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My Flying Control Jeep - The Ongoing Story


Jessie The Jeep

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Fourth trip out in Jessie this year.

Teesside Airshow - May 27th

Around a dozen MV's turned out for the Teesside Airshow. With the number of aircraft cancellations before the show, and on the day due to weather, it was more of Teesside Show, than an Airshow, but still an enjoyable day out. I saw the BBMF Spit and Hurricane display, but missed the Harvard due to hiding from the first rainstorm under a food van shelter. In the static aircraft park, I saw a very nice Bombardier Challenger 350 executive jet that was obviously meant to be mine; as it had my name on it - G-SCAR.

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Below, the oldest Chipmunk still flying, number 11 on the production line, and a friend's Auster.

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The Slingsby Firefly, Tutor and an aerobatic team flew, plus the Hughes OH-6 Loach heli, and I think that was it, apart from the RAF Typhoon which flew in as I and most of the public were leaving after the thunderstorm passed. The 7 feet tall security fence along the crowd line didn't help with seeing the show or photographing aircraft on the runway.

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Late in the afternoon, the gathering thunderclouds and increasing wind speed indicated action needed to be taken. I helped the aircraft owners push the lighter planes into the T2 hangar, becoming trapped there by the heavy rain, while the rest of the MV's cleared off!! So I spent the rest of the afternoon chatting to the pilots in the hangar before the rain eased off and I was able to get back to a rather damp Jeep. The open canvas rear window was pointing towards the storm!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Ongoing Work

Jeeps were originally built working on 6 volts. By the time mine retired from the French Army around 1990, it had gone from 6v to 12v, to 24 volts. The brake light pressure switch has never coped well with the voltage rise, and arcs, carboning up the contacts.

I tried LED brake lights to reduce the current, but the switch still burns out and the lights stop working. Changing the switch is a pain due to having to bleed the brakes each time, so this morning I fitted a mechanical switch, rather than hydraulic. This switch also turns the lights on before any braking action, warning before slowing. The original was the opposite, braking before the lights came on.

The 'Normally Closed' switch on its mounting bracket. The lights are off so long as the switch is held in.

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The bracket mounts between the brake pedal arm and steering column.

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An 'L' shaped bracket is attached to the brake pedal lever, which holds the switch closed, and the brake lights off.

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When the pedal is pressed, the 'L' bracket releases the switch, and the lights some on. Should this switch fail, I can replace it without interfering with the hydraulics.

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'Jessie' will be out again on Sunday to the Tanfield Railway Steam Gala, but Saturday is the first event for 'Hope' this year, the Sedgefield Frontline multi-period living history event.

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Tanfield Railway Legends of Industry Steam Gala - June 18th

Lynne wasn't around on Saturday, but she was home on Sunday, and so brought 'Jessie' to Tanfield, while I took 'Hope' along with my daughter. Two vehicles on display also meant two free tickets for the day!

Tanfield Railway is the oldest railway in the world, and will be celebrating its 300th anniversary in 2025. The weekend of June 17/18th was their main event of the year, the Legends of Industry Steam Gala. They had two visiting locos, but unfortunately, on Saturday, one started running two hot axel boxes, and was restricted to slow speed shunting. One of the railway's diesels stood in as a replacement.

On Sunday when we attended, things went from bad to worse, when their main diesel failed first thing in the morning, delaying getting the passenger coaches out of the shed, putting the whole time table back! Their secondary diesel, covered in dust, dirt and bird droppings was called into service to replace the replacement! With the hot weather and lots of visitors, I'm sure they still had a successful weekend. Our Jeeps were on show with a number of classic vehicles at East Tanfield Station.

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Edited by Jessie The Jeep
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  • 3 weeks later...

Bowes Railway/Springwell Village 1940's weekend - July 1/2nd

Last weekend saw a surprise trip out for all three of my vehicles. With only me available to drive, it was quite an achievement! I took the Dodge along on day one, but because a number of people had dropped out of the event, I offered to bring my whole collection, if someone could run me home for the next - after all, the event was only two and a half miles from home! So with a bit of shuttling to and from home, all three vehicles got to the show and home again, for probably little more than a couple of gallons of fuel!!

A longer report is in my Flying Control Dodge thread, but here's a couple from Sunday.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Buckerfest 2017, Breighton Aerodrome - July 15/16th

Since our normal tow car was rear ended recently, and still away for repairs, we couldn't tow the Jeep down to Breighton after school finished. Instead, I drove the Jeep and Jeep trailer there during the afternoon, with Lynne following in a normal car after the school run. This allowed me the get the tent set up before she arrived. It was a nice afternoon and evening, allowing a M*A*S*H photoshoot with some friends followed by a barbecue.

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Overnight, it rained, and Saturday morning was dull and showery, but slowly brightening up. By around 11:30, people were aviating, and there was a constant stream of aircraft flying for the rest of the day, until everyone began to get ready for the hangar party. Jessie was parked up near the East end of the airfield, along with a number of other military vehicles. Jessie the Jeep parked up on show, and three Bucker designs that attended the 3rd Buckerfest Fly-In - The Jungmann, Bestmann and Jungmeister.

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Over the weekend, there were two Bucker Bestmann aircraft present, one with the inline engine which is based there and one with flat four which was visiting. It was a rare treat to catch photos of them briefly together.

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Here's some of the other military vehicles in attendance. Several Jeeps, Land Rovers, motor bikes, a Dodge WC51, three GMC 6x6's and an M35 6x6 were on display. There were also a number of classic cars on show further down the airfield.

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Time for the hangar party. There was a disco, live band, and stand up comedian, plus a charity auction in aid of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. My seven year old daughter was partying hard until about 11:15pm!

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Here's some of the other Bucker aircraft that were there.

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Broussard Flight - July 16th

Late on Sunday afternoon, I was given the chance for a flight in the Real Aero Co., Max Holste Broussard, known as Bruce. The Broussard was a 1950s French six-seat utility, observation and medivac aircraft. Perhaps at some point in its service life, it was in the same location as my Hotchkiss Jeep, which didn't leave French Army service until 2000?

It was an interesting experience flying over the former RAF Riccall, and RAF Breighton. With the noise of the big radial engine drumming away, and when looking out of the window towards the rear of the aircraft at the unusual twin fins, my mind couldn't help but put me in a Halifax heavy bomber.

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The former RAF Riccall.

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Edited by Jessie The Jeep
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We are going to Croft, but will most likely only be taking one Jeep. Lynne had a fall 10 months ago which is causing nerve/spinal problems, and she's on some pretty severe pain killers which limit what and when she can drive. So we'll probably be minimising the effort we make this year, and I'll drive the normal car towing Jessie on our trailer.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Croft Nostalgia - Aug 5/6th

For Croft, the Dodge was off the road waiting for some new brake shoes to be fitted and Lynne wasn't up to driving a Jeep. Because I still needed a Jeep for marshalling duties, this meant just taking Jessie. So for 2017, my display was a little depleted, 'though I did still manage to take the signal square and small wall tent.

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We had a number of aircraft fly in for the show. The first, shown below, is the Bucker Bestmann, returning for a third year. The de Havilland Chipmunk returned for its second year at Croft. This aircraft was found in a disassembled state and rebuilt by its current owner over a 10 year period. Other aircraft flown in were a Jodel, flown in by one of the racing competitors, and a Piper Cub.

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Edited by Jessie The Jeep
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There were several hundred classic cars on display, located at various places around the circuit. Several light aircraft were displayed at the Eastern end of the military display line.

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The military display line was once again along the old main runway, and had a nice variety of vehicles, but Jeeps, Champs and Land Rovers made up the largest numbers.

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Edited by Jessie The Jeep
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