GETTING BACK (TO NORMAL


WELL, SORT OF!)


What is it like to get in the air again after 52 days without flying W


ednesday December 30, 2020 is etched on my memory, it wasn’t a particularly nice day weatherwise, we were in the


last throws of a very low-key Christmas and were preparing ourselves for the inevitable hard lockdown that everyone was expecting after a consistent surge in Coronavirus cases during late December. For me, though, the day was special for just one thing — the last day I went flying. Fast forward to February 20, 2021 and the virus is on the decline, there’s a noticeable upbeat vibe since those dark days of winter and even the weather is finally cheering up; there’s another very special day coming because I’m about to make my first flight in 52 days or 1,267 hours (not that I had been counting…).


I’ve been flying small aircraft for quite some years and been lucky enough to get airborne for at least a few hours most


12 CLUED UP SPRING 2021


weeks and, while I’m never blasé about our incredibly privileged hobby, normally I don’t usually have too many emotions about it, it’s just something I love and do. However, since establishing that an aircraft maintenance flight was needed, I’d thought about little else. Last night I cleared out my flight bag and then repacked it with all my flying paraphernalia, I put fresh batteries into my headset, updated my SkyDemon maps and fully charged my phone. I laid out my favourite flying clothes and trainers, then placed them in a pile by the side of the bed and, finally, I checked the weather again on the BBC. I went to bed early but struggled to sleep with the anticipation building. After a morning Met Office update the 30-minute drive to the airfield has me buzzing with expectation. As I arrive, I can feel that pre-flight, slightly sickly, stomach- churning feeling, the same as you get before


an exam or flight check; you so want to do the very best you can, but you aren’t 100 percent sure you can do it. Arriving at the parking area next to the apron, the SportCruiser glints in the sun; the canopy cover is still on and hasn’t been touched since the last time it flew nearly three months ago; she might not be my regular steed, but she looks wonderful. I start my pre-flight in the same manner as I would as if it was a skills test. Remove the cover and fold it up neatly, open the canopy, put the parking brake on and pull out the checklist and fuel drain tester. On a simple aircraft such as this, and one I know so well, I’d normally do things from memory, but not today. So, turn on the power, ‘great the battery looks good’, remove the gust lock then lower the flaps, turn on the lights and quickly inspect them before shutting off the master. I then start my walk around,


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