Blackbushe 70s

Having had a quick Google I’ve established that “DW-A” is/was:

VX281
D-CACO
G-BCOW
N281L
G-RNHF
c/n ES.3615

I”MW-S” was another aircraft altogether (I think) ex VX302 – photos taken at Old Warden although it was one imported from Germany by Doug Arnold.

G-BCOW was sold to Spencer Flack so prob the same airframe

Doug Arnold aka Fairoaks aviation / Warbirds of GB had 4 seafury TT20

G-BCKG ES8509
G-BCKH ES8502
G-BCOV ES3613
G-BCOW ES3615

Ahhhhh them was the days as a young lad asking Stewart Marshal the airport manager if we could visit the hangers and being given a lift down in the roller by Mr A despite the protests from Reg in the tower that he was not giving way to aircraft 🙂

The reason why he had a new roller every year was the fact they were never designed to run on 100LL which he used to fill up on 😉

Thanks for this thread you brought back many happy memories from my late teens early twenties

Sea Fury id’s

Having had a quick Google I’ve established that “DW-A” is/was:

VX281
D-CACO
G-BCOW
N281L
G-RNHF
c/n ES.3615

I took that photo on 15 August 1976 (hot summer that year!)

“252” is/was:

VX300
D-CAMI
G-BCKH
N46690
N62147
N924G
c/n ES.8502

Photo taken on the same day (Blackbushe Fly-In)

“MW-S” was another aircraft altogether (I think) ex VX302 – photos taken at Old Warden although it was one imported from Germany by Doug Arnold.

There were at least two ex-German two-seater Sea Furies with drop tanks at Blackbushe, so these would be good candidates?

I was always lead to believe they were the same aircraft???

The first two were taken at Blackbushe – the camo one at the same time as the Spitfire and the Meteor – FAA example was on another visit.

I think the camo one was later sold on / operated by Mike Stowe as shown in the following two shots:

Anyone out there to confirm the identities? (It was a long time ago!)

Thanks for the pics. I have got some similar rather dark ones of my own but I didn’t have a very good quality lens then so they aren’t that great. I never did manage to visit when the CASA 211s were present.
Some of the aircraft seemed to move around a bit occassionally. The “Luftwaffe” CASA N9+AA was parked right beside the car park fence at one time and I also have some pictures somewhere of B-17 G-FORT parked by the fence as well. There was also the Dan Air Comet acquired for the proposed museum. I turned up one day to find that the Comet had gone except for the mainwheel bogies which were still on the hardstanding exactly where they had been when the rest of the Comet was attached as if they had cut the U/C legs and left the bogies behind.

Blackbushe was an interesting place in those days but it was a shame that it was so difficult to get to view the real treasures that were kept there and I always longed to get proper access to photograph the Casa 352s, Spanish C-47s and the B-25s that were out on the field.

I hope these photos may help, those days were full of interesting stuff. Not a B737 or A320 to be seen !

Two more Blackbushe Sea Furies

The first two were taken at Blackbushe – the camo one at the same time as the Spitfire and the Meteor – FAA example was on another visit.

I think the camo one was later sold on / operated by Mike Stowe as shown in the following two shots:

Anyone out there to confirm the identities? (It was a long time ago!)

I visited with a friend to see the P-47 and the P-51 that became G-PSID shortly after they arrived in the UK. They were locked in a hanger with a couple of very agressive dogs for company but we managed a peek through a small window in the doors. We then drove around the rest of the hangars to see the Fleet 80? and anything else interesting with a Rolls Royce in pursuit but it never actually caught us up so we managed to avoid the legendary tongue lashing from Mr Arnold. Blackbushe was an interesting place in those days but it was a shame that it was so difficult to get to view the real treasures that were kept there and I always longed to get proper access to photograph the Casa 352s, Spanish C-47s and the B-25s that were out on the field.

Meteor WM167

Here she is – judging from the state of the grass this may have been August 1976. Agfa slide film has given the photo an odd cast.

Me too, Lovely man!! Remember one day I popped along to have a look at a Mossi in the hanger, up rolled Doug Arnold in his Roller DA 1 and taught me a few new words 😀
What became of the Mosquito??

Easty

The Mossie was sold and flown to Dayton, Ohio and is now part of the USAF museum. It has been modified to represent a PR.XVI NS519.

Richard

I met Dougie on several occasions when I was flying in and out of Blackbush. He was OK if you were involved in aviation, and he once told me that he changed his ‘Roller’ every year, for a new one, the same colour as the last one. He changed his number plates over so that people would not know he had a new one.
You have to take your hat off, for a man who saved so many warbirds for posterity, even though they didn’t all stay in the UK.

Didn’t he have about a dozen Spits of various marks under restoration there?
Lancaster, Lincoln, Liberator, not to mention the half a dozen Tempests.
A magic place, in the early days of FlyPast every month almost had new developments happening there before they moved to Bittleswell.
Cees

Me too, Lovely man!! Remember one day I popped along to have a look at a Mossi in the hanger, up rolled Doug Arnold in his Roller DA 1 and taught me a few new words 😀
What became of the Mosquito??

Easty

Mark (no relation :))

Ah sounds like Doug Arnold…. I got told to F**k off several times by Mr Arnold.

Me too, Lovely man!! Remember one day I popped along to have a look at a Mossi in the hanger, up rolled Doug Arnold in his Roller DA 1 and taught me a few new words 😀
What became of the Mosquito??

Easty

Doug Arnold

must of caught him on a good day as he gave myself and freind a lift in his roller to the far side hangers

dh83

Ah sounds like Doug Arnold…. I got told to F**k off several times by Mr Arnold.

Mr Arnold had a Mercedes Limo when I hung out there. Although never friendly, he also never ejected me, but I always asked before wandering around…:)

So it is a Meteor. Didn’t know Doug Arnold had one. Can’t say I ever saw it display during the 80’s, 90’s but then it was a rare treat to see any WOGB aircraft at a display. I saw his P38 Miss Behaving in pieces at Evergreen Aviation probably 1998.

I’ve got a shot of the Meatbox – I’ll dig it out. The Spit was easily available as I’d already scanned it for use in the book.

Definately a Meteor. I think Doug Arnold had Meteor NF.11 / TT.20 WM167, which is now of course G-LOSM. Could be that one!?

Rob

So it is a Meteor. Didn’t know Doug Arnold had one. Can’t say I ever saw it display during the 80’s, 90’s but then it was a rare treat to see any WOGB aircraft at a display. I saw his P38 Miss Behaving in pieces at Evergreen Aviation probably 1998.

I used to potter over on my KH250 from RAF Odiham and admire them from a distance in the late 70’s

😀