Flying Adventure
BELGIUM OR BUST…
In a bid to recapture the thrill of flying for one pilot who had lost his ‘mojo’, Martin Ferid sets off with him to Kortrijk, Belgium…
R
eading the Hilaire Belloc quote ‘I have wandered all my life, and I have also travelled; the difference between the two being this, that we wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfilment’ – I’m not exactly sure if either of the depictions are apt for our little jaunts, or if indeed they fit into any particular category. A ‘wander’ suggests something without a predetermined destination and ‘travel’ intimates a much longer journey. It may be facultative, but I consider them ‘jaunts’, conjuring up images of a short visitation with an indulgence of some kind. Assuming the aeroplane is running well, runways are drying out and with the prospect of better weather ahead, it’s time to start spreading our wings and take our little machines into their natural environment. The likelihood is that during the brumal conditions of the last few months, bits and pieces will have been taken off the aircraft, inspected, and repaired or replaced in preparation for the coming season. On occasions, it will have been possible for a local flight here or a lunch stop there, but to go international for a few days with a reasonable expectation of getting back is a touch optimistic for the basic VFR pilot. People rave about the splendours of winter flying and how some of the best days are found when the axis of the Earth is oriented away from the sun. With, short days, low sun and soggy underfoot, unless it’s from a tarmac runway, give me mid-summer, a period of high
Main One of those perfect days when the Channel visibility is simply superb. Here we are approaching the French coast near Cap Gris Nez.
pressure and a destination 400nm or 500nm away every time. A friend was telling me about a recent trip to Spain, IMC nearly all the way down and most of the way back. How exciting? If you haven’t flown in IMC for any length of time, it’s extremely tiring and well… very grey! And, of course, all the things we usually delight in looking at can’t be seen, and you are totally reliant on the instruments for navigation. Each to his own I suppose. My first introduction to Kortrijk, Belgium – or to the airport at least – was fraught, dodging thunderstorms en route to the vintage fly-in at Schaffen-Diest, sneaking in as best I could. Compared to today it was not an easy time, navigation was without GPS, weather forecasts were a form of educated guesswork, and added to the mix was a nervous, low-hours pilot filled with a desire. As time went by, GPS came along, the internet revolutionised weather access and the pilot gradually gained that hard-earned experience. And what of the desire? Well, that was further enhanced by every trip. In fact, it grew at a rate that could easily compete with that of the fastest-growing 45 genera bamboo. Originally known as the airfield of Bissegem, Kortrijk airport was created by the Germans in 1916, with Jasta 6 moving in under the command of Staffelführer Oberleutnant Eduard Dostler a year later. By 1918 it had been taken over by the RFC, flying an array of aircraft from DH.9s, F.K.8s, RE.8s, Sopwith Camels and Snipes to S.E.5.As.
20 | LIGHT AVIATION | April 2020
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