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R100 Airship

When selling "Tax free cars " to the military in the early 70's, RAF Cardington was still an operational camp and I had the opportunity to walk around both the great airship hangers!!, wow never before or since, was I in a place so huge,
paul
 
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Found this photo of it flying over Toronto.
 
paul, completed my RAF 'square bashing' at Cardington June - Sep 1948, the hanger was then used to house inflated barrage balloons. During PT we had to run 4 times round it and that equalled 1 mile. Eric
 
NO Baz, I worked first for "Chrysler Military Sales", then for my own Company, "PWS Autoexchange Ltd", we advertised in the "Soldier" mag, RAF News, for some 15yrs. Main competitors were NAAFI, and NATOCars.
Regards Paul
 
paul stacey said:
NO Baz, I worked first for "Chrysler Military Sales", then for my own Company, "PWS Autoexchange Ltd", we advertised in the "Soldier" mag, RAF News, for some 15yrs. Main competitors were NAAFI, and NATOCars.
Regards Paul
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That's ok then, i'll let you off !
 
You've gone quiet Baz, did you Know "Bob Rankin" Ex RAF type, met him a few times at car shows around Brugen, MonchenGladbach, did you buy a Tax Free car , it changed in the 80's with the withdrawal of the BFG plates and offices.
paul
 
The attached isn't necessarily relevant to your current discussion, but I downloaded the following memorial card from an auction catalogue some years ago.

Hope it is of interest.
R1012520memorial2520card25203.jpg
R1012520memorial2520card25202.jpg
 
Completed my 3 months 'square bashing' at RAF Cardington in 1948 and was amazed at the enormous size of the 2 airship hangers, we done our PT in there and the PTI told us a run 4 times around the hangers was equal to 1 mile (which I did more than once). I remember it had fully inflated barrage balloons stored in there (used for parachute jumping). I believe there is a memorial in the local Cardington village church to the R101 disaster. Eric
 
Hi, I remember standing in the playground of Christ Church Junior School, on Stratford Road Sparkbrook, and watching in amazement as the biggest thing I had ever seen came flying over very low. The fly by must have been planned, because the teachers were very keen to get us kids outside in time, so that we didn't miss it. I was about 5 or 6 years old; so approximately 1953-4. I have looked back through the archive and can't find anything. What was it ? what was it doing flying over Birmingham? Roy.
 
Roy, 1953 was the year of the Queens coronation, maybe something to do with that, I was 23 at that time and was in Hong Kong with the RAF so would not have been home to see it. Just a thought. Eric
 
robroy said:
Hi, I remember standing in the playground of Christ Church Junior School, on Stratford Road Sparkbrook, and watching in amazement as the biggest thing I had ever seen came flying over very low. The fly by must have been planned, because the teachers were very keen to get us kids outside in time, so that we didn't miss it. I was about 5 or 6 years old; so approximately 1953-4. I have looked back through the archive and can't find anything. What was it ? what was it doing flying over Birmingham? Roy.
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After the R101 disaster in October 1930 the R100 was scrapped in November 1931, so the one you saw in the 1950s might have been the Goodyear airship which I saw flying in the 1970s. They are still trying out the concept and the new Airlander made its first flight from Cardington on Wednesday.
Airlander.jpg
 
I visited Cardington a few times in 75/76 when still an RAF Base, I stayed in the Sgts Mess, and the then SWO, gave me an escorted Tour around the Hangers, as stated before absolutely huge spaces. Paul
 
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