The September evening show was the second Meet the pilots event. Held again after its successful introduction last year.
A quick trip round Hangar1 shows the rebuild of the Po-2 is progressing nicely, is hoped to display it next season
The days format involves parking the aircraft in the public display area allowing people to get close up to the aircraft and their pilots, they are then flown in the display and towed back into the paddock this time the public are allowed closer inspection of he cockpits.
The team are briefed before the day begins
Meet a Pilot : Trevor Roche
Chief Pilot, Ex Oxford and UAS, RAF Tornado Gr1. Flew in Gulf War 1 (as readers of the book Voices in the Air will know). Qualified as a Test Pilot at ETPS followed by a spell with the Fast Jet Test Sqn. He now flies Boeing 767/777s for BA.
Trevor flew the Pup and Sea Hurricane in the display
The layout allowed for some interesting shots of the Collections vehicles and aircraft together
As the public mingled among the aircraft they were given a demonstration on how to connect a Hucks Starter to a Hawker Hind by Andy Preslent. The idea / blame for the shows format falls mostly on his shoulders
Although this trio of reprobates have a lot to answer for!
Meet a Pilot – Rodger “Dodge” Bailey
Ex C-130 pilot with the RAF, can fly anything in the Collection is now Chief Test Pilot at Crafield University. Knows as the Professor by John Blake as he has an encyclopaedic knowledge of Aviation, Dodge flew the Sopwith Triplane in the display
The Vehicle Parade took place just before flying as normal.
Which allowed time for some dressing up
And some “Man at C&A” posing
Meet a Pilot – Frank Chapman
Frank started Gliding when he was 14 (and was tug pilot for todays display) and after Oxford Uni and the UAS flew the Phantom with the RAF before qualifying as a test pilot. He was the first Collection pilot to Fly the SG38 (EoN Primary for the pedants) at the Collection, which contrasts with his day job as a development test pilot with Airbus, mostly flying the A380 and A400 of late.
Frank flew the Chipmunk in the display.
As Tug Pilot Frank helped to start the air display, this began with a couple of vintage gliders most notable of which was the Collections Scud 2 making its show debut in the hands of Willy Hackett
Meet a Pilot – Peter “Willy” Hackett
Willy (hes the one in the silly hat) started gliding at 11 solo'e at 16 and glides regularly at the Collection! He was the RAF Tornado F3 display pilot in 97 and 98 before flying the Sea Harrier on exchange with the Navy. He was the youngest Tornado F3 pilot in Gulf War 1. After flying with the Navy he went on to ETPS and is now flying a desk in Bristol which may take off normally, but it lands vertically!
In addition to the Scud Willy flew the Jungmann.
The display continued with the Sea Hurricane in the capable hands of Trevor
And the Storch making a surprise entrance flown by Dodge
A turning fight ensued
Where Dodge reckons he could have had a shot if he had a forward facing gun!
Speaking of the Storch its high time we met Peter Holloway
Ex Copper from the Isle of Sheppey Peter, International Man of Mystery and all round good egg , Peter has based his collection at Old Warden for a number of years. In addition to the Storch he currently has his Magister and Miles Falcon at the Collection. He flew the former in the display.
The Red Plane and the Blue Plane had a race!
Two Chiltons, one old one new. Flown by Anna Walker and Clare Tector. The blustery conditions and the nature of the aircraft, they are racers not really display machines, meant that formation was tricky. They did rather well considering the blustery conditions.
Meet a Pilot – Rob Millinship
Mr Pitts, is an aircraft Engineer who has forgotten more about Pitts Specials than than I will ever know. Ntn Military trained and never lets himself forget it, he recently converted to the Hind and until recently was the worlds highest timed current Bristol F2B pilot
He flew the Hind in formation with the Demon flown by Stu Goldspink
The Hucks in action
The view across the field.
Meet a Pilot – Keith Dennison
Another early Glider, this time from 12. RAF Phantoms then ETPS and an ex CO of Boscombe Down. Keith retired as an Air Commodore and is now a freelance consultant on aviation matter and will fly for food!
Keith flew the Se5a and was supposed to fly the Lysander but he broke it (seriously it suffered a Mag Drop so was taxied instead)
The queue for the Hurricane didn’t seem to drop much until well after flying was finished.
Meet a Pilot – Tracy Curtis-Taylor
Tracy bases her PT22 and Super Cub at the Collection and flew the former in the display. She flies as a formation pair with the other PT22 based at Old Warden and owned by Steve Roberts, on this occasion it was a solo display.
Hawkers and a Gloster, all the same company really!
Meet a Pilot – Jim Schofield
Jim is the Newbie, he joined the Collection this year and is currently working on the introduction of the F-35 to RAF service. Previously he has flown the Harrier in RAF Service before training at ETPS eventually running the Fixed Wing Course after flying with FJTS as project pilot for the Harrier GR9.
He flew the Tiger Moth in the display
Tutor and Magister
All in all an excellent day was had by all, helped by the commentary team of Dan Taylor (if you are in New York tune into WCBSFM for his morning radio show on 101.1FM, its really rather good), Tim Callaway and the legend that is George Ellis.
All that was left to do was put the aircraft away (there was still a queue at the Sea Hurricane at 7pm, no-one was disappointed)
A big thank you as ever has to go to the ground crews and especially on this occasion to the Engineers whose cunning plan it was. Thank you also (and apologies in advance for any inaccuracies in this report deliberate or otherwise) to the pilots, sorry that I couldn’t include all of them.
Finally
The season ends next week
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