Category: Personal Log

At the end of 2019 my oldest daughter Lucy, obtained her PPL and early 2020 she added a night rating. Now it was time to add the tail wheel differences training. We returned to Clacton so Lucy could fly with Jo McDonald in the Piper Supercub. The five hour course takes a couple of days so on day 2 we flew to down Clacton in G-EJBI. While Lucy was getting to grips with the Cub, I took G-EJBI across to Damyns Hall for fuel. Damyns is a lovely grass strip close to London. Free landings for vintage types is a welcome bonus. Picture is of a Cub departing Clacton, not my finest!

Nope, we did not fly G-EJBI to Florida but took a Norwegian 787. Myself, Andrew, Oscar and good friend Jasper took the opportunity to visit Sun n Fun at Lakeland Florida. Sun n Fun is well worth a visit although there was not a Bölkow of any description to be found. During our stay we made a visit to Jack Browns Seaplane Base for a flight each in the Cub, a very neat way of seeing some of Florida from the air and with 9 different landing sites visited, quite an intense and really enjoyable hour.

Flew G-EJBI solo (for the first time) to Duxford for the AirUK Reunion. As an airline, AirUK was always evolving, turboprops to jets, resident airline at Stansted, a charter spinoff (AirUK Leisure) a low cost operation (Buzz) but ultimately various bits were sold off and it’s core was absorbed into KLM Cityhopper. It was great to meet up with some old colleagues and discovered that the Bölkow 207 can be ground handled by one person but best to stick to a flat hard surface.

Not too many land aways of late but the Bölkow has had a few flights. Andrew has been taking some friends and his sister for a few trips and teaching her some of the basics which she is keen to continue with and I have flown a few circuits around Tibenham from the left seat for the first time. There seems a bit more room in the left seat which is just as well as we feel a bit cramped in the 207 considering its size. Pictured here is the interior of G-EJBI obscured by a pretty scary face.

I managed an LAPL medical with Examinair and revalidation flight with Premier Flight Training at Norwich, so after a suitable wait, about 4 weeks, the CAA have issued me a brand new EASA LAPL(A) on account of my old and expired JAA ATPL(A). Not too sure about the stated requirement that I must complete 10 hours P1 before I carry passengers. With about 19,000 hours logged another 10 probably won’t improve things much. It really is a long long time ago since I flew an aircraft solo, I do like somone to talk to.

Last weekend we left Tibenham pretty early to fly to Seething and then Weybourne From Weybourne it was on to Priory Farm. An earlier post shows John Fielding letting me fly his Skyfox, this is a picture of Andrew having a go. John had flown previously in the back of G-EJBI and shot this video. We were so pleased to have this record and John has a heap of other good videos on his YouTube channel.

G-EJBI Video

Just to the west of Tibenham (G-EJBI home base) is a grass strip which is the home of the Priory Farm Aviators. Andrew and I took the Bölkow along to a recent fly in, the theme being to offer flights in each others aircraft and take non owners for a trip. The Bölkow was very popular and this was the first flight Andrew has done with all four seats full.  The event was really well organised by John Fielding pictured here letting me fly his Skyranger Nynja G-SNUG.

I came across this rather nice picture of G-ATUB which I flew for my first solo flight in July 1977 at Wycombe Air Park. Gordon Parkin was my instructor, ex Hurricane pilot, very patient and very modest. Later on I flew with Joan Hughes on an instructor course, what a lucky boy I was to fly with these legends. I see G-ATUB has lasted rather well and is still flying, not too sure where she is based.