Biggin Hill 1962/3

I have never met Peter Chinn but I do know the name and I didn’t even live in the area. He seems to have been a larger than life character who I would love to have met.

Thanks John Green

I have subsequently placed information on the sites that you suggested and more but sadly, to date, I have had no luck in finding my father. Here is a link to some pictures of him taken with aircraft in the late 1950’s, maybe jog someones memory? http//www.aireboroughhistoricalsociety.co.uk/yeadon/peter-bennett

Thank you,
Paul Bennett-Todd

Re 18

speeedqn

The name doesn’t ring any immediate bells. If he is still flying and perhaps owns an a/c you might find him listed on G-INFO. Failing that, then the Sally Army are very good at tracing people or an electoral roll search might be fruitful.

Might be worth putting his name on other Forums such as “pprune” or, “flyer”.

Peter Bennett.

I’m looking for Peter Bennett. Any information would be welcomed. He flew out of Biggin Hill, Denham, Croydon, Southend, Yeadon and Church Fenton in the late 1950’s, early 1960’s and would now be aged around 75 or 76. I have a picture of him with a Chipmunk GAOSN and with a Piel Emeraude FBIMG (now GASCZ). I have been looking for him for years without success. A long shot I know but you guys sound like you might have come across him at some point? Thank you and kind regards, Paul.

John…………

Have just PMd you.

Planemike

Planemike

Strewth! What a sleuth! You could charge MI6 big bucks for that kind of detective work!

I’ll try and contact the American owner. I’ll let you know how I get on. Huge thanks.

Willip26

A tear slid down my gnarled old cheek ! That’s the first time I’ve seen PK for fifty years. Do you know if she’s still around? My first solo was in that Chippie. Willip26. I can’t thank you enough.

Have done some sleuthing on G-APPK ( c/n CI 0214 Ex WB764 ). The aircraft is still currently on the US register as N4998T with an owner with a Tulsa OK address. I have not been able to find a photograph.

Here is a link to one in its S&K days. http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1032201/

Planemike

Yes, you are right. An expanding imported population and relaxed residential planning laws could mean that we will gradually lose more airfields to residential development.

Additionally, some airfields lie on top of rich seams of minerals: sand and gravel etc. Orchestrated opposition from communities adjacent to these airfields would seem to be one answer. On the grounds that it is preferable to have a green, open expanse of airfield accompanied by the gentle hum of aero engines rather than the cacophony of heavy goods vehicle traffic and/or, the intrusive presence of a 25,000 strong, extra population to enhance the local amenity value.

OS is certainly not the place that it once was. I’m aware that airfields have to make a living or, be redeveloped or, close. Skydiving seems to have revitalised OS since the last club and school closed. But, as a consequence some of us avoid OS at weekends.

When flying in this country, I try to always use farm strips. The amenities are a bit lacking in many places but this is offset by the genuine warmth of the welcome and the always sensible landing fee.

Because commercial pressures are so intense, I believe that the future of GA lies more with the use of farm strips than with conventional airfields. Consider: if you are the owner of an attractive slice of the Home Counties upon which your airfield struggles to pay its way and the opportunity arises to sell it or develop it and squirrel away 50 million or so in a convenient tax haven – what are you to do?

In terms of available airfields, there has been for many years, too much GA supply, chasing too little GA demand.

I suggest that, part of the process of granting planning consent for re-development which means the loss of an established GA airfield, should be that the developers include financial provision for funds to be given to selected adjacent farm strips to improve amentities, thus making up for that which has been taken away.

£100,000 per farm strip would go a long way to providing a decent small clubhouse and cafeteria and would constitute just a fraction of one percent of the total value of the former GA airfield re-development.

Biggin-Old Sarum

JG interesting that you are now near OS.
Arranged to meet someone there recently (w-end) to find the place full of people.
I thought they were ‘bucking’ the down-turn,but it seems the club is but a shadow of its former self,and the ‘people’ were there to support the parachute activity,with a ‘Caravan’ dropping them like D-Day.
Flying Clubs that kept places like BH and OS going for decades are now becoming the ‘poor relation’ of Aviation.
West of Exeter we will be down to Bodmin as even the club at Perranporth looks like closing soon.
An active club (or clubs) and a proper Airfield Cafe were always the heart of an airfield;when they go its a bleak prospect for the future.

Willip26

Thanks to you, I’m fixed with a dopey grin, as I look at the now framed copy photo of Chippie Papa Kilo perched on the wall next to my 1/72 Mossie.

I think that this photo was taken at Shoreham because that looks like the very distinctive Lancing College building just beyond the North side of the airfield.

If we ever catch up – Old Scarum is my home patch – I’d be more than happy to buy you several pints.

Biggin Gate Guardians

The Hurricane and Spitfire outside St Gerges Chapel were originally genuine examples.
The Hurricane (mk11c) eventually was rebuilt by the Medway group and went to Cosford.
The Spitfire (low back MK16) went to St Athan and its wings went to the BoB flight.
It was unusual for a real Hurricane to be used as a gate guard,the other one being at Bently Priory.
Niether were suitable for use in the 1968 BoB film as their ‘wood and fabric’ element needed complete replacement,and the steel tubes underneath had not fared well outside.
It was the sight of the two original machines parked by the main road that ‘sparked’ my involvement with aviation as a 10 year old,and the memory of seeing them for the first time is still clear in my memory (the gate was open so i was able to walk around them one evening)

Willip26

I did have a look at G-INFO and saw that it had been de-registered but, no other details.

Pobjoy

At one time, your passport must have been well stamped ! The winter that followed my first solo – 62/63 was, like many others, the one that I’ll never forget. I don’t think that much moved at Biggin for about three months.

I’ve still got my Surrey & Kent Club tie from those days. Must now be a collectors item!

Do you remember the ‘gate guardian’ at Biggin? As I recall it was an original Mk 9. It stayed there until it dawned on someone that values were on the up and up and then it was, much later, replaced with a bit of Tupperware and eventually joined by a Tupperware Hurricane ?

Biggest ice cube on wheels

This cold snap reminded me of a similar ‘climate’ in Dec 81 when Biggin was snowed in and the airfield officially closed.
I was allowed in as a special favour (Comper Swift) as Biggin was to be my departure point for an Australia attempt,and landed between 6 ft snow banks.
Anyway what i do remember was the Fire Engine had a frozen water tank and whilst it was thawing someone moved it and this gigantic ‘ice cube’ ‘clonked’ around in the back and nearly had the old girl over.
Finally escaped on the last day of the year (escorted by Cobby in the Proctor) and flew into a well flooded France,and an interesting blast through Syria via the Bekaa valley,just before it all went haywire again.

Silly me I should have remembered that TKR had a nice shiny spinner, which is missing from the sharp end on the photo.

The GINFO registration database shows the Chipmunk was sold to the USA in September 1977 and I have no idea if it still lives on there.

If you google the registration you will find Air-Britain’s photo records have two more shots of it, one of them in the earlier Surrey and Kent blue and yellow scheme.

Wicked Willip :diablo:

TKR

Red helmet is TKR’s spinner.
We used to treat Dunsfold as a ‘warm up’ for the season and were fuelled by a huge stock of those classic ‘Shell’ petrol cans.
I think it was the Families open day for the Airfield and the PFA used to support it as did the TC.
H…o was wearing my Bone Dome,and TKR had a proper harness** hence he is still around.

** The TC Turbs had ‘car type’ belts but TKR had a full Z harness from an ATC Glider that had been updated.It seemed prudent considering the machine spent most of its life below 500 ft!.I do miss her,the fin was still at RH last time i was there.
I had upgraded the engine to a ‘tuned’ 1500 with HC pistons,that gave it some suitable grunt.

Willip26

A tear slid down my gnarled old cheek ! That’s the first time I’ve seen PK for fifty years. Do you know if she’s still around? My first solo was in that Chippie. Willip26. I can’t thank you enough.

Just a couple of photos, which might bring back a few memories.

Firstly the Biggin Hill-based ‘Papa Kilo’ Chipmunk and secondly mainly for pobjoy pete although completely off thread, of his Turbulent TKR, taken at a Dunsfold open day a couple of years before its untimely demise.

Still got that smart red helmet or was it being worn by H…o at the time of tbe accident?

Wicked Willip :diablo:

Biggin Memories

I well remember the Connie and also the Lancaster and Mitchell.
Night flying used ‘the osrams’, and the VOR on the field doubled up as the poor mans ILS.
Although we did not probably appreciate it at the time; Jock’s vision in setting up at Biggin when Croydon closed was one of light aviations all time benefits, and countless PPL’s, Engineers, Instructors,and Commercial types started a lifetime in aviation because of it.
The clubs (over a dozen of them) had a wide variety of machines from Tigers and Austers ‘even a Magister’, Condors, RF5,Chippies,Pups,Aircoupes,Bolkow Junior,Champion Tri-Traveller,Tripacers,plus the newer Cessna,Piper,and Rallye types.
Decca had a Percival Prince,the AA had an Aztec,and then a veritable fleet of Bandits and Chieftains started to appear as commercial companies expanded.
It all happened in two decades,and we shall never see the like of it again.
The Jets are the main players now,but something had to kick it off in 59.

Pobjoy Pete

Blimey ! Reading that was a pleasure! Do you remember the Connie that was parked more or less in the center of the airfield for years ? I forgot to mention Kenley. Yet another destination for spares and maintenance alongside Redhill.

I don’t know whether it was that particular Percival you mentioned or another but, with it, we spent an awful lot of time over at Gatwick – can you imagine that – night flying our way around Southern England. A favourite excursion being Gatwick – Shoreham – Southend – Gatwick.

Did you ever get to see the blackboard on the wall at the White Hart, Brasted? Signed by most of the B of B fighter pilots stationed at Biggin during the war and now, or was, preserved behind a sheet of glass on the wall of the saloon bar?

In those days, part of the student syllabus was recovery from full spins, usually over the Thames at or near Gravesend. All of this at a time – I subsequently discovered – when recovery from an established spin in a Chippie didn’t always have a satisfactory outcome !

I was, throughout my training, immensely impressed by the laid back attitude of our instructors. Or, maybe they were just very good actors! They appeared to more or less let you get on with it. Cross country? Iffy weather? No problem. Chart, ruler, pencil. “can you solve the triangle of velocities?” Ok. Off you go.

As Pobjoy comments: “Happy days indeed”.

Biggin on the bump

When i was a young loon of an Air Cadet gliding at Kenley we used to scrounge lifts over to Biggin on non flying days.
Apart from the types mentioned S&Kent also had a Prentice that PPL’s could hire (imagine that).
Peter Chinn retired to run a grocers shop in Surrey (what a gentleman) and Dillows Cafe was the centre of the airfield action.
With over a dozen clubs and two circuits (radio and non radio(grass) it was the golden days of affordable GA.
Was at Newquay today,and the sight of the Prentice at CAF brought back the memories of the similar type in S&Kents blue and yellow paint scheme,and what a large machine it was/is.
ATC (such as it was) was in a greenhouse alongside the old RAF (South Camp) jet apron,and the whole place was a hive of activity.
Most of us did our PPl’s (and flying schol’s) at Biggin,so the Kenley-Biggin tie in was always there, and Jock gave me my first display booking with the Swift at one of his Air Fairs. VERY happy times.