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By: - 12th September 2016 at 13:17 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
G-BJIP is not a Turbulent..............
By: - 12th September 2016 at 13:30 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Typo, sorry - G-BJIB
That's better!
FB
By: - 12th September 2016 at 16:40 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
C'mon René's lad, please tell us why you need to know. I suspect that there's an interesting story behind your enigmatic request!
By: - 12th September 2016 at 17:00 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
C'mon René's lad, please tell us why you need to know. I suspect that there's an interesting story behind your enigmatic request!
325 pounds is not a lot of money for a turb. Even if it requires a fair bit of work...
By: - 12th September 2016 at 17:31 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Ha - busted!
Yes that's right - retrieved from a chap who had sadly lost his job. All the evidence with it points at G-AWPB, which span in at a show sadly killing the pilot in 1970. However, as with everything, the evidence with it isn't exactly clear cut, and these parts could have joined the project at a later date. The interesting bit is the trim tab, and one of the images I have seen of G-AWPB has got that tab so it is possible. I need to rule out these aircraft as best I can before applying to the CAA.
This little D31A joins a D92 along with the two Fourniers, so quite a little French gathering in Sussex (ok these Fourniers were built in Germany). Lots of woodworking though to keep me busy! Normally I'd say that sadly customer aircraft are getting in the way, but actually the customer aircraft are very exciting, so quite happy for these guys to be slow progress.
FB
By: - 12th September 2016 at 18:12 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Turbulent G-AWPB used to belong to comedian Dick Emery, and it was at one time briefly painted pink. Apparently it was awful but he liked it! Barry Griffiths was killed when it crashed at an airshow at Sleap in 1970. My father was a witness to the accident and the aeroplane was completely destroyed.
As for G-BJIB that was the nicest Turbulent ever built, it was absolutely stunning but sadly it crashed in Ireland, in the sea if I remember correctly. It was built by Nigel Lemon who has just completed the restoration of a Moth Major.
By: - 12th September 2016 at 18:16 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Thank you. It proves that I can still sniff out an interesting story!
By: - 12th September 2016 at 18:16 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Do Turbs tend to have a rather lurid accident rate and why ?
By: - 12th September 2016 at 18:32 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
There is a bare Turbulent fuselage hanging from the ceiling in the LAPS workshop at East Kirkby . It has been allocated BAPC 154 but I have seen a registration associated with it too but cannot remember what is was ?
By: - 12th September 2016 at 18:35 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
[QUOTE=G-ASSV;2337837]Turbulent G-AWPB used to belong to comedian Dick Emery, and it was at one time briefly painted pink. Apparently it was awful but he liked it! Barry Griffiths was killed when it crashed at an airshow at Sleap in 1970. My father was a witness to the accident and the aeroplane was completely destroyed.
Thank you for this. A substantial amount of the forward fuselage is new build, but there is no wing. It's the rear section of the fuselage is certainly of older construction and it appears to have been previously complete. The project came with some rollason stamped ailerons. I realise AWPA and AWPB were built together, but currently things still point to somebody having started again with the wreckage. I guess PA could also have had a tab fitted. There's certainly no sign of water damage so I suspect that rules out IB
FB
By: - 13th September 2016 at 05:51 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
From what I can recall there were three Rollason-built D.31A Turbulents, PA and PB and the first one G-ARLZ, all of them would have had trim tabs as they were standard fit on the D.31A as part of the aircraft certification, these were ARB approved aircraft, not PFA permit machines. LZ crashed ten years ago and I don't know if it was ever retstored. Another Turbulent that I know of that had a trim tab was G-AWWT, this was built near Redhill so could've used Rollason parts, it too was written off in the 1990s and subsequently disappeared. However it has a unique undercarriage so you'd know if it was this one.
I guess the reason for the torrid accident rate is due to them being a low inertia machine, they will bite fools and have frequently done so when flown inappropriately.
Good Turbulents never die, they just wait re-discovery.
By: - 17th September 2016 at 21:20 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Talking of Turbulents. Here G-AREZ on long term rebuild.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]248274[/ATTACH]
By: - 18th September 2016 at 09:22 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Looks largely new! I suspect it will be a new wing for my turb, I did get wind of a project wing floating around the midlands area but sadly the owner doesn't want to part with it.
FB
By: - 18th September 2016 at 15:28 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
There is a nice history of the design by the late James Gilbert in the July, 1971 issue of Flying magazine. An excellent cover shot of G-ASAM.
https://books.google.com/books?id=_x9y5TogGTIC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
Nice photos show the Tiger Club circa 1970 with a formation of nine aircraft.
Gilbert later was the owner/publisher of Pilot magazine.
After reading this, I rather fancied one, but the type was seemingly eclipsed in the U.S. by the later homebuilts built of composite materials...and the fact there were plenty of Cub-like types around for not much money.
By: - 9th November 2018 at 11:25 Permalink - Edited 9th November 2018 at 11:27
For someone looking for a 1960 Turbulent to restore (just over the Channel in Amiens)?
By: - 9th November 2018 at 21:17 Permalink - Edited 9th November 2018 at 21:21
I recall a damaged Turbulent coming in to The Aeroplane Collection's workshops at Warmingham, Cheshire, around 1990. It was just passing through and had been acquired by Ken Fern of Stoke on Trent and, I believe, sold on.
It was thought to have been involved in a crash as the mainplane was broken in two through the centre section, so the wings were in two halves.
It was painted white with (I think I am correct in my recollection) a red cheat line along the fuselage. Wings also were white.
Anyone any idea which one it was and what might have become of it? Ken is still about (currently building de-H 88 Comet replica 'CSR) so I should think he would know, if anyone else doesn't.
By the way, a delightful little aeroplane though slightly eclipsed by the Jodel D.9 Bebe, in my view.
Anon.
By: - 9th November 2018 at 23:50 Permalink
That broken turn is still around, the owner doesn’t want to sell sadly.
FB
By: - 4th September 2020 at 16:44 Permalink - Edited 4th September 2020 at 18:22
Does anyone know how G-AWPA met its end? The only references I can find are that it was 'DBF at Thruxton on 30.9.78' and that the CAA cancelled its registration as 'destroyed' on 9.10.78. Was it an outbreak of fire on the ground at the airfield or fire following a crash or forced landing there?
Posts: 1,037
By: Fournier Boy - 12th September 2016 at 12:39
Dear Forum,
Currently hunting the fate of 4 Druine D31A Turbulents, those being:
G-AWPA - Destroyed October 1978
G-AWPB - Destroyed July 1970
G-BENP - Construction abandoned July 1982
G-BJIP - Destroyed November 1994
I believe one of these aircraft was offered for sale at an LAA rally around 2000-2003 and ended up in the Newark area until about 2008. Any leads/sightings/rumours etc welcome - quite a research project. What might help narrow it down as the turb "of unknown origin" has a cockpit trimable elevator tab - not common so will help narrow it down. It appears to have flown at some point and therefore I am leaning less towards G-BENP than the others.
FB