IMPORTANT NOTE FROM BERNARD MARTIN
Sadly due to mobility problems (Osteoarthritis and Lumbar degeneration in old age !) I have not been able to attend ANY airfield since 2019 ! In the meantime POTTED HISTORIES are being added/updated, so please enjoy these and the slighted dated reports which I shall leave on site below. Normal service will be resumed as soon as I can - Take care !
From time to time I shall add reports here. As a starter I am including my personal commentary on the Microlight Trade Fair at Popham on 5th/6th May 2018. It is NOT a list of registrations of all attending, but my view of the exhibits.
Click here for an illustrated pdf
Although initially written for AIR-BRITAIN's AVIATION WORLD, the arrival of a "plastic" Red Arrows Hawk in Downing Street prompted much earlier personal memories of RAF aircraft "COMING TO TOWN"
Click here for an illustrated pdf
MAKSIMOV SK26 PROJECT
Click here for an illustrated pdf
LAA SYWELL 2018 (Sorry it is old - but I like the pictures !)
This photographic selection is a purely personal one and does not attempt to summarise all of the types attending this LAA annual extravanga. Click on Regn for photo.
First a look at some of the CLASSIC TYPES present. No review of these can ignore a few de Havilland specimens including the DH.60G III Moth Major G-ACGZ, DH.85 Leopard Moth G-ACUS or a handful of DH.82A Tiger Moths G-AVPJ, G-BEWN (Australian-built) & G-BPAJ.
Close behind were Miles with the recently repatriated M.28 Mercury 6 G-AHAA, M.38 Messenger 2A G-AKBO, G-AKIN & M.65 Gemini 1A G-AKKB
Another pre-War favourite is Chilton with DW.1A G-AFSV & modern-built G-DWCB & G-JUJU
Complementing a line-up of Racing aircraft were Comper CLA.7 Swift replica G-ECTF & Percival Mew Gull replica G-HEKL & Travel Air Type R Mystery Ship replica G-TATR
No collection of Classics would be complete without the Piper J-3 Cub, represented on these pages by G-AISX & G-BSFD plus its less-common WW2 cousin Aeronca O-58B Grasshopper G-BRHP. From the USA Cessna 120 G-BUHZ recently celebrated the anniversary of its first flight on 14th August 1948 and N2106V represented many of the UK-based American-registered examples.
A couple of French Classics were Jodel D.140B Mousquetaire II G-EHIC & Morane Saulnier MS.317 G-MOSA. Three other old-timers were Mráz M-1C Sokol G-AIXN, Beech 3TM G-BKGL & the quaint Cadet III Motor Glider G-BCYH.
Of the HOMEBUILTS it was difficult to ignore the multitude of Van’s types but I include just RV-7 G-OGRL, G-TPPW & RV-8 G-TDJP & D-EIGT as colourful examples. Other welcome overseas visitosr were JODEL D92 EC-ZCZ & the unique Verhees Delta D-2 F-PDHZ . Similarly interesting were Mike Whittaker’s latest creation in the bizarre shape of his MW9 Plank G-CKAA and the somewhat older Colomban MC-15 Cri-Cri G-CRIK, but always a talking-point. One of the older UK homebuilt designs was in the shape of Taylor JT.1 Monoplane G-OBJM.
When the Groppo Trail first appeared in the UK in partially-built form, I confess that the design seemed so basic and angular thatI thought that it was a joke ! It has developed into a fairly popular kit and is represented here by G-CIYO & G-SMLZ. The Sonex Sonex always stands out and G-CGDM & G-HELL certainly did !
The Aeroprakt A-22LS Foxbat has been around for some while -here with G-CINV, but the similarly starting name Aeropro EuroFOX is becoming a popular newcomer with examples being G-FOKZ & G-MGFC with injected and standard Rotax 912 powerplants.
A final miscellany includes Murphy Rebel G-CBFK, Rans S-7 Courier G-CBNF, Nicollier HN.700 Menestrel II G-CHRE, Titan T-51 Mustang G-CIFD, Alpi Pioneer 400 G-CIMD, Zenair CH.601HD Zodiac G-EZUB, BRM Bristell NG5 Speed Wing G-STDO, Best Off Skyranger Nynja LS 912S(1) G-TRTL & ICP MXP-740 Savannah VG Jabiru (1) G-WHYS.