There was a crew change over in Oban so a great chance to get everyone together. From left to right, Crew Chiefs David Legg and Shaun Jarvis, Project Hawker Leader and Co-Pilot Jeff Boyling and Captains John Warman and Rod Brooking with the star member G-PBYA in the background. Well done to all from the organiser!
On Saturday 24th the IWM Duxford based Catalina G-PBYA flew an orbit over Loughshinny where Harry Hawker’s attempt to fly a Circuit of Britain had come to an end. The Catalina completed the Circuit of Britain on Sunday 25th August 2013, nearly 100 years after the first attempt. On Wednesday 28th, Jeff Boyling paid a visit to Loughshinny to meet some of the locals involved in their own commemoration to Harry Hawker. Jeff was met by local resident Cepta Butler, Kevin Murray of the Loughshinny Historical Association, aviation historian Bob Montgomery and Councillor Ciaran Byrne. It was a sunny day and the scene of Harry’s mishap was inspected along with the plaque unveiled on the Sunday by a representative of the Australian Government.
From left to right Ciaran Bryne, Bob Montgomery, Cepta Butler and Kevin Murray with Jeff Boyling by the Plaque.
A piece of the jigsaw is missing so I am off to Loughshinny on Wednesday. That will allow me to see the plaque unveiled by the Australian Ambassador plus meet the locals. No doubt I will see photos but will I find any aircraft remains is the big question?
The IWM Duxford based Catalina G-PBYA operated by Plane Sailing Air Displays Ltd returned safely to Duxford yesterday afternoon. The Catalina had spent 5 days on a Circuit of Britain to commemorate 100 years since the attempt by Harry Hawker and Harry Kauper in a Sopwith Waterplane. Although the flight has been successfully completed there is still a lot to do. The website will be updated with information and photos of the flight over the coming weeks. There are hundreds of emails, posts and comments to be responded to and that is on the “to do” list. For now, a big thank you to all who have been involved. You have contributed to a truly memorable experience!
The car is packed and as soon as Rod Brooking arrives we will head off.
Educating the young and the old is an important aspect of Project Hawker. There is a story to be told about Harry Hawker and this fills one display board. The other display board centres around the Catalina. Both boards will be available for the press to see on Wednesday and will both will be on board the Catalina on its Circuit of Britain.
Just been interviewed by Macca on ABC Radio in Australia. The programme is a popular choice on a Sunday morning and goes nationwide. Hopefully, as a result there will be a bit of interest in Harry Hawker and the 100th Anniversary of his Circuit of Britain flight in the Sopwith Waterplane.
This base is the planned overnight stop on the first day, Wednesday 21st. The team there have been absolutely brilliant in terms of facilitating the arrival of the IWM Duxford based Catalina. Naturally, the crew are looking forward to the visit!
Readers will have noticed a comment in the schedule about a possible stop at RAF Lossiemouth on Thursday 22nd. Discussions are underway so keep posted to see if the Catalina will be setting down. A Catalina in these parts would be something to see!
With 7 days to go plans for next week are in hand but there is still a lot to clear. However, the support for Project Hawker 2013 is not just local. Twelve thousand miles away there has been a small team providing encouragement from the start. You know who you are. Well done!
Project Hawker 2013 