DAY TWO - Northampton - Edinburgh

Northampton - Manchester Barton.
2hrs 30 Minutes
Highlights: Jodderal Bank - Manchester Low Level Corridor

Barton - St Michaels
1hr 05 Mintes
Highlights:: Meeting Jim Orange farther of 14 kids 10 boys and 4 Girls.

St Michaels - Kirkbridge
1Hrs 30 Minutes
Highlights: Morcombe Bay / Lake District

Kirkbrige - Edinburgh (Carlobs )
1.20 Minutes
Highlight: Extream Turbulance - Bundting the Aircraft over the 2,500 foot TME..

Mission "Bognor"

Brian and Cliff set off, bound for Bognor no special reason but a chance to take a few shots of a construction crane and site Cliff has worked on. 40 minutes later the are back with the captured shots, and great they are too!

Having spent the time & £20 getting the shots perhaphs they can sell for a small return to the construction company or the Architect or the building owners? But no! the law that related to Microlight flying prohibits financial gain, why?

Well I don't know why not? It may because the ariel photo folks who charge £500 a hour get upset at 20 pounds an hour flying?

Is it because the pilots or machines are see as somehow sub standard? Or may be it's because the authorities are unable or unwilling to write a law that differentiates between paying passengers , flying cargo , teaching & taking photos.

Is it's time to change laws that are practically unworkable?

You could see the broken branches

So what was the reason? We know what happened, but not why? A couple on route from Hertfordshire to Jersey hit the hill near to our Airfield, Nr Petersfield Hampshire, UK. Its a hill around 700 ft AMSL, the cloud was low and so he was flying in a valley heading to the coast, but why did he hits the hill? Was he flying IFR or IMC? Was he looking at maps or cockpit instruments? Did he know there was a hill close by? We will not know until the report is written, and we may know the what but not the why two thirty something people hit the trees on the hill, crashed and died.

Tonight I flew over the site in near perfect flying conditions and witness first hand the broken branches where the Aircraft, a Piper, first hit the trees. There is a line of broken branches, broken hearts and broken lives.

I feel sick, I feel like a voyeur, but I know what it feels like to be compelled to fly, just to be in the air.