Bill Woodhams Trophy

[Chris Martyr]

I guess your story Chris and many others is what the LAA is and the old PFA was about.

Definitely !... ..And my story isn't unique by any means . I know for a fact that many peoples building/flying experiences make fascinating reading/listening . It is only thanks to the PFA/LAA that we're able to reel them off .
Too many unfortunate others , only manage to acquire their licences , log a few more very expensive hours , and then knock it all on the head . Unaware that there's a big, big world of grass-roots aviation out there , which bears no resemblance whatsoever to the flying school environment they perceived as being 'the norm'.
A friend of mine joined last year . Simply so he could vote at the AGM [forget what it was now ] But soon after joining , he remarked to me that he didn't realise what "a bloody brilliant magazine" we get each month . Well , we knew that anyway didn't we ...

But now he's gone and acquired a vintage tailwheeler and has been walking on air , smiling uncontrollably [or on drugs] ever since .

So , I'm delighted that the 'LAA virus' is spreading . And that the Bill Woodhams Award has been kick-started back into life too .

Whoever wins it .

[ChampChump]

Now who could that be, Chris?

[Mike Flynn]

I have spent over three years researching the recent Bill Woodhams Trophy.

It has been quite a controversial scenario since I first raised the issue of TCT being awarded the trophy for her dual travels in Africa around three and a half years ago on Pprune.

This has been a difficult case to handle for the LAA.

I applaud Brian Hope and his team for handling what has been a difficult spat played out last year in the national press.

Happily it resulted in me joining the LAA.

I think if anything has been achieved by my efforts it has been to flag up really well deserved recipients and also the name of Bill Woodhams who would by now just a name.

I cannot disguise my support for James Ketchell and his record breaking global flight.

The first autogyro circumnavigation has to be up there near the top for the LAA Bill Woodhams Trophy.

Who ever receives the award I am sure you will all agree the recipient will have earnt it for a display of airmanship and navigation. In my opion this extends far beyond just using GPS and flying across difficult terain and oceans.

It would be nice to read an article on Bill Woodhams in the magazine in the not too distant future.

[fredypig]

Hold on there Mike Flynn,

You are getting this all very wrong!!! Norman Surplus is undoubtedly the “first person” to fly an Auto gyro around the world... Its already done and dusted. Did you not see or read any of what he and James were doing? They both set off together from England, but Norman completed the first circumnavigation by auto gyro when they both arrived in America, which is where Norman restarted during his 9 year amazing journey, after being refused flight through Russia and had to ship to McMinville. Game over Job done, well done Norman. So please stop saying James is going to be the first. You are wrong.

G-YROX, Normans craft is sitting right now in the EAA Museum in Oshkosh as the First Gyro to circumnavigate the globe... There is no doubting it.

Also, if anyone should get the Woodhams Trophy, sorry but in my eyes, and I have been awarded it twice, there is only one contender. I look at what I did and what Norman did during the last 9 years, sitting it out for four years in Japan and all self funded, what I achieved pales into insignificance. I wrote to the LAA and nominated Norman after his 9 years of global efforts into flying around the world, the guy deserves a Knighthood.

Norman is a great guy, doesn't sing out about his achievements in the way that many others do, but there is simply no doubting his records. I have no idea why so few people pick up on all he has done. It was Norman who advised me on how to get through Russia. Without his unending help and support, vast information and unselfish assistance, I'd have never have got through Russia and opened up the doors in the way they are now. This was all Norman's work from right back in 2012.

Sorry, but what else can I say. Norman is the person all the plaudits should go to.

Colin Hales.

[Brian Hope]

I applaud Brian Hope and his team for handling what has been a difficult spat played out last year in the national press.

Thank you Mike for your comment but not deserved, I am but a small cog in the works. Harry Hopkins lead the Awards and Trophies committee throughout the period and of course, when the doo dah hit the whatsit, it was then Chairman of the Board, Brian Davies, ably assisted by others, who dealt with it in a very professional manner.
It is history now, we have to move on, and a recipient of the Bill Woodhams Trophy for 2019 will be announced at the AGM. He or she will, in the opinion of the committee, and I hope also in the opinion of the membership, be a very worthy winner.
Sadly there can only be one recipient each year, but fortunately there are other achievement awards for which our adventurous members can be nominated.
Above all else, I hope that as an Association we can celebrate our members' achievements in the name of one of our former illustrious members in a manner that does his name proud.

[Chris Martyr]

Above all else, I hope that as an Association we can celebrate our members' achievements

So right Brian .

Being just an ordinary rank & file member and also a fully paid-up bread & butter flyer , I can only admire the other ordinary folk who've gone out and done very , very extraordinary things . We are honoured indeed to have such people amongst us .

But having said that , I can only extend my admiration for you chaps on the awards committee !

Pinning the award down to just one person puts you guys onto a bit of a hiding to nothing doesn't it ?

But thanks for doing it .

PS. I couldn't help noticing Colin Hales' remark about Norman S. Where he described Norman's achievements as making his own , "pale into insignificance" .

Colin : Believe you me mate ,,,,that ain't quite true .

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and another thing . I'm sure that the potential is there for you to get your name on that cup for a 3rd time .........

[Mike Flynn]

Colin Hales quite rightly takes me to task for missing the fact that Norman Surplus completed the first autogyro circumnavigation when he arrived in the USA with James Ketchell.



I failed to notice Norman was completing his rtw trip across Europe and Russia flying alongside James. Norman had to abandon his 2010 attempt in Japan. Ironically the country where Colin came to grief as did Maurice Kirk in his attempt to get to the USA in a Piper Cub.

James claims on his website...”On 31 March 2019, I will embark on an attempt to set a world record by becoming the first person to circumnavigate the globe in a Gyrocopter, travelling 37,000 km.”

Which of course is now incorrect because Norman achieved that record on 28 June 2019.

However the whole trip took nine years with the autogyro being shipped to the USA after being stuck in Japan for three years.

James can correctly claim the title of the first non stop circumnavigation in an autogyro.

As for who achieved the most I would not like to judge.

The LAA awards panel has a challenge over the next few weeks.

Two very deserving pilots alongside others.

Colin tips the balance in favour of Norman.

His story is well worth reading.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Surplus

(I hope itzy is flyable again Colin.)

[ChampChump]

I'm sure it's just a typo, Mike, but a Piper Cub is a little different from a KR2 homebuild.

[Chris Martyr]

Nic ..

I think you'll find that Mike was referring to ' The Flying Veterinary' when he mentioned the Piper Cub .

Golly , who would've thought his name would crop up on a thread with this title .....

[mikeblyth]

Makes for a good discussion, I myself have flown across Grafham Water unsupported , but that's
another story. Keeeeeep posting

[Mike Flynn]

Chris is correct in assuming I was referring to Maurice Kirk.

Not everyones cup of tea especially those with any authority which has got him in to a lot of trouble.

However anyone who can fly from the UK to Australia, on to NZ and Norfolk Island, with just a map and compass is a true navigator.

Sir Francis Chichester famously flew a Gypsy Moth from the UK to Australia and later became the first person to land on Norfolk and Lord Howe islands during the 1930’s.

As for Bill Woodhams I found this old cutting from Flight International dated July 1977.


upload image

[Chris Martyr]

Maurice Kirk. Not everyones cup of tea especially those with any authority which has got him in to a lot of trouble.

Firstly , apologies for the thread drift . But I have to admit to having a somewhat concealed admiration for this old boy . His achievements have actually been quite incredible ,,,,,except that he has just about broken every rule in the book with every single one of them .

In the hidebound world of legal aviation , he is undoubtedly a bit of a misfit . But I can just imagine him as a Colditz inmate in WW2 .

Believe me , he would have been the one who got away .

It probably would cause a bit of a stir if he was recommended for any type of LAA award . Unless there was a ' Mad Hatter's Teapot ' award for , the eccentric's eccentric ....

But it's probably just as well that there isn't . I therefore defer the decision to our erstwhile and honourable awards team .

[ChampChump]

Well there's nothing so embarrassing as misreading a post. I missed Kirk's name.

MK is Marmite, certainly, but rather more colourful. I even argue with myself about him.

I wish the awards committee well - it's just good to know that there are people who qualify so ably.

[Donald Walker]

Sir Francis Chichester famously flew a Gypsy Moth from the UK to Australia and later became the first person to land on Norfolk and Lord Howe islands during the 1930’s.

I think you will find he did not land on either of those islands.
He is another Brit whose aircraft came to grief in Japan during a circumnavigation attempt.

[Mike Flynn]

Wiki claims he did Donald.

He was the first to land an aircraft at Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island. Again, the trip was delayed: after his aircraft was severely damaged at Lord Howe, he had to rebuild it himself with the help of islanders.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Chichester

Please tell me more.