Pilot September 2017

http://www.pilotweb.aero Pilot September 2017 | 71

PHOTOS: ADRIAN BALCH

Old Timers | Peter R March

Flywheel

returns to

Bicester

The third Flywheel event was
held at Bicester airfield,
Oxfordshire over the weekend
24-25 June, bringing vintage
cars, mostly historic racing
cars, together with classic and
historic aircraft. Whilst the
previous two years have tended
to produce more ‘wheel’ than
‘fly’, this year the organisers
appeared to have got the
balance right, with a good
variety of vintage and classic
aircraft on display. Although
there was a strong wind, the
programme went ahead as
scheduled, the flying display
being opened by a Spitfire from
the BBMF, followed by a
synchronised display by the
Historic Aircraft Flight Trust’s
Westland Scout and Sioux
helicopters. Other participants
included the ‘Tiger Nine’ team
of Tiger Moths; Lauren
Richardson in her Pitts Special;

the ‘Great War Display Team’

set piece with pyrotechnics

re-enacting a WWI battle in the

air, and finally a dogfight by

Steve Jones in the OFMC

Spitfire IX MH434 and Paul

Bonhomme in Historic Flying’s

Buchón G-AWHK, recently

repainted to represent a

‘weathered’ aircraft based in

North Africa.

Perhaps the biggest surprise

was the appearance of a

Westland Lysander. On first

inspection, this looked

completely authentic and

genuine. However, a closer look

revealed it to be a replica built

by GK Films for the 2016

romantic thriller movie Allied,

starring Brad Pitt and Marion

Cotillard. The Lysander was

assembled at Bicester at a cost

of £250,000. Apparently the

prop turns by an electric motor

and it has smoke cartridges to

simulate starting up. It also has

a fully-instrumented cockpit.

Quite why the film company

went to this expense when they

could possibly have used use

one of the aircraft in the UK is

unclear. The Lysander was up

for sale at Bicester for a mere

£100,000!

Report & photo: Adrian Balch

Authentic looking Lysander made for the film Allied

Plane Sailing Ltd’s Catalina is a popular airshow performer around Western Europe

The Catalina amphibian G-PBYA Miss Pick Up,

operated by Plane Sailing Air Displays Ltd from

Duxford, is currently engaged in its 14th consecutive

season of air display appearances and this year is

visiting shows in Ireland, Norway, Germany,

Switzerland and Belgium as well as around the UK.

Last winter during maintenance at Duxford its port

engine was replaced with a newly overhauled unit,

the instrument panel and control yoke were

refurbished and work was carried out on the tail

surfaces. It still operates from water and in 2016

carried out some eighty water landings. At the start

of the 2017 season it had just passed 14,000

airframe flying hours. Miss Pick Up was originally

ordered for the Royal Canadian Air Force as a Canso

A amphibian, broadly similar to the US Navy’s

PBY-5A. It was built by Canadian Vickers at

Cartierville, Quebec with the RCAF serial 11005 when

it was taken on charge on 27 October 1943. Today it

is painted to represent WWII USAAF OA-10A Catalina

44-33915 of the 8th Air Force 5th Emergency Rescue

Squadron at Halesworth, Suffolk.

This Catalina is unusual in being a display

aircraft owned by twenty shareholders, collectively

known as Catalina Aircraft Ltd. They are a mix of

pilots and non-pilots and this operating model

serves the organisation very well. Shares in the

aircraft occasionally become available and a

Potential Future Shareholder Day is being held at

Duxford on Sunday 15 October for anyone wanting

to find out more about getting involved. The event

is strictly by prior arrangement and further details

can be obtained by contacting [email protected].

Report: David Legg

Want a share in

Miss Pick Up?