Jane Docherty & Simon Tonks first 'buddied up' in 2004, over the next 5 years they were to fly in excess of 35 trips - around 100 hours flying time in total. Their last flight was intended to be Abbeville but fate, or weather had the last word!
Here's Simon's account of their trips:
"We set off from Cambridge for Abbeville in France, a bit further South from Calais and Le Touquet. It was fine until we got to the Channel when an ominous looking layer of cloud became apparent on the French side, below our altitude of 2500'. The haze was also enough that we couldn't see the French coast from mid-Channel. So we decided to turn back and diverted to Lydd in perfect visibility.
After lunch we returned with Jane at the controls, via Southend and Sudbury, to a textbook landing at Cambridge. The photos were taken just after we had parked. We had planned Abbeville many times for over a year but had always been defeated, usually by the weather.
It was out last flight together before Jane emigrates. We first flew together to Kemble on 12th 2004 and since then we've been to:
Andrewsfield
Biggin Hill
Blackbushe
Compton Abbas
Conington
Denham
Duxford
Earles Colne
Enstone
Gamston
Gloucestershire
Great Oakley
Le Touquet
Lydd
With repeat visits to a couple that makes about 35 trips over 5 years, which must be close to 100 hours flying time. The end of an era."
Nottingham
Old Buckenham
Popham
Sandown IoW
Seething
Shipdham
Shobdon
Shoreham
Sturgate
Sywell
Tatenhill
Turweston
Wellesbourne
White Waltham
Wolverhampton
Wycombe
Norwich
We all wish Jane and her Family
the best of luck
for their future in Australia