Home
Up

Above: The three aircraft fuelling at Popham before heading over the English Channel.

This year the Bashers arranged their annual trip out for a Monday so that those businessmen (mainly Graham and John) who work all weekend could join in the fun. So it was on Sunday night that the panic started, the vacuum pump on G-BASH had failed that afternoon. At 7.30am next morning Doug's merry men were on the case and in the nick of time it was fixed. How's that for service?

Despite the panic the Bashers had taken great delight in faxing 9 flight plans to London flight clearance at 9.30pm the previous evening. Next morning at Popham they had all been acknowledged with just a few mistakes, mixing up C172 G-TASH and AA5 G-BASH which together with G-AXBH were to make up G-BASH formation.

Exactly on time at 10.15local time the formation got airborne from Popham and formed up over Chilbolton, the heavily loaded aircraft climbing slowly in the hot humid air. They routed round the Solent zone. For once the Bashers had read the notams, and surprised Bournemouth with their knowledge of a Royal flight (purple airspace) between Gatcombe park, Bournemouth and Jersey, The flight was scheduled for ORTAC at 10.27am. The Bashers were not surprised to find that the flight was behind schedule. "PC is having a lie in" it was suggested over the RT and the Bashers speculated just whom the Prince might be having a lie in with!

They headed out over the channel in dreadful visibility, thankful that the vac pump had been fixed and that the artificial horizon worked. They coasted in at Cap De La Hague in France and were then routed via North East point and Lihou Island to join left base at Guernsey. Throughout all this Dave Skertch was in his element "leading" G-BASH formation, who incidentally could not hold together in a climb let alone fly aerobatics together, such are Dave's dreams made of.

Above: The line up at Guernsey

The 3 aircraft were lined up on the grass and the compulsory team photo was taken. One cynic pointed out that the "guest" was brought along every year merely to take the photo! This year the task fell on Ian's friend Bob Bury. While Dave and Ian oversaw the refueling (Duty free at 56p per litre, eat your heart out Tony Blair) Gwyn and the others booked 3 hire cars at a bargain price.

Above: The Bashers at Guernsey left to right: Kevin Jacobs, Gwyn Jenkins, Ian Todd, Graham Brown, Dave Skertchly, Chris Sellen, Dave Leddy, Dave Esp, John Wrayton, Steve Roberts.

The Bashers then headed off around the Island. Stopping for a Pub lunch at the Longfrie Hotel they discovered that jumbo servings of "anything you like with chips" were in order.

Above: The Bashers at lunch.

Suitably refreshed they headed off around the Island again this time stopping at  Pembroke Bay, where Dave Esp insisted on indulging in the English pass-time of paddling.

Above: The Bashers at Pembroke Bay wait while Dave Esp goes paddling.

By this time john Wrayton had announced his intention of buying a lobster, and he had come suitably equipped with a plastic carrier bag. The Bashers headed for St Peter Port where they parked on White Rock Pier. Despite hunting the length and breadth of the harbour no lobster could be found. After such disappointment it was decided to finish with tea at Petit Bot Bay, just a short distance from the airfield. It came as no surprise to anyone at Popham that one group of Bashers became completely lost less than a runway length from the airfield!

Above: Petit Bot Bay

When finally the Bashers got back together again there was a mad scramble to get to Alderney before they closed for duty free fags etc (including 2 bottles of Export Gin for the old SLAPAS and some Baccy for Doug).

As they headed home in the evening mist Chris Sellen had set his heart on beating Dave Skertch to the call for a transit of Solent airspace. As planned he pulled off a sneaky sign off with London Information and got in first with the call to Solent Radar, to lead the G-BASH formation back to Popham in "Bravo Hotel".