Struts 4U

Anne Hughes rounds up Strut news & views

While the British weather took a very Continental turn this past month, it wasn’t all sunshine when it came to the Vintage Aircraft Club and LAA Meet the Members weekend at Bodmin, towards the end of July. Despite the best of plans, the clouds descended over Cornwall and aircraft were unable to fly-in. Thanks to Pete White and Jay Gates of the Cornwall Strut, those who did make it enjoyed Cornish pasties and a look around the hangars, plus the flora extravaganza Bodmin has become famous for. Thanks also to Neil Wilson and David Millin for arriving with the LAA stand.

The Devon and Wessex Struts, on the other hand, both enjoyed some wall-to-wall sunshine for the Branscombe Fly-In, where there were 46 arrivals by air, and at least one sunny day for the Aerofest meet at Middlezoy. Neil Wilson reported that a joint LAA and Wessex Strut stand was part of the that event, and while Saturday’s decent weather was not repeated on Sunday, when some heavy drizzle in the morning put off the would-be arrivals, they met and spoke with many people, some wanting to get back into flying and others looking at wishing to build an aeroplane. All in all, a great atmosphere… and plans for next year’s Aerofest are already underway for next year.

Nic Orchard reported on the inter-strut fly-in at Lee-on-Solent, where more than 40 aircraft arrived, and the airport was reportedly extremely happy with the turnout, airmanship and general ambience of the day. Nic says, “Half price landings plus 10% off any and everything in the café made for splendid additional motivation. A very substantial contingent from Kent and Suffolk struts with a welcome arrival or two from Wessex and Southern Struts, not to mention a dedicated arrival by road, gave the resident spotters a plethora of subjects. We were able to give away a good number of Airfield Adventure books to youngsters, too. Visitors wandered to the beach and Hovercraft Museum (another discount!) so there was never any overcrowding.”

The beginning of August saw the return of the LAA roadshow to Rufforth East Airfield and a warm welcome from Chris Holliday and the Vale of York Strut. Entertainment took the form of an enthusiastic, and talented, two-wheel display rider who demonstrated that you can ride a motorbike facing backwards, standing on the seat, while performing somersaults, which captivated the younger audience!

The new airfield café has an Italian menu and provides musical entertainment. More than 20 aircraft arrived each day of the weekend and it was good to see Eryl Smith, Andy Draper and Steve Slater, who had driven up from HQ to support the weekend.

Of course, none of these events could take place were it not for a dedicated group of volunteers, both from the Struts and on the ground at whichever airfield hosts the event. The payback is, of course, the camaraderie of the workers and the satisfaction in seeing a successful outcome with aircraft arriving and groups enjoying a day together.

An added bonus is often to be found when the day involves provision for young people, as we have found with our Aviation Adventure Days at Turweston and LAA Aviation Art, now part of the Shuttleworth Air Shows. Stuart Luck and his team of YES volunteers, alongside the Joystick Club, have worked over the years to give inspiration and pleasure to many young people. To see the Discovery Zone in action at Shuttleworth and the learning and ‘fun’ activities involving pedal planes, paper planes and bottle rockets, as well as the LAA pedal plane used to demonstrate basic engineering skills, is a pure delight and a real ‘education’ for onlookers! Simulators are also available for young people to try out their flying skills. Stuart Luck and Mike Clews, along with Pete White in Bodmin and others involved in arranging events for young people are always happy to see new volunteers come and assist at events. Do get in touch if you would like to add the fun of working with the next generation of aviators to a day at a fly-in or air show.

The LAA Grass Roots Fly-In at Popham will again provide an opportunity for Strut Members to meet up in a Strut area, alongside the Vintage Aircraft Club. We look forward to seeing you there. ■