Oban-Prestwick

Saturday 22nd May, 2010

Over lunch in Stornoway we decided to go to Prestwick from Oban for the final leg that day so I planned a scenic route via Colonsay, a small island north of Islay, and Bute 21 miles to the north west of Prestwick.

Enjoying a welcomed cup of tea, courtesy of Total Logistics Concepts (Paul Keegan) at Oban, I phoned Ocean Sky, the 24-hour handlers at Prestwick.

Within minutes we were booked in, had fuel organised together with an offer to find us accommodation for the night at preferential rates.

Meanwhile Brian contacted one of his fellow Cranfield ATPL groundschool students. They'd been in contact ever since and there was now a chance of meeting up in Prestwick as Colette lived close by in Glasgow.

The Oban airfield closed at 17.15 so we bid a hasty farewell and took off at 17.05 from runway 19. The QNH was 1027.

As we climbed and flew past the town centre it was evident from the skyline that we were now flying through an inversion. Everything below the horizon was enshrouded in mist. Above it was a startling clear blue sky.

After about 25 minutes Colonsay island became visible and Brian managed to get a picture of the airfield.

I then turned onto my south-easterly heading for Bute. We flew over Jura and then over the sprawling Argyll peninsula.

As we flew down the Sound of Bute Andy changed frequency to Prestwick Approach who asked us to join their zone at (after much debate between ourselves, having not clearly understood the initial transmission) Irvine VRP.

We were finally cleared to enter the zone not above 2000 feet on QNH 1028 via Irvine to join downwind for runway 31 with a squawk 4501.

I steered a course well south of the restricted area (R515) Hunterston nuclear power station. This was interestingly only 20 miles south of the prohibited Faslane nuclear naval base area (P611).

The Prestwick ATIS at 16.50 reported the runway in use was 31, wind 240°/7 knots, visibility 9999 FEW038, temperature/dewpoint +22/+12 and QNH 1028.

As I joined the circuit on the downwind leg for 31 I couldn't quite take in the fact that only hours before I'd been flying IMC above the Highlands of Scotland.

After landing Ocean Sky greeted and marshalled us to the re-fuelling area and at 18.20 I shut down the engine at our last port of call in Scotland.

Here we were able to park up for the night dwarfed by the American Hercules temporarily grounded at Prestwick. The C130 had hydraulic problems and parts were being flown into Mildenhall and then driven from there to Prestwick.

Our handlers quickly provided us with refreshments, organised our hotel rooms (at a discount price) and ordered us a taxi. We were bowled over by their efficiency and enthusiasm, given we must have been 'small fry' in the scheme of things.

Later Colette joined us for dinner at the Parkstone Hotel and we whiled away the evening discussing the challenges of flying in Scotland and the hours she and Brian had spent at Cranfield toiling over their ATPL exams.