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The 'Introduce yourself' Thread
17 Jan 2014 17:44 #4455
by Activat
Replied by Activat on topic The 'Introduce yourself' Thread
Sorry I forgot my flying days.
With the ATC we often went to White Waltham for Chipmunk flying, 3 or 4 times I think, must find my log book. '68-71.
I think parts of Faireys were still based there as well as Ferranti. Gliding I got one trip down to Tangmere.
'72 I was introduced to civil flying at Biggin Hill with the Air Touring Club an offshoot of Air Touring Services the importer of the Rally series aircraft and the MBB Bo209 Munsun. Based in building 205 (I believe), originally a single frontage hanger and clubhouse/office. (Now showing a later additional hanger of the same size).
First solo'd in Feb of 73 and got to 3 and a half hours solo time on the club aircraft. During the early days I was more or less hitching rides for a round of coffees, a trip into Gatwick was a highlight, often trips out to Headcorn/Lashenden as the beginnings of a club was forming there. The clubhouse was the old pigsty! well washed out. On one occasion during SPL days I had a stretched lesson flying down to Headcorn playing "tower" for an hour for the local student then completing my lesson on the way back.
A club tour planned to go out to Ostende got cancelled at Lydd so we replanned headed of to Shoreham for lunch then hopped across to Bembridge for a couple of hours then returning back to Biggin. I gave up flying as I'm Neg Gee sensitive and tend to freeze up and felt sadly that it was something I wouldn't beat.
The 100HP MS880B were my normal toys but did get to run a ride in the Munsun to Goudhurst (no airfield there), My Uncle had kennels and a good size plot of land so it was a cross country/map reading exercise just prior to formally taking lessons so it never got logged. A missed entry
, I'm sure there are few pilot entries under type says Messersmitt!
Whilst waiting around to fly I often explored the edge of the woods and other hanger behind the club finding old dispersal pens(?) and areas that something had been burnt but not airwreck remains.
Touching the "Biggin" pages on page 1 is a reference to the second "greenhouse" tower, this was the GA tower the other main was still ministry linked at that time and was only used for the shows or something "special".
Don't remember using the middle runway, generally only used the short one but on the return from Gatwick we were on the edge of dusk and were given the long runway with lights also with the instruction to land well down and not on the threshold as the "greenhouse" couldn't see the far end.
Raymond Baxter often during the airshow commentaries remarked on aircraft staying low and dropping down into the valley "being members of the down in the valley club". Practice engine failures gave us extra space to recover and as such yes I've been down there, not a lot to say about it apart from a long climb up to rejoin the circuit.
Alan
With the ATC we often went to White Waltham for Chipmunk flying, 3 or 4 times I think, must find my log book. '68-71.
I think parts of Faireys were still based there as well as Ferranti. Gliding I got one trip down to Tangmere.
'72 I was introduced to civil flying at Biggin Hill with the Air Touring Club an offshoot of Air Touring Services the importer of the Rally series aircraft and the MBB Bo209 Munsun. Based in building 205 (I believe), originally a single frontage hanger and clubhouse/office. (Now showing a later additional hanger of the same size).
First solo'd in Feb of 73 and got to 3 and a half hours solo time on the club aircraft. During the early days I was more or less hitching rides for a round of coffees, a trip into Gatwick was a highlight, often trips out to Headcorn/Lashenden as the beginnings of a club was forming there. The clubhouse was the old pigsty! well washed out. On one occasion during SPL days I had a stretched lesson flying down to Headcorn playing "tower" for an hour for the local student then completing my lesson on the way back.
A club tour planned to go out to Ostende got cancelled at Lydd so we replanned headed of to Shoreham for lunch then hopped across to Bembridge for a couple of hours then returning back to Biggin. I gave up flying as I'm Neg Gee sensitive and tend to freeze up and felt sadly that it was something I wouldn't beat.
The 100HP MS880B were my normal toys but did get to run a ride in the Munsun to Goudhurst (no airfield there), My Uncle had kennels and a good size plot of land so it was a cross country/map reading exercise just prior to formally taking lessons so it never got logged. A missed entry
, I'm sure there are few pilot entries under type says Messersmitt!Whilst waiting around to fly I often explored the edge of the woods and other hanger behind the club finding old dispersal pens(?) and areas that something had been burnt but not airwreck remains.
Touching the "Biggin" pages on page 1 is a reference to the second "greenhouse" tower, this was the GA tower the other main was still ministry linked at that time and was only used for the shows or something "special".
Don't remember using the middle runway, generally only used the short one but on the return from Gatwick we were on the edge of dusk and were given the long runway with lights also with the instruction to land well down and not on the threshold as the "greenhouse" couldn't see the far end.
Raymond Baxter often during the airshow commentaries remarked on aircraft staying low and dropping down into the valley "being members of the down in the valley club". Practice engine failures gave us extra space to recover and as such yes I've been down there, not a lot to say about it apart from a long climb up to rejoin the circuit.
Alan
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18 Jan 2014 09:42 #4458
by Mayfly
Replied by Mayfly on topic The 'Introduce yourself' Thread
Welcome
You can add me to list to 1972 -1989
You can add me to list to 1972 -1989
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