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Aviation History
1949
1949 - 1372.PDF
Haya Airfield—position and plan. INTRODUCTION TO SPAIN FLIGHT August 4th, 1949 The impressive Barajas Airport which serves Madrid, below) Rugged'country between Madrid to Pamplona. The young men of Pamplona crowd the bull ring to show their mettle. Horns are padded. Our companion on the long flight back to Madrid. The pilot was Mr. Bavliss. over very mountainous and uninhabited areas. Again reliable land- marks proved few and far between, but the weather was good and we had an excellent early pin-point on Toledo, a picturesque old city which, according to our log, came up at 1235 hr, some twenty minutes after take-off. We saw little except mountains, rivers and valleys for about half an hour, and then we took a fairly reliable contour fix near a village named Fontanarejo. Later we found a row of three villages and a curve in a railway line near Fuente la Lancha. After that Belez (1338 hr), the River Guadalquivir (1402 hr), Seville to the starboard and Utrera (1416 hr) appeared on track and E.T.A. and we ceased to worry more about our course. Nearing Haya airfield, a training station of the Spanish Air Force, just north of Jerez de la Frontera and our destination for the day, we were somewhat surprised to see a large hawk hovering at our level of a little over 3,000ft above ground. He made no attempt to avoid us, so in view of his size we thought it best to take the evasive action. On landing at Jerez we were greeted by several officers in their white uniforms and conducted to the dazzling white control building for a drink. This was more like the Spain I had imagined—picturesque ranches and buildings with palms and rush green foliage round them, but elsewhere dry, sandy earth, a few eucalyptus trees and huge, prickly cacti often set in rows to keep the mules and hinnies from straying. The evening at Jerez was one of the most enjoyable of all. We stayed at the delightful modern Los Cisnes hotel with its cool patio and garden of brilliant flowers and creepers. Others, not so for- tunate, went on a long journey by coach to Cadiz for accommo- dation. Before siesta-ing we looked round the shops, followed at every step by at least a dozen scruffy but attractive children. Even some of the smallest shops offered first-class Swiss gold watches, clothes and such things as chandeliers for a great deal less than would be charged in this country. That evening we walked to the Bodegas de Sancfiez Romate, Hnos., where we sampled sherries and brandies before dinner in the huge, barrel-lined halls where the wines were stored. This was an experience which will always be remembered. Dinner was preceded by the wine-tasting competition, an explanation of which was given in last week's instalment of this narrative. Seldom have such an impressive array of bottles been seen. There were a large number of competitors and each had twenty bottles to sample. The long, narrow tables on which they stood extended almost out of sight down the huge, dimly-lit wine halls. By the time dinner was served the spirits of the company were such that a convivial evening was assured, and one heard the guests discussing the merits of Finos, Amontillados and Olorosos in the most knowledgeable manner. Reluctantly on Friday morning we said good-bye to the South and set course for Madrid again. The met. report was good but showed about 8/ioth of cu. at below mountain-top height in two areas, the first being around Seville. It proved to be remarkably accurate and we were able to avoid all cloud and enjoy an uneventful flight back to Madrid, with Mr. Bayliss, formating in his Gemini, for company. It was remarkable that during the whole Spanish tour we never
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