THOUGHTS & CAA EFFECT ON LITTLE GRANSDEN …….

I’d like to comment more fully on this later, but thought I’d make people aware of the Little Gransden protest first.

EFFECT ON LITTLE GRANSDEN …….
I signed the petition against this blatant CAA rip-off via a link on the Little Gransden website which is easy to use, it was only on 14,000+ at the time however which was worrying given that many more people than this regularly go to shows – SO PLEASE OBJECT! – Their own increase was explained very plainly on the LG home page thus :

‘If you object to the Civil Aviation Authority receiving over 10% of what we give to Children in Need please sign this petition.’

‘The CAA paperwork takes approximately 30 minutes to issue. £1497 is extortionate but £6994 is eye watering.’

http://www.littlegransdenshow.co.uk/

UNITING AVIATION AGAINST CAA
There HAS to be a way of uniting the aviation fraternity/industry or whatever you wish to call it as so disastrously affected by this truly penal legislation, to protest EFFECTIVELY against it. Can we assume there is a WILL however? If so, then there has to be a WAY of bringing the public and aviation companies/groups together via modern social media and others, to make both local and national news media aware of this attempt to put so many people out of work while depriving the British public of a good day out – yes we want to be safe, but you CANNOT wrap people up in so much cotton wool and legislate for everything, and we STILL await the report on the pilot and the general thoughts of the board of inquiry as to the actual CAUSE of this crash.

The previous safety record at nationwide events was exemplary AND for this a/c type, and you have to think therefore that this ONE incident has been used as a springboard for some reason, to ruin aviation events at local levels all over our country. If the pilot lost control doing the loop that led to the crash, then ban such a loop but keep this a/c type cleared for its normal routine across the UK.

Differing a/c types haven’t crashed due to a loss of control doing such a loop, so you would have assumed that should stay as normal for them, with the earlier general regulations being applied to all events as successfully proven up to the accident occurring – unfortunately this is all common sense however, a quality sadly lacking today in this country and it makes seemingly the last of us who were imbued with it as kids more than angry.

The knock-on ramifications to people who make air-shows are all-encompassing – ticket collectors, food vendors, stall holders, printers, gift/souvenir/novelty goods manufacturers, toilet providers, refuse collectors, programme sellers, it just goes on.

Who are you calling a peasant?

You’re also a pleasant pheasant plucker..

Not by my reckoning – just pleased to answer a question and keep the Aeroboot / Aerojumble message alive! 🙂

Did a piece on BBC Radio Nottingham yesterday afternoon about NAM’s gathering this coming Saturday!

Yep, got to keep it alive – good one Howard, and a good one at NAM on Saturday too, well attended too I thought and I overdid it on the photos again, got some good Falklands material too, well worth going.

AEROBILIA 16

Aerobilia at Old Sarum

And the date is???

How many times have seen Harvard gripss being sold as a Hawker product of more worth – perhaps castration will put some sellers off in the years to come as we carry on losing our laws and self-governance to Europe – unless Camo DOES do a good deal and also starts letting some old-style dealers apply to MoD for unwanted jet-age spares again, so that too few chosen ones don’t get to cream it all off and we can have some of the more recent jet exotica in our sheds and living rooms in better and more affordable supply once more.

AEROBILIA 2016

Really enjoyed the last one so will back again. Thanks for the notice.

Excellent news, I’ll be checking my diary accordingly – come and support aeroboots and museums in one helpful hit – no silly e-Bay and commercial company prices here – plus need to see how that beaut of a Comet nose is getting on.

AERO BRRRRRR-OOTS ETC

We’re now thinking of Falklands as it offers a bit more scope for what we have. Howard, I lost a reply I did in response to some negative comments re the last boot as I certainly had some good items that made it worthwhile, but I will try to find it later.

In the meantime I never looked at the date when forms were handed out last year (still waking up probably) but it looks like we will be in for the old problem again of too early a time re weather considerations – I thought we agreed a few years ago that we would put it towards the end of March as it can get so cold for sellers – one old boy has already contacted me to say he’s not looking forward to it because of the weather aspect.

Its not only the cold however but the fact that it can just put people off in general if its cold/wet and they’d rather stay in bed, a factor that has stopped some dealers from attending in the past, which is another worry. I hope we don’t shoot ourselves in the foot over this but with people complaining about what was on offer at the end of season boot 2015 the last thing we want to do is put others off re weather/cold issues – I tried to find a thread on the Boot but ran out of time so if this is a bit off topic I’m sorry.

Can we keep this in mind again re the end of season Boot and for March in future plz as the more attractive it is to people then the better hopefully the attendance will be, weather patterns being what they are these days we need to get away from traditional cold periods as much as possible to give the best possible chance of good weather on event days. One thing I did say (still lost) re a negative comment on the offer last year, was that we personally come from a considerable distance and have always attended Boots at NAM and elsewhere.

We do this not just for bits (which is obviously the first reason) but to support boots while hopefully making some money for the hosting museum via the fees, and using the cafe and shop. Its also a chance to say hello to other collectors and restorers (and swop news and possibly set up deals) besides museum staff. Because its not something that happens once a month I can’t see for the life of me why failing to find something to buy on such a limited event would put someone off coming again.

You only have to look at the price of a cockpit on eBay at present that’s partially fitted out with no seat to see how damaging commercial concerns have affected what we and the next generation (if one exists that finds it affordable) have to contend with these days, so I would ask collectors/cockpiters et al to support boots/marts whenever you can – you don’t know what you might find or who you might meet and I own one cockpit alone thanks to attending a NAM event.

G

VULCANS END, HALESWORTH SUFFOLK

She went to Doncaster years ago!

Yes, ‘388 to AeroVenture as formerly helped by the late Steve hague and ‘445 Vulcan K2 is at Flixton, the NF11 is at Norwich Av Museum, Sea Vixen nose XN696 as at Vulcan’s End from end of service was latterly at Flixton also, but is now at NEAM, the all-black Bullpup missile test scheme I had on it is now being changed back to the standard grey of Ark Royal days. The complete Sea Vixen that Cliff Aldred allowed on his land was never worked on by its private owner, and when Cliff sold off part of his land and house it mysteriously disappeared behind his back while on holiday, to be scrapped in a yard in Ipswich he learned, on his return.

Lots of other items were ‘stolen’ following the part sale of the land at Vulcan’s End (a boat and trailer taken) or damaged (including windows smashed with air rifles), despite the new part-owner having guard dogs and kennels on-site… A Lancaster gun turret (front I believe) was also stolen from a secure locked store which is still being sought after, along with a BoB Hurricane grip that also never re-surfaced, that Cliff intended to donate to a local museum in memory of his 2 pre-deceased sons, Tony and Ivan, as taken from a small collection of artifacts in one of the buildings. Whole caravans used for storage were shredded, their contents strewn across the land, to be a health hazard and clearly calculated to drive Cliff out (by this time Clive his son, for Cliff was too frail).

I dealt with the local council after Cliff’s wife called me four years ago to say they had been threatened with a £30k fine, and a number of letters and phone calls were made on their behalf along with my meeting 2 council officers on-site, to make them completely aware of the facts of the unexplained events that had been occurring there. Some contents were also set on fire, all on land supposedly kept safe by the new house owner’s fencing and dogs, who claimed that he and his family had never seen who had carried out such regular acts of vandalism. Cliff also donated a rare HP Heyford wheel cover to another museum.

Sadly Cliff passed away at 85 after a number of year’s in a Sherringham home last November, 2015. I drove to the funeral on 10th Nov which was well attended and his surviving son Clive intends to retain the 4 Canberras `(inc a mint B2 i think and the test ‘Raspberry Ripple’ example from Hanningfields) with better display facilities at a later date, along with a farming collection he is also putting together. The Lightning moved to a collector in Yorkshire around 10 years ago and the Shackleton galley section is now restored and on display at Flixton, with perspex to seal her from the elements.

Without Cliff Victor K2 nose XL160 would never have been saved and stored for so many years for eventual display at Flixton, after he readily agreed to look after her. Across over 10 years of travelling to do what I could on the cockpit and ensure its proof against the elements I had many occasions to see Cliff at work in his local community besides doing stuff amongst his many cockpits and other charges. He was a clever man, with much of what he learned taught by the lessons of life; he was an honest and honourable man, with a wonderful sense of humour. He was courteous, obliging, thoughtful and happy, and would not suffer fools after giving them a fair chance.

Most of all though, he was a kind man, and many local people who he did his ‘rounds’ for about Halesworth to check that they were safe and well, will testify that he was much respected and admired for the regular checks he made on old people of the area. Thanks Cliff for all those special memories, and for your great service to us and many others over so many years.