Aviation Tour - Maps on www.bankleft.com

Saturday 26th July


sometimes you just have to wait...


Sea of Cloud:

Airborne shortly after 8am, we were confronted by a sea of mist in the valley to the West of Dunkeswell (see pic!). After heading east for 20 mins, it became apparent that although the mist was beginning to burn off the ground with the heat of the sun, the resulting low cloud would mean that there was no way we could get to Compton Abbas with assurance of remaining visual. Not wanting to end up stuck above a cloud blanket, we returned to Dunkeswell where we ordered brekky, jettisoned some weight and took on another 10 litres of fuel to ensure that we could make Redhill in one hop once conditions would allow.


Home:

At 10am, despite marginal reports, we decided to head for Abbas. The low cloud was now only scattered and during the final sector toward Abbas we could climb above 2000' for the first time in days. The now familiar route Abbas-Redhill was a pleasure, with ever improving conditions (go the South East!) and the Redhill circuit felt just like London again - getting a transmission in acting as a reactions test and having to zip off the runway for the people following us down final. Busy Saturday morning back at home base. After pillaging the farm shop at Godstone looking like two people that had been lost in the woods for 4 days, we set cruise on the M25, tuned BBC4 and zoned out for a typically stress level escalating trip back into London.

Apologies to Lawson for getting the plane back 80 mins late and a doubtless unheard thanks to everyone we met who helped us and made the trip fun all along the way!