Originally Posted by
treadigraph
Pobjoy, David Perrin in the RF-5? I recall now, it was written up in Pilot (I was given a stack of old copies) and there was a pic of the RF-5 passing by TC members as they prepared to launch. Probably '74 or '75.
I'm reminded of Steely Dan's Pretzel Logic: "Those days are gone now, over a long time ago..."
Thread drift I know, but darn it, it's interesting!
We were lucky at Redhill, as although the main base for Bristow helicopters the 'tower' accepted the TC lack of radio as the norm, and in fact because we were in the main an evenings and w-end operation our flights did not conflict with their training operations. There were also a few ex Rollason engineers at Bristow so it worked ok, to the point that several Bristow jockeys joined the TC. The Booker Spit was a regular visitor plus the odd Harvard and the Rothmans team. RH also attracted lots of PFA homebuilt's being assembled for their first flights, and our rather small tea room in the hangar attic was usually crammed. For years it was the home of several miget racers that made up the UK F1 fleet of Beta's, Cassut's, Cosmic Wind, T Tich's, plus the 'Wonderplane' and the rebuilt Mew Gull were residents. It was however the TClubs fleet of Stampes, Tigers,Turbs, Jodels, Condors, and the Arrow Actve that were the basic diet for spotters, although a certain 1932 CLA7 was allowed from 74 because it could be 'folded'. An amazing place that certainly left its mark on sporting aviation.