BMPA Newsletters

Newsletters  >  Winter 1999/00

From the Secretary

The arrangements for the informal Summer meeting between June 16th and 18th are well in hand. Remember this requires no preliminary booking with the Association. Put the date in your diary now - Go Karts, ballons and gliding. There will be plenty of space for tents and caravans and a small amount of bunk house accommodation. Those wishing to book hotels or B&B may like to contact the Tourist Information Centre [details given and accommodation list attached]. Early action is of course recommended. (Our president elect, Frankie Walters, is already astir and enquiring). The Autumn meeting is being planned, based at Downing College Cambride, for September 1st-3rd. Stephen Gibson is putting together a programme for us. Accommodation is in newly appointed twin rooms and we shall have the use of our own bar and common room when not otherwise engaged.

Andrew Clymo.

From the President

Sitting in the Kensington Hilton after attending an AAME committee meeting the previous day I am thinking about Andrew Clymo's last message: "I need the President's piece for the newsletter." "When?" "Monday - just knock up a few lines that I might be able to decipher for then."

How did this all begin?

Well, in 1977 I left a four man group practice and taking my 3500 patients with me set up as a single-handed GP at home (more about that story some other day). I loved it. My own boss, using my medicaly philosophy, time passed very satisfactorily, except for one thing. I was confined in space by time.

In October 1979 I paid a locum to look after the practice and with James (our eldest offSpring) set off from Gatwick in Tomm Braniff's daily "Big Orange" 747 for Dallas to visit a colleague. While crossing the North Atlantic James was asked if he would like to visit the flight deck; and his father could go as well if he wished! During this visit I noticed that the gentleman sitting in the left-hand seat of the cockpit was wearing spectacles and, not only that, I estimated his myopia was approximately the same as my own, while looking over his shoulder.

On returning home and still having a sizeable amount of income tax rebate from my old practice I suspected that I might be able to learn to fly an aeroplane, even if I did wear spectacles. So, at 41, I started to fly with the Coventry Aeroplane Club (with which many of you are familiar). The rest of the story is not unusual: addicted to getting into the air after about 6hrs flying: made worse when you go solo, and suffer sever withdrawal symptoms when unable to fly once you have your licence. I am probably still an enthusiast because I started late. I have just 1000hrs in 20 years and still regard myself as a novice.

I joined the BMPA in 1983 and my first meeting was York in that September. I first went to a French meeting in May 1992 at Beaune and my first German meeting was last May at Weimar.

Fellow Medicas are the nicest people I know and some of the nicest people to be around are fellow pilots. Thus my felow members of the BMPA are the best of all worlds and I am very proud to be part of you; even though I have to write 'Presidential Pieces'. Elizabeth Ann and I are looking forward to seeing you at Farnborough and Edgehill.

John Busby

Autumn Meeting, Coventry, September 2000

Coombe Abbey Hotel was the antidote to Stockport. Cistercian Abbey in the 12th Century it may have been but any notion of asceticism, austerity or self denial left when the developers moved in. The only remaining elements of mysticism came from the revered hush and near Stygian gloom of the entrance hall, the latter designed, I believe, to engender mood rather than from a misplaced economy drive on bulbs or electricity.

We convened during Friday afternoon on the first floor of the new clubhouse of the Coventry Aeroplane Club and lingered over an ample buffet lunch/tea. Coventry Airport has the advantage of a heavy commercial traffic that all happens at night - the main hub for Her Majesty's Mails - leaving all the facilities for the rest of us to use by day. The Club balcony afforded a view of the intrepid who groped their way below the Birmingham zone through haze bordering on smog. It is not a primary navigation tool, perish the though, but thank goodness for GPS. Transport to Coombe Abbey was by mixed convoy of minibus and other assorted surface vehicles. Once there members prepared themselves for the banquet to come, some fortifying the inner self with drink and conversation in the well tended gardens, some by contemplation of the ceiling above their beds and some by wandering the grounds until the appointed hour.

One imagines banquets in medieval times to be held in poorly ventilated virtually unheated smoky halls where indifferent food accompanied by beer and mead in large quantities was served by wenches and villeins in apparel of doubtful cleanliness. This banquet, although inspired by that image, was a product of the last months of the twentieth century with excellent well cooked food, good wines, smart service and well rehearsed entertainment by a choir drawn from the attendants. Audience/diner participation was encouraged and the end result justified that confidence.

Air Atlantique opened their doors to us on Saturday morning, their new terminal being housed in a large cunningly assembled agglomerate of Portakabins. The entertainment was in two parts, tours of their hangars and flights in historic aircraft. The hangars were notable for their large collection of DC3s or variants, some later but nevertheless venerable machines undergoing routine maintenance, two DH Rapides and the airframe constituents of a handful of Britten Norman four seat touring aircraft that never came to fruition. A revelation to me were DC3 wings which can be quickly removed outboard of the engines by undoing myriad tiny bolts. A substantial park of aircraft being restored for the museum (see later) included an Avro Shackleton (50,000 rivets flying in loose formation) which was open for our inspection.

Antique flying was limited by the only passenger licensed DC3 being in Blackpool and the absence of any Rapide rated pilot. Some of us were lucky and got rides in a Percival Prentice before its brakes gave out under the strain and everyone who wanted got airborne in the Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer before lunch in the airport restaurant. For those who missed this visit, Air Atlantique do tours for the general public including rides in their antiques for a modest charge (01203 88269).

After lunch our coach took us a few yards up and across the road to what was scheduled as a short visit to the Lunt Roman Fort. This is a reconstruction of the outer palisade, defences and some of the buildings. One of the latter is also a museum where we met our guide. His enthusiasm and extensive knowledge, particularly of the way that people lived, proved infectious and kept us all enthralled for most of the afternoon. One of the special features of the fort, apart from the lovely weather, was and is a horse training ring, added after the main buildings, one of only three identified outside Rome. It is suggested that losses of fully trained animals to sea transport made it much cheaper to ship untrained ones and then train the survivors or locally impressed beasts for despatch all over Britain.

One we had steeped ourselves in ancient Rome we went on to Coventry City Centre, most to view the Cathedrals and then back to Coombe Abbey to recoup our energies for the evening.

The Association's Annual dinner was taken in the Lanchester refectory of Coventry University. After inital confusion over the numbers and their seating, 58 members and their guests dined in good fellowship with customary informal speeches thereafter. The Guinness Cup was won by the outgoing president Tony Watson and the President's Cup was awarded to Andrew Clymo for innovation (Informal Meeting at Shenington).

Sunday dawned fine. The AGM meeting preceed our return to Coventry Airport where members of the Coventry Aeroplane club in their club's training aircraft treated us to a formation flying display. We then walked a short distance outside the perimeter to the Coventry Air Museum. This has extensive indoor displays, notably one about Sir Frank Whittle - a local boy, and static aircraft parked outside. Some of these, manned by volunteers, were open to visitors.

Another sumptuous buffet at the Coventry Aeroplane Club preceeded departures by road or air. My personal experience was of dodging thunderstorms but nevertheless arriving well ahead of the ground party.

Andrew Clymo