This is why I have a pilots licence
Flying around Kent with my kids
With flying being such a big part of my life, one of the biggest privileges of having a pilots licence is being able to share the experience with my nearest and dearest, especially with my my kids. They definitely sense my passion and they both ask me lots of questions.
It had been over 2 years since my daughter last joined me for a flight sitting in the co-pilots seat. Although on that occasion it was only a very short flight just to see how comfortable she was in a light aircraft. As it was a huge success, I have been waiting for an appropriate moment to fly a little bit further.
So I booked the Cessna 172 G-ATWJ on Tuesday 1st June 2021, the added bonus this time was that my 3 year old son also wanted to come along for his very first light aircraft flight. So my wife kept him company sitting in the back of the aircraft.
I was very cautious about the route I planned for this flight, I wanted to fly a bit further than the last flight with my daughter with, with some scenery for her to take in but I didn’t want to go too far not knowing how my son would respond to the sensations of being in a light aircraft for the first time. So I plotted a simple route through Kent then along the coast at Dover, taking in the sights of the white cliffs and the hope that kids would get to see some ferry ships as they depart and arrive at the port.
The previous flight definitely did the trick with my daughter as she was full of excitement and confidence, my son on the other hand was not quite so sure when we got airborne and was a lot happier when we were back on the ground.
My first job was to complete the pre-flight checks and fill the aircraft with fuel. While I did this my wife kept the kids entertained watching the parachutes and all of the other activity at the airfield and also making sure they made that all important last visit to the toilet before boarding the plane. With everything ready and a short safety briefing complete I started the engine and taxied towards the runway for our departure.
There was a relatively strong wind straight down runway 10 which got us airborne nice and quickly as we departed on an easterly track. This put us on a direct path towards Dover and we left the circuit on the upwind leg and continued to climb to our cruising altitude of 3,000 feet. After clearing the Headcorn ATZ, we changed radio frequency to London Information to obtain a Basic Service.
It didn’t take us long at all to reach Ashford where the Designer Outlets were clearly visible. I have always found this unique landmark a great reference point for VFR navigation but it can get quite congested with aircraft who use it for the same reason.
With the visibility being so great, the coast was in sight from quite a distance away and on reaching the Dover area we could clearly see the French coastline which did have my daughter distracted for a little while. And as I hoped, we got some great sights of the departing and arriving cross channel ferry ships as well as the white cliffs.
As we had done and seen what we intended to do and knowing that my son wasn’t enjoying the flight as much as my other two passengers, we decided to turn back inland and make our way back towards Headcorn.
On reaching Ashford I requested frequency change back to Headcorn Radio. It was only after watching the footage back I realised my mistake in requesting a frequency change from a FISO but it didn’t cause any issues and I think London Information are far too used to that happening.
From the A/G operator at Headcorn, I requested the airfield information for our rejoin to the circuit and it was confirmed that runway 10 was still in use. This allowed me to follow the railway line that runs from Ashford and passes just to the right of Headcorn airfield to position nicely for a left hand downwind join.
The landing was smooth although my daughter who seems to be my biggest critic immediately mentioned that it was “bumpy”, we will have to agree to disagree!
You could see the relief in my sons face as soon as we touched down on the grass. I taxied to our parking bay shut down the engine and then spent some time with my family taking some photos and explaining different parts of the aircraft to my kids.
Although the flight itself was relatively simple, with no complex airspace to navigate and a straight forward route, it was one of my most enjoyable flights. I have a huge sense of pride when my kids are sitting the in same aircraft as me and sharing my passion.
View the video on my YouTube channel: