Bloody hell!..... looks kinda like a sharp turn to come onto the landing strip....... that or they are just really good at it. Either way makes for a good show.  

Bit like the dog-leg approach to 26 at Popham.  You get used to it (eventually...).

Okay, as a non  pilot I have to ask. why take that approach?

 

Would it have been to risky / too steep decent to take a straight approach over the trees?

I think to risky and to steep in the strong winds 

Gosh, looks a little narrow down by the farm, not much room for error (if you get the first bit right ?).

1 hour ago, ProDave said:

Okay, as a non  pilot I have to ask. why take that approach?

 

Would it have been to risky / too steep decent to take a straight approach over the trees?

 

 

It's all about speed.  Light aeroplanes don't have  brakes in the air, so speed is proportional to approach angle.  The landing speed (especially for a taildragger like the Chippy) has to be nailed accurately on the approach, and pretty much the only way you can bleed off a bit of speed and height is to side slip (as the Chippy does in that approach).  That's really only for a bit of fine tuning, though, it won't get rid of the sort of speed that you'll get if the approach is too steep.

Nice and peaceful there then . I guess the sheep farmer doesn't mind.

Just now, PeterStarck said:

Nice and peaceful there then . I guess the sheep farmer doesn't mind.

 

I spent a week flying from a field near to @AnonymousBosch a few years ago.  The field was full of sheep and they much preferred grazing on the shorter grass on the strip.  They'd learned over time to wander off to the side of the strip whenever anyone was landing or taking off.  The only exception I can recall is the strip's famous "jumping sheep", that allegedly leapt up and hit the wing strut of a friend's aeroplane...

They made that look soooo easy!!

On 07/08/2019 at 17:08, JSHarris said:

Bit like the dog-leg approach to 26 at Popham.  You get used to it (eventually...).

 

I've had control of a Beagle Pup coming in on this approach to Popham. We did a circuit out to the coast near the Isle of Wight and back, with me at the controls nearly the whole way. It's literally the only time I've ever had control of a powered aircraft. The pilot was very good at giving instructions, and took control later than I'd have been brave enough to do with such an inexperienced co-pilot.

 

That said, 10 years later and I haven't been invited out for another flight - maybe I didn't do as good a job as I'd thought!