YOUR photos & comments

[rj]

This will be the last dig into the archives until after Christmas so may I wish you all a merry one.

As we saw in the last installment the North American Savage was not the prettiest, or most successful aircraft. Blackbushe was one of the few places that they were ever seen in the uK.

Here we have five AJ-2 of VAH-7 parked on the northern end of runway 01 on 6/9/55.Present that day were 134039,134050,134055,134063,134064,134065,134066,134069. The C-119 should be 51-2611 . there was 156 visiting aircraft that day!



here NB-10 124855 sits on the ramp the following year on 7/8/56 from squadron VAH-5 one of a pair to visit that day


Just to prove we made ugly planes too here is the Bristol Brigand! Here is T5 RH798 from 232OCU seen on 5/9/57 from RAF North Luffenham. The Brigand was one of those types that never achieved its potential due to the end of WW2. Visible here is the FIDO pipeline,the photo was taken from Dungells lane where it snaked around the end of runway 26 now buried somewhere near Blackbushe metals?


same place,same day is Sea Balliol WL729 from Culdrose. Delivered in 54 it was scraped in 63! Military aircraft had such a shorter life span back then!


have a great Christmas.
Rob

[rj]

While I deal with the remnants of my man-flu I though I should post some of remaining photos, in no particular order.

16-212 Consolidated PBY-5A from the Royal Netherlands Navy 8 squadron a Farnborough week 1955 visitor


46560 Consolidated PBY-6A from the French navy 8/9/52


G-AOII Douglas DC-7C of BOAC on another training visit to Blackbushe, probably 22/7/57. How these must have slowed down the traffic on the A30!


N2966 Grumman Mallard of Marcel Boussac. Boussac was a famous French industrialist and race horse owner. Boussac visited regually, having his own Bristol 170 to transport his horses. N2966 visited regularly from 1949-1959. The Mallard was sold in 1969 and has served in Canada, Australia, the US, and is now back in Australia as VH-PPT. Would love to see a color photo of this. Also quite fancy a Mallard when I win the lottery!



The rather stalky Jet Provest demonstrator G-AOBU spent Farnborough week 1955 carrying out demos from Blackbushe. The aircraft is still airworthy at North Weald in it's original RAF markings.


The mighty Connie, my all time favorite aircraft! Here is VH-EAN on one of it's visits in 1959/60 for crew training. I'm assuming the aircraft sat at Heathrow most of the day between early arrival and a late departure so the company might as well have got some use out of them? This aircraft only flew with Qantas from 1956-61, before being replaced by those nasty 707's. The aircraft was then operated as a frieghter in Alaska before having a undercarriage collapse in 1967. It was not repaired and was robbed for spares being scraped in 1980.


Have some rather nice Viscounts for next time, if the flu doesn't get me!
Rob

[rj]

As promised some Viscounts. Some 191 Viscounts have been noted at Blackbushe, and that is probably not a complete list.422 Viscounts had been built by the time Blackbushe closed, so just under half the production visited Blackbushe. The BEA machines were either on training flights or LHR diversions. The others used Blackbushe for crew training, LHR diversions or customer acceptance or delivery flights. Of course Eagle, and to a lesser extent Airwork operated Viscounts on scheduled services.


N6593C of Northeast arrived on 2/9/58 and departed the next day on its delivery flight to the US. In 1963 Vickers repossessed the aircraft for missed payments and it went to El Salvadore before returning to the UK as G-AVED with BKS before being scrapped in 1970.
 

PH-VIH was one of the large KLM fleet, seen here 16/11/58 as a LHR diversion. This aircraft served with KLM for 10 years and in 1966 was sold to Aer Lingus, and survived with them until scraped in 1972.

[simond]

Ah, the Viscount. Definitely one of my favourites. Thanks for sharing this multitude of wonderful photos, Rob!

[rocky14]

Quality input Rob, thank you.

[controller]

Nostalgia par excellence; thank you Rob. All those "real" aeroplanes fair warmed the cockles of my heart. I wonder what today's spotters will drool over in 40-50 years - biz jets I guess.

[exeglkflyer]

Always loved the Viscount, it's big windows and it's noise. Sadly never got to fly in one. Great pics Rob.

[oap]

Great shot of the Comet landing - all the way from Lasham!

[PB]

DC8..The only DC8 to venture near Blackbushe was the 1977 Air Festival display by IAS Air Cargo. Several 'beat-ups', crew loved the opportunity. The CAA would have multiple pink fits nowadays!! Cannot do that anymore without DA's, approvals etc etc., it ain't so easy in 2017 as it was back in '77. The three R's of modern air show making, Rules, Regulations, Restrictions.

Note to EXEGLK FLYER...The Viscount was as good inside as it looked from the outside. A`sweet old girl...Think you've missed your chance.

PB