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Newsletters > January 2004 > Reports
Music in the Air
Middle Wallop, Saturday 2nd August 2003
I really didn't know what to expect. An abbreviated weekend BMPA meeting with an open-air concert. I thought 'lets go' to support the BMPA and surely it'll be a 'bit of fun'.With our aircraft being u/s (again), we drove to the assembly point - Thruxton. After a hurried lunch (we arrived late), some brief conversations, off to the motel. The BMPA group, organised as they were, on the coach for Middle Wallop, and only when stuck in the traffic did I realise we were in for 'a big event'. In fact some 10,000 folks on the largest area of mowed grass in the UK, the Army's Middle Wallop.
Settled at tables in the 'garden enclosure', we promptly set about indulging the wine and nibbles on an absolutely superb English summer evening. Only then did I glance at the programme. The text, although beautifully presented, just couldn't describe the programme to follow.
As The London Pro Arte Orchestra struck up the National Anthem, so arrived the formation of the Hawks of the Red Arrows. Their display, impressive as ever and seemingly synchronised with the ongoing music really set the scene and mood for what became a spectacular evening. With seamless, continuing music the lone Lancaster arrived. Its low passes with bomb doors open, accompanied by Elgars 'Pomp & Circumstance' was such and emotional sight and sound that many of us had a serious 'lump in the throat'. Whilst still being impressed by the aerobatic capability of the K21 Glider, the Spitfire arrived to the music of Walton and Mozart. All present were then amused and captivated by Christian Moullec in his micro light as 'Mother Goose' faithfully followed in every direction by his geese, so serene to the accompanying Mozarts Piano Concerto No 21.
A barbeque and brief interlude, then the very impressive aerobatic display by The Aerostars and their six Yak 50's, followed by the Hunter T7 to the marching music of Eric Coates. By the time the Matadors arrived (Sukhoi 26 and Extra 300) it was becoming seriously dark for such an impressive aero display (to the accompaniment of the 'Star Wars' theme).
The Silver Eagles freefall parachute team to the Fantasia on 'Greensleeves', then the intermittent nightglow of the hot air balloons. The Last Post and Evening Hymn just before the finale fireworks synchronised to Wagners 'Pilgrims' Chorus' produced a setting that was truly memorable. Back to the motel bar (for most of us) to create Sunday morning's feeling of 'that really was a good night'. At breakfast I heard many comments relating to 'Music In The Air', some saying 'we must do it again', with another view 'No don't let's try and repeat it, it could never be so perfect'. Another was the view that whilst the British have lost much of their manufacturing skills, there is still no other nation that can put on a pageant or ceremonious occasion such as a coronation, a state funeral or an event to equal Music in the Air. For the BMPA, the inspiration to attend and the detailed organisation, largely I understand by Frankie and David (and anyone else involved) was also superb. For me, I'll sign up tomorrow for the next one, it was a truly wonderful experience.
Gordon J Williams
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Brighton Meeting - East Trip
Outing to Charleston, Berwick Church and Standen, chosen and led by Sheila Davidson.
The choice of these three visits was inspired. Charleston, below Firle Beacon, is the house where Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant lived with their unconventional family. They worked here and entertained their friends from the Bloomsbury Group. They are part of recent history, certainly of my lifetime. We then went on to Berwick Church also on the Downs and with magnificent views. Berwick Church, St Michael and All Angels were bombed during the Second World War, repaired with plain glass windows and then decorated by Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant and Vanessa's son Quentin Bell. This commission by the Bishop of Chichester, Bishop Bell was greeted with dismay by the parishioners of the time, but is now seen as a great benefit to the village. The paintings are on plaster board and then fixed to the walls and doors. They attract tourists from all over the world. Standen is a Victorian family house built on the Downs near East Grinstead. The Architect and the family were inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement and the house and decorations are all in this style.The feel of the two houses is entirely different. Charleston was originally a tumbledown farmhouse with no mod. cons. The inhabitants followed their instincts and had a very intense and free life. This included decorating every inch of wall, floor, door and furniture. Their guests were fascinating, amongst them Maynard Keynes, E M Forster as well as Virginia Woolf, Vanessa Bell's sister. I would love to have been a fly on the wall at their discussions. The guide was enthusiastic and knowledgeable, not only about the period, the paintings and the furniture, but also the gossip and who slept with whom and where! There is a sense of humour in the art. I am not sure Zeus would be happy portrayed as a Mallard duck with Leda.
Standen on the other hand is a wealthy family house filled with the most up-to-date appliances for the time and very comfortable and warm. It is decorated with William Morris wallpaper and wall hangings and with wonderful pottery. The mother and daughters were keen needle women and their work makes the house still feel lived in.
The contrast extends to the gardens. Charleston has a painter's garden. It is a riot of oranges, purples, pinks and whites surrounded by high walls. In odd corners there are sculptures and a small patio is made of broken pots. In front of the house is a wild pond full of lilies and with a gorgeous view. The twelve acre gardens fold round Standen. Each area of the garden is different, from the croquet lawn, which is in use, to the winding hidden paths. There are formal areas and wild woods. I wish we had had more time to explore but I am looking forward to returning soon.
Liz Segal
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Brighton Meeting - West Trip
It was clear as we mounted our coach to the "West", that the evening on the "Bluebell" had claimed a number of casualties. Several evening dancers were now limping with the aid of walking sticks, (whether this was attributable to urates or sprains could not be ascertained). Many others were sporting subconjunctival haem, and verdigris pallor.Departure was scheduled for 0900; however, we pilots demonstrated a remarkable lack of aptitude as dispatchers. Rather by good fortune than any skill, we eventually departed at 0930, probably with all members on board, although the completeness of the passenger manifold was to remain unconfirmed throughout the day.
Leaving the tangled remains of Brighton's West pier, (now more like a Tracey Emin sculpture than a Victorian pier), we sped off toward the Foredown Tower Camera Obscura. Thankfully unlike the previous day, the sky was now gloriously clear with only an occasional cumulus cloud.
Katherine (my 12-year-old daughter) asked me why the camera was called an obscura. Surely, she reasoned, if it was obscured that meant you couldn't see anything? It was something in my slightly delicate state that I had also been contemplating but had hoped to obscure my ignorance by avoiding the issue. I felt compelled to assure her with confidence that a simple explanation would be forthcoming once we got there, and told her not to be so impatient. Thankfully I was not disappointed. Our guides explained that Camera means "chamber" and obscura means "dark". In essence we were shown round the interior of an Edwardian water tower which had been converted into a sophisticated version of a pinhole camera. cum periscope. Believe it or not, the camera itself was constructed for the 1990 Garden Festival, staged not a stones throw from our own humble abode in Gateshead. Through the camera, projected onto an old satellite dish, we enjoyed spectacular panoramic views of the South Coast and the Downs.
Apparently many artists such as Canalletto and our own John Constable used versions of the camera obscura to enhance their landscapes. Projecting the image onto their canvas, they were able to trace over the line features and improve accuracy. Maybe I should try that, and knock off a few masterpieces!
All too soon we had resumed our punishing schedule. Perhaps surprisingly we were only 30 minutes adrift of the schedule. After some cunning A27 queue avoidance via Worthing and queue jumping (- the sort of thing I would have been fuming about had I been in the queue, but was secretly relieved that the coach driver displayed no scruples on our behalf!) we arrived at Tangmere Military Aviation Museum.
Whilst most of us made a dash for the much needed caffeine replacement therapy, Mike Bagshaw rushed off for his trip down memory lane. He apparently remembered RAF Tangmere, as an operational base prior to the blue ensign being lowered for the last time in 1970. He does wear well doesn't he?Being so close to Goodwood, there was a constant drone of light aircraft, which helped evoke the atmosphere of an active flying base (well with a bit of imagination a Lycoming bears a passing resemblance to a Merlin?). This museum, opened in 1982, is rich in military aviation history, and is exceptionally well laid out. Tangmere has a fascinating history dating from its establishment in 1918. The museum covers all aspects of Tangmere's history, but places special emphasis on its role during the Air War between 1939 and 1945.
By the start of the Battle of Britain, all three based Hurricane Squadrons 43, 145 and 601 had already seen active combat. The fighters of Tangmere inflicted heavy losses on German aircraft. In 1941 a Wing of three Spitfire Squadrons was formed, with Douglas Bader as its first Wing Commander.
Another major role for Tangmere included the night time delivery and recovery by Lysanders of 161 Squadron, of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and Special Intelligence Service (SIS) officers into enemy territory. This was a fascinating display, giving some insight into the courage and skill of those, who with pin-point accuracy, located small fields in France, at night, aided only by three torches in the shape of an L. (and we complain about poor vis. on a hazy sunny day even with the aid of NDB/VOR and GPS!)
In the post war period, Tangmere played an important role in the development of high speed flight. In 1946 Teddy Donaldson established a new world air speed record of 616mph in his Meteor. The record returned to Tangmere in 1953, when Neville Duke flew the prototype Hawker Hunter to at 727mph. The actual red Hunter in immaculate condition is displayed at Tangmere, together with Meteors, Spitfires, a Sea Vixen and many others.
We all could have spent a lot more than the 45 minutes in this splendid museum, but sadly we had to try and catch up on the schedule, and so continued to Selsay Arms hostelry for a first class (and well earned) luncheon. Miraculously, some of the party had even recovered sufficiently to enjoy the hair of the dog!
Ian Martin
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Wright Brothers' Centennial
For me the centenary of the Wright brother's first flight began badly and unexpectedly as I was returning to Perth after an uneventful hour in my Long Ez with Alan Houghton the club 'hangar manager' in the back seat. The Ez slid down final on rails, a positive flair putting the main gear down on the numbers. Alan began to make a comment about the gentle arrival as I pitched down to put the nose wheel onto the runway before the canard stalled in which case it would drop with a bump. My trip to Kitty Hawk began just then. As the nose wheel contacted the runway, a red light appeared in front of me, the horn sounded a tocsin alongside my head and the aircrafts nose lowered onto the runway as the front gear folded.It is normal to look at the world from an Ez with the nose down, but only while stationary. 55kts down the runway causes various scraping noises and a stream of sparks as the metal fittings convert into much smaller ones.
The damage was less than I feared. Burt Rutan designed the Ez with this partly in mind so the only problem was sourcing the replacement parts and repairing the bottom of the nose - about a square foot in all. Research amongst the Scottish Ez Clan led to the discovery of the Wilhelmson electric nose lift - a motor for raising and lowering the gear in flight instead of hand cranking. It had an extra attraction, on the ground the pilot climbs in and then selects gear down. Likewise after flight you retract the gear and it lowers the aircraft into the parking position. Now how can I send cash to Charleston South Carolina for one to be posted over?
I had planned to take Norena for a holiday in the St Lucia in 2000. Due to the exigencies of staff tickets and flight cancellations we lost our seats and finished up in the Blue Ridge Mountains looking for 'Lonesome Pines'. We were not dressed for the part but it was a great adventure. I wonder if she would like our next foreign holiday to be collecting the nose lift from Jack Wilhemson? And while fetching aircraft 'bits' Kitty Hawk is just a tad further north, and it is going to be the Centenary.
Feb 03 our flight arrived at Raleigh the capital of North Carolina. Pre booked hire car and a two hour drive towards Kitty Hawk. Norena tries to limit me to stopping at only one airport a day but careful planning ensured that we spent the night at one. There was a Long Ez, an omen. It was fun comparing notes in the motel with a Cessna Caravan pilot whole flew parcels around the state for FedEx. The next day we called in at Elizabeth City, a large coast guard airfield flying maritime C130s. The field also has a small club flying C152's and PA28's. This was the cheapest we found and only 30/40 minutes flight from Kitty Hawk. It was raining so we drove on. I hadn't appreciated how swampy the Carolina's are. There are several large nature reserves where we saw red necked turtles and various raptors including bald eagles. The 'gators kept a low profile.
Have I mentioned the snow? Winter in the Carolina's is just like Scotland. Crossing over to the Outer Banks the pack ice had drifted up to resemble a scene from the Arctic. It was not the time to talk of St Lucia. Another motel but this time in Kitty Hawk itself. Not endless windswept sandbanks but an overdeveloped holiday resort. Fortunately the site of the test flights has been preserved. Most people have seen pictures of the monument perched on top of its hill. To go there and to walk along the track of the first flights was very special. Next to the site is a single runway - 'First Flight'. On the sea front is a converted rescue station. This is where the Wilbur walked to send the telegram to their father to announce the success of their venture. The building is now a good restaurant called the Black Pelican with lots of mementoes of the Wright's.
The next task was to find an aircraft. Dare County Airport provided a C172. As time was limited I opted out of the check flight and negotiated a local instructor to act as P1 and translate the radio for me. Norena and I enjoyed the flight into 'First Flight'. As I hadn't flown a 'heavy metal' aircraft for some time I was very careful with the approach. At three hundred feet I discovered that the instructor also owned an Ez, albeit the smaller Varie Ez variety. My concentration went, coinciding with strong sink from the trees. A good dose of power was required to drag it into the strip, not a good performance a little unsettling for the car passing on the road just short of the runway! If our roles were reversed I may well have taken control but the instructor was good enough to let me bring it in. 99 years 3 months since the first powered heavier than air flight! Close enough to the Centenary for country folk.
The rest of the trip was fun. We discovered Mitchell Field near Hatteras where Billy Mitchell flew in the '20's to show that aircraft really could sink battleships. Wilmington produced the battleship North Carolina and the CSS Hunley, the 1864 Confederate submarine that sank the USS Housatanic. Lots of F16's, C17's and a great many airports including one run by an ex Air Force 1 pilot.
Charleston delivered the USS Yorktown a retired WW11/Vietnam carrier as part of a truly enormous naval museum as well as Fort Sumter the scene of the start of the American Civil War and a nose lift for my Long Ez. My log book now has Kitty Hawk in it. We still don't have sun tans but the Long Ez is fixed. I share a fellow feeling with Orville and Wilber who spent a lot of time fixing bent aeroplanes.
Andrew Sayers
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