I dont remember Pat Shea Simmonds having a beard.However I was at the same Prep School as his Kids Robert and George,Charlie having gone elsewhere.I did my Flying Scholarship in 1962/63 at Wiltshire School of Flying under the Instruction of John Heaton ,the one eared CFI,who used to freewheel Jackaroos and any John Isaacs Aeroplanes over the lower Hangar Roof dropping floor bags on those below.There were magic old WW2 Instructors with names like "Sprocket" Spencer Smith,"Ramsay"Smith,and the redoubtable Bill Leary,whose wife "Tickle" ran the cafe,plus others I cant remember or flew with.Having learnt to fly I used to return some weekends and fly the Parachute Club,under a tall blonde haired Yank known as "Aces",in a Jackaroo with the side doors removed.The static lines were attached to metal bulkeads inside the cockpit,and the Instructor sat beside me with 2 studes in the back.It took over 30 minutes to get above 5000ft,then a throttle off spiral descent to land before the chutists-this used to regularly blow the exhaust gaskets."ZT" was all black in those days and rested engineless in the hangar owned by Charles Boddington.Also "APAM used to rest in the hangar unflown.The Zion Koenig was there as well as about 3 or 4 Proctors.The Jackaroos I flew in 1963 were :- G-AOEX<OAP<OIX<OIW<OIR<OAJ.In 64 they were temporarilly grounded after one spun in over Chilbolton,and the ASI had to be moved from left side of cockpit to far right,so that the Instructor could see it from behind.The Stude was killed and the large Dutch Instructor survived,as I recall.The Army Flying Club from Old Sarum,used to shoot Pheasants over Inkpenn Ridge from a Jackaroo ,with the Cockpit sides off, with Land Rover and Dogs on the ground-I seem to remember it was a Major Peter Kent in charge,but great fun was had in these now nearly extinct aeroplanes!!I think Pat Shea Simmonds helped design and test fly them for the Airfield Owner and Boss,Sqn Ldr Doran Webb.Other characters were Ken Voss who also parachuted and owned a very nice Emeraude as did Luella Selka who also drove a dove grey MGA and often offered a lift to us kids into Andover!!!!Other Instructors were Ted Clowes who then flew at Wallop,as did Joe Ruprecht(Ex WW2 Polish Ace).Various DogFights were staged near Shaftesbury,to encourage their Tiger Moth to get airborne.Poor Ted later flew out to sea in a FRADU Hunter never to be seen again in the late 70s.Very happy and Fun days!!!!!!
One final memory was that "ZT" had a Chipmunk Gipsy 10/2 fitted and metal prop,which both Boddingtons used for Air Racing,but never flew during the time I was there,and the engine had been removed.Also a Magister was in bits in one of the nissen huts.