Booker flyers

[Philo]

I took these ,can't remember when, late 80's early 90's ?.
Might just prompt a few memories !

Ah ............thats if I knew how to post images !!!

[vintage ATCO]

The photos need to be on a site somewhere then you post the full URL between the image tags {IMG}{/IMG} (replace curly brackets with square ones.)

[Philo]

ah, I must confess that I have now posted them on the Flypast forum, because I know how over there (or at least I thought I did !) they are under a similar thread heading to this one. They are not really good enough to mess about sending to a web site and linking back in again.

[Man-on-the-fence]

Phil

The pictures on Key (currently crashed again) brought back many happy childhood memories, I am happy to host/post them for a bit if you like, PM me and we can sort something.

[Philo]

Thanks to MOTF here are the pictures:-

http://mysite.freeserve.com/booker1/booker1.jpg



http://mysite.freeserve.com/booker1/booker2.jpg



http://mysite.freeserve.com/booker1/booker3.jpg



http://mysite.freeserve.com/booker1/booker4.jpg

And the next batch
http://mysite.freeserve.com/booker1/booker5.jpg



http://mysite.freeserve.com/booker1/booker6.jpg



http://mysite.freeserve.com/booker1/booker7.jpg



http://mysite.freeserve.com/booker1/booker8.jpg



http://mysite.freeserve.com/booker1/booker9.jpg

[Man-on-the-fence]

Anytime mate

Now does anyone have any stories to tell about these?

What were they like to fly
Have they flown recently
Any more recent pictures
Were they as scarey as they look???

These pictures bring back some great memories of displays at Booker in the late 70's, anyone else remember them?

[hairyclameater]

From a 1976 programme and some ammended text from the man himself, the late, great Doug Bianchi..

Of the Manning Flanders..
Built by Personal Plane Services(PPS) for Alberto Sordi in the TMMitFM film, A 1910 design with "advanced" features such as ailerons and fixed fin and tailplanes all of which were completely uncontrollable!Very heavy to fly but made a nice noise".

Of the Eindekker..
Built in 1965 -(good God, old as me) by PPS for the Blue Max film but wasnt needed and too late to appear in it. A "whimsical machine that flies like a wet sofa!"and many brave souls have said "one the best aeroplanes they have been taken a ride in". "Any resemblance to a real EIII is purely coincidental and due to its detail,design and great weight gets airborne by pure faith".

Of the Morane N "Bullet"...
One of the better PPS replicas, "a really good flying aeroplane but can only be flown by specially shaped pilots".First allied fighter to have the bullet through the prop mechanism, but not wholly successful in 1913.The "engine is miserably flat and modern but is fitted in a nice cowling" in 1976, pre- politically correct language " like a good padded bra"!

There are no notes on the Bleriot.

Speaking of PPS, Booker/Wycombe airshows etc anyone remember the 7 ship BA Cherokee "Haggis" team? Tony Bianchi in the Yak11? The Aces High awful Stampe/Se5a abominations? During filming at Booker, any biplane left on the ground was quickly camouflaged, gunned up and put into action!
Also the Viima (also used in Aces High as a German 2 seater - now owned by Belgian Flying legends),Proctor G-AOGE, Falcon G-AEEG and the lovely Fiat G46 G-BBII - (seen all too infrequently nowadays) , to name but a few.

Obviously the Rothmans too but they're well covered elsewhere.

[treadigraph]

Nice pics Philo!

In Neil William's book "Airborne" he comments that they gave up flying the Eindekker while filming "Aces High" after Doug Bianchi saw the wings flexing from the ground!

I well remember the Haggis formation at the White Waltham Silver Jubilee display in 1977 - scene of the famous BA VC-10 low pass, well documented on a previous thread. Booker was always worth a visit, bung full of interesting airframes!

[hjc]

Not sure if its relevant but several of the vintage machines that were at Booker are now at Compton Abbas, where they reside in a new museum.

Compton is fairly near me and I haven't heard (or seen) of any of them flying of late but I gather they're kept in flying condition.

The museum at Compton Abbas has the following:

Bleriot XI replica G-BPVE
Fokker E.III replica G-AVJO
Manning-Flanders MF1 replica G-BAAF
Morane-Salunier N replica G-AWBU
Sopwith Camel replica G-BPOB

plus some static machines so I think that's every machine in Philo's photos.