ISLE OF MAN 6/8TH AUGUST

Thanks to time served on the island by our Treasurer Peter Lovegrove, the Squadron was treated to a magnificent week-end of aerial activity in the land of three legs and tail-less cats.
Sue and I arrived on Friday over RNAS Andreas in a borrowed 172, a mere 15 seconds later than we should have and subsequently plopped down two feet short of the spot landing line on Jurby’s runway 25 thereby ensuring we would not win the £250 prize, - it would have been different in the Auster !
Needless to say we found the redoubtable Ashmeads had already arrived having whizzed up at high speed on less fuel than it takes to start John Beattie’s Skyraider. They were followed in by Carol and Roger Richardson Bunbury in the 172 from Bodmin and Michael and Charlie Ryan in the Tobago from Yeovilton, both of whom had stopped to lunch at the Caernarfon ‘Hilton’. ‘Doc’ Holliday ‘swanned’ up in the Beattie Chipmunk but we had to wait well into beer time before group leader Peter Lovegrove arrived with Greg Moor, David Lockspeiser and Denis Stanley all in a mighty Navajo Chieftain complete with mandatory co-pilot Richard from Bournemouth via Kemble. They did well to get there having suffered a dead magneto at Kemble on the original machine which was flown back to abandonment at Bournemouth.
Whilst Senior Pilot and I waited for transport at the main gate we were much amused by the steady stream of bouncy castle people and other multifarious traders who kept accosting us for permits, permissions and directions, - must be those official looking Squadron hats!
Eventually we were rescued by a retired Manx Airways pilot who conveyed us to the magnificent Grand Island Hotel where a very pleasant evening ensued.
Saturday dawned fair and bright so we all repaired by hire car back to Jurby to greet the CO arriving in his Bonanza and also Squadron member John Beattie in his stupendous Skyraider.
A brilliant lunch in the VIP tent provided a splendid vantage point to watch John and his fellow air display pilots perform some very impressive aerial ballet in perfect weather. The combination of Pilots Pals and low altitude high velocity Vixens was almost too much for some however !
The whole event was rounded off by a Gala Dinner at the Empress Hotel Douglas after which the Squadron was expertly entertained by the remarkable Rutan brothers who regaled us all with round the world tales and showed some unique footage of their amazing forays into space.

Report by Phil Moore.

Ron Dobree-Carey recommends a visit to www.manxgliding.flyer.co.uk/the_airfield.htm which gives a fascinating wartime history of Jurby and Andreas airfields.