RE: Who was that group?
its really shitty what happen to all of kent. the counci land a load of othrs have taken over west amling airfileld, they now ant to clos rocjester. therre is no detling, croydon, graesend, etc, etc. very little left. manston, lydd and biggin hill have a future.
some links and pics of airport
http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/mus/uk/l-m/medway-aps.htm
http://www.stigle.co.uk/air/mapsl/maps.htm
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Medway Aircraft Preservation Society (MAPS) Limited, is a not-for-profit company, limited by guarantee. It started as an Aircraft Preservation Group, which Lewis Deal formed, in 1977, as part of the Medway Branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society.
The Group began by rescuing those sadly neglected aircraft, which used to stand guard, in all weathers, outside RAF stations. The first was the RAF Manston Spitfire, which was restored at Rochester Airport, and is now beautifully housed back at Manston, where it is the second most popular public attraction in Thanet. The Ministry of Defence soon realized that such gate guardians throughout the country had great potential value and ordered them all to be housed indoors for restoration. As a result, many of these priceless aircraft are now either flying or are on static exhibition, a happy development triggered by Lewis Deal and his small team.
The Group’s success did, however, pose a problem. When restored, such aircraft began to acquire six-figure values for their owners, way beyond the financial competence of the local Branch of The Royal Aeronautical Society. Accordingly, in 1988, Lewis and I, and fellow Branch members, formed MAPS Limited.
MAPS has since preserved many aircraft at Rochester Airport. Today the principal customer is the Royal Air Force Museum, which has honored MAPS by allowing it to take whole aircraft from its wonderful collection, for preservation at Rochester Airport. Only Medway has this privilege. The most recently restored is the Mk 1 Spitfire, the oldest in the world, one of the few to enter service before NW2. It is now on public display at Hendon, along with a Mk V Spitfire, also preserved by MAPS, advertising Medway to visitors from all over the world.
MAPS preserves aircraft for public benefit and also restores them to their original condition, as required for historical accuracy, involving much research. All members are volunteers, whose work, worth six figures in a typical project, makes many restorations affordable, which would otherwise not be available to the public.
To date the company has completed, for flight or public exhibition, a Gloster Meteor Mk IV, Republic Thunderstreak F-84F, Piper Tripacer PA22, Northrop Drone, Fairchild Argus, R-R Merlin engines Mk 20, 35 and 500, Daimler Benz 603, Junkers Jumo 003 and Bristol Hercules XII engines, parts of the four-engine Short Sunderland and Stirling aircraft, Spitfires Mk XVI, PR Mk Xl, Mk Vb and Mk 1, and two Hurricanes, Mk lie, and is currently undertaking a Short Sherpa (fuselage), Tempest (wing) and a Sycamore, the first air-sea rescue helicopter.
At its Rochester Airport premises, the company encourages public interest in preservation work and in the handing-over of important aircraft, in which the Mayor and other dignitaries participate. The company is keen to devolve skills to younger people and has hosted school parties and young people on work experience.
An ambition, so far unfulfilled, is to site an Aviation Heritage Centre at the Airport, near the Maidstone Road, to give access without the public having to cross active runways. This would exhibit historic Short Brothers aircraft, typical of Medways heritage, and allow people to see preservation work being earned out.
Enquiries to: Lewis E Deal, Managing Director, MAPS Limited.
Rochester Airport. Chatham .Kent.ME5 9SD.
Written by: Malcolm F Moulton BSc Eng C Eng FRAOS, Chairman,
MAPS Limited, 5 April 2001
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rabie :9
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RE: Who was that group?
yup the rapide flights are great (that where i have tkane my only ever flight from).
i must go up there to nose about sometime
rabie :9
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