Second posting on Thursday, photos...

Lancaster, the large model in the hanger in several bits and there is a small bird nesting inside the wing! I am sure this model plane has got an interesting  story to tell!

More bits...

Another angle...

From the front...

G-AVTC, needs bit of work done...

Has got blanket over the engine.

On Thursday, 30th of May

Today I did not fly, as we stopped flying about 1pm, the rain was supposed to be heading our way, so we did the trial flights which had been booked for the day, rest have been cancelled for the afternoon. In the end, I did not fly, weather was not that exiting anyway. Instead I was asked to go and help at the aero tow site, Hooky was the tug pilot and there were 2 instructors flying K13 gliders. On the first aero tow Hooky lost the ring and bit of the rope! No spare on were on the launch point, but we got the replacement very quickly. And I felt stupid after I rolled the rope around my arm and somebody who knew better said that I need to be teached how to knit the rope into a nice short pigtail. And I know how to do it and I have been knitting tow ropes for ages!

Hooky was towing, because the weekday tuggy went to the Buckingham Palace for a reception in the afternoon! The reception was for the Air League and the girls from the office were invited. I don't know what the girls have done for the Air League. So the girls were able to take their partners/husbands with them, so that's why the tuggy got lucky and was taken to the Palace reception. I saw his girl friend dressed for the occasion, golden color long dress, looked amazing. I am sure we will be told if HRH Prince Philip had insulted any of them... he has got the reputation!

WS

To solo or not to solo.
William Shakespeare 1645

On Wednesday photos...

Painting in the bar and the helmet.

St George's mushrooms from the airfield, I picked those yesterday. I didn't eat  those,  even that they are  edible and delicacy.

The man walking today to the tractor, he is the one who cuts the grass at Bicester.

This is the K13 glider I can fly with just one weight.

Notice on a bus window.

The briefing board has been used to teaching thermalling.

The K13 I fly.

Same afsbefore. 

On Wednesday 30th of May

This morning when I was walking the K13 wing to the launch point, we went over the cut grass. I am a country girl. The smell of fresh cut grass reminded me of the child hood when we were making hay in the family farm. We children collected baby mouse from their nests and fed them for the cat.

I started flying first thing when we got to the launch point. One of the instructors asked me what sort of gliders I have flown before, he wanted me to got for the K8. But the field manager thought that I´d better do like anybody else and have check flights in the morning and then fly on my own in in K13. That´s fine, I said. So I climbed into CCZ, that is the one which have got the lowest minimum cockpit load. First we did a circuit and next one a low cable failure. I lowered the nose and waited the speed to build up and at 200ft turned hard left in a steep turn and had 60 knots all the way when turning and landed across the field.

Then I went on my own, I got instruction to do 2 circuits and landed like the instructors do, alongside the bus. I was told to go again, I asked if I could stay up. I was told that when they need the glider they will radio to me. I went to 3700ft few times and then heard my call sign being called. So I needed to kill all that height and land, there were several gliders on the hanger side of the bus, so I called on a radio and said that I will be landing on the quarry side of the bus and landed again just like the instructors do. My soaring flight had lasted 1hr and 9 minutes.

In the afternoon I went to put more money on my flying account, I added £300 last week, and that has nearly gone. Yesterday I flew 10 flights and today 5.

Now I feel very good at flying and no wonder, I have flown a lot and regularly, over 50 launches now. Today I was training to stay up and find thermals and get into the core. I will need that skill later on when I go for my 50km Silver cross country.

At 2.30pm it started raining, we had already brought all the gliders to the hanger. It was raining a lot for a while. Late afternoon I walked to the town to get food and money.

On Wednesday 30th of May

Solo yesterday, more tomorrow... had just breakfast, will go to the hanger... K13 CCZ it the glider for me. It has the lowest minimum weight limit.

On Tuesday, 29th of May

To solo or not to solo, as William Shakespeare said long time ago...

Today I went to the hanger early and helped to get some gliders out and to the launch point. Mike was in charge, he is very helpful. So he arranged me an instructor for the day, the poor man had just come to the airfield, it was his day off from the work! So, in the end, we flew the whole day. First we did over an hours soaring flight, then 7 cable failures and he wanted to send me solo!!! Well, then we started going through the weight issue, I am too light to fly solo without any weights. The weights are 26lb, which was just not enough, so tried 2 weights top of each other, but then I was too high up, and then tried without the cushion, but that was so hard!!! So, then the instructor went through all the K13 gliders and the one which had the lightest minimum weight requirement was ok with just one weight, but then the weather changed, it was a tail wind, so we waited and waited. So, in the end the wind changed and I was sent on my way!!! I did just 2 circuit flights, it was 5.30pm when I landed the second time. The first landing I landed and stopped on the side of the bus, so I did not need to get out for the second launch. The winch launches and flights were fine. I am looking forward tomorrow to do some more and starting to learn soaring and staying up. This summer I want to finish my Silver C, I need 50km cross country flight for that.

So it has been a good day!!!

On Monday, 28th of May

In the end, I did not fly today. I was on the launch point since 11am, but it took until 2pm the thermals to appear and then there were not a suitable instructor nor glider at the same time on the ground. I will make sure I will fly tomorrow. I want to spin...

Anyway, I had a pleasant day, so did everybody else. It was so pleasant to sit on the launch point and let the world go by.

View from the bus at the launch point today.

At the launch point bus, the cafe.

Biscuits.

The bus from the cafe end.

K13 and launch cables at the launch point.

Gliders and cars parked.

I did my washing today and this is my washing line back of the caravan. 

second posting on Monday

The Bicester tower as it is today, there is a toilet blog in front of it. On the right you can see a pill box which was build to guard the airfield against paratroopers or military gliders full of soldiers.

The pill box, doorway in the middle.

Inside how it is today full of rubbish. Perhaps that's something for me to clear one day, to leave my mark on the airfield!

The steps into the pill box.

BC means Bicester, that is near the tower. When you fly over the airfield and see  this you know where you are!!! I think it would a good idea for people all over the country to paint with huge letters the name of the village or town they live on their roof! Lost pilots would get back to to map... mind you I don`t mean me getting back to the map... 

On Monday, 28th of May

Sun shining, warm, lets see what the day brings... will be reporting in the evening the latest! You too, have a good day!

Last posting on Sunday 27th of May

The weather forecast promised a blue day, meaning blue sky without any of those magic white fluffy clouds marking the thermals, but the day turned out those fluffy white clouds between 1pm - 4pm. Then the sky become total blue again. I had a flight with an instructor and we did just one flight, well over an hour, climbed to over 4000 feet (over a kilometer) and did all sorts of spinning which turned into spiral dives... survived those!

In the morning I wrote. You see, I have a dream, just like Martin Luther King many decades ago. My dream is different to his, my dream is to write a book and get it published one way or another. And guess what, I am writing it in English. Of course I must get it polished off, but the idea is that the book is written by non-british person who never got to master the English language, that is the whole idea.

I had a good day. Early evening I made a chicken soup to last for 2-4 days to come. Lovely home made food, with good fresh English produced ingredients. My last weeks food was lamb stew and other things in between.

Photos, second posting on Sunday

A nice oblique view of Bicester in 1935, with just two aircraft , probably Horsleys, parked in front of the hanger on the right. The railway spur line is evident on the left of the picture, while the main road runs from one side to the other.

The Finns came to fly the Blenheims home in 1940. Read more about it,  the Finnish story starts in the middle on the left column, page 10.

... and continues there. The booklet is Airfield Focus, 38: Bicester by Peter Davis.

The back cover, Bicester at 1945. The airfield used to be much bigger than it is today. 

Saturday morning 27th of May

The sun is shining, blue thermals again, hot day ahead, windy....

One of the models on Thursday evening at the airfield. There are often these models flying in the evening on the other side of the field.

Bicester airfield runways and the picture taker in the back ground.

The Finnish Airforce pilots came to Bicester to fly the Blenheims home  1940.  Finland bought  at least 18 Blenheims from Uk. So I am not the first Finn here, nor the last, I am sure.

Another photo of the Blenheims. These photos are from the Bicester airfield history book.

On Saturday evening, 26th of May, the Pudding Club evening...

The old man cycled to the airfield using this motorbike.

Never came around to take photos of the puddings until there were hardly any left!!! There were amazing  puddings and lots of them, too!!!

Another table were hot puddings, this is what was left!

The seventh helping...

Has been a good day, not a soaring weather but lots of winching and aerotowing, I think 80 launches. The wind was very strong and gusting. Amazing, the gusting strong wind does not affect our flying. The airfield is sort of round so we can always take off into the wind. I did 2 cable failures and after the second the Chairman said that I don´t need to do more. So, I need to do some spinning and then...

In the evening we had the Pudding Night, first light BBQ and then lots of absolutely delicious puddings to sample. At the Pudding Club you can only take one pudding at the time, but you can join the queue as many times as you like to get the second, third, fourth, fifth... pudding. I had 4, but only asked a very small helping each time!

I am tired! I woke up early and have been at the launch point the whole day and we finished about 6pm.

Photos...

This is the beginning of the Millioner's Row, I am on the other end which is more like  the  Skid Row.

Some photos on Friday

Yesterday evening the model makers came to fly their toys.

Another toy.

Today the old man cycled to the launch point with this bicycle .

On old photo of Bicester, the hanger on the right being build is the hanger we are using it ! The plane is a Blenheim. The tool the soldier is sitting is still here! The photo may have been taken before the war.

On Friday 25th of May

Has been hot, sunny and very windy! We did about 60 launches today. I did 3. I flew with the CFI, thermals were rubbish, so we did launch failures, one was landing ahead and second I could do a circuit, third one was marginal, whether to land ahead or do a circuit, so we turned to the right and landed halfway across the field in a strong cross wind. It was a good learning day, wind was really strong, the wind sock was flying horizontally.

Then I walked to the town to get money and food. We have a pudding night tomorrow evening, which is a small starter and several pudding to taste.

The caravan is starting to feel like a home!!! I have been clearing there so I have more space. I still have the suitcases on a sitting area on a seats. The caravan has dried now quite nicely, so feels better. Past 2 nights I have not even had hot water bottles to go to bed with as all the other nights! I may not even return to the bunk house on Monday, lets see. Of course it is nice to go there after watching telly until 11pm or 11.30pm, rather than walking down the Millioners Row until the end which is more like a Skid Row.

The Bunk rooms are in the same building with the bar!

I am hoping to go solo this weekend. I'd better get up early tomorrow morning, so I will get my name on top of the flying list.

Flying naked...

Things we do here at Bicester:


I got more information about the last naked flight, so here it is.


I took pictures of the last girl to fly naked, about 15 years ago. She raised over £100 in under an hour when someone suggested it and all the male pilots threw some money in to a bucket to sponsor her. She flew a Primary glider - use google to see what that is, but sadly she had an all female launch crew and retrieve crew.

On Thursday, 24th of May

Hello, I just flew a fuse when I started charging the computer...

I didn´t fly today. The CFI came here this afternoon to fly with me, but the weather was not good enough. We would have needed thermals to get to 3000 ft or higher and it was murky and bad visibility, so we decided to leave it for tomorrow. We would do spins and wing drops and I will be ready to solo, said CFI. The Chairman came here this afternoon to do a motor glider trial flight and asked how did I got on today, I suppose he thought I had gone solo today.

Last week at the launch point I was talking to this about 32 old young man, who had gone around the World with his girlfriend for 18 months. He told me about their culture shock, they were using youth hostels etc which the young gap year students use. After a month they got used to the new life style. After coming back it was the culture shock again. They were watching their parents wasting money like no tomorrow! "Not buying things like that" he confirmed. They have new values, having fancy car is out of the question, just a car would do, he said. Of course in the future their attitude may change. I think I am in a same position. After living a month in a grotty caravan I have also started thinking.... Looking back into history it is not that long when homeless people would live happily in a sauna in Finland! Having a roof over one´s head has always been important in the North. Other thing is the wood burning stove, must keep the home warm.

Dr John confirmed that the Bicester locals have been know to fly naked. About 15 yrs ago a lady flew a glider with nothing on. It started in a bar and the lads collected there and then 100 pounds for the charity and she did the gig with a lady crew. No photos of course. Should I do my Silver C distance dressed as Eve?

photos of my World today on Thursday...

On old man comes to the airfield most days in different bikes. 

This one does not need a caption!

This is one of my shower rooms. It is on the left side of the main hanger seen from the main road.

The shower room!

Map of Bicester.

Battery room which is between the hanger and the the shower room.

13 landed at Bicester today and is still here.

The tower, there is a tumble drier there, the washing machine is in a bar.

This building is next to the tower.

Inside the building.

Bicester, this looks very clearly from the air.