Tiger Club
 

From their web-site ( The Tiger Club ) it would seem the Tiger Club has moved, just down the road, to Pent Farm. :ok:

On here (and the "other side"), over the past couple of years, I have seen a number of posters ask what is going on ... this Tiger Club - Press Release provides some history, from the Tiger Club side.

An interesting read - though sad, given the state of private flying at the moment, that this sort of thing is going on. :sad:

WW

Even sadder when set against the problems they experienced with the airfield management at Redhill in the 1970s/80s.

As I heard it (but this could be nonsense), part of the problem is that they do not have radios. Operating non-radio aircraft in that area is probably going to cause difficulties.

I had some lessons in the cub recently, and there was a radio in it. The other aircraft, I don't know.

After reading the press release, it sounds like there were much bigger issues than radios.

Mandatory radio was one of the problems they faced at Redhill in the 1970s/80s at a time when a lot of older or permit aircraft were non radio and seemed to be happily accepted by other airfields; eventually they were forced to comply and fit radios or carry hand helds. Seems a bit unlikely that they returned to non-radio when they moved to Headcorn?

You are correct, it is nonsense..

I deduced from their on line announcements that they appear to have been evicted from Headcorn.
I hope I am wrong and that its not a case of history repeating itself.
Wishing the club all the best.
Tony

Flying now at Pent Farm, Postling, Hythe.

Tiger Club (The future)
 

The Tiger Club was always going to be difficult to keep going (as we knew it) and really needed its own airfield to maintain the way it operated.
I for one was against spending money on a fight at Redhill and thought it was better spent being put towards its own home even if that moved it further west or north.
Headcorn was never going to be a permanent solution for many reasons including the fact that Headcorn was fighting its own survival battles itself at the time.
The main TC issues were based on the membership being s-east conditioned rather than looking ahead to when our own airfield and being our own masters would be a better long term position.
It was always going to be difficult leaving Redhill, but a clean break and fresh start on our own would have worked, with the membership adjusting accordingly and new members filling the gap.
The other issue was loosing the Rollason back up that was the backbone of the engineering side of things;but even that could have relocated if we had gone to the right place.
All in all it had a great run and its legacy will always be there, to say it was aviation heaven is an understatement. PP

I agree. Very happy memories.
I had and still have enormous respect for those who ran such a wonderful club but the decision to fight Bristow was, unfortunately, an example of hearts ruling heads. To say the chance of winning the case was slim is an understatement.

I'd dropped out before the move (1990?), mainly because I was involved with warbirds at Duxford by then, but I'm pleased they had happy years at Headcorn before the difficulties in recent years and wish them every success at their new home.

You'll probably recognise the names of some of the stalwarts in this image from the programme for the 1986 airshow - one of the last, perhaps the last, the Club held there.

We (Ray Hanna/OFMC) took the Spitfire, Mustang, Kittyhawk (flying) and the Harvard (static).

http://www.tigerclub.co.uk/images/redhill6.jpg

I remember several Tiger Club shows at Redhill particularly O'Brien's commentaries and crazy flying! The last one was 1987, a great show but poignant with two of the performing aircraft with three lives lost the following weekend in separate accidents elsewhere.

I seem to recall one year (1985?) the weather was pretty horrid and Ray Hanna's "flat act" in the Spitfire stayed well within the airfield boundary and below the scud.

The first time I had a look round the TC hangar in early January 1978 I was astounded - Tigers, Stampes, Turbs, Condors, Cosmic Winds (and not the well known Ballerina!), Cassutts, Betas, Jodels, Cub, RF-4, Bill Wilkes' newly finished Sturgeonair Mustang, Currie Wot... all stuffed within, and the next time I was there the Mew Gull had been squeezed in too. Not a nose wheel or piece of tin (yes, yes, the Cosmics and maybe the Mustang were metal) in sight.

AAAhhh... Sportair!
Tinless and taildragging

Another great hangar (if you overlooked Micro Consultant's various exec-ships shoehorned into the blister)!

I'd forgotten that TC did also have a Wassmer Europa or Pacific - plastic AND a nose wheel, but I don't recall seeing it at Redhill.

Tiger Club
 

Yes, all remembered -- also the TSR3 ! and Arrow Active in the back of the hangar.


Those were the best days of my flying life. Carefree flying with total enthusiasts who were the top of the Aerobatic and racing world. Never since have I done so many hours in one year - 1981 - 85 hours, nowadays average 30 ! Mind you my Fournier RF4 G-AWBJ was very economical at 2.5GPH.
We had a proper pilots club house and were 'forced' to eat Margaret's Chilli for Sunday lunch. Club members took it in turns to be duty pilot and duty check pilot and to make the afternoon tea. A proper club atmosphere, unlike where I fly now where we do not even have a club house for private owners.

I'll second that. :ok:

Probably the scruffiest and certainly the best atmosphere.

Tiger Club and the PFA
 

It should also be remembered that the TC at Redhill was a great supporter of homebuilts and the PFA. Most weeks would find yet another machine in the hangar being assembled after having been constructed in someones garage or shed.The local PFA strut were allowed to use the tiny clubroom after ascending the steep stairs and were 'monitered' by the Mono Lisa who reminded everyone to pay for their food/tea.
A massive amount of non radio activity (which usually included aerobatics and display practices) took place at the same time Bristows trained helicopter pilots yet it all worked fine,and at w-ends we were pretty much left alone; in fact we ran the airfield for visiting aircraft. Looking back i doubt if heaven could beat that.
Of course we have to thank Norman and later Michael Jones for providing this unique haven in peaceful Surrey.

That's how we saw it. ;)
Bristow didn't share our view.

BTW, I agree 'clubroom' is more accurate.
JB's 'clubhouse' was a rather generous description. :)

Agree entirely re Norman and Michael Jones.

Glad to see the TSR3 still exists, recall it had Union Jacks painted on the top surfaces of the wings! The Active appears at Duxford from time to time.

TC and Redhill
 

The 70's were probably some of Bristows busiest times for helicopter training yet the TC presence was never really an issue as our members tended to arrive after work or at w-ends.
I think Bristows were used by the airfield owners as the 'foil' in the radio dispute,but in fact the real argument was about the control an 'airfield owner' can have over his property.
We were never going to win that battle hence my regret we went down the route that cost so much that could have been better used towards our own base.
The desire to stay in the s-east condemed the club to very limited options and also co-incided with the rise in a national anti airfield group that focused on the s-east.
We should have made a play for Old Sarum which would have suited us fine and looked at the bigger long term future.That was only a suggestion but if we had really looked outside of the box there were probably several possibilities out there. OK all types !