Headcorn to Shoreham VFR in the PA28

It was coming up to a year since I last went flying with my friend Stuart. I was still based at Biggin Hill then and we took a short flight around the East Sussex coast. We had decided that it had been far too long so booked in a flight on Sunday 30th September.

As it was an early start we decided to land away somewhere where we could get a nice cooked breakfast before returning back to Headcorn. I also wanted to visit an airfield that I have not been to before which is when we decided upon Shoreham.

The flight from Headcorn to Shoreham is only around 25 minutes but unfortunately the paperwork, pre-flight checks and joining a queue to refuel the PA28 (G-SEXX) delayed our departure slightly.

Just be coincidence while we were doing our engine run up checks, I noticed that the PA28 that we flew in on our last flight together (G-BUJO) had just touched down at Headcorn visiting from Biggin Hill.

Eventually we managed to get airborne departing from runway 28 which put us on a perfect track towards the west heading towards Brighton and Shoreham. It was actually the first time Stuart had taken off from grass, I think the bumpy surface caught him by slightly by surprise.

On leaving the Headcorn ATZ we made contact with Farnborough LARS East on the radio for a Basic Service and made a slight left turn on approaching Bewl Water that allowed up to climb to a cruising altitude of 4,000 feet and remaining clear of the London TMA above which starts at 5,500 feet.

Before we knew, it was time for us to change frequency to Shoreham. Usually Shoreham offer a full ATC service, but on the day of our flight this had been downgraded to an Air/Ground service only. Apart from a couple of other aircraft in the vicinity the approach was pretty quiet.

About 9 miles east of the airfield we started our descent to circuit height of 1,100 feet aal and positioned for a left hand downwind join for runway 02. As we joined, the circuit was actually clear of any other aircraft.
Some men also believe that doing sex while drunk would be beneficial in this viagra pills in canada regard. During this medication any type of heavy or brand cialis no prescription cholesterol food should not be taken. It is an analogous of its original cialis online prices yet it is cheaper. But this medicine is seldom consumed in its proper context and in its honest context. viagra prescription

The approach to runway 02 probably the most scenic way to arrive at Shoreham as the circuit takes you out to sea with the final approach passing back over the coast.

We touched down on runway 02 and taxied to the parking stand right infant of the ATC tower. We shut down the aircraft and made our way to the briefing room to pay the landing fee. With that done we headed towards to restaurant for our ‘well deserved’ breakfast. This is when things started to go a bit pear shaped.

As we arrived in the restaurant, it was incredibly busy with a long queue to order food. By the time we reached the front of the queue we were told that they had just stopped serving breakfasts and they weren’t ready for lunch service yet. Stuart and I were like 2 sulking kids! So we had to make do with a piece of cake and a soft drink.

After finishing our snack, I was on the way to the toilet when I spotted a flight arrivals screen which had our aircraft details on it. In the 5 years I’ve had my PPL, I’ve never come across this before and it was a bit of a novelty.

So after changing batteries in the GoPro’s it was time for us to make the trip back to Headcorn. For our return flight I thought I would plan a slightly different and more scenic route back home…

View the video on my YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZHs0yRPqok