Yes. It was nicknamed the “Hot Wot”, as opposed to the “Wet Wot” (on floats).

(I guess the original 36hp JAP engined examples would be “Slow Wot”?) 😀

One of the many and varied adventures of Viv Bellamy, John Isaacs and the members of the Hampshire Aeroplane Club.

Try and beg, steal or borrow a copy of John Isaacs’ book “An Aeroplane Affair”. Wonderful reading.

Thats all very well,but do you call “inbound” at Banstead Station!!!

Actually, I’ve flown with Propstrike and really, he’s a bit more up to date than that.

So saying, he still avoids the AIAA at Thurleigh and the MATZ at Upper Heyford!! 😀

I’m shocked and saddened. Just a few weeks ago he and I were discussing over the compulsory mug of tea in the Bicester crew room how we could get some more of his memories into a more permanent medium.

Those who met Dick and heard him speak of his time at Saunders Roe will know how much we’ve lost.

While best known for his role as (his words) “Chief Stoker” on the Saro Princess (probably the only person who could keep ten Proteus engines running at one time), his career started in the RAF where he was a engineering officer on Sunderlands, helped develop the first powered control systems, was a design and test engineer on the SR53 rocket interceptor and the rocket-assisted Canberra. His final job at Saro was to convert a Skeeter into the first light gas-turbine helicopter in the world, it later became the Westland Wasp/Scout.

Dick’s later passion was light aircraft and gliding. He was BGA chief engineer, tug pilot, gliding instructor and motor glider instructor well into his seventies and until recently was still inspecting aircraft for PFA permits. He double checked some routine maintenance on my Tipsy Trainer only last month.

A wonderful character, a brilliant engineer and an aeroplane enthusiast to the very end of his 83 years.

For the past three years I’ve been flying from Bicester, I doubt there was a day when I pitched up at the airfield and not found Dick there.

He’ll be sadly missed by a huge range of people. There’s no-one for whom “Blue Skies” is a more appropriate farewell.

According to some notes accompanying this print of a BE-2c, it was taken at RNAS Chingford in 1916/7, although I’d have placed the aeroplane markings a little earlier.

…and heaven only knows what that bloke’s doing up the flagpole. Some Navy tradition perhaps??? 😀

Yep. Its a simple solution. If you think he’s talking a load of cr*p, don’t vote for him.

It’s called democracy. Mind you it seems they keep trying to ban that too! :diablo:

As with many, the news of both accidents has left me at a loss for words.

Simply, and sadly, tragic. Times two.

There’s also apparently an issue with the fatigue life of components in the rotor and gearbox systems. Apparently there are no surviving records of any testing of these components at the factory and it is simply too costly to test them now.

Given that a gearbox or rotor failure is considered as creating “a bad day” for helicopter pilots, the CAA has suspended all permits to fly for the type. 🙁

Am I correct in my recollection that in the first edition of W&R there was a reference to the wreck of Eilmer’s wings still being in the brambles about 200 metres to the north-west of the site of the abbey tower! I don’t recollect there being any subsequent reference to the wreck so, perhaps, someone should organise a dig to see if they are still there. If they can be restored, it would be good to see them in flight at Old Warden on some still summer evening!

Try Google Earth perhaps?? 😀