SHALEWAY69 Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 Aviation had a strong interest for speedway riders from the early days. former West Ham and Newcastle rider Australian Charlie Spinks gained his licence in 1930. a month later he failed to turn up for a Davies park meeting. he had crashed into the Pacific ocean off Coffs harbour while ferrying a new plane back to Brisbane. he was of course rescued and went on to ride speedway until 1950. the plane's owner was not impressed Vic Huxley, Roger Frogley, Stan Lupton and i think Reg Fearman all had licences Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 Buster Frogley, Lionel Van Praag, Frank Charles,Wally Kilmister Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatDave Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 (edited) Kym Bonython, AC, DFC, AFC, is a legend in Oz Speedway circles, Norbold. Bike rider, Speedway Owner and promoter, Speedcar racer - in the car he bought from Sir Jack Brabham!! Raaf Pilot, Musical Entrepreneur - (he brought out Chuck Berry, the Beatles (he drove 'em round Adelaide in the '62 FORD Galaxie that now lives in My Backyard!!), Louis Armstrong, George Shearing, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Ray Charles, Dave Brubeck, what didn't he do? During the last Great Unpleasentness he did a year of active service flying bombers out of Darwin, Ambon and Borneo and spent the rest of the war training young pilots. On one raid he crashed his Mosquito on an Indonesian island. Once the crew were safely out, he went back to the plane to save his gramophone and crate of jazz records. Seriously WEIRD, and still kicking, - he used to vacuum his lawn FFS - an art lover, he presented the first exhibitions by artists like Sidney Nolan and Arthur Boyd. When Sidney Nolan went to London in the early sixties he needed money to buy a Kombi to get around Europe painting. Kym agreed to finance him: 1500 quid in return for five paintings that Kym could choose himself. One of the five was one of the Ned Kelly series of paintings that are valued today at well north of $2 million each. So that deal earned Kym something in the vicinity of $12 million today. Another artist he helped on the road to riches was Pro Hart of Broken Hill. Kym tracked him down when he was painting part-time and working underground. “If it wasn’t for Kym Bonython I’d be picking rocks down the mine,” Pro Hart was reported to have once said. Older fans may remember him at Rowley Park Speedway trying to whip the crowd into a state of excitement and talking up the latest US or English speedway driver/rider he’d brought out or introducing a young newspaper proprietor, Rupert Murdoch, to present the trophies. In pride of place on his mantelpiece is a prized trophy – the Australian Speedway Hall of Fame 2007. LEGEND. Edited November 4, 2008 by BigFatDave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Blanchard Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 It was a Scottish Speedway rider Flt Lieutenant George Pinkerton a fighter pilot in a Spitfire, who brought down the second enemy aircraft of WW2 over the UK. I believe him and/or his brothers rode for Glasgow pre-war. On the afternoon of Monday the 16th of October 1939, he attacked a Junkers Ju88A-1 number 4D+AK off Crail in the Firth of Forth which subsequently fell into the sea. Gruppenkommander, Hauptmann Helmut Pohle was captured alive, but the rest of the crew were lost or perished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Butler Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 (edited) Buster Frogley, Lionel Van Praag, Frank Charles,Wally Kilmister Norman, didn't Lionel van Praag establish a commercial airline after his retirement from speedway? Edited November 4, 2008 by Ron Butler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chunky Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 (edited) Perhaps the most notable was Flight Lieutenant George Pepper, DFC & Bar. He was awarded the Dinstinguished Flying Cross in August 1942 after shooting down a Ju-88. Pepper was involved in the destruction of several enemy aircraft, including three Dornier 217's in a single battle. George Pepper was killed in a training accident on November 17, 1942. He was testing a new Bristol Beaufighter at Rochester in Kent. Although already mentioned, Frank Charles lost his life in a gliding accident over Dunstable Downs, on July 15, 1939. It appears that Chris Julian was killed in his home-made gyrocopter sometime in 1997. Of course, the original "Great Dane", Morian Hansen, is another of note. Hansen received his flying certificate on 12th October, 1935, at the Herts and Essex Flying Club at Broxbourne (apparently, many other speedway stars were doing the same at this time). He joined the RAF in 1939 (one of the first, if not THE first Danish airman to join the RAF), and on 4th February, 1940, he was promoted to Pilot Officer. On the night of 25/26 July, 1940, in the skies over over Dortmund, Hansen's Wellington shot down a Messerschmitt 110. This was the first time a British night bomber had downed a German night fighter, and on 7 July 1941, he was awarded the DFC for this action. Also receiving the George Medal (for an unrelated incident), Hansen later set up flying schools in Denmark, at Kastrup and Skovlunde. Steve Edited November 4, 2008 by chunky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris123 Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 Fantastic tidbits Steve.Particularly Morian Hansen.Is he still alive? Talked to my Mum yesterday and Viv is sadly no longer with us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chunky Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 Fantastic tidbits Steve.Particularly Morian Hansen.Is he still alive? He died in 1995. There is quite a bit of stuff on him online, and obviously, he led quite an eventful life. Talked to my Mum yesterday and Viv is sadly no longer with us Sad, but thanks for checking. Well, he was getting on in years when Wimbledon were still running. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Third Man Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 i believe phil white is a commercial pilot, quite frightening with the number of engine failures he used to have Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatDave Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 Norman, didn't Lionel van Praag establish a commercial airline after his retirement from speedway? Here you go, Ron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chunky Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 i believe phil white is a commercial pilot, quite frightening with the number of engine failures he used to have I just hope Justin Elkins never gets a pilot's licence, then... Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbit Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 Didn't Scott Autrey have a pilot's licence? Or was I told porkies a few years ago? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigerblade Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 Somewhere in the murky past I seem to remember reading that Eric Boothroyd was a qualified pilot? Didn't know about Phil White though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Blanchard Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 (edited) Ove Fundin has a PPL. He flew himself across the states before he decided to ride a motorcycle across or drive a la' Route 66. Edited November 4, 2008 by Jim Blanchard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phlipphlopp Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 Didn't Scott Autrey have a pilot's licence? Or was I told porkies a few years ago? Scott used to pilot helicopters to check the cattle on a rather large ranch in California after leaving these shores Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shalerash Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 Larry Kosta the 80s Belle Vue rider also held a pilots license. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yesterdaysman Posted November 5, 2008 Report Share Posted November 5, 2008 Eric Hockaday was still flying about five years back and Ricky Day, I believe still is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chunky Posted November 5, 2008 Report Share Posted November 5, 2008 (edited) Ricky Day, I believe still is. That's right. Ricky flies for Angel Flight, a free Australian air service for non-emergency medical patients, and charities such as the Red Cross. You can check out their website at www.angelflight.org.au. Steve Edited November 5, 2008 by chunky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHALEWAY69 Posted November 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2008 Bruce Semmens, Ashfield, Sheffield and Belle vue, was another West Country rider who was a keen flyer. He piloted Sunderlands during world war 2 with the rank of Flight Sergeant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Butler Posted November 5, 2008 Report Share Posted November 5, 2008 Here you go, Ron. Thanks for that, Dave. Lot of interesting stuff on that site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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