Seafire III - G-BUAR

[Tom105]

May be of interest to people that the seafire from air leasing appears to have been sold and appears to be staying in the UK according to G-INFO registered to FLYING A SERVICES LTD.
.

[Abbo46]

Rather excellent news that.

[HuwJHopkins]

Perhaps not as good as it looks at first glance... Flying A Services Ltd appear to be the storage company at Greenham Common.

Links:
- https://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/news/16934/greenham-silo-owners-seeking-to-scrap-junction-improvement-plan.html
- http://www.thecoldwar.uk/flying-a-services-seek-greenham-common-gama-usage-via-the-back-door/

[GertrudetheMerciless]

Perhaps not as good as it looks at first glance... Flying A Services Ltd appear to be the storage company at Greenham Common.

Links:
- https://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/news/16934/greenham-silo-owners-seeking-to-scrap-junction-improvement-plan.html
- http://www.thecoldwar.uk/flying-a-services-seek-greenham-common-gama-usage-via-the-back-door/

IIRC Flying A Services the company that appeared in the late 1990s out of the ashes of the Arnold family's Warbirds of Great Britain organisation. They may have had fingers in pies in the past 15-20 years elsewhere (including lots of aircraft in storage etc at North Weald, GC etc), but there is a pedigree of Warbird operation in the past.

I note a "No Flight" declaration was made on 2nd October - the day of the transfer of ownership - but whether this is a relatively normal administrative thing during a sale or an indicator of imminent disappearance is another matter.

[FarnboroJohn]

Perhaps not as good as it looks at first glance... Flying A Services Ltd appear to be the storage company at Greenham Common.

Links:
- https://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/news/16934/greenham-silo-owners-seeking-to-scrap-junction-improvement-plan.html
- http://www.thecoldwar.uk/flying-a-services-seek-greenham-common-gama-usage-via-the-back-door/

IIRC Flying A Services the company that appeared in the late 1990s out of the ashes of the Arnold family's Warbirds of Great Britain organisation. They may have had fingers in pies in the past 15-20 years elsewhere (including lots of aircraft in storage etc at North Weald, GC etc), but there is a pedigree of Warbird operation in the past.

I note a "No Flight" declaration was made on 2nd October - the day of the transfer of ownership - but whether this is a relatively normal administrative thing during a sale or an indicator of imminent disappearance is another matter.

Hm. Mr Arnold's chief delight was in dealing (and winning at dealing) and despite a huge collection at Blackbushe not very much turned up at airshows. The one regret I ever heard him utter about selling an aircraft while I was volunteering in the dismantling phase of his Spitfire regeneration operation was that he should never have got rid of SL721, which he regarded as the nicest Spitfire he'd ever seen. Admittedly there was a much smaller pool of airworthy ones then!

The hangars at Blackbushe held a Mustang, Thunderbolt, Mosquito, Lysander, a series of Sea Furies (with spare wings etc crated out the back) and in addition to the ex-Indian Spitfires each with its engine block pickaxed by the furious IAF individuals who were losing their gate guardians etc a Mk IX from somewhere and a 109 that supposedly had been exported from Australia. I've probably forgotten a lot as it was almost forty years ago! Out on the airfield were a line of ex-Spanish CASA 352s and Daks, a single CASA 111.

I have some old slides from a Blackbushe open day but even then most stuff taxied rather than flew.

It's sad that the Seafire is going into storage (if it is): its a fine looking aircraft in a nice scheme.

[Mike]

It always was owned by David Arnold, the previous registration to Air Leasing was as 'chartered' rather than 'owned'. So no change, apart from the fact that it will no longer be flown by Air Leasing (it has been parked for over a year already)

It was lovely to see it on the few occasions it appeared at airshows.

[capercaillie]

A truly stunning aircraft, it was a pleasure to see it on a couple of occasions in glorious conditions. Lets hope it returns to the skies above us soon.