Rollason Turbulent

G-AREZ lost yesterday 

Incident Druine D.31 Turbulent (mod.) G-AREZ, 08 Jul 2021 (aviation-safety.net)

By: J Boyle – 25th June 2019 at 00:03  – Edited 25th June 2019 at 21:13

Since this thread has been started, Google has made available all the back issues of Flying magazine, so you can read James Gilbert’s excellent 1971 story and see his photos of G-ASAM that I mentioned in post #14.

https://books.google.com/books?id=_x…’s&f=false

Lovely color photography and a reprint of the nine-ship formation.

A marvellous article. G-ASAM had different rudder pedals which allowed a slightly taller pilot to squeeze in. Leg length was the problem and knees jammed uncomfortably under the instrument panel were a limit to endurance for a lanky pilot. Even then I had to take all of the cushions out which made it even more uncomfortable, another pilot used to take his shoes off as well! Notwithstanding this the aeroplane is, as James Gilbert says, a delight to fly, his description including the aeroplane’s foibles is marvellously reminiscent of my experiences in it. He was I thought a bit harsh on the Condor though!

Nice find. I love the body language of “i might as well sit here then”  

By: 2hotwot – 5th April 2008 at 21:35

I remember seeing a photo of Robin D’Erlanger sitting on the top combing of the Turb whilst floating in the channel awaiting rescue. His friends not being able to do much else circled and photographed him whilst help came.

It’s taken me a while to produce the photo (well, it wasn’t actually me who found it – see http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=15801.0) but here it is – the teenage Mr d’Erlanger sitting it out. I wonder if the photograph was taken by his Tiger Club chums circling above him or from the Norwegian or Danish tanker that pulled him and G-APZZ out of the drink?

I must assume that no-one can.

Does anyone know anything about a collision on take-off at Fairoaks on 6 September 1959 between Turbulent G-APBZ (the one subsequently damaged beyond repair making a forced landing on the beach at Berck-sur-Mer in 1963) and Tiger Moth G-ANDG. The Tiger Moth was damaged beyond repair, its registration being cancelled as PWFU the next month, but evidently the Turbulent lived to fly again.

Just bumping this request in case anyone can help.

Chris Paul did ‘IVW’s first flight with floats from Lee-on-Solent on 20 July 1963 (I was the merest twinkle in the eyes of my parents at the time!), so I’d agree the pic is probably Spring ’63.

I think the floats were acquired from Aeronca Sedan G-AREX imported from Canada in 1961.

I think the photo in # 38 maybe after 1958. I remember seeing the Sea Tiger IVW at Lee on Solent in April 63 and seem to remember it was fairly “hot off the press” then.

Since this thread has been started, Google has made available all the back issues of Flying magazine, so you can read James Gilbert’s excellent 1971 story and see his photos of G-ASAM that I mentioned in post #14.

https://books.google.com/books?id=_x…’s&f=false

Lovely color photography and a reprint of the nine-ship formation.

Rolly’s hangar at Croydon! I spent some time in there, although by the time I arrived (Jan 1967), the Turbs were gone and it was Condors, Condors and more Condors and the occasional severely broken Stampe or Tiger Moth. Some bent Jodels but not many. We brought a bunch of Stampes back from Belgium around 1970 and they were converted to Tiger Club Stampes with the sunburst paint scheme and the Gipsy engine with the inverted oil system. Quite a few Tigers and at least one Puss Moth were rebuilt and exported to the US. Wish I’d taken more pictures of my time there.
RB.

Rollasons circa 1958? [ATTACH=JSON]{“data-align”:”none”,”data-size”:”full”,”data-attachmentid”:3866327}[/ATTACH]

Does anyone know anything about a collision on take-off at Fairoaks on 6 September 1959 between Turbulent G-APBZ (the one subsequently damaged beyond repair making a forced landing on the beach at Berck-sur-Mer in 1963) and Tiger Moth G-ANDG. The Tiger Moth was damaged beyond repair, its registration being cancelled as PWFU the next month, but evidently the Turbulent lived to fly again.

Thank you avion and Ewan, and of course I’m delighted to read after all these years, that the pilot survived.

SeaFuryFan,

The Turb you saw crash was G-ATKR, crashed at Shoreham 10th August 1975. I know the pilot and he’s still with us if its the same accident.

Off topic…..Wing Cdr Arthur….he did my PPL test flight in ’57 – I passed with the proviso I did one more dual flight for cross wind landing, because on my test I messed it up! Those were the days.
Keith

I suspect, Seafuryfan, that you’re thinking of G-ASDB. This 1964 Rollason Turbulent belonged to the Tiger Club and crashed at Shoreham on 11 August 1968 during one of the club’s displays. It was engaged in balloon bursting when a balloon was caught on one wing, acting as a spoiler, which caused it to crash. Arnold Green was its pilot. He was killed as a result of the crash. This is referred to above by Ewan Hoozarmy and the late Phil Ansell (Willip26).

I wonder, R6915, if the Turbi would have been G-APFA, which is recorded as having been constructed by Britten Norman in 1957. If it had a canopy, rather than an open cockpit, it’s most likely to have been that one.

A long time ago ( mid 1950’s?) one of the old ITV companies broadcast a general affairs programme each week. I seem to remember that a former Fleet Air Arm pilot (Hopkinson ??) who had two prosthetic legs? Fronted an occasional short film from the Isle of Wight where a group of amateurs (a technical college student group??) contructed a Turbi. Am I correct or is that a fantasy? But if I’m correct in only some details is there a slim chance that some of these short films still exist in an archive?

At that time school friends and I used to haunt Fairoaks at weekends. Mr. Jones was often there sitting on the grass talking to Universal Flying Services CFI Wing Cdr Arthur who apprently had bee installed there since the year dot. We used to talk with anyone we could. Mike Hawthorn (remember that racing driver from Farnham?) had a Fairchild Argus, the Autombile Association had (to my mind anyway) their superbly liveried Dragon Rapide (and the pilot had to wear putees just like the motorcycle mobile repair squads!) . Turbi’s used to arrive at odd times along with Tiger Moth’s galore and many other forgotten types and famous pilots. The sun always used to shine as well – great times!

(Note: Memory a bit dodgy)…I recall a Turbulent accident in the mid-seventies at Shoreham, certainly much later than ’68 (I was an early ‘teen, and saw MH434 in Swire markings at the same show). Although I was away from the crowd-line, I clearly remember a Turbulent mush in, during what appeared to be a tight right turn at low level. It possibly occurred during a line-up to land manoeuvre. Bits of Turbulent briefly fluttered about, and that was that, hardly a sound. We later heard that the pilot died on the way to hospital. I hope it wasn’t so. As was the way in those days, MH434 took off soon after followed by a classic Williams/Hanna routine.

G-APTZ PFA 508 D.31 w/o Headcorn 15/3/2008 – the remains got moved on from Headcorn and maybe one day will be resurrected.

Turbulents

Dont forget the homebuilds too.

I used to fly a 1959 French homebuild G-ASTA at Rochester in the 70’s.

I saw it not so many years ago looking pristine. It was a real dog then….

HP