Change of plan. Cancel Ryanair. TGV and Eurostar back to London. Fly back to France with the Chief in an aircraft too small for any American client! Get some IMC, get a cross channel checkout, get some experience in something a lot faster that the old Beagle Pup, and shoot an ILS! "Sounds like a plan", said the Chief.

So there we were at home in Farnham 0930 local and a plucky cold front coming through, cloud base down at 600 feet at Farnborough. Called the Chief. "Rainfall radar shows it should be through past Blackbushe in half an hour, see you there between 1015 and 1030", he said. So we hopped in a cab and up to a blustery Blackbushe, arriving at 1010. Clouds still down low. 1013 and an Arrow whizzes into view downwind. "What sort of approach was that Phil?", said I. "Oh, that was an unofficial one", said the Chief. Up in the tower filing the flight plan: "I thought you were splendidly close on base", said the controller. "Well, one needs to demonstrate how to keep the runway in sight", explained the Chief.

Anyway, there I was in the left hand seat, the Chief in the right, the navigator in the back, a special knob for the wheels, another one for the propeller, extra gauges everywhere, the scene dominated by a Garmin 430. And up we went. Straight up into the clouds at 500 feet! The Chief started nattering to Farnborough and playing the Garmin 430 like a piano, dialling in our course past Goodwood, along the side of the danger zones mid-channel and then past dozens of IFR intersections almost directly South all the way on past Deauville to our destination Tours. Soon we were onto London Info. Upon call to Deauville the French word "bonjour" in the response and the Chief cleared his throat to adopt a thoroughly RAF Wingco accent in response. On we trundled, me staring at the AI, the Chief tinkering with the Garmin. "Enemy coast ahead", called the Chief. "Roger, 5 miles to run, 2 minutes 30 seconds to bombs gone", I responded. A climb to 3500 and we could glimpse the sun above but the Chief wouldn't let me climb out on top, "No, down on the instruments it is for you sonny", he mused. A panic-stricken call from Deauville about the "danjear zorn, chuust an froant oaff yer" was brushed aside as the Chief explained we were well above it.

Then on we went. A chat with Paris and then onto Tours Tower. "660 Decision Height Jim" called the Chief and down the ILS I went. Hadn't done one for 15 years!. Managed to get us all the way down to 670 (QNH) (about 300 feet off the ground).

Thoroughly enjoyable and thank you so much to the Chief.

Jim & Helen Miller (members of Cotswold Aero Club)