Captain Paddy and Lucky visit the Mourne Flying Club Fly In BBQ

Paddy and Lucky spent the weekend in the Kingdom of Mourne as guests of Mark Chambers and the Mourne Flying Club as they held their annual Fly In Charity BBQ.

Fly ins are a staple of general aviation and having been to a few already since their fundraising mission kicked off, the pair were right at home on the grass of Derryogue airfield.

The day started misty, with visibility less than ideal. But Paddy told us to have faith, he’d seen this all before, and it would clear as the day went on. Sure enough, the mist burnt off and it was time to fly!

The pair flew in from Kernan (Tandragee)with Brendan in an EV97 Eurostar, before rushing across to meet Mark Chambers and see his 1948 Luscombe. With the mist clearing and the inbound traffic getting busy, Paddy and Lucky offered to help, picking up their high vis vest and their marshalling wands and spending the afternoon parking the various planes, helicopters and gyrocopters that had flown in. They sampled the famous Mourne hospitality, filling up on seafood and deserts!  

With things getting quieter, they jumped in the Luscombe with mark for a sunset flight, as he took them on a tour through the peaks and coastline of the Mourne Mountains!  

The pair enjoyed meeting all the pilots from across Ireland including some old friends they’ve flown with before.  They loved sharing the story of their fundraising mission and were treated as VIP bears by all the young people at the airfield

The next morning, it was time to add another new type to their logbook, as Stephen Cunningham woke the bears up early for a flying breakfast! They jumped in with him in an R44, and headed off to Carrick Cottage Café, on the slopes of the Mourne mountains. Word of their arrival had got out, and there was a welcome party waiting for Paddy and Lucky! They enjoyed breakfast with a view over the Mournes, met lots of excited fans, and shared stories of their travels so far, before lifting off on the next part of their adventure.