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Past Correspondence
Here's some of the correspondence that arrived for the
Vimy team before and during their London to Cape Town
trip. These messages originally appeared on the first
Vimy Aircraft Project Official Web Site, which was created
and hosted in the United Kingdom by Horsepower
Interactive. General comments about the Vimy Aircraft
Project and this Web site can now be posted directly in
the Guest
Book as soon as it becomes available.
30 July 1999
To Sir Mark Rebholz, Knight of the Air and his trusty
Squire, the Honourable John Lanoue,
A fine effort, well done!
Lang and Bec Kidby
Mark, John and the rest of your crew, congratulation,
you made it to Cape Town. That makes me proud of the aircraft
and the feat you accomplished with her. Hope to hear from
you when you arrive back in Arizona.
Congratulations again.
Jim Pendergast
Fantastic! Well done to all the Silver Queen Flight crew.
Mark and John have displayed the kind of determination,
fortitude and resourcefulness that the original pioneers
must have also had. Well done also to the Educational
Project team who missives have been highly entertaining
and thought-provoking. Finally, but most certianly not
least, well done to the ground crew, especially Jenny
Moseley.
Dave Calderwood, Editor & Publisher, Flyer Magazine,
UK
29 July 1999
On Tuesday 27 July we drove up to Pietersburg from Kempton
Park to see the Vimy. As we arrived at Gateway International
at 10:45(local) we were just in time to see the Vimy turning
right-base for rwy 23. It was a very moving sight to see
the 1920 machine land and taxi in to the terminal.
Spoke to Mark and the crew and were greatly impressed
by their modesty, patience and dedication. We waited for
the flight to get airborne at 13:20 (local) and then followed
them down to Swartkops Airfield near Pretoria.
Despite exceeding the speed limit most of the way we
missed the landing at 15:30. We arrived there at 16:00.
and the aircraft was swarming with onlookers.
Great work guys!!!. Congratulations to all concerned
for the great work and the excellent web-site. Please
continue and give us stories, photographs and impressions
of the South African leg of the trip.
Regards,
Keith Tudhope, South Africa
16 July 1999
Great! you left at last...Djibouti. Sorry for not being
able to welcome you in Nairobi...
Always with you in our minds...
All the best from La Ferté-Alais' friends!
On behalf of my colleagues, at the Cape Town Air Traffic
Control Centre, we look forward to your safe arrival in
the Cape. We will be watching the last part of your journey
with interest and we hope that the closer you get to Table
Mountain, the red tape gets less and less.
We are hope your arrival will be one you will not forget,
lets just hope the weather plays along with us. The route
from Grahamstown to the Cape is amongst the most spectacular
in the world - it will be a fitting end to a great undertaking.
Look forward to seeing (and meeting?) you all.
Regards and safe flying
Rob Russell, Chief ATC: Tower and Approach, Cape Town
International
Hi Mark:
You may remember me at the Farnborough show. I am the
son of Capt. Jaques who originally owned the Avro Avian
that Lang flew back to Australia. I've been in touch with
Lang and he clued me in on your Web page. I just wanted
to add my bit and wish you a great flight, (despite all
the official and beauratic obsticles put in your way).
I understand that Lang may be joining you and will look
forward to following the flight.
Have a great time in Cape Town, I spent 12 years in S.
Africa and it's a fantastic city. Do you still have plans
to be at Oshkosh this year?
Cheers for now to you and all your crew. God bless and
safe landings.
Deric and Barbara Jaques.
Good afternoon,
just see in the internet the latest developments of your
project. good luck !
thank you and kind regards
Bernd Meyer-Sennewald
lots of success !!!!!
Best wishes from the Fosters. We are up on Orcas, following
your trip.
What an adventure! Stay safe.
love from Ange
Greetings
I'm a cousin of Pete McBride and just learned of the trip
via the "family internet". It sounds like an
awesome adventure and I wish you all the best of luck,
plenty of tailwinds, and perhaps some shade (its probably
getting pretty hot right about now, I guess).
I'm a test pilot on the F-117 Stealth Fighter. Looking
at photos of my airplane and yours side-by-side makes
you appreciate just how far aviation has come this century.
Keep up the great work - its a wonderful effort to preserve
our aviation heritage and we're all rooting for you. Keep
those photos coming Pete!
Jeff "Slim" Knowles
Valencia, CA
I am following your progress on the internet. Looks like
a great adventure with the usual hang-ups.
Best of Luck,
Matt
I saw an article in the June, 99 Aeroplane magazine about
the Brooklands to Cape Town flight. I've been logging
onto the web site to keep up with how things are going
for you. It must be very exciting! Good Luck on the flight,
I'm totally envious, and very happy for you.
Bo Boschung
To Those Magnificent Men & Their Flying Machines:
Safe travels, smooth sailing.
PR, Colorado
We here at Kemble are happy to see that you are (with
one or two problems) making progress to the Cape. Your
notes are most interesting and we wish you well with the
rest of the journey. Safe passage
Dave Dowell and all the lads at Kemble aerodrome, UK
Peter, Mark, John, and all the crew
Following your progress with much enthusiasm! Praying
for a quick end to your bureaucratic problems.
Best of luck to you all.
John Bayer, First Across
I have been following your fortunes as you fly down Africa.
As a schoolboy born in London I first saw a Vimy at the
RAF Hendon Air Displays before WW2. I became a pilot during
that war and served in Africa and the UK in various postings,
mainly transport support and as an instructor on multi-engined
types.
The last news I had was of your being delayed in Djibouti
and have plans to come down to Bulawayo from Harare, where
I have lived for around 40 years, to see you land and
take off there though, if this doesn't suit my schedule
I might come down to Grahamstown where my daughter, Dr.
Stephanie Burton, and son in law, also a Dr. Burton, (Mike),
live. One way or another I must see how your project has
come together and, in the meantime, I wish you well and
hope the rest of your journey will be less fraught with
problems than has been the first part.
With very best regards,
Cyril Logan, S/Ldr RAF retd. Service No 137433
Hi
We saw you ( well, firstly we heard you!) overfly our
house at Wickwar in Gloucestershire on a weekend test
flight from Kemble before Brooklands. My wife is more
of a fast-jets fan, but even she had to admit to massive
admiration when I told her what it was she was looking
at, and where it was going.
Having read with fascination the article in "Aeroplane",
and watched the lightish winds over us causing obvious
sideslipping, I wish you all the luck in the world. I
have the Australia video ( Chevvy-powered) and hope that
BMW does as well.
Mike Burgess
Hope to get you on your way prior to the Shuttle Launch
on the 20th! Keep the faith and don't do anything crazy!!
Bill and Claudia Allen
Greetings from the Antipodes!
On long cross country flights in open cockpit aeroplanes,
one inevitably reaches the stage of wanting to end the
noise, vibration, wind blast to the face etc., so as to
reach the quiet and peace of Terra Firma. But it only
takes a short time on the ground, pressured by encroaching
weather, darkness, serviceability or whatever before you
get that sense of desperation to get going, be independant
and underway again.
That moment of leaving the ground, getting altitude and
setting course, again in charge of your disposition, must
be the greatest sense of flying freedom you can have.
I'm no pioneering adventurer, my flights being merely
enjoyable touring of Australia and New Zealand in Tiger
Moths. I can however, imagine the incredible frustration
you folk must be going through, tethered to the ground
awaiting clearance like a bunch of caged Eagles. Hopefully
it won't be much longer before you can continue your journey.
I can guarantee that the air blast in your face when you
finally get released to continue your journey will be
the sweetest you've ever tasted! May it be very soon.
My very best wishes to you all. The eyes of the world
are upon you, saluting your pioneering spirit. Go well.
Graham Orphan, Classic Wings, New Zealand
Commiserations on the frustration you must feel. Hoping
you get away soon on your wonderful mission. All success
for the future.
David Miles
Dear Vimy team,
I follow the Vimy story closely and with great interest
because, I may say, I have contributed something to the
project, and be it ever so little. At BMW I was a member
of the team that developed the powerplants for Rolls Royce
(then as a transmission project engineer).
After I had left BMW to go to South Africa for good, that
same team became engaged in the development of the engines
for the Vimy. Knowing that we (my wife and myself) have
been flying from Pretoria, South Africa to Munich, Germany
and back in our little Cessna 177RG, my former colleague
from the team Christoph Hoerster (for sure you know him)
contacted me later to inquire about the route we had selected,
the weather conditions and other details, particularly
however about the availability of fuel en route and it's
grading and quality. By that time I still didn't know
what he wanted this information for, but soon enough I
found out.
During a visit at my former workplace I was invited to
have a look at the drawings of the reduction gearboxes
specially designed for the Vimy, and to comment on them.
When we flew from Pretoria to Munich in 1992 we felt very
much like pioneers. To our knowledge we were only the
second crew allowed to fly the East African route in a
small aircraft after the sanctions imposed upon South
Africa many years ago had been lifted. There was nobody
whom we could ask, no precise information available, and
many questions remained open until the last minute before
take-off and beyond. After having cleared mountains of
red tape ( the Sudanese authories were the worst, followed
by the Tanzanians), we flew almost the same route as the
Vimy does now, (northbound in 1992 and southbound in 1995),
except that Karthoum (Sudan) was still open for us for
landing.
It was the expierience of a lifetime for us. There are
100 stories to tell, here are just a few highlights:
- One week before the start of the journey the engine
of our aircraft had to be stripped completely, because
a main bearing had seized (only 100 hours after a major
overhaul)
-In Malawi at a small airfield we were asked by the fire
brigade to search for an aircraft which had transmitted
a mayday call just minutes ago (nothing found)
-the clearance to fly into Sudan arrived just the day
before we were to cross their border (we would have gone
there anyway, with a few greenbacks in stock as problem
solver
-In Lodwar, Kenya, a hired watchman made a fire for warmth
in the night right under the freshly refuelled wingtank
-Same place, we had to abandon the take-off run and apply
full brakes because a lorry crossed the runway
-In Karthoum they offered us "handling" for
US-$ 700.00. This would have included cabin cleaning (crew
of 7 cleaners for a four-seater A/C), catering (for 30
people), apron transport with a 60-seater bus (this eventually
we got for free), and parking under the wing of a huge
ANTONOV, using wheel chocks bigger than our wheels themselves
-The most dangerous moment of our journey we survived
in Cairo. We were standing o top of one of these tall
and slim minarets of a mosque in the old town when the
big earthquake of 1992 began, which left hundreds of people
dead and caused widespread damage. We had to hold on to
whatever we could grab, so strongly the tower was shaking,
and stones and bricks and plaster were flying all around
us. Luckily the tower was flexible enough (probably because
it was so tall and slim, as others were) that it didn't
break
-At our destination in Landshut, a small town near Munich
we landed, cleared customs and then had to tow the aircraft
to the hangar instead of taxiing there, because the engine
wouldn't start anymore. The starter motor had quit.
- Southbound we didn't have so many incidents, but the
first one of the few we did have was of the worst type
any pilot could think of: An engine-out over open sea
at night with a single engined aircraft. Luckily we could
clear the situation before losing too much height by switching
over from the ferry tank (which was not at all empty)
to the main tanks which held enough fuel to get us to
our next scheduled stop, Corfu.
-Somewhere in Egypt we hat to remove the spinner because
it had developed a huge crack. Thereafter it was trouble
free flying until (again) we reached our home base, Wonderboom
Aiport in Pretoria. On base leg for landing we got that
distinct strong smell of an electrical fire. After landing
we established that both of the geardownlock actuator
solenoids had burnt out. We would not have been able to
retract the gear ever again.
What about organizing the best V12-man of the BMW factory
here in Pretoria to fix your oil leak?
Happy flying, and hoping to hear from you soon,
best regards,
Arno Sebulke
e-mail sebulke@iafrica.com
15 June 1999
Mark and the troops,
Good luck.
If you get bitten by a tsetse fly enroute I can return
the stunt double favour at short notice. Lang and Bev
Kidby, lang@st.net.au
Vimy crew and Pete McBride.
All of Lost Marbles Ranch send you all the best wishes
ever.
Only wish I could have been in Nancy to Parlez Francais
for you.
We look forward to seeing you in Kenya.
Bon Chance and a bientot.
McBride Family
Just a note from an interested person.
Very well done. I admire the tenacity that enables such
project to " get off the ground" and then see
it through.
I can remember seeing a Vimy hanging from the ceiling
in the aircraft section of the Science Museum, this was
when I was about 9, (42 years ago) I thought then that
it must have been very difficult to fly, and never dreamed
someone would build and fly another one.
Congratulations again especially by getting out of the
French red tape.
Regards, John H. Barham, john@barham.swinternet.co.uk
Message for Mark
All fine in Aguila, would like update for EAA meeting
on 6/16 at Weisenborn hanger in Eagle Roost Airpark.
Good luck in getting underway to Cape Town.
Matt Rebholz
Have a great flight; wish I were with you!
ekimc@aztec.asu.edu
I was lucky enough to attend the press briefing, and
fly past at Oberschleisheim, Munich. As a lover of airplane
noise I was impressed with the smooth howl that is produced
in flight. What revs are the engines doing at take off
and in the cruise?
I will be monitoring the progress to Cape Town.
Best wishes,
Tony Mabelis, BMW Flight SErvice, Munich. Anthony-John.Mabelis@bmw.de
Producer replies: I have forwarded your request onto
the crew and will publish their answer when it arrives.
Please forgive us if this takes a while - there's a lot
to do at the moment!
13 June 99
ALL THE BEST FROM PAYSON, ARIZONA! Charles C Bruce,
sanchas@cybertrails.com
Dear Mark, the family is tracking your flight via the
internet and we are sooo happy to have updated information
as to your flight plan and safety. We were sorry to hear
about the "delay" in Nancy and hope you are
cleared to continue the trip.
We got some confusing second hand information about the
impounding and thanks to the web page, everybody has the
facts now and our thoughts and prayers are with all of
you. Hope Patty and Liz have met up with you by now. I
know they miss you so.
Love and luck to you, Nancy "from now on you can
call me Joe" McDowell, NanzieMc@aol.com
I visited Brooklands the day before the "Silver
Queen" set out on it's epic journey. I found this
to be a thoroughly inspiring event as we were allowed
unrestricted access to the aircraft and crew. Being a
keen photographer, this was an added bonus and I have
some of the best ever photographs I have taken of a plane
in my life.
May I take this opportunity to wish you God Speed for
the rest of your journey. I am checking the internet regularly
with great interest.
Regards, Steve Lonergan, SallyB747@aol.com
Hello Vimy, I was in Nancy-Essey airport when the
Vimy take off, on Friday, June 11. If you want some pictures
of the aeroplane in Nancy (for your press-book), send
me an e-mail. I hope you have a nice travel to South Africa.
Silver queen is wonderful !!! Best regards from France.
Jean-Louis Bur, project-p40@wanadoo.fr
Hello Trailblazers, I read about the Vimy flight re-enactment
in a Phoenix, USA newspaper. I work here in the semiconductor
industry as an engineer, but was born and raised in Bulawayo
/ Zimbabwe, one of the stop overs on the route through
Southern Africa.
I read with interest on your Flight Plan that Bulawayo
was the crash site of the original "Queen 11".
There is a modest stone monument to the crash at the sight,
on the Bulawayo Golf Course...!
I forget the exact wording engraved on the brass plaque,
but vividly remember visiting the monument as a small
boy, when riding our bicycles through the golf course.
I had always wondered about the origin of the plane that
crashed there, from maybe 6 years old! It believe the
enscription notes that the crash was the first ever 'landing'
of an aircraft in Bulawayo. (At that time, Southern Rhodesia).
By coincidence, I am returning home to Bulwayo to visit
family in July. I'm not sure if there is a high awareness
of the flight stop-over in the city, but I will be sure
to be at the Bulawayo Airport to witness the event. Possibly
the world's only airport with a rose garden in the runway...beautiful.
Tip your wings after take-off, as your onward route to
South Africa should take you directly (and safely) over
the 12th tee of the Bulwayo Golf course, and I expect
to be playing that day. I'll do my best to play low iron
shots that day.....
The weather in Zimbabwe in July can only be described
as 'perfect', so visibility should be outstanding. Safe
Journey to all.
Best Regards Michael J. Perry, michaelx.j.perry@intel.com
11 June 99
Hello there, I hope this e-mail is going to get through
to the correct address to wish all involved with the Vimy
flight to Cape Town, good flying and good weather. I hope
to follow your progress via the internet. I will also
look forward to seing the Vimy here in Pretoria and Cape
Town. Good Luck and God speed. If this e-mail has reached
the right destination I will correspond again.
Regards, Noel Fordred, noel.fordred@arup.com
10 June 99
We are a family of Van Rynevelds living in Cape Town
and related to Sir Pierre, and we have been reading your
web pages with much interest, and look forward to following
the flight to Cape Town.
Please can you tell us how one of our local schools could
participate in the educational programme ? What would
be the requirements?
Best wishes for the whole project, Tony & John
van Ryneveld
24 Oct 1998
My father-in-law, who is in his late 70s and has had
a stroke recently, is very interested in this project.
He was in the RNZAF in the Solomons during the Second
World War, arriving just after the Japanese were driven
off the Island.
He would have dearly loved to be part of aircrew, but
an unfortunate accident when he was in the Territorial
Army before the war, when a ten-pounder artillery gun
misfired, left him partially deaf, so he enlisted as an
instrument maintenance engineer.
Good luck with the rest of your project. Hope you come
down this way to Mangere Airport. Your plane would create
a sensation, especially if tied in with the America's
Cup Yachting Race and year 2000 celebrations!
Regards, John Bockett
The 6000 member BMW Riders Association is watching you
and wishes you godspeed. Our Web Page (www.bmwra.org) is hyperlinked to all national
BMW clubs worldwide.
Robert Hellman, Editor, On the Level, BMW
RA, chefrad@erols.com
8 October 1998
This is the "aero-club de la haute-marne" in
Chaumont (France). We learned about your flight in the
magazine of French Pilots Association (FNA).
We are sorry to see that you had to postpone your flight
to Cape Town since many of us looked forward to seeing
you in Troyes. If you could drop us an email when you
know the new date it would be great.
Also we will be glad to help making your stop-over easier,
whether in Troyes or in Chaumont. Our airfield is 30 min
from Troyes and is a former NATO base with superb landing
strip, and very low traffic.
Of course as a small non-profit association we cannot
sponsor your flight but our members will be very happy
to supply your team with practical help. 1999 happens
to be the 70th anniversary of our club, so we plan to
be specially active.
You may have more info on our club, airfield and activities
by visiting our website: http://members.aol.com/acchaumont/
Best regards, Pierre Baron, member of the Board,
PJLBaron@aol.com
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