The Real Aeroplane Company - Breighton Aerodrome

		AERONCA 100 - G-AEVS (1936/7) 'Jeeves' is one of only 24 'flying bath tubs' built by the Aeronautical Corporation of Great Britain, Ltd at Peterbrough. It is almost identical to the US built Aeronca C-3 apart from being fitted with interchangeable fabric covered ailerons instead of metal ones and a J.A.P. Model J99 engine instead of the Aeronca E-113C. 'Jeeves' is the longest serving RAC aircraft.

(Picture: David and Zan Blundell/lovethecamera.com)		PERCIVAL E.2H MEW GULL - G-AEXF (1936) This aircraft was built for air racing, it is one of only six examples built and the sole survivor of those six. In 1938 this very aircraft achieved a staggering 270 mph, faster than the Hawker Hurricane at sea level. Between February 5th and February 9th 1939, air race pilot Alex Henshaw, flying this specially modified Percival E.2H Mew Gull, set a number of records for solo flight between Gravesend London and Wingfield Cape Town, many of which stood for 70 years. Henshaw's epic flight to the Cape and back is regarded by many as being one of the most amazing feats of airmanship, navigational skill and human endurance. He spent in excess of sixty hours airborne over a period of only a hundred and three hours and travelling at an average speed on the outward leg of 209.44 mph. The demands on both the pilot and aircraft were enormous, he made ten takeoffs, the majority from very poor airstrips whilst dangerously overloaded with fuel. To compound these difficulties, the aircraft suffers from very poor forward visibility making landing and taking-off a challenge at the best of times but almost impossible during the hours of darkness, yet amazingly, four takeoffs were made at night. Pilot fatigue, atmospheric haze, thunderstorms, ice, fog and darkness ate into what remaining margin for error Henshaw may have believed he had. Against all the odds, 39 hours and 23 minutes after leaving Gravesend, after negotiating desert and jungle landscape largely devoid of landmarks, suffering an attack of malaria and a partially severed finger, he landed at Cape Town, a total distance of 6377 miles. The return trip to London was completed in the slightly slower time of 39 hours and 36 minutes. Alex Henshaw and G-AEXF hold the fastest ever Kings Cup victory by a British aircraft, achieving an average speed of 236.25 mph over a triangular course of 1012.14 miles.

		ARROW ACTIVE 2 - G-ABVE (1932) An aircraft built by Arrow Aircraft of Leeds. Despite being utilised as an aerobatic sports aircraft Arrows original intention was to sell it to the military. The aforementioned Alex Henshaw (see the Mew Gull profile) owned first prototype Arrow Active 1 and had a lucky escape by parachute when the aircraft caught fire and was subsequently destroyed in the resulting crash. The Arrow Active 2 was built with a slightly more powerful Gipsy III engine and has happily survived despite being damaged and rebuilt a number of times since.

		MILES M14A HAWK TRAINER 3 - G-AKAT (1940) This Miles M14A Hawk Trainer, or Magister as it was know in military use, is one of only a handful surviving in flying trim. There were 54 examples of the Hawk Trainer Mk 3 built, primarily for civillian training and export use, but 8 of those also found their way to the RAF. The RAF used the 'Maggie' for Elementary Flying Training with successful candidates moving on to fly aircraft such as the North American Harvard and, eventually, progressing to frontline aircraft such as the Hurricane or Spitfire. (Picture: Andy Wood)

		FOKKER DR1 'TRIPLANE' REPLICA - G-BVGZ (1994) This Fokker Dr. I 'Dreidecker' replica represents one of the most feared fighter aircraft of World War One. The type was used to devastating effect by the legendary Manfred von Richthofen (the Red Baron) circa 1918, in whose colours the aircraft currently displays. Despite its outward appearance the aircraft is powered by a modern Lycoming engine.

		BUCKER BU133 JUNGMEISTER - G-AXMT (1938) The Bucker family of bi-planes enjoy something of a renaissance at Breighton, there are always multiple resident aircraft at any one time! The Jungmeister is an inter-war single seat sports/aerobatic bi-plane built with performance limitations in accordance with the Versailles Treaty, however, the Luftwaffe secretly used the Bucker Jungmeister to its train pilots prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. The Real Aeroplane Company's Jungmeister is Dornier built example powered by a Siemens-Bramo radial engine and it currently sports an eye-catching Swiss Air Force scheme. (Picture: Andy Wood)

		RYAN ST3KR - G-RLWG (1942) The ST3KR (or PT-22 Recruit as it was known in military service) was one of a number of military training types to emerge in the USA at the outbreak of the Second World War. Based on an earlier Claude Ryan STA design, the Menasco powered prototype designated YPT-16 was developed. During trials it was decided to re-engine the aircraft with the more rugged, powerful and suitable Kinner B-54 engine and to strip the airframe of all superflouous niceties such as wheel spats, rudder fairing and spinners. Devoid of the sleek lines and stylish good looks of the Menasco powered aircraft it was decided to redesignate the 'new' type ST3. 500 ex-military PT-22's were released onto the civillian market as ST3KR's and Rob Fleming's example is one of those. The aircraft was imported from the US in 2008 and currently retains its civillian paint scheme.

		LUTON LA4A MINOR - G-ATCN (1965) Although this particular example was built in 1965 the Luton LA4 Minor type can trace its lineage back to to the 1930's and the drawing board of C.H. Latimer-Needham. The prototype LA3 flew in March 1937 and as a result of successful flight trials was redesigned for home construction and re-designated LA4 Minor. Despite being a wonderful flyer it was always considered to be underpowered and in the late 1950's the design was once again altered to enable the installation of a larger engine, the result being the Luton LA4A Minor. Rob Fleming's LA4A is currently powered by a 4 cylinder Lycoming but plans are in motion to install a very rare 2 cylinder Bristol Cherub. (Picture: Steve Blee)

		COMPER C.L.A.7 SWIFT REPLICA - G-LCGL (1993) This stunning replica of Nicholas Comper's 1930's shoulder-wing sports monoplane was built in 1993 by the late John Greenland. Authentic right down to the incredibly rare Pobjoy Niagara powerplant, the aircraft is only 2lbs heavier than the original. It is documented that no other aircraft built in such small numbers (41 actually built) has broken so many records and won so many races. The most notable record being that of Charles Butler whose epic flight from the UK to Darwin, Australia in 1939 was completed 9 days, 2 hours and 29 minutes. G-LCGL was registered in tribute to Alex Henshaw’s Comper Swift, G-ACGL, in which he won the Siddely Trophy at the 1933 Kings Cup.

		YAKOVLEV YAK-18A - G-CEIB (1958) The Yak 18A Soviet military trainer (NATO codenamed 'Max') can trace its origins back to the late 1940's. The type served with many air forces, most notably the Soviet and Polish, although its greatest claim to fame was its use as a night fighter by the North Korean's during the Korean War - 5.5 million gallons of fuel reportedly destroyed in one attack. Apparently US troops nick-named the Yak 18 "Washing Machine Charlie" because the aircraft's radial engine reputedly sounded similar to early gasoline powered washing machines that were being introduced at the time! Interestingly the Afghan Air Force operated a hand full of Yak 18's until 2001. (Picture: Peter Lamb)

		BUCKER BU131 JUNGMANN - G-TAFF (1934) The Jungmann was designed specifically to provide ab-initio training for military pilots during the inter-war years, albeit in the guise of an aerobatic aircraft, the first prototype being rolled-out in 1934. So successful was the design that by 1941 some 4000 airframes had been built worldwide (many built under licence in Spain and Czechoslovakia). After the war the aircraft became a popular competition aerobatic aircraft. G-TAFF (owned by Tony 'Taff' Smith), has recently been refurbished at Breighton. It is the aircraft in which Tony flew solo from Australia to the UK in the late 1980's. (Picture: Nessa Carr)

The Real Aeroplane Company is currently restoring a Westland Wasp helicopter and building a Sopwith Pup - stay tuned!

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