Saturday, September 1st (Sunday reserve day) |
Dave Organ flew with us on this flight, and as you can see in the larger photograph below he had his video camera mounted on the side of his helmet. In December 1999 Dave released a new 2 hour long video entitled 'My World of Gyroplanes' which shows some fascinating film of this flight, along with film of several of the other more interesting UK gyro events (from the air and from the ground). To purchase this video go to Dave's website (the gyro section) at http://www.apexselfdrive.co.uk/gyro.htm At the time of writing this Dave had not updated his video page to include this most recent video. The price is £14.25 + £2.50p&p.(UK pounds), (- if outside Europe then e-mail/write/fax/talk to Dave).
Flight line-up for the '99 flight (there is a Mini Max in the dark behind the taxying gyro). 2 fixed-wing microlights:a Thruster and a Mini Max flown by Mark Jones and Dennis Stanley respectively, Ron Dobree-Carey flying his Montgomerie Bensen, Dave Organ flying his Campbell Cricket, and Gerry Speich and myself flying Everetts. - NOT ENOUGH AIRCRAFT!! What is the matter with people?!
This was a fantastic visual treat of a flight which I organized again this year. We overflew 7 of the famous white horses carved out of the chalk hillsides in the countryside close to where I usually fly from, not to mention about 10 crop circles (see The Crop Circle Connector on my links page to see where the latest ones are), and the site of an 8th white horse which did not exist at the time of the flight but which has since been cut into the hillside and named 'The Devizes Millennium White Horse' - not a very catchy name, but at least it is another horse!
The flight left Wing Farm Strip at 12.00 local time on a fine gyro flying day and passed 5 of the white horses before landing at Redlands Airfield, near Swindon, where we were treated to a great lunch by Sarah and Joe Smith and some of us refuelled thanks to John Holland again fetching the fuel for us. The flight took 1 hour 35 minutes due to a lively headwind.
The return flight passed a further two horses, then the site of the new horse before returning to Wing Farm passing the stately Longleat House with the safari park and the world's longest maze making interesting aerial viewing. This flight took 45 minutes.
Thanks to Earl Trollope, the owner of Wing Farm Strip for making the airfield available as our base again, and for the half price landings!
The coordinates for the main waypoints were as follows, although some of these are not the actual sites but the best close up positions from which to view them. (I have used the asterisk(*) symbol to represent degrees as I am not sure that your browsers would show the real symbol for degrees!)
Wing Farm Strip 51*09.81N , 002*12.51W
Cley Hill 51*12.20N, 002*13.85W
Westbury White Horse 51*15.80N , 002*09.00W
Pewsey White Horse 51*19.50N , 001*45.50W
Alton Barnes White Horse 51*22.00N , 001*50.80W
Marlborough White Horse 51*25.00N , 001*44.75W
Uffington White Horse 51*33.96N , 001*33.10W
Redlands Airfield (farm) 51*32.93N , 001*42.06W
return flight from Redlands, continuing on to:
Hackpen Hill White Horse 51*28.18N , 001*50.25W
Cherhill White Horse 51*25.03N , 001*56.08W
Devizes Millennium White Horse 51*22.00N , 001*58.50W (near Roundway village)
Westbury White Horse 51*15.80N , 002*09.00W
Cley Hill 51*12.20N , 002*13.85W
Longleat 51*11.00N , 002*16.30W
Wing Farm Strip 51*09.81N , 002*12.51W
Here are some photographs taken by Ron Dobree-Carey during our '98 flight to show you what you will be missing if you can't make the flight next year! You can see larger versions of these photos if you wish.
LOCATION : 1nm South of SHEAR WATER LAKE and 3.5 nm SSW of WARMINSTER
Comments: Look for aluminium roofed building and row of poplar trees.
Nearest Alternate: Compton Abbas.
Operated by: E W B Trollope, Wing Farm, Longbridge Deverill, Warminster, Wiltshire, BA12 7DD. Telephone: 01985 840401
Comments: Uphill to West 30' ( - I've never noticed it, shows how observant I am!!)
Note: Power lines 500m off West end ( - not those big ones!)
White wind ' T ' at 09, white wind arrow (with white string) at 27
500'. Don't fly low over houses (except Wing Farm bungalow, near threshold of 27)
Saturday, September 1st (Sunday reserve day) Free camping at the strip with bathroom and showers, or 'Bed & Breakfast' by arrangement. Fuel available from nearby Service Station (transport at strip). CAA certified maintenance facility on site if required. This is an unmissable flight, but please note that the event (and visitors to Wing Farm) is ONLY FOR PILOTS and any ground crews that they may have. THE FLIGHT WILL LEAVE WING
FARM (click the link for an excellent, scaleable
map) AT All gyros welcome, and microlights too. Faster aircraft can detour away from the flight path as long as they do not compromise safety when returning to the line of slower aircraft. Contact: mel@flygyro.com Tel: 01398 323903 ......................See you there!!! * note: my mobile phone number (on the day) will be 07885 288508* |
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' Mel's Gyro Page ' (gyro homepage) |
Ken Wallis page |
gyro photos taken while filming for TV series |
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single seat gyro types commonly flown in the UK (Cricket types, Bensen, Montgomerie Bensen) |
single seat gyro types rarely flown in the UK (Wombat, KB2, Air Command, Hornet, McCandless, etc.) |
2 seat gyro types commonly flown in the UK (VPM M16, RAF2000) |
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2 seat gyro types rarely flown in the UK |
an assortment of other pages - several sub-pages to this one |
interesting projects going on |
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International gyro page |
FLYING LINKS |
Gyroglider page |
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Gyros on Floats |
Stop browsing this and get proper training to fly gyros in the U.K. (this link will take you to the BRA site) |
Fly Gyro! magazine The new international magazine (printed) for enthusiasts everywhere! |
13.00
and arrive at Redlands Farm Strip approx 14.13 (nil wind timing at approx
50 kts), for a very tasty lunch and refuelling. The return leg should take
approximately 47 minutes (nil wind). Both legs will follow the same route
as previous years (see above).