I blame the parents

[anglianav8r]

Yes, I blame my Father. He set a poor example and the addiction finally overcame me too. It all started in 1967 when he bluffed his way through OASC at Biggin Hill and was posted to the School of Army Aviation, Middle Wallop the following year.
The village school was at the edge of the airfield and I spent every break watching the aircraft movements. Dad flew fourteen Chipmunks during his basic fixed wing training, going solo in twelve hours (beat me!) plus 1.5 hrs of night flying after passing his test and gaining a PPL. After that it was the Hiller and Sioux clattercopters. But let's stick with proper aeroplanes. Of the fourteen he flew, seven have found their way onto the UK civil register, so you may well have flown the same aircraft. I already know one forumite who has flown a good number of hours on one example, but I will get to that one after the UK list. Only one has been written off whilst in Army service and others have found their way to North America, New Zealand and South Africa. One is displayed in the AAC museum at Middle Wallop too.
WZ882/G-BXGP (The first one he flew)
WG469/G-BWJV
WP928/G-BXGM
WB615/G-BXIA (First EFATO simulation)
WK512/G-BXIM (Majority of solo flying)
WP930/G-BXHF
WP925/G-BXHA (Night flying 1.5hrs)

WK559 Now preserved across the pond and has been flown by our very own Janie.

I thoroughly enjoyed harnessing the power of internet search engines and tracing the fate of each example, something I've intended to do for months. After all, what else is there to do between Christmas and new year when the runway is a quagmire?
Dad was chuffed to bits with my research and has printed off a couple of pics from the interwebby thingumy box in the corner of his living room.

[Janie]

WK559 was flown from Virginia to Oshkosh and back. 1200 miles there and 800 back (because I went via St Louis). She's a super aircraft.

Regarding history, one of the best people you can contact for Chipmunk history is Dave Harmsworth, who comes on this forum. Did you contact him. There is little he doesn't know. I'll send him a link to this, in case he can add anything.

I collect different Chipmunk flights like others collect registrations. I won't rest until I have them all!

[MichaelP]

You better come and fly CF CXI sometime Janie.

After the Pup incident I was given a flight in one of the Army Chipmunks from Middle Wallop.
Most civilian aerobatics were flown 10 knots slower than the military, but there's less stress if you fly the manoeuvres a bit faster.
"We're cleared down to fifty feet in military aircraft" I was told... A British Rail commuter train suffered a strafing run after this...
"Mind the wires", 'It's OK, I see the wires'

There's a Chipmunk in need of love just up the road from here: