Farway Common

Flying with Martin

in our Vintage Cessna 170B

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21 August 2005 - Farway Common

The flyin at Farway Common was scheduled to take place on both Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 August. The wind seemed quieter on Sunday, so our decision was made. Our friends were all engaged with other commitments so we were flying alone. We arrived at the airfield and I was so pleased to discover that the recently revamped covers that I had made from old sheeting were still in exactly the same position as we had left them. Maybe now I have the successful final pattern. No I am not going into the plane cover making business. I leave that to the ladies of Cambrai covers.

We took off and headed towards Chesil Beach and along the South coast. A work colleague of Martin had requested some aerial photographs of his caravan so hopefully from the selection of nine I took, one may include the correct information. If not there is always another flight !

We soon came across Lyme Regis, such a pretty harbour and lots of boats

Then along the coast we soon spotted the Branscombe strip that we had recently visited. Here we headed inland and very soon spotted Farway Common with it's two runways. We were instructed to use a left hand circuit, (not the best for my photograph taking) and land on runway 36.

We were guided to taxi to a line of unfamiliar planes and greeted warmly by the owner who expressed his delight that we had returned to his farm strip. What a lovely welcome. He explained that sandwiches and home made cake were on offer with the usual drinks. So we had a very pleasant lunch and found some people discussing the Treborough flyin that we had hoped to go to last weekend. They spoke of tales of how some of the planes had difficulties in landing in the wind and several gave up and went home. Finding and landing on a small strip in gusting winds on Exmoor is not our idea of fun, so we declared we had definitely made the correct decision for us.

We spent a while walking around the planes and chatting to their owners. Marvelling at the instrument panels of some of the homebuild planes. We met friends we had talked with at the other Devon Strut meetings and spent a delightful afternoon. But all good things must end and we had to leave for home. We took off using Runway 18 and headed towards the sea at Branscombe village. Then at Seaton we followed

the river inland and then the railway. We landed at Henstridge for ice creams and fuel and details of their flyin taking place next weekend.

On the homeward flight it was interesting to see that the yellow of the rape and corn fields was being replaced by the green fields of grass and the brown of the newly ploughed fields. Summer is slowly making way to Autumn. Another great day.