Cessna Pilots?
Discussion
Private Pile
Yes, Jim Mc was the owner & CFI at Turnhouse, and also had the Ford dealership that you mention. Sadly he succumbed to cancer a few years ago.
De Waard and Findlay Steele went to the airlines. If the 'Young' was Alan Young, he went to Loganair, losing his life during a night Air Ambulance sortie in 1996 when he hit the ground on the way into Tingwall in an Islander.
Turnhouse Flying Club went belly-up in 2000, after 60 years, shortly after Jim sold it to club members. The last few months were spent at Cumbernauld; Edinburgh was getting rather pricey for operating light aircraft from. I worked there as an instructor from 1999 to The End, with the Other Half doing ops.
Most of the aircraft you mention were still around then: 'JH, 'TA and 'WS were still on the go training PPLs. 'RV was an aerobat, and was the very same aircraft in which Frank Spencer did his 'trial lesson' in 'Some Mothers do 'ave 'em' (with Michael Crawford actually doing the aeros himself, the 'flying instructor' actor cacking himself in the other seat). I delivered 'RV with a mate to its new owner at Shoreham in 1998, navigating round the interesting bits of the London TMA using VOR radials, a stopwatch, and luck.
PA28 G-BHZE starred in a 'Pilot' magazine 'I learned about flying from that', along with a nice little illustration of it emerging near-inverted from a Cb cloud pulling quite a bit of 'g' at quite a lot of knots after the writer (a PPL who'd hired the aircraft from the club) lost control of it whilst IMC in said thundercloud. Jim, the aircraft owner, was a tad pissed-off that the culprit had opted to tell the World of the incident via Pilot mag and hadn't actually mentioned it after the flight! Not long after, 'ZE was in the hold at 3000' near Dundee when the engine lunched itself due to indigestion after eating an exhaust valve. Jim managed to glide to the airfield overhead and stuck it on the runway without bending it. It's still on the go AFAIK, owned by a chap in Fife last time I checked, ex-works rally driver as well!
Yes, Jim Mc was the owner & CFI at Turnhouse, and also had the Ford dealership that you mention. Sadly he succumbed to cancer a few years ago.
De Waard and Findlay Steele went to the airlines. If the 'Young' was Alan Young, he went to Loganair, losing his life during a night Air Ambulance sortie in 1996 when he hit the ground on the way into Tingwall in an Islander.
Turnhouse Flying Club went belly-up in 2000, after 60 years, shortly after Jim sold it to club members. The last few months were spent at Cumbernauld; Edinburgh was getting rather pricey for operating light aircraft from. I worked there as an instructor from 1999 to The End, with the Other Half doing ops.
Most of the aircraft you mention were still around then: 'JH, 'TA and 'WS were still on the go training PPLs. 'RV was an aerobat, and was the very same aircraft in which Frank Spencer did his 'trial lesson' in 'Some Mothers do 'ave 'em' (with Michael Crawford actually doing the aeros himself, the 'flying instructor' actor cacking himself in the other seat). I delivered 'RV with a mate to its new owner at Shoreham in 1998, navigating round the interesting bits of the London TMA using VOR radials, a stopwatch, and luck.
PA28 G-BHZE starred in a 'Pilot' magazine 'I learned about flying from that', along with a nice little illustration of it emerging near-inverted from a Cb cloud pulling quite a bit of 'g' at quite a lot of knots after the writer (a PPL who'd hired the aircraft from the club) lost control of it whilst IMC in said thundercloud. Jim, the aircraft owner, was a tad pissed-off that the culprit had opted to tell the World of the incident via Pilot mag and hadn't actually mentioned it after the flight! Not long after, 'ZE was in the hold at 3000' near Dundee when the engine lunched itself due to indigestion after eating an exhaust valve. Jim managed to glide to the airfield overhead and stuck it on the runway without bending it. It's still on the go AFAIK, owned by a chap in Fife last time I checked, ex-works rally driver as well!
Edited by speedtwelve on Tuesday 23 March 01:04
Thanks for the reply Speedtwelve.
Yes, i heard about Jim.I didnt know him well, but he was always very friendly towards me. I can still remember the "look" he gave me, when during a PFL at East Fortune, i set the plane up perfectly. Apart from trying to land with a tail wind! His wife, who worked in the club bar always welcomed me with a big smile too.
As i said, my memory is terrible. The only other instructor i can remember is DeWard, who was always very profesional and thourgh.
Thanks for taking the time to update me.
Gordon
PS I can still remember my first solo like it was yesterday!
Take care.
Yes, i heard about Jim.I didnt know him well, but he was always very friendly towards me. I can still remember the "look" he gave me, when during a PFL at East Fortune, i set the plane up perfectly. Apart from trying to land with a tail wind! His wife, who worked in the club bar always welcomed me with a big smile too.
As i said, my memory is terrible. The only other instructor i can remember is DeWard, who was always very profesional and thourgh.
Thanks for taking the time to update me.
Gordon
PS I can still remember my first solo like it was yesterday!
Take care.
G-BFRV is now in Earls Colne. I had the fun and games of trying to teach it's owner about navigation. There was a story going around that D&D had bought him a GPS to try and stop him getting lost... We told him that whenever he left the circuit it was probably best that he QSY'd direct to 121.5 to save a bit of time...
griffdude said:
IforB said:
Ed this is a horrible shed of an aeroplane.
I used to fly that very shed, it was my first 'big' aircraft.On the type rating course, had some spare time so did a low approach & go-around into Turweston. Good fun.
Sorry to OP, but bought back happy memories.
Edited by IforB on Thursday 25th March 03:24
speedtwelve said:
Ifor,
I take it he/she hadn't mastered the art of a strategically placed practice PAN or training fix on 121.5 when 'temporarily unsure of position'?
Or did they only call D&D after they'd already bonged Stansted zone yet again?
I think he got lost walking down his own driveway. He used the old "training fix" a few times too often for it to be just practise...I think Stansted wanted to put Cessna seeking missles all around their zone at one point and if he stopped flying, I actually think the CAA would notice a difference in their infringement stats...I take it he/she hadn't mastered the art of a strategically placed practice PAN or training fix on 121.5 when 'temporarily unsure of position'?
Or did they only call D&D after they'd already bonged Stansted zone yet again?
Ahh, the private owner of limited skill...The bane of any FI's life.
IforB said:
She was mine too. Do we know eachother? Streamline or Emerald or both? Was that approach at Turweston with Andrew Morley, Bob Seymour or even the mighty Pav himself?
It was at the time when Streamline were just about to become Emerald, with Andrew Morley. My LST was with Pav who managed to walk into a gear door & was in a terrible mood.Edited by IforB on Thursday 25th March 03:24
Felt a bit stitched up at the time as any chance of a FT job went when Emerald took over, just did the odd flt. Now a 76 driver, so it all worked out in the end.
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