"The British Light Aeroplane"

Thanks Scion, please keep us posted as to progress, as personally I find these sorts of planes far more enthralling than the heavy metal world of warbirds; probably because most of my aviation experience has centered around the ‘lighter’ end of the aviation spectrum.

Once again many thanks Steve.

Sorry I wanted to include the following statement.
Spot the deliberate mistake!

Roger,
The Scion is a collection of tubes at present but the pobjoy is on it’s way. There are lots of problems with a full restoration including the cruxiform extrusions of which 4 of them make a warren truss as the main spar. These have been got at last so we can move on. This is what I eventually hope for in the jpg,
Unfortunatly Mr Green’s Eagle has gone to Spain and the interest in British light aeroplanes is not reflected as one would hope in some of the collections the UK. This is mine at our strip at Wiseman’s Ferry north of Sydney.

GASML

We are a sad bunch who like to fly slow. I’ve always found you can see more and enjoy the delights of flying at a somewhat slower speed.
I have a couple of old areil contrivances of which my Klemm is perhaps the favourite. Don’t tell the others however!

Beautiful photo Scion. A few from the Northern hemisphere too, to prove you don’t have a total monopoly on the nice evenings!

Thanks to Andy Smith who took the first from his Cub and to Mike Edwards, for his great sunset shot of G-AYSK. The last two are Arthur Mason, enjoying a sunset patrol out of Bicester in his Pietenpol.

Megalith,

The disease got me some time ago and the only thing I can say is that my wife has encouraged it. I think she feels if my mistresses are all so much older than her then this romance is harmless.

I am based in Oz, just outside Sydney and at present have 3 flying and 2 more within 6 months of flying. These are Klemm l25 d2 Vh-uur which was origionally built in Germany and used as a mission aeroplane in New Gu. Then British Klemm Eagle Vh-uti which is one of the more common ones with retractable U/C. Then a DH82, a Dh89a and a Comper Swift with a Gipsy engine. There is under long term rebuils a Pobjoy engine Comper and rarest of them all a Short s16 Scion. Hence the name, it was the first of the many.

My mates here have a Sterman, a couple of Fairchild 24 and of course an Auster and Tiger.

We are all quite mad and spend time swapping and fixing up each others mistakes.

Just as long as you don’t swap mistakes you’ll be alright

Fantastic Collection, do you have any photos of the Scion? as this really must be an absolute gem.

Many thanks for the pics, Steve

..British Klemm Eagle Vh-uti which is one of the more common ones….

British forumites will note there is something not quite right about this sentence!!! 😀

Lovely collection Scion.

A very green (with envy) Roger Smith

Megalith,

The disease got me some time ago and the only thing I can say is that my wife has encouraged it. I think she feels if my mistresses are all so much older than her then this romance is harmless.

I am based in Oz, just outside Sydney and at present have 3 flying and 2 more within 6 months of flying. These are Klemm l25 d2 Vh-uur which was origionally built in Germany and used as a mission aeroplane in New Gu. Then British Klemm Eagle Vh-uti which is one of the more common ones with retractable U/C. Then a DH82, a Dh89a and a Comper Swift with a Gipsy engine. There is under long term rebuils a Pobjoy engine Comper and rarest of them all a Short s16 Scion. Hence the name, it was the first of the many.

My mates here have a Sterman, a couple of Fairchild 24 and of course an Auster and Tiger.

We are all quite mad and spend time swapping and fixing up each others mistakes.

I’m sure I heard of a site that still uses bungee launches last year but it may be my imagination

Poor you, One of my fondest aeronautical memories is being launched by bungee off the top of Dunstable Downs in one in about 1974.

I often wonder if this technique is ever used still, and if not was this one of the last occaisions when it was employed. Does anyone know?

Steve.

Not been lucky enough to fly in one

Hi Mike,

Yeah I can go for that, especially if the glider was a Sedbergh!

Steve.

I love the peace of gliding. No noisy, smelly engine to disturb the peace

I completely agree for me the attraction of aircraft is the pure delight of flying, I always tell people the most beautiful place I’ve ever been is the sky. And you get a far greater ‘connection’ when flying low and slow, preferably in an open cockpit.

Modern airliners which are all most people have flown in totally insulate you from the true joy of flight, and as such whilst almost everyone has flown very few have actually been flying…..

Anyway Scion, I hope you don’t mind me asking but other than your Klemm, what other ariel contrvances are you lucky enough to own? and was your Klemm built as a BA Swallow?

Steve.

PS. One book upon British light aircraft I can recomend is British Pre-war Ultralights by Phil Jarret.

Flying fast is only for those who have somewhere to go. If you are flying for fun I should think it is a case of the slower the better

GASML

Thank you for your input and these sites a great but as you said we are a sad bunch who like to fly slow. I’ve always found you can see more and enjoy the delights of flying at a somewhat slower speed.
I have a couple of old areil contrivances of which my Klemm is perhaps the favourite. Don’t tell the others however!

I don’t believe that there is a generic site, but there are a number of sad people, myself included who waste hours on sites for odd old aeroplanes, not to mention the aeroplanes themselves 😀

A few worth looking at include:

The DH Moth Club: www.dhmothclub.co.uk
Julian Temple’s Miles aircraft site: www.miles-aircraft.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/index.jhtml
The Aeronca Club of Great Britain: www.aeronca.co.uk
The Vintage Aircraft Club: www.vintageaircraftclub.org.uk

Oh and of course www.lutonminor.com !