Paul FOuch!
Photos on the video seem to suggest the fuselage skin is damaged/split to the left of the exit too – unless it is debris from the door still fixed to the hinge mechanism….
An expensive mistake – and lucky the aircraft didn’t hit anything or anybody else if it really did roll the 200 feet as claimed.
Paul F
Paul FThanks Kev
Kev,
I think your images have just added NMA Alrewas to my “must visit” list. Unfortunately its a little too far for me to “pop over”, but if I’m ever in the area I’ll make an effort to get there.
The whole place looks so peaceful in that wonderful evening sunlight, such a contrast to the last moments endured by so many of those whose loss is commemorated there…
And your mention of the mother and child nearly reduced me to tears – for so many, like me, who visit memorials such as this the names remain just so many unknown names on a wall, but for a few visitors those ‘names’ were so much more than a name, they were very real fathers, sons, husbands and brothers ( or,mothers, daughters, wives and sisters). Makes me feel like I’ve little entitlement to be there, encroaching on such a private moment, if I ever have similar encounters.
Always reminds me that there’s a world of difference between the somewhat impersonal collective act of rememberance many of us make every November, and the intensely personal acts of rememberance that so many servicemens’ families have to face every day of their lives.
Paul F
Paul FCould be the Air Atlantique one from Coventry (Sorry, registration escapes my memory). The one with the radome under the fuselage.
Radar trials perhaps?
Paul F
Just checked – G-ANAF is their red Dak
Paul FDo you know any turbo prop twins with tandem cockpit seating? I can’t think of any. Single engined turbo or jet, yes. Twin’s props, no.
Zoot – don’t forget the Pucara, that’s a twin turboprop with tandem seats – though unlikely to find one so far from home… and the leading edge shape of the wreck is definitely NOT Pucara.
Still looks like a Beech King Air variant to me.
Paul FVisited Airbase Friday 11 June
Hi Guys,
Visited Friday around midday as I was collecting my son form Uni later that afternoon.
Not really sure what to think. Yes it was good to be able to get so close to some of the airworthy exhibits on the hardstanding outside the hangar – Venom, Rapide, Meteor NF11, and the two Canberras, and the hangar was spotless, with just a single rope to keep visitors away from the aircraft. Canberra cockpit doors were open so it was possible to look inside the “office” and take cockpit photos.
I was pleased to see the Hughes 500 (N500LN) before it returns to USA – hadn’t appreciated quite how large it is. Shame that the props were removed and on a stand nearby.
Some of the exhibits on the grass area (Shackleton, Dove, Devon, Pembroke)adjacent to the apron were more “tired” than I had expected, and in need of some work. The newly arriveds Nimrod was open for (unsupervised) visitor inspection. DC6 taxi runs weren’t running as it was a (quiet) weekday. Work was underway on the Chipmunk (engine runs) and the Jet Provost.
It was impossible to get decent photos of the DC6’s due to the way they were parked, likewise for the Nimrod, external photos from any sort of “front” or “half-front”are near impossible as you can’t get far enough back. Better shots are possible from other places on the airfield perimeter with suitable long lenses. The ‘radome’ Dakota, an Auster, and an Electra were parked outside the airbase zone, and could only be seen through fences from the approach road as they were parked on the ‘live’ apron beyond the Airbase hangar.
Overall my impression was that the place has potential, and the atmosphere was very relaxed – visitors were free to wander at will, with no-one looking over your shoulder – great for creative photography.
But at present feels a little like “Well, let’s try opening it up and see if punters turn up”. £8 entry fee seems reasonable given I was in the area anyway, but if I’d driven 170 miles there especially to visit Airbase I’d have felt disappointed. I’d also say there’s not much to keep small children amused – a colouring table in the entrance portakabin and some activity packs.
Nearby, MAM feels like better value for money at present.
So, at present I’d say don’t expect too much of Airbase, but it does have great potential. That said, where else can you get so close to so many classic British types? I guess more is going on at weekends, so maybe impressions would be more positive then?
As for visitor numbers, apart from me I reckon there were half a dozen others….
Paul F
Paul FThere was also G-BCUX a HS125 piloted by John Cunningham that went through the fence at Dunsfold after suffering multiple birdstrikes on take off which than ploughed into a car killing the six occupants.
http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19751120-1
Hi ZHR,
As the car was driving along the A281 road (that passes just east of the runway threshold) at the time, rather than parked up to watch the flying, then I don’t think the occupants can be classed as airfield spectators who were watching from an inadvisable/unsafe location. They would be better classified as unfortunate passers-by who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
There are many other airfields and commercial airports where final approach (or initial takeoff path) passes very low over main roads, or where main roads pass very close the the end of the runway – Farnborough (though the relocation of the threshold has possibly reduced the risk there?), Southampton (M27), East Midlands (M1) to name but three. From memory, in the case of the last two places there have been at least one case at each where an aircraft has ended up on the road, with fatal consequences at EMA. And at Duxford the M11 has seen vehicles hit by air accident debris (P38) IIRC, and an aircraft in trouble has almost reached the carriageway when overrunning the Dx runway(L39).
To me these cases show that it is probably unwise to spectate on the extended centreline of a runway around an airport boundary even if you can do so from a public footpath or roadway – or that you to keep your wits about you if you do choose to stand there.
Paul F
Paul FSpeaking of flight simulators by the way – what happened to the Concorde flight simulators?
I believe one of sims was moved to Brooklands Museum, and is now open to the public for a suitable fee/donation, and at least one retired Concorde Captain spends time instructing the paying-guests how to ‘fly’ it.
And as has been said above, without Airbus or A. N. Other suitably experienced/qualified organisation re-instating and supporting the design authority for the airframe then none of the Concordes will ever fly again. And it is very unlikely Airbus would hand over the lapsed design authority to another organisation anyway. As a comparison/example, I believe Marshalls of Cambridge took over the design authority for the Vulcan from BAe (ex Avro etc), so that XH558 could be re-flown.
In theory it is possible that something similar to this could be arranged for Concorde, but the costs are so horrendous that in all probability it will never happen. Even if the will was there then the costs involved would probably make the restoration costs of Vulcan XH558 look like small change in comparison.
So, let’s face it, on the basis of economic probability (rather than technical possibility) Concorde will never fly again – however, no doubt there will continue to be rumours that she will…
Paul F
Paul FWhat amazes me is that people from the Southern Counties equate going to Manston with trying to get to the moon! I live in deepest Lincolnshire and find it incredibly easy to do the 150 mile journey and have never been held up at the bridge!
Hi David,
You must be the luckiest user of the Dartford Crossing then, it is crawling at best, and stationary at worst whenever I have used it in either direction except in the wee small hours. Local (South East) travel news regularly flags M25 up as log-jammed for one or two junctions as you approach from either side in am or pm rush hour – why suffer that when Stanstead is an easier run from East Anglia catchment.
Approaching from Dartford, Manston may be fairly accessible via m’way (once south of the river crossing), but from Central Sussex/Sussex coast its far from ideal, as the only “easy” route is northwards to join M25 then round to M2/M20 , as cross country A-roads are shorter route but diabolical. Why go to all that hassle when so many people can get to Gatwick or Heathrow so much more easily by train or road (and yes I know only too well how slow the western sections of M25 can be too).
If Manston was such a desirable option for operators or pax then I suspect it would already be much busier – after all the runway is in situ and ready to use and a modern “tin shed” type terminal building is relatively quick and easy to build, as you sya yourself, the last mile or two of road and the terminal are relatively easy to upgrade so I have ask myself why hasn’t it been done already? In absence of a new-build runway maybe capacity issues at the big four “London” airports will force additional traffic to move elsewhere, but I’d be very suprised if Manston picks up much of the overspill, even with the long term plans for new industry and new homes in the Thames Gateway area.
Paul F
Paul FManston International
Hi Tommy,
Yes Manston has an excellent and much under utilised runway, but it’s an awful place to get to, stuck out on the eastern tip of Kent – with no decent road or rail links etc.
For me it would probably be almost as quick/easy to drive to Birmingham from home as it would to fight cross country to Manston, and I only live in the next county! Why woudl I flog cross country to Manston when I’m 30mins form LGW and only an hour from LHR or Southampton. Potential travellers from Essex catchment area would have to fight the M25 Dartford crossing, which is always choked up, and Stanstead is on their doorstep, so why would they bother using Manston. Pax from London area won’t be persuaded to hike off to the east Kent coast when LHR, LGW, City, Luton, Stanstead (and even BHX?) are so much easier to get to for most of them.
Draw a boundary showing travel time of say 45mins from the airport gate, and the catchment population within that zone for Manston is relatively small. Manston is (currently) too inaccessible compared to other current airports to take much new traffic. Yes, road/rail infrastructure could be improved, but that would probably cost more than adding runway at an existing, well connected airport such as LGW, LHR or Stanstead.
As you say, might be better to push some SE traffic out to the regional airports, but then the “hub” system doesn’t work as the connecting flights are fewer.
Either we all change our flying/travelling habits, or I reckon South East will see a new runway at LHR or LGW….. it’s just a matter of time.
Paul F
Paul FThanks for the tips PMN
Hi Paul,
Thanks for the info – at least your excellent maps should stop me getting lost in the badlands of the wild and wooly North 😀 Excellent photos too (as usual), not sure mine will be anything like as good.
Looks like it’s worth me throwing a camera in my bag then – though I’ll feel a bit out of place taking photos wearing a suit and tie rather than jeans and a jacket :o. Likewise, a ‘southern softie’ wandering round the tarn in suit might earn me some very strange looks too?
As regards the lens, fortunately (?) its the Canon 70 – 300mm IS, so on my 350D its effectively 105-450mm. I can see why a prime 400mm would be a little too long there! However, I may just stick with my old Fuji S5000 superzoom as its so much more “portable” on business trips, and quality is adequate. Not sure how it’d look if I turn up to a second job interview toting the full DSLR kit….
Thanks again Paul, info very much appreciated.
Paul F
Paul FA few more photos from 1985
With apologies for quality – a combination of grainy 35mm transparency film, plus a 10year old scanner..
And sorry my other half ruins the view of the Scimitar!
Paul FHi Tony et al,
I too visited Flambards during the summer of 1985, and will try and find and scan a few of my slides if they add more to the overall picture – some of Tony’s pics look identical to those I remember taking – especially the close up of the Scimitar cockpit as it “refuelled” from the hose trailed from the Sea Vixen.
I have similar memories of watching Culdrose’ Sea Kings and Jetstreams from the public viewing area, and of the simple chain link fence.
Seem to remember that evening I enjoyed a couple of pints of “Spingo” in the Blue Anchor in Helston, and then had to ask my other half to drive us back up to Newquay (where we were staying) as I had slightly 😉 underestimated the strength of the beer, and decided not to chance being pulled over by the boys in blue :o.
Thanks for opening/posting the thread Tony – brought back some very happy memories…
Paul F
Paul FBelated “Spotted” near Dorchester Mon 26/04/10 4:15pm
Monday 26th April, around 4:15 – 4:30pm I was driving south west down the A35 (heading for Exeter), and had just driven around the Dorchester/Poundbury bypass. As I left the Poundbury roundabout to head along the A35 on the hilltop ridge I spotted two low flying aircraft heading west- or south west-bound a little to the north of the A35.
They seemed to do a low run-in and break somewhere around Bradford Peveril (I guess form checking a map). They both pulled up slightly into steeply banked turns to their left (i.e. towards the A35) and then continued turning through 180′ so as to head back the way they came. Both were very low (though that may have been a visual effect due to my position on the hill-top A35). The lead aircraft looked like a Piston Provost to me (tapering wing with very square wingtips, and short fuselage/engine ahead of the wing), and the second was (probably) a Chipmunk.
They definitely seemed to be in line astern formation, and the run and break was very tight, and steeply banked as they pulled up and round, so it seemed to be a pre-planned manoeuver.
I then lost sight of them as I had to keep my eyes on the road :o.
Has anyone got any ideas what they were doing/why they were there etc?
Paul F
Paul FA twelve day strike over the Festive Season does seem a little excessive.
One day walk outs or work to rules would probably do enough to make their point but still keep the majority of the general public on their side, but a 12 day all out strike will do little to gain support.
As Moggy has said, look what happened to the Miners…. and some might argue that their case was a little more justified than that of BA cabin crews where the majority will (would have) stay(ed) in work under BA’s proposal.
Its a tough call for Willie Walsh…and could even be seen as a “test case” by other unions/industries – if BA back down then maybe it will be “open season” for strikes in other industries too. If BA stick to their guns, then maybe a few job losses will bring others to their senses, and make them appreciate that the dole isn’t actually much fun. Wonder if HMG will take sides or interfere… The economy is in a knife-edge situation anyway, last thing it needs is a major employer to go under due to the actions of it’s employees.
Still, I’m sure they all carefully evaluated the risks and possible consequences before ticking the “Yes let’s strike” box on the ballot paper….’United they stand’, presumably ‘united they’ll queue for their dole money’ too if BA dpesn’t back down?
Glad I’m stayin’ at home for Christmas :diablo:
Paul FSpeaking to staff in a large independent (i.e. not a retail chain) a while ago, the EOS1000D did not get a very good review compared to the EOS450D and the newer EOS500D. Cannot remember exactly what the issues are, but I think build quality may have been one of them – with a number having to be fixed or replaced by the manufacturer. Maybe that was only on the early deliveries, perhaps they fixed the problem on later ones.
The 500D is (reportedly) a far better bet, albeit more expensive.
Re Possible lack of Spot metering (as per black kettle’s post) – this might be an issue if trying to take backlit photos of (airborne) aircraft that don’t fill the majority of the frame?
Paul F (Happily soldiering on with my EOS350D)
P.S. Just remembered – Some(?) early 1000D’s had glitches with the autofocus which didn’t always pick up the main subject of the image, and instead focussed on unexpected aspects within the framed image resulting on slightly out of focus images. Paul F
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