I take it that the location of the gliding club field has no connection with Robin Windus’ Truleigh strip at the foot of the South Downs, where he still keeps his Citabria and 1929 vintage Curtiss Robin, although the latter has not had its Permit renewed for over 10 years?

This strip has been in use for many years and I recall he had BA Swallow 2 G-AFHS there in the late 1950s/early 1960s.

Wicked Willip :diablo:

G-BPIL

has not had CofA since 2000. Anyone know the current status?

T J

Seen in the back of the hangar at Bourn today a C310 completely stripped down to the bare metal and with no visible markings.

I gather restoration to airworthiness was well under way and new engines, props, windscreen etc. obtained but now the rules have been changed and the authorities have decreed that a whole lot of additional work is required, which has made further progress on the rebuild unviable.

Sadly these vintage light twins do not seem to have a great longevity and this C310, which may well be G-BPIL, is now likely to go for scrapping, as is N438DD the other one currently at Bourn and stored outside.

Wicked Willip :diablo:

Here is a design picture of the two types Constructed in Europe, any pictures of West Malling ?

M

No pictures or positive information unfortunately.

Our daughter brought home a new boyfriend a few years ago, whom we only met the once but we understood he was a dog handler, who was going on night duty at West Malling to patrol some kind of underground chambers or series of tunnels.

The indication was that this was for members of the government to decamp to in the event of an attack against the country.

Likely story or purely flight of fancy James Bond stuff?

Wicked Willip :diablo:

I heard that there was/is something underground at West Malling.

Are these the same?

Wicked Willip :diablo:

In the present financial climate, with the ever-increasing costs of operating, maintaining and insuring them, what does the immediate future hold for the Air Atlantique Dakotas, now that their passenger carrying duties have presumably finally come to an end?

Wicked Willip :diablo:

Don’t know if it is still on but if Kirkbride and North Coates are too far then I’ve also seen advertised an Auster Fly-in and Bader Foundation Day tomorrow at Popham.

Wicked Willip :diablo:

Interesting thread, Pete and where to begin.

I have always believed that largely you make your own luck but by any yardstick I have been incredibly lucky. About 5 years ago my wife and I escaped with just bumps and bruises when we had our car written off in a 4 car collision after being struck broadside on by boy racers, who failed to stop.

Nearly 40 years of regular flying, mainly in single engined and predominantly tailwheel aircraft (we were not allowed by our old CFI Wilbur to refer to them as ‘taildraggers’) has taught me that while it often pays to be in the right place at the right time it is more essential not to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I have flown in at least 7 aircraft subsequently lost in fatal accidents, including 2 with the pilot concerned, and have known several other pilots and flown with some good friends, who have paid the ultimate price.

In all that time, despite some heavy landings and groundloops and one stall and crash on take off, I have got away with just cracking my head open on the door from climbing into a Cub and whacking a hand swinging the prop. on a Currie Wot.

Mind you the take off crash in the Nord NC858S was a bit frightening. Captain Vic had spent that afternoon taking a number of us flying and each time he was pushing the limits even further. Guess who drew the short straw! 🙁 We started the take off run and lifted off well before the poor thing was ready to fly and it sank back onto the ground again heavily on its mainwheels for another attempt at getting airborne. This time it hit even harder and there was an audible crack from underneath. Unbeknown to me this was one of the undercarriage legs giving way to hang limply. He still had full power on as we bounced back into the air, whereupon I screamed ”PUT IT DOWN”!, when the throttle was finally closed and we hit the ground again with the remains of the undercarriage and a splintering prop. ”What happened?”, the fire crew asked when they rushed out to the rescue, whereupon he immediately replied ”pilot error”. As a result he gained a lot of respect and I forgave him and was later happy to accompany him on the London-Londonderry Air Race (actually Hatfield-Hawarden-Eglinton) in a Slingsby T67.

It was a very sad day a few years later when I read the headline in the local paper that Captain Vic and his beloved G-CAPT had been lost in the Vosges Mountains on the latest of his many record breaking attempts.

I don’t know what the survival rate is like for people going into intensive care but I have come back from two of those episodes. The first was exactly 34 years ago today and there must be something about taking dogs for a walk! I was looking after some friends’ Alsatian puppy while they went flying in their Beagle Pup, when it cut in front of me and yanked me off balance, causing a fall on concrete, breaking my thigh. A blessing in disguise as it happened as x-ray tests at Worthing hospital showed a lot of cysts on the bones, which were drawing calcium out of the bones into the bloodstream, making the bones very brittle. I was all set that weekend to attend the PFA Rally at Sywell in another friend’s Gardan Minicab but instead had to endure watching the beautiful weather outside from a hospital bed. A couple of days later and things all got a bit serious – I had been diagnosed with a parathyroid tumour and was ‘blue-lighted’ in an ambulance at dead of night up to the ITU at University College Hospital, London, where life lay in the balance for a day or two. 100 days exactly I was in hospital on that occasion and it was humbling learning to walk again in the gym in company with people without limbs.

My most recent serious encounter with the Grim Reaper (alarming to see he is a member of this Forum :p) was on 13th December last year. Woke up feeling decidedly weak and wobbly and couldn’t get my socks on, doctor called and asked whether I wanted the district nurses to attend or did I want to go to hospital and as I was by then feeling so rough opted for the latter. After the door was closed on the ambulance I have no recollection of Christmas or anything until 2 and a half weeks later, when I heard my wife’s voice saying ”It’s New Year’s Day today”. This time around the diagnosis was double pneumonia and sepsis and on life support with ventilators, blood tests, ecgs, x-rays, MRSA etc. to contend with recovery has been so much harder. Five weeks in intensive care, during which at one point my wife was virtually told by the consultant to expect the worst, and five weeks on the renal ward mean that I’m still not back at work but getting there and at least alive to fly again. :D:D:D

Hey, but it’s been a great life and hope that you can all be as lucky. :D:D:D

Wicked Willip :diablo: