The Aircraft In The Woods At Yeadon Airport

Keg · Post by **Keg** » Sun 03 May, 2009 12:10 am

Old Un, you've put us all out of our misery, having looked at a pic of one, you can see how the mists of time make us think that it could be a dove or a DC3.. Well done that man

Uno Hoo · Post by **Uno Hoo** » Sun 03 May, 2009 11:56 pm

[quotenick="Old and perculier"]The aircraft was a Vickers Varsity T1, a ex R.A.F. training aircraft. Serial no XL765 [/quAha!!! The good old Vickers Varsity, one of the military variants of the Vickers Viking airliner of 1940s vintage. Used as a navigational trainer by the RAF, and some versions were later fitted out internally like the V-bombers, i.e. Valiant, Victor and Vulcan, and used as trainers for the bomber crews, altho' presumably not their pilots - they might just have noticed certain differences in performance and handling characteristics!!!My first flight was in an RAF Avro Anson - in the construction of which my mother may very possibly have played a part - from RAF Church Fenton in about 1958. Whilst taxiing for takeoff we passed the fire hulk, only I didn't recognise it for what it actually was, and thought it was a victim of a real crash! Not perhaps the best introduction to aviation!

Uno Hoo · Post by **Uno Hoo** » Mon 04 May, 2009 12:06 am

I also remember the Bristol Freighter, but not as a regular user of the airport. ISTR one being left on the apron for yonkers as its owners either couldn't or wouldn't pay the fees due on it. Maybe that's why it finished up being the fire hulk. I do remember Silver City Airways, who operated Bristol Freighters on the Lympne (Kent) - Le Touquet car ferry service, operating Dakotas from Yeadon. Am I right in thinking that Silver City became part of British United Airlines, Sir Freddie Laker's operation which metamorphosed into Laker Airways and Skytrain?

Si · Post by Si » Tue 05 May, 2009 5:43 pm

[quotenick="Uno Hoo"] Old and perculier wrote: The aircraft was a Vickers Varsity T1, a ex R.A.F. training aircraft. Serial no XL765 [/quMy first flight was in an RAF Avro Anson - in the construction of which my mother may very possibly have played a part - from RAF Church Fenton in about 1958. Whilst taxiing for takeoff we passed the fire hulk, only I didn't recognise it for what it actually was, and thought it was a victim of a real crash! Not perhaps the best introduction to aviation! Hi Uno, my dad's first flight was also in an Anson, also from Church Fenton, where he did his National Service. Small world?

Si · Post by Si » Tue 05 May, 2009 5:43 pm

[quotenick="Si"] Uno Hoo wrote: Old and perculier wrote: The aircraft was a Vickers Varsity T1, a ex R.A.F. training aircraft. Serial no XL765 [/quMy first flight was in an RAF Avro Anson - in the construction of which my mother may very possibly have played a part - from RAF Church Fenton in about 1958. Whilst taxiing for takeoff we passed the fire hulk, only I didn't recognise it for what it actually was, and thought it was a victim of a real crash! Not perhaps the best introduction to aviation! Hi Uno, my dad's first flight was also in an Anson, also from Church Fenton, where he did his National Service, mid to late 50s. Small world?

billy the buffalo · Post by **billy the buffalo** » Thu 07 May, 2009 4:35 pm

and if you look in the fields just before the turn to carlton from harrogate road you can still see the evidence of the anti aircraft gun emplacements that are still there

Uno Hoo · Post by **Uno Hoo** » Fri 09 Oct, 2009 5:16 pm

Si wrote: Keg wrote: Would love a FC but the defender only just goes in the garage!.Been up there this afternoon, and talking to a few blokes i know, and the general consesus was that it might have been the remains of a Vickers Vanguard. I think I flew in a Vanguard (unless it was a Viscount) to Jersey from Leeds/Bradford in 1970. More likely a Viscount, Si. The Vanguard was (almost) exclusive to BEA, and I think by 1970 BEA had withdrawn from LBA - I haven't checked this anywhere, so could be wrong. The Vanguard would possibly have been too high-capacity for routes out of Leeds - the Trident never featured either. I'm quite a veteran of Vanguard flights between Heathrow/Glasgow during the 60s and developed a real liking for the type - pity it came into service too late to exploit the market better. However, I've never flown in a Viscount, more's the pity, as it was a class act.I checked earlier threads following your comments about first flights in Ansons. You mentioned you Dad earlier in another thread, after I'd said my first flight was in an Anson, and put a question-mark in which invited some comment from me about small world. I apologise for not picking this up at the time. I didn't do National Service (too young!!!!), but spent some happy and instructive time in the Air Training Corps, so I wouldn't have bumped into your Dad.Seems hard to believe now, in these days of Airbus/Boeing domination of the market, that there were, not so long ago, a number of British aircraft making significant impact.

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Fri 09 Oct, 2009 7:11 pm

Uno Hoo wrote: More likely a Viscount, I flew to Jersey in 1969 on a Viscount, however, the first time we went in 1966, it was a plane with a tail wheel if I remember correctly. Someone once told me it would be an Andover, but I'm not sure. All really remember is that there was only one doing the Jersey trip and it broke down the day we were to return so we had to fly back to Newcastle on a Bristol Britannia, which I believe was known as "The Whispering Giant" They were operated by BKS Air Services. I flew again on a Viscount for LBA in 1978, to Heathrow and back with BA.

Uno Hoo · Post by **Uno Hoo** » Fri 09 Oct, 2009 11:42 pm

Trojan wrote: Uno Hoo wrote: More likely a Viscount, I flew to Jersey in 1969 on a Viscount, however, the first time we went in 1966, it was a plane with a tail wheel if I remember correctly. Someone once told me it would be an Andover, but I'm not sure. All really remember is that there was only one doing the Jersey trip and it broke down the day we were to return so we had to fly back to Newcastle on a Bristol Britannia, which I believe was known as "The Whispering Giant" They were operated by BKS Air Services. I flew again on a Viscount for LBA in 1978, to Heathrow and back with BA. The Andover was the RAF version of the Avro 748 (later called the HS74, and in either case we're talking nosewheel types. If you're talking tail-draggers in 1966 it could have been (lucky you) a Dakota. I also envy you the Britannia flight, altho' it must have been a drag getting back to Leeds from Newcastle, presumably by coach.

Uno Hoo · Post by **Uno Hoo** » Fri 09 Oct, 2009 11:45 pm

Dunno where that emoticon's come from, and I can't edit it out. It's obstructing the bit of the post which says the Avro 748 was later called HS748.