Thorpe Water Park
THORPE WATER PARK: Private company landing site and water operating area
Note: This picture was obtained from Google Earth ©
Operated by: Leisure Sport Ltd
Location: Just ENE of the M3/M25 interchange
Period of operation: 1970s and 80s only?
NOTES: This is a most intriguing item to say the least. In the mid 1970s it appears that the DH.82A Tiger Moth G-AOBX (T7187) and the Supermarine S.5 Replica G-BDFF (N220) were based here and operated by Leisure Sport Ltd. Obviously the S.5 had to use one of the lakes, but where did the Tiger Moth G-AOBX operate from? It was registered to Leisure Sport Ltd from 13.11.74 until 04.07.80. But, did they fly it from here?
As far as I’m aware, the only Tiger Moth to be fitted with floats in the UK was G-AIVW operated by Mr N H Jones of Tiger Club fame. It would seem fairly certain that G-AOBX was not fitted with floats? I have since seen pictures of other replica classic seaplanes based here up till 1982, but, I think, only as static displays.
SOMETHING OF A MYSTERY?
It appears that the Supermarine S.5 replica was damaged in an accident here on the 23rd September 1982 and was relegated to being a static display. The registration being cancelled on the 25th August 1983. However, it was sold to Kenneth Blamires Hosie and Partners, with addresses in Newquay, Cornwall. The project was to restore it to flying condition and it made its first flight after the rebuild on the 5th October 1986 and was finally retired 15.01.92.
There are of course two intriguing questions. Firstly where was it kept and flying from between 1986 and 1992? Secondly - what became of it?
AND, A CLAIM TO FAME
It appears that the replica Supermarine S.5 made an appearance at the 1976 Farnborough Air Show.
In his book British Built Aircraft Vol.3 Ron Smith expands on this this saying that Leisure Sport commissioned a series of airworthy and static historic aircraft mostly of WW1 design. The flying examples being two Sopwith Camels, a Spad XIII, AIRCO DH.2, Fokker Dr1 Albatross D.Va and of course the Supermarine S5 mentioned above. However, he does not mention if these aircraft were built and/or flown from this site. Can anybody now throw any light on this?
A MIKE CHARLTON GALLERY
In October 2018 Mike sent me copies of these three postcards. What a find! He has an amazing collection. See: www.aviationpostcard.co.uk
ANOTHER ERA
This was of course the era when several advances were made for aerial film work which in turn resulted in a number of WW1 and WW2 films being made, the degree of realism being much improved on previous films of this genre. The static replicas were of a SE5A, Sopwith Baby and Triplane, AIRCO DH.2, Bristol M1C, Hansa Brandenburg W29, Curtiss R3C2 and a Vickers Viking IV.
THE LAKE AMPHIBIAN
We have to thank Mr Graham Frost, a great friend of this 'Guide', for telling us about this aircraft and providing the picture. This Lake LA-4-200 Buccaneer, G-PARK, was imported from the U.S.A. as N39779 and originally registered in the U.K. as G-BBGK. Leisure Sport Ltd re-registered it as G-PARK and operated it from 14.06.82 until 21.05.87. It was then sold to Ireland.
Terry Clark
This comment was written on: 2018-01-13 00:29:50Liesure Sport's S5 replica did display at Farnborough opertating from/to the River Thames at Henley on the regatta course. Aircraft to/from Thorpe Park itself used the main car park, usually just for a 'final landing' before being put on display in one of the exhibits.
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