Miles Whitney Straight

Kyt · Mar 12, 2009

© The Fermanagh Herald - News Index

A plane that crash landed after setting off from St Angelo Aerodrome 40 years ago has been fully restored and is the only one of its kind in the world that is still flight-worthy today.

The two-seater Miles Whitney Straight G-AERV – which lay rotting in a barn for decades – could now become one of the star attractions at airshows this summer.

On Wednesday, May 22, 1963, the plane, belonging to the late Thompson Boyes of Newtownards, made a forced landing on a hilltop at Seskinore near Omagh. The 37-year-old pilot and freelance photographer had earlier taken off from Enniskillen and was flying at 800 feet when the plane developed engine trouble. The pilot suffered only a cut nose after the single-engined plane came down.

Two local men, Samuel Carson of Seskinore and Gerard McAtee, of Augharonan, both workers at nearby Seskinore Forest, rushed to his aid after spotting the small gray-blue plane crash. Afterwards, Mr Carson told reporters, "There was a terrible bang as the plane hit the hill. I thought the pilot must have been killed. It was a pleasant surprise as he climbed out to greet us."

On hitting the ground, the pilot had cut the bridge of his nose as his face hit the dashboard. He said afterwards, "I did not have much time to choose a spot. The top of the hill was flat but when I touched down I bogged in soft ground. The nose tilted forward and the propeller broke. Both landing wheels were also smashed."

Following the accident, Mr Boyes got in touch with George Pentland of Gortin, a personal friend, asking him if he could help with the removal of the plane from the hill and its delivery back to Newtownards. As the port wheel was badly damaged, a tubular strut with two barrow wheels attached was pre-fabricated in Pentland's Garage in Gortin and fitted to the plane by the late Con McCullagh and Garry Pentland.

These two, one on either side, walked all the way with the plane, which was towed tail first, to Sam King's of Doogary, for transportation back to Newtownards. The driver of the towing vehicle was RUC man, Don Simpson. The wings were removed from the field by Sam King.

For a time, the Miles Whitney Straight G-AERV was stored in the old Ulster Transport Museum in Belfast before being housed in outbuildings belonging to Jim Sherry who lives at Upper Ballinderry near Lisburn.

In the early 1970s, aeroplane restorer, Ron Souch first learned of the existence of G-AERV. Ron runs Aero Antiques, a Hampshire-based company dealing in the restoration of aeroplanes from the 20s and 30s era.

Today, he has just finished a seven-year project, involving 10,000 hours of work on the 130hp Miles Whitney Straight which has restored the plane to its former glory.

"It was always in my mind to do something about it," he told the Herald. "I knew about this plane from the early 70s. It had been stored in a shed until the roof fell in. It was then moved to another barn and it was there that I saw it. It was in pretty bad shape."

In 2002, Ron travelled to Northern Ireland to collect the plane for transportation to his workshops at Durley near Southampton.

"It was in such bad shape that we had to literally wrap it in cling-film to transport it. It was a rotting wreck and its wooden structure was falling apart. The undercarriage legs were bent, the windshield broken and all the fittings were rusty. It's amazing that this airplane ever survived at all."

Seven years ago, a team of three specialists got to work on the plane. The task was enormous. Only two pieces of the timber framework could be salvaged from the original design. A new windshield had to be constructed in Switzerland, and the team had to build an undercarriage to replace the one damaged in the crash at Seskinore.

The plane's original 130 hp DH Gipsy Major engine was also overhauled in the process.

During the Second World War, G-AERV was pressed into service with the RAF and, during the restoration work, a coat of WWII camouflage and RAF insignia were found intact under the post-war repaint.

However, some time following the crash, Ron believes the plane's log book was held by a police officer in Northern Ireland and he is extremely anxious to trace the book and reunite it with the aircraft's present owner.

Last September, the Miles Whitney Straight flew for the first time from an airstrip near Southampton.

Restorer Ron Souch was at the controls of the plane which was manufactured in 1936 and hadn't flown in over 40 years. The plane is now owned by businessman and collector, Richard Seeley who also owns Morane Moth G-AANV, Cessna 180 G-ASIT, Jungmeister G-BZTJ and Puss Moth G-ABLS.

According to Ron Souch, only three other Miles Whitney Straights exist in the world today – two in Britain and another which was exported to Canada a number of years ago.

"This is a very rare aircraft and it was a pleasure working on it and wonderful to see it fly again. Although three others exist in the world today, I don't think you'll ever see any of them restored and flying again in my lifetime, so that makes this one unique."
Click to expand...

Miles Whitney Straight - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Antipodean Andy · Mar 12, 2009

Classy aeroplane with a lot of history.

Log in or Sign up

Miles Whitney Straight

Kyt Άρης

Antipodean Andy New Member

Share This Page

Log in or Sign up

Miles Whitney Straight

Thread Tools

Kyt Άρης

Antipodean Andy New Member

Share This Page

Useful Searches