Display 2018 –

20 minutes before display take off time I was trying to get my new go pro 5 to turn on and into film mode … decided I shouldn’t be distracted so gave up and focussed on getting me and the aircraft ready !

My ‘Box entry’ time had been moved from 1251 to 1245 and confirmed as opening the show. It was also confirmed that my exit time was 1251 .. so would be needing to call “1 min to exit” at 1250.

All pilots had been advised that we had about 3 min leeway in the entire schedule so literally any slippage or late entry or late exit would impact that for all others following .. no pressure …

Following, but actually before, the Red 1 question I had decided to get airborne around 1215 … this would give me delay time on inbounds to get airborne and also any delay time for flying clockwise around the island to join at the ‘designated’ SE corner for ore entry into the display area

Having got airborne and turned towards the North coast I advised that I would prefer to cut across to a holding area nearer the fort at St Helier but remaining low and out of site from the crowd lineI ended up getting there much sooner than I’d planned so was holding for around 25 minutes .. it felt a very long 25 ! Also holding in a nice close but safe orbit was the Piper Pawnee and then a few minutes later .. the big old Antonov biplane … all 3 of us orbiting at below 1000’As the minutes ticked around to 1243 I decided to call – Heading for the display- and break out of the orbit to enter .. Diplay control approved and acknowledged and hopped over the top of Fort Regent at around 800’I had decided not to enter, as last year, at 200’ but instead come in at 800’ ish .. fly to datum point and the pull the throttle … this would make half the people think it was about to plummet .. then enter into 2 (turned out to be 3) tight left hand turns down to 200’ and then power up and pull out of the dive and then a simple wing overThe practice on Wednesday .. albeit coming in from the other way, was ok .. but a bit “loose”in terms of crisp turns. Display day was much better  and pulled out nicely at around 200’ at about 80+ mphThe remainder of the display was fine with some steep and tight turns and a nice very slow pass at around 40 mph or just above.Rememberd this year to call ‘1 minute to completion’ and broke out of the display line to traverse the front a little longer before pulling out and climbing to Norimont point for some steep turns and then downwind to final 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•