Nipper Novice

[jockthenipper]

Hello,
Have just been registered onto the group site so thought I would take the opportunity to introduce myself. I am Peter Gilmour and have been involved in aviation in one way or another as long as I have had a conscious memory! Possibly due to being brought up in St. Andrews and watching Javelins and Lightnings at Leuchars from a very early age! I consider myself as extremely fortunate as I have been able to live my dream job ever since the age of 19 when I joined the RAF,spending almost my entire career on the F4, before retiring in 1991 and moving into commercial aviation. I then flew for a variety of companies, including Loganair on the ATP and Airworld on the A320 before joining,what was then, Air 2000. That airline has undergone several gestations since then hence I find myself now with Thomson Airways currently flying the B737-800 out of Exeter.

I have always retained an affinity to light aircraft ever since my first solo in a Chipmunk and I instructed for a while at Tayside Aviation while still in the RAF, based at Leuchars. It was this connection that later led to me flying G-AVXD from Manchester to Dundee for Lovat Fraser, the MD of Tayside. That first introduction to the Nipper has always stayed with me and, what remained a latent desire to own a Nipper, finally became a reality a few days ago!

Having just refurbished and permitted a VP1 that has sat in an ISO container for28 years i was looking fir a new project. a new build Nipper was on the list of possibilities and so it was during a conversation with Paul Grellier, at Airweld, that I became aware of G-CORD, a Mk3 that was damaged in a landing accident. A visit to Paul's workshop and some straight negotiation and the deal was done.

So I am now the owner of a rather sad looking Nipper and several boxes of bits! However, I am determined that she will fly again and be right up there amongst the best in class. As for timescales I am not going to speculate as I will do everything properly. There is also the other slight matter of building an RV8 with my brother-in-law in my garage back home in St. Andrews, so the Nipper is intended to keep me amused while i am working down here in Devon. There is one thing I would ask, please do not forward this post to my wife, she does not know I have bought the Nipper and she was expecting a new bathroom this winter!

I have had a quick scan through your site and I can sense a great spirit of camaraderie and mutual support from pilots who truly love flying their aircraft and after all, that is what it is all about.

Although I will refurbish G-CORD down here in Devon I will eventually migrate back north when retirement comes along in 5 years time! So I hope to add to the swelling ranks of the Scottish Nipper contingent, or will that be the Free Scottish Air Force by then?!!

I look forward to meeting you all and asking many obvious questions so I ask for your patience in advance for the forthcoming rebuild.

All the best, Peter

[Pat Blenkinsopp]

Nice one Peter,
I was down at Paul Grellier's on Monday whilst organizing the permit
for my Nipper G ASXI, which I keep at the strip just 1 mile up the road
(Barton Ashes)
It looks like you will have a nice little project on the go there.
Let me know next time you are down at Paul's and we can organize a go in ASXI
(just to get the Nipper juices going again you understand !!!)
Good luck with the project and inevitably, your wife will find out eventually...
Just ply her with fine wine and flowers !!!
All the best,
Pat Blenkinsopp
pat@blenkinsopp.net

[jockthenipper]

Hello Pat,
Good to hear from you, many thanks for your extremely generous offer to fly in G ASXI, and your sage advice regarding the wife!! I will certainly let you know when I am heading for Winchester. ATB, Peter