flights with my motor glider

At last found out how to get the photos back to the old format, so here is the story of last Sunday mornings flight. I wasn't able to fly for nearly a month due to the weather and starting a new job as a London Transport bus station controller.

I got down to Rochester at 06:30 Sunday morning and carried out the pre flight checks and then carried out the power checks just by where the Falke is parked up. Just as I did the power checks I saw a great fog bank rolling in over the northern end of the airfield. I decided to take off immediately from 34 and climb out to the south, and if the fog didn't clear by the time I came back to make a diversion into Headcorn or some other airfield, such as Calais. ( Only joking). As it was I was just in the nick of time and got above the incoming fog bank which topped out 500 feet above the airfield. I flew an orbit of the airfield and took some photographs of the fog which had by now shut the airfield down for further take offs.

I spent a very pleasant 3 hours up over Kent virtually with the sky to myself, routing to Shoreham, Lydd, Faversham and , when I heard somebody from Bidford Gliding club call downwind for 02 at Rochester at about 10:00, made my way back to Rochester for landing. The fog was still present at the northern end of the airfield making take offs a bit challenging, but landing was not a problem.

I tied VA down for the week, went to the cafe for breakfast, and managed to catch my pal Gordon in between Harvard flights, so that he could sign my log book off for the 2 year certificate of experience, so that I am legal for another couple of years.

The weather is looking good this weekend so it's fingers crossed for an Amiens or Holland flight.

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• #6 Comment from rachealcarol 
  01/01/08 03:12 | Permalink

  Happy New Year Malcolm, I've missed your flights. I've thought of you when I see a Faulk enjoying the skies. (((((( enjoy many in the New Year ))))))  Hope all is well with you after the wind took it's toll on the Faulks tail.  Have a great year :) love Rache x
• #5 Comment from iiimagicxx 
  22/09/07 00:19 | Permalink

  Lovely, Valerie
• #4 Comment from jacksj989 
  02/09/07 18:42 | Permalink

  I was surprised to be able to be airborn, via your photos, and be able to see through the fog bank; it was a first for me and it left me full of wonderment.  I envy you sometimes but, as I have said before, flying and me do not go hand in hand.
  
  I hope you continue to share your experiences with us all.
  
  By for now,
  
  John J Jackson
• #3 Comment from jacksj989 
  05/07/07 20:01 | Permalink

  Thank you for sharing the photos with me.
  
  John.
• #2 Comment from prjbrown 
  08/06/07 16:27 | Permalink

  Hello Malcolm...nice to see again your fascinating fotos and accounts of your flights.  I decided to rebuild my computer a month ago starting from the motherboard up, and only now have I got it working as before. But!..AOL have lost all my bookmarks (the so..and..so's!) so recovering them is taking a long time.
    Regarding your latest  flight; you seem quite happy to take off into foggy conditions.  When I was in the RAF, taking off and landing in fog was not my direct responsibility, but when I was sailing in the Forth estuary fog used to send me scurying to the nearest harbour!  I wondered if you had a Sat Nav as a safety device to let you know where you are even in ten-tenths?  Any-way just a thought..looking forward to the next flight, and good luck with the new job.
     Regards   Peter