The Wight Aviation Museum recently hosted a Skeeter presentation lunch for all those involved in the donation and preservation of the museum’s latest and largest display, a Skeeter Helicopter XL765.
The aircraft was used by the British Army as a 2 person aerial reconnaissance aircraft and was designed and built at Saunders-Roe, in Cowes, in the 1950s.
The special guests at the lunch were John Phillips and Adrian Brimson, who previously owned the Skeeter before donating it to WAM for preservation and display. The WAM team, led by Jonathan Lamb and Paul Carey, have worked hard over the winter closed period to get the Skeeter ready for display.
They were assisted by a number of volunteers. Of special mention should be Nigel Johnson who arranged the transport, which included a lorry from Steve Porter Transport to bring it from
Melksham to Sandown, and Red Funnel for the ferry. Also Pete Allen, who built a specially designed display frame, with steel donated by The Forge and his team Jon Fitness and Geoff White, from the Isle of Wight Bus Museum, who helped him to mount the Skeeter on it. Terry Ryan of White Eagle Signs did the lettering.
Helen Blake, chairperson of WAM, enthused:
“The WAM team, along with the others, worked really hard to create an interesting and nostalgic display of the Skeeter, which looks just like it is actually taking off! It’s always great to be able to be able to display an element of the island’s rich aviation heritage in the museum”
As usual, the museum will be open to all visitors on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays from 10:00-15:00 each day.
I read your article about the Skeeter with great interest when I was an apprentice
As an apprentice with SARO and eventually BAC i was involved with the balancing of the rotor blades for the skeeter using a actual skeeter bolted to the ground in a field north of the factory in East Cowes crude but it worked