FOG, HAZE AND THE "MILLENIUM FALCON"

I always used to say "It's not a real winter unless you have to dig your car out of the snow to go to work".  Well, that was true when I lived in the North of England before emigrating to NZ but now living in the Waikato I reckon it is a real winter when Hamilton Airport is closed all day by fog!!

That was almost true today.  I awoke at my usual 7ish and looked out of the window.  Yuk!!  Pea-soup fog with about 200 metres visibility if that!  Never mind, I thought, it will probably clear by mid-morning like it had the past couple of days and I should be able to go flying.  Well, it didn't clear much at all for most of the morning and a watery sun was just about seen by 1230 and the fog had been replaced by overcast at a few thousand feet, generalised haze and patchy mist.  I had phoned the club a few times to check the weather but decided to drive out and see what it was really like for myself.
It was very hazy still but visibility was adequate for circuits so I was good to go.  I had originally planned a cross-country but that idea disappeared once I saw the morning fog.  I had originally booked WAM, the club's newer 172 but as that had a recent engine rebuild and was running in I had been switched to JGP, the older 172 which I had not flown for some while.  That was OK, having got current on 172s again recenly in WAM it was about time to go up in JGP.
One of the other Waikato Aero Club bloggers has dubbed JGP the "Millenium Falcon" of the WAC fleet.  For those who are not familiar with Star Wars, "Millenium Falcon" is Han Solo (Harrison Ford)'s spaceship which is old and a bit battered but goes like the clappers.  JGP may be 20-odd years older than WAM but has the same 180hp engine, is carburetor aspirated and carries less additional equipment so has significantly better performance. 
And don't it just!! - especially with just me and only 90 litres of fuel.  On my first climb out JGP was going up at 1000fpm (feet per minute) at 100 knots.  Whee!!  I noticed one or two changes as well.  The radios have been upgraded and there is now a GPS - nice one.  I did seven circuits including a glide approach and a flapless all of which went well (one landing was a bit bumpy but acceptable).  It was approaching 1500 (3pm - I think in 24 hour clock but happy to translate for those that don't!!) and the horizon to the North was disappearing in the haze as the front approached as predicted.  Rain tonight and tomorrow, folks and time for me to stop.
A good afternoon's flying and happy to fly both the club 172s now.  Just have to watch that currency factor.  Hoping for a night flight in WAM next week.