International Air Rally, White Waltham, 10th September 1954.

[viscount]

Scanned from negative rather than an original print.

WHITE WALTHAM, INTERNATIONAL AIR RALLY,
10th SEPTEMBER 1954

Held the same week as Farnborough, and effectively only just down the road. What a surprise to the arriving enthusiast to find lines of general aviation aircraft drawn from all around Western Europe. What a variety of types too! Appears to have been a rather dull day – never the best weather for black and white photography. No magazine article to introduce this thread as this was still two years before the Merseyside, Burtonwood and some Manchester enthusiasts got together to form the Merseyside Group of Aviation Enthuiasts (MGAE).

Although Don had indexed several as Alan Scholefield images and all as dated 10th September 1954, some prints are linked by having a repeated gate hair fault (removed with digital cleaning) and many are 'pblished' Alan Scholefield prints scattered around the web, and like some of the Farnborough images are copyright claimed R.A.Scholefield on the airHistory.net photo site. Then I discovered that Don’s collection includes negatives for 5 of those images, which really confuses the situation! I do know that they regularly exchanged prints, and presumably negatives too, while teenagers - with no thought that 65 years later someone would be puzzling over ownership! I’m sure that both Don and Alan would only be too delighted to have them here presented now as an event themed collection. For want of any other sequence, displayed here in alphabetical registration order:



EI-ADO PA-12 Super Cruiser. A new aircraft 1/47, to G-ARTH 8/61 and still current in 2023.



F-BFOV SIPA GY-301 Supercab, with C/no.01 on the rudder. Image processed from negative rather than an original print. The copy digitised onto AirHistory.net is also quite dark, so clearly the same source.



G-AMHI DH.82A Tiger Moth. This aircraft was destroyed in a crash at East Meon, Petershead 25.07.58. Not certain if this was involved in the International Rally or not.



HB-ESG Ryan Navion Super 260 or a Ryan Navion B depending on information source.



I181 I-TALY/8 Macchi MB-308, with a map of the world on the fin. This image scanned from negative.



LX-AIT, noted by Don Stephens as being a KZ-III, but would appear to be a KZ-VII Laerke.



LX-JON DH.82A Tiger Moth. Formerly RAF and G-ANDC it was exported to Luxembourg 12/53. Beyond is F-BFPS Percival P.34 Proctor 3 (formerly G-ALCR).



G076 LX-ONT Piper Cub, with Percival Proctor G-AIED beyond



OO-ALI/49 also marked NC77765 down the rudder, a GC-1B Globe Swift.



OO-ESD, Ryan Navion A, with a Miles Gemini beyond. OO-ESD destroyed at Lausanne 18.01.58.



OO-GAO, Fairchild Argus 24, initially as a Fairchild UC-61K serial HB686 served with the RAF.



OO-GAY, Cessna 170A. The Air Safety Network site records two incidents involving this aircraft one way back 01.11.54, the other a collision with a Cessna F.150J while landing in Belgium 04.06.78.



OO-GUS, Aeronca 11AC Chief and could well be a survivor



OO-KAY a Globe GC-1B Swift. Was written-off 01-09-57.



OO-MUS Cessna 140. The aircraft was destroyed in at accident at Wevelgem, Belgium 06.05.62



OO-ODR Miles M.65 Gemini 1A, not surprisingly formerly British as G-AJWL.



OO-PEC a Cessna 120/140, heads a long line of aircraft participating in the Rally (DJS Neg)


OY-ABD KZ-VII Laerk



OY-ABY Auster J/2 Arrow. Registered OY-ABY 1947 to 1955, then D-EGIL, OY-ABY again 1973-2002, LY-XNY, and to UK as G-CMPT 12/22.



OY-DKU a KZ-III, with Piper Cub HB-OOC beyond



OY-DSU a KZ-II U-2 which crashed Arzberg, Austria 28.09.59, with PH-NDR Messenger. (Caption corrected, thanks to "Planemike"). However, as the Messenger PH-NDR has the registration in a different position (to that on a photo further down), it must be at a different time - which means that both this image and that of Ercoupe PH-NBD below were not taken at the International Air Rally September 1954.



PH-NBD Erco 415D Ercoupe, this aircraft destroyed at Hilversum 31.10.62.



Negative

PH-NCE Erco 415 Ercoupe, this is a survivor and still flies as PH-NCE. Why this one should appear twice is not clear, the lower image is scanned from a negative.



PH-NDR Miles M.38 Messenger 2A, formerly G-AKAH. PH-NDR was damaged beyond repair in a forced landing near Rotterdam due to fog 19.12.56.



PH-UCI At the time noted as a PA-18 Super Cub, it is a survivor today, however PH-UCI listed now as a Piper J-3c-65 (L-4J) Cub.

ADDITIONALLY as it seems a shame not to include these few further White Waltham shots.



G-ACYO Miles M.2F Hawk Major, photographed by Alan Scholefield 3rd June 1953, it was destroyed in a crash at Elstree 28.11.54.





G-AFFG is the Helmey Aerogypt, initially registered in 1938. It survived the war only to be damaged beyond repair at Northolt 16th November 1946. The upper shot is a Don Stephens photo dated 9th September 1961, noted as being in the hedge at White Waltham, the lower shot in the same location, taken by GJ Skillen in September 1962. Photos that reflect Don’s interest in wrecks and relics while compiling the 1961 and 1963 editions of the ‘Wrecks and Relics’ books for the Merseyside Group of Aviation Enthusiasts.

[acklington]

I really enjoyed that selection, many thanks.

One that rang an immediate bell was OO-GAY, so I've just dug out my 1980 photo of it at Grimbergen in Belgium.

OO-GAY, Grimbergen, 19 May 80 w by Philip Pain, on Flickr

For a few years I used to stay with the in-laws in Brussels, so developed a taste for Belgian light aircraft. Grimbergen was a particularly nice airfield to visit, with easy access for photos. The hangar in the background of OO-GAY is historically interesting and here is a quote from the Sabena aeroclub website

"The airfield has two remarkable concrete aircraft hangars which were built and designed by Alfred Hardy in November 1947. The round, mushroom shaped constructions which can each house approximately 35 aircraft are unique in Belgian architecture and are a protected monument."

[planemike]

""""OY-DSU a KZ-something, with PH-NOR an Ercoupe beyond """ Tried to show image.

OY-DZU is a KZ II U-2 Crashed Arzberg Austria 28 Sept 59.
"Beyond" is a Miles Messenger, so likely PH-NDR....










Thanks, caption amended. The KZ-s are not easy to tell apart - I can recall a 'lecture' from Phil Butler at an aircraft recognition meeting many years ago as what to look for, but now don't recall the detail. They never were a common aircraft to come cross. Brian.