Portsmouth Aeroclub
 

Does any one have any idea of the registrations of the Austers (J1N?)used by Portsmouth Aeroclub in 1963 as I have lost the logbook for that period and would like to find out if any are still around

I flew G-AIGF and G-APKD in 1967 there. Damn things nearly killed me. Took 3 circuits to get down alive. I am so done with tailwheels!

Portsmouth Austers
 

According to "British Airports" by J W R Taylor, published by Ian Allan in - I think - 1964, the following Austers were listed as being resident. Don't know how many were operated by Portsmouth Aero Club, but possibly you may recognise them ?

G-AIGF, Auster J/1N
G-AJIS, Auster J/1N
G-APKD, Auster J/1N
G-ARUG, Auster J/5G Autocar

Richard.

I have: G-AJIS Alpha. Alive and well
G-APAR Alpha: crashed 16/4/63
G-APKD Alpha: to VH-KSP, EI-AVW and withdrawn from use 10/74

Anyone know the details of the two aircraft that ran into each other at Portsmouth or any other incidents

(wrecker)
Auster J/1N G-AJUW might just come into the frame as it was with Portsmouth Aero Club between September 1960 and March 1963. It also appears that some aeroplanes used by Portsmouth Aero Club were not officially registered to them but on loan/hire from other organisations.

(Pull what)
As far as collisions are concerned I have records of two incidents involving Austers at Portsmouth. Are you seeking information on a specific accident?

Many thanks to all respondents
Your information has helped fill a few gaps in my memory

Ed Thanks

Just wanted a brief description of the accident(s) Was there not an Avro 748 involved in one accident?

I have no record of a collision with anything as large as a HS748 but would be interested to learn more!

Channel Express had 2 748s crash in one day at Portsmouth, and I believe also a Viscount in Switzerland. One of the 748s went through the fence and skidded onto the rush hour Eastern Road, a busy dual carriageway, without hurting anybody. I drove around it. It was 1967. Nobody was seriously hurt in any of the accidents. Portsmouth was a small grass airlfield with a tight east-west landing distance, and when the grass was wet, it was difficult even in a Cherokee. The airfield is a housing estate/Mercedes BMW Audi/Kia Chrysler trading base now!

It wasn't Channel Express but Channel Airways of Southend fame.

The Viscount in switz - are you thinking of the Invicta Vanguard at Basle - The only Channel Airways Viscount crash that comes to mind was a training flight at Southend

Rainboe's memory is fine (apart from the operator !). There was a 'minor' incident with a Viscount at Basle the same day. It was back in service a few weeks later.

Rainboe thanks, what happened to the other 748 on the same day?

The memory is straining through 42 years here! I think both 748s at Portsmouth were gear collapses on wet grass. I think it led to the ultimate doom of Channel Airways (apologies to C Express). Some of the aviation accident websites will have more detail.

Rainboe is correct!
It was gear collapse on wet grass! I happened to be there on that day. I am not sure of the runway directions but the first landed in a north easterly direction and had a gear collapse, stopping just short of the fence. A few hours later another came in and landed in a easterly direction, and the same thing happened, but this time the aircraft went through the boundary fence, finishing up on the Eastern Road, a dual carrigeway running down the eastern side of the airfield. I rememeber a local police inspector tried to get a bulldozer from the sand and gravel company nearby to tow that 748 back onto the airfield, by putting a chain through the rear door openings and pull it back to the runway to clear the road. I remember an argument ensued as to the wisdom of that, and I believe he was persuaded otherwise, but at that point I had to leave, so I am not sure of that particular outcome. Rumour has it that they did try to pull it back, but the chain started to slice through the structure, so the idea was abandoned!

Sounds like heavy landings???

More information can be found in this thread:

http://www.pprune.org/aviation-histo...ortsmouth.html

Seems Rainboe and I have something in common - we both remember the incidents and saw the aftermath. I am, though, younger than he is! :}

I was in Portsmouth recently - it's sad to see the old airfield built upon.

You absolutely sure about the age thing? I drove around the 748 sticking wheel-less out into the road on my scooter! There's a clue for you. It was interesting that the Eastern road ran up the eastern edge of the airfield. The street lights on that side of the road were specially truncated short ones. When the airfield was wet, it was important to come in as low as possible over the road and miss the streetlights, even in a PA28. There were several occasions I had my eyes closed as I waited for a 5 Watt Sodium to come up through the floor violently! The thought of the firebrigade rescuing Cadet Rainboe from being impaled on one of Southern Electricity's finest is not pleasant to me. Nobody used to notice the streetlights- I always took pleasure in asking people why they were like that.

Yes, Rainboe, I'm sure (unless, that is, you were riding your scooter illegally! :}).

I hadn't even started secondary school in 1967!

[Who knows, we might even have attended the same school (now there's a thought)!!]

The AAIB report on the two 748's is at Air Accidents Investigation: 1/1971 G-ATEK and G-ATEH

The loos of the undercarriages was an effect of the accidents rather than the cause.

Just to put the record straight, this incident didn't lead to the doom of Channel Airways, although it did, I believe, result in the abandonment of all services to Portsmouth. Channel continued for another 5 years and their eventual failure was caused, like most 'disasters', by a sequence of events.

Portsmouth Austers
 

From my logbook in the 60's
J1-N's:
G-APKD
G-AJIS
G-APAR
G-AJUW
G-AIGF

J5-G
G-ARUG

Andy

G-AJIS appeared at Blackbushe Aero Club in the late 60's.Bought by AVM Bennett for the Club.
Did my PPL on it in '68.
Bugger to taxy on tarmac in a crosswind!

Portsmouth Airfield
 

Rainboe et al,

I hope this is of interest, certainly confirms all the above comments re. this airfield.

I knew the ( now sadly gone ) daughter of Robin Milne, a wartime Test Pilot for Airspeed at Portsmouth.

One day he and Ron Clear had to collect a couple of Mosquitos and take them there, for some reason.

As Robin's merlins started to overheat, he abbreviated his checks and set off.

On takeoff the overhead escape hatch blew off, unsecured. He thought he'd better do some handling checks; nothing untoward, but he noticed right at the stall the suction tugged at his helmet strap.

On arrival at Portsmouth he had to go around a couple of times, eventually bringing it in right on the edge of stall using the helmet tugging as a guide.

Ron Clear had a hard time getting in, managed after quite a few tries, ending up much further along.

When Ron asked Robin ( ' Bob ' ) " how the hell did you do that ?! " the reply was " Oh, just sorts the men from the boys "...he kept quiet about the real reason for some time.

I have photo's somewhere of one of the Mosquito's there, Robin's late daughter Jenny gave me a lot of her Dad's stuff, as she always felt he never got the recognition he deserved ( the above is a fraction of a career ranging from Camel to Comet ( jet ), production testing over 2,000 Oxfords, and climbing the Eiger when he had a moment spare !

The Tartan Terror was extremely kind, and when I explained Jenny was ill he rushed a mention of Robin onto his Test Pilot tribute site; she was able to see it before she passed away.

My Grandad and my mum both worked at Airspeed and were both there that day...Mum recalls the first one just missing the roof of the factory at Airpseed...It took them 4 hours to get from there to Portchester that night..

I wish Bob Milne's daughter Jenny was here to see your reply...

There's no doubt it was a hairy airfield to operate from, but it did more than it''s' usual bit;

Bob noticed a clear pathway at 500' below the barrage balloons straight to Portsmouth docks, reported it and took up the local council person responsible to show; it was immediately closed, but Bob always wondered if that clear path had been down to ' 5th columnists '.

He also kept a count of the Luftwaffe bomb craters every day he flew - Langstone, just East of Portsmouth, had quite a lot of sophisicated decoys - which worked well.

I now sail from Langstone Sailing Club ( on the Eastern Chichester side ) where we dig our own moorings - one day a new chap, very fond of his hard hat & elf'n'safety', turned up with a ' risk assesment ' form.

I asked him about standing & digging moorings on tons of unexploded Luftwaffe ordnance, and he hasn't bothered me since.

G-ARUG
 

I had a joy ride in G-ARUG from Portsmouth in 1962 or 3. Many years later I owned J/5L G-ANWX and re-built Terrier G-ASDK.

Latecomer
 

Hi all. Just found this thread. I was lucky enough to get my PPL at Portsmouth in August 1963 courtesy of an RAF Flying Scholarship.
My log book shows the following Auster J1N Alphas that I flew then:
G-APKD
G-AIGF
G-AJIS
and
G-ARUG (which I have down as a J5G Autocar)
The instructors names were Mason, Audas and McCarthy.
It was a fantastic month. There were two accidents.
The first was when an engine on one of the Austers stopped after landing. The student pilot got out and swung the prop, relying on the brakes to hold. They didn't of course, and despite valiant efforts to dive aboard, and then just to grab the tailplane, the aircraft careered off in ever widening circles until it was stopped by becoming entangled in the perimeter fence.
he second was another student managed to fly into a tree on a cross-country exercise. We were told he and the aircraft actually ended up in the tree! He got away with a broken arm.
I also saw the passenger door swing open as a Channel Airways Dakota was taking off one day. The take-off was continued nad if my memory is correct,, he never returned, so presumably continued his flight to the destination!
Sorry to be so late to this thread. Only eight years...