Rayne Hall Farm
RAYNE HALL FARM: Private airfield (also known simply as RAYNE, RAYNE HALL and BRAINTREE)
Note: Presumably the same site as the McGregors Farm airstrip listed in the 1970s?
Note: All eight of these pictures were obtained from Google Earth ©
Operated by: 1990/2000: Mr D S McGregor
Location: E of Englesfield and 1.5nm W of Braintree
Period of operation: 1980s to -
Runway: 1990: 09/27 700x20 grass
2000: 09/27 785x20 grass
NOTES: I can vividly remember flying from ANDREWSFIELD with the intention of then landing at RAYNE for the first time. We were taking-off in the Cessna 172 G-AXBH from ANDREWSFIELD from one of their 09 runways, and RAYNE was around 2.5nm to the ESE. My good friend and flying mucker Guy Browning was flying the sortie and shortly after becoming airborne I advised him, at around 500ft, to lower the nose and commence a descent. I suspect he didn't hear this, or at least decided to ignore the advice, and continued the climb as per normal for an en route departure.
Consequently we more or less overflew RAYNE and didn't see it. Fortunately, somebody at RAYNE was on the radio, listened out, and very kindly directed us into the airfield. It is, in fairness, a very unusual set of circmstances to take-off and land at another airfield so close by. Which, despite a pretty thorough pre-flight breifing, had obviously failed to compute. This is of course a common human failing, (we like to see what we expect to see etc), and, I am glad to say, it has been mainly in aviation that these issues of human perception have first been addressed - and still remain of critical importance.
ANOTHER PERSONAL MEMORY
Eight years later, in October 2001, I collected the Europa Tri-Gear G-ORPC from near KIRKBYMOORSIDE airfield in Yorkshire and delivered it here. Unfortunately, because it was dark, I don't have a picture.
This said, if anybody can kindly offer pictures, these will be much appreciated.
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