The Tiger Club Turbulent Team
The first Tiger Club Turbulent Team display
was in August 1959 at Fairoaks and the team has been a regular part of
the display circuit ever since. The number of aircraft has varied from
between three to nine and they have performed all over the United Kingdom,
France, Belgium and Ireland.
The Druine D31 Turbulent was designed by Roger Druine, a French aircraft
designer during the 1950's. Rollason Aircraft took up the design and after
some modifications started to produce the aircraft in 1958, many of these
were given to the Tiger Club. The Club immediately started using them for
formation and stunt flying due to their splendid
manoeuvrability. At an empty weight of 400lbs the Turbulent weighs little
more than a large motorbike. Each Turbulent acquires its own unique colour
scheme.
G-APTZ
This aircraft first flew July 1959 and was purchased by one the Tiger Club
pilots James Baring who then flew with the Turbulent team for many years.
The Club purchased this aircraft in 1995 and it has again joined the team.
In the 1960's the size of the team varied between 3 aircraft up to nine
aircraft, this was for the Farnborough Air Show in 1961.
G-ARBZ
RBZ was built by Rollasons in 1960 first flying in January 1961 but was
immediately sold to a owner in Yorkshire before moving to High Easter in
Essex and owned by Mike Lucking who flew it from his own farm strip. It
then went to Bodmin, Cornwall where it acquired a new wing and moved back
to Yorkshire.
It was purchased in 1992 by two club members and was moved to Headcorn,
Kent where it now lives with the rest of the team. It is currently owned
by Glyn Richards and Roger Bishop, two members of the Turbulent Team and
is powered by a Volkswagen Beetle 1600cc engine.
G-ARMZ
This aircraft flew for the first time in 10 years in 1998 after having
been found by a Club member in Lincolnshire in 1996. It had an eventful
early life having only completed 17 flying hours when a Jodel taxiied into
it and it required a new fuselage before flying again. RMZ was operated
by the Tiger Club for some years before Rollasons the manufacturers sold
it to its new owner Mr. N. Minchin at Fairoaks, Surrey.
John Day at Chessington rebuilt the aircraft in a year and it is now
part of the team it flew with over twenty five years ago. It also sports
its original colour scheme and is owned by Club members John
Mickleburgh and David Clark.
G-ARGZ
First flown in March 1961 it was with the Tiger Club
for a couple of years before being sold and moving to Biggin Hill in 1963.
The aircraft re-appeared at Redhill in the early 80's when John Watkins
bought it and flew with the Turbulent Team, it was painted yellow and black
at the time. It was then sold again and ended up at the back of Rochester's
hangar after an accident. The wreck was bought and moved down to Devon
and rebuilt before the Club purchased RGZ again in 1998.
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