PHOTO of the DAY...

[PB]

"Photo of the Day"
19/06/24

Hmm, running a tad late this morning, POTD's editorial staff failed to turn up due to an apparent need to catch up on sleep. Apart from being somewhat transfixed by the plans of one of our major political parties preparing to wring every possible penny from our finances should they get elected. No place for politics on POTD unless it involves aviation and our aerodromes, but the threats to my finances and future devious squeezes on what I consider is rightfully mine really make me see red...


Well, talking of seeing red, remember the Red Pelicans, the RAF aerobatic team equipped with Jet Provosts? Memories of an occasion in the late sixties and again in 1973 were triggered by the welcome return of a Jet Provost at last weekend's Blackbushe Air Day... For the records, the first recorded arrival of a Jet Provost (G-AOBU) was 5th September, 1955 - Farnborough Week and this one came from the Percival works..

















51 years later, the Jet Provost hiding behind the spectators last weekend while the Chinooks from RAF Odiham pay their respects to Blackbushe.




2017, another Jet Provost moment during Blackbushe's 75th Anniversary weekend....


That's it!

PB

[PB]

"Photo of the Day"
20/06/24


Whoops, seems like POTD is running on a different time zone again, a couple of hours or more behind the regular time. Rather annoyingly last February's prang in which my nose suffered significant damage continues to make life a little trying. Especially at night when sleep is difficult, your nose is 100% blocked as it has been for week, your mouth repeatedly goes as dry as the Sahara Desert and the entire nasal operation remains very painful... At least the effect of wind, rain and a modicum of sunshine last Saturday has worn off, the nose no longer looking like a ripe strawberry! ENT surgeons next week and also a dental root canal a couple of days before. Like yesterday sleep arrived at around four thirty while the dawn chorus coming through the window obviously lulled your scribe into some much needed sleep. Sorry to those lovely people who digest the mornings 'POTD' alongside their Cornflakes, I fear the condition might last a while longer...

Maybe have POTD with your elevenses?

At Blackbushe things are far from sleepy! The runway lighting installation work should be completed this week, after which the necessary testing can begin. Looking forward to the darker evenings when Blackbushe's runway will truly indicate how serious the present Airport owners toward making this one of the south's most valuable General Aviation centers..




Today's 'POTD', Auster G-APCY, the Airlines' Flying Group, and one of our early home based aircraft. CY was part of the Blackbushe scene for many years and now resides in Australia.



Remember Sheila Scott? It was on this day in that she completed her solo round-the-world flight in Piper Comanche G-ATOY in 1966!! Time flies too...

PB

[PB]

"Photo of the Day"
21/06/24


Pondering on POTD as one tends to do each morning, this morning produced a mind void of any particular substance, possibly due to the effects of being woken so often by one's facial injuries! Ahh, faces, YES - the three faces of Blackbushe...in the beginning war, followed by peace and becoming London's second airport, and the third face being that of today and an airport in limbo as it waits for one final decision that will see the fourth face of Blackbushe looking at us sometime in the future...




The first face of Blackbushe, known then as RAF Hartford Bridge, where life and death rubbed shoulders and many decisive wartime operations were conducted.




The second face of Blackbushe, caught while London's "first airport" was fogbound!!




The third face of Blackbushe, where flying schools thrive and business flights appreciate the affordable benefits of an airfield saved from a terrible fate.



The fourth face of Blackbushe remains to be photographed.... imagine, new hangars, new Terminal, new Control Tower, new in all directions, slick modern buildings, no more temporary structures such as we have had since the very early sixties when what is now the Pathfinder was built. Three Counties Aero Club, and what a triumph it was to have that new building thanks to the gracious planning authority who would only grant 'temporary' planning permission.

I suppose we could have added the desolation of Blackbushe after her 1960 closure and destruction by political forces national and local as the third face, and today's business jets as the, fourth face, but at the end of the day I'd rather her remembered for the positive face of today rather then the face of tragedy forced upon us by the government and aided by local authority as it was sixty years ago..... Times have changed.

That is all I have to say this morning.

Enjoy your day,

PB

[PB]

"Photo of the Day"
22/06/24

Hmm, well it's Saturday once more, a week will have slipped by since the last one - a week of sunshine and blue skies, apart from the conditions last Saturday when the much anticipated Blackbushe Air Day was coming to life while the wind blew an the heavens opening to start the day rather curtailed our inbound aviators... No point being miserable, disappointing no doubt, but the UK's climate is one where a chance has to be taken and occasionally it will not be in your favour. Nevertheless, it was a day enjoyed by guests and we had lots of aeroplanes on show from some residents and and those who arrived on the Friday before - including the beautiful Grumman Albatross. Regardless, it was great to see the Airport become a hive of activity despite the clouds as they scurried by dropping their regards on us powered by some pretty strong winds! This Saturday marks a significant difference with temperatures that are climbing nicely up the scale!




T'was not all bad, the sun emerged with all its June power while showers in the afternoon skirted either side of Blackbushe. In fact this was something often noted way back in the sixties when showers blowing in from the west seemed to pass to the the north or south. Chance, luck, must be, but one had a feeling that life on the Blackbushe plateau was blessed with good luck!



Do you remember anything about today's date - say back in 1984? A chap called Branson launched a new air service... To be known as Virgin Atlantic Branson's airline launched services to the United States of America using Boeing 747 aircraft. Gatwick to New York, 22nd June 1984, the first of Virgin's many ventures across the Atlantic.

More recent news reflects on Blackbushe Airport and the ongoing new lighting installation programme. 4th July this year may include a General Election in the UK and Independence celebrations in the USA, BUT at Blackbushe it will mark the flight calibration of the new lighting system!! The airfield will be closed to all other aircraft between the hours of 08.00 to 11.30 local time...

A bright future awaits...

PB

[PB]

"Photo of the Day"
23/06/24


As we approach the time when Blackbushe Airport may be able to fulfill her ambitions and become a fully fledged General Aviation centre with things like hangars and the other facilities she has been starved of for decades, looking at the General Aviation Awareness Council's website this morning I was intrigued by their article.. " 7 Reasons Airfields Are Important"... On this beautiful Sunday morning with thanks to the GAAC and Ben Lovegrove's words herewith the seven reasons...

1. Airfields are important conduits for economic activity, attracting businesses, and generating jobs.

When it comes to receiving bids and new contracts for businesses in the region, having access to nearby airfield transportation links is a major benefit. If an airfield is close enough, domestic investors and those from abroad are far more likely to select a town or city with a local airfield as a place to invest.

Those directly involved with and employed at the airfield are not the only ones who benefit from its existence. Many ancillary services and business, from ground and building maintenance, taxi companies and hotels to suppliers of food, fuel, and flowers find new customers at an airfield.

Airfields are the training ground for all kinds of aviation jobs (https://benlovegrove.com/aviation-jobs/) including careers in air traffic control, engineering, customer services and specialist HR. Airfields are the starting point for ab initio student pilots who will one day fly passenger and cargo aircraft (often returning to the airfield for some ‘proper’ hands on flying!

Blackbushe is unquestionably well positioned, her future development plans promising an airport that will provide all the necessary facilities for business operations. So many major business centres are within easy reach.

Th airfield has provided limited - but increasing - employment for the last six decades, the future is wide open! Blackbushe has trained students who are are now commercial pilots and air traffic controllers..


2. Airfields can be a Wildlife Haven

Airfields often have wide-open areas on both sides of the runway and a secure boundary. Although clear visibility around runways and taxiways is essential, there is usually ample room for wild areas, meadows and wildflowers creating valuable habitats and sanctuaries for small animals

At airfields all over the UK, it’s not unusual, as we watch an aircraft departing, to hear the fading sound of its engine replaced by that of a skylark hovering nearby.

In the 1980s, while learning to fly at Southampton Airport, I was on final approach, focusing on my Flight Instructor’s instructions, when the operator in the control tower informed us that deer were crossing the runway and we should terminate our landing and execute a go-around.

Airfield landlords and managers are aware of the environmental issues (https://www.gaac.org.uk/habitat/how-green-is-your-airfield/) and are willing to make positive changes in these border areas.

Blackbushe is no exception. With large areas now set aside for birds & wildlife, the RSPB tending to many acres of the now disused northern side of the airfield.


3. They offer opportunities for training and education in aviation-related disciplines and STEM subjects.

Airfields often attract high-tech businesses and frequently include sites adjacent to them for light industrial units, educational institutions, and recreational facilities.

These integrated airfields provide additional places where people may learn, work, train, or play. In addition, the enormous open areas of the airfield itself may be used for gatherings such as community events, car boot sales, charity events, or historic celebrations.

Blackbushe already excels in providing recreational facilities. Regular car and motor cycle meets, the annual Twilight Runway Challenge, the annual Air Day...the Pathfinder Cafe!! And it has adjacent one of the largest car auction sites in the country, plus a business park on the now disused east end of the Airport as approved by the local planners!


4. Airfields preserve the wide-open spaces.

Airfields are often a ‘green lung’ close to an urban area creating a valued open space.

Some airfields have closed and / or been redeveloped. But as aviation is rapidly changing it is important to retain as many as possible – the land may become invaluable for drone activity, future transportation, logistics, electric vehicle charging centres and many other uses.

Local authorities need to recognise this resource and encourage appropriate development on airfields to help secure their long term viability and airfield operators need to urge their councils to do this.

It is also the case that local communities may not all like having an airfield on their doorstep but then realise this is preferable to new housing or even some form of waste or storage use! Redevelopment also leads to job losses and inevitably increases pressure on the roads and on local community services.

The sites that remain in the fragile network of airfields and airports need to be preserved. You may have no desire to fly as a passenger from your local airfield, but your child or grandchildren may one day embark on a career thanks to the first job or the inspiration that the airfield down the road provided.

Again Blackbushe is eminently well qualified! Preserving the wide open spaces of Hartford Bridge Flats, environmentally perfectly placed - she is the 'natural' airfield!


5. Airfields are bases and staging posts for the emergency services…

Air ambulances, SAR (Search and Rescue) services, Police helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft all make use of regional airfields. During the critical early stages of an emergency during which life is at risk, every second counts, and the ability of all these aircraft to operate from an airfield closer to the scene of the incident can quite literally be a matter of life or death.

During civil emergencies like floods or wildfires, local airfields provide convenient staging posts for the emergency services where supplies and personnel can congregate. The airfield itself may become the centre of operations under such circumstances.

Many airfields are also a valuable resource for military training.

It does not require any explanation why Blackbushe is such a vital facility for the benefit of the emergency services as and when occasion should demand.


6. Airfields preserve the heritage of a locality and encourage tourism…

Each airfield within the UK’s network has a unique history. Its existence maintains the heritage of the area and is living proof of its military or civil use during the past one hundred years or more. Heritage preserved in this way, in an active and vibrant airfield, is vastly more educational than a plaque or artifacts in a museum.

Such locations attract tourists and visitors from the UK and abroad, eager to learn about the area for a variety of reasons. They may have an ancestor or some other family connection, or they may simply be aviation enthusiasts keen to see the airfield and to experience it first-hand.

Look at Blackbushe! One of the airfields with a truly historic and unique past. The Blackbushe Heritage Trust was founded last year to preserve the Airport's history and also to restore a Viking airliner to place on display and truly demonstrate the airfield's historic past!


7. Smaller, regional airfields are the future.

The arrival of electrically powered aircraft will revolutionise regional airfields. Aircraft with all-electric motors already exist, as well as larger planes capable of transporting a dozen or more passengers between cities. It’s only a matter of time until these electrical planes (which are much quieter and cleaner) start flying in our skies. The revolution we have seen on our roads in the last few years will soon be happening in the skies. We have also observed that young people are far more excited about the high-tech modern aircraft that are now emerging.

The idea of urban air mobility (UAM) is a phrase that’s frequently used to describe the part of aviation that involves small, passenger-carrying aerial vehicles within and between cities. They’ll need bases to operate from, which means your local airport is the best option.

Reduced number of automobiles and coaches on the roads, going the long distances to and from major airports is one result. The Government wants the UK to lead the world in aviation. GA airfields are the foundation stones of the whole aviation sector.

Once again Blackbushe to the fore!! Fully equipped for charging electric aircraft and also offers electric car charging points. "Urbal Air Mobility" could well be a function of future Blackbushe in conjunction with the flying machines of the future. It has all the necessary potential!




There she is, the south's gift to General Aviation, situate on a plateau and surrounded by forests and open spaces - just five minutes from the M3 - with London and so many major towns so easily accessed!



Since thanks to the General Aviation Awareness Council for fuelling the thoughts behind today's "POTD"...

PB

[PB]

"Photo of the Day"
24/06/24


Time to see the light - or rather, it will be by the end of July.. the fantastic new lighting system currently being installed at Blackbushe will be undergoing its trials, calibrations, flight tests and approval and all being well will be fully certified and operational by the end of July.




Photo from Blackbushe Airport's Facebook pages. Flight testing scheduled for the morning of 4th July.



4th July. Something else happening that day, oh yes, the country is about to change direction politically speaking. The "Fully costed, fully funded" talk we've been fed for ages could have a nasty bite. Well, if ever an airfield deserved our vote for the General Aviation airfield with the greatest potential and opportunity for development, down here in the south-east there's just one and that's the one currently enjoying new electricity running through her veins..




There's the runway as captured by my old camera back in 1962! Now freshly stripped of all her lighting, approach lights, and everything else, it was a great feeling to still be able to fly from that famed tarmac. One of the toughest runways in the UK, generations of aviators had flown to war from it, and post war numerous independent airlines enjoyed its benefits, along with the United States Navy and the huge congregations of visiting aircraft that arrived during Farnborough Week in the fifties...


That runway's a national treasure, it's tragic that so much of its eastern end was removed by the local council in the early sixties.

PB

[PB]

"Photo of the Day"
25/06/24

"Oh to be in England..." flowed the words of Robert Browning. He was writing about April, but perhaps today we could superimpose June as the year has been a bit slow in gathering momentum? It looks absolutely perfect this morning, we know it won't last longer that a day or two, but right now there's nowhere I'd rather be!

Yesterday I decided to enjoy the weather by taking a brisk walk around the challenges of Blackbushe's disused east end. The old bones were jangling, the heart was begging for a work out (however small), and having just escaped from the clutches of the dentist's chair I wanted to break free.. and while thinking of the sounds of Freddie Mercury I set about the walk under a blazing June sun.

The terrain on the Common, as it is known, can be a challenge as the rain drenched mud infested pathways have now baked into rutted tracks akin to concrete. Old tyre tracks will happily twist the ankles of the unwary... The biggest concern walking around the old disused parts of Blackbushe while it basks in sunshine is who else might be basking in it too? Adders are well known residents and I had no wish to meet one on my journey. I didn't, but some do as witnessed by dogs who once free to dart in amongst the bushes and undergrowth have found the bite of an adder somewhat unpleasant. Funny how sticks and bits of wood lying around can trigger an alarm as one keeps that wary eye open for waiting reptiles! The blissful aspect of walking around Blackbushe 'east' is the regular company of aero engines confirming that not all of Blackbushe died under the thumb of a bureaucracy who, for whatever reason, wanted the most ugly destruction of a beautiful aerodrome.

Having got around to where the holding point leading from the main apron to runway 32 used to be there are two round light fittings still visible, lights that must have marked the end of the runway as they're exactly where the the runway started or ended depending which way you were going.. Those who 'remember' will know that Blackbushe's main apron was a very extensive affair, it stretched almost as far as the 'holding point' for runway 32. It occurred yesterday afternoon that having marked where the cross runway started the walk from there to the present end of the operational apron would indicate just how large the main apron once was. As a schoolboy watching the wonders of full sized Blackbushe in action it was obvious that the apron was very large, yesterday I walked its distance with images of me as a schoolboy with his bike looking from the main car park fence 'looking on'....Indeed, it took more than a couple of minutes to span the expanse where once the main apron lay, memories of a fog diversion day coming to mind!!




A photo I took some time ago, but it spans the old apron right to the end where the path disappears. That's where you'd enter runway 32 and where the aforementioned light fittings are to be found.




Memories. The fence where the trusty bike would be propped, the full sized apron beyond demonstrating its useful span!




I took this photo around 1963. It shows the cross runway (14/32) meeting with the end of where the apron stretched. The apron's destruction is not complete, it would not end until it reached 'Vigo Lane' the line drawn across the airfield and marked in the photo by the faint pathway that crosses north to south and lead straight through the Terminal.




Another aerial survey! For all it was tragic seeing the demise of the 'east end', this photo shows quite a lot more apron still to be dug-up. The bend in the taxiway that included the hold for runway 32 can be seen along with the remains of that runway already 'consumed'... The Terminal from the caravan to its end nearest the camera would eventually fall at the hands of the County Council.




While it is possible to bestow the virtues of old Blackbushe, unless you were there and inhaled her air and digested her views the spirit of the old Airport is probably hard to fully appreciate, there's no doubt the old airfield was bestowed by some kind of magic. That's how it feels.

That's how it was....


PB

[PB]

"Photo of the Day"
26/06/24

June has found its flaming characteristics... 30C yesterday afternoon and the sun felt really fierce. Reminding of globe trotting days when the sun was ready for the unwary! Today's "POTD" is going to be very minimal as I've my first (at last!) ENT hospital appointment toward doing what must be done to repair internal damage inflicted back in February's prang... Assume today will just be an initial probe into the unknown? The nose plays an important role - so I've discovered over the past months - in breathing, sleeping, and eating/drinking not to mention providing a sense of smell. Block your nose 100% for a few months and you'll see what I mean! The old nose is a sensitive bit if kit, please don't emulate my event that involved head butting a very solid piece of concrete a bit too fast for comfort!!

News from Blackbushe for when July arrives, the Airport will be closed to all aircraft between 08.00 and 11.30 Local time for the necessary calibrations of the new runway lighting system on July 4th. Later in July the operation should finally be signed off and Blackbushe will be ready for the darker times with an absolutely top notch lighting system. We can but hope further structural developments will follow toward making Blackbushe a truly prime General Aviation centre..she's heading the right way!




Blue skies look like being with us again today! Blackbushe's new lighting system will include new illuminated signage - something to look forward to when the days shorten!


On that happy note, must away to present myself to ENT...

Hopefully back tomorrow!!

PB

[PB]

"Photo of the Day"
27/06/24

It almost happened, no "POTD" today?

A bit of a change in the programme following yesterday's ENT appointment. Met with the Consultant to check out my nose and associated area following the February accident. Hold everything, "this is an emergency" proclaimed the learned gentleman, seemingly the only way out of it is surgery to repair the damaged septum/cartilage and remove the large blood clot/haematoma that has closed my nose for so many weeks. Had my pre-op meeting today and will be going for surgery on Tuesday. Beyond that hopefully I'll be operational again, it's in the hands of the NHS surgeons.

"POTD" will do its best to remain operational throughout. Some photo's below to ensure today isn't totally abandoned!




Percival...




de Havilland...




Miles...



Three great names of manufacturers at Blackbushe Air Day a couple of years ago. Between them they carry the image of British aircraft design and testify to the fact the world's most beautiful aeroplanes were created on drawing boards in the British Isles!!


Back tomorrow!!

PB

[PB]

"Photo of the Day"
28/06/24

Back on the "POTD" perch after yesterday's delayed boarding. Waking today to the headlines reflecting on our futures, a United Kingdom doubtless brought to its knees by taxation and the crippling zero-carbon obsession, while the United States is perched on the possibility of an OAP criminal President or a very OAP President whose marbles may not be exactly lined up? Meanwhile, in Russia, China, and North Korea.. a consortium of questionable intentions brews. However, there are prospects that really matter, namely the future of Blackbushe Airport as a key player in our nation's aviation infrastructure the indications remain positive compared to the political switchbacks endured over the past six decades. The new runway lighting programme currently underway is surely a guide as to the hopes of the Airport owners and their intentions toward Blackbushe becoming a source of economic benefit for the region, and consequently a source of new and increased employment opportunities.

Blackbushe Airport is already a proven asset for the locality, while aviation activity is thriving with many home based aircraft, highly professional resident flying schools, and use by business jet operators. On the ground events such as the Air Day and the Twilight Runway Challenge that raises thousands of pounds for charity and good causes, the Blackbushe Heritage Trust and their plans for preserving the Airport's unique history while restoring an airliner of historic value to the Airport, regular car and motor cycle rallies and walking opportunities on the disused area east of the main airport. The highly popular Pathfinder Cafe that permits guests to enjoy excellent refreshment while getting the closest possible views of the Airport and its aircraft movements. There is no doubt as to the value if Blackbushe from both the well know aviation points of view and also the non-aviation activity that has become a part of the Airport's routine.

We look forward to the ongoing Land Exchange programme that will, when finalised, witness the growth of long awaited hangars, a new Terminal and other facilities. Blackbushe has a great future, we will very soon be seeing the 'light'....




A page from the past from Gordon Wilmer's extensive collection of Blackbushe memories. Vulcan, XA890, was here on 6th September, 1955, having dropped off the Prime Minister...




There she is! A smaller Blackbushe, but with a great future!!



PB