Fishburn Airfield News 2015
Team Minimax 91 G-MYLB crash report 15 Dec 2015
Fishburn News 11 November 2015 - David Thompson
I have to admit that the significance of todays date had passed
me by until someone in the clubhouse remarked that although all
the traffic had come to a standstill in Trafalgar Square at the
11th hour
on Remembrance Day, the traffic in Stockton High Street had
continued to drive past the Cenotaph oblivious of the date.
Sadly I think, a sign of the times?
The weather was much as it has been for what seems weeks now
with very little flying having taken place but giving RS the
chance to crack on with two re-sprays one of which, Aerobat
G-BDRD is complete and moves out by road tomorrow and back to
it’s home base at Linley Hill, to be replaced next Monday by ex-resident Mooney D-EKNA which is currently based at Teesside
Airport. The 182 Skylane continues to hog most of their hangar
and the RV-9 sits in the corner awaiting a new home in one of
the four hangars going up in the back field. Planning
permission has been granted for a new aircraft museum cum
workshop which will be built in the back back field and become
home to the Aircraft Restoration Group under the leadership of
Mike Eastman who displayed both the Flying Flea and Tawney Owl
at the recent Wings & Wheels Day, as well as cooking the
burgers outside of Hangar 1! Alongside the museum there will be
two more individual hangars going up with no doubt, more to
follow?
I noticed the new GW Microlights flying school aircraft,
Cyclone AX2000 G-STRG during my visit but the other new resident
Skyranger 912 G-CIUI evaded me and coming soon to Fishburn
Airfield; Project Jim. No, I don’t know what it is either –
Richard and Sam wouldn’t tell me!
| RS Aviation | ||
| D-EKNA | Mooney M20F | arrived 13/11/15 |
| G-CIPL | Vans RV-9 |
under construction |
| G-ROWE |
F182P Skylane |
|
Fishburn News 21 October 2015 - David Thompson
The poor weather forecast probably kept everyone away today but
in reality it was a fine autumn day with plenty of sunshine and
blue sky and with a wind of less than 10 knots straight down the
runway the only thing missing was any flying activity. Well,
until later in the day anyway when resident Europa G-CDEX took
off for some local flying and Flight Design CTSW G-CEEO flew in
from it’s base at Longframlington in Northumberland.
Special mention should be made of the CTSW owner and pilot Eddie
McCallum who had arrived to give a presentation to the North
East Strut of the LAA on his flight in ‘EO from Northumberland,
UK to New York , USA ! He took his microlight across to Oshkosh, and back!, in 2014 for a personal challenge but also,
perhaps more importantly, to raise funds for the UNICEF charity. He arrived back at his home strip on the 22 July 2014 a bit
later than planned after being fogged in at Wick, a case of so
near yet so far!, to be met by a BBC news camera team, the
local press and of course his very relieved family! He is now
something of a regular on the LAA ‘speakers circuit’ with his American
Adventure Microlight Flight presentation
and is available for future talks to any aviation or interested
groups or societies, just get in touch – it’s for a good cause.
Elsewhere around the airfield four new hangars are taking shape
in the back field with the steel framework complete on all but
one and plans are now being made to expand in to the field
behind them, the back back field, with more GA hangars and a
new aircraft restoration group hangar cum museum. The Aircraft
Restoration Group are based in North Yorkshire but are presently
homeless with their aircraft collection scattered around the
county so after much discussion with RS the opportunity to
establish a home at Fishburn was welcomed and two of their
aircraft Flea G-ADRZ and the unique Thurston Aviation Tawney Owl G-APWU were both on display at the recent Wings & Wheels event.
More on the ARG in the future!
| RS Aviation | ||
| G-BDRD | FRA150M Aerobat |
arrived by road from Linley Hill, Beverley. Had
previously made a precautionary landing near Sunk Island in east
Yorkshire on the 9 July 2014 and is here for some TLC and a full
re-spray….and should fly out. Hopefully! |
| G-CIPL | Vans RV-9 |
under construction |
| G-ROWE |
F182P Skylane |
in from Bagby for a full re-spray which RS promises will be ‘very smart’ |
Fishburn News 3 October 2015 - Wings and Wheels show log David Thompson
Fishburn News 30 September 2015 - David Thompson
I made my first post-school holidays and a pre-Wings&Wheels
visit today to catch up with a few resident moves and noticed
that RS continue to improve the airfield in general with the
noticeable addition of several 'elf and safety notices up around
both the access road and Cafe 26, no doubt with the W&W event
very much in the forefront of their planning!
Mention of which brings a welcome return of Wacky Wabbit, Harvard AJ841 which is due in on Friday lunchtime and will be giving 'joy rides' at £250 for a 20 minute flight. A price I'm told, which is much reduced from their normal fee and in recognition of the superb respray undertaken by RS! Also making a welcome return will be the Twister Aerobatics Team who will be closing the show with their twilight pyrotechnics display before the grand finale of fireworks leads into the evening live music session.
There should be a full house of exhibitors arriving from 09:00
to enable them to get set up for the gates to open to the public
from 10:00 with tickets available on the day, £5 per adult with
children U12 free. There will be a crowd line barrier put up in
front of the front row of hangars while the back field will be
given over to a military vehicle display area with half-track
rides and a Territorial Army vehicle recovery demonstration area. The 'back field' will become much reduced in size from next
week as construction begins on four more hangars to continue the
present line of five already there. As a result of the building
work, and should anyone want it there will be copious amounts
of top soil free to a good home or indeed, several good homes!
| RS Aviation | ||
| G-CIPL | Vans RV-9 |
under construction |
Also under construction in here is a new runway caravan which
should be ready in time for the weekend and due in for a
re-spray and arriving by road on Tuesday, 6th October, is an as
yet unknown, by me anyway, C172.
Fishburn News 20 August 2015 - David Thompson
Surprisingly this was only my four visit in four weeks of the
school ‘summer’ holidays but the previous three visits were
inside the first week and all in anticipation of seeing the
Harvard fly-out! In retrospect there had been no need to hurry
however as she still remains here, a definite crowd draw stood
outside Café 26 and today in company with a 1949 Daimler DB18
and both gleaming in the late summer sunshine.
The Harvard missed her proposed departure date due to bad
weather, a situation which has been complicated by the lack of
a suitably experienced pilot to fly her out and an expired CoA!
The former should be rectified very soon and she will depart to
CAS Engineering at Clacton Airfield in Essex on a CAA
dispensation for a one-off ferry flight. The good news however
is that AJ841 will return to Fishburn for the first of what is
hope to become an annual event, a Wings & Wheels day being
organised by RS which will take place on Saturday 3 October. As
it says on the tin, the RS team are promising a large turn out
of both wings and wheels, kids entertainment, military
vehicles and of course food and drink and with many local car
clubs and organisations already promising to attend there is no
doubt the event will take off and be a wheelie good day!
A change in local ownership saw Letov LK-2M Sluka (G-MZOI)
registered to John Burns to replace his Team Mininmax 91 G-MYLB
which crashed and was written off on the 13th June , finally being
de-registered on the 14th July as destroyed. Resident Glastar
G-CBAR returned from it’s Scandinavian adventure on the 28th July
with a few battle scars on it’s prop due to some poor weather up
there and also reported some very friendly natives offering help
and advice which was much appreciated. The airfields first
hangar was built circa 1992ish and unsurprisingly became Hanger
1, and is now receiving a bit of TLC with a newly sealed and
painted floor with repairs to it’s leaking roof to follow.
Seeming to have been here just as long has been Rallye Club
G-AYYX which has spent the last five years or so languishing in
the back field but was finally claimed by it’s owner on the 31st
July and removed by road to an unknown location. The Rallye
appeared on the UK register in May 1971 and moved north to join
the Newcastle Upon Tyne Aero Club in March 1976 before a
succession of private owners brought it to Fishburn in 1987
where she had remained since.
Fishburn News 24 July 2015 - David Thompson
As predicted in my previous report I was back here again at the
end of the first full week of the school holidays, one down
with five and a bit to go! I’d actually made a fleeting visit
earlier in the week but only noting the Rallye and and an
unfinished and as yet un-registered Glastar project, the RS
hangar being locked and spotter proof, decided to roll over the
report until something more noteworthy happened – like the
Harvard being rolled out!
I arrived to find the Harvard resplendent in it’s new desert
camouflage scheme ground running outside Café 26 with one of
it’s group owners, Andy Goodall, sat
in the cockpit acquainting himself with an old friend and
grinning from ear to ear. But then if you were one of the four
group owners, wouldn’t you be too? The Harvard is now fully
painted up in it’s new AJ841 scheme
and as predicted has a Bugs Bunny type cartoon character Wacky
Wabbit below the
cockpit on both fuselage sides. Still missing it’s flying
control surfaces which should be fitted in the next day or so,
the Harvard is due to depart back to Duxford on Tuesday. As RS
company director Richard Pike remarked, it has certainly been a
steep learning curve for the whole RS team who took on their
first repainting and re-juvination commission in the shape of
PA-28 Cherokee Warrior G-BODE on the 5th
January, two Cherokees
later and out pops Wacky
Wabbit!
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Other Fishburn news includes resident Glastar G-CBAR departing
on a Scandinavian tour on the 20th with the first leg taking it
as far as Texel in Holland. The intention is to reach Norway
via Sweden and return in eight flying days. New arrival on the
19th is Christen Eagle II N75CE from Teesside Airport and one of
the growing NAL Asset Management fleet whilst recent arrival
RV-6 G-OTRV is rumoured to have been sold and soon to be moving
on? The Twister Duo of G-JINX and G-ZWIP arrived earlier today
and although night stopping at Newcastle tonight hope to be
based here throughout the Sunderland Airshow weekend. Weather
permitting!
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My first visit of the school holidays and with hopefully a few
more to come over the following six weeks I'm hoping it will be
a busy, warm, dry and sunny summer. Here's hoping!
The star of the show continues to be Harvard G-BJST now on lock-down in the RS hangar and with a strict 'no photographs' policy in place as she is prepared for her grand reveal next weekend. Now resplendent in her brown and sand camouflage with an RAF azure blue underside, I think this was known as duck egg blue in my Airfix kit building youth?, she just needs some flying control surfaces fitted and decals applied and she will be ready for her public debut. Her new serial number AJ841 has been applied and she may also yet carry a personalised name and logo, possibly? Photographs of her progress to date can be found on the RS Facebook page here; https://www.facebook.com/pages/RS-Paintworks/742929239077575 which will also give confirmation of her roll out date.
Elsewhere on the aerodrome I found new resident RV-6 G-ODEE which arrived last month and was flown up by owner Joe Redfearn from it's previous base at Shenstone Airfield near Birmingham. His previous mount of F150F G-ATRM has been sold and has moved on, departing to Cumbernauld on 05/07
Fishburn News 4 July 2015 - David Thompson
It was a glorious summers evening when I called in just after
18:00 expecting aeroplanes to be parked three deep on the grass
and Café 26 to be overflowing to the gunnels but there was,
nowt – nothing at all save for the Rallye fuselage fast
disappearing under the long grass in the back field.
I didn’t see her in the flesh but I was told that the Harvard
has now been sprayed a sand colour and that the brown will be
applied after the fuselage panels have been fitted but the
Flying Legends target won’t now be achieved as there is still
quite a lot of work to be completed. It was nice to learn too
that once the Harvard flies out there are other aircraft already
penciled in to take her place but hopefully with a much quicker
turnaround time!
The only other snippet of news from here is that both Speed Wings G-CIIL and G-CILL have been granted their Permit to Fly.
Fishburn News 21 June 2015 - David Thompson
A Fathers Day visit and a bit of a catch up to begin with
including news of the forced landing of resident Minimax G-MYLB
which went down in a field near Coxhoe a few miles to the north
of the airfield on the afternoon of 13th
June. Thankfully the
pilot walked away without serious injury which is a testament to
his skillful flying and handling of a mid-air engine failure
which could have had very serious consequences. The aircraft
was recovered back to Fishburn that evening and on closer
inspection, the broken wreckage bears out my previous comments.
The second Speed Wing G-CIIL flew for the first time on the 10
June and since then has completed several test and proving
flights and like it’s stablemate G-CILL, is now awaiting final
LAA clearance to fly. Mention of the ubiquitous LAA reminds me
that resident Chippy G-BXCP/WP859/E is also still awaiting the
LAA to sign off the transfer from CoA to Permit so that she too
can get airborne again. As part of his day job the Chippy owner
has recently brought back Mr Branson’s latest B787-9
The recent weeks good weather saw many of the residents getting
some wind under their wings and the reputation of Café 26 must
continue to spread far and wide as the airfield continues to
attract plenty of GA visitors. Likewise the RS Harvard team
have also been busy and the aircraft has now been stripped down
to a bare metal finish and with the cockpit side panels removed
she looks a beast of an aeroplane. With the primer, new colour
scheme and many panels to be refitted RS have given themselves a
target of getting the Harvard finished in time to fly at the
Duxford Flying Legends airshow over the weekend of 11th-12th
July
and with only three weeks to go it’s going to be a pretty tight
schedule to get her there!
Fishburn News 13 June 2015 - David Thompson
A PILOT has been praised after successfully bringing his light aircraft down in a field when its engine dramatically cut out in mid air. The man, who has not been named, escaped with just minor cuts after the incident in County Durham on Saturday afternoon.The aircraft came down just before 2pm today close to the A1(M). Police, ambulance, fire and the air ambulance were called to an area between Bowburn and Shincliffe after several reports of an aircraft in difficulty near to Junction 61. The aircraft was resident Team Minimax 91 G-MYLB .
Fishburn News 5 June 2015 - David Thompson
D-Day minus one and not a lot happening compared to this day
seventy one years ago although back in 1944 this field would
have been given over to crops whilst around the south coast many
fields would have
been given over to aircraft, tanks and troops. Lest We Forget.
With a near 15 knot breeze straight down the runway today was
more of a fix it than fly it day although the recently completed
Bristell G-CILL completed a few circuits as part of it’s
airworthiness tests following an endurance test flight yesterday
in the company of fellow resident Glastar G-CBAR. It was all
happening yesterday, so as to speak, as on the resident front
it’s a case of one out with Rans Coyote II G-MWCH departing for
a new home at Eshott and one in with Skyranger Swift 912S G-CIIT
arriving to replace Skyranger 912 G-CDOV which flew off to a new
home near Hexham earlier in the year and FRA150L Aerobat G-BAPJ
finally departing to it’s new home at Blackpool.
Parked out was PA-28 Cherokee Arrow II G-GGRN which had
attracted quite a few comments on aviation forums following it’s
appearance at the recent AeroExpo UK 2015 at Sywell. It was
noted as both F-GGRN and G-GGRN depending on which side it was
viewed from as the white tape had come off it’s registration
prefix on one side! It was noted down there in the ‘For Sale’
enclosure and although only recently having a change of
registered owner, it does still carry a for sale notice on the
cockpit windows and could be yours for only £38,995 ono.
Fishburn News 28 May 2015 - David Thompson
As predicted F-GGRN has now become G-GGRN with a Stockton owner and will no doubt remain a resident?
Fishburn News and fly-in report 23 May 2015 - David Thompson
My first post fly-in visit and the clubhouse, sorry Café 26,
was very much as I’d left it the week before with it’s patio
doors wide open and the outside furniture being put to good use
and a few more folk inside and of course Beryl was there too!
Resident Bulldog G-JWCM had made an early start and flew up to
the Isle Of Mull for the Glenforsa Fly-in with the reported
weather up there being ‘pants’ whilst Fishburn itself logged
seven visitors and a few residents also took advantage of the
glorious summer weather. One of the two Bristells under
construction here, G-CILL undertook its maiden flight on
Thursday 21st and
logged its fourth test flight today with possibly one more to
undertake before she is back in the hangar, stripped down and
inspected for any ‘wear and tear’. Her compatriot G-CIIL should
also be flying soon, hopefully!
Fishburn News and fly-in report 16 May 2015 - David Thompson
The first fly-in here for about eight years, anyone remember
the Pitts Special chewing up the unfortunate microlight at the
last one? , and the chance for RS Aviation to introduce
themselves to the north east general aviation community and
perhaps more importantly the chance for them to showcase their
aircraft respraying-rejuvenation facilities and the impressive
Café 26.
The clubhouse, sorry café, appeared to do good business
throughout the weekend with plenty of people in there, so much
so that the outside decking area which was still being finished
off early on the Saturday morning was put to full use as was the
newly arrived outside furniture. All very smart and very
impressive as was the food and service from behind the bar which
appeared to be inundated by the local spotter and enthusiast
community until around lunchtime when other guests arrived and
the RS team plus family and friends moved into full welcoming
mode and the barbeques were lit. Whilst things in the café were
warming up the same was happening out on the flightline as the
immaculate pair of Silence SA1100 Twisters of the aptly named
Twister Aerobatics Team took off and performed a full display
routine, faultless too given the strong breeze now blowing
almost directly down the 08/26 runway. Very impressive and if
you missed them you will get another chance to see them when
they display at the Sunderland Airshow on the 24 July. Full
details of the team and their display diary is on their website; http://www.twister-aerobatics.co.uk/
Not content to sit back and contemplate their work to far,
plans are also in hand to build more large hangars on the back
row and possibly even extend the hangar area into the field
behind them too? An aircraft preservation and restoration group
has also expressed an interest in moving here and baseing
themselves in a Nissen hut which should also add a bit of
nostalgic atmosphere to go with RS’s own wartime RAF Fordson 3
ton lorry and post-war Army Ferguson TE D20 tractor.
The weekend weather put a bit of a dampener on the flying
activity and the strong breeze kept many microlights a way so
visitor numbers were around forty over both days but hopefully
good news travels fast and any future fly-in or events will be
well supported by visitors, whether by air or road with both
assured of a warm welcome in Café 26!
Visitors to the two day event can be found on the movements page
Fishburn News and report 14 May 2015 - David Thompson
Having overheard a rumour whilst up at the ‘field yesterday,
and never one to pass up on a free cup of tea – tea!, I went
back up to Fishburn today to find the clubhouse windows shiny
and clear and Beryl busy with her windowlene type product hard
at work getting the last of the marks off the window frames.
For clubhouse now read Café 26 and for former fitted kitchen now
read fully fitted bar with two hand pulled beers, drinks cooler
cabinets and just out of sight everything a small commercial
kitchen would need including a water boiler for that cup of tea.
I’ve never been to any large GA airfields such as Barton, Booker, Sywell, White Waltham and the like but this new
clubhouse is by far and away the most modern and well equipped
in the north east, most likely north of England with possibly
only Gamston in the same class for facilities? The main bar
come eating area has good quality solid wooden seating and with
an attached lounge area has an almost 180 degree view
of the airfield with patio doors leading out onto wooden decking
perfect for those,
hopefully, warm summer nights. There are also toilets and a
pilots briefing area and the whole clubhouse, both externally
and internally, is testament to the hard work, time and effort
and no doubt money that RS have ploughed into it. Well done one
and all!
You can see it for yourselves during the fly-in this
coming weekend starting at 9am on Saturday morning through to
kicking out time on Sunday evening. At present the weather
looks a bit ‘iffy’, good metrological term there, with strong
winds which may keep some of the microlights away but if you
can’t fly-in you can drive in with plenty of car parking space
available. There will be food available, a BBQ and live music
on Saturday night and Café 26 will remain open throughout so get
along and give it your support. More details can be found on
the RS Facebook page here;
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Fishburn News and report 13 May 2015 - David Thompson
After hearing that some doubt had been raised about this
weekends fly-in a midweek visit was in order to confirm that the
event was still on and, as Richard Pike of RS Aviation told me, it most definitely is and at present it seems like
“disorganised chaos” as the finishing touches are applied! Work
continues apace in and around the clubhouse with outside decking
being laid but the windows remain stubbornly white and the
interior a surprise in waiting except to the RS team and a whole
band of tradesmen and suppliers who have come and gone over the
last few weeks. The runway headings of 08 and 26 although set
in concrete have not been visible for years but have now been
given a lick of white paint and are now probably visible from
outer space! At some point in the future there is also the
possibility of a new refueling point to replace the bowser and
also a dedicated helicopter landing area both of which should
enhance Fishburns reputation as an up and coming, forward
thinking GA airfield.
One sad piece of news is the recent death of Fishburn Aero Club
stalwart Don Harker from Middlesbrough who passed away earlier
this week. Always happy to give advice and with several ‘home
built’ projects to his credit he will be sadly missed around the
airfield and in the local GA community as a whole. Blue skies
Don
Vans RV-6 G-OTRV is a new resident, while Cessna FRA150L G-BAPJ has been sold and is due to depart to Blackpool on the 17/5.
Fishburn News and report 6 May 2015 - David Thompson
A pre-General Election day visit between heavy downpours and no flying found that the old clubhouse had gone, removed to make room for ground works around the new clubhouse which edges ever closer to completion and which is looking very smart indeed. An attempt had been made the previous day to move the old clubhouse ‘en-bloc’ but it had succumbed to old age and a rotten frame and fell apart as an attempt was made to lift it! The interior of the new clubhouse remains a mystery as all of the windows are ‘whited out’ but a new access road has been laid and moves are being made to extend the car park ready for the fly-in on the 16-17 May.
Fishburn News and report 18 April 2015 - David Thompson
Work continues apace on the new clubhouse to ensure it is ready in time for it’s grand opening on their fly-in weekend of 16th-17th May. Confirmation too that new resident F172N Skyhawk G-CGRX is based here originally having arrived on the 25th March only to disappear again and return on the 17th April from it’s annual inspection.
As the sun sets and the clubhouse empties, the door ajar just
long enough to let the smell of Beryl’s bacon butties waft
across the airfield I’m left wondering if the same friendly
service will continue from the new clubhouse? I certainly hope
so but then we’ll find out soon enough come the grand reveal in
May!
Footnotes:
G-CDOV Skyranger 912 left for a new home near Hexham on the 23
April and Vans RV-7A.
G-ELVN arrived by road the following day for final assembly and
test flying although its future residency is not as yet certain.
Fishburn News
and report
A quick late morning call was the order of the day to have a
look at the airfields new temporary resident which arrived last
night in the shape of the previously promised T-6 Harvard 4
KF729. She had flown up from her base at Duxford and made an
impressive arrival with two low flypast’s, and to the south of
the airfield too which caused some concern amongst the watching
members who awaited instant ‘phone calls of complaints from
enraged Sedgefield residents but fortunately none were taken.
That or the ‘phone lines were down!
The Harvard is here for a complete make-over, both inside and out by RS Paintworks and will lose her present RAF flying training overall silver with yellow bands colour scheme which will be replaced by a new brown and sand desert camouflage together with a new identity of ‘AJ841’ which flew with both 71 and 74 OTU’s in the Middle East. Details of the aircrafts history and her future identity can be found on the T6 Harvard Aviation website.
The RS hangar is presently full so the Harvard is parked out
with a cockpit cover on but she should be here for quite a few
weeks yet and will certainly be here, and one of the star
attractions, at the airfields May fly-in.
The Spring sunshine on the 8th also attracted one other visitor as well as quite a few residents making the most of the good weather although it appears that long term resident Marquart MA5 Charger G-BVJX which had been put up for sale by its owner departed to pastures new in south Wales after a local air-test on the morning.