Dynamic duo

A double dose of aviation enthusiasm as Neil Wilson talks to Richard Pike and Sam Woodgate

What started your interest in aviation?

Richard: For me it was airshows. I grew up in Elvington which had some incredible shows. I remember seeing the displays as a kid and that was definitely the first spark. I still remember those moments so vividly, and that’s why it’s so important to try and keep that going for future generations. We try to involve local Scouts, Brownies, schools groups etc as much as possible at Eshott – you never know what you might be sparking when a child sits in the front seat of a Chipmunk.

Sam: Since childhood, I have always been really interested in machines and engines. I’m guessing this stemmed from my dad taking me to steam rallies and vintage shows. At primary school it was all about trains, but this began to shift towards aeroplanes. Watching a display by a Harrier at Clacton Airshow had me hooked, and during the show I found the Air Cadets stand to find out how I could join up.

Once I was old enough, I joined 308 Colchester Squadron. I had some amazing experiences through the ATC, visiting stations like Wittering, while the Harrier was still operational. I remember being kept awake at night in a portacabin by the engine runnings. I also visited Boscombe Down when the Empire Test Pilots’ School

(ETPS) still had an interesting array of aeroplanes like the T6 and Beagle Basset. I was lucky to get rides in a Sea King, Merlin and Chinooks during camps, as well as while assisting at Southend during the airshow. None of the work experience options available at school appealed to me, so I arranged to spend two weeks in the engineering hangar at Clacton Airfield. This is where the maintenance of the Dragon Rapides and Tiger Moths was carried out – I loved every minute of work experience, and getting to work with these types started to steer my interest towards vintage aeroplanes. I was asked if I wanted to assist as ground crew for Classic Wings, and from that point forward was at Duxford for as many days as possible during time off from school.

Where did you learn to fly?

Richard: I learned to fly with Yorkshire University Air Squadron at RAF Church Fenton, as it was then. I’d always wanted to be an RAF pilot, so I took the training and Squadron life there seriously, and really got the most out of it. I had a room on the base, and having already been a draughtsman for a few years before heading to university meant I had a good grip on the degree I was doing, so I spent almost none of my time in Sheffield studying.

Church Fenton was an incredible place to learn to fly. Two huge runways, a full RAF radar and tower service and around 12 Tutor T1 aircraft; essentially a private base for our Squadron. There was also the Squadron HQ building with its own bar run by the students themselves and thankfully, walls can’t talk…

I spent every minute I could there and left with around 70 hours of logbook time following the RAF’s Elementary Flying Training syllabus. Sadly, following some very harsh budget cutting around 2012 RAF pilot recruitment was stopped completely, and those of us on the Squadron who wanted flying careers were going to have to look elsewhere.

Shortly after, I started flying at Full Sutton on the Firefly, although I really couldn’t afford to! It was close to the Tutor and was a good solid aircraft that could be flown in a similar manner as to what I was used to. After visiting the club a few times, I bumped into Sam in the car park. We had a cup of tea while waiting for the weather to clear and our first plan to go flying together was formed, and that’s where it all began!

Sam: I began flying gliders at Rattlesden in Suffolk. The club offered a brilliant cadet programme whereby launches and airtime were charged at half the normal rate, and in exchange for this I was expected to assist with airfield operations, setting up the winch and launch point etc. As a 15-year-old it was brilliant fun learning to reverse a tractor with a winch attached, and to carefully drive the launchpoint coach without smashing the trays of crockery onboard. I flew with some really knowledgeable and dedicated volunteer instructors – and many lessons that I learned during this first part of my flight training have stuck with me.

My first powered flying lessons were while working for Classic Wings at Duxford, where I earned a 15-minute lesson per day, rather than money. I flew out of both Clacton and Duxford in a C152, and where I could in the Tiger Moth. I was fortunate to receive a 12-hour flying bursary from the Air League that I carried out in 2010 with Tayside Aviation at Dundee, which is where I did my first solo in a PA28. I then had a three-year gap until I picked up my flight training again. Something just clicked that I needed to complete my PPL, so I sold everything I could that wasn’t tied down to get the money together, completing my training at Full Sutton and skills test with the late Cas Smith.

I completed my tailwheel conversion with Paul Jones at Derby in the Cessna 140 the year after getting my licence, which had always been one of the first things I wanted to do to get on to flying interesting vintage types. I am currently finishing my multi-engine course with Advanced Flight Training on a Piper Seneca, in preparation for flying our Miles Gemini, G-AKKB.

How many types and hours in your logbooks?

Richard: I’ve flown around 450 hours now. Currently 18 types flown, including MS315, Chipmunk, Cub, Auster, Taylor Monoplane, Tutor, Firefly, Seneca 220T and the usual flight school machines!

Sam: Twenty-four different types of aircraft in my logbooks, with 443 hours on group A aeroplanes and 130 glider launches.

What’s your current job, and what path took you to it?

Richard: My day job is to run Eshott Airfield and the flying school. I also get involved with the doping and painting side of things once projects in our engineering division progress to that stage.

Before aviation I’d started further education at York College studying construction while working as a draughtsman at an architecture firm. From there I went on to university in Sheffield and studied architecture.

Sam: I did my GCSEs at the Gilberd School in Colchester and then went to Colchester Sixth Form College for A levels in maths, physics, English language, electronics and graphics. Following a year working as part of a gap placement for a youth charity in Essex, I moved out from home to Wensleydale (yes, near the cheese factory) to run a youth project.

I met Richard when we were both completing our PPLs together at Full Sutton and we started our first business venture valeting aeroplanes from the back of his courier van. This then led to respraying and refurbishing aeroplanes. We now run Eshott Airfield in Northumberland, where we operate a busy flight school and engineering company. My current main role is as the Accountable Manager for RS Aero Engineering which holds part-CAO approval. We look after aircraft for both our own and other local flight schools as well as private owners

How has your business evolved?

Both: It came together by accident in many ways. Our chance meeting at Full Sutton got us flying together and like many other people in their early 20s, flying aircraft at £150 an hour or so was either incredibly difficult or simply unachievable. We needed a plan to fly.

We started washing / valeting aircraft in the Yorkshire area. Our charge for the half-day aircraft valet was an hour of flying. We quickly found quite a market for washing aeroplanes, and because we were pilots, we knew what to touch, what not to touch, how delicate certain areas were and where not to remove important things like grease or oils. It wasn’t long until we started upgrading products, charging a day rate for the work and ultimately decided to start working with aeroplanes full-time.

We bought our first Cessna 150 on a credit card for £9,000 and started renting the aircraft out as cheap as possible to offer people in the same position as us, an affordable way to fly.

It wasn’t long until we moved into aircraft painting and airfield management, and to cut a long story short we took a long-term lease on Eshott Airfield in 2016. Our business at Eshott evolved quickly and we now operate Eshott Airfield, the flying school, an aircraft engineering / restoration business and a café. We work closely with the emergency services offering rotors-running refuelling and are also involved in ‘playing the enemy’ for major NATO exercises several times a year.

It’s been a fast-moving six years, with lots of exciting developments to come, all going on in the background.

Do you have favourite types?

Richard: That’s a really difficult question. Firstly, I’ve not yet flown the Gemini and I suspect that will quickly become my favourite. For now if I really had to choose a type I’d probably side with the Chipmunk. I’d flown 80 or so hours in the Taylor Monoplane when I first flew the Chipmunk and I thought it was just a big version of that in a lot of ways. It makes me, or any passenger I take, smile every time and that’s what it’s all about.

Sam: I think the Morane-Saulnier MS315 has to be a firm favourite. Despite being totally exposed in the rear cockpit, not being able to see anything in front, getting a good coating of oil to the face from its radial engine and having no brakes… the aeroplane is a delight to float around Northumberland on a summer day.

The cockpit has lots of room, control inputs can seem almost comical with its huge rudder bar, and because of its size it feels like it lumbers into the sky. It is a totally different aeroplane to all the others I have flown and it is a privilege to have had the opportunity to fly such an old machine. Particularly given that there are very few remaining in airworthy condition worldwide

What was your first aircraft restoration?

Sam: The first aeroplane we restored was a Taylor Monoplane G-BDAD. I had flown a few hours in it before one day finding a weep from a fuel line. Somehow, like most projects go, this ended up turning into a full rebuild. The canopy was removed, instrument panel redesigned, new seat, engine top end overhaul and fabric recovered. Richard did the painting and we decided to go for a royal blue colour with white pinstripes, inspired by the Rapide, G-AKIF, for which I used to ground crew. We were grateful to have lots of assistance from our friend Alex Szymanski and our LAA Inspector for the aeroplane, Nick Stone.

How has the LAA helped you?

Richard: The LAA Engineering team has always been incredibly helpful when I have had technical queries. Features such as the safety section and the general owner advice that Light Aviation carries have been interesting and informative. I went on my first LAA course, which was woodworking with Dudley Pattison held in his garage. Also, on all the projects I have worked on, I have always found the permit renewal system to be very quick.

What aircraft do you currently have?

Both: At the moment on the classic side of things we’ve got three (and a half!) Chipmunks, an Auster, the Miles Gemini, a Naval Aircraft Factory N3N and a Taylor Titch project. We also have been operating a MS315 for its owners.

The business uses a pair of Cessna 150s, an EV97, a Cessna 172 and a PA28 Cherokee 180. We look after everything here ourselves (along with a growing number of private clients) via our own business RS Aero Engineering, so it can be very busy in the summer months! Of course, on top of the aeroplanes we have some vintage vehicles that we use around the site. Just like aeroplanes they have to be constantly tinkered with to keep them happy!

Is the MS315 a challenge to operate?

Both: It really was initially. First, it’s the only one flying and its history as an airframe is amazing. The owners of the aircraft had a personal connection with it too. You never want to hurt an aircraft or treat it unsympathetically, and the history of this machine gives us a real focus.

Another thing that gets your attention is the complete absence of brakes and total lack of forward visibility on the ground, which only marginally increases once airborne!

Although only small by radial standards, the Rotec produced a lovely growl, which quickly brought out a childish grin shortly after every engine start. The Rotec engine had its own quirks on top of the ever-important mechanical considerations of every radial engine.

It drew a crowd wherever it went, which was always very useful as it required at least six people to manoeuvre it to and from fuel pumps. We used the 315 on a number of long cross-country flights, and it was fun to share it with people, so we went to a variety of airfields with it. The most common question we’d get was, ‘what’s it a replica of?’!

Any favourite moments in aviation?

Richard: I’m so lucky to see such a wide range of aviation in so many different situations. I have so many moments that I feel genuinely privileged to have had and whenever it’s possible I’ll try and get a photo to capture it forever. Sometimes of course it’s the day you remember, not so much the moment itself. I’ve had several of those ‘best days’ at the exceptional Glenforsa Hotel on the Isle of Mull. If you haven’t been, you must. On my first visit, I landed with my girlfriend in the Auster to a beautiful sunset and a fantastic meal overlooking the sea. My last visit there was with Sam as a formation with two Taylor Monoplanes, again into the sunset. We arrived a little later than planned (having had the drama of starting a warm VW engine at Cumbernauld) with a few minutes to spare before our dinner reservation. We landed, parked up in the sunset and walked 50ft to the bar and chatted about warbirds with owner Brendan for a few hours. Perfect!

Are you excited about returning the N3N to flight?

Sam: Just a little! Richard and I, along with James Arnott, purchased G-CFXT back in 2019. After leaving US Navy service our aeroplane was converted to become a crop sprayer, having a 450hp Pratt and Whitney Wasp Junior engine fitted. The aeroplane has been tirelessly restored by the Vintage Skunkworks team at Wickenby back to its WWII training configuration, but the bigger engine has been retained. This huge radial gives the aeroplane such a presence and makes such a wonderful sound. The aeroplane is nearing the final stages of restoration, it has been invited, along with our Gemini, to the Goodwood Revival at the end of the year, and we are keeping our fingers crossed that everything comes together for it to make it there. It’s a real privilege to be invited to Goodwood, especially when you take a look at the calibre of some of the aircraft that make up that exhibition. I suspect our other halves will have to make their own way there given the useful load of a 1947 Miles Gemini! We’re looking forward to getting dressed up in appropriate attire. I think it will be white Miles Aircraft overalls!

Can we expect to see you in more episodes of Warbird Workshop?

Originally the episode of Warbird Workshop we took part in was meant to be focusing on the restoration of the N3N, however, due to delays in sourcing parts in the USA and the inevitable slow pace of such a rebuild, it was unable to fly during the making of the programme, which shifted the focus of the episode towards the MS315. There are plans afoot for a future episode dedicated to the N3N and hopefully filming its very first post-restoration flight. We really enjoyed the air-to-air filming for the programme, flying our Taylor Monoplanes in formation with a Squirrel fitted with a camera underneath. Despite the racket from the VW engine, you could hear the Squirrel above us.

Tell us about your work with Hartlepool College

Both: We have a great relationship with Hartlepool College. Their students currently work with us during a flight and engineering experience programme. The students get to take an introductory flight in our EV97 Eurostar and whilst on the ground we deliver hands-on light aircraft engineering experiences. My role has been in teaching the basics of fabric covering, something the students seem to really enjoy. This link with Hartlepool has grown into our new project – Hangar 57 – a dedicated heritage hangar and STEM programme for students. We hope to share updates on this in the future.

Any aircraft on your wish list?

Richard: I’ve been pretty lucky to have owned many of the cars or aeroplanes that would make up my ultimate ‘toy box’. Since I’ve started flying I’ve always said I want to fly / operate / own a C-47 or DC-3 – and I really hope I can achieve that one day. I just think it would be amazing to operate one and help keep a piece of the history alive.

Any advice to share with other owners and pilots?

Richard: However many aeroplanes you currently have, you need one more! On a serious note though I think a lot of people pay for mistakes by learning through the early years of aircraft ownership. We try our best at Eshott to explain to students what they might need or want and help them along the way, but often people go out by themselves and buy an aeroplane they don’t really understand. My advice would be to get some good advice before you buy, take someone with you (an engineer ideally), and once you do purchase something look after your machine, make sure it’s insured properly… and don’t try and do anything on the cheap. ■