Skegness Aerodrome.

Read the forum code of contact

Member for

17 years 5 months

Posts: 112

I had a pleasure flight in the Auster, G-APKN at Skegness Ingoldmells in 1969. My dad sat beside the pilot and I as a then slim 18 year old sat in the little seat in the back. IIRC Skegness airfield came up in the Auster thread on this forum a few months back, because of its association with the Auster pleasure flights and someone posted some pics of Skeggie airfield on that thread.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 433

I should have some photos taken around Skeggie airfield, will look out for them my last visit was 9th August 1991 noted were :-

AUSTER 5 G-APAF TW511
AUSTER 5 G-ALBJ
AUSTER J1 G-AGXN
AUSTER J1 G-AHCK
CESSNA 150 G-ATYN
CESSNA 150 G-BPAW
CESSNA 150 G-BPGB
CESSNA 172 G-BAOS
CESSNA 172 G-BCPK
CESSNA 180 G-AXNX
TIGER MOTH G-AOGI
COUGAR G-BOXR
APACHE G-ARJT
PAWNEE G-BILL
EMERAUDE G-ASNI
TURBULENT G-AWBM

Member for

18 years 8 months

Posts: 6

Skegness Aerodrome

How interesting to find a thread about Skegness!

I flew Austers G-AHCN, G-AHSO, G-AIGR and G-APKN out of Skegness at various times from September 1966 to May 1967, to do enough hours to keep my PPL current that year. I seem to remember £3 10/- per hour!!! Those were the days.
My log book records that the CFI was a Mr R Larsen.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 526

Hello,
Excellent to read more memories of Skegness Aerodrome.:)

I hoped some would appear in time....

..2003:eek: I had not realised just how many years I have been sat at this 'puter.;)

I went in search of info' on the F104....I remember it being there briefly.

It seems it was during 1989 that it spent a while at Skeggy.

Having pulled Wrecks & Relics 12th edition from the shelf....and to my surprise, tucked in the page with ref to Skegness was a long lost little scrap of paper with pencil note that I had evidently lodged in there at some time....it reads "F104G arrived Skegness 27/6/89".

It will be the one that is later shown at Grainthorpe, N.Lincs.??

Good to read that there is some film archived of Skegness.

I would certainly be pleased to see any photos posted up to highlight the memories...or any of the former Skegness based fleet today.

Thank you once again for posting on with memories of Skeggy.:) :)

Clive.

Member for

20 years

Posts: 406

Hello,
Excellent to read more memories of Skegness Aerodrome.:)

I hoped some would appear in time....

..2003:eek: I had not realised just how many years I have been sat at this 'puter.;)

I went in search of info' on the F104....I remember it being there briefly.

It seems it was during 1989 that it spent a while at Skeggy.

Having pulled Wrecks & Relics 12th edition from the shelf....and to my surprise, tucked in the page with ref to Skegness was a long lost little scrap of paper with pencil note that I had evidently lodged in there at some time....it reads "F104G arrived Skegness 27/6/89".

It will be the one that is later shown at Grainthorpe, N.Lincs.??

Good to read that there is some film archived of Skegness.

I would certainly be pleased to see any photos posted up to highlight the memories...or any of the former Skegness based fleet today.

Thank you once again for posting on with memories of Skeggy.:) :)

Clive.

Thank's for finding that out about the F-104. was it 1989 . seemed to be there for a few years if my memory serves me well.
not sure if they was a f100 there at some point ?.
still some happy times really around that airfield as a kid in the 70s with my jack russel ,Bruce.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 526

Hello,
I don't recall the F104 being there for very long.??

..and it is showing in Wrecks&Relics 12th edn as arriving at Grimsby by 3/1990.

I was not aware of a resident F100.??

..but on the subject of former residents....

....Whilst on a drive out to Binbrook during late 1997...to visit the Fern Nursery.!!. I did spot this former Skegness resident hiding in the shadows at the village garage.!!;)

All the best,
Clive.

Attachments

Member for

17 years

Posts: 2

I remember that one of the pilots, with whom my Dad chatted, and who flew pleasure flights at Skegness in the 60s (maybe later) was called Rex.

He had apparently been a Spitfire pilot during the war and flew pleasure flights from Skegness and (I think) as a crop sprayer from Boston aerodrome.

Rumour had it he could land at Skegness even in shallow fog - he knew the airfield so well.

That all seemed exciting to me as a boy - a bit dodgy to me now as a flying instructor and commercial airline pilot!

Nevertheless happy memories of childhood holidays in Lincolnshire.

There is also quite a history to the crop spraying activities at Boston. Lincs Aerial Spraying Company Limited operated from the airfield. I remember the owner flew a Hornet Moth at some stage. I also remember Tiger Moths, then Austers and finally Pawnees being used to apply the dressings. The health and safety issues left a lot to be desired as highly toxic chemicals were mixed in open 40 gallon drums on the airfield. The men who marked the fields got sprayed with the chemicals as the aircraft flew over - my father included on one occasion when he arranged to get a particularly close view of the operation! The pilots were often ex-service pilots (one had flown Hunters I remember) building hours before entering the airline world.

This thread is interesting in it's own way as the era has gone forever.

Cheers

DP

Member for

17 years 5 months

Posts: 112

Looking back at my old notebook I see that my flight in G-APKN took place on 3rd August, 1969. In flight time was five minutes and we took off and landed on runway 29. Unfortunately I have not recorded the name of the pilot.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 526

Hello,
If I have done my sums right...then this link hopefully may take you to a more recent (perhaps 2 years ago?) aerial image of the Aerodrome site.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Ingoldmells,+Skegness,+Lincolnshire+PE25,+United+Kingdom&layer=&ie=UTF8&sll=53.098145,-2.443696&sspn=9.055978,19.775391&t=k&om=0&z=16&ll=53.184989,0.340426&spn=0.004436,0.016694&iwloc=addr

The concrete/chalk? white area at the centre of the image would be the former hangar site.:(

Clive.

Member for

16 years 9 months

Posts: 2

G-AHCN at skeggness

Hi, i sent you a email regarding Auster G-AHCN working out of skeggie, i had no reply,maybe you never got it.Do you have any pics of charlie november at skeggie ? we have just rebuilt her over the last three years after being out of the air for thirty years and plan to take her back there some time this summer "all be it the new air field" hopfully hear from you soon Arthur

Member for

20 years 3 months

Posts: 1,452

How many people had their first flight in an Auster, either from Skegness, North Denes or Clacton I wonder...................? Must be hundreds I would think. I'm sure the history of pleasure flying in the UK would make an interesting tale.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 3,415

Just when you thought I had run out of photos......!!

And I still vainly hope that someone may post others of Skeggy ....or of former Skegness aircraft now.....perhaps....??

Here is a little "pretender"....visiting Skegness in 1991.

Clive.

Sod it after all these years! I remember this ac flying low over the beach (was discussing it yesterday) wondered ever since what it was. (and still do)

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 526

Sod it after all these years! I remember this ac flying low over the beach (was discussing it yesterday) wondered ever since what it was. (and still do)

Hello Sadsack,
I found another photo of the "pretender"...and also a n other present the same day at Skegness.

Clive.

Attachments

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 526

How many people had their first flight in an Auster, either from Skegness, North Denes or Clacton I wonder...................? Must be hundreds I would think. I'm sure the history of pleasure flying in the UK would make an interesting tale.

Hello Auster Fan,

I suspect you need to get writing;)

....it's certainly a subject that needs documenting ...."look,, it's got zip fasteners:eek: "

Meanwhile,...I recently purchased this badge... ex eBay, of course;)

Clive.

Attachments

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 526

Hi, i sent you a email regarding Auster G-AHCN working out of skeggie, i had no reply,maybe you never got it.Do you have any pics of charlie november at skeggie ? we have just rebuilt her over the last three years after being out of the air for thirty years and plan to take her back there some time this summer "all be it the new air field" hopfully hear from you soon Arthur

Hello Arthur,

Sorry, I haven't a photo of G-AHCN...it would have been before my time of regular visits to the aerodrome.

Pleased to read of the rebuild...
.....I look forward to adding AHCN to the spotted thread on this forum..;)

Clive.

Member for

16 years 9 months

Posts: 1,323

Skegness Air Taxi Services

Yes i remember it well from 1964. We lived at RAF Manby ,as my father was flying Canberras out of Strubby. He used to hire the Auster and take us children to Manby and back. I flew in G-AIBH which seemed to be their flagship and G-AHAL(at one time this was converted back to crop-spraying as it had a large hopper tank at the back). At the back of the dark blister hangar stood the 7 seater Prentice G-APJE of Mell-Air and the wings of Messenger G-ALAW gathering dust. I can remember the Dart Kitten G-AMJP flying alot and the Brantly helicopter of Sutcliffes of Grimsby flying in.
Also can remember the Boxkite and Antoinette turning up on the back of lorries for filming "Those Magnificent Men " at Gibraltat Point.
The CFI was Rex Larsen and he had a large friendly black labrador,the engineer was "Ginger" who was jack of all trades.
I can remember farmer Brown wiping the tips off his Beagle Terriers propellor and completing a circuit . The vibration was so bad it had to go back to Beagles and i believe he bought a Beagle Pup.
I have a blazer badge of that era,what great memories keep them coming .

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 3,415

re

Has anyone been to the new aerodrome? I had a flight out of there for an 18th birthday present. They even had an open day last October, with the hangar crowded with excitable kids.

Member for

20 years 1 month

Posts: 802

hi all first post for a coupole of years but a thread that brings many memories flooding back.

my first flight from the aerodrome was also in one of the austers i dont remember which one but i do remember it was my first day at work after leaving school.

i only worked their for about six months but in that time i recall flying in most of the aircraft there mostly cessna150s and austers with the odd flight in a tiger moth.

one memorable day i rermember the panton brothers flying in and boasting that they had just aquired a decrepid old aircraft that didnt fly but had lots of potential after a bit of coaxing they revealed that the aircraft had four engines and could carry more than 4 people but was stuck up a pole at scampton:eek: time has shown that they were right and the aircraft has shown its potential. (lancaster just jane at east kirkby)

Does anyone remember the cessna 150 aerobat? it had long range tanks that could only be filled half full or else it couldnt do any aerobatics well some idiot filled it up to the brim with fuel:( their were a few complaints from some pilots i seem to recall that sweeping out the hanger and raising a cloud of dust kept them out of my way until it could be aerobatted again:rolleyes:

going back to a few of the previous threads the f-104 in question was 22+57 their was talk of having lightning xr770 as well but after someone decided that swinging on the nose cone of the starfighter was a good idea it was removed rather quickly

Every winter was a struggle to keep the place open ie no holiday makers no revenue apart from students learning to fly. so the place closing down was no surprise but a shame none the less.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 526

Hello Last Lightning,

I do recall the idea to have a few more museum aircraft there...also someone elses dream to have a car museum too...

Did you ever hear of the idea of DB C' to have a railway around the site.??..(do not confuse this with the current site and its narrow gauge ex Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway).

...Do you recall the AN2 that visited on one of the fly ins..?? it looked massive as it lined up into wind at the end of the field near the access road.....it seemed to be airborne in a couple of metres ....but then took half an hour to go out of sight;)

I think the Aerobat (was it ex Germany ?) met a sad fate around about the day of the re launch of the airfield..(still on the old site)...tragically taking with it two members of the aerodrome staff...possibly the ground school tutor ?? and..I seem to think a young lad who had not worked there long??

Clive.

Member for

17 years

Posts: 1,656

Stupid question time.... Where exactly was the old aerodrome? I've tried to find traces of it on Google earth without success... I've got the new airfield...