Bembridge School and Beach
BEMBRIDGE SCHOOL and BEACH: Temporary Landing Grounds
The local area view is from my Google Earth © derived database.
NOTES: The Britten-Norman BN-2A Islander, built at BEMBRIDGE aerodrome, first flew on the 13th June 1965. A most daring and original project and, I think at least, the best example of what we, in the U.K., were and are, (given the chance), still very good at. Can remember saying to my wife at Farnborough when both the Islander and Concorde were being displayed, (back in the 1970s), that I thought for the U.K. that the Islander was the future. The U.K. aviation industry being, I then thought, in terminal decline.
A MOST NOTABLE FLIGHT PROJECT
In 1966, no doubt to promote local support for the company, Britten-Norman arranged to land their first Islander, (G-ATCT), on the playing grounds used by Bembridge School and fill it up with kids to land on BEMBRIDGE BEACH. Just for fun as it were. Not sure if they were flown back?
G-ATCT DIDN'T LAST LONG
It was first registered to Britten-Norman on the 15th of April 1965, just a couple of months before its first flight. It is reported to having crashed at Sneek in The Netherlands on the 9th November 1966. Under what circumstances I wonder? The Netherlands are as flat as a pancake throughout, their only hill being near Venlo in the southeast close to the border with Germany. So, it certainly wasn't a collision with high terrain.
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