Cushioncraft Coming Home!

Britten-Norman Cushion Craft CC7 (C/N 005) on sea trials in the Solent

Wight Aviation Museum announce the good news that they have secured the Britten-Norman cushion craft CC7 XX102 C/N 005, the second to last built. Supporters have donated £1,100 so far, which will pay for the transportation from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire to the Isle of Wight.

A loan has been secured to purchase the craft so fundraising continues apace to repay the loan.

Phil Phillips, regular contributor to this website, has supplied this photo of the engine bay of sister cushion craft of C/N 001.

Britten-Norman Cushion Craft CC7 Engine Bay.

Phil did all the electrical wiring. He proudly says, “All my own work!”

John Kenyon, Chair of Wight Aviation Museum, has announced, “We are very grateful to people that worked on this craft for contacting us and offering to help us with restoration.
Additional support has been provided by the Hovercraft Museum, who has a sister craft CC7 in their museum at Lee on Solent, and Warwick Jacobs, the founding father of that museum. We really appreciate their help.
There will be a dedicated WAM Cushioncraft team on the ground at Sandown Isle of Wight Airport including our hovercraft guru Nikki Wilkes who has a vast knowledge and contacts we can tap into to support this project.”

“Finally, we still need a substantial amount of money, c.£15,000, to do a professional job of restoration to bring it up to a high quality museum exhibit and to repay the original loan. Please use the same platform listed below until 30 April to remit funds direct, so everyone can see the total climbing!

https://mydonate.bt.com/events/wightaviationmuseum/479553

Wight Aviation Museum – WAM – of Sandown Airfield, Isle of Wight, England

The appeal will close on 30 April 2019 as BT has withdrawn their MyDonate support to Charities.
After this date we will be reopening the appeal on another platform, Virgin Money Giving.
Thank you all for your continuing support.”

Urgent appeal – help to save historic British Air Cushion Craft

Britten Norman CC7 Cushion Craft of the Isle of Wight

Wight Aviation Museum (WAM) has launched an urgent appeal to raise enough money to save an historic British Cushion Craft from being sold abroad. Originally built on the Isle of Wight at St. Helens, on the shores of Bembridge Harbour, this particular hovercraft is at risk of leaving the UK to an overseas buyer at auction in January. Read the full appeal below with details of how you can donate and help to keep this British invention where it belongs. Here!

Can you help us save a historic British Air Cushion vehicle from ending up overseas?

Hello, I am John Kenyon Chair of Trustees of Wight Aviation Museum, a UK registered charity and we are URGENTLY appealing for your help to rescue an important part of the Hovercraft story on the Isle of Wight. We are asking for donations to rescue an original Cushioncraft CC7 built here at St Helen’s Duver.

We need to raise around £15000 to cover the purchase, transportation and refurbishment of the Cushioncraft, which we will bring to the Island so the museum can put the craft on display to the public at Sandown Airport. Additionally we would like to use the skills and knowledge of those that were originally involved in its production who are still here and able to assist us.

Warwick Jacobs, Hovercraft Trust trustee. Copyright Anne Grant.

The reason for the urgent request is the unexpected availability of the craft. We had a call from Warwick Jacobs, who founded the world’s first Hovercraft museum in 1986. He said “My first thought was this naturally belongs on the Isle of Wight, paying tribute to the work of Britten Norman!” And our Trustees agreed!

We have to act quickly if we are to secure this icon of engineering excellence for British aviation heritage as it is highly likely this will be sold off to a potential buyer from overseas at auction in January.

Please donate now as much or as little as you can afford to return this Cushioncraft to the Island where it was made. This will be a fitting tribute to those who worked at St Helens and later went on to manufacture a wide range of hovercraft that continued right up its transfer to Griffon Hoverwork in 2008.

Finally should we not be successful in raising the total sum needed we guarantee that all money donated will be placed into restricted funds and will be used only to purchase further acquisitions for the museum.

For all those contributing to this appeal we will keep you posted with our newsletter so you can see the progress being made by our volunteers and members just email us at  wightaviationmuseum@gmail.com

Here is a bit more about the history of the CC7 Cushioncraft…….

Britten Norman Cushion Craft. Courtesy of Mark William.

In 1960 Britten-Norman Ltd began trials of their new “Cushioncraft” —their name for an air-cushion vehicle built which needed to be” flown” above the terrain. It was used initially to assess the potential of this type of vehicle for the carriage of bananas from plantations in the Southern Cameroons. Together with its associated company, Crop Culture (Aerial) Ltd, Britten-Norman studied the potential for the Cushioncraft in many different countries. These investigations revealed the possibility of a break-through market in transportation techniques by the use of air cushion vehicles which could accelerate the pace of development in territories where roads are non-existent and costly to build and where rivers are seasonally unnavigable. A very similar concept to that used to promote the BN Islander’s “Land Rover “capabilities in the air, and still in service today, all across the Globe. Cushioncraft was eventually sold to The British Hovercraft Corporation in 1972.

Remember too marine skills were used to develop the first aircraft and it was aviation skills that were used to develop Cushioncraft using reverse engineering concepts which is why the first hovercraft were flown….. by pilots!

If you need convincing about the unique importance of this craft that demonstrates vividly how aviation skills can be used to advantage in Land, Sea and Air applications, take a look at this Pathe News clip on our appeal pages on https://mydonate.bt.com/events/wightaviationmuseum/479553

Do please make a donation on line by credit or debit card its very quick and easy and you can do so anonymously if you prefer, but if you can accept your donation to be gift aided, this will benefit the charity by an extra 25%. BT does not take a penny out of your donation. They only charge us a card processing fee of 15p. For a Donation of £10 we get £12.35.

So thank you for helping us to conserve and display this important part of the Isle of Wight’s Aviation Heritage. You can find more on our website at www.wightaviationmuseum.org.uk

Daedalus 100 – Photographic Memory

Daedalus 100 Years Celebration on 16 September 2017. Copyright Anne Grant.

It started out as an idea by Lee Residents Association to celebrate 100 years of flying at Lee-on-the-Solent airbase. The town, having staged D-Day 70 with huge success in 2014, decided the centenary of the airfield should not pass by unrecognised. 

Ryan VH-SCW at Daedalus 100 Air Show. Copyright Anne Grant

A bid was submitted to the local council for funding to stage an event in September 2017. Some photos from this website, see ‘Gee Whiz, This Is Great’, were contributed to help with the bid.

Bi-planes at Daedalus Air Show, Lee-on-the-Solent, September 2017. Copyright Anne Grant

It snowballed from there with Lee Flying Association and the local council getting behind the event.

The airport operator Regional and City Airports Management Ltd., took on most of the event organisation.

The number of visitors was restricted to 2500, governed by limited car parking arrangements. The sell-out event was a great success.

Bi-plane at Daedalus 100 Air Show, Solent Airport,16th September 2017. Copyright Anne Grant

If any nervousness was felt by all the small groups involved in participating, as to how it would all go on the day, those nerves vanished as the crowd arrived. 

The sun shone and blue skies lasted until the close of the day.

One exhibitor said, “The atmosphere was good. It all went very well. A lot of interest shown in our stall, it may result in some new members.”

G-RNAC 123 and G-BWUH at Daedalus 100 Air Show. Copyright Anne Grant.

The static line up of aircraft was impressive, from vintage Bi-Planes to the Britten-Norman Trilander G-RLON recently retired from service.

Britten-Norman Trislander G-LRON at Daedalus 100 Air Show. Copyright Anne Grant

This was taken out of service by Aurigny Air Services this year having flown between Southampton and the Channel Islands for 25 years. It passed into the ownership of Solent Sky Aviation Museum of Southampton on permanent loan and is temporarily stored at Solent Airport (Daedalus), Lee.

Britten-Norman Islander G-JSAT at Daedalus 100 Air Show. Copyright Anne Grant

Close by to the B-N Trilander was the other Britten-Norman exhibit, the sleek looking Islander G-JSAT. Britten-Norman started design and production on the Isle of Wight at Bembridge.

In recent years B-N has moved much of it’s production to Lee but retains a working unit at Bembridge.

What wasn’t in the Daedalus 100 line up is the aircraft in this historic photograph (see below) sent into Solent Aviatrix by Phil Phillips who is in New Zealand. The photo is included here to accentuate the stunning success of this aircraft company around the world.

In Mr. Phillips’ own words, “I ‘Googled’ the number of Islanders built to date and came up with the staggering figure of 1280. Truly amazing and 750 are still operating today!”

Britten-Norman flight crew of 500th B-N Islander built at Bembridge circa 1975/76. Left to right: Sydney “George” Crooks, Dave French (foreman), John Neilan (pilot), Phil Phillips (engineer), G. Raynor (engineer), Alfie Grimes (paint shop foreman), Bruce Lockhart, Clive Dove (production foreman).

Phil worked for a while at B-N before moving to New Zealand. He would like some help with naming two of the men in this photo.

“It is the flight crew of the 500^th Islander built at Bembridge. The vintage picture is circa 1975/76. I have included all the names I can remember. It looks as if it was quite a milestone for the company, because we assembled the flight shed crew, the flight shed inspector, the 3 flight shed, paint shop and production foremen, also one of the test pilots, for this photo. I’m not sure how many of these guys are still around today as we were all in a similar age group.”

Back to the Lee Airshow, of the older aircraft, bi-plane enthusiasts were given a treat with this line up.

Bi-plane Waco G-YMFC at Daedalus 100 Air Show, Solent Airport, September 2017. Copyright Anne Grant

Army aircraft were resplendent.

Bi-plane Army 669 at Daedalus 100 Air Show September 2017. Copyright Anne Grant

The Royal Navy was present with their helicopters.

Royal Navy Helicopter 441 at Daedalus 100 Air Show. Copyright Anne Grant

Royal Navy Helicopter 39 at Daedalus 100 Air Show September 2017. Copyright Anne Grant

Royal Navy Helicopter at Daedalus 100 Air Show. Copyright Anne Grant

There was also a Float Plane.

Float plane G-WLAD at Daedalus 100 Air Show, Solent Airport, 16 September 2017. Behind left is B-N Trilander and behind right is an Islander. Copyright Anne Grant.

Completing the line up and bringing the aircraft up to the present day was Pheonix Aviation who are based along side Lee Control Tower. They can be seen daily, flying in and out, over the Solent, training new pilots.

G-BWUH Phoenix Aviation at Daedalus 100 Air Show. Copyright Anne Grant

Some of the side shows included local interest stalls such as Gosport Aviation Society. This organisation holds monthly meetings in Stubbington with a different guest speaker each month.

Gosport Aviation Society Stall at Daedalus 100 Air Show, 2017. Copyright Anne Grant

No vintage air show would be complete without some classic cars and this one was a beauty.

Vintage Car Talbot PL3293 at Daedalus 100 Air Show. Copyright Anne Grant

My thanks to Bob Wealthy for his assistance on the day with these photographs. Bob attended the event wearing his three aviation hats – Gosport Aviation Society, Solent Sky Aviation Museum volunteer, and Britten Norman Aircraft Preservation Society Chairman.

Whilst the show was on, some aspects of the airfield continued to function with it’s normal business. Saving lives at sea can’t stop for an air show. The Maritime and Coastguard search and rescue helicopter, which is based at Lee, flew in and out several times, adding to the sights and sounds on the day.

What is often overlooked in the history of the airfield is how the town developed around it.

Art Deco houses in Milvil Road Lee-on-the-Solent. Copyright Anne Grant.

Houses were built around the perimeter in the style of the day, like these superb Art Deco dwellings.

Art Deco houses in Lee-on-the-Solent. Copyright Anne Grant.

They are admired and treasured now for their beauty and architectural heritage but that was not always the case.

When other houses were being built for military staff there was some local opposition.

A short lived campaign was waged against the extension of the airfield and perceived extravagance of the planned building programme for Officers’ Quarters and sports facilities. The embittered objectors deplored what they considered to be the lavish misuse of tax payers money.

It should be noted that this was about the time of the 1930’s depression. This may account for the vocal opposition from aggrieved and presumably less fortunate individuals.

A professional looking signboard proclaimed, ‘This is Lee on the Solent where the rainbow ends.’  The signboard was removed soon after it first appeared. The development went ahead.

The properties in question included Westcliff House, Officers’ Mess. See Daedalus Gems for an illustration of the interior decor – Ballroom and all. In total 21 houses were build for military use. Now, in the 21st century, that architectural legacy from those fractious days is enjoyed and admired by many. The airfield and associated built environment is what gave the town much of it’s character.

Art Deco buildings Marine Parade Lee-on-the-Solent. Copyright Anne Grant.

At the same time as the Daedalus 100 Air Show was on, down on the shoreline the annual Hovercraft Museum Show was in full flow for the whole weekend.

SRN4 Hovercraft Princess Margaret. Copyright Anne Grant.

The museum is based on airfield perimeter and uses the slipway for hover rides on special days. The event drew large crowds.

On the Sunday an extraordinary vehicle arrived and parked next to me. Not the sort of thing you see every day, I had to take photographs and have a chat with the occupants.(See below).

They had driven to Lee especially for the Hovercraft Show and had gone out onto the Solent on one of the special hover trips for paying customers.

The owner of Amphicar Q499 RNV is an engineer. He designed and built this motor/craft himself. He said that most people want to take photos of the exhaust pipe and propeller which are positioned side by side.

Amphicar Q499 RNV. Copyright Anne Grant

Amphicar Q499 RNV. Copyright Anne Grant

The registration number 66558 on the side of the vehicle permits him to take it onto Lake Windemere. 

He and his partner travel around Europe going afloat on fresh water courses, such as the canals of Netherlands and France, and fresh water lakes of Norway, Sweden and Finland.

On one occasion they motored across the Solent to the Isle of Wight, from Lymington to Yarmouth – for free!. The journey took about twenty minutes. As salt water rusts metal, they rarely venture out onto sea water. 

Complete with a  lovely Westie dog snoozing on a cushion between driver and passenger and the kettle on the boil inside their Amphicar, their hand built vehicle provides them with all the comforts of home when going on their travels. British eccentricity or engineering genius?  Both. And long may inventors such as he continue to amaze us.

Then the weekend was over. The vintage aircraft flew away. The Navy helicopters returned to base.

End of the Air Show. Spot the Bi-plane flying off between the clouds. Copyright Anne Grant

The Solent sparkled in the warm September sun.

Where the rainbow ends? Copyright Anne Grant.

Solent Airport returned to normality.

Marine Parade Lee-on-the-Solent. Copyright Anne Grant.

Gliders graced the sky again, Portsmouth Naval Gliding Centre
providing the action.
Private flying started again.
Pilot flying school resumed with Pheonix Aviation aircraft.
And lovely Lee went back to normal business. Ice cream anyone?

Daedalus 100 Is Here

Beech Aircraft – Royal Navy Aircraft FT466 at Daedalus for D-Day 70. Copyright Anne Grant.

To celebrate 100 years of flying at Daedalus, Lee-on-the-Solent, a special one day event is taking place on Saturday 16 September between 10:00am and 4:00pm.

********************** News Update 13th September *********************

**********************  DAEDALUS 100 IS SOLD OUT  **********************

Daedalus, now renamed Solent Airport, will host a static display of vintage aircraft, put on by local flying associations. Other family activities will also be on site.

The airfield opened in 1917 during the First World War. It became an RNAS station. One of my ancestors was posted there for further training. He had gained promotion and was transferred from Eastchurch Airship Station, Norfolk to Lee-on-the-Solent, Hampshire. That transfer saved his life. A week later his former Airship C27 was shot down. All crew perished.

Airship C27 at RNAS Eastchurch. Crewman William Baker transferred to Daedalus, Lee-on-the-Solent a week before C27 was shot down in the North Sea.

One type of aircraft based at Daedalus for years was the Swordfish bi-plane. During the Second World War Daedalus played a major part in D-Day operations. On special commemoration days for the Fleet Air Arm, a Swordfish bi-plane flies up the Solent and across Daedalus in salute to the fallen.

Three years ago Lee-on-the-Solent hosted D-Day 70, which some war veterans attended. Aircraft which visited the airfield on that occasion included the Dakota.

1st Dakota lands at Daedalus Airfield on 2nd June 2014 at Lee Flying Association Hanger. Copyright Anne Grant.

Daedalus Officers Club House. Copyright Anne Grant.

Hidden away behind closed doors, which may be opened for the special Daedalus 100 day, are architectural gems within the former Officers Mess.

This lovely building is waiting for an enterprising restaurateur to step up to the challenge of refurbishing and re-opening an historical site which houses a piece of aviation heritage.  This building could become one of the classiest hotels cum restaurant on the Solent coast.

The Bar is a gem of opulent woodwork.  Equally impressive are the ornate fireplaces in every room.

Daedalus Fireplace and a 2nd fireplace in the room through the door. Copyright Anne Grant.

Daedulas Officer’s Mess Bar. Copyright Anne Grant.

Stained Glass windows and doors abound.

Daedalus Officers Mess Art Deco door glass. Copyright Anne Grant.

 

 

 

 

Follow this link to other Daedalus Gems.

Daedalus 100 is ticket only, purchased in advance of the day.

Follow this link to Fareham Borough Council for ticket information.

Also on at Daedalus over the same weekend is Hovershow 2017.

Gosport Personal Hovercraft, Copyright Anne Grant.

Daedalus is home to the only hovercraft museum in the world. Over 50 hovercraft, from small to large are on display, with some of the small private hovers out on the Solent on 16 September and 17 September. Separate rickets are needed for the Hovershow. It is not inclusive with the aircraft show.

Follow this link to the Hover Museum for full details.

Lovely Lee is the place to be this weekend.

Also taking place this weekend at the Square Tower, Old Portsmouth, Alison Hill will be reading from ‘Fifty Ways to Fly’ anthology on Sunday, 17 September 2017.

In October the Solent Aviation Art Society are holding their annual exhibition in Fareham. On from 23 to 28 October at Ferneham Hall, opening times are 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, with late nights Thursday and Saturday until 10:00 pm. 

Go to the Notice Board for more contact details.

Hover Museum campaign reaches New Zealand

SRN4 Hovercraft Princess Margaret. Copyright Anne Grant.

A man who helped to build both SRN4 Princess Hovercrafts has added his signature to the petition to save the Princess Anne and Princess Margaret. Phil Phillips, now in his 70s and in New Zealand, built the entire port side front lounge or cabin with the help of one apprentice. Yes, just two men!  On top of these structures later, is where the pilot’s small cockpit eventually sat. Phil says, “It was the biggest structure I have ever built and I can only compare it to building a house. It was that big! This forward cabin could seat 50 people.”

Saddened by the news that the SRN4 museum pieces are under threat of being scrapped, Phil has started to record his memories of working on these giant hovers. This follows the suggestion by Solent Aviatrix. It is hoped his record of his working days will eventually become part of a future Isle of Wight Aviation Heritage Centre.

He told Solent Aviatrix, “I have to be grateful to Saunders-Roe for giving me the best apprenticeship you could get anywhere and your skills never leave you. I remember the maintenance staff having to remove part of the front of the SARO hanger to be able to get the hovercraft out onto the concrete pan. Once outside we were still finishing things as they were doing hover tests. Very exciting stuff.”

After leaving SARO, Phil worked for 9 months with Britten-Norman. He says, “I did a few small modifications on the Cushion Craft in that photo on your website.”

Lee Hovercraft to be scrapped?

Britten Norman Cushion Craft. Courtesy of Mark William.

For decades Lee-on-the-Solent has been the home of the only Hovercraft Museum in the world, but for how much longer? It is under threat from development by the government appointed Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).

The two Isle of Wight built giant car-carrying hovercraft crossed the English Channel daily until 1995. During that time 80 million passengers and 15 million cars used the Hoverspeed service.

British Hovercraft Corporation, formerly Saunders Roe of East Cowes, built the SRN4 Princess Margaret and Princess Anne in the 1960s.

SRN4 Hovercraft Princess Margaret. Copyright Anne Grant.

Since 2000, the two Princesses have rested on their skirts at the Hovercraft Museum on Daedalus Airfield, Lee-on-the-Solent. Gracing the museum gates at Daedalus Lee Slipway, on the main road along the seafront, Margaret and Anne are highly visible to every passing motorist and pedestrian. They showcase what lies beyond in the museum, namely, over 50 hovercrafts of all sizes, plus models, films and displays.

But the very existence of all this is now in doubt.

Hovercraft Museum Trust and SRN4 Princess Anne. Copyright Anne Grant.

Trustees fear the loss of the Princesses will impact on the museum’s future viability.

HCA want Princess Margaret and Princess Anne to be broken up and sold for scrap or removed. But minus their Rolls Royce engines, how can they ever be moved or relocated?

Warwick Jacobs, museum trustee, isn’t giving up without a fight. He has approached the National Historical Ships Register to request their help to preserve the SRN4s.

Warwick Jacobs, Hovercraft Trust trustee. Copyright Anne Grant.

An online petition has been launched to try to save the Princesses. Follow this link to the Hovercraft Museum website to add your signature.

A few years ago the Hovercraft Museum appeared in the TV show Scrapheap Challenge. Now these two historic hovercrafts could end up on the scrap heap themselves. It is to be hoped the ‘Ticket Office Closed’ sign doesn’t become permanent.

Hovercraft Museum Ticket Office. Copyright Anne Grant.

Demolition of them will be equal to the 1971 travesty when the iconic Lee-on-the-Solent Art Deco tower was demolished. And how they’ve lived to regret that.