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VOD80
16th Apr 2011, 08:16
Hi, my first time posting in this section of Pprune.

I learned to fly a while back on an Auster. I think they're really good planes so I'm obviously a couple or few sandwiches short of the proverbial picnic ;)

I recently came across this photostream on Flickr

Flickr: David Whitworth's Photostream (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwhitworth/)

Does anyone know anything about either Tony Clarke or David Whitworth?

dakkg651
18th Apr 2011, 07:37
"Never, ever call it a plane Bader. It is an aeroplane".

dakkg651
18th Apr 2011, 07:43
Another quote for you VOD.

'Only real pilots fly taildraggers'.


If you learned to fly on Austers that puts you a class above all the spamcan drivers. :ok:

Flew an Autocrat once. It was interesting. Like the Tiger Moth it was probably an acquired taste!

G-APDK
18th Apr 2011, 11:30
VOD80
Dave W is a retired Air Traffic Controller who until last year worked at Stansted. I believe he inherited the photo collection from (the late?) Tony Clarke.

Wander00
18th Apr 2011, 11:30
Could "drift" this into "Real pilots learned on Austers" - I did a flying scholarship at Sywell in 1961, flying J1Ns, MTM is I think still flying in Cambridgeshire

VOD80
19th Apr 2011, 07:54
G-APDK, thanks for that.

dakkg651, I accept your admonition. It's just difficult to always use correct English in these days of text-speak and apostrophe abuse. I'll pull my socks up ;)

And, if you've ever seen my piloting skills, well, you'd know that there is nothing "cut above the rest" about me! :E

But, I still enjoyed my time with the Auster. The club scene seems to be more restrained now but I had a lot of fun in the early 1990s. MTM was a regular then. Ah, nostalgia!

dakkg651
19th Apr 2011, 08:59
The Auster I would love to fly is the AOP9 with the Bombadier engine. A few ex AAC drivers have told me it was great fun with a climb like a homesick angel unless taken to somewhere hot like Aden. Tried chatting up a few people down at Wallop to try and get my hands on theirs but no joy. :(

I've heard the CAA didn't allow the 9 on the civvie register because of some handling quirks. Anyone confirm this?

Nice to hear MTM is still flying.

VOD80
19th Apr 2011, 09:16
I had a quick look in the CAA G-INFO database. There are 13 AOP9 currently on the civil register. There were some airworthy ones at Eggesford - I don't know what the current status is...

I've never been in one but I did hear that there were some interesting handling quirks!

Cheers

G-APDK
19th Apr 2011, 11:33
For those with an interest in Auster aircraft, the Air-Britain Classic Fly-In being held at North Weald (EGSX) on 2-3 July is marking the 65th anniversary of the formation of Auster Aircraft. Hopefully a good selection of Austers (and Terriers which is 50 years old this year) will be present, thanks to the support of the International Auster Club.

Over 20 Austers/Terriers have already indicated their plans to attend, including aircraft from Europe. All welcome to come along.
Air-Britain - Fly-in - About (http://www.air-britain.com/flyin-about.html) for details

G-APDK

D.C.W.
19th Apr 2011, 20:08
I notice a reference to the old photos on my Flickr pages.
The pics from the 1950's and 1960's are mostly quick scans from a collection of negatives taken by an enthusiast called Gerald Lawrance. He was based in the Cambridge area, and travelled a lot throughout East Anglia and the South East. The earliest shots are from 1948, when he was a teenager, and come from Airshows as well as airports and smaller airfields. They cover a very wide spectrum of types both military and civil, and although they are of variable quality, the 4000 odd negatives make up a significant archive.
When Gerald died, the collection went to Tony Clarke (who is very much still with us ). Since his recent retirement, Tony has spent a lot of time scanning and researching the photos. We both felt the pictures deserved a wide audience, and I have been adding them to my Flickr Photostream and posting selections on the Flypast Forum. There are still a lot more to be worked through. It is frustrating that very little information on exact dates and locations has survived, and research has been very time consuming.
So if you like Geminis and Messengers, Beaufighters and Valiants, Bristol Freighters and Tudors, take a look at:
Flickr: David Whitworth's Photostream (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwhitworth/)
The pictures are of variable quality, and you will have to put up with my own more modern sets, but if anyone can add to the (limited) research, I would be grateful for info via Flickr or E-mail.
Thanks for the opportunity to plug the link, I wish I could claim more credit for the photos.
DCW

VOD80
20th Apr 2011, 09:41
Hi DCW, you've got, I hope, a PM!

Tony

A30yoyo
24th Apr 2011, 22:59
DCW ....Don't know if it's me but I still can't add tags for the locations on flickr....putting them in the comments doesn't show them up on searches unfortunately

lizziemurray
15th Jan 2014, 14:48
Hi D C W,

I am working on a programme for a major broadcaster in the UK, in which we are looking at aviation history from the 1950's. The photos up on your flikr referred to above are fantastic and I wondered whether I might be able to discuss the possibility of us using some of them in our programme? I can be contacted on [email protected].

Many thanks in advance

JEM60
18th Jan 2014, 09:32
Hi, David. John and Terri are also alive and well and look forward to seeing you and Tony at the first Duxford.:)