PHOTO of the DAY...

[PB]

"Photo of the Day"
02/01/2021


Day two... vigilance is called for in ever greater quantities as news of the "mutation", the viral bad guy, and his efforts to keep us under his control compete with the efforts to inject us with the antidote to his malevolent games. Hopefully your scribe is playing a minute role in helping science understand Covid-19 better by providing daily analysis to the NHS via the 'covid-joinzoe.com' app. Costs nothing and takes only seconds each day to update... Plenty of scientific data, briefings, latest figures for your area, and together its over 4 million subscribers help with the viral spread pattern analysis. Covid Symptom Study by Zoe Global Ltd on Play Store if you're interested.

Meanwhile, through the forgettable year of 2020 POTD was delighted to receive 128,170 visits from Members and guests.. As we plough our way into 2021, Day Two is over six hours old already, the most fervent hopes for the next 12 months must be the defeat of Covid which is significantly geared to our individual efforts, and the triumph of Blackbushe Airport over the dark clouds of bureaucracy that have blanketed progress for sixty years!!!!!!!! SIXTY YEARS..think about it........

Do you like the current Forum 'header' photo?




David Payne has kindly agreed to our using it. An Eagle Viking rests on the once huge main apron with the relatively new Terminal Building in the background. At this stage the Terminal was still awaiting its final eastern end extension. You'll note the glass encased stairwell on the east end when the photo was taken. The final extension did not have such a stairwell at the east, only at its western end.. The pending extension also housed a new Passenger Lounge with large glass windows and the comforts of an early such passenger facility. Nothing like the Passenger Lounges of today with their millions of users and sprawling Duty Free shopping. Well, that's how they were until Covid and the Chancellor's plan to abolish Duty Free shopping..



"Photo of the Day" is always delighted to receive offers of historic Blackbushe photos, have you got any that our Members and guests would appreciate??




..and the second photo is another from David Payne. Two Vikings, one airline, two colour schemes.. Eagle were certainly bold in their colour scheme variations!




..adding some colour to the morning. The famous red topped Vikings. This photo was taken amid Eagle's technical area on the extreme south west of Blackbushe and south of the A30. A glance at Blackbushe south when travelling along the A30 always produces flash backs to the hangars and many aircraft that once made the Blackbushe scene complete.. The Terminal and Airwork's distant hangars are a visible under the Viking's nose. Blackbushe was once a very expansive airport.



Enjoy 2021's second day..we can now say that Blackbushe's next encounter with the High Courts is 'next month'...............

PB

[PB]

"Photo of the Day"
03/01/21


3rd January. The news regarding Covid remains such that we all MUST be extra vigilant, sadly flying at Blackbushe will remain restricted to designated categories limiting her activity for the immediate future, but we MUST also retain our optimism for the better future that will come for our medical well being and that of the airfield.

Looking over our shoulders to the past and life at wartime Blackbushe we see the 3rd January, 1945, was action packed for resident 418 Squadron. Twelve Mosquitoes departed for a night raid on St Vith in Belgium. The town was one retaken by the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge. The weather was very bad, so bad that it as impossible to assess the damage caused by the raid. 418 would return and were involved in similar effort of the coming nights. Admiration for the crews flying these sorties and what was demanded of them in navigation, target finding, avoiding being shot down and then finding Blackbushe at the end of it is extreme!

The history books also show 3rd January as being the day the Cessna 310 first took to the wing. 1953!! Further back, in 1947 the Kings Flight of the Royal Air Force was re-established at RAF Benson. Equipment was three Vickers Vikings and an Avro York named 'Endeavour'...




Memory of warmer times! British Airways services at Blackbushe providing the free link betwixt car parks and our event. Our first "Air Day" held in 2016 to support Aerobility's fund raising and provide a fun day out for a simple £5 per head whereby the public could mingle with aeroplanes and their pilots, enjoy excellent refreshments and develop better appreciation of Blackbushe. It's a fact the local community enjoyed the day and it did much to enhance good public relations. Whatever one does in line with these occasions the degree of work is vast ensuring all the i's are dotted and the t's crossed..very much a team effort where volunteers are worth their weight in gold cometh the day!




Your scribe about to try a new type at Air Day 2016! Made the many weeks of work before hand very worthwhile.




The "Bushe Cafe" did alright too! We look forward to its refurb, restyle, and return to operation once the pending work is complete.




Fabulous support from friends at Biggin Hill!




Shuttleworth and BAe Systems




...across the water from Europe, private owners who willingly provided their aircraft for display, and not least our fantastic team of volunteers who made their contributions in so many ways.

We must hope that next month gives us something major to celebrate at Blackbushe?

PB

[PB]

"Photo of the Day"
04/01/21

As of recent Blackbushe Airport's NOTAMed opening hours for today are recorded in the Forum's "Recent Movements" department.

While today may not be the most joyful of occasions with Covid cases rapidly on the increase in the south, a moment's thought for life at RAF Blackbushe on this day in 1945... From Stuart Marshal's splendid account of wartime Blackbushe, the words of F/O Wally Midwood of 418 Squadron in the DH Mosquito....

"On the 4th January I flew through 10/10 cloud at 500ft in severe icing conditions between Givet in France and the bomb line. We flew into cumulus cloud which tossed the aircraft out of control. We finally managed to get the aircraft settled down and decided to return to base. My Navigator was sick and had slight concussion after being hit on the head by parts of the Gee set, due to the very severe turbulence. We jettisoned our 500lb bombs in the Channel and were thankful to land back at base at 0135hrs in one piece".

One can but imagine how welcome the lights of Blackbushe's runway must have been"




Peaceful Blackbushe. 1978 and the PFA Easter Fly-in. Peaceful maybe, but Blackbushe Airport's war against bureaucratic adversity goes on and on. The Court of Appeal throws its doors open to the airfield's case in February, it's to be hoped that the Corona virus surge does not delay the forthcoming process of law?


PB

[PB]

"Photo of the Day"
05/01/21

5th January. In historic terms the date might be remembered as the day the Fairey Rotordyne set a world speed record for convertiplanes of 190.9 mph over a 62-mile circuit back in 1959, or 1964 when the Short Belfast first became unstuck from terra firma. Further back in 1952 Pan Am launched trans-atlantic freight services, while in 1949 Chuck Yeager performed the only conventional take-off from a runway in the Bell X-1 reaching 23,000ft in 90 seconds.

From the history books relating to 2021 the UK will be remembered for a less exciting activity - the day we all trooped back to 'lockdown'! The future will be whatever it may be, but will the Court of Appeal case in February suffer from this and if so when might it be heard?

The history books relating to Blackbushe always make fun reading, well for some they do... Through the years when she was London's 'back-up' airport some snap shots of movements on this day in her latter years >>>

1957 Fairchild R4Q-2 US MARINES 131672
1958 Doughlas C-54 USAF 42-72615
1959 Vickers Viscount PP-SRF delivery flight to VASP
1960 DH Chipmunk WP906 Royal Air Force

Just snap shots from the years, much more was going on!!

Sadly POTD unable to offer any further snap shots today as our provider is experiencing 'technical difficulties'...

Stay well one and all, that illusive light at the end of the tunnel still burns temptingly, just looks as if the journey to get there is going to be a little quieter than hoped for a while?

You can always enjoy the Blackbushe scene through "Weather Cam"... www.blackbusheairport.co.uk/weather/

PB

[PB]

"Photo of the Day"
06/01/21"


1942 we, of course, all remember as the year that RAF Hartford Bridge, later AKA Blackbushe first became operational. Destined to become a major commercial airport after the war, but on this day 6th day of January in 1942 the world of commercial aviation noted a significant milestone in its expansion. Pan American became the first airline to schedule a round the world service, 6th January 1942 ‘Pacific Clipper’ flew the first circumnavigation of the world by a commercial airline... This link gives some insight into the Pan Am adventure... www.panam.org/pan-am-inspirations/634-saga-of-the-pacific-clipper

So far as Blackbushe was concerned with Pan Am, the Airport had its uses..on 6th November, 1958 a Pan Am Stratocruiser diverted from London Airport to Blackbushe due bad weather. The first landing of a Stratocrusier at Blackbushe whilst carrying a commercial load. Between the years of 1956 to 1959 Pan Am, DC-6s would be seen coming and going including crew training flights. Blackbushe was a very popular location for crew training amid the commercial aviation world. Not surprising with her runways conveniently close to London Airport where long haul operations placed aircraft a few minutes flying time from convenient Blackbushe..




Sadly, the POTD vaults are lacking any images of Pan Am operations at Blackbushe. What better alternative than a home based DC-6 as seen from the main Blackbushe car park where numerous long term relationships with Blackbushe were fostered..



PB

[PB]

"Photo of the Day"
07/01/21

2021, the year it was, "Going to be better".

Insurrection in the United States of America, the jaws of hell seem to be stretching ever wider open as their viral poison spreads that much more maliciously across the planet, in particular our regions of Hart DC and Rushmoor where numbers are growing somewhat too fast for comfort.... 866 cases in Hart, up by 381 from last week. The BBC's 'emergency' "Covid Questiontime" last night doing little to hoist the nation's moral... The odour of bias was easy to detect!

Meanwhile the Blackbushe Forum flies on toward those better times that will be with us in due course. Each morning I update the Forum's NOTAM section referring to airfields in the South East of England. Blackbushe publish a daily NOTAM on the day's operational status. Here's today's NOTAM


Blackbushe: Aerodrome hours of service NEW
Q) EGTT/QFAAH/IV/NBO/A/000/999/5119N00051W005
AD OPEN 0930-1800. RFFS 1 0930-1400, 1545-1800. RFFS 2
1400-1545.
STRICT PPR FOR ALL FLIGHTS
FROM: 07 Jan 2021 07:00 GMT
TO: 07 Jan 2021 22:00 GMT


Good to see Blackbushe remains open for emergency operations and other aviation forms permitted to fly during Lockdown 3. Beware, the gates will be locked as per operational hours and parking on Airport premises is not advised should you be thinking of venturing on the dreaded Common for exercise.

Daring to look toward those 'better times', the value of Blackbushe's affordable long hard runway struck me with ever greater force this morning. Amazing what can happen at 06.00!!

While Fairoaks and Dunsfold linger with the prospect of becoming leafy garden suburbs, Brooklands no longer offers a runway, and Farnborough is reserved for the very rich and awfully famous, Blackbushe is the only airfield that offers a long term solution to the provision of an affordable General Aviation runway close to and south-west of London. A runway that offers superior surface connections too.

The thing that hit me this morning was the final liquidation of Wisley Aerodrome. Guildford Borough Council removed its greenbelt classification back in 2019 and now Taylor Wimpey have completed their purchase of the site. Another famous airfield, and potentially valuable runway, destined to become a 'community development'. Inevitable perhaps, but saddening to see our aviation heritage increasingly engulfed in suburbia's ceaseless march..




A Wisley moment... The Royal Aeronautical Society's Centenary event at Wisley, 6th June, 1966.. Three Counties Aero Club had a promotional site with one of the Colts on show for the occasion. An early opportunity to polish my inter personal skills! The day made national headlines following Dick Emery's spectacular Tiger Moth prang. Nobody badly hurt except his Tiger Moth and the car it struck. I recall from Three Counties point of view our attendance was well received and I welcomed the chance to talk officially about Three Counties, Blackbushe Airport...and the future!



Seems as if the conversation relating to Blackbushe Airport and the future just keeps going on and on, a conversation sponsored by Hampshire County Council without whom Blackbushe would today be growing her new hangars and infrastructure. In these times it is truly hard to believe that a 'democracy' would be funding the dereliction of an asset with the potential to create employment and opportunity, tragically that is what 'cash strapped' Hampshire County Council are doing with regard to Blackbushe Airport.

PB

[PB]

"Photo of the Day"
08/01/21

Another day nearer some kind of resolution to Covid, the joys of Spring, and Blackbushe Airport's journey to the Court of Appeal come February... A warm 'welcome' to today's POTD and thanks to the 500 good people who visited POTD yesterday!

As usual my day seems to start around 05.30, drawn from sleep by the compulsion to not waste a minute of precious life, and allow one's deep seated feelings toward Blackbushe to roam on their daily liberation.

Always good to have your company on the daily walk around the keyboard, although there are times when I hope we don't walk the same routes too often - it's a challenge to find new pathways every day when we always walk around the same patch..namely EGLK and her immediate surroundings.

The POTD options are to walk backwards into the ever lengthening reaches of history, what's occurring currently, or crystal ball gazing into 'tomorrow'. Some days POTD goes in all three directions at once, kind of quantum physics and POTD joining hands? Today, perhaps a quick journey into all three realms of time?

The "far reaches of history" tell me that at this time in January 1945, RAF Blackbushe was having trouble with the winter weather. Not just cold, but poor vis and snow. 418 Squadron Mosquitoes were busy. On 6th January they mounted a bomb raid on St Frith on instruments. At night. Awful weather. Bombs on board. DH Mosquito. Imagine? German occupied location, no flak, the town was virtually destroyed. Located on a main supply road used by the enemy this raid completely blocked their route. Sadly, one of our aircraft was lost during this strategic operation.

So far as "today" is concerned, I've copied today's Blackbushe NOTAM in the Forum's "Recent Movements" section. The airfield will be open for a specified period for the air traffic permitted under Lockdown 3 rules. You may be interested in this news bulletin, an update on the 100th delivery of the fabulous PC-24 business jet in the 'Non Blackbushe News' department. This amazing aeroplane is sold out for this year, an aeroplane that provides the perfect jet for Blackbushe's current runway length! Here's the article from AVweb.. blackbusheairport.proboards.com/post/14945

"Tomorrow" always poses an interesting question regarding Blackbushe Airport. As we all are too well aware, the airfield is being held back simply by the audacity of 'cash strapped' Hampshire County Council and their generous use of public funds to support their judicial campaign to hit Blackbushe where it hurts and finally destroy one of the finest aviation assets in the south-east. A sixty year campaign that has caused many restless nights sponsored by certain politicians over the years.. Having had the Common de-registration approved by the Planning Inspectorate at the famous Inquiry the only fly in the ointment is the County Council. Having spent a fortune of OUR cash in legal out pourings, they've also cost the Airport a huge amount in lost revenue, and we all have to endure the 'temporary' structures and the airfield and her crew operating with at least one arm tied behind their backs. February is the Airport's next "Tomorrow" when hopefully the Court of Appeal will consider the shameful work of the County Council.

That's all three aspects in time visited. Just one photo follows...





This one has not been seen before, Blackbushe in the grip of summer, viewing the scene from above Blackbushe "east" and looking west along the precious acres that are still operational airport property. The arrow straight A30 gives lie to the once proposed 10,000 ft runway planned for a new and developed Blackbushe. A site considered for USAF strategic bomber base, the cold war calling for enhanced nuclear deterrent while the UK Government visualised this as the location for London's main airport, Heathrow would have been closed. As you can see, the plans did not evolve! Local government has done all it can to spoil things since the Airport's closure in May 1960. The photo clearly shows the lie of runway 14/32 before Yateley Parish Council destroyed the airfield's eastern end in the early 1960's, you can also visualise the main apron's original size, it was literally three times the size of what has been left. Destruction by public funds without mandate. South of the A30 you can just make out where some of the taxiways were located, down to the far south-west where Eagle's hangar gave shelter to their bustling aircraft engineering work. British Car Auction's horrendous occupation of what is largely Common Land appears to be unnoticed by local powers, yet you try and build a hangar on the Airport's side of the fence. More salt rubbed into the wounds inflicted by today's bureaucracy and its questionable use of our funds.




That concludes today's reflections on past, present, and tomorrow... Sincere thanks to "Rocky14" for his continued support in our "POTD Comments" section!!!!

PB

[PB]

"Photo of the Day"
09/01/21


06.00 and a balmy +0.6C indication beamed down from the trusty weather station bolted to the roof top.. January 9th, it's been a cool year so far as outside temperatures are concerned, 2021 is just over a week old but somehow it feels much older. Endless reports on health issues from the media with figures to frighten us back into the burrow, followed by some brief snipes at Brexit and export documentation.. Police fining a couple £200 a piece for walking in open coutryside 5 miles from home, oh and the latest Trump outpourings that continue to throw the world's 'greatest power' into something of a dog's dinner. 2021 has been interesting? Time to reflect on happier times?




Happier times from an artist's point of view...Keith Cameron, one of our loyal Forum Members very kindly provided us with this painting by Stephen Chard. A moment in time frozen by the artists brush as a Hermes is towed across the A30 from Blackbushe's engineering bases located on the Airport's flank south of the London-Southampton trunk road. Stephen is a self taught artist and Member of the Guild of Aviation Artists.




Viewing the future and how technology IS going to change many aspects of aviation, the Forum carried a report on this unusual craft yesterday following initial sales... The CityHawk! The Forum report from yesterday... It's here >> blackbusheairport.proboards.com/post/14954




Blackbushe Airport on the nose, final approach for 25 last summer.... Note the vast number of vehicles parked on what is Common Land by BCA who own that particular section of the airfield.




Whether this was a joke, wishful thinking or what, who knows, but the degree of irony is palpable!!




A Blackbushe apron scene long before the 1960 closure, one we thought would never be repeated after the May 1960 closure...




A Blackbushe apron scene some while after the 1960 closure. Miracles can happen at Blackbushe Airport!!



Finally, back to where we came in this morning and Covid 19. Hart district as of yesterday had 928 active Covid cases, up by 415 from the previous week. Could I encourage all who wish to assist in some way in the fight against Covid to sign up with "ZOE" who provide the NHS with active statistics on the viral spread. Once signed up it takes five seconds to update your daily health while the APP provide a wealth of data and updates on the Covid situation. Costs nothing, you can quit in an instant should you wish, but I'm finding it most informative on an unbiased and level headed approach and satisfactory that I'm able to provide just a tiny bit of data for their operation. Totally non commercial, the app found here covid.joinzoe.com/

Thank you!!

PB

[PB]

"Photo of the Day"
10/01/21


Good morning to you and all who spend a few moments amidst our daily paragraphs & pictures.. We've had better times than those currently making the headlines, a cunning and evil eyed viral enemy spreading its mayhem and apparently recruiting its agents of death by leaving one in three of its victims symptom free as they innocently go about working for said viral foe spreading the virus that's guilty of changing life on our planet. We cannot be too careful as the pandemic takes on yet more sinister means of finding us.. despite the anti-vaxxers and those who still proclaim it's all a hoax.

Beyond the safety (?) of my office window it's around minus 2.4 C at the moment. A cool start to the day. Were we to step back in time to 10th January, 1945, and set foot upon RAF Blackbushe we would find deep footprints left behind us in the snow. 4 inches of snow covered the airfield although flying did continue from a runway marked with flags and patches of cleared snow.




A reminder of how Blackbushe can freeze your assets albeit war or peace. The dreaded winter of 1962/63 when it truly seemed England had slipped back into the ice age. Boxing Day 1962 until March the following year.




The Blackbushe traffic mix has enjoyed a wide variety of applications over the years. All of which has been something bordering the miraculous considering the Government's violent destruction of the airfield once they decided to close it and build Gatwick or latterly sixty years of unfathomable bureaucratic hostility from which Blackbushe and all her users live under threat. The source of this photo is unknown, but POTD is most grateful to it for exciting the imagination!!




Blue skies over Blackbushe. The Terminal at its full length before losing two thirds to Hampshire's bottomless money pit of destruction, the photo taken during the first half of the 1960's when flying clubs and business movements already coexisted very nicely. Gregory Air Taxis popped in from time to time, the Aero Commander adding excitement both visually and aurally. The crumpled concrete from Yateley Parish Council's destruction of runways and the apron is clearly visible behind the apron's "back line"... You might note the door now long gone that was the entry to Blackbushe Aero Club's original offices and later became the entrance to airfield cafe under Mr "Banny" Banyon and later Mrs Judd? Also the MTCA Marshallers hut under the "C" . A popular hang out and shelter from the elements in the early sixties. Rugged but fun times, and here we are nearly sixty years later...



That's today's POTD, thanks to you for dropping by. Stay safe, come back tomorrow!!

PB

[PB]

"Photo of the Day"
11/01/21

Summer must be coming? All of +5.3C at 06.30 Hampshire time...

Sometimes you look out of the window of an early morning at this time in January and rather wish the seasons would speed up a little. This January is no exception, or rather it is, never have I wished for summer quite so much as of today! Millions of us will have had the Covid jab, the viral menace hopefully will be slinking into a corner from whence it can do far less damage, and maybe, just maybe, those long silver trails will sign the sky with recall of the old life and a message to all that 'life' is returning - AND of incalculable importance - Blackbushe Airport might have jumped the last legal hurdle toward becoming the south-east's premier all peoples affordable General Aviation 'citadel'... What a summer could be in store?




All we want is to build some airport infrastructure on the relatively small amount of Blackbushe that currently serves aviation. Considering the restrictions applied to the Airport regarding Common Land it's hard not to question how the 'used car' auctioneers who today own so much of the previous 'Blackbushe' have sprawled their business across Common Land (naughty) with apparently no considerations from the bureaucracy that is hell bent on wiping aviation off the Blackbushe map and overturned the Government Planning Inspector's agreement to de-register 115 operational acres of Blackbushe Airport?




Look at that! Whichever direction you view the airfield from the evidence is undeniable....? Environmental suitability. For an airfield in hectic southern England this one is unique in being so extraordinarily environmentally friendly.




Despite her separation from residential masses the airfield enjoys the benefit of excellent surface road links, five minutes to the M3, while approaches to the Airport by air are conducted over wide open forest and Common causing the absolute minimum of disturbance.


WHY does Hampshire County Council wish to destroy this wonderful asset?

PB