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Post by PB on Apr 24, 2016 5:48:30 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 24/04/16"Brexit"... I've heard enough, too much, in or out, shake it all about, and now the President of the United States has lent us his perspective - and threats - if we up anchor and return to our naturally independent island life. The One-Stop Forum has to remain neutral in such discussions, but regardless of the outcome when we have the chance to stand-up for ourselves as a nation, airfields in the south of England remain a vital link with our European associates. France in particular. The Second World War witnessed the tragic situation of the Free French bombing their home country from air bases in the UK. Blackbushe provided a prime base during that time with the Lorraine Squadron tasked with the unthinkable... Peace returned but Blackbushe continued to provide a bridge between ourselves and the French military. Farnborough Week was no exception... French Air Force Bretagne's, September, 1958.The French Navy too..parked as near to a puddle as possible, I guess we like to make them feel at home! Rainfall in 1956. Bits of old Blackbushe infrastructure on the left.Also 1956, French Air Force Noratlas. This aircraft being fitted with long dorsal fillets.The C-47 served France as well as most other nations. This one was caught in 1956.French Air Force SNB-5 Expeditor way back in 1955That's where we part company today... PB
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Post by PB on Apr 25, 2016 8:30:20 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 25/04/16Another day, another Dakota, or maybe more... The dear old Dakota, the faithful servant of the skies thru' WW2 until today when the classic sight and sound can still be seen and heard - you just have to look and listen a bit harder. The skies of Britain probably supported as many, or more, Daks as any sky anywhere - dropping troops into Europe, taking gliders to their silent destiny where fortune played its selective hand. The war saw Dakotas in their droves operating from Blackbushe on communications and casualty recovery duties. After the WW2 conflict POTD has already shown examples of Dakotas that having given up their military service came to Blackbushe for conversion and their civvy street clothes. Meanwhile the ageless Dakota served on with numerous air forces, examples of which flew into Blackbushe during her civil days before May, 1960...and the government's sledge hammer attack. We've had numerous Dakota movements during the post 1960 'privately owned' era, but for today some examples of the 1950's and the military Dakotas caught on camera at London's second airport. Blackbushe as it once was. Belgian Air Force, OT*CWE made a number of visits during 1955, '58 and '59.Royal Neth Air Force, ZU*10, 1955. The wing tip belongs to a Royal Canadian Air Force Dakota.French Air Force, 100962, 1956. In company of Belgian Air Force Packet, Dan-Air York G-ANTI and Bretagne 447. Lots of French Dakotas about..14654 like so many others was ex USAF 43-488384X-FAK at Blackbushe in '58. Israeli Air Force. Her role as a navigational trainer given away by the fuselage's abundance of aerials...Yugoslav Air Force, 7318, at Blackbushe in 1958.This French Air Force Dakota brought Lorraine Squadron veterans back to RAF Hartford Bridge (as they would remember it) in 1963. Imagine their feelings surveying how the Brit government had destroyed their old base..??As a very young bike mounted youth who often spent spare time at Blackbushe when the Dakota frequented our sky in numbers, I could never ever have imagined that one day I'd have a Dakota based at Blackbushe!! Me? Rubbish!! That's her, belonged to the Army but became my baby, and many happy we hours we spent doing the air show circuit. The last I heard was that her fuselage is on display at the Schipol aviation museum in KLM colours. I'm happy that she has survived and is in KLM colours - my first airline although KL Dakotas were no longer in service when I joined...........Thank you!!!That's quite enough, time to bash on with Air Day operations for the next few hours...I need a holiday! PB
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Post by PB on Apr 26, 2016 6:12:47 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 26/04/16Just to put the record straight, London's not the only place to host a marathon... VK*501, Miles Marathon, ready for delivery to the Arab Legion Air Force - 03 November, 1954.Have a great day... PB
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Post by PB on Apr 27, 2016 5:45:06 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 27/04/16Retirement is great!! Pay is not too good but meetings today at the aerodromes of Gatwick, Farnborough and Blackbushe. Manic, but all in the name of the forthcoming Air Day that won't happen without a bit of effort here and there... Time to express some thanks in line with that statement. To those of you who have been diligently providing suggestions, (polite so far), names, contacts, or are actually extracting the digit my most sincere and grateful thanks. Keep it up, but we always need MORE!! To the lovely folk who click 'like' following my daily outpourings on POTD again my thanks, you are the ones who keep the show on the road. Could I just issue a word of caution to the POTD 'likers'..It would seem that some of you are so over awed by the POTD productions that you 'like' in a very multiple way. No harm in that but recent record was 40 'likes' from one member on one day for one POTD! Most flattering... keep it up guys, I love it, but you don't need to keep your finger on the button too long when firing 'likes'!! Don't stop either... Moving onto the day's business.. Back in the fifties and some nice twins. XL954, Royal Air Force Pembroke seen in September, 1959. 2nd Tactical Air Force Communications Squadron, 954 popped into Blackbushe a number of times during '59.Civil version. Home based from 1956 to '59, Stewart Smith & Co's Percival Prince G-AMLZ taxies past the Blackbushe Control Tower en route to the 26 holding point. Taken from the observation deck, LZ rumbles abeam the Airwork complex - now just an unused no man's land.Civil version, military version? Take your pick, home based Airwork Viking, G-AIXS, wears military marks as WZ354 during her time working on trooping contract work for HM Government.Full Air Day team meeting this morning at Blackbushe, more i's to dot and t's to cross, the agenda smoulders beside me, hopefully the afternoon's meetings might yield something from EGLF for 30 July. I don't hold 100% optimism but if you don't ask you certainly won't get! On that I would ask that any of you who have contacts that might lead to additional rare birds for the static park - please tell'em about the Air Day and ask if they'll bring their bird along to support the others who have agreed.... Bottom line is we are aiming to raise funds to support Aerobility who do SO much for those who are disabled and our injured service personnel in helping them find the escape, freedom, exhilaration, achievement, satisfaction and pure joy that comes with the wonders of flight and its mastery. For them we ask your maximum efforts...Aerobility officially opened their new hangar last summer and displayed some of their unique benefits...The unique joy of flight - thanks to Aerobility. I think you must agree the Air Day is backing a wonderful cause...your help will be so much appreciated.Next stop Blackbushe... PB
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Post by PB on Apr 28, 2016 7:30:32 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 28/04/16Tempus fugit. "Time flies", or rather it has flown.... The ominous call of May Day is about to make its annual presence. While some leap around maypoles I'll be winging it to far away places leaving behind the freezing British Isles, and anything to do with the Air Day. Yesterday was pretty much devoted to the Air Day cause with Blackbushe meeting taking up the morning and meetings in the splendour of TAGS Farnborough Terminal throughout the afternoon, the evening being spent bashing the keyboard in further pursuit of a reasonable day on July 30th...Time will tell, but looks like the two meetings might be producing some interesting additions to the static park. Time will tell, there is only so much I can do without actually chartering a jet to Blackbushe. Farnborough also yielded an interesting link to the new owners of Minley Manor. For those who don't know, Minley Manor is a huge estate vacated by the Army, now purchased by a party from the land whence I am going at the weekend, with massive plans for the future. Why the interest? Location. In fact, Minley Manor was a Nazi occupied property for the making of "Mosquito Squadron" long ago... For the film a Mosquito was used for the RAF strafing attacks on Minley Manor while they fired back with soot bags that exploded flak like around the buzzing Mosquito...From the Blackbushe tower it looked mighty impressive, happily the Mosquito survived a sooty demise... Minley bound Mosquito, Reg in the Tower...Back to the black and white days...another French Air Force Noratlas "9", Farnborough Week 1956 with some of the other SBAC visitors dotted around. Farnborough '55. Just another day as Shackleton MR2 of 228 Sqn enters the main apron2nd April, 1958. Sudan Airways Dakota, ST-AAH, departed Blackbushe for the long flight to Lasham. The days when Blackbushe sported numerous hangars, the type that aeroplanes go in! Happy memories.Hangars, Blackbushe, with aeroplanes that could go inside them.... makes a good memory. PB
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Post by PB on Apr 28, 2016 9:24:31 GMT
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Post by PB on Apr 29, 2016 5:45:29 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 29/04/16A few more images from long ago when Blackbushe was one of the country's big league airport players... Perhaps the next time you pay a visit to Blackbushe Airport you should stand quietly overlooking the scene, and imagine. Imagine the hangars, the buildings, the people, the aircraft, or just the buzz that once made this a very special airport. Not easy if you had never seen it in the first place, but look at the photo below.... 1957. Home based Britavia Hermes, G-ALDI, parked on Blackbushe 'south'..and some of the buildings destroyed by the 1960 closure....just one of the many Blackbushe based airliners of the fifties. As you stand on Blackbushe today, imagine the Hermes above. Fully laden, long haul flight to the Middle or Far East, the incredible sound of her four engines resonating throughout the Airport as she eventually separates herself from the runway and slowly gathers height across the common or forests that surround Blackbushe.. Believe me, it was a stirring sound whenever a heavy multi engined piston powered aircraft departed. It's hard to imagine now maybe, but it happened, many times a day as aeroplanes of the fifties played a music that today could only be considered a classic! Next time you're at Blackbushe, let your mind and imagination join up - maybe you'll find some feint echo of long ago? Blackbushe south, Britavia's Hermes G-ALDU and Whirlwind G-AOCZ. 'CZ being property of Westland Helicopters at the time. September, 1955.September 1953. Catalina VP-KKJ relaxes on Blackbushe 'south'. To the left, on Blackbushe 'north' the old Blackbushe tower before it had the new observation deck fitted, to the right bits of the Airwork complex. A visit to Blackbushe always produced Dakotas. Here's Jugoslovenski Aero Transport's YU-ACA on turn round framed by a bleak November day in 1954.PB
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Post by PB on May 1, 2016 6:04:31 GMT
"Photo of the Day" returns after mid May. There are still a few photos left in the vaults......
Take care one and all, we'll be back!!
Ed. (PB)
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Post by PB on May 17, 2016 10:44:00 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 17/05/2016OK guys, I'm back in town!! In body at least, my mind is still floating around somewhere behind, but should be here by tomorrow!! POTD will be back in the next day or two.. Sincere thanks to Stuart for standing guard over the Forum while I experienced many things since we last talked...Bullet trains cruising at speeds that many a light aeroplane would envy, numerous Chinese airline sectors, tackling the Great Wall of China, many miles trekked, a great improvement in my use of Mandarin, and 21 hours logged in Virgin's gorgeous Boeing 787... Many thanks too to Controller, GJ6000 and all others who kept a great log of Blackbushe movements over the past weeks - fascinating traffic activity. Good to see the membership of our Forum continues to grow..hopefully it will grow faster over the coming weeks... The Air Day gets closer and now we start the frantic work period to put the nuts on the bolts and make sure it's an event up to standard...An awful lot left to do. I'd be grateful for all your feedback as to how your efforts to spread the word are going down..please put any relevant comments in the Air Day section. If we are to make the Air Day a regular event, this year has got to be a success and we can all play our part. Spread the word far and wide if you can!! Thanks again to all who have contributed to the Forum during my time away. Even Chevvron! Cheers all, xie xie PB
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Post by PB on May 18, 2016 7:03:31 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 18/05/16A quick trip back in time to the days of the DC-4, needs to be quick as I try to catch up with time having been away from base for some time and something called an Air Day looms ahead with increasing rapidity. Trying to fit a quart into a pint pot in terms of time is I guess trying to fit sixty minutes into fifteen..not possible, but gotta try! The Air Day Team assembles at Blackbushe today for the next action update, progress review and a hard look at what has and has not been achieved to date. It's going nicely, but much to be done in the coming weeks. Anyway, back to 1948 for a moment... DC-4 ZS-BYO on the main apron in '48. Destined to become G-ALEP the aircraft at the time belonged to Air Charter Survey & Exploration.Moving swiftly along to a foggy day in 1950... KLM DC-4 PH-TBU arrived at Blackbushe having been unable to land at Heathrow due to fog. 1950 is the nearest I can get to dating the event, but it wasn't unusual at the time!It was only eighteen years later that I joined KLM, a very different world of DC-9's and DC-8's, no chance of diversions to Blackbushe. We used to go to Luton, or Manchester when Heathrow was fogged in. Blackbushe had been largely reduced to rubble and her runway was a fraction of its original length. However, in those days KLM still handled the Iberia Freighter each night from MAD and BCN..to LHR, and that was a DC-4. As a Flight Ops Officer the dear old IB freighter presented her very own problems due to 8,000kgs of freeload cargo, but with no sweepback she presented a relatively simple job in trimming for safe flight. That was the theory, and one always could resort to bundles of newspapers just aft of the flight deck to bring the CG where you wanted it! Strapped down with webbing so as a rapid stop would not see the papers delivered to the cockpit early. Happy days.. PB
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