Well we did it- one UH18, one hoist , 7 volunteers and 80 folk including wheelchair users, some ambulant guys and their carers all got a short flight and covered in grass. All that in 3 hours before the rain came in.
The variator we fitted and the reconfigured skirt (cheers John) really made a difference as we had to do a fair bit of low speed work. We had about 100 x 150m to work in, a mix of grass, old concrete and tarmac. Used under 20l of fuel which was pleasing as we were constantly stopping and starting.
The campers loved it and I do urge anyone who would like to help out to pencil something in their diary for around this time next year. Geoff and Lynne organise a camp for people with a range of disability every year at their own cost in their own time and would love anyone who can help to join in and give the campers a real thrill. They have done waterskiing, helicopter rides and fixed wing flight. We may even get a Tiger moth in next year if things work out.
One problem, when everyone had gone, we had a good blast about; grass built up on the fan guard, which then decided to join the prop; We have until the 18thAugust (Popham day) to get that one sorted and build a better guard...and repair the skirt....and repair the hoist....(another story) Trailer's OK though!
Cheers,
Andrew