Think that there has been a bit of confusion here.
When new the Wren was capable of getting airborne under the power of her engine but over time the engine has become a bit tired so in recent years the Shuttleworth Collection has tried bungee launches to help her get airborne. Despite strenuous efforts from the ground crew the bungee launches I have witnessed have met with limited success and, at best, the Wren has managed to get airborne by a few inches.

At yesterdays show the commentator said that the engineering staff had worked on the engine and have managed to coax an extra 150 rpm from it and this appeared to do the trick and during 3 trips along the runway the Wren managing to climb to around 3 feet or so but on the last (and best) attempt she got very close to hedge at the end of the runway on landing.

The best place for oxygen would proibably be straight into the Carburettor intake to enhance the fuel air mixture! – never know she might manage 30 feet then.

I did manage to get a couple of pictures of her in proper flight as opposed to her usual trick of lurking in ground effect but I am still having probelms downloading from my camera so unfortunately I can’t post them at present.

It was good to see the Wren flying so well and maybe the incresed performance caught out the pilot who deserves credit for pulling off a difficult landing.
Let’s hope the Wren continues to fly comparatively well in the future and thanks to all at Old Warden who spent time on her engine and to the pilots who fly both the Wren and the “Edwardians”. It must be daunting to climb into any aeroplane that has such a marginal performance that it is not guaranteed to get airborne.

I haven’t managed to catch a display so far but have seen the 2 Lancs together 2 or 3 times at Southend and they made for an impressive sight. I didn’t believe it was ever possible that we would see the pair together and would like to add my thanks, both to everyone who made this possible and also to everyone who contributes in any way to keeping so many vintage aircraft in the air in the UK.

I always understood that no one was really interested in saving the CASAs after filming. Don’t forget that in the 60’s there were few people who operated warbirds and specialists who could restore and maintain warbirds (particularly larger types) were few and far between. It is probably fair to say that most who could afford a warbird in the 60’s were after a fighter usually a Spitfire or P-51 partly because their performance made them very attractive and they were also like to be hold their value and be easier to sell on than a twin engined bomber. Twin engined types were also much less attractive because of higher maintenance costs and the fact that a twin engined rating would be required to operate a CASA in the UK.

The two CASA 2111s that came to England were “saved”. I believe they were both stored at West Malling after filming finished and G-AWHB was eventually bought by Historic Aircraft Museum, Southend. The original intention was that the “Heinkel” should stay in the hangar but over time the space was needed for airworthy aircraft which were on loan and the “Heinkel” got pushed outside where the spars suffered from corrossion due to salt in the air even though the museum was well inland. She was sold at the museum auction to Paul Raymond and last I heard I think she was owned by Bill Gates of Microsoft fame.
I am not sure of her full history but G-AWHA appears to be with the Deutches Museum repainted in Spanish AF colours.

We also have the ex OFMC Casa at Duxford which came to the UK long after the Battle of Britain film.

Good to see that the Connie Edwards Buchons have finally surfaced and are to be restored.

Sorry Alan but I didn’t see your last post until this evening otherwise I would have found you to say hello.
Got there over an hour before their departure and just beat the rush for parking spaces. Hopefully I have got some good photos but I used RAW format which I have only used a couple of times before and I am having trouble persuading my computer to download them at present.

When they returned I was at the Rochford end just along from the Anne Boleyn pub and there was a Flybe arrival close behind the second Lanc so that is almost certainly the reason the Canadian Lanc turned off early.

It would be greatl appreciated if someone can tell me how to find the raised footpath at the end of 06. The area around the airport has changed so much in recent years that most of my old haunts have disappeared.

As has already been said the Connie arrived dead on 6pm on Friday just as the staff had persuaded us all it was time to go home.
Huge thanks to the staff on the airfield who were very patient with those of us who wanted to get pictures. It made the best possible ending to what had been, for the most part, a rather disappointing day.
Thanks also to the hard working staff at the Fighter Collection and the pilots for getting the P-40C and the P-26 airborne in far from ideal conditions.

I have had the pleasure of visiting Old Warden displays for about 30 years. Over that time the place has changed quite dramatically but still has a special charm.
When I first visited the audience was almost entirely aircraft enthusiasts but they simply didn’t attend in big enough numbers to keep the place going and, as a result, we lost Jean Batten’s Gull and some of the other collection aircraft just to pay the bills. The financial situation appears much better now and there are definitely far more of the general public attending nowadays along with the enthusiasts but I am still amazed at the number of non-enthusiasts I meet who have been to airshows but don’t know of Old Warden.
The cafe and shop have improved massively although I still think the shop needs a more imaginative manager who has a good knowledge of aviation so that the stock is displayed in a way which makes it more attractive. For instance there is more to selling a Corgi aeroplane than shoving an unopened box in a showcase. If you want to have any chance of selling to non-enthusiasts you need to show them exactly what they are buying so get it out of the box and either label the display or put the box behind the model in the cabinet so that anyone can make the link between the model in the showcase and the box they need to take from the shelf and make the sure the display model is clearly marked with the selling price. Even so the shop is far better than the old days when I can remember a rather hostile shop manager who threw everybody out of the place as the display was finishing and who I witnessed being rude and unhelpful to visitors who had paid for rooms in the manor house and were trying to find out how to check in.
I don’t doubt that many leave as soon as the Spitfire display finishes because there seems to be a modern preoccupation with being first so they all want to be first out of the gate because this makes them feel they are superior to the next man. Some may also have young children that they want to get home in time for bed. Andy – just console yourself with the knowledge that those who leave have parted with their money to help keep the collection going. Remember also that those who stay to see the Edwardians get to appreciate their beauty and those who have left before their display will be all the poorer for not staying to share in their magic.
The collection, along with many other museums has undoubtedly suffered from poor decisions over the years but much good has been done as well. Without the income from the ordinary public it is unlikely that enthusiasts would still have the pleasure of displays at Old Warden and the improved cafe and shop have undoubtedly done a lot to produce more income.
I admire the work done by all the volunteers and engineering staff at Old Warden and although I must have seen most of the collection aircraft in flight dozens of times by now I still love Old Warden and attend as often as I can although the price hikes in recent years mean I can usually only manage one or two visits a year now rather than attending almost every show as I have done in the past. In case you were wondering – my favourite Old Warden aeroplanes are the Edwardians and the WW1 aircraft followed by the 1920s/30s light aircraft.
I can understand the frustration when managers seem to make illogical or ill considered decisions. I have to suffer these things every day where I work to earn my living but I am not fortunate enough to have the surroundings of Old Warden to help mitigate the frustration. Please keep your chin up and remember that you are contributing to the activities of an organisation that, whatever its faults, brings a lot of pleasure to a lot of people.

Really pleased to see that things have moved on so far since that day we moved her from Lavenham. Looking forward to the day when she finally flies again.