Struts 4U

by Anne Hughes

Tony Palmer had waited patiently to receive the David Faulkner-Bryant Shield for his work in running the Southern Strut over the years, the first of the Struts set up by David Faulkner-Bryant in 1969. We chose a very special location for the presentation – Lady Judy MacAlpine’s Fawley Hill Railway and Museum where Tony was attending a day event with the Vintage Aircraft Club on 24 April. Steve Slater made the presentation, amid smoke and whistles from one of the collection’s steam trains, so it proved to be a memorable experience!

Congratulations to Tony for this, and also for the National Transport Trust Award, which Tony would have received for his Klemm L2c restoration at the same venue last autumn. That award, presented by HRH The Princess Royal, was collected by his co-builder Jim Copeman as Tony was unable to attend.

April 24 proved a busy day across the country for Strut and Club Fly-ins, and Ruth Kelly shares her account of the Wessex Strut Fly-in.

“The day dawned brightly at Henstridge, although with a gusty wind forecast in the north-east and heavy rain showers to the west, we all held our breath. After a two-year absence, due to Covid-19, and several busy days of airfield preparation, the 2022 Wessex Strut Fly-in was poised to go ahead.

“No doubt the forecast weather conditions deterred a few individuals, the risk of a gusty crosswind would certainly have put me off, but in the event the day turned out to be a great success. The sun shone all day, the wind mostly stayed in line with Runway 06, and some 55 visitors flew in. Stars of the show included a Harvard, a Chipmunk and a Westland Wasp from Navy Wings at Yeovilton, a line-up of aircraft recently reviewed for the magazine, including the Stolp Starlet, Van’s RV-14A and the Smith Miniplane. Making its debut was a Miles Magister in the final stages of restoration by Kevin Crumplin and Annabelle Burroughes. Very splendid she looked too, parked next to a Tiger Moth in identical colours. Spotters were out in force and there was a cheerful surge of people into the air park over lunch. Food was typical airfield fare – bacon rolls, sandwiches, teas, coffees and soft drinks – and very good too, all laid on by airfield owner Geoff Jarvis.

“Happily, our event-planning skills, although rusty, proved equal to the task of the day. I certainly learned a bit about marshalling – my first proper experience of waving colourful bats at aeroplanes! It was a delight to see flying friends meeting, chatting and looking at aeroplanes after such a long absence. Here’s to a good season ahead.”

Looking ahead to 28 August, the Aeronca Club of Great Britain, one of the LAA’s Member Clubs, will be celebrating its 30th birthday. The Club was set up in 1992 by two former Chairmen of the VAC, John Broad and Alan Biggs, who co-owned Aeronca Champ G-AJON. Alan and John were joined on the committee by Roger Jones, editor of the PFA magazine Popular Flying, and by Pete White. With the inaugural meeting having been at White Waltham, the club will return there for the celebration.

Pete White has been the Club’s chairman since he took over from Alan in 1997. Pete is also Chairman of the Cornwall Strut based at Bodmin, and is co-owner of Aeronca Chief G-IVOR. I am pleased to confirm that the combination of Pete and IVOR, along with a beautiful summer day, made a flight around the north Cornish coast a delightful and memorable experience for me last year! The club usually holds six fly-in events for members and Aeronca owners can be found across the country. The Vintage Aircraft Club and LAA are holding a combined event at Bodmin in July.

Highlands and Islands and East of Scotland Struts are making plans for summer, where the long daylight hours in Scotland make for superb conditions both for flying and taking aerial photos. Published in its monthly newsletters, the views are enviably stunning and, by the time you read this column, the LAA Scottish Tour will doubtless have reported back on the combination of mountain scenery and seascapes as viewed from above.

We are now into the season of fly-ins, BBQs and real aviation activities across the UK.

I am always happy to receive both photographic and written accounts for this column, which can be sent to the email address below. ■