Could be. Though from what we’ve heard of his navigation, he could be anywhere now. Maybe we should ask those chaps to shine their really big torch down and see if anybody waves one back?

If the time comes when I can stretch to another aircraft, the ’52 taildragger is on the list. I’m so tempted by a Chippy though … as with the ’52 I’ve loved them ever since the first time I flew one.

I’d had I suppose a bit of a prejudice against the Yak until I sat in the back of one for 20 minutes of aeros. Best cure for a headache that I’ve found, and I had a grin about *that* wide afterwards 😀 The taildragger mod does wonders for the looks. Plus it’s easier to get into as well!

See you on the Sunday and at the Proms. I’m planning to be at Duxford too. Meeting point is usually Andrew!

That is amazing. As Mark V says, Ed’s station-keeping underneath, that closely, is just superb. There’s some trust between the two of them to be below the leader during those runway passes.

Wow! Wish I could have been there. Chailey looks like a lovely place.

I had that last week when I wanted to go to Woodchurch 🙁 It was better later on but still not the sort of vis I fancied threading my way between Luton and Stansted in. So I drove to OW instead.

I’m really picking the days at the moment … I arrange something aviation-related but not actually flying on the day when it’s cracking weather, and I arrange to fly somewhere on the day when the vis is ‘orrible. But at least I’ve been up, so I’m happy!

Whenever I’m flying anywhere near a drop zone I always try to find out whether or not it’s active — either by talking to the local LARS station if they’re working or the airfield itself. In my experience Lakenheath for instance are very good about notifying anybody on their frequency about drops over Old Buckenham. Last time I was out that way you’d have had to be deaf (or NORDO) not to know about it.

Last time I flew past Sibson I gave them a call to double-check, and indeed they were dropping, so I gave them a wide berth to the west. It’s not as if diverting a couple of miles to either side of the DZ adds much if anything to your flight time.

Skybolt — by what distance do the parachutists like us to avoid the zones? Is a couple of miles enough?

I should be there too.