Anson

Drem,
In view of all the information and diagrams sent since my last posting
you may not need my photograph. If you still want it would you send your email address to [email]mgopayne@o2.c0.uk[/email]? It may take a few days to search more than 50 years of aviation clutter.

Jersey Rally

Is it really the 45th? I can remember taking part in the first Jersey Rally in a Messenger from Staverton. Few aircraft had radio and the RAF provided a Chipmunk to monitor the route from Southampton in case anyone had to ditch. Southampton and Jersey were both grass airfields and the Aero Club building was at the other end of the airfield from its present position. The next rally I attended was in 1973 when I was CFI.
Best wishes to all there. Is John Such still around? I gave him his first flight when he was a teenager.

Skyfame

Ian, I spoke to John Cole only a few weeks ago. He is 92 and is living in Littlehampton in Sussex. I have amongst my papers a photograph taken from a Rapide I was flying,
,showing the York and Hastings ouside the Skyfame hangar.

Anson

I was lucky enough to be one of the pilots for the Skyfame Anson 1 that is now in the IWM at Duxford. I have been told that it was actually an Anson 10 as it had smooth engine cowlings and a metal tailplane. It leaked like a seive in wet weather but was sill an easy aircraft to fly. The propellors were fixed pitch and the gear had to be wound up by hand. After my work took me away from Staverton I handed over to John Cole, who replaced me as CFI of the Cotswold Aero Club. The Anson went to the RAF for a refit but on its return the flaps failed and John had to do a flapless landing. The Anson floated for ever and, faced with a possible over-run into a river at th end of 27 John had to swing onto the grass. Unfortunately a fatigue failure in one landing gear led to its collapse and damage to the aircraft that was beyong repair for flying purposes. I live only a short distance from Coventry Airport and my ears are attuned to something different. In fact, I flew for Atlantic Flight Training for twelve months.

Optica

Yes, I will do a photocopy, but it might take a day or two as I have to search our loft. Would you send me your address on [email]malcolmgordon.payne at virgin.net[/email]?

EP9

If I can be of any help I flew G-ARTU for a while in the Aerial Survey role before my company upgraded to a Rapide.

Photography

I almost beleived you until I saw the date!

Ah, nostalgia! After my first flight in 1946 in a Tiger, followed by a Maggie (which I think is in the Shuttleworth Collection) my PPL training was all on Austers at Staverton and over the years I got to fly some 38 different ones. I particularly remember taking part in the Mercator Rally in 1962 when two of us flew J1 G-AIRB and landed at 21 airfields between 0800 and 1800. This was non-radio and the final airfield was Antwerp. There was a mixture of radio and non-radio aircraft arriving and the routine was to land on the left of the runway and as soon as you had slowed down enough you moved over to the right=hand side. I think there were seven or more aircraft on the runway at the same time.