Madam needs to go out at eleven. The only flyable window for the weekend is early on Saturday morning and I am suffering from sky fever so I jump out of bed at 6AM and by travelling much faster than a Max's Vne am at the field forty miles away by seven fifteen.
Check the aircraft over, warm it up and notice a small misfire. Full power seems ok so the usual drill. Keep it straight, stick forward, tail up, us up. Engine starts to pop and splutter but maintains a rate of climb. Nevertheless, the view of the air filter jumping around and a rather poor throttle response suggests that my trip to the local airfield is off. Turn at 800 feet, height being money in the bank today, and knowing that the circuit is over a dense wood, I turn directly onto a reciprocal heading in the still morning air, knowing that I am the only one there. Too much height to slip it off easily and still some power available, I fly back down the strip and turn for a very decent landing which took the edge off my disappointment.  Back this morning with new plugs,caps and plug lead cable.  Started easily and ran smoothly up to temperature. Weather, however was a very different matter, blowing  fresh and gusty, rocking the 'max back and forth. Flight test will have to wait. Just five minutes so far this month but every month this year so far I have flown the MiniMax. Yesterday wasn't a complete washout though. Driving home, I saw not one, but two Facel Vegas (well over a million dollars' worth these days;) Amongst the most glamorous motor cars ever made between 1954 and 1964, to see just one is a very big event; two together on the road I shall never again see in this lifetime. Carbon footprint of the Abominable Snowman (many were fitted with 6.7 litre hemis) but who cares?

Hope your bird is well with the new parts; blue sky's and genteel breezes.  

Thanks Aeronut for the kind thought which is reciprocated. Roll on the next calm spot of weather. I need to go flying!

Hell, I remember a Facel Vega lying at the back of a garage in Southampton in the early 70's, all full of tin worm with a tatty hood! A pal of mine owned one in the late 60's; he lived in the New Forest and got caught with a freshly poached deer on the back seat together with a rifle!  

For our colonial cousins   The New Forest was a hunting forest established by King John back around 1066. If anyone was caught poaching the King's deer they had their eyes put out with a red hot poker. It still exists as a National Park, complete with signs telling you, "This is a Tree", "a Squirrel" etc.... 'Foresters' can trace their roots back to the Doomsday Book (1066) and boy don't they like you to know it. On the occasion of my buddy being caught with the deer, I'm pleased to say he kept his eyes but he was fined a fair old chunk of cash, in court. It didn't put him off because poaching was his hobby. I once got a phone call from him at 4.30am asking for help. He'd shot a deer in the Police Chief's garden and wanted help to haul it to his car!

LOL MAX!

Great Story. New forest was Bill the Bastard who got a makeover to become William the conqueror in 1066 then got his accounts department to make an inventory, the Domesday book, completed in 1086. Deer are heavy for their size and solid. You would need sonething substantial to haul one away.

Believe me Tom, you can haul a deer by it's back legs, and drag it into a car boot (Trunk). NF is overrun at the moment. My son (also Tom) shot 25 in one day (really!). Even down here in Cornwall they are everywhere, and becoming a nuisance, despite being beautiful creatures. I lived in the Forest for 35 years until my divorce, but my kids are still there. My buddy and I started Pauncefoot Airstrip just outside Romsey in 1989. It's still operating, just but only one aircraft allowed there now since it reverted to Romsey estate.  Areal shame as we were very active there for the first 10 years or so. I actually departed from there for North Africa in'97, leaving on a frosty day wearing a fleece. Later the same day in central France I was down to shorts and a tee shirt. Great memories  

Cannot find Pauncefoot from the air but am based at Farley Farm. Max unhappy. Starts well but bogs and splutters at 3000. Plugs dry though and float bowl full.
Suspecting needle clip but any ideas welcome.

Aah! That's better. Visited the aeroplane this evening as it had been nagging me all day. Reset the carb needle and engine started to behave itself. Naturally, there's only one way to find out and twenty minutes later, I landed in the stiffest crosswind I have ever dared. It wasn't elegant but it was positive and the aircraft can fly again without further work!

Tom, here's Pauncefoot https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.9773849,-1.5261587,904m/data=!3m1!1e3

Thanks, got it.