Blackbushe Memories (Merged)
 

I worked in ATC at Blackbushe in the mid-60s for a while before being very, very unceremoniously sacked by Bennett! At that time the Blackbushe Aero Club had an Auster and the CFI (and only member of staff I recall) was one Captain Farley. I believe he was ex-BOAC? Someone told me recently they still saw him occasionally in Camberley although I know nothing else of his whereabout but the Camberley phone book might be the place to start..

HD - I think you may be referring to Capt John Varley who was working out of 3-Counties Aero Club teaching and examining instructors up until the early 80's when he announced he would not be renewing his medical.
His car was in dock one day in about 1977, and he asked me for a lift home to Frimley; every time I took a turning he suggested, he said 'oh are you going this way? We could have gone (another way) if I'd known'

Chev.... of course you are right. When I typed my response above I actually typed the right name but I have so little confidence in my memory nowadays that I thought I'd got confused with the Great John Farley so I changed it. In fact whilst I was awake during the small hours I wondered if the Blackbushe guy was "Farleigh". Just don't get old, mate!!

It was almost fun at Blackers in those days and would have been ten thousand million times better if it hadn't been for a certain gent.... Dear God...

I wonder if Hamish Hamilton, Derek Johnson, Ben...?? and Vic Hargreaves are still about?

Derek Johnson sold his share in 3 - Counties and opened a gliding school in Sebring Florida, which was OK until he hit the hurricane season! Vic was still with 3 - Counties (which became European Flyers) up 'til about 10 years ago; last I heard was when I spoke to him just after he'd had a 'mid air' (no fatalities)
I'm nearly as old as you anyway - you still shooting? I had to give up; high blood pressure meant the target wouldn't hold still!

Ah yes.......Captain Varley with the base ball cap and the white leather gloves:eek:

The infamous Doug Arnold had a penchant for cracking people over the head he didn't like you, or to punching them in the face. A good friend of aviation but a lousy friend if he didn't like you.

One of the 3CFC instructors got a belting from him one day many years ago. Use to remember his name but its gone now. It was a wild incident that bought the police in. Quite right too.

PPP

That was Derek Johnson - you reminded me. It was the '77 Blackbushe Air Festival; I said the clubs could do local flying but not circuits (due to the number of visiting arrivals and the flying display); Derek taxied out with a student, then we noticed a certain yellow Rolls Royce skewed across the taxiway in front of him. Derek came back on RTF a few minutes later and said 'Mr Arnold says he will personally assault anyone trying to take off for training'. as apparently he already had! The story goes that Derek went over to the Roller to find out what the problem was, put his face to the drivers window and the said Douggie gave him one in the face! NB: This is hearsay; I got it from the club receptionist, but a certain person at Bristol may be able to confirm.

I think Frank Horridge (?), who was the chief engineer or similar with Dan Air Engineering at Lasham, was involved with what was to become Three Counties Flying Club. The story was that while in France he picked up a handful of ex-French Air Force SuperCubs that had been used in Algeria very cheaply, air-freighted them home courtesy of Dan Air and got them on the British register. These became the mainstay of the flying club/school and got Frank onto the Board of Management.
I DO know that when I worked for a while at Three Counties maintenance base (a rather grotty, unheated ,corrugated iron, black, hangar but nice people and lots of fun!!!) I had to do a fabric repair on the one remaining SuperCub and while cleaning the good fabric, the old French camouflage appeared under my rag.
The boss there was a great chap called Ned Rutter. Anyone know what became of him ?

I remember Ned's Shed at Lasham ; ferried aircraft there many times ( once with a nose oleo that had no pressure!). Frank was in partnership with Derek at 3CAC; I think it was Frank who bought Derek's share, then sold out to Tony Holden who renamed it European Flyers.

Vic Hargreaves.....it's thanks to him (and his superb instruction/confidence building) that I have a PPL :)

I remember the incident that Chevvron refers to well....was a midair in a 152 with a glider over Farnborough. Remember Vic recounting it oh so calmly to me the following weekend. Having had a look at the aircraft, he was very lucky.

Didn't Blackbushe Aero Club operate a Condor?

Virgo
My Dad used to take me flying in the Super Cubs from that batch that were retained at Lasham as tugs. I remember when they arrived at Lasham in about 1970 , drab olive , they were then all painted bright yellow.
http://www.caa.co.uk/application.asp...cub&dereg=true
Tragically one of them G-AYPN was lost in bad weather near Butser hill killing the pilot and passenger who was (Ex Goon) Michael Bentine's son. I recall the wreck wasn't found until autumn by the NATO standard unfortunate dog walker and the incident received national newspaper coverage.
W

<<would have been ten thousand million times better if it hadn't been for a certain gent.... Dear God...>>

When I wrote that I didn't mean Mr Arnold, but the guy before him. Better not get into that or I'll be in lumber.

Chev.. no, we haven't shot for many years after Ruth started arthritis in her neck. We really miss it. I now have blood pressure and other problems but it's not effecting me outwardly. Wish I still had my 7.62 Musgrave...

You must PM me and tell me who you are - I know the real ID of hardly anyone on these forums.

What about the Blackbushe ground staff? Reg Gregory is no longer with us, I believe. But Mike Sheehy, Stuart Marshall.. Mrs Judd and her lovely daughter? Pat and Mac of the flying club in the caravan....

A few ATCOs used to fly there too - Bill Dacombe Bird and John Ditmus, who I believe later flew Mystere 20s and whome Ii met in Tripoli..

Bren McCartney

....not a regular at the 'Bushe these days, but as far as I know Stuart Marshall is still the Airport Manager.

Reg is of course a part of Blackbushe folklore.

To get back to the original question: there were three clubs at LK in the early'70s:
Three Counties
Aeromart
Blackbushe Aero Club.

BAC as far as I remember had two Condors and a Wassmer Baladou. CFI was a very tall guy Andy something (just can't remember his surname - been racking my brain for days)
Andy had a falling out with Doug Arnold, hence his club premises were down the far (west) end of the airfield from the other two, south of the runway where they now park the fuel trucks.
I believe both Aeromart and BAC threw in the towel when local authority regs required airfields to be classed as light industrial premises rather than recreational facilities; the two clubs were unable to afford the increase in rates which Doug had no choice but to pass on.

Wycombe, yes they did have a Condor - a couple I think ?

I remember one coming to Lasham from Blackbush with " longitudinal instability" problems. It was practically unflyable and the only person prepared to bring it over was the Chief Instructor (name escpes me).

We did all the obvious checks......elevator control run.......trim system.....elevator and trim tab hinges..........then we did it all again to be sure, then we for lack of any better ideas we decided to do a rigging check.
As Ned climbed iinto the cockpit I saw the wing move !

Further investigation revealed that the rear spar attachment bolts to the plywood fuselage former had elongated the holes by about half an inch, giving about 4 inches movement at the wing trailing edge - the first variable incidence wing ! No wonder it was a handful to fly...........but when you're learning you accept this as normal aircraft behaviour and blame yourself for your inadequacies !

Having helped create and accomplish a caa approved repair scheme I was invited - nay SUMMONSED - to accompany the CFI on its test flight.
Although I was totally confident of our repair, I've never been so frightened in my life ........and I've had a few scary moments !

But he declared himself satisfied and away it went.......maybe still flying somewhere ?

Aeromart.... wasn't that the outfit run by Pat & Mac from the caravan?

Anyone know what happened to Dennis Cooper and Lin Elgeti?

Anyone recall what happened to the cluster of RN Dragonflys that were rotting near the western end of Blackbushe circa '67, '68? I had a ball climbing all over them as a lad and would be interested to know how they got there and where they went. My hunch is they might have been flown in there and then trucked to Staravia at Lasham to be broken up.
W

I got my PPL in ‘71 at Blackbush with an outfit called ICL Flying Services.

It was run by a guy called Tim Merritt and operated out of an office in the main terminal building.
A PA-22 was £4:10 shillings an hour and a PA-28 was £7 quid.
The instructors were Hamish Milne, Mike Richardson, Mike Stapp, Graham Smith. Dave Parry. Paul Gliddon. I often wonder what happened to them all.

Great days.


Clint.

Dragonflies
 

Wunper.
I was there 3/7/65. these had recently arrived from CU and Fleetlands:
VX597, HR.1
WG670 HR.5
WN499 HR.3, now a plaything at Caernarfon Museum
WP493 HR.5, to GIA Kings C School, Wimbledon, now "G-AJOV" at RAFM Cosford
WP497 HR.5
WP500 HR.5
Later: WG724 HR.5, now NEAM, Usworth
WG751 HR.3, now Chatham Hist. Dockyard Trust