Latest news with #TigerMoth
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Tiger moth pilot's memory wish takes off at 80
An 80-year-old former Tiger Moth pilot said returning to his workplace "brought back so many happy memories". Doug Collyer, who lives at Field Lodge care home in St Ives, Cambridgeshire, was granted a special wish to revisit Old Warden Aerodrome near Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, so he could reminisce about his flying days. He said it was an "emotional" trip down memory lane to the place where he used to train students. It "felt like coming home", he said. Mr Collyer, a former flying instructor, enjoyed sharing stories with colleagues from his flying days and explored an early 20th-Century aircraft, part of the Shuttleworth Collection at the airfield. "Visiting Old Warden again felt like coming home," he said. "It brought back so many happy memories. "It was also an emotional day for me, reminiscing about the good times and reconnecting with friends." He started his training in 1965 and gained his private pilot licence in 1966. In 1986 he qualified as a flying instructor and became part of the Cambridge Flying Group, which is based at the Bedfordshire airfield, until his final flight in February 2020. Mr Collyer said he trained "countless" students over the years, including close friend David, who joined him on the trip. Linda Martinez, manager at the Care UK home, said: "It was wonderful to see the joy on his face as he reunited with friends and shared stories from his remarkable flying career." Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Tiger moth finds new home at WW2 airfield museum Chinook stranded in field after emergency landing Care home's sweet idea as Doreen's wish comes true Care UK Shuttleworth Aerodrome Cambridge Flying Group
BBC News
22-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
St Ives Tiger Moth pilot's memory wish takes off at 80
An 80-year-old former Tiger Moth pilot said returning to his workplace "brought back so many happy memories".Doug Collyer, who lives at Field Lodge care home in St Ives, Cambridgeshire, was granted a special wish to revisit Old Warden Aerodrome near Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, so he could reminisce about his flying days. He said it was an "emotional" trip down memory lane to the place where he used to train "felt like coming home", he said. Mr Collyer, a former flying instructor, enjoyed sharing stories with colleagues from his flying days and explored an early 20th-Century aircraft, part of the Shuttleworth Collection at the airfield. "Visiting Old Warden again felt like coming home," he said."It brought back so many happy memories. "It was also an emotional day for me, reminiscing about the good times and reconnecting with friends."He started his training in 1965 and gained his private pilot licence in 1966. In 1986 he qualified as a flying instructor and became part of the Cambridge Flying Group, which is based at the Bedfordshire airfield, until his final flight in February 2020. Mr Collyer said he trained "countless" students over the years, including close friend David, who joined him on the Martinez, manager at the Care UK home, said: "It was wonderful to see the joy on his face as he reunited with friends and shared stories from his remarkable flying career." Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Otago Daily Times
19-06-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Warbirds scholarship to make return
The Warbirds Over Wanaka Community Trust has announced the scholarship programme is to make a return for 2025, and Warbird aircraft engineers are eligible to apply alongside pilots. Warbirds Over Wanaka general manager Ed Taylor said the scholarship programme had been put on hold since 2020 as Covid forced the cancellation of the 2020 and 2022 shows, but after a successful 2024 show, the scholarship programme was in a position to return. One of the pilots who had benefited from the scholarship programme was Adam Butcher, who took part in the programme in 2017. Mr Butcher had been flying since 1996, when he was 14 years old. It took him a while to save for his private pilot's licence, which he got in 2004. Flying vintage aeroplanes was a dream of his, and after obtaining his licence, Mr Butcher flew 50 hours in a Tiger Moth biplane built in the 1940s. After obtaining his commercial pilot's licence he flew from Queenstown, taking tourists on aerobatic, thrill-seeking rides in a Pitts Special biplane. After moving to Australia in 2010, Mr Butcher continued to fly vintage aeroplanes; he flew Chinese and Soviet warbirds commercially from Adelaide until 2012. On returning to New Zealand, Mr Butcher became the chief pilot for the Croydon Aviation Company, which operated vintage de Havilland aircraft from the 1930s and 1940s. For seven and a-half years, while working remotely as the chief pilot for the Mandeville-based company, he flew sightseeing flights from Manapouri Airport. In 2017 he was selected as the recipient of the Warbirds scholarship programme, which allowed him to get time flying historical aircraft. The scholarship allowed him to obtain a type rating on a North American Harvard, a trainer aircraft from World War 2. "The Harvard's always been the step up to go from all of the lighter aircraft, the Nanchangs and the Yaks and the, I suppose, Tiger Moths even as well" Over two weeks Mr Butcher was instructed on how to fly the aircraft by John Lamont and Grant Bissett, who both flew the Harvard and other aircraft at the Warbirds Over Wanaka airshows. "I'd say mentoring through the Warbird progression from them was as valuable as the scholarship amount itself." The scholarship allowed him to fly seven hours in the aircraft, which was quite different from the types he had flown in the past. "I really appreciated the coaching, mentoring, training [and] instructing that came with John Lamont as well — he's such a fixture with Warbirds Over Wanaka for his experience and knowledge." After his experience on the Harvard, Mr Butcher hoped to eventually fly the Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk, a fighter that was flown by the Royal New Zealand Air Force in World War 2. "I think we all have a shared passion of wanting to experience a bit of everything of that period, but yeah, the P-40 has always been a favourite for me. " As a form of paying it forward, Mr Butcher purchased an aircraft of his own, a Pitts Special biplane, which he used to get his lower level display authorisation, and to lend to others to give them experience with flying classic aircraft. "So I was very grateful for having the opportunity to fly somebody else's Harvard, and I wanted to make sure that I gave that opportunity to others to fly the Pitts." Mr Butcher has also stepped up to better help run the airshow as an assistant display director. Part of the role involves guiding the aircraft that would display, as well as providing briefings before the show starts to ensure it runs smoothly. "Whether it's in the aeroplane or out, everybody holds a really important role to make sure the whole show is good for people coming to watch and ultimately educate them on what it is to fly Warbird aircraft and make sure the passion for that stays strong." Last year, he sold his aircraft to construct a new hangar to house more aircraft. "It's a step out of the cockpit for a moment, but it's a longer-term view of how best we support vintage aviation and make sure that there are homes for these aircraft when they're on the field," he said. For the pilots and mechanics who would apply for this year's scholarship, it was really important to show they were genuine in their passion, he said, something he felt would come through in an application.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Spitfire replica to grace Scarborough seafront for Armed Forces Day
A life-size Spitfire replica will occupy Scarborough's seafront during Armed Forces Day celebrations later this month. Lee Threadgold, artistic director of local arts organisation Animated Objects, which is constructing the replica Mk1 Spitfire, said: "The Spitfire is by far one of the most ambitious projects we've ever undertaken. "It's such a landmark piece of engineering and aviation history that people recognise every curve and facet of the aircraft at first sight, and it's our job to ensure we recreate that faithfully." Scarborough will host a range of tributes, displays, and entertainments for Armed Forces Day, which will take place on Saturday, June 28. The event will run from 11am to 5pm and will include flypasts from the Royal Air Force (which will be sending the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight); a 1930s Tiger Moth; Rich Goodwin, in his jet-powered muscle biplane; the Starlings Aerobatics Team; and squadron leader Nathan Shawyer in an RAF Typhoon. For more information, visit
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Tiger moth finds new home at WW2 airfield museum
A Tiger Moth has found a new home at an airfield where dozens of the aeroplanes were used to train pilots during World War Two. The biplane has been donated to the Bottisham Airfield Museum, near Cambridge, by the Imperial War Museum in Duxford. Jason Webb, chair of the airfield's trustees, said he was delighted about the donation, adding Tiger Moths were "top of our wanted list of exhibits". This type of aircraft was "the first to land at Bottisham in 1940 and the last to take off in 1946", he said. It will go on display at the museum for the first time on Sunday. Mr Webb said: "We became aware about six months ago that the Imperial War Museum was disposing of it as part of its reorganisation and put a bid in for it - alongside other museums - and they kindly selected ourselves out of all the others." The grass airfield at Bottisham was built in 1940 as a satellite for RAF Waterbeach and was initially used by Cambridge-based Tiger Moths from Marshalls (airfield) as a relief landing ground. The aircraft remained a regular sight in the skies over RAF Bottisham until 1946, serving with the RAF, the USAAF and the RAF Belgian section. Mr Webb said: "De Havilland Tiger Moths were elementary training aircraft, used to teach tens of thousands of pilots to fly, before they went on to fly Lancaster [bombers] or Spitfire [fighter aeroplanes]. "We want to put it on display to tell the story of pilots who flew them." In particular, he said he wanted to focus on the Tiger Moth's little-known role in Operation Banquet Lights, where the aircrafts were fitted with bombs just in case the Germans invaded England in 1940. "Luckily, this was not needed as it would have been a one-way trip for the pilots against modern German fighters," he added. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Anniversary flight for 99-year-old RAF veteran Memorials planned for disused WW2 airfields The untold story of the battle that helped end WW2 in Europe WW2 plane's engine restored to honour RAF crew World War Two veteran celebrates 105th birthday Bottisham Airfield Museum
