Hello,

As a former owner of a Rollason-built, former Tiger Club Turbulent I can offer some clarification to this question. Yes, the Rollason built aircraft are operated on a Permit to Fly with a CAA exemption that allows them to be ‘hired’ by members of the Tiger Club, an original arrangement negotiated by Norman Jones with the then ARB. The same rule also applied to a certain extent for the Rollason built Beta. Rollason-built Turbulents that are not owned or operated by the Tiger Club cannot be operated on a commercial basis as the exemption only applies to the club and its members.

The aircraft were manufactured by Rollasons who as such had the necessary ARB/CAA approval for aircraft manufacture and were therefore able to produce what was effectively a certificated aircraft in their production facilities at Croydon and Redhill. Three Turbulents that Rollasons built (G-ARLZ, G-AWPA, G-AWPB) were to their D.31A specification that featured the strengthend wing spar, a starter, radio and a brake system adapted from the Fournier RF4. The A-model was created from the outset as a certificated C of A aircraft that could be leased to flying clubs much in the same way as the Rollason Condor, however take up was poor and ‘PA and ‘PB were the last ‘official’ Rollason built Turbulents. The early Rollason-built Turbulents made use of quite a few small Tiger Moth parts in their construction as these spares were plentiful in the Rollason stores!

The Turbulent was also built under license in Germany in similar numbers to the Rollason production run and these Starck built aricraft were also built as a certificated aeroplanes.

Chris