UPDATES CONTINUED

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Flying GCHOX

July/August 2008

After a short break while the passenger seat belt was being fixed (not sure how it broke) and an even longer break because the British summer delivered the usual package of rubbish weather we finally managed to clock up some hours. Goff was the first to go solo, then he spent several hours dual with Ian who could manage everything apart from the final 18 inches. He finally went solo on 15 July. Peter went solo on 26 July.

On 21 July Ian and Goff had a brilliant day flying to Bembridge on the Isle of Wight, then along the south coast, up to Rochester and back along the north of London to White Waltham. Here are some pictures:

Isle of Wight	Bembridge	Walking back along the cliffs

At Bembridge	Along the south coast	Fabulous visibility
Eastbourne Pier	Beachy Head	Chatham

Our 25 hour engine and propeller check came round very quickly and on 23 July Goff and Ian flew to Hinton in the Hedges to meet Conrad Beale of ConAir. He serviced the engine and propeller. They also do sky diving at Hinton. Here are some pictures:

Goff forgets a vital piece of equipment on his first sky dive.	Propeller motor	Conrad's brilliant mobile tool kit
Goff had some withdrawal symptoms after months of sanding the wings	Don't know how this plug got bent	They make oil filters out of old accordions
Search party going to look for Goff	Winding up the rubber band by hand	Loose connection spotted by Conrad

Peter's first solo flight on 26 July 2008:

Hot work when you are on your own	As a prize for going solo Peter gets the opportunity to count the dead flies on the wing. This is bliss for an accountant.

On 31 July we took GCHOX across the channel for the first time just to prove that she flies over water. Great visibility, and easy navigation with our GPS.

New life jackets	Testing the self timer on Goff's new camera	Smug look over the French coast
Half way across on the GPS	What Goff would look like after too much Vin Blanc	Video on his new camera