While Duxford was in full swing yesterday afternoon my mate phoned me from Great Easton near Dunmow, home of Taylors Rolls Royce garage. Apparently they were having a bit of a party yesterday, and while he was taking his dog for a walk, was subjected to what he described as some awesome low level aerobatics by a spitfire, though he admitted he couldn’t tell the difference between that and a hurricane, but I could hear the sound of a merlin over the phone, even though this is near the end of Stansted runway.This was followed by what I think was a Pitts special, yellow Extra and a JET powered microlight.
Does anyone know anything about this?
By: gdenney - 13th May 2005 at 16:22
Sopwith Dove
I think it’s P & A Wood Ltd at Great easton nr Dunmow –
well known Merlin restorers and IIRC the Sopwith Dove repro at Shuttleworth is also owned by them.
Do you mean this Sopwith Dove?
Glenn
By: DGH - 10th May 2005 at 08:43
Nice piccie Janie. My work used to take me into there premises on a regular basis years ago when TD248 was there. Not long after they acquired a Hunter. I’ve always hoped that would appear in there showroom one day but unless I’ve just missed it it never has.
By: Chipmunk Carol - 9th May 2005 at 22:08
At one time the Woods had Spitfire TD248 in there Showroom!
Can’t do TD248. Will AR614 do?
By: Charlielima5 - 9th May 2005 at 21:38
The occasion at Great Easton was a unique ‘one-off’ event to mark the 50th anniversary of the Rolls-Royce Slver Cloud and the Bentley S Type motor cars. A large number of guests (many being R-R or Bentley owners and therefore customers of P&A Wood) were specially invited to attend and my wife and I were lucky enough to be included.
Among the attractions specially laid on were ground-running demos by a R-R Merlin 35 (owned by David Corbett) and an 80hp Le Rhone rotary (owned by Andrew Wood) plus Brooklands Museum’s Napier-Railton’s Napier Lion aero engine.
This was followed by an impressive air display featuring Charlie Brown flying a Spitfire Vb from Duxford, Stewart Luck flying Andrew Wood’s ex-Bentley Motors DH60G Gipsy Moth G-ABAG, Dennis Neville doing aerobatics in his own Chipmunk, Denny Dobson with his yellow Extra 300 and last but not least the incredible Microjet ‘Jetbug’! The latter is actually a gas turbine-powered hang glider (not a microlight) and has to be seen and heard to be believed. See http://www.microjeteng.com/ and look at the ‘jetbug’ links for more.
The Sopwith Dove is definitely owned by Andrew Wood but is not currently airworthy (I’m not sure where it is kept) – he does have a business to run too!
Altogether this was a really excellent day and I must congratulate Paul and Andrew Wood and their staff for all their hard work in organising it.
By: The Blue Max - 9th May 2005 at 19:39
There is no Sopwith Dove repro at Shuttleworth.
There cerainly use to be!
By: Yak 11 Fan - 9th May 2005 at 16:14
AR614 was there for a time as well.
By: DGH - 9th May 2005 at 15:58
At one time the Woods had Spitfire TD248 in there Showroom!
By: Manonthefence - 9th May 2005 at 13:18
There is no Sopwith Dove repro at Shuttleworth.
By: jeepman - 9th May 2005 at 13:01
I think it’s P & A Wood Ltd at Great easton nr Dunmow –
well known Merlin restorers and IIRC the Sopwith Dove repro at Shuttleworth is also owned by them.
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May 9, 2005 at 10:49 am