Aviation Photography - Spanhoe night shoot

Afternoon and Night Shoot
Spanhoe
November 2018

A brief photo-report
Spanhoe is a very private airfield where a host of very interesting veteran aircraft reside and in some cases restored. For perhaps four years the Reid and Sigrist R.S.3 Desford has been based here for restoration to flying condition by Windmill Aviation. Despite rumours that it would be flying to Cosford for the museum from a year ago it is still here. The night-shoot included afternoon and evening engine runs including the Desford. As with the previous shoot the afternoon was subject to periodic rain showers which cleared dramtically for an interesing sunset. Unfortunately the sun sets behind a hangar which prevents even more spectacular images.

Privately owned Beechcraft Model D-18S 3TM (G-BKGL c/n CA-164) built during World War Two and re-built by Beech in 1952 for the RCAF as a CT-128 Expeditor serial 1564 and later 5193 from 1967 but declared surplus in 1971 with Crown Assets Disposal Corporation in Canada. It was civil registered CF-QPD in early 1980s when the Aircraft Restoration Company restored it for the air show circuit operating from Duxford, firstly painting it in a US Navy scheme before re-painting it in a US Army Air Corps scheme as '1164' by 1992 and modifying the markings in 2012. Since May 2020, it was owned by Aerial Advantage Ltd. of Old Buckenham.
Unfortunately G-BKGL crashed near Bastia-Poretta airport on Corsica on September 14, 2021. It was completely destroyed by fire, two of the three persons on board were badly injured.

Beechcraft Model D-18S 3TM (G-BKGL marked '1164').

Left to right: Reid and Sigrist R.S.3 Desford (VZ728) during an engine run. The Desford prototype was originally registered G-AGOS. It first flew on 9 July 1945. Evaluated at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) at RAF Boscombe Down as VZ728 as an advanced trainer powered by two 130 hp de Havilland Gipsy Major engines, it was not selected for production. By 1956 it returned to the civil register as G-AGOS and remained flyable until 1973.

Left to right: Fairchild Argus II (HB737 registered G-BCBH), Piper Cub J/3C-65 (44-80636 'A-58') and Morane-Saulnier MS.733 Alcyon (French Navy/Aeronavale 143 registered G-MSAL).

Fokker S-11 Instructor (Kon.Marine 174 'K' registered G-BEPV).

Left to right: AOP.9 (XR246 registered G-AZBU) formally of RAE Bedford Radio Flight based at Tollerton, Auster J1N Alpha (G-AHSS) and Auster AOP.9 (XP241 registered G-CEHR) and based at Spanhoe.

Left to right: SIAI-Marchetti SF.260AM (MM54532 registered G-ITAF).

Left to right: Helio Courier U-10D (66-14360 marked 66-374 'EO').

Left to right: Bücker Bü 181 Bestmann (G-TPWX) a two-seater, aerobatic monoplane aircraft built by Bücker Flugzeugbau GmbH in Rangsdorf Germany for the Luftwaffe in World War Two.