COME AND JOIN US....GO RACING

The aircraft, a Bombardier Global Express, is carrying state of the art inertial navigation systems and data links and it is hoped that they will be able to download progress on their website www.transpolar08.com. If all goes well the tired team will arrive back at Farnborough on Sunday afternoon. Not only will they have a possibility of the TransPolar record but they will have set a number of intermediate records.

Updates and more on this article is available by using the read more link below.

Although one of the most famous Spitfire Test Pilots (who also barrel-rolled a Lancaster for fun!) Henshaw was always a civvy. A pioneer from the golden age of flying, he flew his tiny Mew Gull from London to Cape Town and back (over West Africa including 1300 miles across the Sahara) with no radio and no navigation aids except a compass.

His solo/single-engine records to and from Cape Town, and for the round trip, are still unbroken after 70 years!

Date: 5th February 2009

Venue: 'Milestones of Flight' gallery, RAF Museum (Hendon)

Guests of Honour -

Richard Noble OBE: Former world land speed record holder

Wg Cdr Andy Green OBE: Current world land speed record holder

The Banquet is a fund-raising event – the theme being 'Youth in Aviation'. There will be an Auction of various exciting 'aviation experiences that money can't (normally) buy'.

The funds raised will go towards all or some of the following, depending upon how much money is raised:

· Air Cadets Organisation

· An 'Alex Henshaw' bursary for a South African student to attend an Air Safety Management Course at the City University, London

· An 'Alex Henshaw' Flying Scholarship

Ticket Application Form is available HERE. (Please note website membership is required)

This was the twelfth Island Air Races held around the island of Alderney and was probably the best. As always the rolling party which is Air Racing here in the UK were made handsomely welcome by the island residents and nothing is too much trouble for them. Accommodation is found at very reasonable cost and most is in easy walking distance thorough picturesque countryside which resembles an England of 50 years ago. Friday evening saw a themed evening with a leaning to the TV comedy series ‘Allo ‘Allo. Fancy dress was optional but almost all guests turned up in some extremely funny costumes. Part of the evening is a recitation of either a limerick or poem taking the Mickey out of the assembled racers and this together with the fabulous food of the Georgian House made the informal Friday night ‘do’ one to remember. Saturday evening is also a time for us again to sample the wonderful food of Alderney with a buffet at the Belle Vue hotel. Local caught fish predominate and very little is left.

The racing on Alderney is easy, the course follows the periphery of the island and then off over the smaller island of Burhou where an old fisherman’s hut is a turning point and then its off to the Casquets Lighthouse which is approximately 7 miles out to sea. This turning point by its nature is a turn of around 170 degrees and therefore care must be taken to avoid the effects of pulling too hard and suffering a grey-out. Some racers pull up to 6g and those not used to pulling G can succumb to the effects. The course is not long and each lap is only some 17 miles so six laps are flown.

Prior to the race a practice period was flown to find the turning points and an octagon of 8, 30 second legs out over the sea between the Island and the Cherbourg peninsular. Care must be taken as the French trigger fingers would be twitching as 15 of 16 aircraft made strange images on the French radar screens as they approached the Nuclear power station at the Cap de la Hague. From the downloaded GPS data speeds are computed and start times published. After a season of development the Handicapping software is coming to a good state of refinement and as can be seen from the results for both days the predictions turned out to be pretty close.

In the event the Saturday race for the Flightline & Eagle Airways Cups, Peter Earp in his amazing Beech Baron was first over the line closely followed by ex harrier pilot Gerry Humphreys who had flown is homebuilt RV7 all the way from south western Ireland to compete. Third was Alistair Allan flying his SIAI-Marchetti 260. The Sunday race Aurigny Air Service Trophy was a reverse of the first three places and Alistair Allan flying his SIAI-Marchetti clinched a victory and the British Air Racing Championship in front of again Gerry Humphreys ably navigated by his son Harry. Third was Peter Earp who took the aggregate prize sponsored by Jeff Roff, a Jeweller on the island. The weather held and following the presentations of the many and varied prizes most of the pilots set out over the channel back towards the UK.

Alderney is not simply a club airfield but a working field with regular flights coming and going from the mainland and the other Channel Islands. Our thanks are extended to the operators of Aurigny Air Services and BlueIslands, who regularly re-schedule their Trislanders to fit in around our practice period and races as well as to Bavaria Beer who paid for all our landing and parking charges. Our thanks also go to Ralph Burridge and the Alderney Flying Club for their Sterling work over the weekend to make our stay a memorable one.

That concludes the racing for the summer of 2008 and we look forward to an even better season in 2009 the 100th anniversary of manned flight across the channel and hopefully a trip to Minorca for a race there.

John Kelsall

The penultimate round of the 2008 Air Racing Championship promised some spectacular flying over the Solent – the traditional home of British Air Racing – and attracted competitors from as far afield as Minorca (Gabriel Gomila Frau, Race 13).

Having missed previous races due to work commitments, also making a welcome return this weekend was Race 200, Cliff Hawkins, in his TB20.

Handicapping octagons and practice completed, Saturday’s Merlin Trophy was started by special guest, Chairman of the Royal Aero Club David Roberts, and the aircraft took off into gorgeous but turbulent conditions. The course took competitors out across the Solent to the mainland for a turn around the radar station at Gilkicker Point, back to the Isle of Wight to the beach near the beautiful Osborne House (I wonder what Queen Victoria would have thought?), a short southerly leg, another left turn and then a long run towards Bembridge Airfield. Five laps and 120 miles later just a few seconds separated the first aircraft over the line. Race and Merlin Trophy Winner was Ally Allan (Race 35, SF260), a very close second Neil Cooper (Race 44, Bulldog) and Geoff Boot (Race 31, SF260) third.

Sunday’s weather for the prestigious Schneider Trophy could not have been more different: nil wind and decidedly average visibility. Some very tight start times resulted from the lack of any wind and several aircraft were airborne within seconds of each other. Unfortunately David Howell (Race 65, BA-4b) did not start due to a cracked exhaust. Another retiree was John Kelsall (Race 15, RV8) who had to land on the third lap with an overheating engine. Final say on the 2008 Schneider Trophy was with the British Summer weather, however. A lowering cloud base and worsening visibility forced the Chief Steward to call off the race on lap four. Although nobody would be able to claim the Schneider Trophy all competitors would be allocated championship points for taking part.

The final round of the 2008 season will be on the pretty island of Alderney, 27th and 28th September. Come and joins us for what should be an exciting finish to the Championship: not many points between the top three racers on the leader board and all to be decided with the Flightline/Eagle Airways and Aurigny Services trophies.

This resulted in feverish activity on the field as course practice coupled with performed octagons all had to be completed prior to the start of the Stewards Cup. The weather on Sunday although mainly dry was gusty and variable. Twenty competitors lined up on Sywell’s temporary runway for the start. After some close racing, spectacularly visible over the airfield turn the field completed five laps and appeared over the horizon, soon diving for the line to provide a declared first place for Nigel Reddish in the Vans RV7 Race 777 G-SEVN.

The Stewards Cup now complete a quick refuelling session followed in preparation for the start of the prestigious Kings Cup. With the Andreasson BA-4B G-YPSY withdrawing due to increasing wind the field of 19 aircraft presented themselves for start. All away safely and established on the circuit the close racing continued and again spectators treated to some close overtaking over the airfield turn, again five laps of battling the elements as well as each other the aircraft turned for home from turning point four and descended toward Sywell for a finish. The result after deliberation and investigation by the handicappers and stewards. Nigel Reddish in the Vans RV7 Race 777 G-SEVN declared 2008 winner of the Kings Cup. Second time Nigel places his name on the cup, joining some very famous pioneers of aviation from previous years.

John L Swain

Warm Sunny and great fun, that was the weekend at Shobdon near Leomister when the Royal Aero Club turned up for their annual Air Race Weekend. The guys at The Herefordshire Aero Club in the Welsh Marches always excel in hospitality and enthusiasm for aviation. Nothing is too much trouble and the facilities are fabulous. A very suitable concrete runway alongside which is a lovely grass strip for the taildragger pilots battling the predictable cross wind as they land.