I went to the Club today with modest hope that we might fly but also to help retrieve the Perkoz so that the repair can be made to the airbrake mechanism which George now has in hand. Thanks to Chairman Nick and his Discovery the trailer was pulled out successfully on the wet ground. Alas the cloud remained anchored to North Hill and idle hands having been proven to cause mischief I elected to try and find a missing feature in the field.
Some years ago, I believe my first winter at North Hill, a hopeful crowd assembled at the Club one Sunday morning after a sustained spell of bad weather. Duty Instructor was Ron Johns who inspected the field and came back reporting that something resembling Quatermass and the pit was erupting on the north side of the field and flying would not be happening. Several of us went to see this hitherto unkown phenomena and sure enough so it was, several metres across and probably half a metre high and water flowing prolifically from it. We deduced that was a blockage in the piped ditch that runs from the woodland on the north side of the airfield diagonally to the 90 left on the entrance drive to the Club. It now discharges to a large chamber inside the bend with a steel grating. (a good indicator of the volume of water coming off the field, heavy flow = too wet). That had blocked and water pressure was lifting the turf off the subsoil.
I fetched the Club digger and excavated a hole in the middle of the eruption, cleared the blockage and away it went, but alas not in time for flying.
John Street who many will remember vividly as a very dedicated instructor who sent many members solo (including me), also assumed responsibility for the field. A few weeks later we dug it all out and fitted two rodding eyes (which have never been used) and a new length of pipe. Alas with the passage of time I haven’t been able to locate them recently so today provided an opportunity. I failed but John Pursey kept at it with a fencing stake and we now know they are. (What 3 words ///holds.costly.vowel.)
A photo taken during the repair aided locating the covers.
Sorry for the quality of the old image (Peter Smith)
John Street, Tim Johns and me. Completing the crew and acting photographer was Matt Wright, he was never far away from anything out of the ordinary.
Meanwhile Chris Warnes flew the trial lesson in the simulator which went well, and they are looking forward to the real thing. - Peter Smith
