Mysterious Demise Of A Pou De Ciel

Definitely Brodhead, but no mention of a Flea in the Museum. Wonder what the connection could be?

http://www.brodheadhistory.org/bhsimages/search_results.php?searchterm=depot_museum

Hello,
I`ve been in touch with Billy Dulles who tells me that G AEOH, two Scott engines, all my bits and a HM263 Morrocan Pou (what ever that might be,) were sold to a Don Campbell of Broadhead, Wisconsin, USA who has a small aviation museum.
I wonder if the 2CV Pou builder could say to which end of the engine he attached the propeller and did he remove the flywheel? How did the 2CV engine cope with thrust on the crankshaft, and what about the ignition system?
Thanks, Dave Tigwell.

Fascinating – I’ll have to see if I can re-acquaint myself with G-AEOH when I’m next in Wisconsin (is it Broadhead or Brodhead?). In the meantime this is how she looked on 31 May 1970 at Baginton:

And I’ve added a few more Poux shots (sorry about the thread-creep)

G-AXPG at Southend Historic Aircraft Museum, 27 May 1972:

HM-280 in the Musee de l’Air, Chalais Meudon, 30 June 1973 (allegedly used by the French Resistance!):

F-WYGA, HM-293, aerodrome near Paris in June 1969:

The HM 200 series fleas are all the modern butchered and stretched ones.

mike E

I suspect that the Moroccan one was a Mignet HM.293. I’m not aware of the designation HM.263 having been used in the Mignet development of the original Pou du Ciel.

Pou du Ciel G AEOH

Hello,
I`ve been in touch with Billy Dulles who tells me that G AEOH, two Scott engines, all my bits and a HM263 Morrocan Pou (what ever that might be,) were sold to a Don Campbell of Broadhead, Wisconsin, USA who has a small aviation museum.
I wonder if the 2CV Pou builder could say to which end of the engine he attached the propeller and did he remove the flywheel? How did the 2CV engine cope with thrust on the crankshaft, and what about the ignition system?
Thanks, Dave Tigwell.

Are plans available for free?

G AEOH

I only had the fuselage in my workshop, Billy may have kept other parts at Slade House. What I saw up in the loft was a jumble of parts including a bare steel tube fuselage which I understood to belong with the other, wooden, bits.
G AEOH was dark blue with silver lettering all right. I removed hundreds of lovely little brass pins during the reconstruction, of a pattern no longer available. I still have lots of them. One of the Scott engines was almost certainly Gordy`s original by the sound of it.
While I remember it, the Cotswold Aircraft Restoration Group had a flea at RAF Innsworth that once belonged to the Skyfame Museum at Staverton. It was poorly constructed and was “recovered” in orange nylon, stapled on! The group was run by my boss, John Eagles and was mainly concerned with the restoration to flying condition of a Miles Messenger. John Eagles was a fine engineer and a lovely chap to work for. He had a bit of the hanger partitioned off to house his secret Tiger Moth collection which consisted of enough wings, fuselages, engines and bits to build at least three aeroplanes. Dave Tigwell.

Some years back I heard reports that Shuttleworth’s Pou did, illegally, fly in the hands of one of their now deceased engineers :eek:. Unfortunately for him, the flight was recorded on film and a reprimand was issued! 😉

Searching against ‘Mignet’ on the G-INFO website reveals seven currently UK registered, namely one HM.293 (G-AXPG) and six HM.1000 Balerits. However as most will be homebuilt, I suppose there is the possibility that there are others registered under a type name other than Mignet.

AA, three more appear under ‘De-Registered Aircraft’
G-BWRI D 01 MIGNET HM-19C
G-MZPB D 124 MIGNET HM-1000 BALERIT
G-MZTA D 120 MIGNET HM-1000 BALERIT

G-AEBT was a largely midlands based Flying Flea. It doesn’t seem to have received an A to F but that doesn’t seem to have been much of an impediment to aerial activity (like other natives of those parts, the Taylor Wagtail and the Burgoyne-Stirling Dicer!). It was built at Solihull, tested at Walsall and had a Brummie owner by 1937. It survived the war and lasted until 1951 – when it was, according to A.J.Jackson, “destroyed by the weather”. Can anyone elaborate upon this short, rather bland but curious description of its demise?

Hello, I am a newcomer to the forum, but I was searching the web for aircraft that I worked on as an apprentice during 1951 at Blackpool. If this is the same aircraft, then I think I was the last person to speak to the pilot before he died over the Irish Sea, on his way to see the TT races in the Isle of Man. If you wish to know more about the incident, please contact me.

Best wishes,

David Dixon.

But what about G-AEBT?

I can provide a little more info on G-AEOH:
The 2000 edition of the Air Britain UK register (sorry I do not have a more up to date one) shows EOH in the ownership of Billy Dulles of Diemme France. The power plant is shown as a Praga B 40hp. The entry also states “”
Reproduction using original wings / extant 1995 “”.

I am sure a forumite will have a more up to date A/B register they can check. Wonder if Avion Ancien knows more ???

Planemike

PS Apologies for thread drift………!!

Another one which went missing was G-AEOH, also flown from Walsall by builder/pilot R.C.Streather. I sold it to Roger Windley around 1978 but recent enquiries came up blank. Roger sold it but can’ remember when or to whom.

Maybe a tiny trace:
It’s about a SCOTT A2S Flying Squirrel – 1935, 28hp,
(that once was)
Midland Air Museum: in Flying Flea G-AEOH
http://www.crossandcockade.com/files/UK%20ENGINES.doc

Another one which went missing was G-AEOH, also flown from Walsall by builder/pilot R.C.Streather. I sold it to Roger Windley around 1978 but recent enquiries came up blank. Roger sold it but can’ remember when or to whom.

You may well be right but, if so, it’s stretching a point to describe the cause of its demise as “the weather”. The fact that such a curious cause was attributed led me to suspect that either Jackson hadn’t got a clue or there was some fascinating story behind it that he felt he could not disclose. But maybe the truth is that it was much more mundane!

I would think that the casein glue got damp and it fell to piece’s. The fate of many old wooden aircraft.

dave

Ah well!

Well I wonder whether the ‘Treaure Trove’ was struck by lightning or flooded or blown away or suchlike? The dichotomy between the info from the boss and the account of A.J.Jackson makes this more interesting still! Further input anxiously awaited!

Ken Ellis’ part work spread throughout Air Britain quarterly circa 1998-2003 has this info’ for G-AEBT (plus a photo if you need it)……