Nice shot of JH over the beach in 1971

http://www.flickr.com/photos/railwaydave/6526454291/in/set-72157627628538299/

Cripes !! What a nasty incident. I have never seen that footage before 😮

Not surprisingly, the forum has been here before.

http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?t=75638

”According to the excellent 1986 book “Spitfire & Hurricane Tribute” (about the BBMF) published by Ian Allan, the accident was caused by ” A series of errors by the pilot, local ATC, and the pilot of the Harvard aircraft, who failed to obtain clearance to enter the active runway, resulted in a head on collision. The Harvard was pushed back 50yds and completly destroyed, while AB910 was damaged extensively”.

It goes on to say that luckily there was no fire, and the Spitfire pilot (who I understand was Pete Thorn) along with the occupants of the Harvard, got out rather rapidly, although the pilot of the Harvard sustained a broken leg.

There is a picture of the front end of AB910 in the book (minus wings in a hanger) showing the damage caused by the impact. According to the text, it had sustained damage to the engine, engine mount, front bulkhead (frame 5) along with damage to both wings and extensive rear fuselage skin buckling – the latter quite clear in the picture posted by Mark12. According to the rest of the text, AB910 was then taken by road back to Abingdon and repaired by a team from the Repair & Salvage Squadron, followed by a major servicing at Kemble, with AB910 rejoining the BBMF at Coningsby in October 1981.”

Bradburger Nov 07 – Key Forum

Might have been a tip that came off. If it lost an entire wing, I doubt it would look so complete. Also, wintesses mean well, but very often offer accounts which do not stand up to scrutiny or the known facts.

However, a life has been lost, and our conjecture is just so much hot air. If there are issues of airframe integrity, I imagine the authorities will be on to it.

In case you wonder what this is about

”A World War II scrapbook created by German prisoners in the New Forest is to go on display.

The book, entitled Lager 65, contains poems, Christmas greetings and sketches of the prisoner of war camp at Setley near Brockenhurst.

The book was given as a Christmas present to camp leader Max Mueller.

It has been donated by his widow to a project run by the New Forest National Park Authority which is collating World War II memories, photos and artefacts.”

Holy thread-resurrection Batman !

Anyway, the most stunning airshow sight for me was the Russian Bear flying down the Fairford runway with an IL 76 , on the pre show assembly Friday.
They were not approved to fly in the display, but wanted to do their thing anyway. It sounded like a Shackleton in a VNE dive 🙂

http://www.flickr.com/photos/64113960@N04/6786614849

Some of the best airshows I have seen have been some of the smallest…..

Conversely, some of the largest, like Farnborough have become the most unsatisfactory, trading on a 40 year old reputation which is LONG gone, a corporate shop window for a an industry relentlessly shrinking.

However, if love long queues, long walks, and huge prices are your thing, get down to Farnborough and revel in the heady atmosphere of missiles, drones, avionics, fibre-glass biz-jets and the odd Airbus.

The only visit to the place which I have enjoyed in recent years was when arriving in a BE-2. It beats the queues, and frankly I am at a loss to know why everyone doesn’t do the same.

Doing a search on ANY of those registrations would reveal what you are asking.

Even this very forum has previously come up with the answer.

”Heavitree was a strip upon which an office complex is now sited. The “barn” was on the edge of that old strip. The AL.1 moved to the owner’s family’s private premises and last I knew of it was still stored with them (along with a couple of BA Swallows which were stored in the same barn at Heavitree) – though rumours of a restoration of the AL.1 surface from time to time.

Prior to emptying, the barn contained a very early Taylorcraft C (now with Leicester museums stored and stripped), an Auster, Tiger Moth G-ACDA (which was restored to fly then hit a pylon on its first post-restoration flight and was burnt out) though it’s frame survives. Another Swallow which was once amongst those aircraft stored at Heavitree was removed many years back, was restored to fly and is now at Shobdon w.f.u. again.

The collection originated with Bertram Arden and I believe his family beneficiaries owned the AL.1 and probably still do. It would be wonderful if it could be restored to fly ……would sit nicely with a Falcon ?!” CONSUL

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=45121&highlight=G-AALP

It performed in just two airshows I think, West Malling and Biggin.

I remember thinking it sounded just like a B17!

Here she is flying at Biggin 1990

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1BHeJwF1ho