I haven’t been to Shuttleworth for a number of years, so don’t know how the display line/fence line may have changed post-Shoreham, but good ‘topside’/banked shots could be obtained from anywhere near the ‘corner’ of the crowd fence (just to the right of ATC). The gentle slope of the site down from hangars towards the main runway also means good shots of display passes can be taken from pretty much anywhere, so long as the camera/lens focal length is good enough.

In October the sun tends to set behind your right hand shoulder (as you face the main runway/display axis), so take care if shooting towards the right hand end of the display line later in the afternoon – but shots directly across the main runway, or as aircraft pass over the threshold of 21 can be lit with a beautiful golden tint as the sun drops. Looking at google the fence line looks pretty much unchanged

As I say, things may have changed since I last visited, and a quick l

ook at google suggests the fence line looks pretty much unchanged – but

my info may no longer be correct.

Hope this helps.

Paul F

To quote Agent K : “But to return to the question, yes, if no agreements are signed and implemented then by default, whether intended or not, aircraft will NOT be flying or operating, despite comments of “I’m sure it’ll be OK” and “I’d be surprised if nothing happens”. “

But, assuming all current EU Legislation is ‘cut and pasted’ (known as ‘lifted and shifted’ in Westminster I believe) onto UK Statutes as proposed, then UK will meet all current EU requirements and regulations in all aspects/areas of business (at least on “Day 1”, and thereafter until any UK-invoked changes are made subsequently). So, in theory, any aviation ‘agreement’ between UK and EU should be straightforward as both parties will share the same standards (at least to start with) etc. Thus, there seems to be little that should get in the way of maintaining the status quo in terms of aviation.

And, despite what the doom mongers are saying, if EU digs it’s heels in then BOTH sides will be adversely affected, as an EU ‘ban’ on UK operators would no doubt trigger an equally unhelpful and simultaneous UK ‘ban’ on EU operators entering/operating within UK, so there seems to be an incentive for both sides to adopt a pragmatic working agreement, at least in the short term.

That said, I knew that a few months ago (via briefings from Govt Departments related to my own industry), all Government Departments had been told to prepare plans for managing all possible Brexit scenarios, from ‘full deal’ to ‘no deal’ – so I assume Dept of Transport/CAA etc will have been trying to draw up plans to cover all Brexit eventualities too.

Somehow I doubt the current UK-EU transport links will end at 00:00.01 on Brexit Day 1, whatever the current posturing – commercial enterprises on both sides have too much to lose, and eventually the politicians will realise that and adopt a pragmatic approach (I hope!).

Given the Caterham, postmark, then one of the raids on RAF Kenley might also be a possibility?

At risk of reopening a can of worms…

I have been doing so prep/research ahead of fast-approaching summer hols just up the coast from Los Alcazares/San Xavier, and have stumbled across a small aviation museum adjacent to the old Los Alcazares airfield. Wikipedia suggests there were three Republican airfields in the area: at Los Alcazares (closed as an airfield, but still a military establishment), at El Carmoli, and at Santiago de la Ribera (now the site of San Xavier Airport).

This led to a session of ‘web-link wandering’, and I came across a Spanish-language website covering the Spanish Civil war, which carries listings and photos of the many and diverse aircraft types used etc. Wikipedia suggests there were three airfields in the area, Los Alcazares, El Carmoli and Santiago de la Ribera (now the site of San Xavier Airport).

http://www.sbhac.net/Republica/Fuerzas/FARE/Materiales/Modelos.htm

Assuming there was general agreement that the photo in question is indeed Spanish in origin, possibly of Spanish Civil War period, and possibly taken in the Murcia area, Los Alcazares was a major Republican-forces airfield at that time. My understanding is that Los Alcazares airfield also seems to have been a major airbase (including a base for seaplane operations on the Mar Menor) of the pre-war period, so it is possible many other types ‘passed through’ but were not based locally.

So, from this somewhat ad hoc web trawling, can I throw the following types into (or back into?) the debate:

Northrop Gamma

Northrop Delta

Lockheed 9B Orion

Seversky SEV-3XAR

Seversky SEV-2PA

Seversky 2-XP

These types all appear to have been operated by the Republicans during that period. Some of the photos (on the associated webpages mentioned above) show varying degrees of similarity to the unidentified type in the photo. Unfortunately none seem to fit sufficiently well to be clear favourite.

There are also a number of Russian types listed/shown, and the rear fuselage and fin (allowing for possible misinterpretation due to unconfirmed control surface position etc), does look distinctly ‘Polikarpov-esque‘

So, I am not sure I have done much to resolve the matter, and my Spanish is not good enough to understand much of the info on the website I stumbled across – hopefully other contributors may be better placed to comment.

It is, as has been discussed, also possible that whatever the type is, it has undergone an unknown degree of local modification/repair or ‘improvement’ post-manufacture, as Los Alcazares airfield (if not the other two) may well have been home to a sizeable, and competent, repair and overhaul facility.

In the meantime, I am hoping to visit the mentioned Municipal Aviation Museum in Los Alcazares around the end of this month, and if I spot anything there that may help unravel this mystery I will post it on here in due course.

Also, if anyone can recommend a good English-language book about the aviation aspects of the Spanish Civil War period, please let me know – having visited the Civil War museum in the shelter caves under Cartagena castle, and now seen the above website covering the diverse range of aircraft types involved, I now realise just how ignorant I am of that conflict.

Picked up the series on DVD about 12 months ago, and have only just watched it. Some glorious air to air shots over the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs around Friston/Beachy Head.

Thirty years ago – it was filmed just after I moved down to that part of the world (East Sussex), and I remember desperately hoping to catch sight (or sound) of the filming that was rumoured to be going on not too far ‘down the road’… (no Internet forums, and few mobile phones, to spread the word in those days…)…

The series feels a little dated in places, even allowing of the fact that it is a ‘period piece’, but its still well worth tracking down a set of DVDs.

“SARO Skeeter to the list. No sure that there are any airworthy??”

Weren’t they all grounded some years ago due to risk of delamination of the main rotor blades – IIRC that is why the AAC grounded their example?

Re Post 20 – Lavenham

As Moggy says, many buildings remain, some in use, some derelict.

When I went there a few years ago, you first had to visit Lavenham village Tourist office, and they will happily ‘register’ your vehicle details and phone them through to site owners, so that the site owners know you are coming. But, it costs nothing, and the tourist office then provide details of how to find the airfield and enter the site.

I didn’t venture across the ‘active’ runway, but was free to drive/walk around the area around the control tower (which is restored and in use as offices). Other parts fo the old airfield may also be accessible or visible from public rights of way, but I had limited time.

Much evidence of Rackheath Norfolk still remains, and some can be found within the Industrial estate. Runways are long gone, but the tower is another that has been restored as offices and can be found tucked down one of the side roads in the Ind Estate. Public footpaths run from tower across the main airfield and former runways etc. Many old airfield buildings can still be seen if you look round the industrial estate – which was open to visitors rather than ‘barrier controlled’ entry etc.

Hemswell Lincs seemed pretty intact inc Hangars a few years ago, and is another Industrial estate – the ‘atmosphere’ of an old RAF station panorama can be sensed without entering the Ind Estate – but I am sure you could ask at the barrier, and might gain permission to enter the Ind estate (Or perhaps contact estate owners and ‘pre-arrange’ a visit?).

Others have mentioned Goodwood (Westhampnet), Tangmere, and Ford Sussex – these are accessible to varying degrees, and from various points (do some research using google maps and OS maps to find rights of way etc) but being so close you could easily visit all three in a day. All have some remaining buildings and/or parts of runways and perimeter tracks and hardstandings etc.

As said above, the New Forest airfields are easily accessible, but I have found few buildings remaining – and runways have mainly gone – however hardstandings, peri tracks, water-towers etc often still exist, often serving as minor roads or bases for camp/caravan sites etc. Although most of the runway surfaces and some peri-tracks have been dug up, their lines can often still be seen as distinct ‘ridges’ in the soil, and the old runway light housings tend to be hosting small gorse bushes, which also helps identify the runways. I have walked the full length of Beaulieu’s main runway, and then half way round the peri-track. Again, use Goole maps research and OS maps to help find the best points of access etc.

Dunsfold Surrey is pretty intact including runways, albeit with many post-war mods, and very occasionally hosts events open to public – they used to host an annual super car-based Fathers Day event for one of the local charities, and you could even purchase a trip round the ‘Top Gear’ track in an exotic car, with entry fee and ride money going to the charity. This gave some access to the areas around the hangars, and fairly free access to much of the airfield. Of course, given proposed redevelopment into new housing, then that may not be an option for much longer :-(.

Enjoy your wanderings – even where little ‘hard evidence’ remains, a little research, and some imagination, can often work wonders on many of these old airfields… many of them still seem to ‘hold’ a real sense of what went on there…

Quote: “I have often wondered in these circumstance that having a flat version you can drive over on the taxyways, but can be hydraulically raised up to 45 degrees to protect buildings would work”..

I suspect the fact that the top lip of the “ramp” would be some distance away from the edge of the building (unless the ramp width can be increased as it is raised to 45′ so that it still butts up against the building wall) would mean that the air would swirl over the lip of the raised ramp and form a very turbulent vortex/zone in the dead space between the ramp and the building – possibly doing even more damage as a result? A least a 45′ berm built hard up against the side of the building means there would be no dead space/gap between the 45′ slope and the hangar wall for the wind to get into.

As with everything, I guess the cost of adding some form of permanent (or erectable) wind deflector berm(s)/plate(s) around any building in a hurricane zone has to be weighed against the chances of it actually being needed… and adding a 45′ slope to a two storey building would increase the footprint area needed around the base of the building by a significant amount. Might be better to just build the building with a 45′ Slope on each face (or at least those faces facing into prevailing wind etc) and try and make use of the space.

And, of course, in a hurricane zone, by virtue of the way a hurricane or typhoon behaves, it is possible the wind could come from pretty much any direction, depending on the track of any individual storm, so I guess you would have to build every wall at 45’…