|
Post by PB on Aug 3, 2017 5:12:06 GMT
|
|
|
Post by PB on Aug 4, 2017 8:49:00 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 04/08/17It has to be said that waking in the morning without having an 'event' hanging round your neck is a pleasing experience, the event in question being last month's anniversary. I had hoped to recapture many ghosts of Blackbushe past with the 75th, it's true to say that some of the Blackbushe spirit was rekindled with numerous 1950's 'players' being back on the stage...Events and circumstances prevented my original vision from becoming reality, thinking especially in terms of having a WW2 medium bomber join us as a tribute to those who flew, and died, when flying from Blackbushe in the 40's. We would have had the Dutch B-25 with us for the weekend, unfortunately the notion was rejected. Happily, one aircraft arrived for the "75th" that truly reflected Blackbushe's wartime contribution in the shape of a 'genuine ex 16 Squadron' 16 Squadron MkXI PR Spitfire.. This particular airframe did not arrive in RAF service until 16 Squadron had moved from Blackbushe (RAF Hartford Bridge) to Belgium, but none the less she spoke volumes for her Blackbushe predecessors. Long time 'no see'...A 16 Squadron Spitfire arrives on RAF Hartford Bridge tarmac - quite a long while since the last one..A permanent memorial to our WW2 missing aircrews is, to my mind, overdue. Been discussed in the right circles, but until overall planning issues are resolved location of such a memorial remains to be determined. PB
|
|
|
Post by PB on Aug 5, 2017 6:05:09 GMT
|
|
|
Post by PB on Aug 6, 2017 6:11:21 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 06/08/17Traditionally this time of year was fuelled by the growing excitement that "Farnborough Week" would soon be upon us...an annual September event. Long ago Farnborough would be the showcase for the British aircraft industry alone, and before 1960 Blackbushe would fill up with the many aircraft that brought the world to Farnborough's showcase of what was best and British. As a mere schoolboy sapling and bike owner "Farnborough" in those days would be extended visits to Blackbushe or passing time in Ively Road to soak up the wonderful free show provided by Farnborough's airfield. 1959 was the last time "Farnborough" would rain down the military masses of Blackbushe visitors from far and wide, and those who revelled in those far off days would have to make do with a far different Blackbushe. August no longer tempers the prospect of autumn and darker evenings with the excitement of a forthcoming Farnborough...although in the early sixties Blackbushe still gave gave the merest hint that life still existed in her aeronautical arteries... Farnborough at Blackbushe late 60's! Note the Terminal and how short it is today in comparison, over half was destroyed by the Council rather than let it be used for Airport work..Blurry view of the apron with a Farnborough visitor starting up (smoke from car scrap yard on Yateley Common). The AVM's Dove sits on the apron having moved to Blackbushe. She spent many months just sitting and getting ever more dilapidated. Note the "common" in the background had not yet started to grow the scrub that has obliterated the scene today on Blackbushe 'east'.. It could so easily have been saved from such an ignoble destiny, but.... ? It got busier... late sixties period, Farnborough Week at Blackbushe was stuffed full of pre 1960 memories, but at least the old place had not died the death some parties had wanted!!Farnbrough visitor from Luxembourg.. Blackbushe still had an 'international' flavour, and a full length Terminal in the background..When you look how crammed full all the Terminal officies are today it's a crying shame that local bureaucracy elected to destroy most of the Airport's old Terminal.. At least it's given the local canines somewhere to leave their compliments. Storm clouds may have hung over Blackbushe for many years, but come the 70's the airfield regained a little of its former Farnborough Week atmosphere!Gone were the rows of military arrivals, the Whirlwind heli shuttle to Farnborough, that very unique Blackbushe 'Farnborough thing', BUT old Balckbushe still had her uses. Still does........?? PB Comments... from rj and chevvron!! I'm thinking about a further comment.. blackbusheairport.proboards.com/post/7736blackbusheairport.proboards.com/post/7738
|
|
|
Post by PB on Aug 7, 2017 7:45:25 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 07/08/177th August, significant in being my son's birthday and also the day you can 'drop in' to view the proposed RNAV approach aids between 2 and 7pm as part of the consultation with regard to a step forward in enhancing the practical use of Blackbushe... Drop in to the new passenger lounge at the foot of the control tower. While various bodies object to the slightest movement of surface materials on the Airport's acres, areas of SSI, things nesting, things that'll bite you, things that won't bite you and you've never seen, much of the airfield's surrounding woodlands, and natural assets are being quietly and swiftly chomped away by the gravel diggers. Seems more than a little ironic that those who object profusely to the Airport owners moving a small pile of earth on their property are quite happy for the wholesale destruction of the airfield's surrounding woodlands and wildlife..?? north and north west of the airfield a couple of years back...south west corner of Blackbushe Airport, once home to Eagle Airways...couple of years ago, now being chomped up even more!There's money for someone in that thar gold stuff!!That's more like it..no digging up of the areas natural beauty, this 'kind of thing' would bring employment and benefit the local economy..
No harm in dreaming.. PB
|
|
|
Post by PB on Aug 8, 2017 6:14:13 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 08/08/17As one watches the sands of time speed through the great egg timer of life there are one or two things it would be nice to see resolved before the last grain of sand takes the plunge.. After so many years it would be satisfying to see Blackbushe at last standing on her own two feet as an aerodrome equipped with the basic necessities of an aerodrome before one's personal sand runs out. But, these are confusing times where on one side we are making marvels in the progress of technology while on the other there can be violent opposition to progress often fuelled by the internet's mass mind washing capability.. The proposed RNAV IAP, a simple GPS procedure, to make Blackbushe safer and more viable in bad weather will no doubt light the fuse of fear in some parties as being the doorway to all kinds of impossible changes? Hopefully this won't lead to reliving tales from the past when extremist forces scattered nails on our runways overnight on a regular basis? The modern marvel of CCTV might help should that be the case! Talking of tales from the past, the photo below brings back some tails of the past... The way we were, jets, warbirds, and lots of twins...Warbirds of Great Britain sport a Sea Fury and Meteor, while IDS Fanjets who started their jet life at Blackbushe nestle amid various twin props including BCA's Aero Commander, and other assorted twins of the day. Another chapter in the long seemingly endless tail of Blackbushe and her struggle to survive as an aviation entity and asset... PB
|
|
|
Post by PB on Aug 9, 2017 9:58:33 GMT
|
|
|
Post by PB on Aug 10, 2017 7:24:57 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 10/08/17Blue skies are returning to north-east Hampshire following yesterday's demonstration of the monsoon season. The Met Office were awarding the conditions various yellow cards while the media took to reporting abnormal amounts of rainfall this summer, apparently forgetting that only a short while ago they were lamenting the abnormal dryness of our summer. Certain divisions of the media tend to accentuate the negative in their TV reporting, but perhaps it's a natural trait in all of us? Whatever your point of view there is one view point that conjures up the 1950's at Blackbushe, and that's the one below! Eagle Airways departing runway 08 as seen from the north-east corner of Blackbushe Airport.I know this photo has appeared on POTD before, but if the BBC can earn their keep by recycling old programmes we can reuse our photos! The atmosphere of Blackbushe abounds in this photo. Firstly the abundance of heather in the foreground. It epitomises the wild and wide open space that Blackbushe is/was. Although close to civilisation it has the remoteness about it of a wide flat moorland. Great for an airfield! Sadly the open moorland effect is fast vanishing as much of the old airfield is allowed to be overrun with scrub. Beyond the foreground heather you come to the then pristine runways and acres of neatly cut grass across the entirety of this once cared for airfield. Various nissen huts made it into the extreme left of the photo. By this time remnants of the airfield's original owner, the Air Ministry, and occupied by Airwork. The striped vehicle between the nissen huts and the Control Tower is, I'm assuming, the GCA vehicle containing the US military personnel who operated the new Decca approach radar. The thin light coloured band between the GCA van and the control tower is in fact the orange and white woven fence that marked the A30 to pilots landing on runway 32. The tower used to ensure that crews landing on 32 had wound in their trailing aerials...the reason being obvious. The Control Tower is adorned with its new observation deck, a deck that offered fantastic views of the airfield. I was lucky enough to be given a guided tour when about 12, but sadly not too much is retained in the memory of that particular experience, just the views! Over to the right the Terminal Building is at its full length. Would never have believed then that the local county authority would one day allow their part of this splendid building to rot until it had to be demolished - rather than take cash for its protection, upkeep and future value.. The huge lighting gantrys that kept the apron fully lit at night are hard to miss! But, it all had to end. Walking across the disused acres the wind still blows, the heather still grows, and in that wind the spirit of old Blackbushe can still be sensed. PB
|
|
|
Post by PB on Aug 11, 2017 9:25:04 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 11/08/17The current Forum header-photo... ..gives rise to one thought in particular, and that is the state of what we still call Blackbushe Airport were it not for the intervention of AVM Bennett back in 1960 when he purchased the 360+ acres that still exist under the heading of Blackbushe Airport. A glance at the photo's left hand side, south of the A30, the tangle of Yateley Common as seen on the photo's lower, or the fast growing wilderness that is being allowed around the runways to the photo's right indicate what wilderness would be left had the airfield not been purchased with the aim of protecting its aviation prospects. There is no doubt that the AVM's purchase has caused the direction of numerous lives to follow a new heading, the hundreds of thousands of aircraft movements since 1960 would not have happened, gone would be the sound of aero engines, no flying schools, never would there have been a Sunday Market, no BCA, no jobs, no rates being pumped into the local economy. Most of Blackbushe still exists for the pursuit of aviation.. The 'authority' that reveled in digging up Blackbushe 'east' would no doubt have finished the job? Hopefully 'boom time' lies ahead for Blackbushe as an aviation entity, boom time referring to business growth - not things that go 'bang'. Talking of 'boom time' sadly I was forced to cancel three twin boom aircraft from the 75th - the Vampires in particular being the first jets to land here in 1946 would have made a welcome return.. This year the name 'vampire' was more associated with my blood boiling than the breed's blood sucking reputation.. Twin booms had been seen at Blackbushe quite often during the glorious fifties.. Israeli Air Force Noratlases came to Eagle Airways at Blackbushe for servicing..Noratlas demonstrator complete with wing tip jet pods, Farnborough Week 1958Luftwaffe...French Air ForceBelgian Air Force Fairchild Packet....or the good old US Marines. Blackbushe was truly a player on the twin boom international stage.Here's to future boom times.. PB
|
|
|
Post by PB on Aug 12, 2017 6:14:35 GMT
"Photo of the Day" 12/08/17Maybe we should have a new series of photos, "Eyesore of the Day"? Sadly over the years since 1960 Blackbushe has undeservedly sponsored several.. ..here's one! Tired Navy choppers...It was a while ago that this job lot of pensioned off Dragonflys arrived on the apron, and proceeded to sit there for endless months. The Common in the background has not become overgrown indicating these dead Dragonflys arrived long ago, late sixties perhaps? I never kept records of these exciting times and their 'progress'..just the odd photo. Ok, special treat, the second photo in the new series!! The AVM's Dove...Her flying days finished, RBH languished on the apron for months before being pushed onto the grass as she became progressively more grotesque..the elements tend to be cruel to aeroplanes. Like the dead Dragonflys it eventually vanished to that place where deceased aeroplanes must surely go..aeroplane heaven must be a museum, aeroplane hell is I guess at the end of a blowtorch? Another aeroplane from Blackbushe past takes to the air in the background, the late Symon Biddulph's Proctor, G-AGTC. Far from an eyesore, the lovely GTC graced our apron for a long while as a very active resident.. PB
|
|