Some were converted to Mark 52s for export. G-PROV, which is currently based at North Weald started life as a Mark 4 at Warton in 1964. PAC/W/23905 (XS228) was delivered to the RAF but was never issued to a squadron. In 1967 it was returned to BAC and modified to Mk 52 standard. It served first with the South Arabian Federation (South Yemen) Air Force (its current scheme), then the Singapore Air Force until 1980.

Arrived fairly recently from Southend and is for sale according to the ad in the latest issue of Loop.

The site won’t just be a museum and nature reserve. RS Performance are moving their workshop there, so will be building cars and high performance engines at Stow as well.

Russell Savory, who is behind this, often flies into North Weald in a black Gazelle. So he is definitely and aviation enthusiast and he still builds engines! This is certainly an exciting project and it will be great to see WW1 era aircraft flying from there again one day.

I took some pics of the site on Monday as well as the satellite field at Gardeners Farm, Goldhanger, which is to the North East of Maldon on the Blackwater estuary.

Stow Maries certainly looks impressive from the air as so many of the buildings remain. I wish them luck in the search for replacement hangars. I gather the one they are after at RAF Odiham is likely to be exported to NZ unfortunately.

This is the Goldhanger landing ground. Gardeners Farm has some old buildings too, but I’m not sure if any are of RFC origin.

There are more pictures of the buildings in detail on Richerd Flagg’s excellent website:

http://www.airfields.fotopic.net/stowmaries

It’s basically someone more experienced giving practical help and advice.

For a PPL student it could be flying with a PPL to see how things are done, perhaps going in to a larger field with full ATC, for example. A student could do the nav planning, check the NOTAMs, do W&B calcs for a trip. Then do the nav on the trip itself, without having the added stress of having to fly the aircraft. It could be to experience a cross-Channel flight with flight plans customs declarations etc. The time can’t be logged, but it is useful.

For a newly qualified PPL, it could involve having someone along to give advice and keep an eye on things or help with the workload. It helps to build confidence, but remember who is in command and responsible for the flight.

It is not teaching. That is for the formal flying instructor.

The last sortie of our formation training last May. i was in the right hand seat of Number 4 enjoying the view rather than flying the lead for this one