Bognor Regis (Lec Refrigeration) Airfield

[Fuji Abound]

I overfly the runway quite often. It still looks in remarkably good condition; I have been tempted to have a close look but never got around to it. I often have reason to be really close to the strip and been temped to see if a landing is possible, but also never got around to that either. I dont recall there being any painted "X's".

Of course the railway line seems to separate the strip from the industrial estate. I have always assumed there must be a crossing to the old Lec building.

If anyone happens to have any contact details and it is appropriate I would certainly be very happy to land there assuming the strip is still serviceable of course.

[Poltergeist]

Fuji, I walk my dog on the strip. The rwy needs a good sweep to clear the debris but the underlying surface is good. The start of the infrastructure work for the relief road has started to the north but the strip is still complete. fences run close to the rwy edges in parts with trespass notices. The lighting fittings and the unusual marker discs that were on them have now long gone although broken casings can still be found. The windsock pole to the north is still there with the ring but the cloth perished years ago. Access across the rail is by two private crossings and it seems that the vehicle one is no longer available. They tried to get enterprise zone status but were turned down. The retention of the airfield was not part of the plan. Makes you wonder if they had, whether the result would have been different considering the success of Lee on Solent.
interestingly, this is not the site of RAF Bognor, a RLG, which was to the South West.
Sime Darby as mentioned above, control the land now and there details are available on the net

[Speedbird48]

I am probably showing my age, but LEC started with a Dark Blue Avro Anson 19. I came across them when a lady pilot on the way home from a sales demostration tour of Africa hit a marker on the ramp in Gibraltar and punched a hole in the "wooden" tailplane. The earlier Anson 19's did have wood wings and tail. The RAF ones were metal.
I helped a National Service cabinet maker repair it overnight. We also rebuilt the tailwheel so that it would caster and did an engine inspection. At the time there was an Anson on the Station Flight so we had the parts and no how other than the wood which fortunatly the National Service guy gave us.
Many years later I landed at Bognor to attend a fly-in picnic which I believe was given by the Purley's?? The runway was grass and had a curve in it, I believe.

Speedbird 48.

[chevvron]

I had a copy of the excellent MAS publication years ago which showed the Bognor ALG not RLG (Advanced Landing Ground not Relief Landing Ground) just north of Pagham. I think there was another ALG just west of Pagham.

[gordon field]

I flew into Bognor to see LEC on the 28 June 1966 in G-ATLT a Cessna U206A Super Skywagon it certainly was grass, had a curved and none too smooth surface. I think that they had an Aero Commander twin and were interested in buying a single. I thought that they bought a Helio Courier but will check. A very pleasant pilot.

LEC owned and operated the following aircraft from Bognor.
Aero Commander G-ASNJ. 10/66 - 8/68.
Cessna 401 G-AWDM 5/68 - 3/72
Islander G-BLEC 10/83 - 3/93

Perhaps others can complete the list.

[gijoe]

I hope you will be pleased to know that G-ATLT is still going strong with a big hole in side for people to hurl themselves out of in Jersey.

I have flown it loads - and it is a credit to Cessna that it is still going well.

G

[dash6]

Late 60s LEC aircraft sometimes came to Tangmere,was it Aerocommander or similar? Definitely not Dove.

[dash6]

Ah! Question answered above.

[Arclite01]

Strangely I just found a clip on You Tube showing 'Go With Noakes' where he races at Oulton Park with David Purley.

You get a clip of them taking off from Bognor - in an Aztec and you see the strip (still grass then) and hangar quite well....

Arc

[Vans Pilot]

David Purley

David sadly died in a Pitts S1s whilst practising off the coast at Bognor on the 2nd July 1985. That's 30 years ago in a couple of weeks time. Would be great to get permission to land there and do an aerobatic sortie at the same location. I did hear a rumour that the site was owned by a foreign investment firm?? Does anyone have the contact details or information of the current owners of the site? With their permission and maybe a sweep it could be done?

[rightbank]

David sadly died in a Pitts S1s whilst practising off the coast at Bognor

This after he survived a massive motor racing accident during practice at the 1977 British Grand Prix surviving a 180g deceleration, then a world record.

Prior to that he was awarded the George Medal for trying to rescue fellow grand prix driver Roger Williamson from a burning car.

[TheOddOne]

I can add Reims Rocket G-AWCN to the list. LEC owned it (I guess from new) from 1968 to 1993, when it moved to Cubair at Redhill. It was there that I did my wobbly prop conversion on it with an excellent lady instructor and from which I gained an enduring respect for the Reims Rocket. I was even interested in buying it until I found that the engine only had a few hours left on it and a new engine and prop were beyond my means.

TOO

[xraydice]

David was a good family friend, my father was management at LEC and I used to go along to some of the practice races and occasionally get taken on a jolly from the strip , David was a real action man always on the go , I still have a flight case ( made in the factory ) of his complete with LEC racing logos he gave to me when I joined up. He even came to my passing out parade, back to topic ,Dad rang mother up one morning to tell her they had has a crash and had to use the golf course...

[surely not]

Does anyone remember the registration of the MS Paris that LEC used to operate?

I saw it at Gatwick on several occasions but cannot remember which reg it was on.

[treadigraph]

Wasn't G-APRU Surely Not, that was Cranfield's - I do recall a US registered Paris popping up one or twice at airshows, N999PJ?

[surely not]

A little searching via Goooogle reveals that it was F-BNRG and this does ring a bell. This was based in England according to its records, so that fits as well.

I was reasonably confident it was a French registered machine, and it is nice that the memory is still working.

[Mechta]

A few bits of info my Dad, who was born and grew up in Chichester, mentioned about LEC and their runway:

• The original grass runway was marked out with the doors of LEC refrigerators
• If one of the European salesforce got a positive lead from a customer (presumably a wholesaler), a refrigerator for demonstration would be loaded in their aircraft and flown to the customer the next day. This was often a deal clincher.
• A letter from the company to Flight magazine can be seen here: 1956 | 0783 | Flight Archive

[lotus1]

A very polite and always down to the earth person David Purley was a sad way how he was lost a true gentleman

[chevvron]

I spoke to him several times when he called Farnborough Radar.
If I remember rightly, details of the airfield were in Pooleys Guide with the warning (prior to the hard runway) that the airfield was prone to waterlogging.

[Sir George Cayley]

Say good bye to the LEC runway

http://www.simedarby.co.uk/files/Ent...hure_FINAL.PDF

Bognor-bugger.

SGC