Yeovilton Flying Standards
Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th April

The Standards week end is a joint operation between the FAA Squadron (the organisers) and the Yeovilton Flying Club who are our hosts.

The object of the week-end were to provide members and flying guests with brush up sessions of flying skills, to provide flying experience for those YFC members who wish to take up flying and to provide for completion of JAR Requirements for PPL renewals for those wishing to take advantage of the service. Also socially, to provide something of interest for the Flying Companions (wives and girlfriends) and to have a splendid evening party.

Report of the week ends proceedings by Pat Mountain :
This long awaited first Squadron event of the season was meticulously planned with all sorts of op orders and repeated instructions and advice about insurances etc flying through the ether. As usual the bulk of the burden was carried by the Senior Pilot while others assisted to the best of their ability, but the combined effort was, unfortunately, not sufficient to appease the weather gods.

One not so young, bold and wise pilot, the indomitable Phil Moore with his unquenchable flying companion Sue, did manage to fly in at 1630 on Friday. Mr Snoozy arrived just ahead of the worst of the several occluded fronts which were to plague us until after lunch time on the first day, 23rd April.

Pat Mountain, eager to show off his marshalling skills, waited in vain for Saturday morning arrivals. Only the sound of the Boss's Bonanza was heard - somewhere up there in the cloud and invisible to us on the ground - as we were to him. Indefatigable (notice how these old Carriers keep slipping i!), as he always is, he returned to Bournemouth and appeared later by road.
By 1030. most of those expected had arrived by road and after an initial welcome by the Commodore and Splot, Charlie Ryan took charge of the flying companions detail and disappeared to Barrington Court for some culture and lunch.

We were given some interesting and thought provoking talks on the future of the Fleet Air Arm and our Squadron's participation and assistance with recruiting - an especially difficult problem at this time. Our CFI Dave Mackay followed with his pep talk and Charles Taylor from the CAA with lots of information on the way things are going towards the open space policy, EASA insurance rules etc, with not a little pessimism about the future of GA and the costs to individual private aviators.

After lunch and a good session of talks, videos and participatory mini talks by various Squadron prominenti, the weather had cleared and flying became possible, but we had no aeroplanes! Well, not quite true as Phil had his Cherokee on the line and the Flying Club Cherokee was parked alongside, presenting a rather forlorn picture; not quite what we had hoped for - a massed line of varied Squadron Aircraft.

Check flights were scheduled for the afternoon but in the event only two were done - Pat Mountain with the CFI in the Club Cherokee and the Boss, who, energy unbounded had driven back to Bournemouth, climbed once more into his aeroplane and re-appeared at Yeovilton to do his check with instructor Brian Hamilton.

Those who were to stop over on Saturday night and meet for supper in the Museum, then departed temporarily for their respective lodgings and gathered from 1900 back in the Museum (Warnford restaurant) for pre supper drinks.

Our problems of weather, aircraft availability etc were soon forgotten as a little lubrication and an excellent meal led to ever increasing affability and the usual warm feelings of good Squadron companionship. Silly stories, jokes and poems (Eve's rendition was particularly memorable), kept us all in especially good humour and we left with renewed enthusiasm for the rest of the Squadron events planned for the year.