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SPAMFIELD Isle of Wight 2002
Above 330 microlights parked up at Sandown on the Isle Of Wight
Spamfield took place on the Isle Of Wight over the weekend of June 28th 2002. This was the second organized flyin to the Island and was attended by about 330 microlight aircraft. In the tradition of attending a flyin everyone expects you to write about it and share the experience, well that's fair enough but I prefer to spend the time out flying than typing! But in the tradition here is a brief resume of the weekend.
I had agreed to fly down to the Isle Of Wight in the flexing this year and also agreed to fly down with Kevin Armstrong in formation as he is based close by at Beverley. I was out of bed at 4.30am on the Friday morning and by 5.30am I was at the airfield packing the trike with all the equipment. Even though I was staying in a static caravan on the IOW I needed the tent etc for France. (More on that later)
By 6.10 I was airborne with full fuel and set off for Beverley to Meet Kev A. I climbed out to 1000ft and set the cruise up for 58 mph then looked at the GPS to get the ground speed. I couldn't believe it I was doing 75 mph and we were going to have a tailwind, now that doesn't happen very often!
As I flew overhead Kev A launched into the lovely blue sky and we made contact on the Microlight frequency. Neither of us could believe our luck the weather was fine if not perfect we had a tailwind and everything was looking good for our 250 mile flight. We headed west a bit to pick up the river Trent and avoid the Lincolnshire RAF stations, the air was crisp and still with no thermals so early in the morning and we were both enjoying the flight keeping about half a mile apart in our formation and chatting to each other along the way.
Before we knew it we were approaching Leicster. We had planned to stop there for fuel, so we called them up on the radio but got no reply which considering it was only just 7.30 was what we expected. We landed and said well no fuel or coffee and no one to pay a landing fee too! so we might as well carry on and we did.
On to Popham for breakfast then and another almost perfect flight except for Kev A who had a near miss with a plane but he took it all in his stride. We arrived at Popham in no time probably about one hour 15 mins and by now the wind had started to get a little more gusty on the ground. As we approached in over the trees we got a good kicking from the turbulence, the worst thing was it was gusting in different directions which made it difficult for landing. I actually missed the runway but rather than messing about I elected to use the taxiway which was massive anyway. At Popham we had a couple of cups of coffee and some bacon sarnis to set us up for our short hop to the Island. The wind was still a bit gusty but well within our capabilities (we hoped)
After a nice flight over the Solent and less than an hour later we were coming in to land at Sandown. We were amongst the first arrivals with BJ and CF there to welcome us. Well the rest of the Friday was spent watching more microlights come in and generally chatting about microlighting as you do, as well as lunch at the supermarket and settling in to the caravan. In the evening we went for a flight around the Island and after that it was time for something to eat and drink. I meet up with a few of the guys I know and ordered my food but after a long wait they called my number and said we've run out you can have sausage and chips, so off we went out for a takeaway. The rest of the evening was fine with a few drinks and chatting about the day and weekend ahead.
Saturday came and went really, there was a none stop arrival of microlights during the day and I spent the afternoon on marshal duties, all looked good for the BBQ in the evening. I enjoyed Brian's talk and the plan for the evening was a BBQ and band. I was one of the ones that left to go in to town, one thing I hate is queueing and I wasn't prepared to wait that long even though I had already paid for the food. The wait at the bar was crazy too. As someone pointed out to me there were more staff at the kebab shop than there were serving the 500+ pilots at the airfield!. So while we were in town we frequented a very quiet pub with no queues and passed the evening away there instead, shame really.
On the Sunday morning we were awoke by a mass exodus of microlights all leaving quickly before the weather turned bad. Myself and Kev A decided we should pack up and leave within an hour or the forecast suggested we would be there for a few days to follow. So we made the decision and packed up, deciding that France wasn't going to be a realistic possibility due to the weather. A further deciding factor was the wind was now in our favor again and if we left now we would have a tailwind home! Pack up we did and unfortunately without been able to say goodbye to most people, although I suspect a lot of those had left anyway.
The trip back was fine. A stop at Popham for fuel and coffee then on to Husbands Bosworth Gliding Club for a rest. I was a bit bumpy on the way back but I just couldn't believe our luck with the wind. Again the trip was about 4 hours and I landed back at my home base Eddsfield in less than ideal conditions.
I had a fantastic weekend enjoyed seeing everyone again and cant believe how fast it went. It was a shame we had to rush off and didn't carry on for France but the following few days proved what a wise and bloody lucky choice we had made, I believe several were stuck on the Island for a few days.
My thanks to Big John (BJ) for arranging such a great flyin, I am amazed at how many turned up you did a fantastic job again BJ. I stand corrected at the magnificent turn out and hope for much of the same next year. I just hope there are a few more staff at Sandown by then if we go back there!.
Kevin Taylor
For more details go to www.wightparty.org (click here)
