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The Grumpy Gang

The Grumman Aircraft Pilots Association European Branch

Europe

by James Allan Anstruther, Scotland

Groningen (Eelde) Airport, in the northeast corner of the Netherlands, was our venue in May for the biggest-ever turnout of European AYA members. Our previous annual events in Namur (Belgium), Koblenz (Germany), Tirstrup (Denmark), Kortrijk (Belgium) and Bournemouth (England) had never seen so many Grumman-American and AGAC aircraft as came to Groningen. Including one-day visitors, over 35 aircraft (AA1A,AA1B, AA5 Traveler, Cheetah and Tiger,GA7 Cougar, and AG5B Tiger) attended, bringing over 60 AYA members and friends from all over Europe. A few of these machines carried American N- registrations, but most were European: D- from Germany, EI-from Ireland, G-from Great Britain (with England, Scotland and Wales all represented), LN- from Norway, 00- from Belgium,

We were delighted to have Hal Spragins HI from AGAC and Neil Rice from Fletchair visiting this, the main European AYA event of the year.The social side of the weekend went well, with a buffet and a barbecue (both held at the Avia Noord clubhouse with the kind cooperation of that flying club and of General Enterprises BV, the Dutch AGAC Dealer). The annual AYA Dinner was held in the Eelde Airport Hotel. A coach tour to visit the old city of Groningen and the nearby 14th to 17th century manor house of Menkemaborg formed a pleasant afternoon's relaxation, breaking up the busy flying

schedule.

AYA Europe is grateful to locally based Dr. Han Meliezer (brother-in-law of our European Regional Director, Evert Schraverus) for all the work he did before and during the fly-in to ensure its success.

Competitions during the event included the traditional "broken tow-bar" backwards push of an AG5B, enthusiastically organised by Helmut Rucker, and pre-flight inspection of a "doctored" AG5B. This was won by Hartmut Konigshaus, the pilot of the only GA7 Cougar present at the Fly-In (which must tell us something about AA5 pilots' familiarity with their own aircraft!). The fact that nobody spotted that the aircraft had no flight manual or weight and balance schedule on board was perhaps simply because the carriage of these documents is not a requirement for local flights in some European countries (e.g., the U.K.), although they must always be on board aircraft registered in some other European Community states. We haven't yet coordinated all our aviation regulations within the E.C. as neatly as in the United States!

The prize for the longest distance flown to reach Groningen went to Norman and Colette Whisler, from Galway in the Republic of Ireland, which is 558 nm in a straight line from Groningen and quite a lot further by the route they flew in EI-CCY, their AA1B. Not very far, perhaps, by American standards, but quite a long haul in Europe for an AA1B. Most of the aircraft took part in an international island-hopping trip organised for Sunday. First we visited Germany, for lunch at the restaurant of the island airfield of Norderney. Because of new German requirements that all light aircraft must have third-party insurance coverage for at least 5-million Deutsche Marks (approx $3.2m), AYA Europe had to arrange a special insurance for all non German registered AAls and AA5s taking part, to extend their insurance for this one landing.

After lunch we flew to visit grass airfields on the little Dutch islands of Ameland (where a spot-landing contest was held) and Texel for afternoon tea, before flying back to our mainland base at Eelde. Unfortunately the Ameland competition was marred by an accident to PH-ANM, a Dutch AG5B Tiger with only 20 flying hours, which undershot the Ameland runway in the gusty wind conditions and crashed on the rough ground just in front of the threshold. Fortunately all three on board escaped uninjured, another tribute to the integrity and strength of the cockpit section of our aircrafts.