Fuel Prices

Fuel at Breighton, as at 8/06/10: Avgas 100LL £1.67 per litre and Avtur Jet A1 £0.65 per litre - Take on fuel and support your local airfield!

Proposed windfarms threat to Breighton airfield

Breighton flyers, friends and families, we need your help

I’ve just telephoned Democratic Services at East Riding Council who confirm that members of the public are welcome to attend both of the two meetings next week concerning the windfarms at Spaldington, at least one of which seriously threatens ops at Breighton and to which RAC is formally objecting. We need as much support at the meetings as possible to impress on the Councillors the strength of local opinion against the windfarms.

Both meetings are being held in Beverley, at County Hall. Members of the public may observe at both but are not permitted to speak or ask questions. Some of us will be taking placards and banners!

The address for both is: County Hall, Cross Street, Beverley HU17 9BA

The two meetings are as follows:

Tue 31 August 2010, 1400hrs (2pm for non aviators)
Pre-Planning Committee presentations for and against both windfarms, by respectively the developers and STOP! the protest group (including an appearance by Rob Fleming and/or his aviation planning consultant, Peter Kember).
Expected duration 2-3 hours.
We think that the public may be seated in a gallery and so our presence and numbers may not be as obvious to Councillors as otherwise.

Thu 2 September 2010, 1400hrs (2pm)
The actual Planning Committee meeting at which the decisions will be made.
Only the Councillors and the Planning Officer are permitted to speak.
Duration unknown and we’re items 5 and 6 on their agenda. It could be long and much of it quite boring.
The more attendees the better. We need them to know what we think of the plans.
By the end of the meeting we should know either way on both of the plans.

If you can only manage to attend one meeting, make it the second.

Look forward to seeing you there.

Rod Burgess

Summer Madness Fly-in (updated)

The Summer Madness Fly-in held on August 22nd was deemed a huge success, attracting around 60 visiting aircraft, numerous SAAB cars, a healthy crowd and an ice cream van!

(BELOW) Taff's Glasair has just received its permit to fly (see update to news story below) and the opportunity to fly it alongside the Mew Gull was not to be missed! (David Whiteley)

(ABOVE) The Glasair lifts-off, literally weeks before Taff plans to fly it to Cape Town and back. (Tom Wray)

(BELOW) The T-6 and Soko Kraguj performing what was no doubt a very noisy flypast! (Tom Wray)

(ABOVE) Jungmeister catching the sun beautifully (Tom Wray)

(BELOW) Aerospatiale SA.341G Gazelle (Tom Wray)

(ABOVE) Resident CAP 231 catching some rays! (Tom Wray)

(BELOW) Cal Younger (460 Squadron, RAAF) about to get airborne in Andy Chadwick's Condor... (Les Clark)

(ABOVE) ... and then the Ryan! (Pete Wilkinson)

(ABOVE) "Not a bad turn out for the first Breighton SAAB gathering, the orange 96 travelled over 100 miles, probably the nicest car there, but next year there are a few more making the journey some from as far away as Aberdeen." (Peter Wilkinson - SAAB 'drive-in' organiser)

Sywell Airshow

(ABOVE) Les and Cliff enjoy the sunshine at Sywell airshow, Les was due to display the Mew Gull and Cliff the Dr1.

(BELOW) 'Jeeves' shares ramp space with the Hind and Nimrod.

(ABOVE) 'XF with Maurice Hammond's P-51 and Stearman in the background.

(BELOW) John in his 'bestest' overalls and the Tripe!

(ABOVE) The Breighton contingent shelter from the sun beneath the Aeronca's ample wing.

Many thanks to Phil Read for the pictures.

This year's 1940's weekend was deemed a huge success, despite the unsettled weather which seriously affected the flying on Saturday morning inparticular. The event raised £250 in 'landing fee donations' in support of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. Report and pictures HERE.

More from Duxford...

(ABOVE) Excellent sequence of photographs documenting 'XF's trip to Duxford's Flying Legends Airshow - with many thanks to photographer and journalist Eric Gray.

Lest we forget

Visitors to Breighton for this weekends 1940's fly-in and hangar bash might have noticed that one of the entrance flag poles was flying the Australian flag, the eagle-eyed amongst you may have also spotted the koala soft toy clutching a pair of poppies fastened to the flag pole. An anonymous tribute, no doubt linked to 460 Squadron RAAF, the first unit to be based at Breighton in 1942, perhaps made by a relative of someone based here during the war - we don't know. We were so taken aback by the sentiment that our own antipodean aviator, Alan Marsland, decided to hoist the Aussie flag as our own acknowledgment to the small but obviously heartfelt gesture. Lest we forget.

The incumbent and the pretender

(ABOVE and BELOW) 'Henshaw's 'XF' and Taff Smith's Glasair sharing ramp space at the slightly damp 1940's weekend (fly-in report to follow shortly). Final preparations are being made to the Glasair after which Taff plans to have a crack at some domestic and European records as part of his work-up to the big one - Southend to Cape Town and back, scheduled for late September. Follow Taff's preparations and progress on the Cape Run website.

UPDATE: The Glasair flew for the first time since its overhaul on 21st August, Les Clark took the following pictures of the engine being run-up prior to take-off, and the actual moment of 'lift-off'.

78 Squadron Operations record

Tony Hibberd, serving officer with 78 Squadron, RAF Benson, has painstakingly put together a bound record of wartime operations containing extensive details of Squadron losses whilst based at Breighton from 1943 to the end of hostilities. When he heard that we had invited former members of 460 Squadron RAAF, as well as those of 78 Squadron, to our 1940's weekend he went straight back to burning the midnight oil and came up with a companion volume covering 460 Squadron's brief stay at the airfield. We are very grateful to Tony and very pleased to have re-established a connection with 78 Squadron some 65+ years after the unit were based here. It is Tony's wish that we keep the two volumes on display in the crewroom and make them available to all who wish to browse, research and reflect - to which we will be honoured to oblige.

Report and pictures

Recovered Halifax Engine

At 2255 hours on the evening of 24th May 1944, Handley Page Halifax Mk III LV905/EY-W, 78 Squadron RAF, departed RAF Breighton tasked, alongside 400+ allied bombers, with delivering a deadly payload of bombs on the railway marshalling yards of Aachen. Following the raid the returning bomber was attacked by Luftwaffe Messerschmitt BF110 G4 night fighters. Pilot Karl-Heinz Scherfling unleashed his cannons on the aircraft and the shells ripped into the lumbering giant, setting it on fire and sending it into a steep dive. The aircraft then began to break up and subsequently crashed near Bergse Maas, approximately 1KM south of Hank (Noord-Brabant), 11KM NNE of Oosterhout. Two of the crew were thrown from the aircraft on impact, the other five were buried deep in the peat with the wreckage, sadly none of the seven crew members survived.

In 2003 a group of Dutch aviation archeologists with the assistance of the municipality of Werkendam, established the Salvage Halifax 1944 Foundation with the intention of salvaging the surviving wreckage and laying to rest the remains of the crew.

The crew of LV905 were subsequently reunited and buried in Jonkerbos War Cemetery, Nijmegen. They are: Pilot P/O E.B. Wilson, Flight Engineer Sgt W.J. White, Navigator F/O S.C. Peterson RCAF, Bomb Aimer F/O N.A. Marston DFC, Wireless Operator F/Sgt J. Henderson, Mid Upper Gunner Sgt G.H. Butler, Rear Gunner Sgt J.T.L. Leblanc RCAF.

(ABOVE) The memorial at Hank, marking the spot where LV905 crashed (Dave Sharp).

Recently we reported that The Salvage Halifax 1944 Foundation and The Mayor of the Municipality of Werkendam, had agreed that we may return one of the aircraft's engines to Breighton and we're pleased to say that this has now been achieved, almost 66 years to the day since it departed on that fateful mission, just in time for Exercise Halifax Shadow.

(BELOW) Les Clark, Tony Simms and Dave Sharp travelled to Holland to meet the Mayor of Werkendam and members of the Foundation on Thursday 27th May at Fort Altena near Werkendam to be presented with an engine from the aircraft together with other salvaged components. These were transported to Breighton on the Friday night ferry to Hull and arrived at Breighton Saturday morning for display in the main hangar in readiness for Halifax Shadow.

It is our intention to display the engine to honour the crew of LV905 and all 78 Squadron personel who lost their lives during WW2 however, the form in which the Memorial will take has yet to be decided - watch this space. Many thanks to Dave Sharp for information and pictures.

The history of the aircraft and salvage is detailed in a collage hung in the Breighton Clubhouse.

Reciprocal Arrangments

The Real Aeroplane Club has reciprocal arrangements with the following airfields: Bagby, Rufforth, Beverley, Fenland, Full Sutton, Netherthorpe, North Coates, Sandtoft, Sherburn-in-Elmet, Sturgate, Wickenby.

2010 Events Diary

The list of events planned for 2010 should include the following:

March 7th - The "Bud" Evans Commemorative Fly-in

(ABOVE) Breighton based VP-1 (Keith Wigglesworth)

This event celebrates the life of DIY aircraft builder William 'Bud' Evans, designer of the Evans VP-1, who sadly passed away in July 2009. Organiser Keith Wigglesworth hopes to attract every airworthy VP-1 in the UK and extends the invitation to pilots of all home-built aircraft.

April 16th - 18th - John McLean Aerobatics Trophy
Aerobatic competitions - no fly-in.

May 16th - Bentley and Triumph Owners Clubs visits and Vintage Aircraft Fly-in
Classic cars AND classic aeroplanes - it doesn't get much better than that!

June 5th and 6th - 'Exercise Halifax Shadow' and RAC D-Day Fly-in
Still very much in the early stages of planning, 'Exercise Halifax Shadow' commemorates the wartime sacrifices and achievements of 78 Squadron RAF. The brainchild of service personel currently serving with the Squadron, now based at RAF Benson, a programme of activities centred around RAF Linton-on-Ouse, the Yorkshire Air Museum and Bubwith Church as well as Breighton airfield are being assembled. Bubwith and Breighton will be the epicentre of Sundays activities with planned flypasts (subject to the usual disclaimers) by a BBMF Spitfire, a 78 Squadron Merlin helicopter trailing the RAF ensign (which will hopefully land at Breighton - the return of 78 Squadron to its wartime base, albeit temporarily, for the first time since the Second World War), and a SAR Sea King (another type once operated by 78 Squadron).

In addition we plan to hold a fly-in - PPR owing to flypasts and airfield activities.

June 19th - 20th - Club/Collection Fly-out to Wickenby Wings and Wheels
A club/collection fly out to join our good friends at Wickenby Airfield for their annual 'Wings and Wheels' charity event. Check out their website HERE.

26th June - Alvis Register visit
Up to 50 vintage Alvis motor cars calling in throughout the day.

July 17th and 18th - 1940's Weekend, Classic Fly-in and Hangar Bash
The big summer fly-in - we plan to add to the itiniary as the year progresses, you can have a look at the hugely successful 2009 event HERE

Aug 22th - 'Summer Madness' - All-comer's Fly-in and SAAB Owners Gathering
An open invitation to all aircraft types (plus SAAB owners gathering TBC).

Sept 12th - Helicopter Fly-in
THE fly-in for rotary winged aircraft - the more unusual the better. Hoping for much kinder weather in 2010!

Sept 26th - The "Bud" Evans Commemorative Fly-in (Part 2)
This event celebrates the life of DIY aircraft builder William 'Bud' Evans, designer of the Evans VP-1, who sadly passed away in July 2009. Organiser Keith Wigglesworth hopes to attract every airworthy VP-1 in the UK and extends the invitation to pilots of all home-built aircraft.

A word about access to Breighton Airfield for members of the general public

Whilst we warmly welcome members of the general public to Breighton admission can only be made by subscribing to Museum Club Membership (we prefer to think of it as a season ticket). Annual membership is just £25 per year, that's around £5 per fly-in, and don't forget you can bring family and friends along too (on the proviso that the Club member accepts responsibility for their guests) and visit any weekend, not just Fly-in weekends. Museum membership represents excellent value for money and is very popular with aviation enthusiasts and budding aviation photographers who enjoy an unrivalled level of access to aircraft, pilots and the flying activities.

Pilots of visiting aircraft and their crews/pax DO NOT NEED TO BE CLUB MEMBERS and there are NO LANDING FEES ON FLY-IN DAYS.