Cessna Website Page 4.

Last updated on 13 Sept 2009

For a reasonably last minute flyin, we have had another fabulous weekend. All thanks must go to

Brian Hill, for coming forward and organizing this get together. Also Brian’s wife for the nice cold

beers on completion of our flying day.

As I promoted the idea of only going for the day if one was busy, and as I was busy, I decided to do

just that. I woke at 5.30am at Swannanoa, to open the curtains to see “pea soup fog”. I couldn’t

believe it, 1st time we have had fog this year and once one makes a decision to go, one gets very

disappointed. I thought that this would take hours to go, but after some fast drives up and down Tram

Rd to try and blow it away, it finally cleared enough by 8.30 to get airborne. We were going to be late,

but we would get there. In typical fashion, the fog only went about 2 clicks past my strip and then

clear blue skies all the way. We shot up through the Clarence Valley, (sorry Colin, but it was time you

were up), picked up fuel at Omaka and then finally managed to find this Kopane place in the middle

of a very busy transit lane just below Palmerston North. All good practice with the radio, maps and

controlled airspace. Anyhow, as I said, I knew I was late; everyone had left, so it was unload and get

going. Now as any south island pilot knows, once north of Palmy, the country looks the same, all

green rugged looking hills and valleys. After some radio calling, (had to find the right channel), I

finally made contact. I was given coordinates, (how does one load those again when you’re thumping

around valleys?