Dunkeswell - 18.2.08
A trip down to Wellington, Somerset gave me the chance to re-visit Dunkeswell - my first visit since 2001.
The airfield is a former WW2 US airbase, I believe they flew Liberators from here. The airfield covers a large area with miles of taxiways and hardstandings. The Clubhouse by the tower has a welcome cafe too.
Parked by the tower were 9 aircraft including a couple of flying club basic trainer Cessna and Piper types including Cessna 152 G-OFRY
- also here was G-OSLO Schweizer Hughes 269 which was up and down doing circuits,
plus a smart yellow Yak 18T reg HA -YAV. The aviation fuel pumps are here too.
Adjacent to this area are many light industrial buildings - if you follow the airfield road west along these buildings it becomes an airfield perimter track. Take care as this peri-track has plenty of pot holes, some deep. You will cross the threshold of the main runway so make sure you STOP and check for aircraft movements before crossing.
The peri-track will bring you to a large collection of hangers and lock ups, maybe 15 or more. At the time of my visit half a dozen were open. A polite request at each hanger to view the aircraft was met with approval.
The large Somerset Microlights hanger was packed full of 19 aircraft including seven Ikarus C42 ultralights- G-CDOT, CDYO, CEDC, CVAL, MGPA, OSTL, OVAL.
Others in the hanger included Thruster T600 G-BYPG with some nose damage and all red Savannah G-CSUE plus a number of weightshift microlights.
Elsewhere among the hanger area was 1967 vintage Pa-28R Cherokee Arrow G-AVWR being prepared for a flight down to Plymouth.
Parked up outside Hanger 13 were Pa-28-180 Cherokee C G-AVSC and American Pa-24 Comanche N8829P - nearby was Seneca N21381 which looks rather wfu.
Pa-24-260 Comanche N8829P was built in 1965
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