Thunder City closed down

[hunty]

The boss of Thunder City, Mike Beachy Head has issued a statment which seams to indicate the end of this organisation. In a statement he put his decision down to several factors, including the current economic climate, high maintenance costs, problems with the inconsistencies with the authorities and the short/medium outlook.

This will be a sad end for the Lightnings and Buccaneers in South Africa, while the Hunters should find new homes.

Hunty

[Capetonian]

I'm not disputing this sad news, but it seems a little odd that there is nothing on the website, so I hope this is wrong.

I was looking forward to going there again in a couple of weeks.

[cavortingcheetah]

This, with suitable apologies and deference, clipped from another site. It's a translation from Afrikaans which is not a PPrune approved language or dialect as far as I know.

Thunder City's wings clipped

2010-09-08 00:23

Theuns van der Westhuizen

Cape Town

The roar of Thunder City's supersonic veteran jet fighters is quiet.

The private collection of veteran jet fighters which Mr. Mike Beachy Head a decade ensures that adrenalen junkies a flight of a given age, are now closed.

Beachy Head, which is currently in Britain, it said in a statement attributed to "a number of factors including the current economic downturn, high costs of maintenance problems with the inconsistency of the authorities, both short-and medium-term outlook ".

Meanwhile, Erika Gibson reported from Pretoria that Thunder City's air operators certificate for flights paid to offer, according to Mr. Kabelo Ledwaba, spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), in March this year has been suspended. That was when the CAA in an interim report on an accident in which a pilot from Thunder City, Dave Stock, in November 2009 in Bredasdorp died several deficiencies in the maintenance department for the company pointed out.

Thunder City, from a site at the Cape Town International Airport is operated, said about the world's largest private collection of veteran jet fighters have.

Three lightnings English Electric, three Buccaneers, five Hawker Hunters, a Strikemaster and two modified Puma helicopters were used.

The company, which began Beachy Head, has international fame and numerous people came to Cape Town for a flight in a supersonic military jet.

[phil9560]

Somebody will take on the aircraft - surely ? :sad:

[JEM60]

What a shame. I spent 4 wonderful days there in 2005, including the Overberg and Ysterplatt shows. Met Mr. Stock. Lovely man.
Amongst us Air Show Spectator/photography fraternity here in the UK, going to Thunder City was regarded as the ultimate trip, the Olympic Gold Medal of Airshow spectating. I have been fortunate enough to have visited this beautiful country on two occasions, and Thunder City was part of the wonderful memories. I am so glad to have done it.
There was a lovely gloss black Buccaneer there in 2005, which was privately owned, but not by Thunder City. Is it possible that this will still be a viable flyer?? I hope so.

[GeeRam]

I'm not really surprised by this, given the wording of the interim report on the T_Bird loss last year which did seem to putr a question mark over TC's adhearance to Lightning SOP's in particular....and given that BP was no longer involved with TC as well.

Can't see the Bucc's or the Lightnings finding a buyer, although IIRC one of the Buccs was indeed privately owned by a guy called Ian Pringle. Hopefully, the AALO can get hold of the lifed spares for it's T5 project if TC don't find a buyer..?

The Hunters should find homes I would think. Be nice to see the genuine ex-Black Arrows F.6 come back to the UK and fly here again.

[rmac]

****...missed my chance to fly on Concorde by leaving it too long..

Now same story with Thunder City :sad:

[JEM60]

Soryy RMAC. Did both. You gotta put the ticks in the boxes whilst they are still there!!!

[rmac]

Good on ya JEM

Still got the Russians to go to, better get it organised soon...

[airpolice]

Many years ago, back in the 70s, when the RAF had lots of planes, pilots and stations, I was in the tower watching, for the umpteenth time, the Reds do a work up prior to the start of season.

As a big time anorak and shameless fan of all the 4FTS jet jockey gods (I was 17) everyone knew how keen I was to follow everything that happened when the Reds came to town.

Early one morning, I had been on nights and was about to go home, when the team boss offered me a back seat in the synchro pair. Knackered after a busy nightshift in the tower, (it had been my turrn to wake the weather guesser up every hour and take note of his mutterings) I was really not up to flying.

I had flown in a Gnat in the previous few weeks so I should have been fine, but I felt too tired to enjoy it so I passed it up, thinking there would be another time........ there never was. The Reds toured the UK and by the time they came back to Valley, I was in Area Radar and watching aeroplanes was all in the past.

I've never turned down a flight since then. Puddle Jumpers, Police Helicopters, a homebuilt Europa, trips around the bay in a Jetranger, even a Glider (only once, with Skid Travis at Lindholme) just about anything that flies.

25 years later, and my wee sister tells me that BA are going to position Concorde at Edinburgh the following evening in preparation for a flypast with the reds at the opening of the Scottish Parliament. She said she could swing it for me to be on Concorde, provided I could get a shuttle ticket.

This was of course too good to miss, so I flew to London, (on company business of course) and without leaving Terminal One, I got half pissed and came home on Concorde with my sister and four other staff from LTSB who managed to find a reason to be in London that afternoon. I'm glad I went on Concorde, but for comfort it wasn't a patch on first class to JFK or even Club from DC back to Heathrow.

Next day I was on the roof of the bank's city centre offices, watching the Reds and Concorde going overhead, thinking I should have been able to recall having been in both.

In 2007, I flew with a guy who was at Valley with me in 1975, and I followed his example and at the age of 50 I started training to drive Aeroplanes.

I now frequently fly friends around the East of Scotland and I tell everyone who has ever thought about it, to get stuck in and become a Pilot.

Let's not have anyone else fritter away 35 years before getting round to actually doing what they want to do.

I am grateful to all of the people who got me where I am today, to Keith Marshall for showing me supersonic flight in a steep dive in a Gnat in 1974, to Gordon Hannam for convincing me that anyone could do it, Mike H for showing me that at 50 we were not too old, and to an F3 Driver for teaching me how to do it to the required standard, but most of all, to my wife, who made it all possible.

Maybe I should have sold a child or kidney, or more software, so I could have gone to Thunder City.

If any of the Thunder City fleet come back to the UK, strap yourself into one.

Tick the boxes while you can.

[Romeo Oscar Golf]

Well said air police.....I've always wanted to take off and land on water but after 2 heart attacks I've left it too late. Do it whilst you can.

[Williamly]

yes, that's a sad news, but we have nothing to do.:ugh:

[pkam]

I would be interested in a link to the interim report on TC T bird accident. Sounds similar to the loss of an RSAF single seater at Tabuk, Saudi Arabia ( 2 Sqdn).C1984/5. On FCF after 4th 450 and Mods.:{
Jet pipe failure and fire, progressive rear control failure but fortunately not a seat failure. Pilot, Name of Jones IIRC, Brit secondee OK. :ok:

[Farns744]

Interim report is here
http://www.caa.co.za/resource%20center/accidents%20&%20incid/reports/2009/ZU-BEX.pdf

[ShyTorque]

Tick the boxes while you can.

Sir Peter Harding, as Chief of the Air Staff, once visited the UAS I instructed at. He arrived in a shiny 32 Sqn Gazelle. I knew the pilot well, in fact he used to rent my house.

During CAS's pep talk to the assembled students in our crew-room, he said his advice to them was to take every opportunity to fly, whenever they could, in any aircraft, whatever the occasion. He then went off to inspect the rest of the station.

I took him at his word and ten minutes later I was happily wazzing and quick stopping across the airfield in his shiny Gazelle! :E

The pilot then said he would now need to refuel and asked for some AVTUR...

How his face fell when he realised we were an AVGAS only airfield - I'd stolen the CAS's going home fuel and they had to immediately divert to a civvy airfield after departure! :O