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By: - 26th February 2008 at 21:33 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Sad news indeed:(
By: - 26th February 2008 at 22:00 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
And involved in the Flitzer Biplane, details below.:(
By: - 27th February 2008 at 09:41 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Sad to hear that, A few days ago I re-read (for the umpteenth time) Clive DuCros book about the building of the Spitfire replica. Excellent read, I can recommend it. Once you start reading you cannot put it down.
Cheers
Cees
By: - 27th February 2008 at 09:50 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
A truly enthusiastic and talented designer of the old school.
His many ideas even included schemes for a reproduction H.P. 42 that might have one day possibly come to something. Always ready to talk aeroplanes, with humour and patience for the less qualified, he was a natural magnet to chat to over a coffee.
He will be very sadly missed.
By: - 27th February 2008 at 14:42 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Another project he was involved in was the Bellamy Hilborne B.H. 1 Halcyon registered G-ARIO constructed at Eastleigh 1960 -61. The aircraft was never completed. The fuselage was languishing in the hangar in 1962 when I worked there.
There is a picture of the aircraft on page 300 of A.J.Jackson's British Civil Aircraft 1919 - 1972 Vol 1 with, I beleive, Ray Hilborne, stood admiring it.......
Planemike
By: - 20th April 2008 at 21:51 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Ray Hilborne
A great guy who will be sadly missed.
By: - 24th October 2008 at 19:09 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Ray was also a designer on the Thruxton Gadlfy -autogyro - Helicopter museum now.
By: - 24th September 2009 at 20:29 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Another project ....... was the Bellamy Hilborne B.H. 1 Halcyon registered G-ARIO constructed at Eastleigh 1960 -61. The aircraft was never completed. The fuselage was languishing in the hangar in 1962 when I worked there.
Sorry for reviving a thread that has been slumbering for many months, but I thought it better to do so than initiate a new thread. I understand that the reason why the Halcyon fuselage was in the Hampshire Aero Club/Viv Bellamy hangar was that the aeroplane had been damaged in taxiing trials at Eastleigh in 1962. Does anyone know the circumstances of the accident in which the damage was suffered and for how long the Halcyon languished in the hangar before, presumably, being scrapped?
By: - 24th September 2009 at 22:37 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Thank you , Robbo. Another of life's little mysteries resolved!
Wasn't the winter of 1962/63 that of the "big freeze"? If so, maybe that's why the remains of the Halcyon were burnt. Stuffed into the stove to keep the toes of the HAC members warm in the clubhouse! I wonder how many other wooden aeroplanes met a similar fate that winter!
By: - 24th September 2009 at 23:10 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
It may have kept the clubhouse warm, certainly not the hangar!! I worked in the hangar during the time of the "big freeze", boy was it cold!
Remember a flight in Tiger (G-AREH) at that time. My head was frozen solid for three days....!!! I am pretty sure the fuselage of G-ARIO went from the hangar during '63.
Planemike
By: - 25th September 2009 at 13:21 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I am pretty sure the fuselage of G-ARIO went from the hangar during '63.
So does that suggest that it didn't go into the stove, to heat the HAC clubhouse during the "big freeze", but survived only to fuel the HAC barbeque at the summer party later in '63!
Posts: 18,353
By: DazDaMan - 26th February 2008 at 20:11
Unfortunately this news has come rather late in the day. :(
Ray Hilborne, who was responsible for designing the Leisure Sport Supermarine S.5 replica and Clive DuCros' Spitfire K5054 replica, as well as one of the replica Pfalz D.IIIs used in the making of "The Blue Max", passed away on the 8th of February.
His funeral was held today at Semington, Wiltshire.
His son Martin was kind enough to pass on this news.