Thread: European Holiday

Am just back from an amazing months holiday. The first week I flew the CT from Ireland across Wales and England, over the English Channel through France and down to Spain. My wife was already holidaying in Spain so I stayed with her for a week and hangared the CT to keep it out of the dust and heat. So without the distraction of flying it allowed me to be dutiful and attendant to her, after all it’s not every wife who understands the need for a flying fix. At the end of the second week and with my flying friend from Ireland we set off again only this time there was no specific destination or time limit!
We ended up flying 4400 miles and flew into Switzerland, Belgium, Luxemburg, Germany and Holland. Every location was selected purely from the charts and because of its location to a village, lake or scenery and we weren’t disappointed. Everywhere we landed we received the greatest of hospitality and there was always great interest in the CT with lots of demo ‘thank you’ flights. I reckon FD owe me a factory tour in return.
As I have said in another post on this forum the high point has to be a flight I made along the D day beaches. As you can see from the introduction section I am 61years old and thank God I missed WW2 by 3 years but am old enough to remember the food rationing and talking to my father and uncles about their experiences during the war so it was always in my mind to make the pilgrimage to see some of the battle grounds. So last Saturday I flew into a little strip at Coursuelles sur mer only yards from JUNO beach in Normandy and stayed the night. This town is where De Gaulle came ashore after the beachhead was secured and it’s good to see that they still have flags everywhere paying their tributes to the invasion. On Sunday morning I was up at dawn and before the height restrictions came into force at 9am local time I slowly flew west along the coast, inland from the beaches and then turned at the church of Ste Mere Eglise to fly slightly offshore, eastwards back to SWORD beach passing over UTAH, OMAHA and GOLD. To actually occupy the same space as the heroes who took part in that action and to feel from the air the same sense of vulnerability was humbling. It wasn’t till we reached the end of the flight that we realised that not a word had been spoken between myself and my crewman once the beaches came into view. Now we were ready for home.
The plane clocked up 57 hours, used about 3/4 litre oil, had 3 punctures and handled the mid day 38c thermals great despite being grossly over weight …..don’t ask….
Was flying from 300 feet over the empty Mediterranean beaches to over 13000 feet above the Pyrenees. What more do I want from an airplane.
Am thinking about the next trip… how about a factory visit to FD Germany and then onto the Ukraine and the Black Sea to see where all the little CTs are born….hmmm now where did I leave that wish list of mine.

Mac

the remains of the Mulberry Harbour

Arromanche

Coursuelles grass strip with the shoreline just visible in the background

What a great story and photo's. I have planned to visit Normandy on my next Euro trip. I can't imagine the feeling one must have visiting there.

Arnold

Mac,

I really enjoyed your story and photos. I would like to see more. That was quite an adventure.