Bringing the history of Army flying to life in the air
In 1942, when our Auster Mk1 was manufactured, the aircraft were simple, the mission straightforward and back then, technology only had a small part to play in operating safely and effectively. The cockpit dashboard had only enough instrumentation for the pilot to keep the aircraft pointing in the right direction and at the right height while keeping an eye on how the engine was performing. Times have changed!
Behold the latest update from the Auster maintenance team regarding progress on the reconditioning of our 1942 Auster Mk1. With the mantra “There shall be no play in the control system”, the team has been inspecting every aspect of the Auster’s flying controls – including the horizontal flying trim system. This trim control is provided by a pair of trim tabs located beneath the tail plane. The tabs are controlled by the pilot independently of the elevator via two steel wires that run up the inside of the fuselage.
With apologies for the terrible pun in the Blog title ………. time for a brief update on progress for our Auster Mk1 reconditioning project. We have replaced the undercarriage suspension rubber bands (a tricky job and not for the faint-hearted), so we now just need to recondition the wheels and brakes and then we can pop the aircraft back onto the ground.
The Flight was approached by Threshold.aero (an organisation well known for arranging photocalls, nightshoots and tours for aviation enthusiasts) to see if we could provide their users with the opportunity of photographing our collection of Army Air Corps historic aircraft. 35 keen aviation photographers of all ages joined us at the airfield proceeded to surround the aircraft to get their perfect sunset shots.
Highclere Castle is well know for its connection to Tutuekhamun and Downton Abbey. We were invited to particpiate in the weekend Festival on 8th-9th October, where we attracted a lot of attention, but maybe not as much as some of our visitors!
Auster Mk1 LB 312 joined the Flight in late 2020, flying into Middle Wallop from Netheravon. Since then, having completed an initial inspection, we decided to ground the aircraft pending a full technical review and associated reconditioning of the whole aircraft. The programme is making steady progress.
Along with the Victory Show in Cosby and Brize Norton’s Families’ Day, the weekend of the 2nd to 4th of September was a busy one for the Historic Flight. Sunday’s task for the Scout was to the Double Hills Commemoration near Paulton, in North East Somerset.
The Victory Show is held on a 100-acre site at Foxlands Farm, Cosby, Leicestershire. It provides Historical Societies and re-enactments through various forces from several eras and theatres during the period of 1939-45. From Airmen to Infantry, the Victory Show opens a window in time to the fabulous 1940’s.
Saturday’s task for the Scout was RAF Brize Norton’s Families’ Day. As the largest RAF Station, it is home to approximately 5,800 service personnel, 1,200 contractors and 300 civilian staff. With a ‘foot-print’ of that size, along with the usual flair with which the RAF embrace such events, as you can imagine, they put on quite the weekend of events for those that call the base home, along with their friends and family.
Capel Military Show is an event that celebrates and showcases the very best of military focused entertainment whilst raising funds for military charities and local projects. It features static and dynamic displays that promote the work of the UK Military, supports attending Military Reserve units in their recruitment and advertising opportunities and assists the work of the dedicated charities and youth groups.
The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) was held this year at Fairford after a 2 year absence, with show days on 15th-17th July. An expected audience of 170,000 over the three days meant that this was an important opportunity for Historic Flight to be in attendance and on show, in order to raise our profile with aviation enthusiasts and the general public.
We were fortunate enough to receive an invite to take part in a static display at the National Memorial Arboretum for the Falklands 40th Commemorations along with a Westland (Sea Scout) Wasp helicopter XT420 from Navy Wings.
Thruxton Circuit stepped back in time and reverberated to the sounds and sights of the finest Historic and Classic motor racing in the country. With a total of 12 races over 2 days, it showcased some of the finest historic motor racing. This year for the first time they added heritage aviation to the event, and which we were invited to be a part of.
652 Sqn AAC celebrated the 80th Anniversary of their squadron on 10th June 2022. Auster XR244 had the honour of leading the commemorative formation.
The Historic Army Aircraft Flight has been investigating the options to mitigate the carbon produced by our flying activities. The Flight has chosen to work with Carbon Neutral Britain to offset the carbon being produced, and we have recently received our certification.
At the end of the closed season maintenance period, it is time to do some ground runs on our aircraft. Today it is the turn of our Auster AOP.9
The Royal Air Squadron flew in to Middle Wallop recently to visit the Historic Army Aircraft Flight. CCF cadets of Embley School were invited to support the Squadron’s hosts for the day and some had an opportunity to fly. This is their story.
Drivers passing Middle Wallop last Friday morning would be forgiven for wondering what on earth was going on as more than 20 aeroplanes, and some helicopters, descended to land at the Army airbase. Middle Wallop, the home of Army Aviation was hosting a visit from the Royal Air Squadron.
Boeing and the Historic Army Aircraft Flight came together to hold a STEM outreach day at a local Hampshire school recently. A Boeing graduate on a placement at Middle Wallop grabbed the opportunity to get involved, and this is her story . . .
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