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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

©1999-2001 Vimy Restorations, Inc.

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