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AVIATION AT HAMBLE
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·
Map of Hamble area
showing aviation sites ·
Chronological
history of aviation at Hamble ·
Military Units
formerly based at Hamble ·
Accidents involving
Hamble aircraft ·
College of Air
Training aircraft |
Other pages by Derek Haselden |
MAP OF THE HAMBLE AREA SHOWING AVIATION SITES
The
map below shows the Hamble area and sites of aviation interest are indicated by
the white numbers on blue discs. The map
is based on 1 kilometre squares and covers an area of 5 x 5 kilometres centred
on Ordnance Survey Great Britain grid reference SU 480070. (Click on the map to see this at full size,
use your browser's 'Back' button to return to this page.)
The
numbered aviation sites are shown thus:
2. Site of British Marine Aircraft.
The site has undergone many changes and companies:
4.
Armstrong Whitworth
Factory.
5.
No.1 (Southern) Marine
Acceptance Depot.
6.
Approximate location of
'Browns' aerodrome.
7.
Fairey Aviation, approximate
location.
Aviation
sites are shown by numbered discs, white numeral on a blue background. Principal roads are shown in red (A-roads),
orange (B-roads) and brown (other roads).
The curved black line at top is part of the railway branch line that
runs from St. Denys (Southampton) to Fareham.
Hamble and Netley railway stations are indicated by red discs. For the sake of posterity the siding/goods
line from Hamble Station to the British Petroleum storage depot is shown as
well. The goods line is partly intact
(though heavily overgrown) but the points connecting the goods line to the
branch line were removed in 1999. It is
doubtful that the goods line and sidings will ever be used again. When the railway line was built in the first
few years of the 20th century the line from St. Denys originally terminated at
Netley. A goods line was provided to
what was then an new Admiralty depot on the site of the BP storage depot. (There was another line that led to the then
Royal Victoria Military Hospital.)
Later, the branch line was extended to Fareham, doubled (it was
originally single track), the Admiralty line was retained. Those familiar with Hamble aerodrome might
remember that the airfield had the oddity of two railway level crossings
bisecting taxiways! There was also a
level crossing on Hamble lane.
THE
NUMBERED AVIATION SITES
1. Hamble
(North) Aerodrome: The green area shows
the approximate extent of the airfield perimeter and the light green strip the
approximate alignment of the main runway used.
Although there was room to deviate from that alignment there were
permanent markings at either end of the strip: '36' (North); '18' (South). Another runway alignment often used was
02/20, at other times in the past other alignments ad hoc. The parking areas and two hangars are shown
as well. The training school,
administration buildings and student accommodation were primarily sited to the
west of the rail siding/goods line where it runs north-south before crossing
the main road (Hamble Lane) south of the airfield. The whole area including the hangars,
concrete aprons and school have now been covered by new housing and the new
roads are all named with some connection to aviation at Hamble. These include: Tutor Close, Astral Gardens,
Baron Road, Barton Drive, College Close, Aquila Way, Pegasus Close, Spitfire
Way, Cirrus Gardens, Admirals Way and Captain Close.
Airfields
are assigned a four-letter ICAO code, sometimes referred to as a 'Pundit Code',
Hamble (North) was coded 'EGHM', the WWII pundit code was 'HA'. The following information would probably be a
summary of information contained in NOTAM (NOtice
To AirMen) type publications...
HAMBLE
'EGHM': Lat: 50° 51' 33" North. Long: 01° 19' 36" West. OSGB Grid Reference SU 477077. 80ft AMSL.
Ident 'HA'. 4 miles S/E of
Southampton.
RUNWAYS: Grass. North - 18/36, 940 x 46 Metres (3084ft x
150ft). Also available - 02/20. In addition the entire manoeuvring area may
be used" (Pooleys Guide 1972).
LIGHTING: Runway (portable paraffin 'Gooseneck'
flares). Threshold (portable VASI).
Taxiway (portable red, white lights).
2. Site
of British Marine Aircraft, (1935 - Grid ref SU 469072) - later Folland, Hawker
Siddeley, British Aerospace (BAe), Smiths Aerospace, General Electric Aviation,
and now Hamble Aerostructures. This is now the sole surviving site of
aviation activity at Hamble. This site
is quite extensive and is accessed by Kings Avenue.
3. Hamble
South airfield - (AVRO 1916). This site
is now taken up by the area to the north-west and south of Ensign Way.
4. Armstrong
Whitworth Factory. This site is now
taken up by the area covered by the works in Ensign Way and Mitchell Point.
5. No.1
(southern) Marine Acceptance Depot (1917 - Grid ref SU 478061). The British
Petroleum storage depot off Copse Lane marks this site. The rail siding originally served the
Admiralty who were based in this area until after World War One.
6. Approximate
location of 'Browns' aerodrome. So far
as I am aware no trace whatsoever remains of the airfield.
In the
photo at left, the airfield is at the bottom right outlined by the square
box.
The
airfield that would become Hamble, north, and subsequently Hamble was a series
of fields bounded by Satchel Lane to the north and east, and Hamble lane to the
west and south. Also visible is the
railway line that spurred off from the St. Denys to Fareham branch line leading
to the former Admiralty works near Hamble point.
Photo
sent to me by Keith Willsher.
7. Luke
and Co, then Fairey Aviation (1915) approximate location. This is to be found at Hamble Point at the
end of School Lane. Until recently at
least one of the hangars remained in use for marine works.
A CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF AVIATION AT HAMBLE
1912: The first use of Hamble for aviation
purposes was when a "Waterplane" to be used in a promotional tour
sponsored by the Daily Mail newspaper, was housed in a shed built for that
purpose at Hamble Point. Luke and Co.,
in partnership with Hamble River Engineering began building the HL-1 seaplane
at Hamble Point. The aircraft, exhibited at Olympia in 1914, was never
completed.
1913: The Admiralty established
"Browns" aerodrome at Hamble Point (location indicated in the photo
above).
1914: The Admiralty requisitioned Luke and
Co's premises at Hamble Point.
1915: Luke and Co's premises passed to
Fairey Aviation. Fairey's assembled
large numbers of seaplanes here over the next 3 decades. After WWII Fairey's work changed to boat
production.
1916: A.V. Roe purchased land for Hamble
(South) Airfield and also built a factory at the south-eastern end of the
site. Here Avro developed many different
aircraft types over the next 15 years. A
name that crops up at this stage is a certain Roy Chadwick who, along with the
rest of his design team, later went on to develop the Avro Lancaster bomber.
1917: The Admiralty built No.1 (southern)
Marine Acceptance Depot, intended to deal with seaplanes, but the war finished
before the facility was used. It was
demolished in 1919 and the site was later used by an oil company. Production started on the Avro 504 which
continued until 1919.
1919: Joining the workforce at A.V. Roe
(at Southampton, later at Hamble) was Herbert John Louis Hinkler A.F.C.,
D.S.M. 'Bert' Hinkler was part of the
design team that developed many aircraft at Hamble, the pioneer Australian
aviator later went on to set many records including the first solo flight from
England to Australia in 1928 in an Avro Avian.
1921-1926: Bert Hinkler became Chief Test Pilot
for A.V. Roe at Hamble.
1924: Avro acquired land for the new north
airfield at Hamble. This airfield became
the main site for flying as aircraft size increased and the south airfield was
eventually closed in 1933.
1925: Juan de la Cierva arrived to begin a
5 year association with Avro, developing his autogiros.
1926: The new (North) Airfield at Hamble
was opened. This became home to several
establishments: Avro, Fairey Aviation,
Vickers/Supermarine, Simmonds aircraft, and the Hampshire Aeroplane Club.
1927: The Hampshire Air Pageant was held
on Sunday 15th May making use of both the North and South airfields.
1928: Simmonds Aircraft started assembling
Simmonds Spartan aircraft in a rented hangar.
The operation was moved to Somerton on the Isle of Wight in the early
1930's after the company suffered financial difficulties.
1929: Avro sold their aviation interests
at Hamble to J.D. Siddeley of Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft.
1931: The Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft
Reserve School moved to Hamble and Air Service Training (AST) was formed by
J.D.Siddeley to provide aviation training for both civil and military
pilots. The school opened in April and
aircraft there consisted of an Avro 504, de Havilland 9J's, Armstrong Whitworth
Siskin and Atlas trainers, and Avro Tutors.
1932: Amy Johnson joined a flying course
at AST. She is of course famous for
making the first female solo flight from England to Australia in 1930 as well
as flights to Tokyo and South Africa (among others). She died in a plane crash near London in
1941. It should be noted that Amy
Johnson was not the first female student at Hamble, that honour fell to a Mrs.
Bruce in October 1931. Mrs Bruce also
set several flying records: Flying a
Blackburn Bluebird she was the first woman to complete a solo circumnavigation
of the world, the first to fly from England to Japan, and the first to fly the
Yellow Sea. Hampshire Aeroplane Club
left for Eastleigh.
1933: Air Service Training was joined with
Number 3 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School (E&RFTS). By this time AST's fleet had grown to 26
aircraft. Hamble (South) airfield was
closed.
1934: Armstrong Whitworth took over the
Avro works at Hamble South and started building the AW27 Ensign airliner.
1935: AST's fleet had by this time grown
to 35 aircraft.
1936: British Marine Aircraft opened a
factory (complete with slipway) at the northern end of Hamble South. The intention was licence production of the
Sikorsky S42A flying boat. This was not
proceeded with and on 24th December 1937 the company was renamed Folland
Aircraft. Folland's later in the 1950's
and 1960's built the Folland Gnat training jet here. The company later became part of Hawker
Siddeley, and ultimately part of British Aerospace (BAe). Although by the latter part of the last century
there was no longer an airfield at Hamble, BAe continued to use the premises
there for the production of major assemblies for Harrier and Hawk jets.
1937: AST started using the old Avro
slipway for Flying Boat operations.
Folland Aircraft Ltd. began aircraft assembly at Hamble making parts for
Bristol Blenheim and Beaufort bombers. Folland later took on sub-contract work
making parts for de Havilland Mosquito's and Vickers Wellington's. The Royal Air Force Reserve which had some
aircraft at Hamble became Number 3 ERFTS. At this point AST had 37 aircraft and
No. 3 ERFTS had 14.
1938: The Armstrong Whitworth Ensign,
built at Hamble, first flew. Production ceased in 1941 after a run of just 14
aircraft.
1939: With the outbreak of war in
September 1939 No. 3 E&RFTS became No. 3 EFTS for training military
pilots. Single-engine aircraft became
part of No. 3 EFTS and multi-engined aircraft types became part of Number 11 Air
Observers Navigation School (AONS) and Number 1 Supplementary Wireless
School. The first of many Spitfire's
were repaired at AST.
1939-1945: The main activity during World War
II was the repair and overhaul of Spitfires by AST (a total of 2575 over that
period). Owing to Hamble's proximity to
the Supermarine works at Eastleigh and Woolston parts were transported to
Hamble for assembly and ferry flights.
These ferry flights were carried out by No. 3 Air Transport Auxiliary
(ATA), many of whom were women. During
the War years other aircraft up to B-17 Flying Fortress size were handled. Other aircraft types repaired at Hamble
included Handley Page Hampden's, Avro Lancaster's and York's, de Havilland
Mosquito's and North American P-51 Mustang's.
1940: The Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle
twin-engine bomber built at Hamble flew for the first time on 20th March. Hamble was attacked by a lone Luftwaffe
Heinkel 111 on 12th July which dropped 4 bombs.
The training schools promptly moved elsewhere and Hamble was confined to
the assembly of aircraft only. Despite
the schools moving elsewhere due to the above raid a detachment of Blackburn
Skua's from H.M.S. Raven at Eastleigh remained.
Hamble airfield was again attacked by the Luftwaffe on 23rd November.
1941: Hamble airfield was raided again by
the Luftwaffe on 9th January.
Anti-aircraft (AA) guns were installed around Hamble on 5th April. Some of the gun emplacements and a gun can
still be seen adjacent to the car park at Hamble Point. A section of 780 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm
(FAA) arrived on 5th November.
1942: The first of many Spitfire to
Seafire (navalised version of the Spitfire) conversions made its first flight
from Hamble on 23rd March. 780 Squadron
FAA left Hamble on 30th August. The
first B-17 (Boeing) Flying Fortress arrived for modification.
1943: A Junkers 88 strafed the airfield
and hit a hangar on 9th February. A man
working in a hangar received fatal injuries, the only person killed by enemy
action at Hamble. The airfield AA
gunners were withdrawn on the 13th October.
1945: No. 3 ATA left Hamble. The airfield was later full of Spitfire's to
be scrapped.
1946: AST restarted flight training
operations offering courses to foreign as well as British students. The first post-war training flight took place
on the 1st August. Southampton
University Air Squadron (SUAS) arrived, using Chipmunks and later, (Scottish
Aviation) Bulldogs.
1947: AST started providing maintenance
facilities for Aquila Airways Hythe and Solent flying boats. This continued until the demise of Aquila
Airways in 1958.
1950: AST's fleet then consisted of 26
aircraft. In addition, the Royal Navy
had 5, the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 14, and the SUAS had 22 aircraft
based at Hamble.
1952: The first of 3 Douglas Dakota's
(DC-3) arrived for use as training aircraft.
1958: No. 2 AEF arrived and stayed until
1978.
1959: Folland Aircraft Ltd., was absorbed
into Hawker Siddeley (later British Aerospace), at the time they were making
the jet powered Midge and Gnat trainers.
A replica of the Gnat can still be seen outside the entrance to the
British Aerospace works on the corner of Hamble Lane. Production at the old Avro works ceased and
the factory units became part of the Petter organisation.
1960: AST closed its operation at Hamble
and moved to Perth. The College of Air
Training was formed and brought nearly 60 aircraft to Hamble for training
purposes.
1961: The first of 11 Piper Apache's
arrive for use at the College.
1967: The first tranche of 39 Piper
Cherokee's arrive for use at the College.
1968: The first of 12 Beechcraft Baron's
arrive at Hamble for use at the College.
1979: Southampton University Air Squadron
withdrew from Hamble and transferred to Hurn, Bournemouth.
1982: June: British Airways announced
plans to withdraw funding from Hamble and the College of Air Training. The former college is taken over by
'Specialist Flight Training'.
1983: The Antique Aircraft Company was
formed in May by Ron Souch.
1984: The Receiver was called in on 16th
February and the College's aircraft and equipment were auctioned off. The land was later sold to a developer.
1985: After the closure of the College of
Air Training, the only two users of note left at Hamble were Antique Aircraft,
a vintage aircraft restoration company run by Ron Souch,
and Carill Aviation who later moved to Eastleigh (Southampton airport). In late 1985 these companies moved out and
the airfield was effectively closed in December of that year. There were some very occasional light
aircraft movements over the following few months into 1986.
1986: The last aircraft to fly out of
Hamble, a Piper Cub, is piloted by Ron Souch on 6th
April. Hamble airfield closed for good.
PHOTOGRAPHS OF SOME OF THE AIRCRAFT CONNECTED WITH HAMBLE
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Avro 504 This
plane was built in some numbers at Hamble, production of ending in 1919. Training versions of the Avro 504 started
being built in 1916 and overall production of the various types lasted 10
years. It was the Royal Flying Corps'
first basic trainer. The Avro 504 was
one of the most popular training aircraft of the WWI era and over the 10 year
production run some 10,000 were built.
It was initially used as a light bomber and ground attack aircraft
before being used as a trainer and some 504's were still in use at the
outbreak of WWII. |
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Avro
(model 581) Avian This
picture shows Bert Hinkler next to the Avro Avian (G-EBOV) which he flew on his
record breaking flight from England to Australia in 1928. |
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Armstrong
Whitworth Ensign (AW27) The
largest aircraft built at Hamble.
Twelve of these were built at Hamble for Imperial Airways, some to be
used on Empire mail routes, some for the European sector. The Ensign first flew on 24th January
1938. They were powered by four 850hp
Armstrong Siddeley Tiger engines and could carry 40 passengers on shorter
routes, 27 on the Empire routes. Cruising speed was about 170mph, range 800
miles. The planes were dogged by
problems and were later fitted with Wright Cyclone engines during WWII. |
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Fairey
IIID "Lusitania",
used by the Portuguese Navy for a Trans-Atlantic flight from the Cape Verde
Islands to the San Pedro Rocks (off the Brazilian coast) April 1922. The Fairey III series had a production run
that covered several different versions which were used by the R.A.F., Fleet
Air Arm, and other overseas air forces.
It entered R.A.F. service in 1927 and was used as a light bomber and
utility aircraft. |
MILITARY UNITS FORMERLY BASED AT HAMBLE
As you
may have already gathered from the 'History' section of this page Hamble was
host to several military aviation units over the years, these units are
detailed below.
·
Nº
3 ERFTS (Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School). April 1933 to September 1939. Became Nº 3 EFTS in September 1939, moved to
Watchfield, Swindon in July 1940.
Equipped with: Armstrong Whitworth Atlas, de Havilland Tiger Moth, Hawker
Audax, Hawker Hart, Hawker Hind, Fairey Battle, Miles Magister, Avro Anson,
Percival Verga Gull.
·
Nº
1 SSWT (Supplementary School of Wireless Training). September 1939 to July 1940. (Disbanded.)
Equipped with: Short Scion.
·
Nº
11 AONS (Air Observers Navigation School).
20th November 1939 to July
1940. (Moved to Watchfield.)
Equipped with: Avro Anson.
·
Nº
3(a) FPP (Ferry Pilots Pool).
15th February 1940 to November 1940.
·
Nº
1 SFPP (Supplementary Ferry Pilots Pool).
November 1940 to September 1941.
Equipped with: Airspeed Envoy, Foster Wickner Warferry.
·
Nº
15 FPP (Ferry Pilots Pool). September
1941 to September 1945. (Disbanded.)
Equipped with: Avro Anson, Foster Wickner Warferry, Fairchild Argus.
·
780
Squadron, detachment from Lee-On-Solent. November 1941 to June 1942.
Equipped with: Percival Proctor, Avro Anson, Blackburn Shark. (No fixed
resident aircraft at Hamble.)
·
Nº
1 NASS (Naval Air Signal School). November
1949 to November 1953. (Disbanded.)
Equipped with: Avro Anson.
·
Nº
1 BANS (Basic Air Navigation School). January
1951 to June 1953. (Disbanded.)
Equipped with: Avro Anson.
·
Nº
14 RFS (Reserve Flying School). August
1948 to August 1953. (Disbanded.)
Equipped with: de Havilland Tiger Moth, Airspeed Oxford, North American
Harvard, Avro Anson, de Havilland Chipmunk.
·
Nº
2 AEF (Air Experience Flight). June
1958 to June 1978. (Moved to Hurn.)
Equipped with: de Havilland Chipmunk.
·
SUAS
(Southampton University Air Squadron). March
1947 to June 1978. (Moved to Hurn.)
Equipped with: de Havilland Tiger Moth, Airspeed Oxford, de Havilland Chipmunk,
Scottish Aviation Bulldog.
ACCIDENTS INVOLVING HAMBLE AIRCRAFT
As
with every kind of vehicle there will be accidents - no method of transport is
completely safe! In this respect Hamble
has had its fair share of accidents and below is a list of mishaps at Hamble or
Hamble's aircraft that have come to my attention. I am indebted to Dave Fagan and Tony
Sedgewick who provided me with much of the information for this section.
DATE TYPE REG. COMMENT
30/04/19 Avro 534 - Crashed on 1st flight.
29/08/19 Avro 539a G-EALG Damaged in accident.
13/01/20 Avro 534 G-EACQ Damaged in accident, rebuilt as G-AUCQ.
25/05/21 Bristol Fighter G-EAWZ
Damaged in accident.
15/07/21 Avro 534b G-EAXM Written off after accident.
19/06/26 Cierva C6C J8068 Crashed.
26/03/30 Spartan G-AAME Damaged in accident.
27/03/30 Spartan G-AAFR Written off after accident.
08/06/31 A.W. Siskin III G-ABHT
Crashed, Sarisbury Green, Hampshire.
17/04/32 Avro Cadet I G-ACCM Crashed, Purfleet, Essex.
18/07/32 Avro Avian IVM G-ABKA
Caught fire at Heston.
04/06/34 Avro Cadet I G-ACRY Crashed into The Solent.
21/07/34 D.H. 53 G-EBQP Crashed.
12/08/34 D.H. 84 Dragon G-ACJM
Crashed landing Hamble.
??/10/34 AIRCO DH9J G-AARS Crashed near Hamble.
10/09/34 Avro Cadet I G-ACUH Crashed, Southampton.
06/02/36 Avro Cadet II G-ADTM
Crashed, West End, Southampton.
25/08/37 Hawker Hart K6532 Collided with Swordfish (L2740) at Gosport.
??/12/37 Short Calcutta G-ABVH
Damaged beyond repair during a gale.
24/01/38 Miles Magister L8901
Crashed, Calshot.
25/01/38 Miles Magister L6895
Crashed, Hamble.
16/03/38 Hawker Hart K4415 Collided with Avro Cadet G-ACCN (on the
ground?).
16/03/38 Miles Magister L6906
Crashed, Southampton Water.
07/05/38 Miles Magister L5972
Crashed, Hamble.
13/06/38 Miles Magister L6894
Crashed, Bursledon.
02/08/38 Hawker Audax K7413 Crashed, Lymington.
07/12/38 Avro Cadet II G-ADTZ
Crashed, Ansty.
24/01/39 Hawker Hind K5526 Crashed, Hamble.
15/06/39 Hawker Audax K7406 Wrecked during taxiing accident at Hamble.
08/08/39 Avro Cadet II G-ADTO
Crashed, Leicester.
17/12/39 Avro Cadet G-ADTU Damaged in accident.
28/03/40 Avro Cadet G-ADTG Damaged in ground accident.
??/04/40 Avro Cadet G-ADTK Damaged in accident.
08/06/40 Avro Cadet G-AEIR Crashed, Southampton Water.
10/07/40 Avro Cadet G-ACNE Written off after ground collision with
Blackburn Shark.
10/08/40 Spitfire Mk.I R6979
Damaged in landing accident.
16/09/40 Spitfire Mk.I R6922
Damaged in landing accident.
28/12/40 Handley Page Hampden ??
Crashed after take-off.
12/12/42 Fairchild Argus EV774
Crashed, Hamble.
08/02/44 D.H. 82A Tiger Moth DE929
Overturned on takeoff.
08/09/44 Spitfire Mk.IX NH491
Damaged in landing accident.
22/12/44 Avro Anson I N9573 Crashed.
26/11/47 D.H. 82A Tiger Moth G-AHVZ
Crashed, Hamble.
06/01/49 Avro Anson I MG564 Crashed, near Hamble.
23/01/49 D.H. 82A Tiger Moth T7465
Crashed, Yarmouth, Isle of Wight.
26/03/50 D.H. 82A Tiger Moth T6173
Crashed, South End.
19/04/51 Avro Anson T21 VV899
Crashed, into sea near Brixham.
12/03/52 Avro Anson T21 VV910
Crashed, Fawley.
22/03/53 D.H. Chipmunk 21 G-AMUD
Crashed, Porchfield, Isle of Wight.
28/11/54 D.H. Vampire FB5 VZ177
Collided with WE836 and pilot thrown out of aircraft near Hamble.
03/10/55 Hiller U12B G-AOFK Crashed, Hamble.
22/10/56 D.H. Chipmunk 21 G-AMUE
Crashed, Middle Wallop.
11/10/58 D.H. Chipmunk T10 WG353
Damaged beyond repair during landing at Hamble.
12/07/60 D.H. Chipmunk T10 WP895
Damaged beyond repair during landing accident.
29/03/66 D.H. Chipmunk 22 G-ARME
Crashed at Sandown, Isle of Wight.
07/12/66 D.H. Chipmunk T10 WZ864
Collided with G-ATEA, crashed near Hamble.
07/12/66 D.H. Chipmunk 22 G-ATEA
(Was WG464) Collided with WZ864, crashed near Hamble.
10/01/67 Piper Apache 160 G-ASDH
Crashed at Netley Hospital.
27/02/70 Piper Cherokee G-AVBD
Destroyed in mid-air collision, Bursledon. Pilot killed.
27/02/70 Piper Cherokee G-AVBI
Destroyed in mid-air collision, Bursledon. Pilot killed.
??/??/71 Piper Cherokee G-AVNS
Damaged during mid-air collision, IoW, Crew unhurt.
??/??/71 Piper Cherokee ?-????
Damaged during mid-air collision, IoW, Crew unhurt.
09/12/71 Beechcraft Baron G-AWAG
Damaged in landing accident, Hurn, Crew unhurt, rebuilt.
??/??/?? Beechcraft Baron G-AWAF
Damaged in landing accident, rebuilt.
??/??/?? Beechcraft Baron G-AWAO
Damaged in landing accident, rebuilt.
30/04/81 Piper Cherokee G-AVBJ
Destroyed in mid-air collision, Warsash. Pilot killed.
30/04/81 Piper Cherokee G-AXZC
Destroyed in mid-air collision, Warsash. Pilot killed.
24/02/84 Beechcraft Baron G-AWAE
Damaged in landing accident, rebuilt.
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Piper
Cherokee 'G-AVNS',
as seen in the main hangar at Hamble, Spring 1971. Note the damage to the vertical
stabiliser. This was caused by the
propeller of another Hamble Cherokee mid-air somewhere over the Isle of
Wight! I can only say that the crews
of the two aircraft (all landed safely and unhurt) must have used up a life
in the process. (Click on the photo to
see the full size version. Use the
'Back' button on your browser to return to this page.) |
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Beechcraft
Baron 'G-AWAG'. It is often said that a crash is an
uncontrolled landing and a landing is a controlled crash. In the case of this incident, it was a
controlled landing - but with the wheels up!
What had actually happened was that during an approach to Cherbourg
the wheels failed to lower, both electrical and manual back-up systems had
malfunctioned. The plane was then
flown to Hurn (Bournemouth), both engines shut down at 200 feet, starter
motors used to 'kick' the propeller blades horizontal and then glide in for a
slide down the runway. I expect that
this tale would be better told by those who where there, all the same it does
strike me as a fine bit of airmanship.
(Click on the photo to see the full size version. Use the 'Back' button on your browser to
return to this page.) |
The
above list details some of the incidents that I'm aware of but there are
doubtless others that elude this list.
During the time that I was actually working at the College there were a
few incidents involving Hamble and its aircraft. One of the above listed accidents involving
Beechcraft Baron's was where the nose wheel undercarriage collapsed on
landing. On at least 2 occasions Baron's
landed at Hamble - with the undercarriage retracted! On another occasion a Cherokee was damaged on
the ground when it struck a tree and pinioned around into a perimeter
fence. Fortunately, the incidents cited
in this paragraph involved little or no injury.
THE COLLEGE OF AIR
TRAINING
The
College was formed in 1960 to meet a growing need for civilian pilots prompted
by the explosion of jet travel. Although
my knowledge of the College at this time is scant, AST (who were already at
Hamble) provided training for civil and military pilots. The then flag carriers for the United
Kingdom, British European Airways (BEA) and the British Overseas Airways
Corporation (BOAC) needed their own school to train pilots and the College of
Air Training was formed as a result when AST moved out of Hamble and
established a flying school in Perth, Scotland.
When BEA and BOAC later merged to form British Airways (BA) in 1974 that
trend continued. Up to that time BA was
state owned but the then incoming Conservative government announced their plans
to privatise BA in 1979. A comprehensive
account of the College of Air Training itself has been written by former Hamble
student and later British Airways pilot Captain Stuart Logan. 'The
CAT and the Hamsters' is available from Bookworld Wholesale (ISBN 9780953868919).
Up to
that time the College was funded by BA but when privatisation loomed in the
early 80's the future of the College suddenly seemed uncertain. British Airways had hoped to keep the College
going, after all, it would continue to need pilots, and indeed it was forecast
at the time that there would be a pilot shortage in just a few years. But aside from the drive to privatisation,
and a then downturn in the need for aircrew, the College was deemed to be
surplus to requirements. The inevitable
cuts ensued. I was one of the victims of
that movement toward private ownership and BA was finally fully privatised in
1987. Another training school,
Specialist Flight Training, was set up in the College's place but this folded
under financial pressure and when funding ran out sometime in 1984 the College
closed for good although the airfield remained in use.
Having
been made redundant in the first staff cuts in 1982 I all but lost contact with
the College itself and those I worked with.
During the time that I worked at Hamble my main tasks were the
maintenance and repair of instrument and electrical systems although at various
stages I did a little of every trade possible.
|
|
At
left is a photo taken in 1981 of the main hangar and some of the aircraft
parked outside. The control tower can
be seen in the background. Note the
vehicles visible next to the hangar; a dark green Mini Moke (used for towing
aircraft), the red fire tender (and blue ambulance just visible behind
it). Aircraft visible in the
photograph are; at left Piper Cherokee 'G-AYAV'; on the right are Beechcraft
Baron's 'G-AWAF', 'G-AWAL', and one other Baron, registration unknown. Photo: Derek Haselden |
|
At
left is a photo (date uncertain) of the main hangar with aircraft parked
outside. Beechcraft Baron 'G-AWAL' is
in the foreground. Photo: Don Eaves. |
On the
whole, the College was very self contained.
All its aircraft were maintained and repaired by its own staff (of whom
I was one) and all the planes could be accommodated overnight in the two
hangars. The airfield had its own fire
crew, marshallers, control tower, and maintenance staff among many other
ancilliary workers. The school itself
covered a large area and included simulator rooms, a library, meteorology,
engines, airframes and navigation classrooms.
Students were housed in several accommodation blocks - village within
the village of Hamble.
The
airfield itself was a large grassed area and could offer over 3000 feet of
runway in the roughly North/South directions and a little under 3000 feet in
most other directions apart from east/west.
The whole grassed area was available for aircraft movements and concrete
aprons offered hard standings for all the aircraft in use. An unusual aspect of the apron was that two
taxiways crossed the railway line (you can see this on the map) and must have
made Hamble's aircraft movements peculiar in that planes had to be on the
lookout for trains!
Being
a grass strip there were few permanent features but one temporary feature of
the airfield is worth describing here.
Flying operations frequently carried on into the late evening so a form
of portable airfield lighting was needed.
The runway itself was marked by two rows of flares which consisted of a
few dozen long-spouted metal watering cans.
The can was filled with paraffin and the spout had a wick which when lit
would burn for about 6-8 hours. Thus
Hamble really did have a flare path! And
quite effective it was too - on several occasions I went on flights to and from
Hamble in the evening and the flares could be seen from several miles away, as
effective as some airfield electric lighting.
Another
advantage of this lighting was that it tended to floodlight the runway and not just
mark it, and the heat from the flares was often enough to help disperse fog and
mist. (This effect was not unlike that
WWII runway lighting aid FIDO - a contrivance of almost staggering waste which
involved rows of petrol fed pipes and burners lit during foggy
conditions.) The simple graphic below
will give you a rough idea of how it would have appeared to an approaching
aircraft...
The
extents of the runway were marked with red lights (far end) and green lights
(landing/take-off end) which could only be seen from one direction thus
ensuring that the take-off/landing direction in use couldn't be too easily
confused. At the landing threshold end
of the runway a set of 4 portable Visual Approach Slope Indicator (VASI) lights
were placed either side of the runway, two each side. This provided pilots with a visual landing
aid. Basically: All reds = too low; All
whites = too high; white and red both sides = correct landing approach glideslope. Finally, the allotted taxiway was marked with
small red and white lights. All of these
lighting fixtures were portable and had to be put out before the start of night
flying. One of my jobs at Hamble was
charging and maintaining the batteries that powered these lights.
COLLEGE OF AIR TRAINING AIRCRAFT
The
College used three types of aircraft for its training during the time that I
worked there, 4 types in total over the College's history. All were piston-engined and could cater for a
variety of training needs - from basic flying, right the way up to
multi-engined flight under Instrument Flying Rules.
Piper Apache
Early
in the College's history Piper Apache aircraft were used but these were
replaced by the Beechcraft Baron's in the late 60's.
Piper
Apache PA-23 160.
First
flown: 1958.
Seats:
6; 2 front, 2 middle, 2 rear.
Engine:
Two 250 hp Lycoming IO-520, air cooled.
Length: 31 ft, 2 in
Empty weight: 3321 lb Max speed:
215 mph
Wingspan:
37 ft, 2 in Max T/O weight: 5200 lb Range:
1320 nm
Height: 10 ft, 4 in
Thrust: 500 hp
The
Apache's used by the College bore the following registrations:
G-ARJR,
G-ARJS, G-ARJT, G-ARJU, G-ARJV, G-ARJW, G-ARJX, G-ASDG, G-ASDH, G-ASDI,
G-ATOA. (11)
HISTORY
G-ARJR came to Hamble April 1961, sold 1968.
G-ARJS came to Hamble April 1961, sold 1968.
G-ARJT came to Hamble April 1961, sold 1968.
G-ARJU came to Hamble April 1961, sold 1968.
G-ARJV came to Hamble April 1961, sold 1968.
G-ARJW came to Hamble April 1961, sold 1968.
G-ARJX came to Hamble April 1961, sold 1968.
G-ASDG came to Hamble January 1963, sold June 1969.
G-ASDH came to Hamble January 1963, crashed near
Netley Hospital 10th January 1967.
G-ASDI came to Hamble January 1963, sold June 1969.
G-ATOA came to Hamble March 1966, sold August 1968.
de
Havilland Chipmunk
The simplest plane used by the College of Air Training whilst I worked there
was the de Havilland Chipmunk. This was
a two-seat (tandem) low wing monoplane, fully aerobatic. It was powered by a Gypsy Major series
4-cylinder in-line inverted engine rated at about 140hp. Most of the flying surfaces were fabric
covered. It had fixed undercarriage and
was in most respects a very basic aircraft.
It was however a very robust plane and its ruggedness and simplicity
meant that despite a design rooted in the 1940's many examples of this plane
are still in use today. The College's
Chipmunks had a distinctive colour scheme of silver with a thin blue/red/white
stripe along the fuselage. The wings,
tail and tips bore fluorescent orange stripes.
de Havilland Chipmunk
First
flown: 1946
Seats:
2, one in front of the other.
Engine:
4-cyl inverted 140hp Gypsy Major series, air cooled.
Length: 25 ft, 5 in
Empty weight: 1158 lb Max speed: 139 mph
Wingspan:
34 ft, 4 in Max T/O weight: 1930
lb Range: 780 nm
Height: 7 ft
Thrust: 140 hp
The
Chipmunk's used by the College bore the following registrations:
G-AMUC,
G-AMUF, G-AMUG, G-AMUH
G-AOUN,
G-AOUO, G-AOUP, G-AOZJ, G-AOJY, G-AOZV
G-ARMB,
G-ARMC, G-ARMD, G-ARME, G-ARMF, G-ARMG
G-ATDE,
G-ATDF, G-ATDP, G-ATDX, G-ATDY, G-ATEA, G-ATEB, G-ATHC, G-ATHD, G-ATJI, G-ATJJ,
G-ATJK. (28)
HISTORY
Reg. Prev. ID.
Type
G-AMUC -
DH Chipmunk 21 came to Hamble
October 1952, sold 1967.
G-AMUF -
DH Chipmunk 21 came to Hamble November
1952, sold 1967.
G-AMUG -
DH Chipmunk 21 came to Hamble
November 1952, sold 1967.
G-AMUH -
DH Chipmunk 21 came to Hamble
November 1952, sold 1967.
G-AOUN -
-
G-AOUO WB730
DH Chipmunk 22 came to Hamble
October 1956, sold 1967.
G-AOUP WB731
DH Chipmunk 22 came to Hamble
October 1956, sold 1967.
G-AOZJ WD319
DH Chipmunk 22 came to Hamble
October 1957, sold 1967.
G-AOJY WB631
DH Chipmunk 22 came to Hamble
December 1957, sold 1967.
G-AOZV WD290
DH Chipmunk 22 came to Hamble
December 1957, sold 1967.
G-ARMB WB660
DH Chipmunk 22 came to Hamble
September 1961, sold 1984.
G-ARMC WB703
DH Chipmunk 22 came to Hamble
September 1961, sold ?
G-ARMD WB297
DH Chipmunk 22 came to Hamble
September 1961, sold 1984?
G-ARME WD381
DH Chipmunk 22 came to Hamble
September 1961, crashed Sandown, Isle of Wight 29/03/66.
G-ARMF WD322
DH Chipmunk 22 came to Hamble
September 1961, sold 1984?
G-ARMG WK558
DH Chipmunk 22 came to Hamble
September 1961, sold May 1984.
G-ATDE WB733
DH Chipmunk 22 came to Hamble
June 1965, stored, returned to RAF December 1967.
G-ATDF WP850
DH Chipmunk 22 came to Hamble
June 1965, stored, returned to RAF December 1967.
G-ATDP WG477
DH Chipmunk 22 came to Hamble
June 1965, stored, returned to RAF December 1967.
G-ATDX WG463
DH Chipmunk 22 came to Hamble
June 1965, stored, returned to RAF December 1967.
G-ATDY WG418
DH Chipmunk 22 came to Hamble
June 1965, stored, returned to RAF December 1967.
G-ATEA WG464
DH Chipmunk 22 came to Hamble
August 1965, stored, returned to RAF December 1967.
G-ATEB WZ866
DH Chipmunk 22 came to Hamble
August 1965, stored, returned to RAF December 1967.
G-ATHC WP969
DH Chipmunk 22 came to Hamble August 1965, stored, returned
to RAF December 1967.
G-ATHD WP971
DH Chipmunk 22 came to Hamble
August 1965, stored, returned to RAF December 1967.
G-ATJI WP863
DH Chipmunk 22 came to Hamble
August 1965, stored, returned to RAF December 1967.
G-ATJJ WP921
DH Chipmunk 22 came to Hamble
August 1965, stored, returned to RAF December 1967.
G-ATJK WP927
DH Chipmunk 22 came to Hamble
August 1965, stored, returned to RAF December 1967.
Only two
of these were kept in flying condition during the time that I was at the
College, the others were stored for spares.
The registrations of those that were at Hamble while I was there were:
G-ARMB, G-ARMD, G-ARMF, G-ARMG.
At
left is one of the College's Chipmunks, 'G-ARMG', formerly 'WK558', previous
user unknown. This aircraft first came
to Hamble in September 1961 and was subsequently sold by the College in May
1984. Note the 'trolley' in front of the
plane, within the trolley was a bank of batteries to help get the engine
started.
Photo:
Rod Brown.
At
left is de Havilland Chipmunk T10 'WD346' as used by Southampton University Air
Squadron. It first came to Hamble in
January 1951 and was sold in March 1975.
Photo:
Rod Brown.
Another
Chipmunk that was at Hamble, 'WP800', from 1953 until March 1975. It too was used by Southampton University Air
Squadron.
Photo:
Rod Brown.
Yet another picture of a Chipmunk
at Hamble, this time undergoing maintenance in the main hangar, plane
registration unknown. Also visible is
Piper Cherokee 'G-AVNM'.
And
who are the people pictured? I'm told
the fellow in white overalls is Geoff Mann.
But, at this point there is some difference of opinion as to who the
others are... There is a claim that the
chap in blue overalls looking into the tool boxes next to the engine is Alan
Norgate. Another claim is that it is
Sandy Sadler. And, the man in dark blue
overalls in the plane is not sure whether it is he, Mick Lavery.
(Click
on the picture to view a larger version of this photograph, use the 'Back'
button on your browser to return to this page.
The full size version of this photo may be accessed by using the following
link... Large photo.)
Photo:
Don Eaves.
A view of two Chipmunks parked
outside the main hangar, 'G-AMUF' and 'G-AMUG'.
Perhaps the Cherokee is treating them to a flypast?
(Click
on the picture to view a larger version of this photograph, use the 'Back'
button on your browser to return to this page.
The full size version of this photo may be accessed by using the
following link... Large photo.)
Photo:
Don Eaves.
Ex-Hamble Chipmunk 'G-AMUF' as
seen at Redhill recently. (Click on the
picture to view a larger version of this photograph, use the 'Back' button on your
browser to return to this page.)
Photo:
Derek Squires.
Another shot of former Hamble
D.H. Chipmunk, 'G-ARMG', formerly 'WK558', recently restored and seen here in
an air-to-air photo. In good flying
condition and based in Warwickshire.
(Click
on the picture to view a larger version of this photograph, use the 'Back'
button on your browser to return to this page.)
Photo:
John Richards.
A recent addition to this archive,
Hamble Chipmunk 'G-AOUN'. Not sure of
the location although it could be Hamble.
Date unknown although probably in the 1960's.
Photo:
sent to me, photographer unknown.
Piper
Cherokee
The main basic trainer aircraft used was the Piper Cherokee. This was powered by a single Lycoming O-360,
flat 4-cylinder engine that was rated at about 180hp. The plane was a four-seater and was somewhat
more luxurious in its layout than the Chipmunk.
Piper
Cherokee
First
flown: 1960
Seats:
4, 2 front, 2 back.
Engine:
Lycoming 0-360-A3A 180 hp flat-4 cylinder, air cooled.
Length: 23 ft, 9 in
Empty weight: 1416 lb Max speed: 147 mph
Wingspan:
35 ft Max T/O weight: 2550
lb Range: 630 nm
Height: 7 ft, 3 in
Payload: 200 lb Thrust:
180 hp
There
were a total of 39 Cherokee's used by the College which bore the following
registrations:
PA-28-180C
G-AVAX,
G-AVAY, G-AVAZ, G-AVBA, G-AVBB, G-AVBC, G-AVBD, G-AVBE, G-AVBG, G-AVBH, G-AVBI,
G-AVBJ
G-AVNM,
G-AVNN, G-AVNO, G-AVNP, G-AVNR, G-AVNS, G-AVNT, G-AVNU, G-AVNV, G-AVNW
PA-28-180E
G-AXZC,
G-AXZD, G-AXZE, G-AXZF
G-AYAA,
G-AYAB, G-AYAP, G-AYAR, G-AYAS, G-AYAT, G-AYAU, G-AYAV, G-AYAW, G-AYBK, G-AYBT,
G-AYEE, G-AYEF.
HISTORY
PA-28-180C
REG. CON No.
Purchased Sold Notes
G-AVAX 28-3798
Hamble Feb 1967 May 1984 Withdrawn from use 11/11/2013. Possibly at Paul Nalson's
yard.
G-AVAY 28-3793
Hamble Feb 1967 Jul 1984 Taken to U.S. 11/07/1984. Status unknown.
G-AVAZ 28-3794
Hamble Feb 1967 1983 Re-registered as G-OIBO. Now based at Trier Foehren
(EDRT)
G-AVBA 28-3795
Hamble Feb 1967 ? Permanently withdrawn from use
21/12/1983.
G-AVBB 28-3796
Hamble Mar 1967 Jul 1984 Taken to U.S.
Re-registered as N54590. Status
unknown.
G-AVBC 28-3797
Hamble Mar 1967 Jul 1984 Taken to U.S. 11/07/1984. Scrapped fuselage last seen at Rantoul,
Kansas 17/10/2011.
G-AVBD 28-3799
Hamble Mar 1967 - Destroyed in mid-air collision with
G-AVBI, Bursledon, 27/02/1970.
G-AVBE 28-3800
Hamble Mar 1967 Jul 1984 Taken to U.S.
Re-registered as N5460N.
G-AVBG 28-3801
Hamble Mar 1967 May 1983 Currently based an Enstone
(EGTN).
G-AVBH 28-3802
Hamble Mar 1967 Jul 1983 Currently based at Shipdham?
G-AVBI 28-3803
Hamble Mar 1967 - Destroyed in mid-air collision with
G-AVBD, Bursledon, 27/02/1970.
G-AVBJ 28-3806
Hamble Mar 1967 - Destroyed in mid-air collision with
G-AXZC, Warsash, 30/04/1981.
G-AVNM 28-4033
Hamble Jul 1967 1983 Re-registered as G-SOOT. Now based at Little Snoring.
G-AVNN 28-4049
Hamble Aug 1967 May 1984 Currently based at Exeter (EGTE).
G-AVNO 28-4105
Hamble Aug 1967 1984 Currently at Southend (EGMC).
G-AVNP 28-4113
Hamble Aug 1967 1983 Written off at Nayland,
Colchester 28/04/2011.
G-AVNR 28-4121
Hamble Aug 1967 May 1984 Re-registered as G-ITUG. Withdrawn 01/03/2011.
G-AVNS 28-4129
Hamble Aug 1967 May 1984 Currently at Bournemouth (EGHH).
G-AVNT 28-4145
Hamble Aug 1967 Jul 1984 Taken to Rantoul, Kansas, U.S. Scrapped 11/07/1983.
G-AVNU 28-4153
Hamble Aug 1967 1982 Currently at Lydd
(EGMD).
G-AVNV 28-4206
Hamble Aug 1967 Jul 1984 Taken to Kansas, U.S. Scrapped 11/07/1983.
G-AVNW 28-4210
Hamble Aug 1967 1984 Currently at Popham (EGHP).
PA-28-180E
REG. CON No.
Purchased Sold Notes
G-AXZC 28-5700
Hamble Mar 1970 - Destroyed in mid-air collision with
G-AVBJ, Warsash, 30/04/1981.
G-AXZD 28-5609
Hamble Mar 1970 May 1984 Currently based at Teeside
(EGNV).
G-AXZE 28-5676
Hamble Mar 1970 Jul 1984 Went to U.S., Re-registered as N458AS. De-registered 2018.
G-AXZF 28-5688
Hamble Mar 1970 Jan 1983 Went to Carill Aviation, Southampton
(EGHI). Re-registered as G-OAYJ. Destroyed Breighton
May 2018.
G-AYAA 28-5799
Hamble Mar 1970 Jan 1983 Re-registered as G-LFSG. Currently based at Eshott.
G-AYAB 28-5804
Hamble Mar 1970 Jan 1983 -
G-AYAP 28-5794
Hamble May 1970 Jan 1983 Re-registered as G-GALA, then G-OTTK. Currently at Southend (EGMC).
G-AYAR 28-5797
Hamble May 1970 Jun 1984 Currently at Southend (EGMC).
G-AYAS 28-5800
Hamble May 1970 May 1984 Re-registered as G-GRUB. Permanently withdrawn from use 10/01/1991,
St. Merryn.
G-AYAT 28-5801
Hamble May 1970 Nov 1983 Currently at Seething (EGSJ).
G-AYAU 28-5802
Hamble Jun 1970 Nov 1983 Re-registered as G-ONET. Currently at Gloucester (EGBJ).
G-AYAV 28-5803
Hamble Jun 1970 May 1984 Re-registered as G-DTLR, then G-SROY. Was based at Norwich (EGSH), now at Biggin Hill (EGKB).
G-AYAW 28-5805
Hamble Jun 1970 May 1984 Currently at Eshott.
G-AYBK 28-5806
Hamble Jun 1970 Jul 1984 Re-registered as G-TEMP.
G-AYBT 28-5809
Hamble Jul 1970 Jul 1984 Taken to U.S.
Re-registered as N5458M.
Savannah, GA.
G-AYEE 28-5813
Hamble Jul 1970 May 1984 Re-registered as G-JMIA, currently at
Kidlington (EGTK).
G-AYEF 28-5815
Hamble Jul 1970 May 1983 Currently at Barton (EGBC).
The above list was made with the
help of Dave Rowe and Ian Haskell (Hamble Cherokee's, Facebook group).
|
A
head-on view of College Piper Cherokee 'G-AVAY' parked outside the main
hangar. (Click on the picture to view
a larger version of this photograph, use the 'Back' button on your browser to
return to this page.) |
|
|
Another
view of the same aircraft (previous picture) seen from the front and
side. (Click on the picture to view a
larger version of this photograph, use the 'Back' button on your browser to
return to this page.) |
|
|
A
view of three Piper Cherokees parked on the apron in front of the main
hangar; 'G-AVBH', 'G-AYAV', plus one other (registration unknown). Note the all white livery which was changed
to red and white later on. (Click on
the picture to view a larger version of this photograph, use the 'Back'
button on your browser to return to this page. The full size version of this photo may be
accessed by using the following link... Large
photo.) |
|
|
A
picture of a former Hamble Piper Cherokee 'G-AXZD', now in private hands,
still flying, still in good condition.
(Click on the picture to view a larger version of this photograph, use
the 'Back' button on your browser to return to this page.) |
|
|
|
The
instrument/control panel of former Hamble Piper Cherokee 'G-AXZD'. Those of you who flew Hamble aircraft will
notice that the panel is almost unchanged since it's Hamble days. (Click on the picture to view a larger
version of this photograph, use the 'Back' button on your browser to return
to this page.) |
Beechcraft
Baron
The largest
aircraft type used by the College of Air Training, of which there were 12, was
the Beechcraft Baron model D55. (The
Beechcraft Baron replaced the Piper Apache used by the College during the late
60's.) The Baron was a 6-seater aircraft
(up to 2 pilots and 4 passengers) powered by two Teledyne Continental IO-520
flat 6-cylinder, fuel injected engines rated at 285hp. The maximum speed of the plane was about
240mph with a range of about 1500 miles.
It had retractable undercarriage, an unpressurised cabin and was fitted
with de-icing equipment.
Beechcraft
Baron B55
First
flown: 1960
Seats:
6, 2 front, 2 middle, 2 rear. (College Baron's had the 2 rear seats removed.)
Engines:
2 x Teledyne Continental IO-520, flat-6-cylinder, air cooled, fuel injected.
Length: 29 ft, 10 in Empty weight: 3570 lb
Max speed: 239 mph
Wingspan:
37 ft, 10 in Max T/O weight: 5500
lb Range: 1575 nm
Height: 9 ft,
9 in Payload: 700 lb
Thrust: 570 hp
There
were a total of 12 Baron's that were used by the College that bore the
following registrations:
G-AWAD,
G-AWAE, G-AWAF, G-AWAG, G-AWAH, G-AWAI, G-AWAJ, G-AWAK, G-AWAL, G-AWAM, G-AWAN,
G-AWAO. (12 aircraft)
HISTORY
G-AWAD came to Hamble March 1968, sold December
1983. Re-registered as G-MOSS, Jersey,
then later based at Elstree. Now at
Coimbra, Portugal (LPCO).
G-AWAE came to Hamble March 1968, sold May
1984. Re-registered at 9J-MJS, Zambia.
G-AWAF came to Hamble March 1968, sold July
1984. Scrapped, Rantoul, KS.
G-AWAG came to Hamble March 1968, sold June 1984.
G-AWAH came to Hamble March 1968, sold ? Re-registered in the U.S. as N7715B.
G-AWAI came to Hamble March 1968, sold August 1982.
G-AWAJ came to Hamble March 1968, sold June
1984. Currently at Blackpool (EGNH).
G-AWAK came to Hamble March 1968, sold June 1984.
G-AWAL came to Hamble March 1968, sold July 1984.
G-AWAM came to Hamble March 1968, sold July
1984. Taken to the U.S., broken up for parts.
G-AWAN came to Hamble March 1968, sold July 1984.
G-AWAO came to Hamble March 1968, sold May
1984. Taken to the U.S. and registered
as N95SB. Scrapped Apr. 1986.
|
A
head-on view of Beechcraft Baron 'G-AWAF'.
(Click on the picture to view a larger version of this photograph, use
the 'Back' button on your browser to return to this page.) |
|
|
A
side-on view of the same aircraft ('G-AWAF').
This plane had recently undergone extensive repair after a wheels-up
landing. (Click on the picture to view
a larger version of this photograph, use the 'Back' button on your browser to
return to this page.) |
|
|
Ex-Hamble
Beechcraft Baron 'G-AWAD', now re-registered as 'G-MOSS'. This picture shows her as seen at Elstree
aerodrome, Herts. in 2004. (This
aircraft is now based in Portugal apparently.) I was lucky enough to fly in this aircraft
shortly before this photo was taken - ah, nostalgia isn't what it used to
be! My thanks to the owner, Alberto
Camisa, for inviting me to see and fly in 'one of my babies' some 22 years
after I'd last seen her. (Click on the
picture to view a larger version of this photograph, use the 'Back' button on
your browser to return to this page.) |
|
|
Former
Hamble Beechcraft Baron 'G-AWAH' as seen at Duxford recently. (Click on the picture to view a larger
version of this photograph, use the 'Back' button on your browser to return
to this page.) |
|
|
The
same aircraft as the photo above but this time as seen during the 70's/80's
at Hamble. (Click on the picture to
view a larger version of this photograph, use the 'Back' button on your
browser to return to this page.) |
|
|
Ex-Hamble
Beechcraft Baron now re-registered as '9J-MJS' (formerly 'G-AWAE'). This aircraft was flown down to Zambia by
the current owner, himself a former Hamble student. (Click on the picture to view a larger
version of this photograph, use the 'Back' button on your browser to return
to this page.) |
The
plane was equipped with a comprehensive avionics suite and was thus able to fly
under Instrument Flying Rules (IFR). It
made routine training flights all over England and occasional trips to the
Channel Islands and Dinard in France. It
was a quick plane and I always remember it for its distinctive engine sound and
the fuel consumption: At take-off power it was not unusual to see the fuel-flow
gauges register up to 24 gallons per hour - per engine! Fortunately this would drop to about 10 to 15
during the cruise phase of flight. I did
hear that some of these were eventually dismantled after the planes were
auctioned off in 1984 and shipped to the United States for reassembly and
reused. Perhaps someone can confirm
that?
A list
detailing the aircraft used by the College, including those taken over from Air
Service Training in June 1960 was kindly given to me by Tony Sedgwick. The list includes: date to Hamble,
registration, previous identity, type, and remarks. Again, like the military residents list I had
toyed with the idea of reproducing the entire list on this page but since it
covers 3 sides of A4 paper... If you
would like a copy please let me know.
HAMBLE AERODROME - 20+ YEARS ON
Very little
remains of Hamble aerodrome today. The
grassed area is still intact though heavily overgrown and still forms one of
the largest, flat, open areas locally.
However, nothing remains of the apron, hangars, school, or other
buildings - all swept aside by 'progress'.
One of the many upshots of this webpage has been the amount of feedback
I get, some from former employees, students, pilots, and aviators alike. One such occasion was August 2005 when I was
invited to fly over Hamble. The following photos show some of that 'flip'...
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Popham
based PA-22 'G-ARCC' (Piper Caribbean), shared aircraft that was my ride,
flown by Mike Vernon, flight kindly arranged by John Grover. We flew south from Popham and headed
towards Bishops Waltham and Fareham.
Once given permission to penetrate part of Southampton air traffic
zone we were able to circle over Hamble before flying back to Popham. (Click on the picture to view a larger
version of this photograph, use the 'Back' button on your browser to return
to this page.) |
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Photo
taken from about 1500 feet, flying roughly south, looking west. The River Hamble is visible in the
foreground. The airfield is the large
green expanse at centre, Southampton Water is in the distance running left to
right with Southampton Waterside area beyond.
(Click on the picture to view a larger version of this photograph, use
the 'Back' button on your browser to return to this page.) |
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The
airfield is at centre of the photo, this view looking north, north west. Hamble village is at bottom left,
Southampton is in the distance at top left, River Hamble at bottom right. (Click on the picture to view a larger
version of this photograph, use the 'Back' button on your browser to return
to this page.) |
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Looking
down at the site where the hangars, apron, and control tower used to be, now
covered with housing. The dark green
line running from centre left to centre top is Hamble Lane. Bisecting the view running roughly up/down
is a pale green/brown line running along the edge of the field and the
housing, this is the former goods line that ran to and from the BP
Depot. Those familiar with the area
may be able to make out other features.
(Click on the picture to view a larger version of this photograph, use
the 'Back' button on your browser to return to this page.) |
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Towards
the end of a nostalgic flight, on return to and approaching Popham, shortly
before landing. (Click on the picture
to view a larger version of this photograph, use the 'Back' button on your
browser to return to this page.) |
All in
all a very enjoyable and nostalgic flight.
I was quite gratified that over 20 years on I was still able to pick out
the airfield about 10 miles out approaching from the north. Many landmarks stood out as visual references
almost forgotten over time but suddenly being recalled to guide the way. I have often said that you've never really
flown until you've flown in a light aircraft.
Time and again a light aircraft has provided me with an unforgettable
thrill and the flight over Hamble was no exception.
Much
as I enjoyed that day out I have to say that it was tinged with sadness. Mike Vernon, the pilot, said that he'd flown
over that area many times and would never have known that there was a historic
airfield at Hamble. Indeed, it was only
my knowledge of the area that provided clues as to where it was. As you can see from the above photos there is
virtually no sign that Hamble Aerodrome ever existed. I'm not sure what to feel about flying over
the ghost of 'EGHM' - it was both exciting and a letdown. The march of progress is unrelenting and
things do change, sometimes for the better, sometimes not. What do you think?
I am
still amazed at the amount of interest this page has generated. Since posting this page on the internet in
about 2002 I have been contacted by many people who worked or learned to fly at
Hamble as well as receiving mail from all over the world. To visit the site of the former airfield one
would hardly guess what was there not so very long ago. This page will hopefully keep those memories
alive for people who have a connection to Hamble's aviation history. As is the norm with this kind of page there
were many useful sources of information who helped me write this webpage...
Firstly,
my thanks to Dave Fagan who generously allowed me to use text and pictures from
his expansive website about Aviation
in Hampshire. Some of the
chronological history written on this page comes courtesy of him as do three
black and white photo's further up on this page. Also, he has an extensive list of aircraft
accidents that have taken place in Hampshire, some of which appear further up
on this page.
Thanks
go to Tony Sedgwick who kindly allowed me to use text from his webpage about
Hamble's Airfields. Some of the
chronological history written on this page comes courtesy of him. That page is
part of Hamble Local History Society's website. Tony also provided me with
copious references to other aircraft based at Hamble from the interwar year up
to the closure of Hamble.
More
thanks go to Don Eaves of Solent
Aviation Society who gave me several useful pointers in my search for
information. Don has also subsequently
dug up some further information about aircraft that had connections with Hamble
as well as providing me with some pictures of College of Air Training
aircraft. Some of these pictures appear
further up this page.
I am
also indebted to Rod Brown for
supplying several pictures of de Havilland Chipmunks used at Hamble. His extensive website detailing the history
and many other things concerning this famous training aircraft can be seen by
using the following link. It is
appropriately entitled 'Chipmunk
Flyer'!
Thanks
also to: Dave Summers, John Russell, Derek Squires, Stephen Leniston, Phil
Nelson, John Richards, Keith Willsher for providing
some photos. Hamble-Le-Rice Parish
Council were very helpful in directing me to sources of information. Their office in Memorial Hall, High Street,
Hamble-Le-Rice has an excellent archive of pictures relating to Hamble aviation
and the village itself.
Another
round of thanks to John Grover and Mike Vernon from Popham Flying Group for
arranging and flying me over Hamble in August 2005.
The
photograph of the Avro Avian (and Bert Hinkler) flown by him on his record
breaking flight from England to Australia was kindly supplied by the Hinkler
House Memorial Museum, Bundaberg, Australia.
For
those of you interested in reading more about aviation in Hampshire a book I
think worth buying is "Hampshire Airfields in the Second World War"
by Robin Brooks (ISBN 1 85306 414 9) published by Countryside Books. There is a short section about Hamble within.
If you
like quality photos of aircraft a website you might like to visit is Asian Aviation Photography
run by David Riley. This site features
exceptionally high quality portrait prints for sale of a wide variety of
aircraft. Despite the name, Asian
Aviation Photography offers pictures of aircraft from all over the world.
A
comprehensive account of the College of Air Training has been written by former
Hamble student and later British Airways pilot Captain Stuart Logan. 'The
CAT and the Hamsters' is available from Bookworld Wholesale (ISBN 9780953868919).
And
that's it really. Thank you, all of
you. I don't imagine for a second that
this is a complete history, nor was it intended to be. If, however, anyone reading this page happens
to know of any additional bits and pieces worth adding, or should you see any
errors please do let me know, I'll be happy to add/correct them.
Derek Haselden
© Derek
Haselden 2023