heathrow restricts you to below 2500ft, squeezing all VFR traffic into a relatively confined space. The FIS from Luton pretty much amounts to being a "tell me when you leave the frequency" service, so they would be no help in calling traffic.  It's definitely a case of 'keep em peeled'. I was at 2350ft. You just pick a level to fly at and hope everyone else chose something different!</div> <bR> <div> The corridor pretty much follows the M25 motorway, which makes it easy to navigate and stay slightly off and to the right of the direct track between the VORs (trying to second guess where other traffic will be). Approaching Stapleford, Luton kicked me off the frequency, suggesting I freecalled Stapleford Radio. Well, I tuned them in, but I didn't get thechance to talk to them, because this was the point at which all the traffic started to appear. Mostly on a reciprocal, or near reciprocal course, but fortunately slightly above or below. Light twins mostly. While you were watching and avoiding one, you wouldn't see the next until it was close enough to need another turn to avoid. They seemed to be going left to right, so I thought maybe I'd hit the Southend rush hour! </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="89f40f00.jpg" border=0 width="320" height="240" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  <IMG SRC="8a040f00.jpg" border=0 width="320" height="240" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  <IMG SRC="8a140f00.jpg" border=0 width="320" height="240" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> Once I'd crossed the Thames at Gravesend it quieted down again, and I could tune in Rochester Information. They indicated that runway 34 was active, with several in the circuit, so I elected to join overhead. There was a very good view of my parents old house and the city on the way in.  I'd flown circuits here before a number of times in Flight Simulator, using VFR photo scenery. That of course was made during the construction of the Channel Tunnel rail link, and the widening of the M2, so FS has a giant gash running through the landscape, which is no longer there. On the ground I taxied back and parked on the grass area to the south of the 34 threshold.<IMG SRC="8a240f00.jpg" border=0 width="320" height="240" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="10" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> Over in the tower, I paid the landing fee (£10) ,and asked if they'd arrange for a taxi into town. No problem, and 10 minutes later, the taxi arrived. I explained to the driver what I wanted -- a ride to the undertakers in The Delce and for him to wait and bring me back. While chatting to the driver in the car, it turns out that hed been given a block of 3 trial lessons as a birthday gift, had flown two of them and was waiting for the opportunity to take the third. I asked him if he planned to continue afterwards and he said maybe, but it was a matter of money.</div> <bR> <div> Business at the undertakers was swift and efficient. I didn't know quite what to expect, but what I walked out with some ten minutes later was two rectangular cardboard boxes, one weighing about 5lbs, the other about 7lbs, in maroon coloured carry bags. Slightly surreal.</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="8a340f00.jpg" border=0 width="320" height="240" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="10" VSPACE="0">Back at the airport for the trip home. Another quick trip up to the tower, "Do I need to book out?" "You just have!" Fine. Back to the aircraft, give it the once over, start up and we're ready for the off. Tower suggested I could do my power checks in situ, since I was already close to the end of the runway. With the engine already warming nicely, this seemed like a good idea. I called Ready for Departure and was given clearance to line up.</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="8a440f00.jpg" border=0 width="320" height="240" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="10" VSPACE="0">The trip back followed the same route as the journey out. I levelled off at 2200ft and headed North West towards the river and the Dartford bridge. Why did I chose that level? I don't really know, but I was glad I hadn't gone higher, since I'd barely crossed the Thames when a bizjet passed straight over the top of me with seemingly only a few hundred feet of clearance. It looked like he was descending into Luton. Certainly got the old blood pumping!</div> <bR> <div> I managed to speak to Stapleford this time, and they asked me to report passing South abeam, which I did. Then back on to Luton, who once again provided a "Report leaving the frequency" service, and it was straight back to Enstone for an overhead join onto runway 26, exactly an hour after take off. The end of an emotionally tiring day.</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>