Originally Posted by
thnarg
I learnt to fly there in the Doug Arnold/Brymon days and remember Mann Helicopters but didn’t make the connection. Anyway meleagertoo has given us a pretty little challenge so let’s get back to that.
Alan Mann bought Fairoaks from Doug Arnold in '73 and sold it to Erinaceous in 2008.
At the time Doug was selling Fairoaks, AVM Don Bennet was selling Blackbushe and Peter Cadbury (who operated firstly from Crutchfield Manor then Preston Candover and was heir to the chocolate company) was keen to buy it. When I spoke to Peter, he told me that he had arrived at Blackbushe with a cheque in his hand and met Doug coming out of the door having already done the deal.
There's no telling what would have happened subsequently had Peter (who went on to form Westward TV and Westward Airways) been just 5 minutes earlier.