"Paul Sengupta" wrote in message
...
Did you fly? Did you see it? I went to LHR to see it take off. A sad day.
Got it on my camcorder as it flew over my head.

I then went flying. One guy at LHR went straight to Bristol to see it
land!
I thought 1.5 hours LHR to Bristol was pushing it a bit, roadworks on the
M4 and everything! Wonder if he made it?


I was at the end of the runway on the A38. Despite the police saying there
were no facilities for the public outside the airfield there was a public
address system and portable bogs. Radio Bristol was on the PA and they said
that someone had managed to see both the takeoff and landing.

As it turns out the A38 was one of the best places to watch - possibly
better than on the airfield. There were three chances to see it: as it flew
past to start its tour of the Bristol Area, on its way back having flown
over Bristol and then for the landing. And then there was the Spitfire
display which seemed to be aligned with our end of the airfield, I guess
because that was where Prince Andrew was. After landing it backtracked and
came right to the end of the runway to dip its nose at us. For once I
didn't mind getting a lung full of exhaust gas. Nearly froze to death in
the hail storm though.

Interesting things heard on the radio:
Interception by the police helicopter of an aircraft infringing the TRA. I
didn't catch the registration as it was read out.
A request from the controller to the unknown owner of an Icom handheld to
keep his finger off the transmit button.

Stephen