A Day in the Country: the Moth Club at Houghton Hall
At the invitation of Lord David Cholmondeley, the Moth Club gathered again at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, on Sunday 13 September 2009. As always, the Club welcomed members and guests of DHAeTSA at the event. Houghton Hall is about half way between King’s Lynn and Fakenham, and about ten miles south of the Norfolk coast. A 20-knot northerly wind, straight off the North Sea, thus had not far to blow before blasting across the park. The landing strip, marked on the map as West View, was shielded by the trees of Eleven Acre Wood until the eastern end was reached, when the full crosswind was met. Conditions thus were challenging for aeroplanes never designed to operate across wind. Many a wing dipped just before touchdown, but all those who attempted a landing were successful. A few pilots had a look and wisely went home, content to fly another day. Twenty aircraft arrived – Moths of the Tiger, Jackaroo, Puss, Hornet, Fox and Leopard sub-species, plus a Dragonfly and a couple of non-DH types.
The map image above was produced from Ordnance Survey's Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.
Some 25 members and guests of DHAeTSA were present, braving the chill wind and later on the spatters of rain. After our hog-roast lunch many of us visited the Hall. It’s a very grand place, built by our first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole. No doubt any expenses incurred by the state were within the rules. There is a well-stocked kitchen garden, although it was sad to see the carefully-grown wide variety of fruit and vegetables going to waste. Departure time was interesting for the spectators. Some pilots taxied to the western end of the strip and took off to the east, some decided that as the wind was 90 degrees across they might as well take off to the west, and a few enterprising pilots took off into wind after lining up carefully to avoid the saplings planted here and there. All the photos were taken by Bob Langley, except the very last one. Note: clicking on an image enlarges it; clicking again returns the view to normal. Article by Roger de Mercado
Below: Torquil Norman’s DH90 Dragonfly G-AEDU.
Below: Ken Broomfield with Jackaroo G-AOIR.
Below: Mark Blois-Brooke in Tiger Moth G-AOZH aka K2572.
Below: Dragonfly, Tigers and the Hall.
Below: Tim Williams and Puss Moth G-AAZP.
Below: Mark Preston wing-down in Tiger G-ADJJ.
Below: Paul Harvey with Tiger G-AFWI making a precautionary go-around.
Below: Paul Harvey landing. Terry Dann and Tiger G-AIDS “The Sorcerer” in foreground.
Below: Wing down over the pond and a wheeler landing – safe arrival of Ben Cox with Jan Cooper in Fox Moth G-ACEJ.
Below: A downhill slope, across a road, over a pond and just look at that windsock…no problem!
Below: David Weston with Hornet Moth G-ADND aka W9385.
Below: Houghton Hall framed by Tiger G-ADIA.
Comments
- 17 Mar 10 15:49 Reg Willoughby from Hatfield
- Brilliant, give us more of this. Reg.
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