Bellamy Family Film from the 50s and 60s

Have just obtained a copy of John Isaac’s book AEROPLANE AFFAIR (from the bookshop at YAM at a very good price). It covers his friendship with Viv Bellamy and happenings around the Hampshire Aero Club scene in the 50s & 60s. Well worth a read.

Tales of The Fifties and its sequels make good reading – Tales of the Sixties would be good too if somebody out there can winkle memories out of the protagonists…

AA…. Interesting to see the tale of G-ARIX recounted. Well remembered by all the “spotters” at Eastleigh. I did not see it, arriving on the Eastleigh scene in August 62. I thought Bruce Campbell was on board. Jimmy Douse the CFI of Hampshire AC was certainly on board but not piloting. He, like the others took a swim. However there is a sequel.

In March 63 Bruce Campbell had another attempt at acquiring an amphibian. This time it was the hapless I-FIMA a Piaggio 136F. It was damaged in an accident, not quite as dramatic as with the SCAN 30, but within days of its arrival. As far as I recollect it was dismantled (possibly at BC’s yard, as it never returned to Eastleigh). It was apparently shipped back to Italy from whence it came. Somewhere I have a slide.

I looked out for Stinson Reliant G-AFVT. This was a resident at the time. I enjoyed a 20 minute post CofA test flight. A noisy a/c with its 340 HP Lycoming radial engine but quite quiet in the cabin: effective soundproofing.

Most of the film appears to have been taken prior to August/September 62. At that time Viv Bellamy headed off to Libya on some form of NATO (?) contract, undoubtly aviation related. Wonder if he shot any film out there??

Anyway some wonderful nostalgic stuff from a bygone era and to some of it I can say “I was there !!”…….. Thank you for preparing it and posting it. .

What doesn’t feature in any of the films is the SCAN 30 (a French licence built Grumman Widgeon) G-ARIX which, on 19 May 1961, Viv Bellamy managed to destroy, after a demonstration flight, when it crashed on alighting on the Solent off Calshot. Bruce Campbell, its owner – of just one day – apparently watched it happen and, presumably, was less than impressed. G-ARIX finished upside down and was dragged back to the hard of Bruce Campell’s boat building yard on the Hamble. There, presumably, it was scrapped. Its registration was cancelled in June 1961

I remember seeing the Halcyon being built at Eastleigh in the summer of 1962 I think. I was just a schoolboy spotter and took down the registration G-ARIO which was either written on the fuselage side in chalk, or was on a sign hanging on the aircraft. I think it was written on the fuselage side. I would not have known what I was looking at without that identification.
It was a real scoop for me with my fellow spotter mates back at Elmdon.
This is one of the best threads on this forum, thanks T6 flyer and the Bellamy family for allowing the film to be released.
Happy days.

Something made me think it might be with the Venezuelan airline LAV (Lineas Aereas Venezolanas) and an image Google seems to confirm it ..Probably late 1950s? so my Biafra theory wrong (by a decade? 🙂 ) https://www.airliners.net/photo/Line…tion/2012751/L….and as Lineas Aeropostal Venezolana they did serve Lisbon/Madrid/Rome around 1958 http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/lv/lv58/lv58-1.jpg

Someone asked about the ‘Super g’ – – I think it is in the earlier KLM scheme – with the ‘Flying Dutchman’ on a shield near the nose

http://www.hampshireairfields.co.uk/airfields/xchjp.html

Pictures of the same Flying Flea here, was flown at Christchurch.

The Knight Twister fuselages were still supposed to be stored at Biggin in the late 1970s but despite a very thorough nose around the various accessible hangars and sheds in early ’77 I certainly never found them.

I’d second that – possibly the one that was damaged at Eastleigh in November ’56?

The Ground runner with the red fuselage looks very similar to a Mignet HM360 to me 🙂

A very, very, very long shot – but could it have been one of the Knight Twisters (G-APXZ and G-ARGJ) the completion of which the HAC took on but didn’t, it seems, complete?

AA….. I did think of that one too. I can confirm the two Knight Twisters were there in 1962/3. They simply consisted of welded tubular frames, painted. Stood by the entrance to the club house (entrance actually visible in one the film clips). They had apparently come from the USA. No work was ever carried out to my knowledge. Last I heard was “they went to Biggin Hill”.

A very, very, very long shot – but could it have been one of the Knight Twisters (G-APXZ and G-ARGJ) the completion of which the HAC took on but didn’t, it seems, complete?

I don’t know off hand whether EBB ever flew, it was built in 1936 and cancelled in 1946.

According to Ord-Hume’s book Flying Flea EBB did fly.

Checked the aircraft on the film again: it s NOT a Flying Flea. So the mystery remains. What is it??

The landing and takeoff shot of the Beverley is at Shoreham presumably the airshow visit of 30May1959

If so it was XB289

Presumably G-ACZP was in the pale blue paint scheme when Mr Bellamy acquired it. The landing and takeoff shot of the Beverley is at Shoreham presumably the airshow visit of 30May1959 https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/391109548881055398/ [ATTACH=JSON]{“data-align”:”none”,”data-size”:”full”,”data-attachmentid”:3866130}[/ATTACH][ATTACH=JSON]{“data-align”:”none”,”data-size”:”full”,”data-attachmentid”:3866131}[/ATTACH][ATTACH=JSON]{“data-align”:”none”,”data-size”:”full”,”data-attachmentid”:3866132}[/ATTACH][ATTACH=JSON]{“data-align”:”none”,”data-size”:”full”,”data-attachmentid”:3866133}[/ATTACH]

Does not necessarily rule it out being EBB…….??

I don’t know off hand whether EBB ever flew, it was built in 1936 and cancelled in 1946.

Does not necessarily rule it out being EBB…….??

No…sir !!! The Halcyon was twin engined, two Walter Mikons as I recall. I think the clip I am referring to is around the same place.
Looking at it again, reckon it could be a Flying Flea (to you AA, un Pou de Ciel !!). Seem to remember an ATC squadron in Sot’on
were rumored to have one, could be the one. On checking likely to be EBB which is now with Shuttleworth.

It would not be EBB. EBB was rescued from an attic in Church St. In Southampton by the ATC and later ‘lent’ to Shuttleworth (and never returned!).

G-AIYR was probably dong joy rides at Lands End/St Just when I was there; I didn’t get a ride in it and in Kenya I missed out in a ride in the Rapide John English latterly operated out of East London in South Africa. Tanzanian registered I think it was at the time. Finally got to the sample the breed via the excellent offices of the late Mike Hood in G-AIDL at Biggin in ’84.