By DELL ARTHUR
It was a sense of
reluctance that we departed Iceland. The few days spent there was an adventure
in itself and the sights and people left a warm memory that will last forever.
After
checking weather (old joke about weather among pilots is “weather we go or
weather we don’t!"), we filed an instrument flight plan and headed out of Reykjavik
towards the east for mainland Europe. This five hour leg would be the most
uncomfortable and dangerous since all of the flight would be over open ocean.
If anything happened and we had to ditch the airplane I recalled that I was a
notorious bad swimmer!
But
that wonderful Pratt-Whitney turbo jet engine performed without a hitch. Flying
a single engine airplane on such a flight isn’t particularly recommended by
most people with common sense. Yet all was in order and the vast expansion of
the sea gave pause to reflect on the majesty and greatness of all that God
created.
Time seemed to pass
quickly as we peered down at the water below. So far we hadn’t seen a single
ship in the area which made us wish that we could reach land a little sooner.
If we had to set down our only hope would be a last minute radio broadcast and
hope someone heard it. Other than that all we could do was sit back and try to
relax. Time would take care of itself.
The sky was clear of any
clouds and visibility was unlimited. The hum of the engine had a hypnotic
effect and the soft cushion of the seat added to the comfort of the flight. The
monotonous scanning of the aircraft gauges indicated everything in order. We
could occasionally hear some aircraft communicating with center and soon we
observed a couple of fishing boats. Finally, looking out in front there
appeared a glimmer of green. Ireland! The emerald island fabled for its beauty
and culture and from our viewpoint the description didn’t do it justice.
Unfortunately we wouldn’t be landing and as we passed overhead it was with
regret that our itinerary didn’t include a visit.
But now we could say “we
made it.” From here on land would be our best friend and it was only a short hop
to Scotland and then down to England where we were scheduled to land at Gatwick
Airport, just south of London.
Gatwick is one of the
more busy airports in the United Kingdom and located just south of London.
Given permission to land we touched down and were directed to taxi to a flight
reception center where we parked. It was here we left our friend who owned the
airplane and who was continuing on his trip to Russia. Going inside we waited
for a taxi to town where I spent the night. Wanting to sight see a bit before
dinner. I was hampered by the fact that our arrival also sparked a steady rain.
England lived up to its tradition.
After a restful night sleep
and breakfast I caught a bus for Biggin Hill Airport about an hour drive north
of our hotel where I was to pick up a twin engine turbo charged Cessna 340 and
continue my trip to mainland Europe.
The 340 is a wonderful airplane to fly and is capable
to comfortably hold six passengers. Since this particular airplane was also pressurized
I could easily cruse at higher altitudes to take advantage of winds aloft.
But it was flying out of
Biggin Hill that was the biggest attraction for me. To fly out of there was a
thrill in itself.
During World War II
Biggin Hill was one of the principle RAF airports in use. Many bomber strikes
against the Germans originated out of this airport and many famous Royal Air
Force pilots established their reputations fighting in the Battle of Britain
from this aerodrome.
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| Myself in front of World War II Spitfire |
Little at the airport has
changed since the war and many of the original buildings are still used. What
impressed me most were the large number of United States registered airplanes
parked throughout the vast area. What was most interesting was many of these
airplanes were small single engine Piper and Cessna airplanes ranging from two
place Piper Super Cubs, to Piper Warriors, Cherokees and two-place Cessna 150’s.
I can understand the number of 150’s since this is the primary airplane used for
flight training. All of them had to have been transported by ship rather than
oversea flights since none of them had the range for such a flight unless
highly modified. And there was no way the smaller two place planes could have
been flown such a distance from the United States. Thinking of my recent flight
in a sophisticated single-engine turbo prop airplane equipped with the most
modern avionics and instruments didn’t seem so foolish after all!
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| RAF Chapel with names of airmen lost in Battle of Britain |
One of the main
attractions of the base is the RAF chapel. Entering the nave you can see up
front a huge bronze wall inscribed with the names of all the airmen who died in
the famous defense of England. Included in the list are the names of men from
all parts of Europe, Canada the United States, Ireland and South Africa who
took part in the battle. If it had not been for these courageous fighters
England most certainly would have lost the war.
(To be continued)
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