Aircraft I have known and loved...and met again!

[Whirlybird]

Today I met Fizzer, for the first same for ages...and I was so pleased.

Fizzer, G-FZZA, is an F22A, a wonderful responsive aerobatic Italian aircraft that used to live at Welshpool, and which I last flew before I discovered helicopters. Two of us flew her to Cornwall for the 1999 total eclipse, the longest flight I'd ever done at that time. She was expensive to hire, and I decided I couldn't afford helicopters AND Fizzer, and I regretfully said goodbye to her. Anyway, she's long gone from Welshpool, but there she was in the hangar at Hawarden when I arrived there to give a trial helicopter lesson. I walked round her, said hello, and tried to discover what she was doing there. I think everyone thought I was nuts.

I got roughly the same reaction at the PFA Rally recently, when I saw the first aircraft I EVER flew. It was only a tomahawk to everyone else, but to me it was the first light aircraft I ever sat in, the first which I ever tried to fly. I thought that made it pretty special.

Similarly, I was upset, and annoyed, when someone wrote off the R22 in which I did my first helicopter solo. How dare they!!!!

Does anyone else get nostalgic about aircraft that have meant a lot to them in the past?

[BeauMan]

I've got two - Chipmunk WB569 which took me aloft for my first ever flight in September 1982, and now lives at Duxford. I was visiting Duxford with my little boy a couple of years ago when I rediscovered her. I don't think BeauMan jnr could quite understand why Daddy was so fixated upon this funny little red and white aeroplane. ;)

The other one was quite by chance - I'd bought a mate of mine a trial lesson up at Netherthorpe, which she went and had about six weeks ago, and while we were there I spotted G-BIOC, a Cessna 150 which looked vaguely familiar. I'd dragged my logbook along for the day, so I whipped it out to discover I'd flown G-BIOC for a few hours out of Southend on my Flying Scholarship in 1989. Another wistful nostalgic moment, with my mate looking at me in much the same bemused way that BeauMan jnr did at Duxford... :D

[Rattus]

It's such a huge privilege to be allowed to aviate that I have nostalgic feelings about every light aeroplane which has ever carried me aloft - a case of the end justifying the means, even if the latter was designed by Clyde, William, Walter or Jim.

Having said that, I first spotted G-FZZA at Welshpool a couple of years ago, and she certainly is a beautiful aeroplane - as is any of Stelio's creations.

She's now parked opposite us at Tatenhill, and I pay homage every time I walk past her to commit aviation in one of Jim's aesthetically inferior colonial designs.

[WelshFlyer]

Oh, I get nostalgic about the Air Caernarfon Robin HR200.(G-BWFG). It was the first aircraft I flew. (Indeed it was on my first trial lesson at the age of 8!) unfortunately some barstard crashed it and it was written off. so was the other Robin G-BWVG.

Dose andyone else have any memories of these two A/Cs?

WelshFlyer

[2Donkeys]

G-BMSZ, now Cessna 152 G-OWOW. First time airborne. Might be tempted to put an offer in on her :-))

2D

[Hufty]

Most of the aircraft I flew as a PPL student are still around - except the Tomahawk that represented the first ever aircraft in my logbook - G-BMNP.

My Dad taking took some flying lessons in Edinburgh in the early 70s. He only did a few hours but I seem to remember from his log book that two of the 150s he flew were G-AVVY and G-AVIA. I had a look on the database and it seems G-AVVY is now G-UFLY owned out of Blackpool and G-AVIA still seems to be flying.

Anyone flown them??

[2Donkeys]

My Dad learnt to fly in the late 40s early 50s at Panshanger, when that field was run by the de Havilland School of Flying, and their employees got to learn at the princely rate of £1 per hour.

Amongst the many Tigers in his logbook of the time was G-AHIZ. This fine machine is still in its original colours, and flying as part of the Cambridge Flying Group. It was great to reunite them for a flight a couple of years ago.

2D

[down&out]

Well for me its a set of Bulldogs I spent over 100hrs flying in the UAS - but I don't know where any of them are now. In particular XX670 in which I did my first solo and then 2 years later competed in an aerobatics competition. Also XX672, in which I did my first solo aerobatics.

I did fly an ex Hong Kong Bulldog a few years ago (no guesses for where). It was like fitting an old glove on, a wonderful experience - in comparison to the usual pipers I fly.

But to be honest I don't think I've even seen any (ex)RAF Bulldogs since they've been sold off:rolleyes:

[Circuit Basher]

d&o - after searching the CAA info database with no luck, I found a link to an XX Register (http://www.ukserials.fsnet.co.uk/xx.pdf) which indicates that XX670 has been re-registered N50UP and that XX672 is now de-registered and residing in Barry College.

A search on the FAA Database (http://162.58.35.241/acdatabase/acmain.htm) shows N50UP (ex XX670) to have been registered to a chap called Falconer Todd in Lakeland CA since 15 Apr 02. I have not been able to find any documentary evidence of XX672 being at Barry, but the College does run an 'International Centre for Aerospace Training' and it doesn't seem unreasonable that she may have ended her days there.

[edited to correct the usual typos]

[down&out]

CB - What can I say? Thanks for the info & links, its interesting to see where the old birds have flown to.

I checked out the xx register for all the bulldogs I flew and found there's only one still registered flying in the UK (now G-EDAV) and the rest seem to be overseas or grounded- the way it goes I guess.

[Blind lemon]

Whirlybird

I occasionally flew FZZA from Welshpool. I wondered what happened to it after the split between airfield owner and
flying school. I have never been back since.

It was a real treat flying that particular a/c.

[noisy]

A mate of mine checked out on G-FZZA at welshpool but was most perturbed when a pilot returning from a long cross country ran out of fuel and committed a rather heavy landing. I thought that this aircraft had been scrapped to be honest. glad to hear it's still around.

I will always remember G-AZVP, a cessna Cardinal RG at Elstree, which was the first aircraft I ever got my hands dirty on.

Description: really average badly abused F177RG, Silver and Blue with Greasy Streaks down the fuselage. Would love to know where it is.

[Spiney Norman]

Hi 2Donkeys.
So that's what happened to GBMSZ, the reg was changed to protect the innocent! I remember SZ as a really good performer when I used to ferry her back and forward to Biggin Hill. At the time she was operated by Luton flight training, but owned by Falcon flying services. Once, when doing a Luton-Liverpool, we got formated on by a Belgian registered PA28 who was lost with radio failure and led him into GP. Looking at the other log book notes all the flights I had in SZ seemed to be good ones. Ah! The rose tinted glasses of nostalgia!

Spiney

[Blind lemon]

WhirlyBird

On your theme of once flown aircraft subsequently pranged I was similarly dischuffed to find out the first plane I flew in the USA, N757SW was deliberatly crashed by its pilot whilst allegedly commiting suicide:sad: poor chap.

[Spiney Norman]

Here's a scary thing..Just looking through the log book and found that of the PA28's I've flown this is what happened to them...
GJUNE..Ditched in the Atlantic whilst being flown back to US.
GBLAW..Ditched off the Isle of Wight. (Featured in GASIL as the pilot didn't even get his feet wet)!
GATRU..Went through the fence at Old Warden and written off!
I think there's a pattern forming so I'm not going to have anything to do with Pipers anymore! Only one I don't know what happened to was GATTG, which was an awful old bus so is probably still flying! It wasn't me guv honest!

[CSX001]

Spiney Norman

G-BLAW and G-BMSZ both feature in my logbook, as an occasional renter from Luton in the mid-late 80s.

You probably also have G-JONI, G-BMMM, G-JEET and G-BMTS and G-BHDT as a quick look in my logbook reveals.

Charlie

[2Donkeys]

A few of those reg's are still going strong Charlie.

G-JONI lives somewhere near Liverpool and G-BMTS lives at Shoreham, operated by the Flying Hut (Jabba's brother, I assume)

;)

2D

[Blind lemon]

Spiney Norman

Dont feel too jinxed. I think its par for the course

In addition to N757SW ditched in Gulf of Mexico in 92 mentioned in earlier posting I can add G-BNGD crashed Scotland in 98 and
G-BOYB pranged two weeks ago at Sywell are all 152's I have previously flown.

[Spiney Norman]

CSX001.
Yep! They're all there, as are...GBFHT. (Steve Pugh, who you may remember used to refer to this one as 'the shifting sands of HT', cos it had been resprayed but not properly cleaned out inside and was full of fine sand)! GBMMM which had so many avionics on it the engine could barely turn the alternator! GJONI, which was great and had 7 hour endurance, (now lives on the strip at Sherlowe). GBGXZ which was a ropey old thing that wouldn't fly straight, (or was that me)?? GJEET? And my personal favourite, the AC114 GOLFT. Good times.

Spiney