Having got the the kit out and ready to go on a dry and well-rolled airfield, our high hopes were yet again dogged by persistent low cloud shrouding Brentor Church and a biting breeze from the north rather than the hoped-for easterly. So it was back to the clubhouse and hangar for a day of chores, 'simulating' and socialising around the log fire. A pity, really, because Andrew Beaumont and I had warmed up the launch control caravan with a Calor gas heater. All to no avail this time - but worth a try on the next cold flying day. However, do please remember to keep a door or window open for ventilation.
In the hangar, Colin Boyd attended to various 'vice-chairmanic' chores involving signage, No.2 quad bike resurrection and putting the finishing touches to K7M G-DBVB's nether regions; Dave Bourchier continued fettling various items of equipment and Alan Carter made inroads with the character-building task of sanding off layers of vintage paint from a wing of his SF. And while Alan generated clouds of dust, club secretary Sandra returned from a secret mission into Tavistock, after which sounds of 'deep cleaning' were heard from the kitchen.
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| Twin Astir waits patiently for derigging and annual inspection |
Meanwhile the rest of us, under the watchful eye by club engineer, John Bolt, helped syndicate members to de-rig and later re-rig the Twin Astir as it underwent its annual inspection. It proved to be a sort of 'how many does it take to change a light bulb' experience as about nine pairs of hands grappled with dissecting the hefty beast. (Note to owners: If you're thinking about landing in a field, better pre-arrange a de-rigging team - and a 4 x 4 minibus to get them there.)
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| Visitor Terry Newman with Andrew in the Simulator |
Today's sole visitor was one-day course member Terry Newman who lives in Bromley, Kent and is visiting relatives at Torpoint. He soloed in a T21 with the Boy Scouts (yes, they were called that in those days!) at Lasham in 1969, and although he sadly didn't get to fly today, he did very well in the simulator. I thought it a bit unfair, though, for Steve Lewis to send him solo on a 'ridge run' in the Slovakian mountains. Andrew Beaumont also spent time brushing up his cross country skills in the simulator, and with the majority of our instructor team present, there was no shortage of advice.
Bob Pirie
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