Potentially a great aeroplane but lousy timing and an unfortunate end to the first flight put paid to any chances of ever finding out what the Racer would have been able to acheive. It must be one of the great “what ifs” of British Aviation.
Anyone any idea what happened to the Skysport project? I seem to remember reading that it had been “put on the backburner” a long time ago. I would imagine that it would be difficult to find a suitable engine to replace the Sabre but is it ever likely to see the light of day or has it been abandoned altogether?

I too was a number cruncher at one time but always had an interest in the aircraft rather than just the registration. An old friend continues to number crunch and is heavily involved with LAAS but now often travels between airfields in another number crunchers light aircraft which coincidentally operates from an airfield which is renowned for hostility to spotters. The friend who is now a passenger in the aircraft was once chased from a public footpath that skirts the airfield boundary by someone pointing a shotgun.
I can remember visiting obscure airfields and finding them deserted. In one case we were busy peering through a hole in a hangar when the building filled with light as someone opened the doors at the other end. We were more than happy to lend a hand moving out several aircraft and putting them back once the owner had extricated his own machine.
In the old days it could often be difficult to find someone who would give permission to wander around. I can remember some general aviation airfields where air traffic suggested we get on with our visit but if anyone complained they hadn’t seen us. I also remember getting all the way to the far end of Panshanger (where spotters tended to be unwelcome due to vandalism problems) and encountering a gent who was working on an aircraft at the back of the hangar. He told us we couldn’t look round and had to leave immediately but added “on the other hand if you choose to walk slowly and take your time leaving there isn’t much I can do about it”.
I think they may have been barking up the wrong tree with the vandalism accussations. At that time somone had built a new housing development directly under approach and there were reports of the new residents hurling house bricks at passing aeroplanes in protest at the noise aircraft made when they had the audacity to try to land on the airfield. I suspect these idiots were more likely to have been the source of the vandalism which, sadly, saw the old tower reduced to a wreck.
I can understand owners concerns over damage and theft but in my experience a majority of aviation enthusiasts (including spotters) are more than happy to help prevent damage and theft and I have always either reported problems or intervened. I remember a “gent” at a PFA rally who from his conversation with his small son clearly had little knowledge of aircraft. This “gent” doubted my parentage after I explained the dangers of walking up to a Tiger Moth winding the wind driven generator around several times, messing with the switches in the cockpit and trying to swing the prop to show his small son how they started aeroplanes in the old days. He made it clear that he believed my fears were unfounded even though he stood there open mouthed when I explained the dangers. An empty Tiger Moth in the static part would have wrought havoc but apparently I was the one who was wrong!

Not true. 11 November 1940 42 CR-42’s provided fighter cover, 29 0n the 23 November, 23 on the 28 November.

Read the book, this is only a snap shot.

I was just going from memory of what I had read in Air Britain Impressments Log a very long time ago.
Was BT474 shot down or was it simply a case of an oil pipe became detached through some kind of failure? It couldn’t have been too serious as the engine must have been good enough for the RAF to fly her again.

They must have mixed it a bit as the one at RAF Hendon was shot down.

I understood the Hendon Falco participated in the only attempt by the Italians to mount a mass attack on England.
The entire attack force is alleged to have turned tail when some Spitfires appeared and the Fiat now at Hendon force landed on the shingle bank at Orfordness with a broken oil pipe. I suppose it could have been broken as a result of a bullet hit but I thought it was simply a case of mechanical failure. Whatever the reason I don’t think it could be described as the most glorious day in the history of the Italian Air Force.

The version I heard was that when EZF turned up at Southend all the parts were there. I am sure that, many years ago, I saw a photo of EZF outside the Tradair hangar with the wings leaning against the fuselage. The owner is supposed to have disappeared and with no owner and no decision on her future she was left to rot.
The really sad part is that in the late 60’s / early 70’s the wings were laying in the long grass beside the fuselage behind the old Tradair hangar although I don’t remember seeing the tailplane or fin and rudder. Around the time that Channel Airways went bust someone drove a tractor over the wings and the fuselage was later sawn in half. The fuselage was finally saved but sadly the remains of the wings didn’t get rescued or had been taken away by the scrappie who cleared the Tradair hangar for the receiver.
I believe that HAM made enquiries about the Scion on a number of occassions before Channel Airways folded but were told the owner couldn’t be traced and the aircraft couldn’t be disposed of without the owners permission. I think some also thought that it was too big a project and should be left where it was unless it was threatened with scrapping.
Stan Brett had a photo of myself and some of the other volunteers crouched in the bare Scion fuselage (which still had a rather rough floor) when it was still in one piece behind Tradair.
I am pretty sure the fuselage was eventually saved by the East Anglian Aviation Society and was stored behind the museum as they had nowhere to keep it. Ultimately it passed to the Historic Aircraft Society and when this was dissolved it passed to some of the members who attempted to form another group.

My understanding was that, under EU rules, pilots over 65 years of age are no longer allowed to fly anything with more than one engine unless the aircraft is fitted with dual controls and they were accompanied by another pilot who has a type rating for the aircraft.
The Beaufighter, P-38, Tigercat and Mosquito are all single pilot making it impossible for Stephen Grey to fly them within the EU. It is understandable that he doesn’t wish to pay a lot of money to restore / operate aircraft which he will not be allowed to fly but it is a shame that we appear to have lost the chance of seeing both a Mosquito and Beaufighter in the air and have been deprived of further enjoying the P-38 and Tigercat.
I assume that the ruling only applies to warbirds or are older pilots also prohibited from operating general aviation twins like Aztecs, Navajos and Cessnas without a second pilot aboard?

Had the same thing several times recently so I assumed the site was down for maintenance.