Aviators make flying visit to Alderney

The event brought around 110 people to the island to enjoy a weekend of socialising and exploring.

The number of visiting pilots was up on last year, which saw 45 private planes come in.

Star of the show this year was a 1943 Boeing A75NI biplane which was flown to Alderney for the first time by doctor Richard Leigh from Cheshire.

The aircraft has no navigational aids other than an 80-year-old compass.

Mr Leigh discovered the aircraft in a shed in Canada after a 20-year search for one and spent 12 months completely restoring it.

It was his fourth trip as a private aviator to Alderney – all the other times arriving in a Flex Wing Microlight.

'Flying a tonne-and-a-half of aircraft is wildly different from flying in a Microlight weighing 300kg, so it's been a bit of a baptism of fire,' he said.

'I went solo for the first time three weeks ago and I've done about 20 landings – each one as exciting as the last one.

'Flying to Alderney was a bit daunting – having to cross 80-odd miles of water. And it's also a very small island when you have no other electronic aids to find your way here other than an 80-year-old compass.

'We do have a GPS emergency beacon if we go down and do have a smoke machine so we can leave smoke trails. But we do enjoy Alderney and we have had a lovely time here.'

Alderney Flying Club chairman David Chiswell said the event had filled up pubs, restaurants and hotels around the island.

'It's created a nice, buzzy atmosphere around the island.

'Visitors have gone on a boat tour, hired bikes, done a tour of the Nunnery and enjoyed two good nights out.

'About 25% of people attending the Fly In have never visited Alderney before and the next year about half of those first-time visitors come back. So it's a very positive thing for Alderney.'