TOUCHDOWN

The Newsletter Issue 5 May-Jul 2013

Latest From FEATURES

Latest From Oban Airport Following on from the last issue we have a bumper newsletter for you this time. Some of the comments I have received about issue 4 have INSIDE THIS ISSUE been very good indeed and in particular, the article about Coll’s five Historic Airport Visitor . I have also been quite busy with a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) audit, three annual exercises (, Coll and Oban) and not to Glenforsa Isle Of Mull mention another appearance on TV’s Reporting . The Oban Times have also reported on the scheduled service and were given Annual Emergency information regarding statistics obtained from the airline and the airport. Exercises

Island Crews Fire Training As stated above, with the help of one of my colleagues, we have been preparing to carry out the annual exercise at Oban Airport which went Summer Timetable ’live’ at 10:30 on the 27th April. It involved a few local emergency Colonsay Abandoned services and others in a bid to provide an accurate simulation of an Village accident at the airport. During the period of the exercise, Oban Airport was closed for about 2 hours to all but emergency helicopters. We would Airlines of the Past - Logo like to apologise for any inconvenience this caused and we had the Quiz airport fully open by 13:00 closely followed by a real-time minor emergency. These exercises are conducted and reported back to the Customer Feedback 2013 CAA as part of our Licence conditions. We also have some news about a View from the Tower forthcoming special visitor during the summer which will no doubt be very popular. What’s On Breaktime I am also looking for any contributions to the newsletter which is of an interest to aviation and/or the local communities we serve. So if you wish BREAKING NEWS to have a short article published, send it to the address at the rear of this newsletter before 30 June 2013 in word or pdf format. It helps greatly Following on from a marketing when we receive additional material and helps to prevent a delay to the consultation which was issues being published. undertaken for Oban Airport and the Isles, the next issue is likely to have a whole new Tom Eddleston look and layout. New Logo, Station Manager New website and leaflets are all part of the upcoming changes which will hopefully promote the Airports and the Passengers after services they offer. arriving back at IMPORTANT Oban Airport HITRANS have commissioned a survey for possible development of routes. Please take part by visiting: www.surveymonkey.com/s/ highlands_and_islands_air_ services

Page No 1 An Historic Aircraft to Visit Oban August 2013 marks the 100th Anniversary of the Circuit of Britain Race and this is worth a celebration. What better way to do it then retrace the original route in a historic aircraft, , the Imperial War Museum Duxford based Catalina G-PBYA. This will be flown during August 2013 and Oban is on the route plan. Jeff Boyling, one of the Catalina’s shareholder pi- lots, is the mastermind behind the project. 1913 was an important year in aviation and especially for planes associated with water as well as the names Sopwith and Hawker. Alan Bramson writing on page 69 of 'Pure Luck' The Authorized Biography of Sir 1888- 1989 said “The year 1913 was very eventful for the Sopwith firm. As already mentioned, broke the British duration record with a flight of 8 hours 23 minutes, gained various altitude records with and without passengers, and won the Mortimer Singer Prize for amphibians with a Sopwith Bat Boat. Less successful was the attempt to win the Dai- ly Mail £5,000 prize donated by the late Lord Northcliffe for the Seaplane Race around Britain.” 1913 was also very interesting for the aircraft designed by Companies under the Chairmanship of Thomas Sopwith in- cluding the following.

 Bat Boat 1913 2 seat amphibian 3 built

 Tractor Seaplane 1913 2 seat seaplane 3 built

 Circuit Seaplane 1913 2 seat competition seaplane (1 off purely for the race but led to the 807)

 807 Seaplane 1913 2 seat Naval seaplane 12 built

In 1913 Lord Northcliffe, the proprietor of the Daily Mail, offered a prize of £5,000 for the first seaplane to complete a circuit of Britain. This was the first major British competition for seaplanes. It started on August 16th and specified a course of 1540 miles to be flown by an all British aircraft before 30th. In the end there were four entries. Unfortunately, Samuel Cody was killed in a crash on 7th August. F K Mclean withdrew the Short S.68 due to engine trouble. The Radley- entry did not start for the same reason. That left the 2 Aussies Harry Hawker and Harry A Kauper (mechanic) to compete in the Sopwith tractor biplane powered by a 100hp Green 6 cylinder inline engine.

The 1913 route reported by Flight (the leading aviation journal of the time) was very simple, starting and finishing at Southampton Water (opposite Netley Abbey) with eight control points: Ramsgate (Royal Temple Yacht Club), Yarmouth (Naval Air Station), Scarborough (Grand Hotel), Aberdeen (Palace Hotel), Cromarty (Naval Air Station), Oban (Great Western Hotel), Kingstown/Dublin (Royal St George Yacht Club) and Falmouth (Royal Cornwall Yacht Club). The first attempt on 16th August was aborted at Yarmouth with a cracked cylinder head and perhaps carbon monoxide poisoning of the crew due to a short exhaust pipe. With the same crew and a longer exhaust pipe it started again on 25th August and the two Harrys managed to reach Dublin but alas crashed when Harry Hawker’s foot slipped off the rud- der pedal (no end stops) when landing. The aircraft was destroyed and Harry Kauper broke his arm. Harry Hawker got wet but was otherwise unharmed. Consequently, the Daily Mail prize of £5,000 was not awarded but Harry Hawker was given £1,000 as a consolation prize for his effort. Furthermore, as reported in The Aeroplane 1913 (p277) “Mr. Hawker is to receive from “Shell” petrol firm a silver model of the Sopwith Seaplane, built exactly to scale by Mappin and Webb, whose excellent models of the Cody and Bleriot machines have been so much admired. Mr. Hawker used “Shell” throughout his journey.” That souvenir of the race still exists!

In 2013 the aim is to fly the same route albeit with some minor modifications (more danger and restricted areas now!) The UK’s oldest airworthy amphibian, the Imperial War Museum Duxford based G-PBYA, has just completed its winter maintenance and is preparing to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the August 1913 Circuit of Britain flight under- taken by Harry Hawker (Pilot) and Harry Kauper (Mechanic) in a Sopwith Waterplane. Oban has strong links with Catalinas and this will make the trip all the more interesting. Local aviation historian, Neil Owen, has been instrumental in getting the Catalina to visit and sponsorship from local organisations is being sought to cover the Oban costs of the visit. Weather permitting and assuming all approvals are granted, the Catalina is expected to arrive at Oban Airport on the afternoon of Thursday August 22nd. On Friday a mini flying display is planned for the morning with the aircraft open for inspection in the afternoon. G-PBYA will depart on Saturday to continue its Circuit of

Britain journey.

A comparison between the Sopwith Waterplane and the Catalina

Aircraft Sopwith Waterplane Catalina Wingspan 49.5 ft 104 ft Wing area 500 sq ft 1,400 sq ft Length 31 ft 63 ft 10 ins Height 8 ft 6 ins 18 ft 10 ins

Weight 2,400 lbs 26,453 lbs Engine 100 hp Green 6 cylinder inline 2 x Pratt & Whitney R-1830 of 1,200 hp each Fuel 50 Imp gall 1,458 Imp gall Oil ? 45 Imp gallons each engine

Speed 56 kts 115 kts Crew Pilot & mechanic Captain, Co-pilot and Crew Chief

Readers can stay updated on this exciting project by using the Pro- ject Hawker 2013 website at www.projecthawker2013.com

SPECIAL VISITOR G-PBYA

COME AND SEE THE CATALINA AIRCRAFT UP CLOSE AT OBAN AIRPORT ON THE AFTERNOON OF FRIDAY 23rd AUGUST 2013.

Page No 3

GLENFORSA ISLE OF MULL Located about halfway along the North East coastline on the Isle of Mull lies a small airfield which is very popular amongst the General Aviation fraternity. With its 800m grass , adjacent hotel and facilities, Glenforsa is a popular destination for flyers who return year after year.

HISTORY:

Glenforsa Airfield started out life back in 1965 when it was decided that in order to support the medical facility at nearby Salen, an airstrip should be built to allow a fixed wing aircraft to transport patients to and from the mainland. In May of 1965, building work began and was completed in August 1966 (a very famous year for football so I hear). No 15 Field Park Squadron, 38 Engineer Regiment of The Royal Engineers based in Ripon, N. Yorks carried out the construction work and the airfield opened in September 1966. An early flight brought in the Commanding Officer to view the work and a plaque was erected near the entrance to the airfield.

EARLY DAYS:

In 1967 Air Ambulance flights began and included the Isles of Coll, Colonsay, Oronsay, Mull and Oban. With Glenforsa licensed for operations formerly by the British Airports Authority (BAA) then by Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) from 1972, flights were operated by , and the scheduled services operated until 1980 when it was said that the improved ferry service had a major impact. Retained by the various Councils that ran Glenforsa for aviation purposes, the decision to maintain the facility for use during the summer months was popular amongst the private flyers however during winter, the land use was leased to the local farmer to graze sheep and this still happens today.

CURRENT USE:

The current use of Glenforsa is primarily for General Aviation however, Helicopter landing lights were installed by Scottish Ambulance Service to receive the Helimed Helicopters and occasionally, the larger Search and Rescue types. An annual fly-in occurs bringing regular visitors to one of their favourite destinations. Glenforsa has not been without incidents however and the latest one was back in September 2012. Two years earlier the CAA had issued a new Civil Aviation Publication (CAP 793) “Safe Operating Practices at Unlicensed Aerodromes”. This followed the de-regulation of pilot training schools required to operate from a Licensed Airfield and was aimed at retaining good safety standards at these airfields. and Bute Council took a long look at the implications of this and following the accident in 2012, decided to close the Airfield to fixed wing operations until a decision could be reached. Following many meetings with elected officials and proposals for operating Glenforsa, a decision to re-open was made in March 2013. Additional safety equipment was supplied and positioned for use along with recorded daily inspections. There is still some improvements to be done however this was considered an interim measure and demonstrates the commitment to keep the airfield operating safely. Mr David Howitt has graciously sent me much of the information within this article as he has been a key individual at Glenforsa since its inception. Although PPR should now be done via Oban Airport, David will still be there to meet and greet most of you and share a story or two. All Flyers to Glenforsa are reminded that VFR Rules apply and use of Glenforsa Airfield is done so ‘AT YOUR OWN RISK’. Blind Calls on Glenforsa Radio frequency 120.80 should be made when operating in vicinity of the Airfield.

With Thanks to Mr D Howitt—Glenforsa

Page No 5 Airport Information—For Pilots

Frequencies: Taxiways: Landing Fees 2013: Alpha (A) for use by gliding club mainly Oban Information Bravo (B) to Light Aircraft Apron - 118.050 <1000kg - £11.90 DME - Ch42Y 110.55 Charlie (C) to Main Apron 1001kg to 1500kg =£17.90 NDB - 404.0 Echo (E) to Argyll Aero Club 1501kg to 2000kg =£23.80 Foxtrot (F) to Argyll Aero Club Runway 2001kg to 2500kg =£29.75 Dimensions: Golf (G) to Western Parking Area 2501kg to 3000kg =£41.55 Length = 1264m

Width = 30m Fuel: See website for other fees

Jet A1 and AVGAS supplied by TLC Ltd and charges. (24/7)

RWY TORA TODA ASDA LDA CLEAR- RESA WAY Phone 07770 620988 to book fuel (Note this is not considered PPR) 01 1064m 1064m 1199m 1110m 199m 30m Fuel payments and landing fees to be 19 1141m 1141m 1193m 993m 122m 30m paid separately.

AIRPORTS ANNUAL EXERCISES 2013

During the Months of March and April 2013, all 3 of our Licensed Airports at Oban, Coll , and Colonsay carried out an exercise to test the responses of all participating emergency services. This generally involved the on-site Rescue and Fire Fighting Service and the newly formed Scottish Police, and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. Also in attendance were the Ambulance service and volunteer groups such as the Red Cross. The exercise was made more realistic with the use of volunteers offering up their services to act as casualties/victims with various injuries and conditions. Below are a few snapshots of the exercise participants. A big thank you to all who took part.

COLONSAY’S ABANDONED VILLAGE Colonsay’s history along with Oronsay goes back as far as the Mesolithic Period about 7000BC and due to findings made within the last 20years, using radiocarbon dating, it can be assumed that people from the near- by mainland visited the islands in search for food and other necessities. Although no settlements were rec- orded during the Neolithic Period, artefacts had been found indicating that life around this period (4000- 2000BC) had indeed existed on the Island. The Bronze Age (2000-600BC) saw the first signs of larger settle- ments around the Island however these are difficult to place an exact date on them. The Iron Age (600BC- 400AD) saw a great deal of fortifications being built on the Islands and in total there are 8 recorded Forts or Duns on Colonsay and one on Oronsay. During the early Christian Period, a stone cross which was found at Riasg Buidhe shows signs of a Mediterranean influence belonging to a group from Ireland. This is further indi- cation of the move into Scotland by Irish settlers in the time of Dal Raita (mid 7th Century).

By the Middle Ages, the Islands fell under the MacDonald Lordship and held by the MacDuffies or the MacFies until 1493. Malcolm MacFie associated with James MacDonald attempted to regain control in 1614- 1615. After his release from prison MacFie returned to Colonsay only to be murdered at the Standing Stone by Coll Kittoch (MacDonald) in 1623. In 1701, the Islands were sold to the 10th Earl (1st Duke) of Argyll, Mal- colm MacNeill. They remained within the family until 1904 when the islands were again sold to 1st Lord Strathcona. It remains within this family to date with Alex Howard being the heir and resident on the island at Colonsay Houise.

Similar to St Kilda, Colonsay has the remains of a settlement or fishing village at Riasg Buidhe. This village was occupied up until around 1918 where the habitants were relocated to nearby Glassard. I haven't yet dis- covered exactly why the people were relocated but maybe that will form part of the mystery. Take a look at the photos below and if you decide to go to Colonsay, you can visit the site of this once very active fishing village.

Picture Right: This is the ruins that remain of Riasg Buidhe The Picture below is Picture Below: This is the the Cross which now village in about 1900. Note resides at Colonsay the very different types of House. houses and chimneys.

Page No 7 AIRLINES - A BUSINESS OF COMINGS & GOINGS

Since the inception of the first passenger airlines of around 1920, there have been many companies that have come and gone. There are however some that have stood the test of time whilst others have merged into larger groups. Of the early airlines still in operation today, KLM and Quantas are among the most popular. In recognition of some of those that are no longer with us or have been swallowed up by larger companies, I have placed some logo’s or tailfin images below. See how many you recognise and fill in the name below each one. Answers will be posted in the next issue of Touchdown.

OLD AIRLINES OF BRITAIN

A1: A2: A3:

A4: A5: A6:

A7: A8: A9:

A10: A11: A12: OLD TRANSATLANTIC AIRLINES

A13: A14: A15:

UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS (UAS)

The terms Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) have been around for a considerable number of years now. However, it is only in recent years that the application of these devices have really proved their worth. Generally Considered by many as Remote Controlled Aircraft, the new systems available are capable of much, much more and come in all shapes and sizes. They were recently in the press due to their use in military operations and this has caused some controversy however, they are also used for aerial photography, survey work, and as we are about to see, Marine Science.

The Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) is located just across the bay from Oban Airport at Dunstaffnage. With its sizeable facility, it is a very important research institute carrying out vital work on Marine Conservation, Sustainability and prosperity. With many things occurring around the globe which have a direct impact on the Oceans, and Seas such as Deep Sea Mining, Fishing, Wind and Wave energy generation, ever- changing global impacts and in some cases, pollution, it is important that someone is monitoring the effect of the Marine wildlife and substantial changes. This work is daunting considering the world is covered by 2/3 of water approximately and the latest equipment to assist in this effort is the use of UAV.

It is widely recognised that the increasing use of UAV is undoubtedly having an impact on the skies over various land masses and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) recognises that they should be considered as required to meet the same safety standards as a manned aircraft. Therefore UAS/UAV must not be flown unless they have gained a national approval as described in Civil Air Publication (CAP) 722. Using UAV by the Scottish Association for Marine Science, will enable them to research greater areas at a fraction of the cost of using dedicated helicopters or boats for the same task. UAV such as the one shown below have about a 2m wingspan and can land on land or water (fresh and salt). They can also be launched anywhere by hand and are operated at heights of about 500ft or less, and about 1 mile away (dependant on the model in use). Equipped for various scientific research tasks, these UAV can provide information quickly to the operator who is fully trained prior to use.

Oban Airport will be working alongside our neighbours at SAMS to ensure they are able to carry out their work prior to being deployed to various parts of the world. By working closely together, we also ensure that the skies above, or close to the Airport are safe for normal aircraft to use. On occasion, the UAV may even be launched and recovered from the Airport in order for the SAMS team to carry out training and practice using the equipment. In order to do this, the team will be undergoing training on Airport Operations and radio use. So if you do happen to see some of these UAV in the skies over Argyll, rest assured that they are being flown so that future generations will have a better understanding of Marine Science and what is really happening in the Oceans and Seas of the world.

Pictured above is the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) at Dunstaffnage near Oban with the Airport seen in the background.

Pictured left is an example of the type of UAV in use for research work.

Page No 9 View from the Tower Frequency 118.050 As we head into the Summer Season, the longer, lighter days give a rise to the amount of private flying that can be done in the evening. For those who are local club members or visitors operating on the Airports Indemnity Scheme, you are reminded that for the sake of safety, after the airports operating hours, ‘blind calls’ must be initiated on the frequency above when in the vicinity of the aerodrome. Pilots are also reminded that they will be operating without a dedicated Fire Service, and Ground Operations Team. Therefore no runway inspections or bird hazard control will be in place and in the case of an incident/accident, 999 must be called by an appropriate person.

We would also ask that all airport users operating out of hours, be vigilant for any unusual activity and report anything suspicious to the Police as soon as possible. CCTV is operational however nothing quite beats the human response. We hope for some decent weather and good flying conditions. Have a great Spring/Summer 2013 and look forward to seeing you.

B Millar (SFISO)

WHAT’S ON ARINAGOUR ISLE OF COLL

August 10th - Airport Open Day. Left: Photo of the Café and gift shop adjacent to the main More in next Issue single track road leading from the ferry terminal. Highland Games: Mull and Taynuilt Mull - 18th July 2013, Taynuilt - 20th July 2013 Below: The Post office and shop where you can also ar- range to buy fishing tackle Isle of Coll Show and rent cycles. 1st August 2013 Below: The village General West Highland Yachting Week - 27 July to 2nd Store where you can buy August 2013 all your groceries amongst other much needed items. June 8th in Oban - Charities Day Located across from the Street fair and parade so come and join in Fire Station and Fuel pumps.

Royal British Legion Scotland - Oban Branch meet once a month on Monday Evening at the Royal Hotel.

LORN FARMERS & CRAFTERS MARKET

Kintaline Farm Plant & Poultry Centre, Kintaline Mill Farm, Oban PA37 1QS - Every First and Third Thursday of the month.

In The Next Issue Of Touchdown Due Aug 2013 What Next For Oban Airport? Oban—Seafood Capitol of the West! SAMS - A more in depth look into our neighbours and what it is they do. We take a look at the next stage in the We take a look at some of the places serving Airports development some of the best food and drink in the area Check out the next issue due in Aug

OBAN AIRPORT FEEDBACK FORM 2013/2014

Please take time to complete the feedback form and return it to Station Manager, Oban Airport either by hand, email, or by post to the address shown at the rear of the newsletter. Many Thanks

OBAN AIRPORT FEEDBACK FORM 2013/2014

Page No 11

We welcome any feedback about our Airports including this newsletter. If you have any questions or wish to talk about any of the articles in this newsletter please indicate the issue number and date so your query can be dealt with as soon as possible.

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If you are interested in advertising in Touchdown, contact the airport for a quote. BREAKTIME!

Unscramble these Meteorological words and then unscramble the letters in the circles to make the last word below.

LOOK Carefully at the picture to the right. There are 7 differences in the lower picture. Can you find them all.

OBAN AIRPORT

North Connel

Argyll

PA37 1SW

Tel 01631 572910

Email [email protected]

www.flyobanairport.co.uk