I knew Tubby Simpson when I was a child. Elstree was my father’s aerodrome. The BoB aircraft were always known as Simpson’s air force.
I was taken round the lot at Duxford one time. There was one Buchon(Bf109) on trestles in a rather sad state after a wheels-up landing.
But they had just held a minute’s silence for the pilot of one of the Buchons which had crashed killing the pilot.
Also, it wasn’t the stress of the film that gave Tubby his final heart attack. One of the light civil aircraft he maintained had crashed and the family of one of those who died started a court case against him alleging culpable failure of responsibility. It looked as though Tubby would lose his business, Simpson’s Aero Services, and his livelihood. I wish I’d known him as I am now.
Mike