Rain; lots of it; unknown for 4 weeks; fell today. There were bubbles by the
hangar, puddles by the launchpoint, and torrents down the track (the ground
being so dry that the rain just ran over the top of the soil...)
 |
| Bubbles... |
 |
| Puddles.. |
 |
| ...and Rapids – sights unseen for 4 weeks. |
So no flying
then. Except via simulator, where Paula Howarth having treated us to 'Breakfast
2' aka a chocolate battenburg sponge, gave niece and potential member Charlotte
Duffy a flight via Condor software.
 |
| Breakfast 2 – a delicious chocolate battenburg courtesy of Paula Howarth |
 |
| Potential new member Charlotte Duffy with Paula Howarth in the simulator. |
Elsewhere, Rich Roberts utilised the 'To Do'
List hardware database to access the monthly maintenance required on the two
K-13s (ie. yellow duster to canopy and hoover to cockpit floor), whilst the real
engineering task of the day – fitting a new half-shaft to Rick's Runabout (aka
the green Land Rover Discovery) was undertaken by Dave Bourchier and Scratch
Hitchens, which they managed to complete successfully in preparation for Rick's
Bank Holiday attendance tomorrow. (Obviously the weather precluded them from
having the vehicle polished and ready on the 'Bourchier Line', and nominations
for 'car door openers' still depend on whether they need to be SQEP'ped (ie.
Scuba diver trained) for tomorrow...)
 |
| Rich Roberts hoovers out the cockpit of HXP. |
 |
| Scratch Hitchens and Dave Bourchier replace a half-shaft on Rick’s Runabout. |
In other news, we unloaded some noise
absorbent insulation for use in the winch cabs as part of their refurbishment
(...is that why we have to say “All Out” twice over the radio..?) and subjected
the kettle to some pretty rigorous full power trials over the course of the day
(response times poor but temperature standards – eventually - achieved...).
It was good to see Dave Bourchier back on site today (following a successful
week's flying course at North Hill) albeit in boiler rather than flying suit
mode...
Martin Cropper
No comments:
Post a Comment