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In the six months since becoming a full-time aircraft mechanic (unlicensed), I have been commuting to work on an irregular basis (weather depending).
It's about a 15 minute flight from Leicester, my home base, to Coventry where I do four days a week. On Thursday evenings, I always have a drink at the bar at Leicester, so to avoid the one-hour drive from Coventry to Leicester, I try to fly.
On this particular day, Coventry didn't open until 8am...it normally opens at 5am in the summer, so at 5 minutes to eight I was hovering near the CT NDB waiting for ATC to finish their breakfast.
When they said Coventry wasn't open, they meant that Coventry ATC wasn't open...they steadfastly refused to answer my calls until 8 on the dot. Work to rule or what?
Above: Upon satisfactory two-way communication, I was cleared straight to final for 23...
Above:...over the A46 which is my normal route (and really needs the attention of road planners).
Above: Short final, with a bit of wing-down and a bit of crab and a bit of diagonal landing in hand for the 15kt crosswind component
Above: Vacate at Kilo and I'm there.
After work....
Above: I taxy out for power checks at the Kilo hold for a 23 departure,
Above: and crosswind, one can see the long-lamented crosswind runway...
Above: ...and turning downwind, direct track for Leicester (none of these HUGE circuits for me).
15 minutes later I was in the bar at Leicester, a journey that normally takes an hour by road. Great fun, but financially unfeasable as a regular commute to work.
It's about a 15 minute flight from Leicester, my home base, to Coventry where I do four days a week. On Thursday evenings, I always have a drink at the bar at Leicester, so to avoid the one-hour drive from Coventry to Leicester, I try to fly.
On this particular day, Coventry didn't open until 8am...it normally opens at 5am in the summer, so at 5 minutes to eight I was hovering near the CT NDB waiting for ATC to finish their breakfast.
When they said Coventry wasn't open, they meant that Coventry ATC wasn't open...they steadfastly refused to answer my calls until 8 on the dot. Work to rule or what?
Above: Upon satisfactory two-way communication, I was cleared straight to final for 23...
Above:...over the A46 which is my normal route (and really needs the attention of road planners).
Above: Short final, with a bit of wing-down and a bit of crab and a bit of diagonal landing in hand for the 15kt crosswind component
Above: Vacate at Kilo and I'm there.
After work....
Above: I taxy out for power checks at the Kilo hold for a 23 departure,
Above: and crosswind, one can see the long-lamented crosswind runway...
Above: ...and turning downwind, direct track for Leicester (none of these HUGE circuits for me).
15 minutes later I was in the bar at Leicester, a journey that normally takes an hour by road. Great fun, but financially unfeasable as a regular commute to work.
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