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Manchester Air Show - Barton

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Manchester Air Show - Barton

Old 14th Apr 2013, 20:52
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Sir George Cayley
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Alan Rae was the part owner killed in the accident.

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Old 15th Apr 2013, 09:36
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That's the chap. Quiet guy and very likeable.
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Old 16th Apr 2013, 17:40
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I was an instructor at Barton 1980/81 (tall guy from dahn south) and was an active helper at that airshow. I remember meeting Tony Brown and Paul Eyte at that show and when subsequently joining Air 2000 took Tony on the jump seat on several occasions. Bob Screen who did the low flypast was the Chief Pilot. It was the only time I had been part of the preparations for an Airshow and it was an exciting and eagerly awaited experience by everyone. I remember me and my then girlfriend ( nowadays my wife ) taking Leo's girlfriend for medical treatment as she took the accident very badly. I remember Don Graham being very angry at the deaths of Alan and Leo and put the ban into effect pretty much immediately.
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Old 16th Apr 2013, 19:08
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Ah! Don Graham. Now there was a character!
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Old 17th Apr 2013, 16:35
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Don Graham

I was on a ground school course with Jet2 in Leeds a couple of years ago and bumped into him in the caff. Still the same old Don. We spent a very happy hour remembering when. There were always mutterings about funds disappearing but I guess after paying for some seriously class acts and a new C152 or three they would have to have taken some serious money on the day. I remember it was only about a month after the show that the race was on again to book the following years displays before they were booked up. For me, very happy and interesting times.
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Old 19th Apr 2013, 10:21
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Unhappy

Thank you ShaggySheepdriver, Sir George Cayley and Michaelangeloman for these quick responses and nice things about the characters of the two men.

ShaggySheepDriver: This is a wonderful memory. Thank you for sharing. Your account backs up my gran's opinion that Leo was 'showing off'. I see the irony in his instructions! I also see the enthusiasm of a young man getting to 'play' in a unique plane. The thought that someone can point out where it happened is so magnetic. I have toyed with the idea of visiting the area but until Who Do You Think You Are allow me access to excessive funds & resources this may have to wait.

Sir George: The news reports give the name Allan Rae,a diesel fitter from Westhoughton, Lancs. Your info that he was part owner explains the CAA accident report that, without names, seemed to contradict that Leo was the pilot at the time.

Michaelangeloman: A girlfriend? She must have been traumatised. Do you remember any more about her? Leo still had his parents' address in Dundee.

So many questions! For the first time in doing family history research & as a trained historian I have become emotional at this tragedy recalled by eye witnesses. Thank you so much for adding your memories of what must have been a terrible end to a lovely day out. I do feel guilty that my relative caused the death of another young man.
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Old 19th Apr 2013, 17:15
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We don't know who was flying the aeroplane at the time of the accident (in common with most light aeroplanes, both seats had a full set of flying controls), so either one could have performed the fatal manouvre.
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Old 21st Apr 2013, 09:30
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I am afraid I can't tell you any more about the girlfriend as I didn't know her personally. My wife had got to know her earlier in the day for the first time.
We waited with her in the tower until it was confirmed they had died-I think Malcolm Dobson broke the sad news - then we took her to a hospital in Salford where she was given a sedative. We then waited for about 4 hrs with her until her parents were able to drive up from down South to collect her. Unfortunately we did not stay in touch. In my previous life I too was in the auto trade so Alan and I became friends through a common thread. I took Leo's place when he left to go to Loganair so we didn't meet. Sorry I can not be more help.
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Old 21st Apr 2013, 20:12
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I think it was 1989 and I followed an F16 from the south side apron at Manchester to holding point C, as he approached the hold he called ready for departure and Tony Brown gave him his clearance.

"Packer 1 after takeoff you are cleared to Barton with a right turn out SVFR not above 1500' QNH ---- squawk ---- contact radar ------- etc etc etc.

Reply "packer 1 roger"

Tony tried 3 times to get a full read back to no avail other than "paker 1 roger" in the end he gave up and cleared him for takeoff.

F16 who was lined up rwy 24 abeam holding point C held it on the brakes applied full burner rotated after approx 1000 meters into a vertical climb pulled over the top back up the centre line of rwy 06 abeam holding point C did a 450 degree roll to the right then pulled hard left to Barton, must have set off every noise monitor around the airport

Tony asked "packer 1 confirm your altitude" he replied 1500' visual with Barton never heard another transmission, great times.

Last edited by Above The Clouds; 22nd Apr 2013 at 07:11.
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Old 22nd Apr 2013, 19:11
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Thanks for that ATC; lovely story! Great times indeed. The Vulcan pilot told us this a while back, about his last visit to the Barton Airshow:

We were based at MAN for the weekend of the Barton Airshow, arriving Saturday after the display, leaving for base on Sunday morning. MAN ATC had sent us a tome of bumf weighing a ton which boiled down to 'don't make lots of noise and frighten our neighbours'. So I finished the display at 2,000' overhead Barton, closed the throttles, and turned towards a right base for 24. Cleared to land I squeaked it onto the runway still not having touched the power, vacated, and parked. There was a message to go see ATC.

"Why did you do that?"

"Because of this this great pile of 'keep it bleedin quiet' bumf you sent me".

"Oh, we didn't mean THAT! Tomorrow morning when you depart, could you make it a bit more exciting?"

"OK".


The crew were ferried back to Barton in a 172 and I met them at the post-display bash in the clubhouse. "Be at MAN tomorrow morning at 10:00 and you'll see an interesting departure". So next morning no.1 daughter (who was very little at the time) and me drove down to the old brickworks site (Now under the new runway) to watch. The Vulcan only had a 360 channel radio so had to use 119.4 (the then Approach frequency) for all transmissions. We watched her start up and taxi off the apron, then disappear behind Manchester's 'hump' on her way to the 24 hold.

Lined up and cleared for take off, a great pall of smoke arose from beyond the hump, followed a couple of seconds later by a mighty increasing whine of 4 Olympi winding rapidly up to full chat. Just as the that distinctive Vulcan primeval 'howl' reached our ears, she appeared over the hump with a mighty plume of black smoke billowing behind her thick wing.

Belting towards us she pitched up like some sort of giant surreal bat to about 45 degrees, lifted off, and climbed, gear coming up and pitching up further to about 60 degrees, the ground beginning to shake as she approached. By the time she got level with us she was about 1500 feet up and almost stopped, but the ground and everything around was literally pulsating to the mighty roar out of the tailpipes. We didn't hear it..... we felt it. She performed a graceful wingover to the left (what a ludicrous sight; a massive, roaring, slab of aluminium as big as a tennis court, pouring smoke, blattering us with sound and pressure waves, slowly rotating 1500 feet up in the sky). She dived a little out of the manoeuvre rolling wings level, flew off in the direction of the hills, and slowly the decibel count fell to levels where we could hear, rather than feel, that incredible thrust.

So, to continue the Vulcan captain's story...

When we got back to base there was a message to phone MAN ATC.

"Hello, Vulcan captain here"

"Bluddy 'ell.... We didn't mean THAT either!"



.

Last edited by Shaggy Sheep Driver; 22nd Apr 2013 at 19:13.
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Old 23rd Apr 2013, 22:40
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Thank you. Your memory is of help. Regards.
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Old 24th May 2013, 18:10
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barton

I can add to that lot, a stearman that spun into the nearby Cemetry and a C152 from Yorkshire that stalled in front of the crowd line, proving how save and slow an aircraft can be according to a man on the tannoy, and that Tomahawk that recently crashed and is the subject of a £1m lawsuit. I can remember the Auster (1959) being carried by aloft by several people, Barton has indeed had its far share of tragedies.

Last edited by spargazer; 24th May 2013 at 18:15.
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Old 24th May 2013, 18:44
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I can add to that lot, a stearman that spun into the nearby Cemetry
When was that? Must have been before my time at Barton (1978 onwards).

Tomahawk that recently crashed and is the subject of a £1m lawsuit.
Who is sueing whom?
I can remember the Auster (1959) being carried by aloft by several people, Barton has indeed had its far share of tragedies.
Carried aloft by several people? What actually happened?

Don't forget the fatal Rallye banner towing pick up tragedy. Or the double-fatality spin in by a visiting aircraft turning left base for 09. Or the other double fatality Rallye that took off on 2.0 very early one morning before the airport opened, and crashed on the banks of the Ship Canal. And of course the Midget Mustang that barrel-rolled into the ground at one of the airshows.

No dooubt there are more, but those are the ones I can think of that have happened since 1978. Not to mention ones where an aircraft on a local flight crashed away from the field, such as the Tripacer that took a Barton pilot, his girlfiend, and her mother to thier deaths when it crashed into Winter Hill in dodgy wx. Or the Baby Great Lakes that fatally spun in near Chorley about 1980.

Last edited by Shaggy Sheep Driver; 24th May 2013 at 18:55.
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Old 10th Feb 2015, 14:31
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Mustang replica crash-I was there!

I was the lone figure seen in cine film clips shown near the copse of trees to the edge of the flight line, nearly got hit by the crash of the replica midget Mustang. I was seeing the pilot,still alive, trying to pull out, as seen through my zoom lens SLR camera. The Police got my film and triangulated my images with others who were in the correct place. I was notand nearly got killedfor my straying! Seen on the news also at the time, I am the lone figure seen there. Nearly hit also by the clods of Earth raining down near me when he went in. My condolences to his family and I still disagree with the findings of the investigation which said he died before crashing. Also that he had not permission to fly this,which was rubbish! I did see a spurt of exhaust smokeand hear the engine hesitate whilst inverted and then felt the loss of power, momentarilyand lackof sufficient subsequent height made the crash inevitable. Even more remarkable was a real Mustang "Moose?" that threw very daring low level aerobatics in tribute right over the crashed aircraftand I felt he came too low on his final loop and feared a second crash! He was a superb pilotand I appreciated his silent salute to a fallen pilot. I was learning to fly at the time and this shook me.
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Old 17th Feb 2015, 17:31
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Red Spitfire

A smart snappy looking red and white Spitfire Mk.14. flew into the show at one of the later events, I think the same event the German Navy F-104G duo 'Vikings' gave a very dynamic display.
I recognised the same Spitfire which had emigrated to the U.S. and lay dismantled in the fighter- rebuilders hangar at Chino, Ca the following year.
Thanks for some great memories Manchester, Barton team.
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Old 17th Feb 2015, 18:16
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I still disagree with the findings of the investigation which said he died before crashing.
Anyone got a reference for the report on this?
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Old 17th Feb 2015, 18:45
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G-BEFU crash report

Nothing in the report suggests he died before impact, just a sad, fairly typical low level aerobatic display accident.

Red & white Spit could have been Eddie Coventry's low back MkXVI TD248 or the high back XIV RN201.
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Old 17th Feb 2015, 19:11
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Thanks Treadders. I saw it roll into the ground. He just got the barrel roll wrong, like many others have.

The red and white Spit was Spencer Flack's G-FIRE. Here's a picture I took I'm quite proud of. G-FIRE starting up on the Barton apron by the fuel pumps; moments afterwards that smoke was blown away by the prop.

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Old 17th Feb 2015, 19:32
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Ye Gods, how could I have forgotten Spencer's beautiful aeroplane? The other two I mentioned were, of course, silver and red.

G-FIRE is now N114BP at the Palm Springs Air Museum. Her RAF scheme is perhaps authentic, but the green and grey (blue?) she now sports look odd to me.

Nowt wrong with having a few warbirds in civvies! Last night I was looking at some pics of G-ALGT in her early days with Rolls Royce.
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Old 17th Feb 2015, 20:01
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G-FIRE

And here's a photo I took of the aircraft at the 1986 Woodford air show:


https://www.flickr.com/photos/489750...6/in/photolist-
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