Launch Day -1.
One issue that came out of the blue that none of us had ever considered was the weather on our day of departure. We never dreamt it could be too good! We had elected to launch on what was being forecast to be the hottest day since the summer of 1976! The temperatures for the 1st July were going to be in the mid-30s!
Our mass and balance calculation came under close scrutiny by all three pilots. We determined that we had a maximum luggage weight of 21kg between all three of us. 7Kg each sounded plenty until our life-jackets, knee-boards, printed airfield plates, Pooleys guide, iPad (mini), headsets and camera gear were included! So it came down to late night luggage weighing – even our socks got the scales treatment! Which pair were the lightest?!