UPDATES CONTINUED

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20 December 2007

SHE FLIES!

After several weeks of anxiety as we sorted out some relatively minor problems our paperwork arrived from the PFA and a date was fixed for the test flight. Goff and Peter did all the preparation while Ian was in Cuba dodging the unseasonal showers in Havana.

After a long day of checks and re-checks at Blackbushe Airport our test pilot, Pete Jeffers, could find no more reasons why not to fly and at 15.00 G-CHOX took to the air in failing visibility. After 20 minutes she was safely back on the ground.

Final run up before take off. Notice the shadow of one of the 3 wise kings in the foreground wishing us luck.	Coming in to land after 20 minutes. Poor visibility prevented a longer flight.

12 January 2008

A few teething problems fixed, and the promise of one good day of weather during many days of rain, we booked our test pilot Pete Jeffers, loaded GCHOX, and set off for Blackbushe. Just one little problem - the passenger door was locked and the key was still back in the workshop. But a quick application of a spanner and a hammer sorted it out.

Pete Jeffers flew on his own for about 40 minutes before landing and inviting us to join him as observers on the next flights. After a nanosecond of deliberation we agreed. Peter would go first, then Ian and then Goff. This was because Goff didn't know what we'd done in the first three years of our project and he wanted to be sure it was all OK before he had a go. So we each had about 20 minutes flying followed by several hours of grinning. Brilliant!

Here are a couple of clips.

A few pictures of the aircraft in the sunshine
Peter pre-flight	Goff pre-flight	Goff afterwards! The stubble on his chin is the result of Goff entering his mid-life Bohemian phase. We expect he'll get over it soon.
	Ian before flight. A smile can hide so many nerves!

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