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Bob Grimstead
Captain

Gender: Male
Location: Perth, Western Australia or West Sussex, England
Registered: Dec 2006
Status: Offline
Posts: 2027

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Posted Friday, July 29, 2011 @ 11:10 AM  

Hi Guys,

If this info is posted elsewhere on this site, then I apologise.

It occurred to me that, now our Fourniers are almost all more than forty years old, each has a life story of its own.
As time passes and those airframes change hands, much of the detail of these stories will be lost.
So it seemed appropriate that we all post whatever information we know about our own airplanes' histories.

Then other folk can know what varied lives these airplanes have led, and I guess an interesting and documented history on this site might well increase the value of your Fournier if and when you or your heirs come to sell it.

And of course, we can always edit our histories, using the tab above, when new information comes to light.

I will start the ball rolling with info on my Fourniers VH-HDO and G-AWGN.

I have also compiled info on G-AWEK, G-BIIF, ZS-UEZ, G-IVEL and G-AZJC when I was considering buying them or shares in them, and short pieces on G-AWGO, ZS-UEM and N7723.

Provided nobody objects (say, within the next month) I will post that info too.

Yours, Bob

--------------------
Flying and displaying Fournier RF4Ds VH-HDO and G-AWGN, building replica RF6B G-RFGB and custodian of RF6B prototype F-BPXV

Bob Grimstead
Captain

Gender: Male
Location: Perth, Western Australia or West Sussex, England
Registered: Dec 2006
Status: Offline
Posts: 2027

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Posted Friday, July 29, 2011 @ 11:35 AM  

VH-HDO’s History (so far – 2011)

VH-HDO has 1350 hours (over 350 of them mine) and a rather chequered history. It was originally F-BPLB, s/No 4093 (so it was the 93rd RF4D).

I know little of its early life, other than that it has had at least five propellers (five wheel-up landings?) while in France, and the right wing was broken on 18/10/1970 at 315 hours, after "aircraft made forced landing in a field as a result of drop of pressure." (oil pressure, presumably). Also the main gear leg fork was replaced. This work took four months.

I have a photo of it in its original red-and-white scheme with a diminutive but cheery-looking Frenchman standing beside it, presumably either Monteiller or Voyer, whose names appear in the log books repeatedly after May 1971. Prior to that it was operated by the Aero Club of Orne.

It last flew in France on 21st October 1980, with 715 hours, and was apparently imported into Australia in a container in 1982 with another RF4 and a two-seat RF5. Its first Australian flight was on 22nd January 1983. In December 1990, at 763 hours it was re-covered in Victoria with Stits HX 90 Polyfiber.

Subsequently owned by Lionel Carrick, and operated from Tyabb, Va, it was bought and ferried to Serpentine in November 1999 by John Chesbrough. At that time it had 820 hours and was operated by a syndicate of mostly gliding pilots from Serpentine WA (the homebuilders’ airfield). One by one these guys pulled out of the syndicate, leaving the most keen member, Damien O’Reilly as sole owner.

I bought it from Damien in February 2004 with 1006 hours on it, and have since flown over 350 hours in it, mostly doing aerobatics, including dislaying at the Red Bull Air Race World Series Final, Perth, in November 2007 and 2008 and April 2010.

I landed it with the wheel retracted in October 2007.
[URL] http://sbeaver.com/cgi-bin/fournier/cutecast.pl?session=wPc9Iitv4bcLgQoOOZJvNuoIbs&forum=12&thread=339[/URL]
Fortunately the damage was only minor, and repaired within the week.

HDO appears in several video clips on YouTube on my FournierBob Channel.

In early 2011 it was re-engined with an Aeropower 1750cc engine of nominally 50+ horsepower. At that time, during my ownership it had flown 470 aerobatics sorties in 260 hours of aerobatics, plus a further 50 sorties and hours of general flying, positioning and cross-countries.

Yours, Bob

--------------------
Flying and displaying Fournier RF4Ds VH-HDO and G-AWGN, building replica RF6B G-RFGB and custodian of RF6B prototype F-BPXV

Bob Grimstead
Captain

Gender: Male
Location: Perth, Western Australia or West Sussex, England
Registered: Dec 2006
Status: Offline
Posts: 2027

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Posted Friday, July 29, 2011 @ 11:48 AM  

G-AWGN’s history (so far – 2011)

G-AWGN, c/n 4084 was built in early 1968 and first registered in Britain on 9th April 1968

It was the second RF4D owned and operated by Sportair, the British importer. They bought it second-hand from doctor and aviation medicine expert, Lt Cdr Keith E. E. Read in the early summer of 1970.

It was the first RF4 I ever flew, on 6th November 1970 (for an hour) at Biggin Hill, after being checked out for 1:10 on an RF5 by Sportair’s Texan CFI Robby Dorsey, followed by a quick ten-minute solo circuit. I flew G-AWGN again a few days later, and then not for 38 years.

I researched pretty thoroughly, but although it has been flying ever since then, until I got it, it doesn't ever seem to have done anything famous – which is a bit of a surprise, because almost all the other Sportair aeroplanes either won one or two races, or had a spectacular crash, or flew a famous display, or appeared in a film, or even more than one of those things!

I gather it did suffer a forced landing late one afternoon in August 1971. Sportair’s Newsletter No 16, dated 26th August said it had met its demise ‘through what I can only describe as some diabolical airmanship’ (NCJ). Neil later told me that Brian Stephens was called out of the bar to fly it back to Biggin Hill (and not necessarily in a straight line), but it was seriously damaged, needing a replacement fuselage.

It was probably last re-covered in about 1982.

On 24th May 1997 its main wheel fork snapped on landing at Staverton, but with no further damage.

On 5th September 2005 it was landed wheel-up at Husbands Bosworth by Mike Fox. The propeller was replaced.

I bought it on 2nd January 2008, and immediately painted its upper surfaces in the same sunburst scheme as my Australian Fournier (but red). Since then it has flown in numerous displays, including the Red Bull Air Race, London 2008, Flygfesten 2009 in Dala-Jarna, Sweden, Norway’s centenary air show at Rygge in 2009 and at Gap-Tallard, Southern France for the 2010 CFI Fournier 50th anniversary celebrations.

From 2010 it has become one of a pair of RF4s displaying as the RedHawks with Matthew Hill in G-AWEK. See video clips on YouTube, search for FournierBob and click on any blue FournierBob subscript.

Yours, Bob

--------------------
Flying and displaying Fournier RF4Ds VH-HDO and G-AWGN, building replica RF6B G-RFGB and custodian of RF6B prototype F-BPXV

Mira Slovak
Private First Class

Gender: Male
Location: Pauma Valley Ca.
Registered: Nov 2006
Status: Offline
Posts: 13

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Posted Saturday, July 30, 2011 @ 01:10 PM  

Hello Bob.
This site is a great idea. I would suggest that every owner of a RF-4, should be part in this story telling ownership of RF-4 with any HP.
Maybe Matthews Uncle should rename the book by: What have you done with 39 HP and RF-4.
This would open participitation of owners with more HP.
Individual ownership of RF-4's from the beginning and experienced flying pleasures, would be the the most interesting part of the book.
After all, there is not a pilot who doesn't love RF-4.
Mira.
dannparks
Sergeant Major

Gender: Male
Location: Parkside Airpark, Battle Ground, WA
Registered: Oct 2006
Status: Offline
Posts: 391

Click here to see the profile for dannparks Visit https://picasaweb.google.com/111628310900713778468/RF4D_N2188?noredirect=1 Send email to dannparks Send private message to dannparks Find more posts by dannparks Edit or delete this message Reply w/Quote
Posted Sunday, July 31, 2011 @ 08:01 PM  

A great idea. I would suggest that each aircraft have its own post called "(aircraft no.) history". That way each plane would be separate and others (past owners, etc.) people could contribute to each history in its own post. Easier to find in the archive too. Just a suggestion.

I have some interesting historic details for N2188 in the log book.

--------------------
Dann Parks • RF4D #4051 N2188 • now flying!
Pictures at: https://picasaweb.google.com/111628310900713778468/RF4D_N2188?noredirect=1

Bob Grimstead
Captain

Gender: Male
Location: Perth, Western Australia or West Sussex, England
Registered: Dec 2006
Status: Offline
Posts: 2027

Click here to see the profile for Bob Grimstead Visit http://www.redhawksduo.co.uk Send email to Bob Grimstead Send private message to Bob Grimstead Find more posts by Bob Grimstead Edit or delete this message Reply w/Quote
Posted Monday, August 1, 2011 @ 04:12 AM  

Yes Guys,

Those are good ideas.

I think the best way would be for Collin to open a new heading of 'Individual Fournier Histories' and then we can all contribute our information.
Please could you do that Collin, if you think it is a good idea?

Yours, Bob

--------------------
Flying and displaying Fournier RF4Ds VH-HDO and G-AWGN, building replica RF6B G-RFGB and custodian of RF6B prototype F-BPXV

Bob Grimstead
Captain

Gender: Male
Location: Perth, Western Australia or West Sussex, England
Registered: Dec 2006
Status: Offline
Posts: 2027

Click here to see the profile for Bob Grimstead Visit http://www.redhawksduo.co.uk Send email to Bob Grimstead Send private message to Bob Grimstead Find more posts by Bob Grimstead Edit or delete this message Reply w/Quote
Posted Tuesday, August 2, 2011 @ 05:41 AM  

Thanks very much Collin. That's great.

I've shifted my two posts over there, and Donald has posted about his RF3.

I will try to upload a photo or two of each airplane in their different colour schemes, to show how they developed.

It would be nice if every owner could post at least one photo of his/her airplane, just so that we know whate we are reading about.

Thanks.

Yours, Bob

--------------------
Flying and displaying Fournier RF4Ds VH-HDO and G-AWGN, building replica RF6B G-RFGB and custodian of RF6B prototype F-BPXV

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