Le Touquet Fly Away 19th October 2008

Perhaps one of the best fly aways for a long time, the Le Touquet trip didn't look like it was going to get off the ground at all as first thing on Sunday the weather looked, shall we say, a little doubtful.

Despite this preparations were under way at various parts of the airfield - flight plans were being finalised, fuel uplifted, checks completed and there was a general optimism that this one was going to happen. The forecast was improving and the crew of the Cessna, of which I was a part, decided that we were good to go so we climbed aboard. No doubt, unseen by us, others had made the same decision.

We taxied over to the tower to file our flight plan and top up the fuel and, despite the fact we thought we were likely to be the last, were surprised to find we were the only light aircraft there. Being the first meant we were re-fuelled in no time, in fact too soon as our flight plan hadn't yet had time for the ink to dry let alone percolate through the system in preparation for our estimated departure time. Time to take stock and get ourselves ready for the trip.

It wasn't long before the familiar shape of the Robin appeared on the taxiway so, since we had time to spare, we waited for them to pull alongside and had a chat about their plans. It seems they would be there for a while longer since a certain member of the crew had forgotten his passport.......

Anyway it was time to leave so we set off to do our power checks and were soon ready to line up for a departure on runway 21. As we left the runway the weather ahead and to our right still looked less than ideal but, since we were going south east and it was looking much brighter in that direction, we were still optimistic. Our route was to take us via Sevenoaks, direct to Lydd VOR, then over the channel at 5,500 feet to Boulogne, descending along the coast into Le Touquet. However the weather stepped in and we found ourselves having to drop down to 2,500 feet to stay clear of cloud.

As we left Lydd behind, despite the cloud, we could see sun reflecting on the sea ahead so we knew things were looking better in France. It wasn't long before we spotted Boulogne harbour, which is the reporting point for Le Touquet and, as we were already talking to the tower, they asked us to report at the harbour for onward clearance for a left base join to runway 14. Up until now it had been fairly quiet on the radio but suddenly this changed and we found ourselves competing with a number of other aircraft, also inbound to land. We received our clearance for the join and proceeded to finals but there was a stiff 90 degree crosswind so this was going to be interesting!

Down and safe we taxied over towards the tower to book in and pay our landing fees. Since it was a nice day, we decided to hire some bikes to get us into the town. These come complete with a chain lock so there is no need to worry about leaving them once you get to the restaurant! It only takes about 15 mins to get to the town and its flat all the way, plus you get some fresh air, so I can recommend this method of transport - if the weather is fair.

So a short while later we were on our way into the town and working up an appetite for that meal! It being a Sunday, Le Touquet was very quiet with very little sign of life as we progressed along the cycle path and on into the town. A ride along the front to sharpen the appetite still further in the stiff breeze (is that windsock starched or is the wind really that strong?) then it was time to home in on the restaurant which came highly recommended from the crew of the Robin.

When we got to the restaurant, we discovered where the residents of Le Touquet were! We had quite a wait for the table, despite the 5 mins that had been promised (more than once). But it was worth the wait and also allowed two other crews to catch up with us, one from Biggin and the other from Rochester. There is something about French cuisine that I can't quite fathom and we made the most of our visit by trying snails, mussels and, of course, French fries not to mention copious quantities of French bread.

Back to the bikes after our meal, the journey back to the airport seemed somehow slower for some odd reason but we got there, handed back the bikes and I started to complete the flight plan for our return trip. One thing was for sure, the wind at 3000ft was going to do its best to blow us off course. The good news was that it was right up the runway at Biggin and, thankfully, a relatively calm 11 knots. We said our farewells to the helpful staff and made our way back to Echo Alpha.

Our route back was via Cap Griz-Nes, then direct to Lydd and home to Biggin but it soon became apparent that the clouds were going to dictate our height over the channel once more. With the wind chasing us we got to our first turning point quicker than expected and then turned to head for Lydd. The low clouds meant that we couldn't see the English coast until we were almost there and then, when we did, we realised that that wind had pushed us further over than anticipated and we were looking at Folkestone not Lydd. So now it was time to do some coastal tracking to get ourselves back to where we should have been, avoiding the nearby danger area.

The only problem was that this meant flying directly into wind as could be seen by our ground speed of 80Kts as shown on the GPS. Back at Lydd we turned to pick up our original route via Tenterden and Tonbridge.

Back at Biggin and a join for 21 right hand confirmed that the wind was where we expected it to be. After landing we taxied to the tower to check in with Customs then back to the clubhouse to do all the paperwork, the most difficult part was working out who owes what to whom.

A great day out with four aircraft and no less than 11 club members making the trip. And a beer in the club bar to round it all off - perfect!