WFAeC France 2007

Wed 29th: Home, Headcorn, Abbeville, Bernay

Our first trip across the Channel, and our first group trip: the WFAeC's trip to France at the end of August 2007, with 7 fixed-wing microlights and 4 flexwings. Tremendous thanks are due to the organisation and planning by the experienced travellers of the WFAeC, particularly Laurie and Rick.
If you have Google Earth (and if you haven't, I strongly recommend it) and download this small file, you can click on a camera icon to see the photo taken there.
Wed, 07:58Z Leeds Castle
It was the first Channel crossing for us and for Andy, so we paired up. There are lots of worries about the dangers of crossing this 20 miles of water, but it seemed easy enough this time: the engine couldn't tell we were over water; the weather was lovely; the fan kept going around; we were fine.
Wed, 10:17Z	Wed, 10:19Z		Wed, 10:19Z
Wed, 10:21Z "Coasting out" at Dover	Wed, 10:29Z A brace of CTSW whizz past underneath us		Wed, 10:31Z
Wed, 13:26Z Abbeville. All the fixed-wings in the group have gone already, but it's a bit windy for us
Thu 30th: Bernay, Le Mans, Thouars, Le Thou
Thu, 09:47Z Le Mans		Thu, 10:40Z
Fri 31st: Le Thou, La Roche sur Yon, La Baule-Escoublac, Granville
Fri, 09:49Z		Fri, 11:42Z La Roche Sur Yon
Fri, 17:52Z Mont St. Michel, of course		Fri, 17:54Z We were there at sunset, but malheureusement there was a low overcast, so the beautiful photo opportunity turned into a Photoshop rescue exercise. We hoped it'd be better the next morning, but it wasn't.
Sat 1st: Granville, Courseulles sur Mer, Abbeville, Headcorn
Sat, 08:55Z Pointe du Hoc, between Utah and Omaha D-Day beaches, with the monument to the US Rangers		Sat, 08:56Z When we visited in 2003, my (slightly dim) friend John was impressed that the shelling missed all of the footpaths
Sat, 09:03Z The American Cemetary: huge and humbling on the ground, huge and humbling from the air		Sat, 09:09Z The Mulberry artificial harbours at Arromanches (due to the low cloud, another Photoshop rescue exercise)
Sat, 12:09Z Quite a big bridge over the mouth of the Seine at Honfleur (Deauville/Le Havre)
Of all the things I love about flying, being on top of clouds is the best. I remember the time (all those months ago) that I first popped up into the clear blue sky, and thought "Really? I'm really allowed to have this much fun?". It's beautiful, magical, scary. The power of those millions of tonnes of water, just hanging in the air ... It's depressing to be underneath, exhilarating to be above. Can you imagine what it's like not to bother to fly, when it's so easy to do?
Sat, 15:41Z Looking Southwest from Dieppe back towards Normandy: I'm glad we're not going that way.	Sat, 15:41Z		Sat, 15:42Z Looking East, much nicer
Rick escorts us back across the Channel. Nobody else mentioned it, but having read so many WWII books - not to mention a morning flying along the D-Day beaches - flying towards the White Cliffs from France raises quite a lump in the throat
Sat, 16:30Z	Sat, 16:39Z Nose-up at Quantum speed		Sat, 16:41Z
Sat, 16:46Z	Sat, 16:46Z		Sat, 16:49Z Rick coasting in at the White Cliffs of Dover
Sat, 16:58Z The Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel-le-Ferne
Sun 2nd: Headcorn, Stapleford, Home
Sun, 05:37Z The burners in the bloons woke us up as they passed low over our tent `:-)`	Sun, 05:41Z Even sheeps can be photogenic with a bit of dawn mist		Sun, 06:31Z A memorial to our friend, who died in a parachuting accident at Headcorn