The seeds were sown for me one Thursday back in ’83 when Exchange and Mart had a Chargus Vortex hang glider wing for sale in Wellingborough. I had been bitten by the bug for microlight flying after reading Ann Welch’s book (now long out of print) in the Public Library - what to do. My desire was to build a trike and learn to fly it. However, logic dictated that advice was needed. I hadn’t heard of the BMAA, they were a need-to-know outfit, not privy (as now) to the news stands - so I scoured the shelves of the Reference Library and came across Berger Burr (I’ve thumbed it a million times since then), and surprise, surprise, there was a trike manufacturer in Northampton - Nikite in Woolmonger Street.

Few have traversed the town quicker than I that day, and I found a truly colourful character called Dave Nichols, who was running a fabrication outfit with Nikite as a sideline. There were two wing bags on the wall, and a single seat and a two seat trike up one corner of the workshop - things were looking up. Dave introduced himself and told me he was Chairman of the Northampton Microlight Club. He promptly poured cold water over the idea of the Chargus Vortex (probably knew it), and even colder water over building a trike when I knew sweet nothing about the subject.

He suggested I come over to the field at Tiffield one Sunday and see what it was all about - this was in the halcyon days shortly before the CAA blew the whistle, and free rein was more or less the order of the day.

So the first calm, dry Sunday saw me leaning over the gate you all know, with several single seat trikes and the two seat trike I had seen earlier bearing a wing of quite vast dimensions. It was a Chargus Titan of 250 square feet wing area - very impressive. The lads were keen and friendly. Dave, John, Smudge, Beaker and Simon spring to mind. I eventually got a ride in the two seater with Dave and my life was changed.

At that stage I never acquired a trike - all the lads had moved to power flying from hang gliding and had all graduated via the Nikite/Chargus, there being no formal tuition on trike locally at that time, plus the fact that the precursor to a day’s flying was lunchtime at the Blisworth Arms and for some a quiet smoke (not a brand seen down the Offie).

One quite impressive happening sticks in the mind on this particular Sunday. The Hunting twin 500 cc on the two seater was not at all on song, the climb rate was blooming awful, and when the intrepid duo turned downwind, speculation grew as to whether it would clear the Dutch barn - you are right - it just failed to clear it. The trike’s normal attitude was nose up, and the rear wheels just touched on to the corrugated roof, and it rattled at full chat across the full length before falling off the far end (I am happy to relate there was little damage to men or machine).

The power units were invariably Robin EC25 or Hunting 250 cc single cylinders, and the props usually hand carved at home. Remember with the first generation glider wings the stall, trim and VNE speeds were in some cases only +/- 10 mph, trim speed somewhere about 30 mph.

So, great guys, unconventional but very competent - then the CAA put in the licensing factor and initiated Section S and exemptions. In those days, to remain legal with a little known machine was a big problem, so the guys drifted back into hang gliding. This, and Dave leaving the area for domestic reasons spelt the end of the first era of the Club and flying at Tiffield.