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A
reasonable day so decided to support Sandown and have our first trip to The
Isle of Wight this year.
After
preparing the aeroplane we took off and was pleased the visibility was good
and the sky was generally bright and unobscured with cloud. Heading towards
the South Downs we listened to Sandown frequency and were surprised to hear
several aircraft en route to the airfield and also that the Sandown Radio
service was back on the air again. Not that we are particular fans of
airfields with radio but it did indicate that Sandown was not only surviving
but fighting back.
The Solent
looked spectacular with plenty of sails and the wake trails from power
boats. It is only a short trip across the water but always good when you are
in a position to glide to one side or the other. We joined through the
overhead for a left hand circuit to 05. We parked on the North side of the
airfield, along with several other visiting aircraft and walked to the local
garden centre for lunch. Later in the day we went back to the airfield and
sat outside the bistro with coffee and cake.
It would be
tragic if Sandown were to close as without Sandown we would be unlikely to
ever visit the Island again. We spoke to a couple of people, one of which
was having magneto trouble on a Chipmunk and then prepared to leave. We
needed some fuel so decided to stop off at Popham on the way back. The
climbout from Sandown was a bit rough but we were soon at height and back
over the Solent.
Passing
Lasham we scanned the skies for gliders and then for Popham traffic as the
airfield was busy. We joined for a left hand circuit to 08 and took on fuel.
Having paid our bill we took off and headed for home.
A very
successful first trip to the Island in 2011. |
