Walter Striedieck and I flew from Cambridge to Calais in Bravo Bravo. Top photo shows Walter flying the aircraft, next is the Essex countryside abeam Stansted, the following one Canterbury (looking north-west). It was solid cloud over the Channel, and we could see ice forming on the wing leading edges. When we landed, the propeller leading edge was iced too. Calais has its name on the apron. After tea and a bun we returned to the aircraft, but the engine would not start. A French airport worker alerted us to fuel pouring from the engine, which turned out to be a primer tube (made of brass) disconnected from its cylinder. The delay was worrying, as I was flying the return leg, and I was not night-rated. The log shows I took off at 1435 and made Cambridge by 1550, where the landing lights made things easy. Our route was Calais, Dover, Southend, Earls Colne (the usual dog's leg around the Stansted Terminal Area) and Cambridge. I remember that the cloud was again solid over the Channel and we topped out at 5500 feet; the heating boiled my head and froze my feet.
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