Family matters…

Neville Parton and his daughter Hannah take on a Pooleys Dawn to Dusk challenge remembering four generations of service with the RAF, and raise money for the RAF Benevolent Fund in the process…

Ifirst came across the Dawn to Dusk competition in 1979 while learning to fly at Marshalls of Cambridge, on an RAF Flying Scholarship, but it was only after having purchased a share in a local Binder Smaragd group in 2019 that I seriously thought about entering. While discussing family history with my father, I suddenly realised that in our family we had four successive generations that had served in the RAF – for greater or lesser periods – from WWII onwards. The idea of trying to find all the units that the family had served at over this period and flying over as many of them as possible in a single day, became the genesis of the ‘Grand Parton Flying Tour’.

As I thought about it a little more, I realised that the long day’s flying would be safer and more fun with a co-pilot, and the obvious choice was my airline-pilot daughter, Hannah, who began her flying with the RAF University Air Squadron. So we started planning in early 2020.

Preparation

The first step was to identify all the units where the family had served – the family members being William Parton (my grandfather), Gerald Parton (my father), myself and my brother Brian, and Hannah. With a complete list, we left out overseas units, which left us 30 units on the mainland UK for consideration. After checking which ones were still in existence (or at least recognisable), and which ones we might overfly safely, we ended up with 28. In a rough route, this covered approximately 800 nm, with the extremities being Boscombe Down in the South, Coltishall in the East, Leeming in the North, and Brawdy in the West.

Given the Smaragd cruise speed we were going to be using (80kt), this gave a rough figure of 10 hours flying.

Initially the plan was to fly this in a clockwise manner, starting by flying out to Brawdy and then up to Cosford.

However, we soon realised that if we were delayed for any reason and had to lose part, or all the last leg, this would result in the loss of a significant number of units from our list.

On the other hand, if we did the route anti-clockwise, heading down to Boscombe Down first, we got much of the trickier airspace out the way early – and if we had to lose the last leg would only lose one unit.

We now had to think about breaking it down into manageable-sized elements. While the Smaragd is a very enjoyable aircraft to fly, its small cockpit, slow cruise speed and restricted endurance (approximately 3hr 20min with a 30-minute reserve) meant that we would clearly need a number of refuelling stops – for both aircraft and crew. As the challenge was being undertaken in co-operation with RAF Sport Aircraft (RAFSA), we were keen to try and link in with their flying clubs – ideally on units that we needed to overfly as part of the challenge anyway. Discussions with RAFSA suggested RAF Brize Norton, RAF Wyton, RAF Waddington and RAF Cosford might be able to help us.

Although most of the preparation was complete by April/May 2020, Covid-19 limitations placed on the use of RAF airfields by light aircraft, and indeed limitations placed on the operations of the RAFSA Flying Clubs, meant that it soon became obvious that completion in 2020 was unlikely. At the same time Gerald became seriously ill during the summer and subsequently died, so a decision was made to slip the attempt to 2021.

Permissions

We wrote to all the station commanders (or equivalents) where a MATZ/ATZ was in place, asking for their support in the endeavour, and with positive responses from all of them, produced a distribution list with nominated points of contact whom we would inform of a likely ‘go’ date with 24-48 hours notice.

When discussing the original idea with Gerald, we had agreed that it would be good to use it as a vehicle for raising money for the RAF Benevolent Fund – the RAF’s leading welfare charity. His father, William, had been a recipient of assistance from the Fund when he had lost his legs due to undiagnosed diabetes later in life, and Gerald always enjoyed reading about the ways that the Benevolent Fund was still helping the RAF Family. This obviously took on additional poignancy after Gerald’s death from Covid-19, and we were determined to make as much of the opportunity as we could to generate money for the Fund.

Hannah set up a JustGiving page, which proved to be an excellent tool for our fund-raising. Amelia Lupson, from the Benevolent Fund, helped us enormously with the preparation of a press release, which resulted in a number of articles in local papers, plus radio and TV interviews, all helping to raise the profile of the Fund and the excellent work it does.

We arrived in early May 2021 at a point where every part of the preparation had been finished – with one exception. While we were keen to land at Wyton and refuel from the Pathfinder Flying Club, unfortunately they had not been approved to re-start operations when we were ready to go. Time constraints meant that Cambridge City Airport and IWM Duxford could not be used due to their opening times. After looking at a range of other options, Old Buckenham was chosen as the most suitable option as it opened at 0800 and was neatly on the route from Cambridge to Coltishall. PPR was obtained and all seemed well.

The first week of June looked like it might provide the weather window we were looking for, so we sent out our 48hr notice email on Friday 28 May to all units stating that Tuesday 1 June looked extremely likely to be the day. At this point, Old Buckenham said that it would be unable to provide fuel on the day owing to staffing problems, and Brize Norton Flying Club was forecasting being out of fuel owing to supply issues!

Luckily, calls to Norwich Airport’s handling agent, Saxonair, confirmed that it would be open and could provide avgas, so that just left Brize Norton to resolve. Thanks to the support of the Flying Club, mogas was able to be pre-positioned there that could be used to self-refuel on the day, meaning we could keep to our planned times.

Monday 31 May was a day of final preparation. We reviewed the kit list and made sure everything was ready and in good order, and also had a final consultation with the Met Office forecaster at Brize. It confirmed that the weather looked highly suitable for the following day, forecast to be slightly hazy first thing, with an easterly flow and a 2,000ft wind of 15-20kt, but generally clear around all the route all day with any cloud-base well above our minima. We therefore made the decision to go, and sent the final set of emails/messages to let everyone know that we would be setting off the following morning.

Leg one: Garston Farm to Brize Norton

We were both up early to meet at the farm strip at 0500, and it didn’t take long to get the aircraft out, carry out the pre-flight checks and load up. Hannah had a telephone interview with Radio Bristol at 0530, following which we carried out the first of the pre-flight briefings – finishing by calling the AIS hotline (a pattern that we followed throughout the day). Engine start was at 0547, and we took off at 0555 and set a course for RAF Yatesbury, our first target.

Despite having recce’d the location on a previous flight, the low sun made identification difficult as we approached, and a couple of 360º turns were needed to locate it and photograph the very small number of original buildings that remain. We then headed to Boscombe Down. As expected, none of the normal agencies were operating so our blind calls received no response. With Boscombe identified and photographed, we then turned onto a direct course for the Defence Academy at Shrivenham, calling Brize Radar for a LARS Basic Service and once clear of Salisbury Plain.

Shrivenham was easy to find, and the photos were taken. Hannah and I shared the photographic duties between us, with the main factor being which side of the aircraft was best from which to take the picture. This was particularly useful in the morning when it was still quite hazy, and positioning up-sun to get a clear photograph, which was quite important! After Shrivenham we had a rapid zone transit to photograph Little Rissington, and re-entered the Zone via the Burford VRP and landed at Brize at 0705. We were met by a small group at the Brize Norton Flying Club Hangar who, despite the early hour, had turned out to help us with our re-fuelling. Their enthusiastic support meant that we were able to complete our fill-up in a matter of minutes, well ahead of the time we had allowed.

Leg two: RAF Brize Norton to Norwich

Following take-off, we were able to take a direct track to

Above A&AEE (now QinetiQ) Boscombe Down.

Below RAF Halton (airfield bottom right).

Abingdon, for what was the busiest of all the legs in terms of numbers of points to be photographed. Shortly after take-off we realised that the GoPro camera had stopped working. Although we had taken a charger and spare batteries, it appeared to be an issue caused by overheating, so we reverted to using our mobile phones for video. Abingdon was easily identified, and we then set course for RAF High Wycombe, crossing Benson’s MATZ and Chalgrove’s ATZ, still under a radar service from Brize. Although High Wycombe can be hard to see at times, visual cues identified from some previous helicopter flights which I had taken into the site helped us find it, before setting off for RAF Halton.

We called Halton’s frequency as we approached, and had an excellent view of the airfield itself and Halton House. The next location to be photographed was Cardington, after a dog-leg transit to keep us clear of Luton’s airspace, which we had been listening in on (with the monitoring squawk selected) ever since crossing the M40. The two airship hangars were instantly recognisable from a significant distance, and it was sobering to consider that they had been in place well before William arrived in 1940 to begin his RAF career.

The next location, RAF Chicksands, was definitely not so easy to identify and marked the beginning of a busy few minutes. Eventually we spotted the remains of the American ‘Elephant Cage’ HF direction finding wireless array, took our photos and headed for Henlow, which was already visible.

The grass airfield looked in good shape from the air, although we understood that all flying had ceased some time before. Another photo, then a turn north towards Tempsford.

Not a lot remains at Tempsford apart from the runways, so having seen those we then turned east towards our bonus unit for the day – Duxford. While none of the family had served at Duxford, Gerald had been a long-term volunteer with the Duxford Aviation Society, so it seemed appropriate. We called Duxford Radio and enjoyed a brief chat with them as we explained what we were doing and why, and they wished us luck for the rest of the day.

Cambridge was already in sight as we were overhead Duxford, but not yet active, so making sensible blind calls we took our pictures and headed for the next turning point. Passing north of St Ives, RAF Wyton was a welcome sight, although we both agreed it would have been even better if we had been able to land there. Hopefully an opportunity for the future! Pictures and video duly taken, we turned north-east for a long stretch up to Norwich.

On the leg from RAF Wyton to Norwich we enjoyed the sight of a four-ship of F-15 Eagles on a reciprocal heading but 500ft higher. I had learned to fly in East Anglia in the late-1970s when, while flying in light aircraft, the sight of military aircraft was quite common; whereas Hannah had never before been quite that close to fighters while airborne! It was clear that Norwich was extremely busy, so we ended up with a five-minute hold over the Norfolk Showground until we were cleared to land.

The facilities provided by Saxonair were great, and the nice cool room with refreshments was very welcome.

However, coordination with the fuel provider proved problematic. Hearing it was inbound, we went out to the aircraft only to see the bowser disappearing to the other end of the airfield. A series of phone calls ensued and eventually it returned. Refuelling wasn’t completed until 1057 – so nearly 45 minutes after shutting down.

Leg three: Norwich to RAF Waddington

After holds for both engine start and taxi clearance, we were off, only to have one final hold at the runway as a Medevac helicopter departed. Getting airborne at 1128, effectively 50 minutes behind schedule, we were cleared direct for RAF Coltishall. Coltishall was easily identified, not just because of the single massive runway, but also because the grass areas around were entirely covered with solar panels, a feature noted on many of the disused airfields. We then headed off towards RAF Langham, taking in the views of the north Norfolk coastline. With Langham photographed, a gentle turn to the south-west set us on our next course and we contacted Marham Zone for a Basic Service. What we first thought was Marham through a still somewhat hazy sky, turned out to be Sculthorpe, and we eventually arrived at Marham version 2.0 a little later. They were on stand-down, so we were free to choose our own routing through the ATZ. The new buildings and infrastructure for the F35s were obvious, although the most striking feature from the air was the station football pitch which was coloured in RAF blue with a large RAF roundel in the centre!

Still under a LARS from Marham, we then set off for RAF College, Cranwell, which had active aircraft, some on calibration duties and others undertaking a display work-up, which meant a little more coordination was required. We agreed a routing on the south-side of the airfield, with a good view of both the airfield and College Hall, and then set off for RAF Newton, former home of the RAF police dog trials! No sign of the trials was evident on the former grass airfield as we approached, took a picture, and then turned towards RAF Syerston which was already clearly visible.

Top left RAF Cardington – the Airship Hangars are still visible for miles.

Top right RAF Chicksands and the ‘Elephant Cage’ remains.

Above left RAF Henlow.

Above right RAF Wyton.

Syerston Radio was manned, although there was no flying in progress. The care home which Gerald had last lived at was just across the River Trent, and he had often seen the gliders in the circuit. Originally, we had planned to circle overhead, as he would have been in the garden to see us. As it was, we dipped our wing in salute and then headed north-east to RAF Swinderby, contacting Waddington Zone for a Basic Service and entry into the MATZ prior to landing. Swinderby quickly came into view, pictures taken, and we then asked for joining instructions for Waddington. After some slight confusion regarding what they meant by joining at ‘initials’, we joined the circuit crosswind, slotted in between two Phenom jets, which had a very different speed profile from ours! However, ATC’s timing was immaculate, and we had landed and vacated well before the next Phenom called finals.

As we taxied in, it was clear that we were now significantly behind our planned schedule, being ‘on blocks’ at 1304 when we had hoped to be departing at that time following a 50-minute lunch break!

Leg four: RAF Waddington to RAF Cosford

Thanks to great support from the Waddington Flying School, we managed to regain some of our lost time. The take-off runs were definitely getting longer as the daytime temperature increased with our heavy fuel loads. As the Red Arrows were not operating, R313 was inactive, and we were able to get a clearance direct through Scampton’s ATZ for our next destination. Linton on Ouse was easy to identify, sadly due to large ‘X’ markings on the runway in case any casual visitors weren’t aware that it was closed! Our northward course was maintained and we made contact with Leeming Zone in good time. They had a Hawk getting airborne and asked us to hold briefly over Dishforth before clearing us into their ATZ.

Turning west, we climbed to 3,500ft for our transit across the Pennines. Visibility into sun was extremely poor horizontally, and we agreed that the non-handling pilot would concentrate on lookout and monitoring the PilotAware (PAW) warnings. Approximately half-way across, Leeming asked us to transfer to Warton Radar, so having thanked it for its service we changed frequency and began making calls.

While we were not surprised that there was no response initially, as we got closer we could hear other aircraft calling – and getting silence in response. We were slightly concerned, as we needed to penetrate the Warton MATZ for our flight. Neither Notams nor the AIS hotline had mentioned a problem, so we called London Information, which confirmed that in fact Warton Radar was not operating.

We decided to continue with the planned route, which had been discussed in detail with Warton ATC during the planning stages, and make blind positioning calls on the Warton Radar frequency.

Identifying the old RAF Kirkham site was straightforward, and we then called Liverpool Approach to ask for a zone transit, but with no response. After three attempts, we agreed that we would revert to plan B, and transit via the Low-Level Corridor (LLC).

The handling pilot concentrated on holding in a safe area, while the non-handling pilot contacted Manchester Approach to ensure that the correct QNH was set, and then reset the primary navigation device to reflect the amended routing.

Top left RAF Coltishall – solar panels a plenty!

Top centre RAF Langham – now owned by Bernard Matthews of 'bootiful turkeys' fame.

Top right RAF Marham.

Middle left RAFC Cranwell.

Middle centre RAF Swinderby.

Middle right RAF Scampton (note the extension of the runway across Ermine Street).

Bottom left RAF Linton on Ouse.

Bottom centre RAF Leeming.

Bottom right RAF Brawdy.

Unfortunately, this resulted in the primary device shutting down! However, the planning paid off and we reverted to the secondary device that had already been set up on the reversionary route, so we could navigate the LLC with confidence. The LLC transit itself was straightforward, although flying at an accurate altitude was demanding at times, given the late afternoon thermal activity that had built up.

The hold north of Warton, while we sorted out the re-routing, combined with the headwind from that point onwards, meant that we were going to be significantly later arriving at Cosford than planned, mindful of the hard airfield closure time of 1730. We were able to keep in touch by text while airborne, and therefore provided regular updates of our ETA. Following a LARS Traffic Service from Shawbury, it was a great relief to see the RAF Museum buildings coming into view. The approach was uneventful, but the landing with a 90º crosswind of 10kt-plus on the hard runway was challenging!

Whilst taxying in we saw the pre-war, low-profile hangars on the south side of the airfield with their grass roofs. Gerald had vivid memories of being made to run over the top of them as part of the physical exercise programme as a boy entrant in the 1950s!

Again, we had a welcoming committee from the Cosford Flying Club, which were extremely organised, and had us refuelled to full – 84 litres, within five minutes of engine stop. It had also made refreshments available including some very welcome cold drinks, so we took the opportunity to rehydrate as well as using the facilities.

Leg five: RAF Cosford to Garston Farm Pilots and aircraft refreshed, and the weather to the west showing improvement in terms of visibility, we were both content to fly the route as planned, and took off at 1726, just four minutes to spare before the airfield closed! The take-off was the hottest and heaviest of the day, the Smaragd laboured its way to our 4,000ft transit altitude for crossing Wales. A tailwind for the first part of the leg was a bonus, and the better visibility meant we were able to enjoy great views over the Welsh mountains and the coast.

Having checked in with London Information we were able to confirm that D202D around Aberporth was inactive, but that D118 and Pembrey ATZ were both active, meaning a small change to our routing.

Brawdy was easy to identify with the lowered sun glinting off the runways, and having taken our penultimate photos we turned course towards Bristol. This element of the leg was without doubt the longest and slowest of the day, as we had a significant headwind. We descended to our MSA and used more power for a slightly higher IAS, but only gained around five knots in ground speed. To help keep us focused, we handed control over at each 15-minute FREDA check point, also allowing a wriggle in the seat. So many hours sitting down was beginning to make its presence felt! Once past Swansea, we called Cardiff Radar to ensure we had an accurate QNH, as we would be transiting under their airspace, and took the offered opportunity of a Basic Service.

The very friendly controller was interested to hear more about our day’s adventure. We picked up the Bristol QNH from its ATIS as we crossed the Severn Estuary south of the bridges. With the listening squawk set and monitoring the associated frequency we gave the gas venting site at Avonmouth a wide berth before heading under the Bristol CTA towards the final target of DE&S Abbey Wood. A quick orbit for photos, then heading for home. Calling on the Colerne Approach frequency identified no other traffic in the vicinity, and an uneventful straight-in approach on the easterly runway brought our Dawn to Dusk adventure to an end. As we taxied in it barely seemed possible that we had achieved so much in the course of a single day.

Reflections

True to RAF traditions, we held a debrief over a celebratory meal of fish and chips washed down with prosecco! While obviously feeling euphoric at having completed the whole thing in good order, there were a few elements that we felt particularly pleased with.

Having two crew for the flight had proved to be an excellent decision, and there could also be no doubt that technology had been a huge asset. SkyDemon’s ability as a navigation aid was vital throughout. We also found the situational awareness provided by PilotAware’s enormously reassuring. We’d spent 10 hours 46 minutes in the air, covered 852 nm, and raised £2,051.

Although the day itself was clearly focused on the hard elements (carrying out the plan and coping with the unexpected) the soft elements did come through as we flew.

Stations that we had memories of, and those that Gerald had talked about, gave cause for reflection on not only the involvement of the family with the RAF over the last 81 years, but also the changes that the last year had brought to us personally.

It was sad that Gerald was unable to celebrate completion of this adventure which he had been so enthusiastic about, but we were so pleased to have completed it in his memory.

Per ardua ad astra, indeed… ■

Editors Note: Neville and Hannah came second in the 2021 Dawn to Dusk competition, winning the Coventry Trophy. They also won awards for the best video log and best family entry.

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