What a superb display and excellent weather too though my sunburned face may well be uncomfortable later. A record crowd, indeed a full house in terms of car parking.

Another triumph for Stephen Grey whose Joker routine was very precise. Not the biggest balbo ever but nicely orchestrated and flown.

Loved the five ship Guinot display and Mikael Carlsen’s spirited performance in the Thulin built Bleriot XI.

Enjoyed the commentary from Melvyn Hiscock and Bernard Chabbert.

Cheers,

Reaper 69
:cool::):cool:

Doug and Neil gone. An awful shock for UK general aviation and the airshow business all those years ago. Is it really thirty years since they died.

Doug was indeed the ultimate engineer. Along with Edna and Tony he built Personal Plane Services at Booker into probably the finest professional warbird restoration facility in the UK up to then. Customers like Adrian Swire and Patrick Lindsey were happy to place their work with them. They kept the Rothmans Aerobatic Team Stampes serviceable in the early days despite problems, even then, of sourcing spares, especially for the Renault engines of the SV4C’s. Even their resident refueller, Bert Goodchild, was a real character as when he finished his shift he would occasionally stroll over to the Spitfire to give it a workout.

Doug’s unique ability as a storyteller opened a mirth provoking window for us all through his tales published by James Gilbert in PILOT magazine from time to time. They really do deserve an airing today to amuse a new generation of aviation enthusiasts in the trials and tribulations of a general aviation engineer with a practical bent and an enormous sense of humour.

How he would have relished the thriving state of UK warbird and vintage aviation today. How he would have deplored the joint efforts of EASA and our own CAA today to inflict ever greater levels of bureaucracy and needless expense on the maintainers and through them the owners and operators of certificated light aircraft with the implementation of Part M and all that it brings.

Neil was almost certainly the finest all round pilot this country has ever produced. No matter what the type of aircraft, no matter whether it wore roundels or a civil registration, he would fly it to the very limits of its envelope and then some.

Our first encounter was not an auspicious one. One day, probably in 1961, Neil had flown over to Snoring in a Tiger from Swanton Morley to drop off a friend who lived nearby. On departure he flew back over the airfield at low level and did a slow roll however the last quarter dished out and he finished up quite close to the ground. I was the duty QFI and was somewhat dischuffed at the spectacle which resulted in a quick call to the CFI at Swanton, a former instructor of mine and a good friend. When Neil landed he found himself grounded for a month at that Club. This was while he was in the RAF stationed at Watton on, I believe, PR Canberra’s.

We next met at the Tiger Club at Redhill while Neil was doing the Farnborough ETPS course. He had discovered a real home for his talents and rapidly became both a superb competition aerobatic pilot in the Super Tiger, Stampe and Cosmic Wind along with the Arrow Active and was possibly the mainstay of the Tiger Club’s airshow activity. He would often fly many different aircraft in a two hour show and all of them superbly.

His first World Aerobatic Championship was in Spain in 1964 flying the Cosmic Wind. Perhaps the most incongruous aircraft ever to be entered. His efforts have been well described by others including himself. His last WAC was in Kiev in 1976 where, but for politics, we could well have had the first ever UK champion.

I think the only Tiger Club aeroplane he expressed a dislike for was the prototype Rollason Condor fitted with a 75hp engine which probably only put out around 65 ponies at best. Maybe it was his flight test report on this aircraft that contained the words “Access to this aircraft proved difficult. It should be made impossible…..!!!”.

Having left the RAF he became a test pilot with Handley Page and subsequently a freelance professional pilot.

His occasional displays in Adrian Swire’s Spitfire MH434 were sublime as were all his demonstrations with Shuttleworth Trust aeroplanes at Old Warden. I well remember that characteristic jutting chin as his leather or cloth helmeted figure perched on the Boxkite coaxed every last bit of potential out of the aeroplane to the delight of those watching.

He was a founder member of the Rothman’s team under Manx Kelly in 1970 and rejoined the team for another season in 1971 in the number 3 slot. I filled the number 2 slot and we had a really memorable season of airshows in the UK and Europe. Today, along with the then team commentator Nick Daniels, I am the only one still alive and enjoying aviation in as many forms as possible.

It was indeed ironic that his almost uncanny skills in low level poor visibility navigation ultimately let him down and killed him in that Spanish built Heinkel 111. Along with his new wife and some fine engineers in those cruel Sierra Guaderrama mountains north of Madrid on a bad weather winters day.

We still have Neil’s books “Aerobatics” and “Airborne” to remind us of a fine author and a magnificent pilot. If you have not read them then I suggest you do so.

For a few years while I was with the CAA Neil’s son from his first marriage, David, worked for me in an administrative role. I knew him as a keen glider pilot but had no idea that he was Neil’s son until a year or so had passed by. He was a great benefit to the work of the General Aviation Department as then was while he was with the Authority. A chip off the old block indeed.

Cheers,

Reaper 69
:diablo:

I was certainly in G-AHRC for many of the airshow acts including an aerobatic slot so it could well have been me. What a blast after all those years. I must have been age 33 then and still shortish and slightly overweight but with a full head of hair. The bonedome was an RAF Mark 1 pattern worn over a cloth helmet and using an oxygen mask microphone.

Cheers,

Reaper 69
:dev2: 😎 :dev2:

I do get the odd article pubished in “PILOT” magazine but never had much luck with Flypast though I have been a subsciber since that very first trial edition with Mike Twite of blessed memory as editor.

There are a few gems unpublished but perhaps my style is better suited to forums since my verbosity is kept in check somewhat. A sage vintage aviation engineer was heard to say last Sunday – “Oh no, not another of Barry’s war stories…..!!!”. Then he listened and eventually collapsed…. with mirth.

Write to Ken if you do want more in similar vein.

Cheers,

Reaper 69
:diablo: 😎 :diablo:

If it happens then it will be a great tribute to one of the most generous benefactors I have had in my five decades in general aviation.

The Barnstormers used all of Bill Tomkins aeroplanes on occasion, especially his unique Tiger Moth G-AHRC which still lies at the bottom of the Irish Sea off Anglesey. We also regularly used Rapide G-AKNN for both parachuting and many other airshow acts including flour bombing and tethered balloon bursting plus formation. The “Brown Bomber” came in very useful all round though I still shiver at the memory of shoe-horning it into his tight and short strip at Apethorpe. A steep slipping turn just missing the weathercock on the village church spire was the right, indeed the only, effective technique.

Bill would lease them to us at ridiculously low rates as I think he liked the thought of his collection being used rather than just being stored either at Sywell or at Apethorpe. I recall £6 per hour dry for the Rapide enabled us to offer it to parachute clubs and teams at highly advantageous prices. Happy days indeed.

He really was a fine English gentleman farmer and aviator who would have been quite horrified at the PC society we now “enjoy” in the UK.

He was killed some 40 or so years ago in a tragic accident at night on the A1 at Stibbington. His Ferrari Superfast went under a badly lit HGV trailer when the lorry driver was crossing the dual carriageway to go northbound from a greasy spoon break. Bill was probably doing 100 mph plus when he hit it.

As can be seen from the photo of the Gamecock he demolished, Bill had more than his fair share of luck. It ran out that night and we lost a wonderful character. I miss him still.

Cheers,

Reaper 69
😎

The Minster church in Doncaster was packed for the funeral. It was truly a celebration of Brian’s life and a chance to say goodbye to one of the greatest aviation enthusiasts I have known. Unfortunately the building’s acoustics were such that I could not hear the valedictory addresses but I was told they were a real tribute to Brian and his contribution to our kind of aviation. One poignant couple of minutes came when the rector conducting the service invited us all to recall one memorable occasion involving Brian and remember it silently for a couple of minutes. You could hear a pin drop.

The subsequent cremation was private so most of those at the church made their way to the palatial premises of the Doncaster Rugby Club for a “wake”. There were more luminaries from the airshow world than I have ever seen gathered before in one place. All the associations and light aviation disciplines were there in great numbers. It was truly an occasion to meet old friends and to make new ones. So sad it had to be on such an occasion since Brian would have relished being there in person rather than in fond memory.

A stretched “vic” of two Spitfires and a Mustang did a couple of superb flypasts in “missing man” formation at 1600. On the final pass one Spitfire pulled up and did a fine unloaded aileron roll. A fabulous touch and one that Brian would have loved. We all did. It met with applause from those who watched which was everyone including the excellent catering staff who had laid on a superb buffet.

John Romain had orchestrated it and the pilots were, probably, Cliff Spink, Peter Teichman and Maurice Hammond. A fine job done gentlemen.

My personal grieving has now subsided since the funeral does bring a form of closure but my fond memories of Brian Brown will stay with me until it is my time to join him. Hopefully at the age of 120 or so, after being shot by a jealous husband.

Cheers,

Reaper 69
:confused: