Which makes you wonder why de Havilland didn’t do something similar. When you consider how long the Beech King Air has lasted, the Dove with a couple of small turboprops might have lasted just as long.

It might seem to be a little bit over the top but the learning points from our similar incident at Duxford were as follows. Chap with extinguisher faces the exhaust side of the cowling so he can see if there is a blowback. The pilot indicates which engine he’s going to start and the “fireman” acknowledges. Engine start then follows but if it goes wrong it is surprising how quickly the flames can take hold due to the combination of dope and fabric. It’s not rocket science but well worth doing.

I flew in with my Airtourer along with two others. Any pictures Duxman? It was fairly sporty coming down final with quite a lot of turbulence but the nice long runway at Turweston gives you time to sort things out. I agree it’s always a friendly place to visit and the cafe does good grub at reasonable prices.

It’s not. Apparently the plan is to use them as “serviced” offices.

Well done. It’s good to see somebody caring for these pre-war civilian types. Will you keep us updated please?

One of our foremost warbird pilots was a crop-sprayer in an earlier existence. Always flew an aerobatic sequence in my aircraft for the C of A renewal claiming that he wasn’t allowed to do it in his normal 767. Brilliant pilot though.

I would love to see the paperwork needed to get the Fantrainer on the British register. Out of interest are there any Airtourer/Airtrainer bits in the scrapyard? Vested interest as I have an Airtourer here in the UK.

Good heavens. I suppose the next question is “why”? The prop is mounted at an interesting angle.