I bought a £5 share in a Taylorcraft Plus D G-AIRE while training on Vampires at Swinderby in 1956/7. The main shareholder was a local plumber who lived in a village near the disused airfield at Bardney. The aircraft was kept in a dilapidated hangar, shared with a Miles Hawk Speed Six belonging to the Holden Rushworth Sports Clup. Sadly, I never saw the Hawk Speed Six fly as the only qualified pilot in the club had been retired for some time. Together with another student on the Vampire course, I used to fly the Plus D once or twice a month after collecting a can of dope and a brush from the plumber to stick down any fabric that had come unstuck during the previous week.
We also provided our own petrol (3 or 4 jerry cans) and paid 30 shillings per hour towards running costs. Operating off the crumbling runway was tricky as it was also used as a parking lot for farm machinery and the rest of the airfield had been ploughed up for crops.
Last edited by brakedwell; 30th Jun 2014 at 11:53.
Reason: Add reg number.