We took off on 02. Ricardo's Engineering works is in the foreground with the old Toll Bridge at bottom right. This was the main A27 trunk route until 1980. The "new" Shoreham flyover (our local Spaghetti Junction) on the left cuts through Mill Hill with Truleigh Hill in the background.
Looking back over the airfield with the River Adur running alongside the eastern boundary. Beyond the railway bridge & Norfolk Bridge is Shoreham Beach where I took my photos from yesterday. Looking across the town of Shoreham on the left you can see the power station chimney with the cliffs in the background. (See my Stroll along the beach topic.)
This is Lancing College from the air.
By coincidence our flight was on 3rd September or "the day war broke out" which reminded us that this area used to be surrounded by military airfields.
This is what's left of one of them, RNAS Ford, now an open prison & market. Ford had one of the longest runways in the country & was used as an emergency base for returning bombers during WWII. It was also used for FIDO (fog dispersal) experiments.
The three large buildings at centre right are aircraft hangars on the site of the former RAF Tangmere. The museum & control tower are now all that's left of this famous fighter base. At left centre you can just see Goodwood airfield & motor circuit disappearing below the starboard aileron. The large red-roofed buildings just to the right of it would be the new Rolls-Royce car factory. Goodwood was a satellite of Tangmere during WWII & is still a thriving little airfield. Above it is the famous Goodwood horse racing course.
A little further west is RAF Thorney Island. It's now an army base & the runways are no longer in use. I think they can be opened at the base commander's discretion.
This is Portsmouth with the harbour beyond it. You can just see the Spinnaker Tower at centre left which I'll cover in a separate topic.
Our destination, the Isle of Wight. Two piers & two airfields. Ryde pier in the foreground at bottom right with Sandown pier in the bay past the headland. The hard runway of Bembridge airfield is plainly visible with Sandown in the distance, to the right of Sandown pier.
Hope you like.
PS. Our trusty steed for this trip was a Piper Warrior belonging to the Real Flying Company
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