Sunday I was returning to the UK from St Omer and duly sent my notification to the douaniers. Three of them had met me on Wednesday on the inbound leg, checked documents, searched all my luggage and even questioned the purpose of The Claw.
I was dodging weather and did the leg from St Omer through a short break in the low cloud and drizzle, arriving in Calais two hours before my notified departure time for the UK
No response from the tower so I made my halting 'jolibois' calls and pulled off a stunner of a landing. Taxied in and ...
... closed up, locked, deserted, tumbleweed blowing through the car park. Eventually found a nice guy at the aeroclub who made me a coffee and allowed me to remain until he had to leave, and then I went and sat in the aircraft watching perfectly decent weather pass by until the declared hour.
The moment that came I was off. So fazed that I was halfway across The English Channel before I remembered that my lifejacket, strobe and PLB were still behind the seats.
The upside? No landing fee,
Rob P