The terrible Varsity crash was at Marchington in August 84 when the aeroplane was on a photo-shoot. One of the engines failed, and in the attempted landing at the Staffordshire gliding site, it impacted nearly inverted.
I remember reading the crash report, but the only detail I recall was a problem ‘with the diaphram’ ( in the fuel supply system I think).
Hurricanes at White Waltham- there’s nothing new under the sun , you know.
Seen it all before (yawn).
Bourne had a weary Percival Prince, it even performed at an airshow at Biggin in about ’84- I think the aeroplane festered for a while, then lumbered over to North Weald for another prolonged rest with Aces High, before astonishing everyone by flying off once more. Might have been to Carlisle, but someone will know.
neal H started a thread on groups entitiled ‘some advice/help please’ which is currently on the third page of this forum, with the last entry March 1st.
Most of the aviation mags grind out a ‘group flying’ article every couple of years and they always conclude it is a ‘Good Thing’ , which it is. Unless you are utterly loaded, or flying fewer than, say, 15 hours a year, a group is a sensible way to go.
I have been involved in three, and they have all been great. The key is to join people you like, and feel you can trust. If a member crashes the machine, and it turns out (for instance) his/her medical is not valid, then the insurers will not pay out. On a Evans VP1 perhaps you can live with that, but with a £10k share, it becomes a bit trickier. The simpler the aeroplane, the simpler should be the group, but like any aviation enterprise, it will cost you money.
The key is do you homework, and be clear on the kind of flying you want to be doing for the next few years. Shares can be pretty hard to shift sometimes, and the market is generally depressed, but that does mean there are great bargains out there.
Should not really dig up an old thread, but with with the Jags pulling out of Coltishall this week, it reminded me of this.
Victor would have been relieved that the Jags were just a passing phase. He would be about 45 now, just the right age to buy a new Bovis executive box, as the airfield disappears under 35,000 building plots.
Thats quite a body of work there-no wonder it took ten years to scan them!
Thanks for posting; I liked the Swordfish at Tilsonberg. Was it one of from the Ernie Simmons cache, coming home?
Interesting composition to have the subjects flying ‘out’ of the picture, quite unusual really.
I know you have not exactly invited comment, but seeing as you have posted it I will just mention that I think the subjects would be largely silhouetted, as the primanry light source (sun) seems to be just above the hut , at least if you project the shadow angles on the UC legs, they loosely converge there.
Is that the original skin on the fuselage? It looks quite ‘worn in’.
There is a Luton advertised in Popular Flying for £3K (ono !!). It is GATCJ
Comes with new permit!! 07979 546119. Much cheapness………..
Re the Minicab, it needs a new permit, but is an honest little 2 seater and should make circa £8,000, – offers would be considered.
Am I the only one seeing inverted Harvards ?
My media player is telling me it can not fully support the format.
Im am thinking ‘No’.
This is a full-scale model, but is not, I think, the same one as seen 5 miles away at Salisbury Hall, not unless it has all been stuck together since Feb.
Regarding construction, I would guess there is plenty of fibre-glass in there.
Barbel was (and no doubt still is) very generous with her aeroplanes, and would often offer trips to friends and acquaintances. Her fleet numbered seven at one stage, and in fact her first was the Cub G-BTUM which is still based at W.Waltham. Len Perry used to turn off the mags in the overhead, and make her practice real glide approaches- there is no starter in a J-3!
Her business interests in hotels and catering took her away from flying for long intervals, but she is a very experienced and capable pilot, even soloing an L-39 jet in Russia. She still turns up to fly the Decathalon from time to time, friendly and approachable as always.
Astonishing breach of health and safety!!
I see those two individual going airside are not wearing HI Viz tabbards. I suspect that they may have inadaequate footwear, and there is no sign of hard hats.
I hope that the insurance requirement for visitors is tripled, and personel going airside should be accompanied at all times by a airfield staff, and transported in an armoured van.
With the Jaguar going as well, how many types will the RAF now operate?
Tornado, Typhoon, Harrier, Hawk, Herc, VC10, Tristar, C17, Chinook, Sea King, Puma, Merlin, HS125, Tutor. Any more?
In my ‘yoof’ I had a poster from the Air Force recruiting dept, it was Aircraft of the Royal Air Force, and ran to about 28 types. Pembrokes, Shackletons, Argosies, Doves, Buccs, Phantoms, Victors etc etc. Still, there was a cold war on in those days.