Welcome to the website of the
LAA Suffolk Coastal Strut
The Suffolk Coastal Strut welcomes members from not only Suffolk, but also Essex, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire.
We hold monthly meeting on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. Members have aircraft based at Crowfield, Elmsett, Great Oakley, Headcorn, Hinderclay Meadows, Lavenham, Monewden, Nayland, Old Buckemham, Priory Farm, Seething, Tibbenham, Wolves Hall, Wormingford and a number of private strips & locations.
While Boxted, in Essex, is the home to our annual July fly-in.
For those not familiar with a Strut, it is a self supporting club within the LAA. It elects its own officers for the necessary duties, and charges a small subscription to cover costs. Currently the subscription is £20 per annum.
The strut provides social evenings, and organises visiting speakers, the showing of video's, fly-outs during the better weather, and other similar events.
If you are considering building an aircraft, already own one, or wanting to be part of a group share, or just love talking about real aeroplanes then becoming a member of the LAA and your local Strutis a must. Within the LAA, local struts form the backbone of light aircraft flying, and provide a discussion forum for like minded individuals. Within the average strut there is a wealth of knowledge, information, and experience available - feel free to come and tap into it.
The LAA website is a great source of information, it also has a list of struts around the country if you are not local to Suffolk Coastal.
Visitors to Crowfield are most welcome (although restrictions apply) and flying instruction/PPL hire is available in the Flying Clubs two Robin HR.200/120B, Robin DR.400/180 and Pa18-150 Super Cub. Please note that Strut does not operate or manage these aircraft. For further details please contact the Flying Club directly. Their contact details can be found on their website - www.crowfieldairfield.co.uk
Dates for the Diary
17 November 2021
Strut Meeting - "Bush Flying in Australia" by Paul Catanach
For our November Strut Meeting we have Paul Catanach coming along to give a talk on Bush Flying in Australia.
A latecomer to aviation Paul Catanach gained his Private Pilot’s Licence aged 30 with Clacton Aero Club on a Piper Cub. Immediately afterward he combined emigration to Australia with a career change and gained a Commercial Pilot’s Licence at Coolangatta in Queensland where he also snagged his first job as an instructor.
After a couple of years teaching flying and theory subjects to trainee private and commercial pilots he combined shameless cronyism with blackmail and won a job based in Darwin in the Northern Territory. This was obviously the booby prize.
Bashing around the bush in a series of clapped-out aircraft Paul carried freight both night and day the length and breadth of the Northern Territory experiencing the delights and perils of the NT’s two seasons, the Dry and the Wet. Despite the best efforts of passengers, live freight, other pilots and wildlife he survived several years before returning to the UK where he is now a training captain operating biz-jets to at least two corners of the Earth.
For fun Paul flys and maintains his own light aircraft under the LAA Permit scheme and is learning to play the didgeridoo. He also had a some-time regular column in Flyer magazine where he rambled on about his time as a bush pilot. Most of the stories were probably lies.
Date posted:
Updates & News
01 May 2021
Beagle Pup Prototype Book
For our February meeting in 2021, Anne Hughes and David Collings gave us a talk on the story of the Prototype Beagle Pup and it's return to the Skies.
Anne Hughes and Andy Amor have just published a book telling this story.
It is in A4 format, 96 pages and includes 160, mainly colour photos
For those interested it is available to purchase for £14.99 (including postage) by emailing gavdfbook@gmail.com
01 May 2021
Sale of Evans VP-1 "Annie"
In July 2020 Strut member John Lindsay reluctantly put his Evans VP-1 "Annie" up for sale. He would have loved it if she could have stayed in the area, although mainly he was looking for anyone who would give her a good home.
John has now sold "Annie", and while not locally she has gone to what is hopefully a very good home up at Eshott in Northumberland.
Click here for the futher details and photos on what is a lovely story and postive outcome.
