Saturday 30 May 2015

Bounce bounce back to Stoke

Back over the UK the thermals were kicking in and my little Microlight was making slower and bouncier progress across Kent to my intended arrival in Stoke on the Isle of Grain.

Fortunately the GPS kept on working and Stoke eventually appeared in sight. 

Stoke is not the easiest strip to get into, there are marshes to one side, a big high tension electricity pylons and railway line to the other, and the runway curves as well!

With turbulent air that was blowing at a slight diagonal across the runway it took me two attempts and a go around after the first before I landed, nearly 3 hours after I'd left France.

On arrival I found that search and rescue were concerned that I had disappeared from radio contact over the channel and that they'd phoned Stoke to say that they had lost me enroute. I'd had 3 missed calls on my mobile from Lille Air Traffic Control and soon after I'd landed they called me again.

I reassured both Lille and the UK search and rescue centre that I was safe and well but the radio had stopped working, and then I was delayed getting to Stoke by the headwind.

Good to know that they were looking out for me though.

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