Tigers At Rollasons Croydon

Rollasons Tigers

The impression I got from my weekend spotting trips was that they sprayed the Tigers with dope on Saturday afternoons or Sunday mornings in the open hangar when the mechanics werent there

Thanks, alertken.

I have a similar list of Tigers at Rollasons, Croydon from 21st August 1959, which I was going to put on here if I ever found it, so you have saved me the trouble.:D

A couple of comments:-

T7230 became G-AFVE and not as stated.

Also Lewis Benjamin, although he might forgive you for not reminding him, would confirm that the black and white G-ANMZ was converted as one of the special single seat machines as ‘The Canon’, following in the same tradition as G-APDZ ‘The Bishop’, G-ANZZ ‘The Archbishop’ and G-AOAA ‘The Deacon’.

Crazy flying has a lot to answer for and there is a rather famous photo of him spinning straight in during such an act at Sywell, with the nose just two feet above and about to hit the ground. The dramatic shot appears in at least the 3rd edition of the Alan Bramson/Neville Birch book of ‘The Tiger Moth Story’ and no doubt elsewhere.

Wicked Willip :diablo:

One of those Italian registered Tigers was bought by a guy named Steve who set off to fly it back to his homeland. He was taking a friend as passenger who had little experience of flying except what he had seen at the cinema where crashed aircraft always explode.
All went well with the flight until Steve attempted to land at an aerodrome somewhere in south-eastern France. In the final turn at low level on the approach to land Steve’s briefcase which was tucked under his leg, fell over and jammed the control column with full aileron applied. Steve attempted to free the case and with his attention and head, down in the cockpit, he lost control. I cannot remember if he said that he spun in, but the result was a wrecked Tiger short of the runway. Steve said that the breaking noises stopped fairly quickly and there was a moments silence while he looked out from the wreckage. Suddenly as he described it, there was a huge secondary eruption from the front cockpit as his passenger burst out and ran away convinced that there would be a massive explosion. Steve extracted himself in a more leisurely fashion and joined his by-now slightly annoyed companion. Both were thankfully unhurt. They continued their journey by public transport and I believe the passenger vowed never to fly again and certainly not in a Tiger Moth.

Nerd Nook

OK-KFQ was at Croydon, 6/58-3/59, when it became G-APRR. In that time the “production” line issued G-APJK (NL760, to I-RIBI); G-APLI (DE639, to SE-COG, to Sallstap, then Eslov Museums); G-APLR (T6256, to I-JENA); G-APLU (T6825, to F-OBKK); G-APLV (PG653, to I-RIBU); G-APMX (DE715); G-APOC (DE516, to I-PUMA); G-APOG (N9445, to HB-UBH); G-APOU (DF118, to SE-CHG, to Vasteras Museum); G-APOV (R5130, as RAE Jackaroo); G-APRA (DE213); G-APRY (DE486, to I-BANG). This work was done behind the hangar door in the pic.;this was also the Field of Druines. Here is my log of the stock, 2/5/59:
K4254 (to G-APVT)
N5474 (2/60, I-LUNI)
N6588 (G-ASKP)
N6730 (11/61, D-EMWE, D-EMWT, SE-FNA, to Ugglarp Museum)
N6739 (I-NONO)
N6848 (1/73, G-BALX)
N9181 (2/88, G-AGHY-the-second)
R4959 (G-ARAZ)
R4776 (G-ASSC)
R5146 (unconverted G-ANNF; 1961: Rumpler C.V for Lawrence of Arabia)
T5717 (I last have this unconverted in store, Fairoaks, 1965)
T6168 (not taken up as I-DOZO; 1960: SE-COL)
T6558 (12/62, D-ENRO)
T7048 (OO-CJZ)
T7110 (12/71, OO-SOY)
T7219 (10/62, SE-CPW)
T7230 (2/78, G-AFWE-the-second)
T7276 (G-APTV, I-MOMI)
T7303 (OO-SOX, now in Brussels Museum)
T7410 (6/63, D-EFPH)
T7438 (intended as Fokker D.VIII for Lawrence, but burnt here, 1963)
T7736 (PH-BIS, with the Dutch tail)
T7794 (G-ASPV)
DE193 (I-GATO; now in Venice Museum)
DE298 (not completed in 1965 as N524R, fuselage maybe into G-AOEI)
DE634 (not yet taken up G-ANMZ, so registered 5/60)
DE784 (G-ARMS)
DE873 (G-APVP)
NM145 (to be discontinued for G-ASES; to Aeroventure, Doncaster)
G-ANKV (not converted ex-T7793; not done, to Croydon Terminal Museum)
G-ANLC (not converted ex-T6945; 1961: Rumpler C.V, Lawrence)

I think you may mean G-ACDC although G-ASKP did quite well…….

Yes I think he did. If there were a Guinness World Record for recovering from so many damaging incidents I am sure a certain Tiger Moth would have a strong claim to it.:D

In the days when I used to be a member of staff at the DoTUI (Department of Totally Useless Information), don’t ask me why but I used to keep tabs on the eventful career of G-ACDC, often claimed as being the oldest surviving Tiger Moth and equally often thought by many not to contain any part of the original aircraft.

Well judge for yourselves. These are the various accidents it suffered in the late 1950s through into the ’60s with the replacement parts needed shown in each case. If anyone is able to fill in the details, any additions, corrections or further information greatly appreciated:-

1957 – overturned at Croydon – new wings and rudder.
1959 – nosed over on starting up at Sandown – new propeller.
28/2/60 – u/c collapsed on landing – new wing, prop. & u/c.
24/6/62 – nosed over during crazy flying at Pendeford – new wing & prop.
9/9/63 – crashed while crazy flying at Rochester (pilot Neville Browning) – write-off – new just about everything!
9/1/66 – forced landing following engine failure – two new wings.
5/6/66 – crashed during crazy flying (?) at Wisley (pilot Dick Emery?) – new front fuselage, engine bearers and three wings.
12/5/68 – swung & crashed on take off from Goodwood – damage not known.

G-ASKP was the first Tiger I ever flew in, back in the heady days of Brighton Flying Group in the early 1970s, but I don’t remember it as having such a catalogue of misfortune happening to it, though I believe it may have been the one that was twice landed on innocent runway marker boards – once at Shoreham and the other time at the PFA Rally at Sywell.

Wicked Willip :diablo:

On the other side of that hangar wall the ARB Accident Investigators dissected cadavers: so did Resurrection Aircraft & Engines Ltd. G-ACDJ had more new wings, tail, fuselage than (Only Fools & Horses)‘ broom had new brush and handle.

I think you may mean G-ACDC although G-ASKP did quite well…….

Trigger’s Tigger

On the other side of that hangar wall the ARB Accident Investigators dissected cadavers: so did Resurrection Aircraft & Engines Ltd. G-ACDJ had more new wings, tail, fuselage than (Only Fools & Horses)‘ broom had new brush and handle.

Rochester: am I confused with Tiger Club, who were there in 1966?

Not quite the case, Rolly’s continued to overhaul and repair engines, build Condors and re-build various Stampe, Jodel and DH types until well into the 70’s at Croydon. A number of moves were planned, the grandest of which was a hangar at Biggin Hill between the Air Touring Club and what was the Express Aviation hangar. ISTR that planning permission was the problem with that one. I left in 1972 and the stockpile of ‘Tiger’ bits was still in the corner of the hangar (next to the loo) although every year or so one would be pulled out and rebuilt to a fantastically high standard for someone (usually American) with pots of dosh. Rolly’s always had a presence at Redhill as technical support for the Tiger Club, indeed, Monday mornings at Croydon were always interesting as that was ‘recovery day’ for any aircraft they had left lying around the country over the weekend. A move to Rochester was planned but again, I don’t think anything came of it and the final thinning down of Tiger spares would have happened with the move to Shoreham. I once visited the Shoreham site and it was definitely a bit of a come down after the hangar and workshops at Croydon. Next time I’m in the attic I’ll try to unearth some Croydon Airport slides.

RB

Rollason’s sold Tigers at £2,000 each – same, IIRC, as ATEL Prentice. (Valiant Commanders were deferred to in 1957 as prestigious “£1,000-a-year-men”). That stockpile and Rollason’s airframe and engine overhaul activity stayed there after Croydon closed as an active airfield in Sept.1959, until 1961. The firm then meandered, Rochester, Redhill, Shoreham and thinned out its stock onway. It was because they, Hants&Sussex, Pompey/AJ Whittemore (Aeradio), Croydon/Wilts School of Flying, Thruxton (as in Jackaroo), all dribbled Tiger work to extinction, that the finite population then started to become collectible. There was an “antiques” shop in Cambridge, double-fronted, whose name emblazoned was “Auntie Had One of Those, But We Threw It Away.”

OO-SOC Rollasons

A Brownie 127 photo in Rollasons hangar ,Aug 1957!

makes your heart bleed

Someone please correct me but I believe Rollasons were still burning surplus Tiger spares in the 60s!

Also I gather that lower port mainplanes were always in short supply as the Tiger had a predeliction of crashing in that direction!