old member returning

[geoger]

Hi Guys
I have just rejoined the LAA, or as it was the PFA, in the heady days of Shoreham and rallys at Cranfield, where i learned to fly with some crazy instructors to say the least, but good fun, after a lapse of some 'cough' years
i have decided to revalidate my license, the reasons for letting it lapse is a long story for another time, I now live in the North West in Cumbria with both Kirkbride and Carlisle nearby (at 73 it should be fun again), I was interested to read in the forum about the debacle surrounding the precautionary landing at Plymouth, My experience was also because of weather conditions, it was as a student with 9hrs experience i fell foul of Upper Hayford on a return flight to Cranfield, they managed to get me lost, it was getting dark and with only 1/4 tanks of fuel I had called D&D for help, then stumbled across an airfield, I described what i could see to D&D but they advised against landing, as i was technically now NIGHT flying (it was quite dark), I landed, after shutting down the aircraft on the apron in front of the control tower, I looked up to find myself surrounded by armed police, I had landed at RAE Bedford, I was arrested and thrown in the cells, During the interrogation that followed I could tell i was not being believed, till a phone rang in the guard room and D&D asked about if i was ok, I was eventually released and the next day had to knock on the gate and ask for my aircraft back, I cannot repeat what the CFI who came and picked me up said, by now it was about 8pm in December, It was some weeks later that i received a bill for my landing fee (cheek) the one thing i learned from that experience was if some jobs worth wants to mess a rookie about knowingly ASK FOR A QDM to your base, in those days we didn't have the privilege of sat nav's, and when dusk falls you got problems because so does the vis. still i lived to tell the tale and am probably one of the few private pilots to have recorded RAE Bedford in his log book, here's looking forward to many more happy hours in the air
George Brown

[Brian Hope]

Hi George and welcome back to the LAA. I hope you enjoy your re-training and get your licence back soon.
The biggest concern about airfields being difficult when somebody lands unexpectedly or without permission is that it deters some pilots from doing the right thing - getting safely back on the ground - when faced with a similar situation for fear of retribution. I've always maintained that if landing is the best option, land and sort the bureaucratic problems out afterwards. I know a couple of guys who did similar to you, landing at military bases when the weather was awful, and they were both treated well after an initial ticking off.

[geoger]

Thanks for your comments Brian I am looking forward to it

[Chris Martyr]

Hey George,, nice one mate !
All this old claptrap about attracting younger members.........
What's wrong with re-cycling the old ones...

[geoger]

Hi Chris couldn't agree more, there is still life in the old dog yet as the saying goes, hope you had a nice christmas and have a healthy and prosperous new year
george