Category: Trip Log

Finding a hotel in town through Booking.com was easy enough, it worked out at €100 per night. A visit had been arranged to the Airbus Helicopters factory for a tour around the facility. Free tea and cake, around €8 million for their H135 helicopter. Friday evening and we were back at the airfield in Thilo’s hanger for eats. Not too sure what animal the local Bavarian delicacy was but free beer was a welcome local custom.

After refueling and lunch we set off for the 322 miles to Donauwörth. I rather naively thought we should talk to Brussels and they would take us into their airspace and make life easy. I realised it was a daft thought, as if London would do such a thing. All this meant initially we were held below 1500 ft which leaves you a little short of gliding distance over some fairly built up areas. Apart from a clearance overhead Antwerp, the rest of the route was clear of controlled airspace, just a flight information service from Langen and Munich Radar. Arriving first for the meet, we were warmly greeted by the charming Thilo Langer.

Have had a bit of a blog break but will catch up during February. 21/09/17 and we are off to Donauwörth for the Bölkow meet. The first leg is Tibenham direct to Middelburg(pic). I cannot decide on which liferaft to buy and they are a bit expensive. We have a couple of ex RAF immersion suits but they are also ex ebay and yet to be tested so best left behind. Mike who does tha ARC always comments on how lucky we are to have a plane that floats so with the sea temperature at about maximum for the year our risk assesment is complete. One hour after leaving the UK we are approaching the Netherlands, time for some frites and mayonaise.

We took G-EJBI to the 2017 LAA Air Rally at Sywell. It was our good luck to attend on the Saturday as the weather was perfect. Bölkow 207 D-EFQE was also at the Rally. I spent £15 on an Air Million chart of Germany, not too sure it would be easy to use for navigating but very useful for planning. Our good friend Robert had joined us for the day so he and I flew her back while Andrew enjoyed the view.

Popped into Ludham for the first time at the end of August. Don made us very welcome despite the fact that we were gatecrashing a wedding photoshoot. They were about to depart in formation for Cromer, complete with the bride in her wedding dress and father of the bride as chauffeur in his plane. All this was being photographed by Jayson Cork who takes the most stunning of pictures, click on the link for a preview.

We had hoped to fly G-EJBI to Stow Maries but were unable to get permission. I find it a little ironic that an airfield from the great war has planning issues regarding aircraft movements in 2017. We went to Thurrock instead and despite it’s reputation for not being the most welcoming of places, found a friendly reception. A bit of a discussion on running the propeller ‘on condition’ with the on site overhaul facility, they were unsurprisingly a bit skeptical,  and then back to Tibenham.

On Saturday I took G-EJBI to Duxford with my father, sister and brother-in-law. This was their first trip in the Bölkow and my first without Andrew. My father being ex B.O.A.C. had flown a few of their aircraft and it was a great pleasure to see him reacquainted with the Britannia,  Comet and VC10. Here he is pictured in the right seat of the Britannia. The stewards at Duxford made us all very welcome which made for a memorable day out.

This picture was taken a little earlier this year at Weybourne, see post. G-EJBI has had a couple of recent local flights piloted by Andrew, taking his sister for some informal flying lessons. I hope to take my father for a trip this weekend, he’s 87 and ex BA longhaul, I wonder what he will make of the Bölkow 207.

Goodwood was a delightful place to spend an hour wandering about, some Porsches on the track, Spitfire in the air, not unlike the Goodwood Revival without the crowds. Andrew & Oscar flew me back to Tibenham, the Bölkow 207 has lovely visibility from the rear seats so I enjoyed great views of London. Here’s a picture of G-EJBI landing a little earlier this year at Old Warden.

If Calais made us work a bit with low cloud when we arrived, then we had to work a bit harder with a gusty 25 knot wind when we departed. Taxiing downwind was not too much of a problem but it was quite a handful when across despite use of the tailwheel lock, it will be interesting to note the brake wear at the next check, they are getting a lot of use.  Flew to Goodwood which was a delight with no landing fee for pre 1965 aircraft. The Spitfire was taking up a customer for a flight, looks fun but at £2750 it’s a bit out of my price league.