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Post by PB on May 19, 2016 4:48:30 GMT
"Photo of the Day"
19/05/16Greetings to all Forum followers, early start today as much has to be done..First though POTD gets a couple of additions from the past. The Viking was a staple part of the pre 1960 Blackbushe diet, over 30 were based here and many others transitted as they went about their business. Two who transitted..  D-BABA of Trans Avia. Arrived from Southend Airport and seized on arrival at Blackbushe for non payment of crew pay...January, 1959. That's all I know.. Another German Viking visitor, D-AEDO with a rather unusual operator's name...on one of it's visits in 1955/56That's all for today.. time somewhat rationed. PB
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Post by PB on May 20, 2016 6:00:40 GMT
"Photo of the Day"
20/05/1605.30, the blackness is replaced by attempts of the conscious mind to propel me from bed to POTD while cranking serviceable eyelids into the 'open' position....Some mixed up dreams of China suddenly replaced by the dawn of reality and two words AIR DAY lit up somewhere behind said eyelids with glaring reality. Was I really climbing the Great Wall of China a few days ago? The camera says I was, but a couple of days home and Blackbushe has swept most other things into 'standby' mode. Yesterday morning was occupied by a manic scanning session stocking up the vaults and extending the sell-by date of POTD by a few more weeks.. So here we are. Friday morning and time for another blast from the past... At least the freshly scanned material is not covered in cobwebs yet as I venture into the vaults so as to bring anyone with nothing better to do than read my mixed up mind's meanderings another selection of old things. The air to ground below appeared yesterday. Taken around the time that enemy factions had dug up Blackbushe 'east' and Blackbushe 'south' had also suffered at the hands of its owners. Prob taken in the late sixties, it does not really matter too much when it was taken, but it does give a good illustration of how the removal of Blackbushe 'east' by alien forces truly screwed the airfield's viability. To the right the ruined runways and apron are a sandy yellow. The US Navy hangar was still intact at the time..  London's Blackbushe Airport. Despite all, she lives on, with a proud yesterday, and today signs of a future of which she may also be justifiably proud?The photo clearly shows where the apron was chopped and the main runway excavated under the direction of forces opposed to things with wings.... The ancient line of Vigo Lane was drawn across the deceased Blackbushe and anything to the east was granted the right to become a public open space. As all who have walked this area since 1960 will testify, the land was never adapted as the public recreational area promised by those who preferred the prospect of Blackbushe withering. Despite the destruction, owners of Blackbushe Airport's remaining operational acres offered land exchanges so as to recover some of the missing apron and make the runway safer. Numerous aircraft have been wrecked and lives lost as these bygone negotiations stalled and the runway was compelled to endure its reduced length. And Blackbushe 'east' remains Blackbushe 'east' although recent tree felling has improved the outlook somewhat. The aircraft accidents that have resulted from the current length of our main runway it must be said were not due to the available runway length but circumstances peculiar to those flights. Had the runway been longer the outcomes would possibly have been happier. Today, it has to be said, there exists a much more positive attitude toward Blackbushe and aviation. Attending a recent Blackbushe Consultative Committee Meeting confirmed that. Far removed from the dark days of the sixties.... Moving on...  Previous Airport owner and his Spitfire..
Doug Arnold taxies his precious Spitfire back to the apron. The Spitfire could be tricky when taxiing in a cross wind, and when it's valued around £1.5M you need to take precautions! On this occasion Maurice Gosling has the starboard wing tip under control, on the port wing they might just be your scribe's legs whizzing back and forth. It was great exercise and our only opportunity to claim to have 'controlled' a Spitfire under power. Come July the chance may come again as aeroplanes of the era return briefly to our hallowed acres...It'll take more than a coronary stent to stop me! Fingers crossed.  Back to the fifties, as a home based taxies past the Blackbushe control towerJust finishing today with a view from the long removed control tower that lived on Blackbushe 'east'... G-AMLZ, long time Blackbushe based Percival Prince of Stewart Smith Aviation rumbles between the Tower and the Airwork complex. Blackbushe 'east' holds many stories...  Airwork carried out much work for the RAF at Blackbushe. Conversion work on the mighty Hastings and Javelin interceptors, for example....and now the call of the Weetabix can be heard, see you tomorrow! PB
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Post by PB on May 21, 2016 7:08:54 GMT
"Photo of the Day"
21/05/16The Air Day continues to take a strange precedence in my thought processes, possibly because it's the month after next...however, POTD continues her daily contribution until such time as the editorial staff finally go doolally and take up something sensible like trekking in Antarctica..Actually we have an aeroplane coming from there for the Air Day, making a 'dash' for Blackbushe. Better get a couple of photos from the vaults before I jibber on too much....  G-AHGC, recorded at Blackbushe in 1949, belonging to Hawker Aircraft at the time... A shape returning in July for pleasure flying.. Royal Navy DH Domini, X7341 , visits Blackbushe for Farnborough Week, 1956. Those DH boys knew how to make their aeroplanes look the part... Note the Farnborough visitors in great abundance. Chrisair's beautiful red and white DH Dragon taxies past Three Counties Aero Club at one of our events, possibly the Daily Telegraph Sky Diving Championships and Air Display back in the 60's. RAE Aero Club's Tiger Moth all the way from EGLF, sitting alone on a damp and dismal day. The above photo of the RAE Tiger Moth conveys very special memories. It so typifies those days in the wilderness in the 60's when just one aeroplane on the ground at Blackbushe seemed like a gift from the gods. As a 16 year old the chance to touch, stroke the canvas wings, run on the wingtip to help steer her on the ground, take in the smell of a hot DH engine, and at Blackbushe was beyond description! The wilderness of Blackbushe in the 60's was tempered by the fabulous team who formed the first Blackbushe Aero Club, the determination and spirit of this wonderful assembly who backed the AVM to the hilt was inspirational. It might sound odd, but having witnessed the rapid demolition of virtually all of the Airport's infrastructure - and shed boyish tears in the process - an aircraft on the ground showed the passing world that Blackbushe was NOT dead. Whatever it was that Blackbushe offered me seems still to be in evidence, indeed whatever happens in the future, Blackbushe Airport will always have been my 'field of dreams'.. Long may she prosper as an airfield! PB
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Post by PB on May 22, 2016 5:32:45 GMT
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Post by PB on May 23, 2016 5:54:13 GMT
"Photo of the Day"
23/05/16Summer has returned to that world beyond my window..it must be Monday! Back to the early sixties this morning. The days when Blackbushe was, apart from the Terminal and the US Navy hangar, a windswept wilderness. We gained one or two home based aircraft by 1962 one of which is shown below..  G-APAL, early Blackbushe resident belonging to Capt Charles Watson. From around 1961/2 G-APAL was very much a part of the Blackbushe scene - if you can call it that...Blown onto the "common" at least twice and damaged each time, dear old 'PAL was a survivor...Flying four-up in a 'Tiger Moth' was a strange experience but quite snug!! Note the immaculate state of the Terminal in those far off days, only recently abandoned by the Ministry. The east end of the building grabbed by the Council and left to rot...it had to be demolished in due course because of County Council neglect. The irony is that council warnings on the land tell us not to damage or remove anything from 'their' land as it would be an offence.  TV comedian Dick Emery was a regular visitor at weekends in his Maggie, G-AITN. The new shape in the skies..US products were becoming more common in the sixties. Note the scene of Blackbushe 'east' without its present day forest..wouldn't that be nice today? John Cooper, famous for the Mini Cooper, often popped in on a Sunday. This was his aeroplane of the time.. Reg near to GARAGe... Such a nice person, remember him well. November Lima!! The Blackbushe Aero Club aircraft G-ARNL. I first tasted flight in this little treasure on 18 March, 1962 at 14.30LT.. Noddy Lima was kept at EGHI during the week as no hangars at 'LK. Shame we could not use the vast and empty US Navy hangar seen in the background!! Like the Terminal, the mighty US Navy hangar was also demolished following removal of structural material by human rats. Prior to that it had been used for several years by All Wheel Drive and Clarke Equipment, but aspirations to obtain the common land and the Navy hangar for airport use were firmly squashed by the powers of the time. PB
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Post by PB on May 24, 2016 6:20:28 GMT
"Photo of the Day"
24/05/16Photo of the Day while limited to the boundaries of Blackbushe and the varied decades of history that pour from her past sometimes needs to depart at a tangent and examine a specific point. A specific character, or flying machine, or even a word might come under slightly closer examination. Some, apparently, would say that a particular strain for detail, or too much of it, is being "anal"... Until today I had thought the expression to have sinister undertones and was somewhere I had no wish to venture. However, the photo below led me to become slightly anal on the matter and find out more. "A person obsessed with detail and unable to compromise over relatively unimportant matters", "An obsession that causes muscles to tighten", come to your own conclusions my friends... I guess some of the comments and material found in forums befits the title we are considering, but obviously not within the "One-Stop" Forum??  Westland S-51, G-ANAL in 1953. Outside the Silver City hangar on Blackbushe 'south'..Operated by Silver City for the Evening Standard. Westland's S-55, G-AOCZ, on Blackbushe 'south' in 1955. Another glimpse of the infrastructure demolished by HMG at the speed of light in 1960. Just another day on the Blackbushe apron. Bristol helicopter's Bristol 171, G-ALOU takes a top up from Blackbushe fuel services back in 1953. In the passenger seat of LOU is "Cat's Eyes" John Cunningham. Famous, as we all know, for exceptional eye sight and night fighter successes in the magnificent Beaufighter.Without wishing to appear anal on the matter, it's interesting how flush riveting has come along since 1953? Time to become 'obsessed' with Air Day matters for the next few hours..... PB
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Post by PB on May 25, 2016 6:04:59 GMT
"Photo of the Day"
25/05/16Another day, another meeting at Blackbushe...but before that it's time for "POTD" to send out it's morning call to the small but dedicated band who follow our daily assembly of old memories that are getting a little frayed round the edges. The memories getting frayed that is, not the dedicated followers..obviously. Now, going back to the passage written yesterday with regard to a helicopter that had received a rather unfortunate call sign, Stuart has sent the following via the night mail express... In the book “Alan Bristow: Helicopter Pioneer The Autobiography” co written by Alan Bristow with Patrick Malone the following is recorded;
‘ Eventually the “Daily Express” bought it’s own WS51, and some innocent soul at the Air Registration Board, the forerunner of the Civil Aviation Authority, gave it the registration G-ANAL. There was consternation at Westland when this was discovered, and I was detailed to break the news to the owners. I phoned the company, and after explaining the problem six times to ever more senior managers who dropped me like a hot coal, was put through to Lord Beaverbrook himself.
‘What’s all this about arseholes?’ asked the great man.
I explained once more, adding ‘ Of course, sir, we can have the registration changed if you so wish.’
Beaverbrook chuckled . ‘Oh, no,’ he said . ‘I rather like the idea that I am getting up some people’s arseholes. Leave it as it is.’
So G-ANAL it remained.....
Many thanks Stuart, and there we have the story how Beaverbrook's chopper remained where it belonged. As it were. Not quite sure how to follow that....I suppose another aerial combined harvester might fit?  G-AJHW, an altogether more wholesome c/s on this BEA Helicopters S-51. Seen at Blackbushe in 1953,'54 and '55..the original rotary washing machine?G-AJHW was last seen at Blackbushe in July, 1956 wearing the colours of Autair. She was loaded aboard Silver City's Bristol 170 Freighter G-AMWB and flown to Greenland, the land where perfect white is guaranteed... I need a rest, back tomorrow. PB
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Post by PB on May 26, 2016 4:50:25 GMT
"Photo of the Day"
26/05/16Some days are just not as good as others. For example, a specimen from the world of viruses has decided to lodge within your scribe resulting in much self pity, the usually rationed sleep being cut to ever lesser quantities while some small critter armed with a blow torch circles the back of my throat with relentless monotony. Nevertheless, "POTD" soldiers on with reflections on days of old...  Did I mention reflections? A Blackbushe car club assembled adjacent to the Silver City/Orion/Britavia hangar on Blackbushe 'south'... A Britavia Hermes looks on.One's fevered mind recalls with great clarity when as a passenger in my Dad's car driving up the section of Minley Road from Fleet that skirted Blackbushe 'south'..The view often would provide an impressive line-up of large white aircraft fins as Britavia's Hermes rested between missions. It struck me as most impressive then, the memories retain their quality, every time I drive that section of road those large white tails are still there....  That's them... LDA waits her turn on a section Blackbushe south's wartime tarmac. Tarmac that was due for a bit of care and attention.. Blackbushe south, long ago...Looking through the tangled return of nature to where Blackbushe 'south' once stood, it's hard to believe that so much aviation enterprise took place in there. But, it did... On that I'll return to self pity, and take the rest of the day off from Blackbushe, Air Days, Forums and all that stuff. Possibly. PB
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Post by PB on May 27, 2016 5:41:48 GMT
"Photo of the Day"
27/05/16The Bank Holiday Weekend draws near, the current precipitation and grey overcast would confirm that as being the case. Mood enhancement comes courtesy of the virus currently enjoying my body as its playground, nasal precipitation competing well with nature's efforts beyond my office window. There you go, that's painted a nice picture... my mood being further elevated yesterday when a Trojan Horse came galloping into my PC taking a vital DLL file captive on the way. Happily my virus software got a rope around the Trojan Horse and quarantined the little devil but my DLL file is also in quarantine and cannot be separated. This confirmed by my virus software provider after they were given access to the PC. If anybody has a clever idea on how I could recover the file..please let me know! I could take it out of quarantine but the nasty would have to come too.... Moving along to Photo of the Day. I vowed yesterday would be free of anything Blackbushe orientated. Of course, it wasn't. Phone calls, emails, problems, messages, and chasing aeroplanes. One thing that actually got finished was the Air Day Press Release that I'll be firing into the media during the coming week. It's amazing how with the PC one can produce a reasonable looking document with the greatest of ease compared with say the 1950's when 'Miss Jones' in the typing pool would take a letter and clatter it into life via the still trusty QWERTY on her Olympia typewriter. On the subject of press releases, below is such a document from Handley Page in the 50's announcing the departure of their new Dart Herald from Blackbushe at the start of its sales tour of India, Pakistan, Ceylon, Iran, Turkey and Greece. Type written documents were the norm back then, how different things are today for 'Miss Jones', and even people trying to put together an Air Day at the very same airfield the Herald departed from on its tour out east... Here's the Handley Page Press Release...  ...and here's the Herald pre-India at Blackbushe with thousands of miles ahead of her...  G-AODF awaits her departure on a perfectly manicured Blackbushe.  The last Herald at Blackbushe. British Air Ferries, G-APWA, spent two busy days on pleasure flying during the 1977 Blackbushe Air Festival.'WA approaches the 08 hold with another load of Air Festival passengers aboard. 'WA was the last Herald to serve Blackbushe before the Airport's closure, March 1960 supposedly being her last movement here - wearing BEA colours at the time. But, she returned to support the Blackbushe Air Festival in 1977. As we know, as from the end of May 1960 Blackbushe ceased to exist, or so the government hoped. Air Festival visiting aircraft were parked all the way along the A30 hence those in the photo. The main Air Festival event was located north of the main runway, an area that today is sadly an overgrown wilderness with runways cracking up thanks to the relentless forces of nature. Happy memories, the Air Festival was pre the desk-top era, your scribe spending hundreds of hours on his typewriter in true "Miss Jones" fashion. Not forgetting the carbon copies... I'm truly glad I logged all those Air Festival typing hours, but the thought makes me shudder thinking about it in this electronic age. PB
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Post by PB on May 28, 2016 8:17:15 GMT
"Photo of the Day"
28/05/16POTD running a bit behind schedule today, possibly due to the entire editorial staff recovering from a short sharp virus infestation... Apologies to the self confessed members of the Cornflake Club who strangely find some entertainment value in my morning mumblings while chomping through their bowls of sunshine.. Must be very brief today as attendance at a wedding is requested in darkest West Sussex, apparently not too far from some airport that took over from Blackbushe? Anyway, today's POTD follows on from yesterday and 1977's Air Festival..  IAS DC-8 service departs Blackbushe...IAS Air Cargo's DC-8 gave their crew a fine chance to do more than fly from A to B returning from Greece via the Blackbushe Air Festival. They loved it, and one can understand why! The photo indicates the trouble with Blackbushe and flying displays. Freeloaders. Thousands of them, common to all flying events. The public gathering on Blackbushe 'east' or Yateley Common, if you must, would today negate any chance of display flying at Blackbushe. You will note that this year's Air Day is unable to offer any display flying whatsoever. Now you know why.... This follows the CAA's draconian efforts to avoid 'off field' spectators being involved with any errant misguided flying machinery, or its pilot. The continued reduction in available airfield surfaces is another reason we cannot do anything like the '77 show. The photo just shows the roof of the US Navy's hangar,(above the B-17) by this time virtually hidden by the scrub allowed to take over Blackbushe 'east'. A year, or so, later this the last of Blackbushe's original hangars had to be demolished due to structural risks following attacks from human beings who persisted in removing steel framework that was not theirs to take. You are never more than a few feet from a rat we're told - that includes the human ones... That hangar could still be there and providing a home to aircraft had previous Airport owners offers not been rejected by those who wished an end to Blackbushe's flying career. Most unfortunate... However, come July 30th we'll do what we can to at least give Blackbushe a taste of an air event...fly-in, pleasure flights, varied static park, exhibitions, kids fun things, the "big pull", prizes to be won - trial lessons and experience flights, professional flight simulator time, and just a fiver to get in! Who knows, if all goes well we could be back next year, but...  Enjoy the weekend! PB
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