ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 234656
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| Date: | Sunday 17 May 1936 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: | Mignet HM.14 Pou-du-Ciel |
| Owner/operator: | Aero 8 Flying Club |
| Registration: | G-AEFW |
| MSN: | A8CB.1 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Stockbury, near Maidstone, Kent -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Tilbury, Essex |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
The Aero-8 Flying Club, of Canute Air Park, Ashingdon, Essex, was formed in October 1935 by Mervyn G. Chadwick and Raymond Gordon as both a flying club and an organisation to construct the Mignet Pou-du-Ciel (Flying Flea). They produced a heavily modified version of the Flying Flea, featuring a streamlined fuselage designed by Sydney Charles George Buszard (b. 24 May 1912, Hampstead, London - d. May 1998, Hillingdon, Middlesex). G-AEFW, a 'high speed' Pou, powered by a 23hp Douglas Sprite engine. First registered (C of R 6902) 14 April 1936 to the Aero 8 Flying Club (hence the "contrived" c/no. A8CB.1)
It first flew 16 May 1936 and was used in an attempt to fly the Channel. However it failed even to cross the English coast and instead crashed south of Gravesend. According to one published source:
"Bernard Collins’ British long-distance record was challenged by a Southend pilot. “Ossie” Oscroft, a dare-devil, who aimed to fly his Machine which was owned by the Aero 8 Club, from Ashingdon to France and back again. Rather than risk crossing the Thames at an early stage of the flight he flew up to Tilbury and then crossed the river. The “Buzzcraft”, designed and built at Ashingdon, covered fifty miles until an oil feed pipe cracked, blinding him with oil. He landed on a hillside running straight into a muck heap, the whirling propeller showering him with foul-smelling manure."
Another source in "Henri Mignet and his Flying Fleas" by Ken Ellis and Geoff Jones, page 76 states that "...it was eventually flown by Claude Ashcroft and received its Authorisation on 16 May 36. Flushed with the success of possessing this piece of paper,, the following day, the little Flea set off on a cross-Channel attempt. This was to end somewhat prematurely in a forced-landing near Lympne in Kent. It is thought that the damage incurred put the aircraft into store. It was certainly to be found gathering dust at Canute Air Park during 1939."
The Daily Herald of May 18th 1936 reported the following:
PILOT NEARLY BLINDED BY OIL
"Flying Flea" Channel Attempt Fails
Half blinded by oil from a burst pipe, Mr. Claud Oscroft, chief instructor of Southend Aero Eight Club, who was attempting a double crossing of the Channel in a "Flying Flea," made a forced landing at Stockbury, Kent, yesterday. He had flown between 50 and 60 miles by way of Gravesend.
Note that varying published sources give the crash location as being different places in Kent - "south of Gravesend" or "near Lympne" or "Stockbury". There is some discrepancy in the above reports/postings; Gravesend is in North Kent whilst Lympne is some forty miles in a south-east direction near Hythe on the south coast. Furthermore, Stockbury is on the North Downs and its very hilly round there although there are several places on the top of the downs which were used as landing grounds during the War but I think these were further to the east. Lympne was later named Ashford Airport but closed many years ago and there is now an industrial estate on the site
Registration G-AEFW was belatedly cancelled by the Secretary of State, Air Ministry on 15 August 1945 due to "destruction or permanent withdrawl from use of aircraft". G-AEFW was apparently still in existence in 1939 (as related above); however, when the Air Ministry conducted a survey into the continued existence (or not) of all pre-war aircraft, they received no reply from the last registered owner - hence the cancellation of the registration. It can be presumed that G-AEFW was destroyed at some point between 3 September 1939 (when war was declared) and 8 May 1945 (V-E Day)
Sources:
1. Sheffield Independent - Monday 18 May 1936
2. Gloucester Citizen - Monday 18 May 1936
3. Western Morning News - Monday 18 May 1936
4. https://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=20578.0
5. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AEFW.pdf
6. https://petercbrown.wordpress.com/2016/11/04/flying-fleas-at-southend/
7. https://www.key.aero/forum/historic-aviation/148142-mignet-h-m-14-pou-du-ciel-g-aefw?goto=newpost
8. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_G-A8.html
9. http://www.ukairfieldguide.net/airfields/Ashingdon
10. http://www.afleetingpeace.org/index.php/15-aeroplanes/79-register-gb-g-ae
11. http://britishaviation-ptp.com/aero_8.html
12. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/archive/Archive_1998.pdf
13. https://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=13673.msg57925#msg57925
14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockbury
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 01-Apr-2020 21:18 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
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