Our first priority after returning from maintenance was to explore the stalling characteristics. Andrew is a recent PPL ie. no spinning type PPL so I could sense a bit of unease as he is P1 letting his passenger try to induce, with increasing enthusiasm, the severe wing drop that had been reported by the ARC test flight. We concluded that some aerobatic training was the order of the day, Cambridge have an Extra 200 which seems ideal, will report on how this goes later.
Tail Wheel
After our trip to Little Snoring it was pointed out by the engineers that the tail looked a lot closer to the ground than maybe it should, I had to agree. Investigation revealed that the tail wheel assembly was on back to front ie.the swing arms were wrong and so the body was the wrong way round. I have fitted a replacement assembly which I sourced and have had the original powder coated ready for rebuilding and refitting by our L.A.E. Will post pics when complete.
First Solo
I came across this rather nice picture of G-ATUB which I flew for my first solo flight in July 1977 at Wycombe Air Park. Gordon Parkin was my instructor, ex Hurricane pilot, very patient and very modest. Later on I flew with Joan Hughes on an instructor course, what a lucky boy I was to fly with these legends. I see G-ATUB has lasted rather well and is still flying, not too sure where she is based.
Duxford Again
A return trip to Duxford in February. Three of us this time and we have a great time. It’s half term so a little busier. Complaints that it is a little cold in the back of the Bolkow for our passenger, the warm air control having little effect and the fresh air control doing nothing. I am sure they are connected but will check.
Sherburn in Elmett
The second of January and we are off to Yorkshire. Landed at Sherburn for a nice lunch and fuel, then a lowish level sightseeing trip over the dales. We take in a few of the villages where I have relatives, Arncliffe is one and then a wave from my dad as we fly over Gargrave. After our fun over the dales it is time to climb to FL75 for our return to Norfolk, the Bolkow heater doing a very poor job of keeping us warm.
Henstridge
A bit of post christmas hour building with a flight on the 27th December to Henstridge. They had a discount on their fuel price for the holiday and free landings with a fuel uplift. A long way to go for a mince pie but we were made very welcome, it was a lovely clear day and we will return some day.
Old Buckenham
A trip to Old Buckenham to see Tony Walters about some work on the transponder. There is a bit of a story to tell about the KT76 with a KT76A faceplate but for now suffice to say it seems to be responding with a low power output. Tony is very pleasant but I sense not too keen to get involved with replacing the transponder as he knows the work invoved. I too, now know that the KT76A requires a different tray and a different plug with everso slightly different pins to those on the Bendix King KT76.
Duxford
11th December 2016 and a trip to Duxford. This photo (© AJC Duxman) was taken on this visit. Duxford is the ideal winter destination. Open every day with a tarmac runway & maneuvering areas, they charged £14.50 for the Bolkow 207. As this includes a couple of hours to explore all the exhibits, restaurants and facilities I would say it is a bit of a bargain.
Rudder Control Rod
At the last annual we mistakenly thought the metal tube fiberglassed over the rudder control rod was covering up some hidden damage. It was only after removing the tube we discovered it was in fact an approved modification. Oops!! To cut a very long story short we were unable to source replacement tubing to Airbus specification and a new rod had to be fabricated. Not all Bölkow 207’s have this modification, I think later parts didn’t need strengthening.
Farley Farm
Mike Smart had issued the last ARC and was happy to undertake the Annual and ARC Renewal. We flew G-EJBI to Farley Farm, Hampshire, what a hidden gem of a place. Mike & Nick are very Bölkow familiar and extremely helpful, G-EJBI did run into some maintenance issues which I will detail later. We left the plane and took a hire car back to Norfolk expecting to return in a couple of weeks. It didn’t quite work out that way!