Suggestions welcome

[PAXboy]

Now the last main category of my Grandfather: the Tipsy. Wiki: The Tipsy B



This was taken in the UK, where my Grandfather had the license to sell Tipsy. You can see the link with Faireys - whom my Grandfather knew well - and were based at Hatton Cross.

I do not know who the people in the photo are, probably a purchaser and his son. This is around 1937/38.

[treadigraph]

It isn't but the purchaser reminds me of Graham Hill!

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by PAXboy

You can see the link with Faireys - whom my Grandfather knew well - and were based at Hatton Cross.

The photo was almost certainly taken at Hanworth Air Park, where the final assembly took place.

[PAXboy]

This is my grandfather.
Yes, Hanworth sounds about right from what my father said.

[treadigraph]

'FGF was briefly owned by the Airwork Flying Club at Heston, then Brian Allen Aviation at the London Air Park, Feltham from 3/39 till 12/46. Apparently destroyed by fire at Slough in 1952 - perhaps a bonfire? I know several Tiger Moths met their end on November 5th!

[PAXboy]

What interesting news treadigraph. Perhaps my grandfather [BAA!!}] used it as a demonstrator. Sadly, by 1952, he was long dead and his business interests would have been sold by my father and uncle. More Tipsy pics to come.

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by treadigraph

then Brian Allen Aviation at the London Air Park, Feltham from 3/39 till 12/46

For anyone not familiar with the history, "London Air Park" was the official name (from 1929) of what is commonly referred to as Hanworth Air Park (see my previous post).

Tipsy's flight shed in the photo was on the site of the present Smith House (until recently occupied by RBS) in Elmwood Avenue, though now separated from the Park by Forest Road.

[chevvron]

Originally Posted by DaveReidUK

For anyone not familiar with the history, "London Air Park" was the official name (from 1929) of what is commonly referred to as Hanworth Air Park (see my previous post).

Tipsy's flight shed in the photo was on the site of the present Smith House (until recently occupied by RBS) in Elmwood Avenue, though now separated from the Park by Forest Road.

And Aston Martin started life there, followed by GP Speed Shop (makers of VW Beetle based kit cars) in the same premises.

[PAXboy]

This picture has not survived the years very well but the buildingson the perimeter are clear!

If I recall correctly, Fairey Avaiation were based further North in Faggs Lane, on the Western side of the road?

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by PAXboy

If I recall correctly, Fairey Aviation were based further North in Faggs Lane, on the Western side of the road?

Fairey operated the Great West Aerodrome, which disappeared with the construction of Heathrow. It occupied an area between the then course of the Duke of Northumberland's River and Cain's Lane (you can still see the remaining part of Cain's Lane to the south of the A30).

Fairey's hangar survived, somewhat incongruously with a huge BOAC advertising hoarding on the side of it, until it was demolished in the mid-1960s:

[chevvron]

There was a hangar on the SW corner of Heston airfield in the '60s with 'Fairey Aviation' on the roof; I think in the '70s it housed the BA Social Club.

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by chevvron

There was a hangar on the SW corner of Heston airfield in the '60s with 'Fairey Aviation' on the roof; I think in the '70s it housed the BA Social Club.

I think the three former Fairey hangars were on the western edge of the airfield, on the site of the old Heston Aircraft Company hangar.

They were pulled down some time before the BA social club building (latterly the Concorde Club, nowadays the Concorde Centre) was built at the BOAC Sports Club site in the 1960s.

This photo, from an old PPRuNe thread, looks like the Fairey hangars in the background at the 1951 BOAC Sports Festival:



PPRuNe: BOAC Sports Festival at Heston Airport

Edit: The three Fairey hangars were indeed on the site of the HAC (and later British Airways) hangar, but they were on the western end of the control tower/terminal/hangar complex on the south side of the airfield, rather than the west side, so not really anywhere near the BOAC/BA club.

[chevvron]

My first wife (who worked for BA) took me to the social club in about '76 and I'm sure it was in what looked like a T2.

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by chevvron

My first wife (who worked for BA) took me to the social club in about '76 and I'm sure it was in what looked like a T2.

Small world.

My wife and I (both working for BA at the time) used to be regulars at the Concorde Club on Monday evenings in 1977-78, gathering Dutch courage before our ballroom dancing class at the Community College across the road (we were rubbish).

As far as I remember, it looked then pretty much as it still does:

[PAXboy]

I only have a scan of the front cover, nothing more.

Thanks Folks! I recall one occaision with my father when we went for a drink in The Green Man, at the top of Faggs Lane, he pointed towards a building that was for many years LH Sky Chefs, and saying that it was built partly on the land of Fairey and their aerodrome.

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by PAXboy

Thanks Folks! I recall one occaision with my father when we went for a drink in The Green Man, at the top of Faggs Lane, he pointed towards a building that was for many years LH Sky Chefs, and saying that it was built partly on the land of Fairey and their aerodrome.

I'd suggest he was a tad mistaken - IIRC the Sky Chefs building was in the middle of the Faggs Road one-way system, where the Atrium Hotel is now.

Fairey's aerodrome was about a mile west of the Green Man and disappeared entirely in 1946 under the southern runway and what was to become the T4 apron.

[PAXboy]

The only other page from Tipsy Topics of 1939.

Yes, DRUK. In recent years, when looking at maps and modern maps (from the usual sources!) - that is what I have thought. He worked at Fairey avaiation before turning 18 and signing up for the RAF. He worked on Fairey Battles.

[WHBM]

My grandfather made a delivery trip to Vienna (type unknown) and sent this postcard to his parents in Oxted, Surry, dated 21st November 1938 in Wien.

"Had a great trip out to Vienna. New owner delighted with his new toy. Leave here Tuesday for Prague, hope to be home Wednesday. Love to you both, Brian."
He did not travel on the Hindenberg but, evidently, flew home from Prague to Croydon - any suggestions with which carrier and in what??

Possibly by CLS who had twice daily flights Budapest-Vienna-Prague-Rotterdam-Croydon in 1938, arriving Croydon 1650 and 2130, returning next day. Flight numbers 910 and 1460. Air services were surprisingly well developed in middle and eastern Europe by 1938/9, mainly due to poor railway services and government support. This trip was just 4 months before the invasion of Czechoslovakia, and service was terminated.Here's the timetable, in a common format for Lufthansa and other operators in the area at the time. You soon get the hang of it.

http://www.timetableimages.com/ttima...8/cls38-05.jpg

CLS had 4 DC2 and 2 DC3 at this time. The London route appears to have been a principal one for them so may well have got the DC3s. More than two aircraft were required for the double daily service right through to Budapest, but an aircraft change at Prague would have been quite likely. I've seen photos of both types at Croydon. Having said that, there's a photo below here of a Fokker F.18 taken at Croydon just two weeks after your father's trip. Wonder what the source of all the traffic between London and Prague was - the Czech carrier didn't get back to double daily flights to London until the mid-1990s. The notes in the page below about deliveries from Douglas are a bit askew; the first CLS pair of DC2 came in February/March 1936, in fact the first one was written off at Rotterdam after just 8 weeks service. The four were registered OK-AIA through AID, then a fifth was delivered as OK-AIA again, replacing the lost aircraft, which seems to be the date they have mistakenly quoted.

http://www.airportofcroydon.com/CLS.html

[chevvron]

Originally Posted by DaveReidUK

I'd suggest he was a tad mistaken - IIRC the Sky Chefs building was in the middle of the Faggs Road one-way system, where the Atrium Hotel is now.

Fairey's aerodrome was about a mile west of the Green Man and disappeared entirely in 1946 under the southern runway and what was to become the T4 apron.

From a discussion on another website, the airfield you have marked is the original Heathrow airfield; Faireys Great West was to the north west of this, abutting the A4 Great West Road near the 'Peggy Bedford'.

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by chevvron

From a discussion on another website, the airfield you have marked is the original Heathrow airfield; Faireys Great West was to the north west of this, abutting the A4 Great West Road near the 'Peggy Bedford'.

I beg to differ, but I'd be interested to know your source.

The building circled in yellow is the infamous Fairey hangar.