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Burnaston Airfield

Old 14th Feb 2018, 08:23
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IIRC the windshields were symetrical. On the right side is the front of either a Miles Gemini or Aries. The was the Main hangar and the far side of that was the storage/scrapping area that is shown on the earlier Marathon picture
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Old 22nd Feb 2018, 14:48
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There was a Aerovan that operated out of Burnaston taking photos. It was flown by a lady IIRC was Jean Byrd ?? Chris was the camera operator.It shed a prop on a mission that came through the cockpit and resulted in a fatal crash.
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Old 22nd Feb 2018, 15:00
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Jean Lennox Bird - first RAF (as opposed to ATA) woman pilot.

Jean Lennox Bird – a vital link in women’s aviation history

Edit: Earlier PPRuNe thread here on the accident that killed Jean Lennox Bird, which happened shortly after takeoff from Ringway: engine failed and the aircraft stalled/spun into the ground.

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Old 22nd Feb 2018, 18:00
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I have never stopped at Burnaston but have been past it several times on the way from Yorkshire to Shropshire. The original East Midlands 'Airport' before Castle Donington.
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Old 23rd Feb 2018, 07:56
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Thanks Dave. We did some work the aircraft when it operated from Burnaston for a short while.
Mooncrest - Burnaston only had grass runways which produced a few epics like the DC3 full of pax that went through the fence at the Derby end. I think the aircraft was the Mann brothers ?? Bus down the Airport road - pax to the terminal and given cups of tea - One of our DA daks then took the passengers to destination!! Can you image that senario today !!
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Old 23rd Feb 2018, 09:26
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Originally Posted by GotTheTshirt
Thanks Dave. We did some work the aircraft when it operated from Burnaston for a short while.
Mooncrest - Burnaston only had grass runways which produced a few epics like the DC3 full of pax that went through the fence at the Derby end. I think the aircraft was the Mann brothers ?? Bus down the Airport road - pax to the terminal and given cups of tea - One of our DA daks then took the passengers to destination!! Can you image that senario today !!
Life was simpler then...... The problem was solved and the passengers experienced minimum inconvenience.... Way it should be.

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Old 23rd Feb 2018, 15:13
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When I used to 'MISS' the schoolbus, back in the late '70's, my walk to school took me right past the airfield. My mate and I play in the old pillboxes dotted around the perimeter.
Of course, in those days, it was for private flying only. I remember my mum telling me that her flight first ever flight was from there on a DC3 to JER back in the 50's.
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Old 24th Feb 2018, 15:38
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I see there is a Chipmunk thread running but at Burnaston we did the annuals on the University Air Squadrons. I think there were 2 or 3 UAS , Nottingham being one.
They had Chipmunk and Havards. They would arrive en masse in the Autumn and then an RAF Anson would arrive on a couple of trips to take the pilots back !
They would be overhauled during the winter and they would return to the UAS in the spring. They would be all neatly lined up on the tarmac on the appointed day and then the Anson would arrive!!
There would be over a dozen aircraft ( and not all would depart that day !!) The Harvards were started with Trolly/ack and as mentioned the Chipmunks all had Kaufman Cartridge Starters. The starter took a magazine which held 5/6 ?? cartridges and the noise and smoke was like a battlefield. Engineers ( they were a fixed group that did the RAF aircraft ) were rushing around changing the magazines. These cartridges provided endless apprentice projects in the summer evenings!!
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Old 2nd Mar 2018, 10:42
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Mrs Pat Jones - Derby Airway's first Air Hostess

By an amazing coincidence I met this wonderful 80 year old lady yesterday!

I'd been asked to look at some memorabilia in her late husband's study; He was Robert Frederick "Bob" Jones (26/4/33 to 19/11/17) Bob flew 1-11s out of Birmingham and was also connected with Don Everall Aviation.

Pat is full of life with a fantastic memory. She showed me the letters about her appointment as an Air Hostess and then produced her log book. Time didn't permit a full investigation but I noticed flights in the Marathons as well as DC3s.

Palma via tech stop at Toulouse took nearly 7 hours

I'll be going back to see her soon and will try to glean some more stories from her. The bar box and her head hitting a Dak's ceiling was one!

BTW Bob's office included a number of display cases in which were dozens of high quality "Airfix" kits. OK some were probably other manufacturers but all had been finish what to my eye was a professional standard.
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Old 3rd Mar 2018, 13:01
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Yes Derby Aviation did the maintenance on the Don Everall DC 3s.
Don Everall was a coach company based in Wolverhampton - which is where all the people that started Derby Aviation came from.
Yes Toulouse was a tech stop on the ""Long Haul"" flights.
For the Marathons, Jersey was the main destination from several regional airports.
Derby Aviation did work on several other DC operators including the Mann Brothers who I think came from down south. And also Autair !!
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Old 3rd Mar 2018, 19:38
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B.G. Cramp's book on British Midland mentions the 748 demonstrator paying a visit. Also, that the common "STAR" from the west was to leave the LIC NDB, hope for a cloud break, and follow the A38.

I read that it was quite wet, and positioning Argonauts left large ruts.

My dad started there in late'-64, and impressed the management by reviving most of their dead motor vehicles, thereby assuring him a job at the MT at CDD in '65.
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Old 4th Mar 2018, 08:27
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Another visitor to Burnaston was the DC3 with Dart engines. One of the problems was that the Dart propellor arc was in line with the pilots !!
Yes it was very wet and the runway was only marked by the mowed line. For night flying two lines of gooseneck parafin flares were laid freehand !! They were laid from a WW2 bombtrolley pulled by a Wiley jeep !!!!
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Old 4th Mar 2018, 09:15
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Originally Posted by GotTheTshirt
Another visitor to Burnaston was the DC3 with Dart engines. One of the problems was that the Dart propellor arc was in line with the pilots !!
Yes, better to have in in line with an expendable passenger ...
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Old 4th Mar 2018, 13:14
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Landed at Burnaston on 26th April 1964, in Auster Autocrat G-AJRK on the first leg of my PPL qualifying solo cross country, Sleap/Burnaston/Sywell/Sleap.
Non radio, green lights from the tower in those days, well remember having to negotiate large ruts en route to & from parking. Happy days!
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Old 4th Mar 2018, 13:59
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More on Burnaston here:-

Burnaston - UK Airfield Guide
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Old 15th Aug 2019, 01:38
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Burnaston article

I wrote a detailed two-part history of Burnaston for AIR Enthusiast a number of years ago. Happy to email to anyone interested.
My email: robstittATbrookhouseDOTbcDOTca
Robert
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Old 15th Aug 2019, 04:01
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I looked up CF-NUH on TC’s historical database. Lots of aircraft have had those marks, but nothing in the database before 1985.

The only Miles aircraft that show up are two Hawk Majors.
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Old 15th Aug 2019, 07:28
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Originally Posted by India Four Two
I looked up CF-NUH on TC’s historical database. Lots of aircraft have had those marks, but nothing in the database before 1985.
A good excuse for another photo of it at Wymeswold in 1963, shortly before being broken up:



Miles/HPR Marathon - Airline Use
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