January 2008
What did you do for Christmas??
Whatever you did, I can safely bet that Dave Berger down in Devon had us all beat.
He decided to start off his Christmas in flying style, with a trip in his Cub, plus Luton Duet and a JAP-engined Minor. I'm deeply envious, bet you are too!! His words though, sum up the joys of this sort of flying perfectly as we look ahead to another great year.
HAPPY LANDINGS DAVE - AND TO ALL LUTON MINOR FANS THROUGH 2008!!
While the rest of England was wreathed in fog, it started to lift in North Devon at about 10am and at Eggesford at about midday, so I loaded up the boy, got airborne in the Super Cub and headed down to the edge of the fog at Crediton:
After a modicum of hooliganising over a deserted Dartmoor, I got back to be offered my first flight in the Luton Minor Duet, the sole example of its type ever built. It has a C90 which produces large amounts of noise and wind and a lesser degree of performance:
It's a real blast! After a couple of circuits I came down and loaded up the boy:
I was slightly concentrating on survival and keeping my nuts warm, but managed to get some loose air to air photos of the Luton Minor as well -- how often is there ever a Luton formation?
Then when we came down from that I had my first flight in the JAP-engined Luton Minor and that is really a blast! The sound of those two cylinders blatting away is unique. Both are pretty marginal aircraft, but fly completely differently, which was a real surprise:
Too much fun!!
With many thanks, and complements of the season, to Dave Berger and all at the Light Aircraft Association, Devon 'Strut'.