Dramatic headlines on this Newsreel but with no sound ,what was the story behind It was it a ‘Bomber’
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=63537
An Aircraft from RAF Navigation School ,Thorney Island was stolen , then crashed In France
the pilot /twokker was a ‘Nanik Aguani ‘ who was He ? and why the desperate measures of pinching an aircraft and what type of aircraft was it ?
By: Ian Quinn - 2nd April 2010 at 09:07
Fascinating thread…
There was a Meteor ‘incident’ from Manston in 1945 [?] involving a guy from a prominent Hong Kong expatriate family…can’t recall the details as all my stuff is in storage but it was reported in the ‘South China Post’ and I stumbled on it while researching some other aviation activities.
Anyone have details of this?
By: Fatcivvy - 1st April 2010 at 23:38
There was also a Fairey Hendon, K5094 that crashed in November 1938 after an unauthorised take-off from Marham at night in the hands of two unqualified LAC’s. Apparently, it stalled after the 2nd ‘pilot’ closed the throttles at about 150 feet and was written off with a broken back.
The two airmen weren’t seriously hurt and they were court-martialled and sentenced to 12 months detention.
FC
By: barry flahey - 31st March 2010 at 20:11
My apologies too Avion. The word “also” should have explained who you were referring to! Thanks for clarifying anyway…
By: avion ancien - 31st March 2010 at 19:00
Mea culpa
…………..and please don’t tell me that he also went on to get his CPL and accrue some 12,000 hours!
Barry, the “he” referred to is Brynley Fussell and the comment which followed that was meant to be a humorous take on your report, that the felon who helped himself to the Canberra went on to obtain a CPL and clock up some 12,000 flying hours, not any suggestion that your report was either untrue or inaccurate. If the words I used were capable of that misconstruction, then I apologise for my inadequate expression. I should have used an appropriate emoticon.
By: T-21 - 30th March 2010 at 14:42
From the book “Sywell,The Story of an English Aerodrome” Christopher Paul,his first machine was a Proctor stolen from Speke. I wonder what became of him ?
The previously reported RAF Prentice stolen VS270 later became G-APGE.
By: avion ancien - 30th March 2010 at 11:57
…………..and please don’t tell me that he also went on to get his CPL and accrue some 12,000 hours!
By: paulmcmillan - 30th March 2010 at 11:42
Yes!
Same Bloke: Brynley Fussell!!! ‘i.e. he had form’
Stolen from Sywell on night of Nov 21st/Nov 22nd 1950…
Landed Field near Peronville,
Auster again. Stolen from Sywell!
Brynley Fussell was at reform school at time!
It was an Auster Autocrat belonging to Esmond Eaton Kimbell
He was still but before he courts as late as 1955 but not for nicking planes…
Also see..
By: paulmcmillan - 30th March 2010 at 11:37
Somewhere in my files I have some info on this – Monique Agazarian – of London Airport and Island Air Services fame – was involved in it I do remember!
Brynley Fussell aged 18 charged at Ryde, Isle of Wight on June 3rd 1949.
Breaking into Sandown and Bembridge Aero Club and stealing an Auster aircraft and 7 gallons of petrol
Is this another instance?
By: GrahamSimons - 30th March 2010 at 07:55
In the Sywell aerodrome history a youth from a borstal ? stole an Auster from Sywell in the late forties, he landed somewhere in France undamaged. He had read flying books whilst in detention,before the escape attempt.
Somewhere in my files I have some info on this – Monique Agazarian – of London Airport and Island Air Services fame – was involved in it I do remember!
By: T-21 - 29th March 2010 at 22:21
In the Sywell aerodrome history a youth from a borstal ? stole an Auster from Sywell in the late forties, he landed somewhere in France undamaged. He had read flying books whilst in detention,before the escape attempt.
By: paulmcmillan - 29th March 2010 at 11:20
Where are you, Paul McMillan?
Sorry Andy.. can’t help with these I had a quick look though my stuff but without a bit more meat… i.e. names and/or date I can’t help sorry
However there is always this stolen Hurricane: W9147
By: Bager1968 - 29th March 2010 at 05:02
During my time fixing USMC A-6E intruders at MCAS El Toro, Ca, an A-4M was stolen by a Lance Corporal… and returned safely (July 4, 1986)!
LCpl Foote was an Avionics tech, and was also an accomplished private pilot and high altitude glider pilot. Unfortunately he liked to soar the gliders to very high altitudes (one flight a world record for a 17-year-old), and on one flight he got an embolism in one of his arms, which disqualified him from ever becoming a pilot as far as the USMC was concerned. [LCpl Foote was disqualified from flight training for more than just the embolism issue.]
LCpl Foote worked on the transient aircraft line as a plane captain (and was qualified to taxi aircraft under power), and had gotten several senior officers to give him time in the simulators while preparing his (rejected) application for commissioning and flight training. He worked night crew and decided to prove to the Marine Corps that he could indeed fly and that any other physical issues were non-factors.
Foote took the A4 Skyhawk from the flight line at MCAS El Toro (I forget the particular squadron) and was on his way to March AFB. In route the aircraft lost the electrical generator and he was forced to deploy the RAT and return to MCAS El Toro.
Foote had to circle the air station until the MPs were able to have the airfield light turned on so that he could land, as it was a holiday and the entire base was on stand-down from flight ops.
He did get a court martial, and was reduced in Rank and given a General Discharge as part of an agreement with the USMC.
(His own Commanding Officer and other senior officers, including the Wing Commanding General, asked the Court to NOT give him a Dishonorable Discharge due to his outstanding record – except for this one blemish).
By: barry flahey - 28th March 2010 at 17:20
I remember the Varsity incident quite well, as my paper round took twice as long the morning it appeared in the papers. A tragic and sad ending. Not so with Canberra B8 XH 204,borrowed from the flight line at RAF Gutersloh by a Junior Tech of 57 Squadron, early on the morning of October 15th, 1957. which only made it to the end of the taxiway. With the intention of flying back to England, it was quite a feat for such a complicated aircraft with cartridge start, and very sensitive toe brakes.
Following this event, and his predicted reassignment to civvy street, the airman concerned went on to complete his Commercial PPL and accrued some 12,000 hours.
By: navigate - 28th March 2010 at 15:57
To reply to Newforest. It does not matter how your friend or enemy dies, one always respects the dead regardless of the manner of their going. During the war we always respected German dead and for the most part they receiprocated. In Northern Ireland during the troubles I’ve seen soldiers salute an IRA coffin as it passed – it’s what separates ‘civilised’ from ‘savage’.
In the books at St Clement Danes you will find suicides, an airman who killed his (serving airwoman) wife and then himself are next to each other.
As an aside, somebody with the same name as me was executed for murder but he isn’t recorded ’cause he was discharged before sentence was carried out!!
By: Newforest - 28th March 2010 at 15:50
And he presumably had no twin flying experience!:D
By: pagen01 - 28th March 2010 at 15:43
The more I think about it the more incredible it seems that this ‘aparently’ not very bright SAC managed to take a Varsity.
To take over flying an aircraft which is already flying and trimmed etc is one thing, but to be able to correctly go through the start sequence, getting the throttles, mixture, and prop controls sorted, correctly taxi, and set the right take of flap and trim takes some doing, not to mention climb out and headings to think of.
By: GrahamSimons - 28th March 2010 at 12:25
Ref Varsity incident: It is reported here
http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/1955/may/04/raf-varsity-aircraft-unauthorised-flight
By: avion ancien - 28th March 2010 at 11:30
The C-130 incident can be discovered in Hansard here: http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1969/jun/12/united-states-aircraft-unauthorised
The comments made in the seventh and eighth paragraphs of this report are remarkably presentient, having regard to what occurred in the USA more than thirty years later.
By: Arabella-Cox - 28th March 2010 at 10:54
At least two WW2 episodes come to mind. One is a “stolen” Spitfire which was pranged on take off from Hawkinge and the other a Hurricane which powered in in Essex, I believe, after being nicked from Debden in (I think) 1940 killing its aircraftsman “pilot”. Rather oddly, this LAC is shown as Pilot on his CWGC headstone. All this from hazy memory, I’m afraid. I think the airman who stole the Spitfire was a chap called Amer.
I have all the details in my “stolen aircraft” file, but its in the loft and getting to it will take a while. Someone here will have the details of the two I mention.
Where are you, Paul McMillan?
By: chumpy - 28th March 2010 at 09:55
Hmmmm that Hansard transcript makes for interesting reading, wonder if any questitions were asked about the Varsity episode?
Next up that Prentice incident aircraft was VS270, from the Telegraph, Oct 13th 1954…
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March 26, 2010 at 4:59 pm