It is again that time of year where it's traditional to look back the previous 12 months & pick out the highlights, so that's exactly what I've been doing!
Overall 2011 has been a quieter year for me in terms of number of events attended, mainly due to the weather being far from ideal & when this is teamed with the ever increasing cost of fuel it isn't a good combination! Thinking back across the past 12 months I can only pick out one weekend where both days featured "summer weather", so hats off to all those out there involved with GA that haven't given up hope yet!
Anyway that's enough writing from me, on with the list! To view details of each event just click on the image below the description.
In at number 5 is WestonZoyland, this former RAF airfield is now a nice microlight strip with around 40 aircraft based. The day itself dawned very foggy & with low cloud, it did eventually clear & then visitors continued to arrive well into the evening. I beleive calls from over 200 aircraft for PPR were taken during the day!
Number 4 comes in the form of the fly-in on Knott End sands. This is again a popular fly-in with pilots as it's a rare oppourtunity to land on a beach! It certainly offered up some very intersting photograph oppourtunites, with the dramatic backdrop of the Lake District hills.
Third place goes to the "Summer Madness" fly-in at Breighton. This is one of my favuoite airfields to visit, the lighting is perfect for photographs throughout the day & you can walk the length of the runway to get whatever angle you desire for your shots.
Second place goes to Sacville Lodge for the "Grass Roots Balloon Meet". After weeks of cancellations due to unsuitable weather conditions they eventually gave the go-ahead for the event & what a day they picked! During the day it was boiling hot & fairly windy, but by the launch time the wind & temperature's had dropped out nicely perfect balloon flying weather.
Finally in taking the number one spot is Headon, their fly-in back in July saw the little microlight strip near Gamston bursting at the seems with aircraft! The friendly approach to things & a very uncomplicated approach to aviation was very nice to see, we spent most of the day chatting away to the chap who was manning the radio (inbetween dealing with the many RT calls!) a fantastic day.
Lets hope for some better weather in 2012!
