5 October 2014 - Dover, Deal and Whitstable

The last few weeks have been pretty tough for my family as sadly my father-in-law passed away following a very short illness. He was 68 and it was about 5 weeks from the first signs of cancer to his eventual passing. Like all these dark moments in life it is not just a wake up call to ones own mortality but a stark reminder of how fragile life's comfort can be.

Having returned to the UK the night before I was determined to take an early morning plane around the Kent skies and clear my head of all the darkness that had taken root. It was what I really needed and so I was up very early with everything planned, weather and NOTAMS checked and ready to go.

The weather was extremely kind and I could not remember a more pleasantly clear and crisp morning for a long time. This is my favourite time of the year and as I dragged the weighted tie down containers across the grass I noticed ice had formed on them as I placed them neatly away from the parked aircraft. It was a really beautiful morning.

A speeded up video is included below. A simple route down to Dover harbour, up to Deal and Whitstable before heading back to Rochester. Southend radar were busy for a while with people heading down to France for the day but like most early morning trips I had the tranquil skies to myself. Just how I like it.

Brakes Off: 07:55(Z) Brakes On: 09:00(Z) Total: 1:05
Total Hours: 113:40