BEAGLE HUSKY - XW635 - Ex-5 AEF -Where is she now
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Horsham, England, UK. ---o--O--o---
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Damn it, I was in the ATC in the 70's, never got near that Beagle. It sure looks like a nice aeroplane! It seems I missed out twice as I never got near the AEF airline flights either.
I did manage to get a little gliding in at Kenley in Kirby cadet mk IIIs and Sedbergs. Plus a couple of Chipmunk flights at RAF Abingdon and RAF Benson. Oh well..
I did manage to get a little gliding in at Kenley in Kirby cadet mk IIIs and Sedbergs. Plus a couple of Chipmunk flights at RAF Abingdon and RAF Benson. Oh well..
The Beagle Husky is quite a good aeroplane - it's a effectively a Lycoming powered Auster. The 180HP gives it a good take off performance, but then it was power against drag and not worth thinking about cruising above 90knts. And the split flaps make it a real dragmaster and good for short strip landings.
I've also flown the Aviat Husky (which is a bit like a Cub on steroids) and the two are very similar. The yank machine has a 180hp Lycoming as well, but with a CS prop. It's got truly enormous flaps and even better short field performance than the Beagle Husky. But the British aircraft is nicer to handle.
Both would make an excellent glider tugs!
Back to the start of the thread. I was told that 5 AEF got the Husky after (Sir) Billy Butlin either won it in a raffle, or bought it at a charity auction. Hughie Green then persuaded him to donate it to the ATC. When she was in her original blue scheme, she had 'Spirit of Butlins' in script each side of the nose.
Join Date: Sep 2019
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Where is Husky XW635
Can anyone help with the current, precise location of XW635. I flew in her as a staff cadet at 5AEF in the very early 70s. I'm currently making a short documentary about the staff cadets of that time and would dearly love to get some shots of her airworthy or otherwise.
Join Date: May 2008
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I believe it is now wearing G-AWSW and is active and based at Spanhoe.
First powered aircraft I ever flew in (no speedboats for it being at Cambridge). i was at the place i actually first flew in a glider, day before yesterday, so a bit of a coincidence this popping up.
Ah yes, and the apres flying' at the Ancient Shepherds in Fen Ditton. The tail wheel on the Husky was tensioned' by a rubber bungee which frequently "pinged". Replacement thereof improved Marshalls profits.
AD, ex 5 AEF'
AD, ex 5 AEF'
.Did some chippie rides at Cambridge but preferred to go to Newton - a much nicer airfield to fly from
What a great thread. Never had any of these experiences being a working class Glasgow lad who some how ended up as a Nimrod Nav/Capt before moving on to the RNZAF and in my 18th year here. But hearing these stories, I wonder if these will ever be repeated with modern generations or have we become too involved with the cost and not the value.
My only contact with the Husky was in '71 when I was doing flying training at Marshalls of Cambridge; never got to fly in it although I flew in AEF Chipmunks and a solitary Piston Provost (my second ever flight after the Argosy) which rather spoilt me for Chipmunks.
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Ah yes! THE RAF Husky. I flew her quite a lot from 1976-80 whilst recruiting from an office in Bedford. The 5 AEF flying club kept me sane (and I could take my staff flying). The way I heard the history was that it was one of the last of its iline and did not have much of a market. So it finished up brand-new in the ballroom of the Cafe Royal in London at a charity auction. Hughie Green was (one of?) the winners, but had no use for it. So in a fanfare of publicity he gave it to the ATC. The RAF now had a totally non-military aircraft that was not Boscombe approved, so did not much want it either! However after all the press reports they could not just reject it. After a bit of lateral thinking they gave it to Marshalls to look after and produce as required for 5 AEF. They did this very well (complete with Chipmunk wheels). On the AEF we aimed to give each cadet a Chipmunk ride. However when things got a bit busy we fired up the Husky and cleared the list three cadets at a time. As a sop to normality we used a typewritten checklist, rubber stamped by Handling Squadron (who had never seen the aircraft).. Happy days. Comments/corrections welcome (it was a while ago). Mike T.
Ah yes! THE RAF Husky. I flew her quite a lot from 1976-80 whilst recruiting from an office in Bedford. The 5 AEF flying club kept me sane (and I could take my staff flying). The way I heard the history was that it was one of the last of its iline and did not have much of a market. So it finished up brand-new in the ballroom of the Cafe Royal in London at a charity auction. Hughie Green was (one of?) the winners, but had no use for it. So in a fanfare of publicity he gave it to the ATC.
I saw it operate from Marshalls while I was doing a 6 week PPL course there in 1971 although of course I was mon-fri and the AEF normally operated weekends but when I took cadets to Marshalls for AEF in 1987 one day during ATC summer camp at Wittering, I don't recall it flying on that occasion so maybe it had been 'retired'.
Last edited by chevvron; 25th Feb 2023 at 01:14.
There was a BIG p*ss up at Cranwell for the 25th anniversary of the AEF's 1977. My Dad was in attendance, having been a founder member of No 1 AEF at Biggin Hill in 1952. A Poster and other handouts were produced for the event and handed out to the attendees. I have my Dad's somewhere, but I know not where, but I do remember that said Beagle Husky was included in the list of aircraft with 5 AEF and that Hughie Green was mentioned as the benefactor.
Time to search the loft
Time to search the loft
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