That would account for the increase in rotary activity around here. What with Merlins at Benson and Pumas and Chinooks at Odiham which is only a few minutes flying time away, or are the Pumas at Benson as well? I never know with the the RAF’s whirlybirds. I think it’s 18 and 230 sqns at Odiham and 60 at Benson. This particular Chinook was pottering around the area as though it was going into Kidlington and Brize and back to Abingdon or Benson. At low level as well, those thingas are noisy enough at the best of times, stealthy they definitely are not.

33 Sqn with Pumas(230 Sqn to come over from Aldergrove in the not-too-distant future),and 28 & 78 Sqns both with Merlins are at Benson

60 Sqn were at Benson with Wessex back in the 1980’s/90s but now fly Griffins and/or Squirrels from Shawbury

As an aside,I see another ex-Benson unit has recently re-formed.115 Sqn on Andovers were regulars in local skies again the ’80/’90s and the unit is now on Reserve status as the number-plate for the Grob Tutors at CFS,Cranwell

Colin

Well what a day we had. I dont think us lot stopped!

Eric brown’s talk was astonishing i think we could of all sat there till the early hours listening to him.
Sadly the brakes went wrong on the day and we couldn’t taxi or fly so its back to the hangar for 507 where she will be sorted out and hopefully a test flight can happen in the coming weeks. Nether the less we battled on and made the best of what we could with 2 engine runs.

Sadly i didnt have time to get any photos as i was busy but hopefully some of you did, unfortunately i saw the camera pointing at me a few times :S haha. Some nice shots are on UKAR already!

Dont forget the photographic completion for 2009, your photo doesn’t necessarily have to be taken in the air so last night was a good opportunity.
http://www.vampirepreservation.org.uk/competition.htm

A big thanks to everyone who came and supported us and donated money to help keep this lovely aircraft flying. And a big thanks to eric! who seems very agile at a grand old age of 90

Next display is at Abingdon on the 3rd of may
See you there!

Glad you had a good day today and looking forward to seeing you at Abingdon on May 3rd,but in the meantime would you mind PM’ing me Eric Brown’s contact details please as I would like to invite him to Didcot and give a presentation to my Oxfordshire Aviation Group

cheers
Colin

I’ve seen a few incidents and it is never a nice thing. I was there when the Vintage Pair crashed at Mildenhall and I witnessed a PA.28 go in at a PFA Rally on approach along with some minor incidents and accidents.

Wasn’t there a Tornado incident at Abingdon too or was that not airshow related?

There was also the Fokker Triplane replica crash G-BEFR Report here. Peter Bowes IIRC.

Bournemouth 1991 (?) was blighted by a couple of incidents – I was working it – first was a Spitfire that took off with a hatch open – landed safely if a little creased, one of the flying school twins had u/c failure on landing and the Canberra burst a tyre on landing and took to the grass in a shower of rubber & dirt.

Armwaver

Yes,there was a Tornado incident at(or near Abingdon)
The aircraft was a non-airshow visitor on the Arrivals Day for the 1989 BoB Display and IIRC it departed off r-way 18 early evening but suffered a bird-strike just after getting airborne.The crew “banged-out” safely and the Tornado came down in fields to the south of Abingdon town between Abingdon and Drayton village(came down in one field,crossed the main road and finally came to rest in another field)
The previous year,there was of course the fatal crash of the 228 OCU display Phantom on the Friday evening before the show.Failing to pull out of a loop this aircraft impacted at the eastern end of r-way 08/26(I witnessed this from the Western Crash Gate at Gozzards Ford)

Colin
10th Anniversary Abingdon Air & Country Show
(in support of Thames Valley Air Ambulance)
Oxfordshire’s ANNUAL Aviation Event
http://www.abingdonfayre.com

Vulcan passed (near to) overhead Didcot appx 1010 hrs yesterady on her way home from Farnbro’

Red Arrows also passed east abeam Didcot today en route to and from RAF Odiham for their Families Day

Colin

i know there are quite a few aircraft related street names in some of the villages that surround Raf benson,

in reference to the didcot claim, not to forget that on the downs about 15 miles south there were bombing ranges, with Raf harwell to the south west. i figure that some of the street names could have come from aircraft? also im pretty sure that the powerstation that scars the oxfordshire land was built on a MOD site, as well as the army barracks at the west of didcot towards the A34

Didcot does have a few(though the aviation connection may be co-incidental??)

BLENHEIM Close
BEAUFORT Close
WESSEX Road
SANDRINGHAM Road
WINDSOR Close(..& WINDSOR Crescent in nearby East Hagbourne)
VIKING Drive
TRENT Road
DART Drive

In near-by West Hagbourne there’s a YORK Road while North Moreton has a BEAR(as in Tu-95) Lane

Perhaps surprisingly Harwell does not have any aviation related street names

Colin

Nice shooting matey

thanks for supporting our event on Sunday,and glad to hear you enjoyed your day with us

only 51 weeks till our 10th Anniversary event in 2009

Colin