This channel is mostly about pre-war flying, motoring, railways, transport and whatnot. It regularly features my Aeronca C3, Vauxhall 14/40 and other projects. Flying For Fun is a book written by Jack Parham in 1945. It recounts the amusing tale of flying an Aeronca C2, G-ABHE, before the war. The BBC made a short TV film of the book in 1986 featuring the Aeronca C3 I now own. I saw it back then and it started a lifelong admiration for the two cylinder Aeronca. I'm recreating Jack's Aeronca and have several other projects - aeroplane and motorcar - underway.
The channel is (hopefully) a miscellany of delight and features a variety of subjects that interest me, generally prior to the trouble with the Austrian Corporal. Don't expect to find anything very useful or particularly serious, although I try to keep things factually accurate (except for when I need to make things up).
www.trecanair.com
Flying For Fun - Trecanair
I managed to fly the Aeronca today, the first time this year. It looked dreadful but a couple of hours elbow grease worked wonders. Was a swine to start until I cleaned and gapped the plugs. The Thruster is being resurrected for the summer and should be flying again next month. Fred continues to make albeit slow progress. I’ll endeavour to post a film tomorrow or Saturday. Happy Easter!
1 week ago | [YT] | 193
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Flying For Fun - Trecanair
A photo from earlier this week; lots going on and it was my intention to post another episode of ‘Fixing Fred’ this weekend. However, it’s going to be an extra bumper episode next month instead. There will be other stuff in the meantime; have a great weekend!
1 month ago | [YT] | 176
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Flying For Fun - Trecanair
I have never been so busy as in the last four weeks; I’ll explain more in my next workshop film, maybe another episode of Fixing Fred or something else. This radial monstrosity is an ABC Dragonfly, a World War One British procurement disaster (sadly a familiar story) that’s on display in the Science Museum. Another ABC motor appears in my next film, should be published tomorrow.
1 month ago | [YT] | 97
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Flying For Fun - Trecanair
David Llewellyn departed from Lympne for Le Bourget on the 7th February 1936. He’s seen here in Le Bourget before flying onwards to Lyon. Doubtless it was during the stop in Lyon when Llewellyn discovered that he’d left his hair brush and shaving apparatus in a car at Lympne. This delightful piece of trivia was noted a few days later in Flight magazine, with the facetious comment that replacement would upset the £10 budget for the trip.
1 month ago | [YT] | 69
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Flying For Fun - Trecanair
Ninety years ago today, David Llewellyn left Hanworth Aerodrome on the first leg of his splendid flight to Johannesburg in an Aeronca C3. I am in the simulator for recurrent training this weekend, which includes practicing emergencies. These emergencies are unlikely to include a forced landing in a jungle clearing and having to remove cylinders etc. but you never know?! https://youtu.be/mNHUAuLDtKU?si=k0IEy...
1 month ago | [YT] | 68
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Flying For Fun - Trecanair
An Aeronca C3 on Edo pontoons; it’s so wet here in Cornwall, I might resort to similar landing gear. Lots going on … and a new neighbour moving in. No film this week but more soon, have a soggy Sunday.
1 month ago | [YT] | 164
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Flying For Fun - Trecanair
A grainy photo but it’s Fred’s first flight in 1984! Lots of progress this week, we’ll have a bumper Fred update next Friday evening (16th January).
3 months ago | [YT] | 139
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Flying For Fun - Trecanair
Happy New Year good people! This is where I was at 0000 GMT this morning, en route from the Bahamas to Switzerland. Look at that tailwind, my Inner Toad was very satisfied. We could have flown even faster but it would have been a waste of fuel; as it was, we arrived at our destination a couple of minutes after the overnight noise curfew ended. Home soon for more vintage tinkering.
3 months ago | [YT] | 92
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Flying For Fun - Trecanair
Merry Christmas Good People! Fred’s engine is now bolted in place; I fitted the magnetos first and we’ll carry on with Part 7 next month.
3 months ago | [YT] | 106
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Flying For Fun - Trecanair
Today (10th December 2025) marks the 90th anniversary of the Tatsfield Air Disaster, when all eleven occupants of a Savioa Marchetti S.73 operated by Sabena were killed when the machine flew into high ground at Tatsfield, Surrey, whilst en route from Brussels to Croydon. At the time, it was Britain’s worst air accident but is now largely forgotten. I’ll publish a film about the fateful flight in the next few days.
4 months ago | [YT] | 88
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