I’ll leave this to the moderators if they want to pull this as advertising, but we’ve recently come across the following that is pertinent to this thread, and deserves passing on.

We’re about to launch a series of books on Test Pilots of A. V. Roe & Co Ltd from the pen of Peter Clegg. The one on Roly Falk is particularly interesting, for Peter had managed to obtain documents that tell the story ‘as it was’ from the man concerned.

As the SBAC Show approached once more in September and knowing that Handley Page would be showing off their surviving Victor prototype again to best advantage, Roly decided to make some experiments with 889. On August 31st 1955, therefore, with Ted Hartley as his observer, Roly took up XA889 at 1830 at Woodford for 55 minutes of sheer brilliance to the onlookers (though not many workers remained behind at that time to see 889 cavorting around the Cheshire skies). Perfecting a routine for the SBAC Show, Roly approached Woodford at medium altitude four times and on the run across the aerodrome, calmly and smoothly rolled the large 99 ft span aircraft through 360 degrees, starting and finishing in the horizontal plane! In fact Roly knew that the Vulcan would handle beautifully in a full roll, from all the test-flying he had done to date and from his enormous experience in handling all kinds of aircraft, especially fast ones. He had no qualms about repeating the exercise in Public in a few days time. The ‘roll’ in fact was more of a ‘barrel roll’ in nature, in order to keep the Vulcan under slight positive ‘g’ all the time – rather than have the negative ‘g’of a normal roll in the inverted position. One thing Roly neglected to do – he never warned his rear crew of his intentions until the event was over! Ted Hartley in the back, realised what was happening because he saw the sun ‘spot’ (caused by it shining through the small porthole in the rear cabin) moving all the way round the side walls as the Vulcan rolled!

The daily Show Report for September 6th, produced by the SBAC itself, stated:

A unique feat of piloting was the highlight of yesterday’s rehearsal at Farnborough of the 16th Society of British Aircraft Constructors Display. Roland Falk had taken off the Avro Vulcan and made a -wide left-hand circuit behind the assembly of spectators,
He came into view against a cloud-flecked blue sky and accelerated towards a point about opposite the President’s tent. Here the silver wings of the big delta glinted in the sun as a bank to the left -was rapidly applied. The aircraft then -went into a smooth, fairly fast and perfectly executed roll. It gained height in the process. No aircraft of comparable size has ever before achieved a complete rolling manoeuvre.’[/I]
However, there was a reaction, as Roly recalls: ‘After I had done this for two days, I was called to the President’s Tent and told by the Service and Civil ‘bosses that they were frightened by this manoeuvre in so large an aircraft and that I must not continue with it! I had anticipated that sort of reaction and armed myself with automatic observer records which demonstrated that, throughout, acceleration was safely held to within just over 1 ‘g’ showed them this record, but they would not change their minds and so I was ordered to do something different for the remainder of the Display.
This meant that, on subsequent days, I had to perform a new, unpractised programme which is, of course, a dangerous thing to do. It was unfortunate that the ‘Top Brass’ of that time, lacking sufficient knowledge of flying, felt that they had to interfere with the duties of the flying control committee.

I attach a couple of pictures that are ‘sort of’ pertinent. The first is Roly Falk doing a low-level pass at Hucknall – The span of the Vulcan is 99ft – scaling that, gives and altitude of one-third span – or about 30 feet!

The other is a nose-on shot of VX777 following Roly Falk’s emergency landing at Farnborough. The legs were torn off after it slid over a deep ditch. The underside damage is something to behold!

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!

The C-130 incident can be discovered in Hansard here: http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1969/jun/12/united-states-aircraft-unauthorised

The RB-45 incident at Alconbury records that the aircraft came down on the blocking the main railway line at Abbots Ripton, which is the other end of the airfield from the A1.

I been looking through the MACRs… and the date does not match anything.

How confident are you of the alleged date/location?

I provided them with colour-scheme and interior details. They have done a good job of a representation of triple D!

I really do hope (Post #2955 – No, there’s one thing saying it’s unsustainable and then another to suggest they should just pack up and go home.) that this does not happen! Hundreds of us will have our favourite Soap Opera taken away from us! Shame! No longer will we be able to read of the machinations (real, or imagined) of those who know (or think they know) all viewed through rose-coloured spectacles! This thread is better than sliced bread! I can’t wait for the next diatribe(s). Makes my day!
Resmoroh

Oh I think this is a GREAT soap opera! For me it has past way beyond anything I care about – it’s just fun to watch people winding themselves up behind the rose-tinted specs!

“They said, ‘Good morning, Air Marshal. Would you like some coffee now, sir?”

The worse thing is – in today’s world… the ‘boss’ probably would not understand what the answer was!

The concept was – and still is – a CIVIL aviation archive, rather than a military one. That, by definition means all aspects of civil flying (which incidentally, is why we called the symposium G-DASH as in G- geddit?) covering the entire sphere AND timespan.

The public relations people involved with established aviation museums already claim that they cover this sphere adequately – but the sad truth is that they dont. Sure, the Science Museum collects civil material, but in an ad hoc manner, and only then as part of a larger policy – the RAF Museum gets a lot of civil stuff offered to it, and then disposes of it later.

The IWM at both London and Duxford are not at their core interested in anything civil. Yes, DUX are supposed have – or is getting – a Civil Museum – talk to the folks there and while there is a strong knowledge base regarding airframes and their restoration, look deeper and that knowledge – and interest on a wider aspect – is just not there.

Regional and local museums get a lot of material offered them, but have not the space or inclination to do anything with it. I get on average a call a week from local museums who have heard as to what we do requesting information and/or advice.

Now, when I dream, I dream big – it’s always easier to reduce the plan, but a damned sight harder to expand once you are established! The concept was this:-

1 – NO airframes to be collected.

2 – Establish a Trust to which everything collected is deeded to.

3 – The obvious ‘base’ would be the Martello Air Station (popularly called the Beehive) at Gatwick, which is a listed building anyway.

4 – A firm collections policy is laid out, sub-divided into sections
a – Records
Company files, production lists, route information, log books etc
b – Images
Still photographs, movies
c – Ephemera
Uniforms, promotional material etc

5 – Establish a strong educational programme that includes a clearly defined loans and collecting policy.

The key for me is Item 2 – as part of the accession process to the Trust, there would be a rule that states ‘once accepted NO item could be later disposed of unless a better duplicate, replacement item is obtained’. I do NOT want to establish an organisation that at a later stage allows items that it obtained to revert back to private individual ownership. It may sound grandiose, but the idea is to save items for the nation!

It would need strong support from the aviation industry – predominently the airlines, but also the CAA, the Museum’s Association etc etc.

Funding – always a problem, but hey… if the Lottery Heritage Fund can throw millions at a certain tin triangle, why not this?

Civil aviation is all it’s forms has changed the world beyond recognition – most of those who lived through the first phase of development have gone – and most of us here have lived through the second phase – I still see the ‘peak’ as being Concorde – we’ve now gone backwards.

I already have a detailed plan – this is just a brief synopsis. When I think about it, I find it sad as to what will happen to all that I have saved once I am gone.