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Post by PB on Apr 14, 2016 7:28:19 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 14/04/16Being possessed of the 'devil may care' attitude where danger is my junk food I took my chances yesterday and walked - yet again - onto the broad sunlit uplands of the blemish I refer to as Blackbushe "east"... For reference...The main apron Blackbushe Airport "east"..2016.
Wary of my recent warning as to the coiled surprise awaiting you on Blackbushe "east" in the form of an angry adder I thought I'd photograph one for the new Forum series, "Snake of the Day" or SOTD. "Sotted" referring to an excess of alcohol would be entirely inappropriate for these pages so the idea has been dropped, and anyway I could not find any snakes willing to pose. I really tried, but it's the unwary they wait for... BUT, whilst loitering on the Blackbushe "east" end of the main runway I couldn't help looking at the large area that has been cleared of obstacles and thinking, "nobody uses this bit of what is no more than waste land - how sensible if this bit...... was exchanged for land elsewhere on the airfield and the runway safety factor increased accordingly? Land exchanges have oft been negotiated but 'the other side' would not play ball... There's still a vast amount of Blackbushe "east" for dog walkers to utilise and hang up their doo-dah in little bags on the trees. Blackbushe could be that much safer by adding a couple of hundred feet, even if just a grassy overrun surely?. The "west bank" at t'other end of the airfield continues to be just that - a bank of significant robustness that operates H24, and we know about that. Nonetheless, yesterday I was entertained by Blink jets, Aerobility activity, small choppers beating round the circuit and the best flying of all courtesy of a red kite who soared and swooped and seemed fascinated by the Blink Mustang that departed beneath him. I assume feathered activity in the circuit remains non-radio? Let us move back to the days when we had a complete and fully functional airport, pre the 1960 blitz when HMG launched an all out attack with state sponsored bull dozers... N9996F. Fairchild Argus based at Blackbushe from 1953 until its closure in 1960. 6F belonged to a Captain Young of Pan-Am who was based with Eagle. That's all I know...The last "big" Farnborough Week at Blackbushe before the Airport closed. Visiting Prentice. Light aircraft where always welcome and shared the acres with the heavy boys quite happily.My favourite aeroplane of the post 1960 era must have been Three Counties Prentice G-AOPL, "Pretty Louise" as we named her - our one engined Lancaster! I loved her..flew a bit like a Lanc too. The Miles Hawk Trainer in Yellow and black decor visiting for Farnborough in 1956. Apart from the buildings/hangars in the background could have been photographed any time..Note the rather novel side-slip indicator. Staying with Farnborough visitors, and having started on Blackbushe "east" we'll go out with a bang on Blackbushe "south".... Royal Navy Sea Hawk XE462 makes an unscheduled arrival during Farnborough 1958. Nearly lost a hangar a couple of years early.....The pilot arrived via his parachute, broke an ankle but otherwise intact. He passed away a couple of years ago following a distinguished career in the military. I will now depart with no intention of getting anywhere near a parachute, or even Blackbushe Airport today. Much to be done behind the keyboard, apparently there's some event at Blackbushe this July? PB
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Post by PB on Apr 15, 2016 7:07:18 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 15/05/16Following yesterday's look at a some of the lighter activity at pre-1960 Blackbushe, here's a light visitor caught in February, 1960. Three months to go before the demolition gangs rolled in... 17 February, 1960, Cessna 180 SE-CNU, takes on refreshment at Blackbushe before moving on to White Waltham. Blackbushe was a prime Customs clearance facility in those days.G-ALGH, J3-C Cub sometime in 1950May, 1952, Rapide G-AESR taking it easy on Blackbushe "south".. Dug up & destroyed now, but the wartime origin of Blackbushe is easy to see amid many of the structures on view.The much loved and Blackbushe based Miles Hawk Speed Six, G-ADGP. Built in 1935, still going strong in 2016..Ron Paine leans lovingly on his trophy hunter's canopy... Again the airfield infrastructure inherited from the war shows some of the many buildings that housed the post-war Blackbushe people. Talking of Ron above, anybody seen Keith of late? Living in France I believe...His email address has escaped me. If you know of it or his whereabouts perhaps you could PM any info..Thanks. Have a good day. PB
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Post by PB on Apr 16, 2016 8:20:52 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 16/04/16Later this morning I leave for Gatwick. You know, the airstrip down in West Sussex that turned from a fog bound race course to today's single runway enterprise, and Blackbushe was ripped asunder in efforts to drive its resident airlines to the then newly built "London" Gatwick. Those of us who recall the real Blackbushe from the pre-Gatwick era will harbour many memories, mainly black and white, so here from the memory banks of the POTD vaults are a couple more... Down deep in Eagle's Blackbushe base aero engines enjoyed the TLC they knew was coming..a Pratt & Whitney bolted to a DC-3...A Viking's Bristol Hercules enjoys Eagle's TLC too...aero engines were high maintenance in those days.Oooops, the 08 Hold (up)...training flight, or would have been. No doubt something learned?Meaty stuff. One of a Tudor's collection of four Merlins in one of the Blackbushe hangars long ago..Sharp end of one of the Eagle DC-6'sEngine management, 1950's style....No silicon chips here.Engines were high maintenance, so were various other bits...Destination Heathrow. Arrival Blackbushe. Another fog diversion, but by and by time took all away. Fog, diversions, Blackbushe.......and now I leave for the acres of Gatwick. What a splendid deal it must have been, selling so much of your land to the government to turn it into an airport despite the fog, nearby hills...££££££ You know, the government that coincidentally destroyed Blackbushe - the second airport to London of the time. I say no more. PB
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Post by PB on Apr 17, 2016 6:35:26 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 17/04/16 07.00 Sunday morning, and still chained to the POTD chair....within the padded cell where thoughts other than Blackbushe are forbidden. Don't believe everything you read here though.. Sunday morning's silent meditation leads me back to the days of the Dakota. The days when their military service was over and they presented themselves to civvy street.. A nose for the future, just one of many Daks that found their way to a new life via Blackbushe's Aviation Services. (Eagle Airways).Civvy street awaits. G-AMYT awaits conversion by Aviation Services, Blackbushe.A good view of Blackbushe "south", as early wing-walker goes about his business..."Yoke sugar" awaiting her civilian clothes. The Dak's classic shape does not look too dated, but cars have become a little more aerodynamic over the years?G-AMYY..Double Yoke awaits her turn. Destined to become VP-YKP of Central African Airways.G-AMZZ, two Zulus that did not go to Africa. G-AMZZ is today on display at the Sharjah air museum if you fancy some sun. She left Blackbushe for Kuwait but you can read more here if you wish. www.ruudleeuw.com/sharjah-almahatta_museum-2010.htmThat's enough, time to exit the padded cell has come..hopefully not too many errors today? PB
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Post by PB on Apr 18, 2016 7:12:00 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 18/04/16Merlin's magic moments.... One engine stands head and shoulders above others. The Rolls Royce Merlin, the power plant that has played its music at Blackbushe - and around the world - since the dark days of war to the air events of today, and no doubt tomorrow. Many Merlins have cast their magic at Blackbushe, attached to WW2 home based Spitfires, Mosquitoes and Lancasters to the civil types including Lancastrians, Tudors, and Yorks.. a royal history indeed! The last Lancaster landing. Neil Williams brings G-ASXX to an early air show at EGLK. She still lives and taxies at East Kirkby.The last Mosquito. Of the many Mossies that served from Blackbushe (RAF Hartford Bridge), Warbirds of Great Britain's beautiful Mosquito was the last. She left our shores for life in the USA. Seen here preparing to participate in D-Day celebrations on the Normandy coast.The last home based Spitfire. Owned by Warbirds of Great Britain who also rebuilt several of the Spitfires on today's air show circuit.December, 1958. Mosquito T3 of RAF Fighter Command Communications Squadron. Blackbushe Air Traffic's old home adds to the nostalgia of the moment..Crossing the boundary...Spanish built version of Hitler's He111 that blitzed OUR nation..enjoyed Merlin power in peaceful times. Warbirds of Great Britain brought the type to their Blackbushe home.The Merlin's air intake gives the game away when compared to the round and closed nacelle of the original Luftwaffe equipment...Dan-Air's Avro York, G-ANTI, one of numerous Yorks for which Blackbushe was home. Each provided home for four Merlins. Photo taken during Farnborough Week, 1956, with a Bretagne along side..The Avro Tudor played a part in the fifties air transport scene, four faithful Merlins providing the power. Freddie Laker's G-AGRH makes its way to the 08 hold in 1958. RH first seen at Blackbushe in 1948 crew training with British South American Airways...Passenger's eye-view of Tudor mounted MerlinAVM Bennett's Lancastrian acquired and rescued from Thame before being flown to Blackbushe and used on Berlin AirliftMerlin maintenance at Blackbushe.. long ago.The Merlin's magic returns in July... PB
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Post by PB on Apr 19, 2016 6:08:51 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 19/04/16 The day before yesterday POTD included the photo below.. Arriving as G-AMYY, one of numerous Dakotas on retirement from their military service for Eagle to convert and dress ready for life in the new and expanding post-war civil air transport world.....and here she is following Eagle's magic. Now VP-YKP of Central African Airways, ready for duty on the wide open plains of Blackbushe Airport.PB
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Post by PB on Apr 20, 2016 5:20:38 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 20/04/1606.00, the sun is rising , the cars are frozen, and the scanner has just done its morning's duty bringing you a bit more of bygone Blackbushe... Today's photos typify the views that the passing motorists would have taken as quite normal as they proceeded down the A30 trunk road that sliced through the middle of the airfield. Long term Blackbushe resident, Hermes G-ALDC. Served with Airwork from 1952 to '59, moved to Falcon Airways June '59. Seen on Blackbushe "south" abeam the Orion hangar + Orion Viking.. had to leave in 1960 because the government committed a terrorist act on the AirportThe famous chestnut fence where runway 01/19 once crossed the A30. Westair Transport's C-46 Commando became a temporary Blackbushe resident June to September, 1957.That complete's today's flash backs. Another Air Day meeting later this morning.... PB
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Post by PB on Apr 21, 2016 5:23:05 GMT
Photo of the Day is condemned to the holding pattern today...
...hopefully we'll be back on the approach tomorrow.
PB
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Post by PB on Apr 22, 2016 9:25:54 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 22/04/16The Editorial team are back behind the keyboard, happily in one piece after yesterday's Motorway bashing hours in pursuit of the odd extra £, or two. Excuse the following if it rambles on.... Two things stand out before me this morning.... (1) the Keyboard letters are wearing out with L,G,and H being totally unreadable, (why them?) and (2) maybe I've been overdoing it, but last night's dream premiere that played during my all too few hours of sleep was astoundingly real. Maybe I can relate the dream, ( sorry, about to be really boring..) perhaps call it "Dream of the Day" just this once? Some components of the night's unexpected entertainment were those that are of a recurring nature and tend to afflict my waking moments too, but last night's dream was an epic! The plot is sharable amid all ages, and sad though it may sound, centered on an airfield situate in north-east Hampshire..yeah, that one! Since 1960 many of us have dreamed that Blackbushe might 'one day' recover some of her former glory, restoring a degree of her national value cast asunder by a government's urgency to swell Gatwick's use. The dream? In the surreal surroundings that only dreams can produce, I've never indulged in chemically provoked dreams by the way, your scribe was standing on a newly developed Blackbushe. No doubt, it was Blackbushe, I recall somehow exiting the current, but larger, Terminal to find the main runway now stretched onto what is today Blackbushe "east".... This... Blackbushe "east" today..56 years is surely long enough for this public sponsored eye sore to be a no-mans land? ..had become 'something' like this this! An optimistic image created for flight simulation purposes, not taken from the 'dream'The dream was not quite so detailed, but the runway restored onto land supposed to a "public open space" was a joy to behold. Dreams do not explain the practicalities of what they choose to show you, but last night it became evident that the AVM's dreams and those of subsequent owners of Blackbushe to exchange one bit of Blackbushe for another had paid off...at last! And did it look good!! Size is not everything, or so we are assured, but what looked like another thousand feet on Blackbushe's main runway certainly tickled the parts in last night's illuminating dream.. sadly lost when my eyes opened to see it had just turned 3.30 am and I assume Blackbushe today looks much as it did yesterday? For a brief time "common" sense had prevailed. As I've said before, dreams cost nowt..but, if only. With the Blackbushe Air Day getting ever closer - July 30th - I'm not sure if 'dreams' come into the Air Day equation, hopefully some will materialise... On that subject, a few images from the Blackbushe 50th when we showed what could be achieved on a minimal budget. That was 1992...24 years ago. Sheeesh how it flies by! Aircraft park included some new types looking for their market...The SAH1The Optica. They gave me a demo ride, and never has flying in a goldfish bowl been so much fun! The view..sensational!The late Spencer Flack gave me his Mustang - plus display and ceremonial flypast - for free. Phone rang one morning with the offer you don't refuse...Gary Numan about to launch into his display with his well known white Harvard. He too gave us a freebie, although it cost the Airport a couple of gallons of diesel for the smoke burner...The late Norman Lees flew the other half of the Harvard duo.Ran out of Spitfires having secured two. Sadly they both came to grief before the 50th, but my good friend David Herrington who also is no longer with us, emptied his pocket so as this Spit and the Mustang could do a dual display plus the fly-past at the exact moment we unveiled the memorial plaque on the Terminal. Tears were wide spread amid our audience as we remembered....Representatives from France, Poland, Czech., and the Netherlands governments came to join us for such a moving moment.Pleasure flights for one...Pleasure flights for more than one...G-OPLC from Farnborough. I used the Diamond Nine display team at the 50th for my New Year forum greeting this year..They have disbanded nowThe RAF and....the United States Navy joined the celebrations!!Comrade Antonov was represented..Another more agile Russian gave a magnificent display of the application of "G".. Gave us a special rate too!!Based at Farnborough at the time, it took numerous phone calls to convince the owner that his old Pembroke really should have been at Blackbushe for the 50th weekend. True sounds of the fifties with those two radials, parked her near the A30 so as she could be seen...!!These guys dropped in in the way they do best....Enough recollecting, stuff to be done.... July awaits for no man.. PB
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Post by PB on Apr 23, 2016 6:21:59 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 23/04/16No time for dreams today, Air Days and far away days that are just round the corner are conspiring to keep me on my toes - or on my back - time will tell!! Yesterday kind of nudged at what Blackbushe holds in the way of potential, time to look back at when that potential was realised... Hopefully you will have found time to run through "Flyboy's" accounts of various aircraft types that once were the big players at Blackbushe? If not, take a look, his research covers the Viking, Ambassador, Hermes and the Bristol Freighter. One of the most prolific types on passenger duty at 1950's Blackbushe was the Viking. To see one today, the nearest is at Brooklands and resplendent she looks too. By the time Blackbushe was closed, in excess of 30 Vikings were home based here..wearing the colours of many independent airlines. The numbers were swollen as state airline BEA retired their Vikings, these airframes being of value to the newly emerging independent airlines. Sadly some fell by the wayside after too short a life, others merged and remerged to become major independents in future years. Blackbushe, however, played a very large role in the birth, and subsequent growth of British independent air transport. An aspect of our air transport industry that grew with little help and plenty of hindrance from our post-war governments along the way. The strong support of state creations BEA and BOAC combined with the endless blocking tactics of the governments toward independent aviation was a scandal, but happily in time a degree of sense and fairness emerged... Blackbushe based Orion Airways Viking G-AGRS parked adjacent to the Orion hangar on Blackbushe 'south'... GRS spent most of her Blackbushe life with Eagle from 1957, delivered to Orion in June 1959.G-AHOY. Another reg and aircraft indelibly printed on my memory. HOY served with Hunting-Clan at Blackbushe from '55 to '57, moving to Pegasus from '57 until the Airport's closure forced her out...The UK had a Continental Airlines long before the USA..G-AJJN first flew into Blackbushe in 1949 wearing BEA colours. She joined Continental and was based here through 1959."A thing of beauty is a joy forever". This Bristol beauty was Blackbushe based in 1959 with Shortcut Aviation. G-AGPV was used by the RAF as a radar calibration test aircraft, hence the pimple on the nose.Another week of POTD comes to an end. Hopefully it is still keeping some of you amused over the cornflake bowl, on which subject it's time to go! The old airfield manages to keep me amused delving back into whatever recesses of the memory I can still reach, planning and plotting events for 'today', and keeping a watchful eye on whatever might come 'tomorrow', or maybe the next day as the airfield's history continues to unfold... PB
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