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MG MGA - RIP

I thought I would start a new less specialist thread than the ‘camber’ one so everyone hears the sad news that 2 of our most esteemed members are having to sell their cars. I will leave it for Dominic and Steve to add the details they wish.

By the way Steve there is a sad 70th anniversary RAF news item on the BBC Scotland News site about a maritime patrol Lancaster that crashed into Ben Eighe in Torridon on 14 March 1951.

Paul
Paul Dean

It is a sad thought Paul, but hopefully, your using RIP as the thread title, is going to prove to be 20 years (or much more), premature for all of us.

Fingers are firmly crossed here!

Like I said in the other post, the limiting factor in my ability to drive my MGA is probably going to be the flexibility in my knees, which isn't what it was.

My knees will probably will not prevent me from driving my MGA for quite a long time, but I think that the main issue, may well turn out to be my ability to be able to get out of the car unaided, at the conclusion of each trip. :^)

And I really do hope that both Steve and Dominic will be able to put off "re-homing" their MGAs for quite a long time yet.

Cheers
Colyn


Colyn Firth

OK Colyn, your next challenge then is to design an electric seat that somehow swings around to let your frame out of the car...probably between you and Gio, you will come up with something!
Gary Lock

Perhaps we should have a rear hinged door option together with an ability to get the bottom of the seat further back this should make it easier to swing the legs out, and then perhaps the seat raising and tipping. It must be even trickier for you bigger guys.

Paul
Paul Dean

The really difficult bit with my FHC is bending my neck far enough to get in. The old routine of sit, duck and turn doesn't work any more; it has to be head in first, twist, left leg, sit, right leg. Getting out seems to be easier - at the moment. Lack of practice over lockdown hasn't helped. Ho Hum.
Shane
Shanerj

It is becoming obvious that we need an MGA equivalent of "Q" to help us out here! :^)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGwTx8gXXnc

Cheers
Colyn
Colyn Firth

Exercise is the answer--Use it or lose it--the car's the same as it's been for the last 60 years
William Revit

Will this do? Second photo, the cause of the start of it all 37 years ago.

Steve





Steve Gyles

Well, with addition of one word, your ejector seat becomes pretty close to being a proper Bond accessory Steve.
An Aston-Martin-Baker DB4 seat sounds pretty close to something that "Q" would have come up with.
Glad you had it in your Lightning Steve :^)
Colyn
Colyn Firth

Colyn

Phantom F4 actually - rocket seat. Ejection seat incidentally, not ejector seat. I went out on take-off at high speed. It should have fallen away from me on parachute deployment but unfortunately snagged. I came down very fast from 200 ft (overtook the nav who was heavier than me) and only got rid of it a second or so before impact and hit the ground very hard fracturing my lower spine.

The problem was officially caused by the nosewheel steering shorting out and running away fully starboard. I couldn't hold her and she slid sideways hitting the grass at about 130 to 140 mph, fully laden. F4s were prone to cockpit distortion in off road excursions, potentially trapping the crew. The USAF lost a crew in a similar situation when the aircraft then caught fire. The advice was to go early and ask/answer questions later.

The unofficial cause I found out 20 years later when the (rebuilt) aircraft was finally decommissioned and dismantled was that the flight controls yaw rate gyro had never been bolted in place and was able to move around, causing uncommanded inputs into the flight control system. That airframe had a history of such events.

Steve



Steve Gyles

That Martin-Baker "ejection" seat is an amazing piece of kit Steve, well over 7500 lives saved by them since they were first introduced.

I didn't realise that it was a malfunctioning Phantom that you had to eject from, did you have to initiate your navigators ejection seat at the same time as yours and was he injured also?

Colyn
Colyn Firth

Colyn

I was busy fighting the aircraft when the nav went without a word. Prompted me to follow. I waited for what I thought was about 3 seconds before following. The time gap was to avoid my canopy hitting him on the way out. I was later told that my perceived 3 seconds was closer to half a second. Both seats apparently fired in under one second.

My nav broke his leg on landing and was knocked unconcious for 3 hours. I thought he had died from my canopy striking him when all I could see from 100m was a motionless body and billowing parachute. It was almost 4 hours before a doctor mentioned in passing that he was ok. Worst 4 hours of my life. Wouldn't wish the feeling on anyone.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Steve, We must all go gently into old age, that is difficult but not impossible to accept, but selling your treasured MGA is one hell of a wrench at the heart!
All that toil, not to mention the money, building it from what was a wreck, all the tweaks to personalise your dream, the many improvements and modifications, the countless hours of driving pleasure, the friendships built up over so many years, the information shared with like minded folk around the world -- it will take some special 'rocking chair' to replace that! (How could we forget you transporting the easy-chair on the boot carrier!)

Best wishes to you and 'her-in-doors' (sorry Anita!)
Barry Gannon, from 'down-under'.
Barry Gannon

Hi Steve sorry to hear that the MG is going I know how empty the garage feels.Hopefully you will still visit here once in a while.


cheers Gordon p.s. one of my dads last trips in a jet was to take one of the first Phantoms to the deck of the old Ark Royal
G C Pugh

Hi Steve

Being reasonably local I presume you came down on the beach reasonably near the east end of Leuchar’s runway. Bottom end of Tentsmuir? To replace RAF phantoms and the like they have now reintroduced sea/white tailed eagles.

Had several fun open days there. Made mistake first time and went by car so saw Vulcan and other displays while still on road from Cupar, and took for ever to get out of car park. Other times went on crowded but faster train option.

Once we went round Leuchars Castle and a non Brit in the group commented ‘it’s surprising that someone would build a castle so near to a busy airfield’! Ugh.

I hope you weren’t upset by the use of the thread title, but news needed a wider audience than well down a specialised thread.

I hope you have a new hobby lined up.

Paul

Paul Dean

Paul

Yes, abeam Tentsmuir from the east end (sea) threshold. In fact my first flash image as the parachute deployed was an inverted view of the trees.

My obituary is a little premature although as I said in the other post I am finding the car increasingly hard to maintain and also utilise. I watch the Matthewsons 'Bangers and Cash' on TV and see endless 'barn' finds of cars put away in garages because the owner is unable to continue using the vehicle for whatever reason. I don't want that to happen with me. I would rather see someone enjoy the motor while it is still in running order rather than having it dragged out in X years time looking very sorry for itself.

Cheers

Steve






Steve Gyles

I too am (hopefully for much longer) still among the living, but my car will be sold this year. If anyone is interested please contact me.

1950cc Burgess / Betson engine
5 speed gearbox
Adaptive electric power steering
Alloy wheels
Heated seats
OEW with red interior
Great condition
Leaks NO oil!

But it still looks like and sounds like a standard MGA - until you drive it, at which point a big silly grin appears on the face of every other MGA owner.......
Dominic Clancy

Dominic,

The heated seats was enough to bring a grin to this MG owner's grizzled face. And, yes, I do know where you live...
Shane
Shanerj

Steve. A friend of mine was at the 1975? Leuchars show when the show was paused for Phantoms to take of for a real call, was this you?
Paul Dean

Paul

No. I joined 43 Sqn in Nov 77 because they needed an experienced air defence pilot. Went out on my 3rd sortie and they had to do without me for 4 months. Not sure they needed the experience. Life went on as normal. I had been due to fly at Coningsby and with luck weedle my way onto BBMF and fly the Spitfire and Hurricane. Dream busted. I did a previous tour at Leuchars on the Lightning from 68 to 71. Combining the tours I had countless operational scrambles and intercepted 39 Russian aircraft. On one occasion I was scrambled out of the sheds in the small hours with 80 aircraft inbound! It was more a case of avoidance than interception. My radar scope was saturated out to 60 miles and in the breaking dawn light there were black dots everywhere. Quite a while before reinforcements arrived (15 mins).

Steve
Steve Gyles

Steve, fascinating to read your story, I bet there are many more. An interesting career.

We are all MGA enthusiasts but I bet very few know the real people we message.

I am not a pilot Steve, but had an interest in planes since being a small boy, living close to Woodford and Ringway.

I have recently had 2 flights in 2 seater Spits, out of Goodwood with Matt Jones, and also Ardmore with Liz. Absolutely fabulous experiences.

Looking forward to a flight in the Canadian Lanc at some stage, and maybe even a fast jet before I get too old, and if we get back to normal!

Colin
Colin Parkinson

Over the last 27 years since I tripped over this website, I have met up with quite a few contributors to this BBS on my travels, and have had a great time with every single one of them!

Highlights: Driving in the mountains north of LA with Steve Simmons, Beer tent in Silverstone with various contributors (here things get a bit hazy....), Africa with Dave Godwin, multiple guests in Switzerland. Australia was memorable for the amazingbstuff organised by Mike Ellsmore and many others, Pub lunch with Dr Gyles and Cam Cunningham, and many more, the list is so long......

Thanks to everyone for the great times and even greater generosity of this community over decades.
Dominic Clancy

You forgot our Beauleigh gathering Dominic!


Steve Gyles

If I were to make an exhaustive list I would be typing for hours, but yes I remember Beaulieu too..... so long ago....
Dominic Clancy

Ah yes, I remember it well...

Shane
Shanerj

Dominic...don't leave us yet! Always remember when Dave Godwin & I shipped our MGA's to UK in 2003, and who was the first to welcome us at Silverstone..you! And later on other trips, you made us welcome at your abode in Zurich, and did the tourist thing for us as well. Doesn't matter if you sell the MGA, I know you will keep in touch. Cheers.
Gary Lock

It is a small world, the MGCC Victoria MGA Register have welcomed both Steve and Dominic to sunny Melbourne through contacts made on this site and local MGA enthusiasts. If anyone else wants to make the trip downunder please let us know - Victoria has plenty fo MGA tragics!
Mike Ellsmore

Gary

The plan is to move a little closer to Oz, Thailand precisely, where I have a house and the climate is much more agreeable! I will also fulfil my lifelong dream to live by the sea - 300m from the beach in fact.

Dominic
Dominic Clancy

I would ship the luggage buy boat and travel there with my MGA.
Gabriel Martínez

Dominic - Best of Luck with your new adventure. I am glad to have known you even though it was limited to shipping a few MGA parts across the "pond". Best wishes.
Bill Haglan

Must have been a tough choice DC, back to Houghton Regis or overlooking the sea in Thailand.
John Bray

I owe a debt of gratitude to Steve and Dominic. Both have been helpful to me on my restoration journey (thanks again, Dominic, for the trunk hinges sent many ago), and I wish them the best of luck going forward. They have made a difference.

George
Orland Park IL
USA
1959 MGA coupe
George G.

Dominic, have you made contact with Thailand based Andy Phillips of Frankenfrog fame on the midget and Sprite BBS as there could be scope for some creative MG fixing within the limits of local availability of parts and vehicles.

Cheers
Mike
M Wood

This thread was discussed between 16/03/2021 and 10/05/2021

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