Willip26The London Gliding Club had four Tiger Moths, one got burnt out. But i cant remember its reg!
Dave
There was also a blue Tiger Moth fuselage in the back of the hangar at Dunstable that day and although I have never been sure of its identity I strongly suspect it was G-AMJF, which shared the same owner with and was possibly replaced by G-AKXS.
The Dick Emery Magister was G-AITN and I believe he once crashed a Tiger Moth at Wisley, possibly G-ACDC, which suffered at least 8 serious accidents between 1957 and 1968 including one there on 5th June 1966.
Wicked Willip :diablo:
Willip26Dunstable Tiger tugs.
Mark
Well, I’ve had my bit of fun but enough of this silliness. You are of course quite right. G-AOEL was ‘Faith’, G-ANFC ‘Hope’ and G-AKXS ‘Gravity’.
Thanks to all who had a go and at least we got there in the end.
Wicked Willip :diablo:
Willip26About 3.15 pm today in the vicinity of the Compton VOR, the recently restored Miles Whitney Straight G-AERV heading back to its Turweston base from Popham.
Sure to be a centre of attention at any flying events it attends this year.
Wicked Willip :diablo:
Willip26Ooh you are awful – but I like you…..;)
I did think, knowing the depth of knowledge on the Forum that somebody might remember or come up with a story something to the effect that their father had painted the names on the aircraft whilst watching the flying on a lazy afternoon and waiting for the football results.
But no, although some of you have got quite near without making that final breakthrough.
Nothing at all remotely connected with Shoreham I’m afraid.
Someone famous who once owned a Magister and a bit of faith might help lead you towards the answer and by the way the Spitfire and Mustang were indeed John Fairey’s G-AIDN and Charles Masefield’s N6356T.
For those of you still awake all will be revealed next time unless it has already been solved. Think outside the box and remember not for nothing am I …:D:D
Wicked Willip :diablo:
Willip26Oops, walked into that one!:o
Yes, but don’t feel bad about it as I see nobody else has yet come up with an answer. So I shall have to give out some more clues.
Like the Gladiators the biplanes have a loose nautical connection or at least with a particular type of seagoing vessel and 42 years on, the three aircraft all still exist so far as I am aware. Two are still registered but have been inactive for the past decade, while the third is de-registered but complete and living in Scotland.
The Spitfire and Mustang, neither of which were in military colours at the time, also happily still survive.
Any suggestions?
Wicked Willip :diablo:
Willip26Faith Hope and Gravity
Nope chaps, sorry nothing to do with Gladiators, although these three were roughly from the same era and the third machine was definitely ‘Gravity’ and not ‘Charity’.
I confess I was being a bit mischievous in phrasing the question but the hint was in the mention of it as being a slightly trick(y) one. 😀
Fast forward to 27th August 1967 and an aerial meeting at one of the normally quieter and less likely UK aerodromes, where a Spitfire and Mustang were also in attendance.
Anyone got any ideas?
Wicked Willip :diablo:
Willip26Came upon this thread a bit late but I well remember going to a Fulham home game in the late 1950s/early 1960s.
I have no idea of the score or even who they played but recall seeing Vendair’s Tiger Moth G-APIP doing several circuits of their Craven Cottage ground towing a banner saying ‘Dogs eat Melox Kruckles’.
Maybe they did, or maybe it was spelt Cruckles, but anyway I can’t find any reference to them on the internet.
The more regularly seen banner tower of those days, or at least along the south coast was the ‘Lamtex Rugs’ Prentice G-AOKH.
Wicked Willip :diablo:
Willip26Glad to find this thread. Back in 1963 ,I and some friends bought a messenger , cant remember its serial no but it was regd as GA-KIO and was “famous ” as it belonged to Colin Chapman of Lotus fame. It was painted in the traditional Lotus colours with green and yellow stripes as I recall, and was well equipped although the C of A had expired. I think we paid £450 for it!
I seem to remamber we had it up and flying for a total cost of £700.
It was initially based at Stapleford, but then moved to a farmers field near Chelmsford after a brief stay at the old 8th air force base at Chipping Ongar.
I left the group about 3years later and went to do some soldiering so dont know what happened to it. I do seem to recall that there was some concern re future C of A and its wooden construction.
Unfortunately due to burglery at home some 20 years ago all the photos apart from one have been lost.Anybody got any piccys of this aircraft Would dearly have have some.
Hi johnnyb and welcome to the Forum.
Picture of G-AKIO attached on a visit to Shoreham, I suspect when it was in the ownership of the Elstree Caribbean Flying Club Ltd.
I no longer have a note of the exact date but it would have been after May 1967, as that was when the Cherokee 140 behind it was first UK-registered.
Wicked Willip :diablo:
Willip26Guy Gibson log book
Sorry if this should be re-classed as a zombie but I was intrigued to find this old thread.
It is funny what you come across in a life around aviation but several years ago I was given by the widow of a flying friend what purports to be a Royal Air Force Pilot’s Flying Log Book No.2 of W/Cmdr G. P. Gibson D.F.C.
A fascinating and detailed document covering the period from November 15th 1940 Blenheim L1303 (on A/E Test), via the 16th May 1943 successful attack on the Mohne and Eder Dams in Lancaster ‘G’, through flying in Canada and the USA and up to 26th July 1944 Lancaster ‘F’ (on Smitle Trials); whatever they might be.
I know my old pal was in turn given it by another pilot friend, who passed away two or three decades ago, but not having any special knowledge or indeed interest in this particular field of our aviation history I had always assumed it must be a copy or a fake as it is in such good condition and this is borne out by the fact that the Crown Copyright for the log book is dated 1976.
Any ideas as to whether this is one of several and who and why would have gone to the trouble of carrying out such a laborious task?
Wicked Willip :diablo:
Willip26Eleanor Trehawke Davies
Miss Trehawke Davies (sometimes spelt without the “e”), accodring to The Times died in London in November 1915 but news of which ,”in accordance with her expressed wish” , was not released until January 1916.
Before her death her monoplane was donated to the Royal Navy for use by the Naval Air Service.
So the romantic notion that Miss Trehawke Davies and Gustav Hamel disappeared together appears to be without foundation.
Hamel was also associated with the american Harriet Quimby, the first women to cross the channel by air. It is said that he tried to dissuade her from the attempt an even offered to don her distinctive purple flying suit and take her place – an offer that was firmly dismissed.
Early aviators were the film/pop/rock stars of their day it seems. I like also the story of the australian H.G. Hawker who, following his failed attempt in the Daily Mail Waterplane Race in August 1913 was chased knee deep into Lough Shinny by female autograph hunters! I wonder if they took any parts of his shattered aeroplane as souvenirs.
Just missed the anniversary (yesterday) of the flight of Gustav Hamel and Miss Eleanor Trehawke Davies, said to have been the first woman to have crossed the Channel by air, on 2nd April 1912.
I am therefore confused at the mention of Harriet Quimby, but take it she was the first to fly the Channel on her own? Anybody know any more details of this flight and when this was?
The March 2009 issue of the Shoreham Airport News reports that a performance of ‘Plain Janes’, a show featuring poetry, music, song, dance and images of the early history of Shoreham Airport, the oldest civil airport in the country, and celebrating the early aviators and designers, including a character loosely based on Miss Trehawke Davies, is due to be performed on the afternoon of Saturday 11th April at the Ropetackle Arts Centre in Shoreham High Street.
Tickets at a very reasonable £8 can apparently be obtained from the Ropetackle tel no. 01273 464440 or via http://www.ropetacklecentre.co.uk.
Wicked Willip :diablo:
Willip26G-AIVW also carried a nice blue colour scheme when I last saw her at Newcastle in 1958 before she was sold. She carried the “Throttle Benders” badge on the nose at this time and had just won the King’s Cup air race with Jamed Denier as pilot.
Anybody got a photo of her in this guise?
Jim
In her early life as the Sea Tiger she also sported a yellow colour scheme as shown in the attached photos – one taken as she was being trundled to the slipway at Lee on Solent and the other sitting pretty in the water – I’m not sure where.
Wicked Willip :diablo:
Willip26Thanks for your help so far.
I have passed the details on to my contact in Australia.
Another reports states it not being at the museum but is reported off site and stored local.
But where?
Any other information like a current photo and off site location would be appreciated.
Regards
I’m intrigued to know the reason for your enquiry and the connection with Australia, as this Auster certainly has some history regarding its previous ownership.
The photo uncovered by Newforest on the C.N.A.P.G website must have been taken in the 1960s, when it was in the colours of the Air Touring Club at Biggin Hill and was named ‘Spookie Too’ – a reference to one of the other Auster J/1s they operated, G-AHHS (‘Spookie Darling’) and G-AHHL.
Subsequently it was in private hands at Shoreham, until one day it was spirited away under the nose of the registered owner (reportedly he was driving along the perimeter road when he saw it take off) and flown to Headcorn.
There was some kind of ownership dispute and it stayed at Headcorn unflown for many years until eventually passing into the ownership of the Freeman family.
Wicked Willip :diablo:
Willip26Surely somebody must know?
Since Peter Bishop owns the Somers Kendall SK1, as well as G-AFJU Monarch and G-AJOE and G-AJWB Messengers, a reasonable guess would be that it is one of those.
Wicked Willip :diablo:
Willip26Great pic Willip, any chance of getting a better resolution copy for the family archives?
GTW became EI-ARB and was lost in a mid air with camera helicopter Alouette G-AWEE off Wiclow Head on the 18-8-70 durring the filming of “Zeppelin”, sadly claiming the lives of the Irish Air Corp pilot Jim Liddy of the SE5 and all on board the Alouette, this included pilot Gilbert Chomat “Gilly”, camera man Skeets Kelly and dirrector Burch Williams.
BM
Sad to learn the circumstances of the demise of TGW and the loss of life involved.
I no longer have my original Kodak slide but will gladly provide you with a 6×4 colour print if it helps and you care to PM me with a contact address.
Wicked Willip :diablo:
Willip26Whilst we are talking ‘Blue Max’ and SE5s here’s a shot of one of the replica SE5As constructed for the film by F G Miles Engineering Ltd and seen at Shoreham around the time of its first flight.
Wicked Willip :diablo:
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