Took these three photos yesterday using my trusty pin hole camera (apologies for the quality) but thought they might be of interest to someone as two of the aircraft are not visible from any road.
Will try and take some better ones in the near future.
Martin
By: crashman - 20th February 2006 at 11:51
As you drive from Dereham to Fakenham, just before you reach the Mileham crossroads there is a bungalow set back from the road on the right, look behing it and you can see an aircraft under a tarp i belive there is also a small hanger behind the house as well- dont know if it is used though!
By: crashman - 20th February 2006 at 10:59
to change the thread just a little does anyone know anything about a lightning sttod behind a house near Mileham in Norfolk, i have seen it several times over the years always under a tarp and if memory serves me right there is also another aircraft there as well?
i have always wondered about this any info anybody ?
By: David Burke - 19th February 2006 at 16:54
As an incentive to look – she was the last Sycamore to fly in British military service and her last flight was into Torbay . There is one airworthy in Europe
in the same colour scheme (XG544).
By: T6flyer - 19th February 2006 at 15:36
Still havent found out where the Sycamore went to….
Weather wasnt very good this morning to take photos of the Castle Air Lightning. Will try later in the week.
Martin
By: Thunderbird167 - 19th February 2006 at 08:14
Flambards Widgeon
The ex-Flambards Widgeon was G-APTW which was moved to the North East Aircraft Museum.
There are two other survivors in this country one at the Helicopter Museum and one AT Filxton with the Norfolk and Suffolk aircraft museum.
By: ZRX61 - 17th February 2006 at 16:59
Just thought of something ya might want to investigate….
As you come into Downderry from the East along the coast there is some strange tunnel hidden away behind some weeds.
You come down the hill around the hairpin bend & just as you get to the bottom of that particular hill there is a large concrete building to your left that was built during WWII. A friends band used to use it for band practice back in the ’70’s…. I’m guessing it was maybe 100 yards or so downhill from the hairpin…
However, on the other side of the road, at the base of the hill was a pair of large green wooden doors, I seem to recall the doors faced East & whatever was behind then went back under that hill… Never did get around to trying to get in there & always wondered what was there… This would be below those houses that Ernie built on top of the cliffs… There were also a couple of buildings up on top of the cliffs & inland by about 1/2 mile or so that were definatley “Ministry”….
Those doors were maybe 20ft from the road…
:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:
By: ZRX61 - 17th February 2006 at 16:45
So whats then old man driving these days? Last time I was there (’70’s) he had the Countach, Pantera, Trans Am, AM & a Gilburn.
Was with Guy & his mum once in the Aston & discovered that if you held the horn button & switched it back & forth between “town” & “country” it sounded just like a cop siren & people got out the way…..
By: T6flyer - 17th February 2006 at 12:38
It is indeed. Used to be the family home of the Foot family (ie Issac father of Michael the politician).
Martin
By: ZRX61 - 17th February 2006 at 01:13
So is that house Ernie’s *country pile” these days?
By: T6flyer - 16th February 2006 at 20:16
Two more of the Callington Lightning
Martin
By: ZRX61 - 16th February 2006 at 15:48
What a small world it is. Kid’s name was infact Guy and his Dad was and is Ernie Marshall (property developer in Devon and Cornwall and builder of the house I live in). Mr Marshall was involved with the Lightning Flying Club with Barry Pover and I believe helped in the purchase of the Lightning spares from Binbrook which have since gone out to South Africa along with G-LTNG.
Its his Lightning which is the one at Callington.
Martin
Yup, Guy was one year behind me at Torpoint school when I graduated in ’76 (fine Summer that was). I was living in Downderry at the time & had the pleasure of a few rides in Ernie’s Countach (& one of his Pantera’s) between the pub in Seaton, or the Copley in Hessenford & the end of Trelidden Lane where I lived.
Me & Guy even shared a couple of temporary girlfriends from the holiday village/dump in Seaton.. :diablo: Hell, I even remember the name of one of em, Cindy McLellan from Loughborough…had the body of a porn star & a face that would stop a clock…
Did you ever hear the story of how one of Pantera’s was wrecked? That would be the 2nd one, he sold the first one because it didn’t have a phone & the waiting list to get one was about 9 months, so he bought the second one because it already had a phone in it…
So he builds those 2 houses up on top of the cliffs, & everyone expects them to be on the beach after the first Winter storm. Next Spring both houses are still standing so he starts to build more houses further down the hill from his place.
One morning he came outside to drive someplace & finds his Pantera missing, as he turns to go back inside to call the cops he sees it about 100 yards further down the hill…. embedded in a pile of bricks stacked next to the curb….the handbrake had failed & the car had rolled away….promptly being stopped by a the rather large pile of bricks.. that HE owned.. 😀
He doesn’t like being reminded of that story… LOL!!
By: T6flyer - 16th February 2006 at 13:20
Lived in Tremar back in the 70’s. Rumour has it that the father of a kid I went to school with in Torpoint had a Lightning on a stick. Guy by the name of Ernie Marshal in Downderry, bit of a property tycoon back in the day, he had a Countach in ’76…
What a small world it is. Kid’s name was infact Guy and his Dad was and is Ernie Marshall (property developer in Devon and Cornwall and builder of the house I live in). Mr Marshall was involved with the Lightning Flying Club with Barry Pover and I believe helped in the purchase of the Lightning spares from Binbrook which have since gone out to South Africa along with G-LTNG.
Its his Lightning which is the one at Callington.
Martin
By: ZRX61 - 16th February 2006 at 04:08
Lived in Tremar back in the 70’s. Rumour has it that the father of a kid I went to school with in Torpoint had a Lightning on a stick. Guy by the name of Ernie Marshal in Downderry, bit of a property tycoon back in the day, he had a Countach in ’76…
By: T6flyer - 15th February 2006 at 21:14
The House in St Cleer is owned by Roy Flood who at the time owned Castle Motors and Castle Air (As used in Treasure Hunt with Anneka Rice).
Roy also had a Sycamore from Torbay in the grounds which has disappeared.
I had a look at these, with the permission of Roy, some years ago when en-route to Flambards Theme Park to move the Whirlwind HAR9 and Widgeon.
If T6Flyer asks at Castle Motors it might be possible to visit the house to see the Lightning up close and find out where the Sycamore went.
The house is now owned by one of Roy’s nephews and I’m in contact daily with one of his sons. I have thought about asking to have a closer look at the Tremar (St Cleer) machine, but just haven’t got around to asking. Probably wouldn’t be a problem.
Funny that you have mentioned the Sycamore, we (myself and Mr Flood) were talking about it down the pub last night and he cant remember where the helicopter went to. I’ve asked time and time again, as its the only thing that is lost in W&R, so hopefully by next week I will be able to tell you more. As far as he could remember it went somewhere to be rebuilt to flying condition, but where he cant recall. Think we had had too much to drink by then!!:)
The Flood family still owns both Castle Air and the connected Castle Motors.
Best wishes,
Martin
By: Rlangham - 15th February 2006 at 16:49
Didn’t know Flambards ever had a Wigeon, is this the one now in the Helicopter Museum?
By: Thunderbird167 - 15th February 2006 at 14:34
The House in St Cleer is owned by Roy Flood who at the time owned Castle Motors and Castle Air (As used in Treasure Hunt with Anneka Rice).
Roy also had a Sycamore from Torbay in the grounds which has disappeared.
I had a look at these, with the permission of Roy, some years ago when en-route to Flambards Theme Park to move the Whirlwind HAR9 and Widgeon.
If T6Flyer asks at Castle Motors it might be possible to visit the house to see the Lightning up close and find out where the Sycamore went.
By: Rlangham - 15th February 2006 at 12:50
Pic at the bottom of the page of the Wonderland Lightning, with an FSM Hurricane as well
By: TEXANTOMCAT - 15th February 2006 at 12:38
Callington XR755 F.6 w/overwing tanks
Castle motors XS936 F.6
Tremar XR751 F.3
Ex Tremar is XS919 F.6 now at ‘The Wonderland Pleasure Park;, Farnsfield, Mansfield Notts
(am working on Harvard update for W&R 20 for K.E. hence copy by computer!)
TT
By: T6flyer - 15th February 2006 at 12:24
Wouldn’t like to have been the poor crane driver who had to gain access to two those for unloading…. or did they fly in…lol? :diablo:
There were four aircraft originally – one went straight to Castle Motors, 2 to the house at St Cleer and the other to the property at Callington. This as correctly spotted has overwing tanks. All I remember seeing going past my house on lowloaders circa 1986? and from what I can remember cost £5000 each minus their engines.
One of the St Cleer ones, went to a new owner at Torpoint and now I believe is in a museum in Northern England. Should keep a copy of W&R by the side of my desk at work, shouldn’t I?
By: T6flyer - 15th February 2006 at 12:20
nice photos 🙂
i bet you caused a stir, circling while hanging the old box browning out of the window.cannot wait for the better ones and hearing how you buzzed the roof tops in the press 😀 😀
dave……………..
Will try again when the weather shall we say is a little warmer and the visibility a lot clearer. Photos were taken through perspex (Robin HR200) and at 1500′. Might try with a different camera and with a Cub with the door open for the next ones.
There will no buzzing of roofs of course as persons involved would like to keep hold of their licences and anyway it would take weeks for the news to trickle out of Cornwall if any wrongdoing was undertaken (we’ve only just got colour Television down here :)).
Best wishes,
Martin
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February 13, 2006 at 7:52 pm