Halfpenny Green Easter Rotors Wings & Wheels

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13 years

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There will be changes to the annual Wings and Wheels at Halfpenny Green. Because it has become so popular, it will be expanded to two days this year, both Easter Sunday and Monday 8th/9th April. Air Traffic Control were having difficulty coping with the number of movements last year. The theme this year will celebrate over 50 years of civil flying at Halfpenny Green, and Rotors will be added to the title reflecting the high helicopter element, with trial lessons available, and participation from RAF Shawbury and RAF Benson hoped for. Air Atlantique will be offering flights in a Rapide once again.

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12 years 5 months

Posts: 797

What's in a name...

Good-oh, I'll diarise that, ...but.....don't the local council thought-police insist that we refer to The Green as 'Wolverhampton Business Airport'.....? It seems to have stuck about as well as the renamed Staverton. :)

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13 years

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The name is now Wolverhampton Halfpenny Green Airport, but as you say, it will always be just Halfpenny Green to us locals Wolverhampton Airport, sadly missed, is the housing estate at Pendeford

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19 years 1 month

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I was able to fulfill a lifetime's ambition to fly in a Rapide from Halfpenny Green at this event two years ago. A magical experience... :)

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24 years 2 months

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Bobington, surely?

:D

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19 years

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Bobbington, actually, Moggy. Changed to Halfpenny Green supposedly because of confusion with Bovingdon. A postwar wag suggested that it reflected the devaluation of the pound. (This will mean nothing to the younger element on the forum!)

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24 years 2 months

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I stand corrected :)

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12 years 5 months

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That's a relief then...

It could have been worse. Since the modern trend seems to be to include a local light-entertainer, it might have ended-up as 'Ozzie Osbourne International'...:eek: ...or 'Noddy Holder Business Airport'....
Years ago, didn't the ATC there have an Annie that was parked betwixt one of the hangars and the road at the back...? I presume it is long lost...?

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13 years

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It was the Air Scouts, and the Anson went long ago after being vandalised. The Air Scouts will be a big part of the day as usual, and their T-31 will be brought out and erected as part of the event. This annual event is usually the only time it gets an airing.

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13 years 3 months

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Always known as Bobbington to me too.

I KNEW I'd seen an Anson there! (I thought I was going mad) - Did I see two there at some time?

As a kid I used to cycle there from Stourbridge to sit on the 5-bar crash gates at the end of the runways...and gawp.

Always looked forward to the airshows too. Left the area in 1975.

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13 years

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You will have sen several there, as well as the Air Scouts, an outfit called Tipper Air Transport bought half a dozen when they were retired from the RAF, in the hope of selling them on. They 'graced' the airfield for some time before being largely scrapped. They were redolent of the days when even more Ansons were based here, during the War and 1950-53.

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Years ago, didn't the ATC there have an Annie that was parked betwixt one of the hangars and the road at the back...? I presume it is long lost...?

Yes, indeed the Air Scouts looked after Anson C.19 VM325. The remains of the Anson survive and are now in the hands of the Carew Control Tower Group at former airfield RAF Carew Cheriton in Pembrokeshire, as reported in Wrecks & Relics. http://www.carewcheritoncontroltower.co.uk

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12 years 5 months

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Good.

Nice to hear it, or at least one of those Annies has survived. Thread-Drift I know, but - I can remember holidaying on the Welsh coast in the 1960's and there were still yellow-painted RAF Ansons chugging out over Cardigan bay. They seemed pretty incongruous even then. I never looked into it, but always presumed that they emanated from Aberporth. Training Navigators? I know that Aberporth was used later for launching target-drones. Happy days.

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20 years 4 months

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Yes, indeed the ATC looked after Anson C.19 VM325. The Anson survives and is now in the hands of the Carew Control Tower Group at former airfield RAF Carew Cheriton in Pembrokeshire. http://www.carewcheritoncontroltower.co.uk

No they didn't, it was the Air Scouts, not the ATC - two (very!) different organisations.

To say VM325 'survives' is a bit of a red herring - it was pretty much scrap the last time I saw it... There's a long and painful story behind the end of VM325's tenure at the Green - look up the Anson thread...:(

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13 years

Posts: 302

Great news for this year's event is that Ron Webster should be bringing, and running his Webster Whirlwind 7 Cylinder radial engine. It's not everyone who designs and builds an aero-engine, but Ron has done it twice. A retired engine-fitter and pilot, with his own Motor-Cadet, he designed and built a 65 hp 5 cylinder radial, and flew it on a Clutton Fred, G-BMOO. He replaced this with his second design, his 7 cylinder Whirlwind. I, for one, cannot wait to see and hear this engine running.

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19 years

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Could that be the same Ron Webster who was an aircraft dealer at Coventry Airport in the 1970s/80s?

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13 years

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Ron certainly worked for Armstrong-Siddeley and Armstrong-Whitworth at times, which I imagine would have been at Coventry, but I do not know if he bought and sold aircraft. He also worked for Beagle at Rearsby and for Field Aircraft Services.

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19 years

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Probably not the one, Wulfie. The RW I knew ran Webster Aviation and hired out aircraft, as well as buying and selling them.

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16 years 6 months

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VL348 is also a Tippers Air Transport survivor. Registered as G-AVVO I believe it flew into Southend from Halfpenny Green and was subsequently impounded for non payment of parking / landing fees. Gifted to Historic Aircraft Museum, Southend by the airport and subsequently passed to Newark when Southend acquired G-AGPG.

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13 years

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Just got back from Halfpenny Green where we have arranged to have a Jetstream opened up in the static park, for the duration of the Fly-in, The aircraft does not currently have its engines fitted, but the inside is complete, and access to the cockpit will be possible.

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13 years 2 months

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i`ll be there probably on Sunday armed with my camera and umbrella lol