Robert's Cross Country

Piece of cake

One cross country already completed and with the possibility of a GFT within a week Robert Sole was getting very excited. His last cross country was to Haverfordwest airfield and proved interesting to say the least. He had spent over two hours planning that one and his waypoints came in front of the nose exactly when they were supposed to. He was feeling very pleased with himself as he lined up on finals for runway 09 at Haverfordwest. Robert's mind was already thinking of the journey home when the Thruster did it's Barnes Wallace impression. Now he had bounced the Thruster lots of times during the early days of training but this one loosened his many fillings. He decided to go around again and pulled off a greaser the second time around. Twenty minutes later and still red faced he was on his way back to Swansea. The rest of the flight was uneventfull.

Getting excited

The weather was fine but very hazy when Robert arrived at the airfield. It was legal to fly but not really good enough for a cross country so he set about planning his second cross country which was to Cardiff International Airport. Robert was really looking forward to this flight mainly because he worked in the Cardiff-Swansea area and knew the area really well. He was also looking forward to landing at an International airport even though the landing fee was Ł13.00. By two o'clock in the afternoon the weather had improved slightly and the flight was on.

Like the back of my hand

Robert had assured the instructor that he would have no problem finding Cardiff airport because of his knowledge of the area. The Thruster had not flown today so a very good check out was performed. Sitting in the left hand seat, map board strapped to his leg and with a full tank of fuel Robert was ready to go. A last check that the ballast in the right hand seat was secure the engine was started. "Golf Alpha Papa cleared for take-off" sounded in Roberts ears and the Thruster roared down the runway like a lawnmower on steroids. Five minutes later and the first waypoint appeared but the visibility was getting worse. A ridge of high pressure had been over the area for several days trapping all the pollution at the lower levels but if he returned to Swansea now it could mean another week before he got the chance to try again. He decided that he wouldn't bother with his flight plan but follow the M4, after all he had made this journey in his car every day for years so what could go wrong ??? Robert was starting to get nervous, things were starting to go wrong. Was that Bridgend or Pencoed or Llantrisant, was that Junction 34 or 33 or 35 of the M4 it all looked so different from the air and he was beginning to wish that he had followed his flight plan. Worst still there wasn't anywhere to land safely in case of a problem. Panic was setting in.

Thank God for radio

The Cardiff frequency was selected on the radio and it was nice to hear a friendly voice, but when asked his position Robert felt a bit of a dickhead. "I'm not really sure" he answered. He had heard that a good air traffic controller was worth his/her weight in gold and this proved to be the case. "Golf Alpha Papa turn on to heading 150 degrees and advise when Nash Point light house is in sight". Five minutes later and Robert could see the lighthouse in front of him and advised Cardiff ATC. Cardiff asked if he needed further compass headings to which he replied "No thanks I know where I am now".

All runway's look the same!

Robert knew that if he followed the coast it would lead him to Cardiff airport and he was starting to relax slightly. A few minutes later he informed Cardiff that he had the runway in sight to which they replied "are you sure?". He was told to call short finals and asked if he wanted the runway lights turned on because of the poor visibility. Robert declined the offer of the lights because he was on short finals and would soon be on the ground. The radio then blasted " GOLF ALPHA PAPA DO NOT LAND, REPEAT, DO NOT LAND. THE RUNWAY IN FRONT OF YOU IS RAF ST. ATHAN ". Robert was down to 500 feet when he realised his mistake. A good look from this height confirmed that it was indeed RAF St Athan and even worse there were three Tornado's lined up on the runway. He banked right and then followed directions given by Cardiff ATC. Robert also asked if the offer of runway lighting was still open. The reply came in the most spectacular way as the whole sky lit up. Robert carried out a good landing and had almost stopped by the time he got to the end of the runway numbers, the only problem being the ten minute taxi down the vast runway. He was glad to get out of the cockpit and have a cup of coffee in the restaurant upstairs which was full of people waiting to jet off on holiday. The journey back was straightforward as he was given permission to follow the coast all the way back to Swansea. Two days later and Robert completed the same cross country with no problems at all.

Conclusion

A few old pilot sayings made sense after that day, sayings such as " IT'S BETTER TO BE ON THE GROUND WISHING YOU WERE IN THE AIR THAN IN THE AIR WISHING YOU WERE ON THE GROUND ". In hindsight it just wasn't worth it, he had to do the cross country again anyway and it wasn't worth all the anxiety. Robert also realised how different things looked from the air so knowing the area made very little difference, and highlighted the importance of good detailed flight planning.