Crunchie display team

As told to me, said instructor was flying for the Crunchies / Utterleys on one of the days when the girls made a transit in the harnesses.

Since it was a fairly unchallenging flight a small degree of boredom started to creep in and Pilot X found most of his attention fastening on the leather clad rump ahead of and above him.

On hitting a small lump in the air he was entranced to note the movement of flesh within leather. Not finding another lump coming quickly enough he experimented (satisfactorily) with manufacturing another lump by use of stick and rudder.

Eventually, and after a little practice, by deft manipulation of the controls he found he was able to establish a very satisfactory rotating motion within the leather suit. :diablo: :diablo: :diablo:

I just so want it to be true. 😉

Moggy

:dev2: Moggy,
It certainly has not but then, what self respecting daughter ever tells her dad anything of real interest other than what birthday present she would kill for. I must say the leather outfits made me blush at times as they strained to climb up to the rig. Tried to persuade them to have a bad weather alternative of rubber and pvc but they all gave me funny looks and did not speak to me for days.
I met the Hollander outfit in Sweden three weks ago. They fly a single 450hp Grumman Agcat with a rig and two wing riders who are gorgeous Swedish girls. One blonde and one brunette. Again tight suits are de rigeur and their smoke system would empty an Esso road tanker if they went on any longer. Ljungbyhed aerodrome went IFR for 10 minutes till it cleared a bit. Magic.
Cheers,
Trapper 69
PS – OK Moggy I understand. It takes a fair amount of bottle to ride the rig, still less do the cockpit/rig/cockpit transfers. Brendan O’Brien split his jeans seam when he did it and I was unfortunate enough to be his chauffeur. With Brendans dimensions it was a veeeery difficult transfer but he loved the aerobatics.

Has the (perfectly decent) story of my Yak Instructor and the leather-clad posterior of a young woman not unkown to you, ever reached your ears Skybolt?

I can also assure you that the ‘quest for a trip on top’ is most certainly not mine
😮

Moggy

Moggy,
You really are a crawler in your quest for a trip on top. Seriously though, your comments are well made since without sponsorship all our professional UK airshow acts would just disappear and we would all be much the poorer. I am sure Helen and Vic will appreciate your plea. Incidentally anyone could always write to AeroSuperBatics at THe Old Engine House, Rendcomb Aerodrome, The Whiteway, Rendcomb, Cirencester, Gluocestershire for a signed photograph anytime. They are up to their eyeballs in airshows now but if you give them a bit of time I am sure the Aerobabes will oblige……………but only with a photo…………..sod it…………..!!!!
Cheers,
Trapper 69 (and a proud dad………!!!)

Just a small point here.

Assuming that you use a butter substitute (as I do) I sincerely hope that each of us ensures that nothing other than Utterly Butterly is used in our households?

Substituting this brand for any of the others is a simple, zero cost way for us to support people who are putting good money into aviation.

Moggy

Yep, I’m sure I saw the LVG and the Pup in the background.

IIRC the Stearman in that had dummy machine-guns fitted in place over the front cockpit, and because they flash at one point (as well as having post-production sound effects) I’m assuming the guns were fitted with strobes or propane-firing?

Geoff
Yes Biggles featured John Jordan flying his Stearman G-AROY in “appropriate” markings as the German “von Stallein” or something not too dissimilar… (an unusual film indeed – and yes I own a copy as I’ve flown the Stearman – one circuit at Cranfield when a ‘Spacey’)
It also had set dressing of several Shuttleworth aircraft and modified Stampes (with a rear gunner) and the aforementioned Bell 206 Jet Ranger.
OAW

No one has mentioned one of the nicest colour schemes and for that matter sponsors many moons ago and that, on a single Stearman, was the motoring journal “Car magazine”. Gorgeous blue with really great air brush artwork.
I probably have some prints of it somewhere but they are not catalogued and sit in their original packets. Perhaps some keen retired gentleman might like to undertake a real labour of love with my assistance, and that of my 23 volumes of logbooks, on captions
I took it to Newtownards and Baldonnel one year where it was plastered with temporary fablon logos for an Irish company, “Electravision” or something like it. No doubt someone out there will have the odd photo but it all predated digital and to scan all of my photos would need at least the surplus Met Office Cray supercomputer recently retired and replaced.
AeroSuperBatics, which is the operator of the teams four 450hp Stearman’s, is run by Vic Norman, aviator extraordinaire. He has attracted many sponsors over the years, far more than any other airshow team. This year the “Utterly Butterlies” will give well over 100 displays all over the UK, Ireland and Western Europe.
Cheers,
Trapper 69

Geoff, did you never see that God-awful Biggles film then?? (says he who rather shamefacedly admits to owning it! :D)

“If you can Fly a Sopwith Camel then you can fly anything!” :diablo:

Cue Jet Ranger at Tower Bridge…..with big light/speaker thingy

Geoff, did you never see that God-awful Biggles film then?? (says he who rather shamefacedly admits to owning it! :D)

I did see it a long time ago, though I can’t remember how much of it I saw. I take it they had Stearmans in that then??

Geoff.

Wonder how pleased the Utterly Butterly company would be to know that I and many I know referred to the current team as ‘the Crunchies’ for quite a while after the sponsorship had changed…!

Same here! I met and saw them a few times at airshows around ’93/’94 and always referred to them as the Crunchies since. I guess I will have to change that!

One of the guys on the DBAF team then had a bit of a crush on one of said crunchies, but he crashed… 😀

Re my first photo, if addition you faired the front cockpit over, added spats, a headrest for the pilot, some dummy guns, and painted it in WW2 Italian fighter colours, I reckon you’d end up with a pretty good looking ‘Fighter’. Any Stearman owners out there want to give it a try?

Or how about a Bede BD-5J in German WW2 markings as a stablemate of the Me163!!

Geoff.

Geoff, did you never see that God-awful Biggles film then?? (says he who rather shamefacedly admits to owning it! :D)

I prefer thinking about a chocolate bar than a butter subsitute. But then who’s thinking of the sponsors?

Re my first photo, if addition you faired the front cockpit over, added spats, a headrest for the pilot, some dummy guns, and painted it in WW2 Italian fighter colours, I reckon you’d end up with a pretty good looking ‘Fighter’. Any Stearman owners out there want to give it a try?

Or how about a Bede BD-5J in German WW2 markings as a stablemate of the Me163!!

Geoff.

Check list;

1. Attractive women- check

2. Skin-tight clothing- check

3. Proceed to display said women as specs in the sky- damn, something wrong there!

:p

Useless fact:

The Utterly Butterly scheme was designed by top airbrush artist Phillip Castle, who often used 1930s aircraft in his illustrations.

Thanks for the info and photos everyone.

I never had a clue that the Crunchie and Utterlie Butterlie teams were the same team.

Biggin Hill 19.6.94

The first is N5057V & the second is N707TJ

Geoff.

Not found any photos of the Chrunchie scheme, but here’s the previous Yugo one, at Yeovilton in 1988. Looks a pit dull compared to todays flash paint job doesn’t it!

Daz, you know you can’ stand up there WITH the girls. It is one or the other!