Other Stuff

Monday, 15 July 2024

Two Shows Pt2

 

Good plate for a 1936 Chevy

Not really a show as such, the Bagshot Breakfast Meet is only a few miles down the road & my Brother & nephew were going so as we'd been planning to go for a while, we tagged along.


We arrived just in time to nab one of the last parking spaces, my Brother & nephew were already there, my nephew in his 100e, my brother in his 30's truck as the recently finished Prefect has a teething trouble or two. Also there wa my work colleague Alex who's re-building a Triumph.





Plums & custard a popular option


 The quality of cars on show was outstanding, from humorously inventive RatRods to world class show cars.







I've mentioned this before, the style, stance & engineering are fantastic









Class









I don't usually like green, I don't usually like
huge wheels & rubber band tyres, but WOW!










Proper HotRod









That Paint!









Zoom in









The Name?










Brilliant







































Two Shows Pt1

 Busy weekend for the Stylus

Saturday was "Wallop Wings & Wheels", not a long lost Ealing comedy, but a well organised car / plane show. A few things were a little strange, firstly we had to pay to exhibit, only £10, but that did include entrance to the Museum of Army Flying, which is well worth a visit. Then there were the intrusive questions & requests for personal data (driver's or passport No. - you know, those things they tell you not to put in the internet). It turned out that this was because we were to drive across the military base to get on the show field. The public just walked in through a gate, so I didn't really see the need, but what do I know. Thirdly, we were asked to arrive at 07:30 - 08:00, I live an hour away & we would need two hours to get up & ready.


Set the alarm for 04:30? Hahahahahaha - I DON'T THINK SO.


We arrived at 09:00 & it was fine, we were shown to our spot in the "Supercar Paddock" with military precision - I'm guessing no Supercars had turned up - & we went into the museum. Then we walked along the line of visiting aircraft, there were many Austers as they tend to be ex-Army, then round the rows & rows of cars. Some we didn't bother with, there's only so many MGBs you can see in a lifetime.

From time to time there was some aerial activity, parachutists, a Mustang & Spitfire PR XIX (Photo Reconnaissance Mark 19 for those who don't speak Spitfire), a couple of French helicopters took off & went away for 1/2 an hour, then came back & sort of flew about a bit. It couldn't be described as a display. The Gazelle helicopter display team did their show & finally the pretty Navy Wings Reliant (no, not that kind of Reliant) put on a flying display in place of the Swordfish.


The cars were many & varied, from properly old racers, yanks, classics through to one offs & expensive stuff, I'll let the photos do the talking for that bit:-


















Monday, 8 July 2024

On Hols

 I've been away.

It began with a trip to Duxford Aerodrome for a flight in a De Havilland Dragon Rapide - a Christmas present from my girlfriend. It was good - I was a little nervous, I'm not a natural flyer & an 80 year old piston engined, propeller driven, tail wheel bi-plane was "a bit different". But actually, it was very very good, not too bouncy & we got ten minutes flying figure 8s over the centre of London before heading back. There's a video here:-



After strolling round the museum, the next day we went to the Shuttleworth display where the Catalina was in attendance & our Catalina society membership got us a tour round inside that, then the Red Arrows for the second time in just over a week & the rest of the air display, it was going pretty well so far.

On the Sunday we drove to the Lake District where we had a small flat booked - it was VERY small, but perfectly adequate for our needs & over the next couple of days we took in the motor museum, boat trips, a steam train ride, aquarium, steam powered bobbin factory, Bluebird exhibition & a couple of houses with nice gardens. A packed programme then, but all very interesting & entertaining.