Mike Hood
Well remember Mike's AOC (with Rapide and mountain of spares) being available for sale, for I recall the asking price of around £40.000 for everything. I was very much West Country based when it came on the market, and whilst there was 'summer trade' available, the dreaded salt laden atmosphere would have been heavy on maintenance, plus the main problem would have been where to keep it. Lands-End had no space and Newquay was still RAF St Mawgan. I seriously considered a 6 monthly operation Cornwall/Biggin, but it really needed a 'support' business or 'pension' to keep it afloat if it was to be an ongoing operation. We got there in the end but with the 'multi-purpose' C182 and 180 that could do several jobs (including the then recently reapproved banner towing) and shed loads of other 'aerial work', which was quite profitable, all with machines that were easy to hangar, and maintain. Of course in the days of BEA the Rapide was still a 'relatively' young machine which probably never really covered its 'real total costs', today it needs lots of TLC and a 'user friendly' base.