A pilot who made a precautionary landing just after taking off told how he brought the plane down instinctively when he realised there was a problem.
Happy landing - pilot Reeves Watson at Earls Colne Airfield after he was forced to land his single-engine plane after he noticed difficulties on take-off during Sunday's hot conditions. (43483-a)
Reeves Watson wasn't comfortable with the power the Cessna 172's single engine was delivering after he took off from Earls Colne Airfield in the heatwave on Sunday lunchtime.
He has been flying for about two years and praised the training he got at Anglian Flight Centres in Earls Colne, which led him to bring the plane back down safely in a field at the end of the runway.
Mr Watson, 35, of Mandeville Road, Marks Tey, was in the aircraft with his wife Fiona at the time.
He is training to become a commercial pilot and it was the first time Mr Watson's had to deal with an airborne incident.
"Worry didn't come into it - I just decided I had to land as soon as possible as a precaution," Mr Watson said.
"Because the training is so good, we'd covered this kind of thing in depth and I just did it instinctively.
"I knew it was the right thing to do and there was a nice-sized field ahead, so I brought the aircraft back to the ground.
More in today's Evening Gazette
Published Tuesday, June 21, 2005
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