Primarily for general aviation discussion, but other aviation topics are also welcome.
User avatar
By MichaelP
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1890815
I just heard that Michael Jones, son of Tiger Club founder Norman Jones has passed away.
Does anyone have any information?

Michael and I had an up and down relationship back in the old Tiger Club days, but we always made friends again.
It’s thanks to his and Mike Stow’s signatures that I was accepted into the Tiger Club. You had to be proposed and seconded in those days.

Members of the Tiger Club in the 1970’s through to the later 1980’s had the best of times until aerodrome changes, and club politics lead to its demise.
It’s thanks to Michael Jones that a lot of us were able to have fantastic flying experiences.
By Stampe
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1890823
That’s sad news I leased a Rollason Condor from Michael for many years in the late seventies on behalf of the then Medway Flying Group.He was very trusting straightforward decent and fair minded to deal with.A great benefactor of General Aviation during an exciting and vibrant period.RIP.
Regards Stampe
Fly Safe Considerate Compliant.
MichaelP liked this
#1890854
Awful news.

As I'm sure many pilots will, I have a great deal to thank Michael Jones and the Tiger Club for. I wouldn't have done half of what I have achieved in aviation without his help and advice..

I went from being royally chucked out of the Hangar 8 at Redhill before I was a member to being allowed to fly his personal Rollason Beta..

I'll be raising a glass to his memory tonight that's for sure..
MichaelP liked this
#1890896
Sad news. I always enjoyed his dry sense of humour. His club was unique in being the foremost in Aerobatics and Racing. I last saw him at a Tiger Club AGM at Damyns Hall a few years ago. I joined the club in 1979 and he welcomed me in after being sponsored by Fred Marsh and seconded by Mike Peare. Those years 1979 to the end at Redhill in 1989 were my best flying years. Another memory I have of him, was when I tentatively ask to fly his personal Beta. He just told me to get in it there and then - what a privilege! His brief was, like landing your RF4 without airbrakes and come in 10 mph faster !!
Stampe liked this
By Hooligan
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1890899
As a hesitant teenage spotter slightly deterred by the "no spotters" signs at Redhill in the mid-1970s, I was heartened by the bloke (for it was Michael Jones) in the Tiger Club hangar office who let me wander round the best hangar ever and didn't even say "don't touch". The first of many visits. Wish I'd known then I could have joined... Nice nice guy...

Edit: did I but know how hard the stewardship of the club was against the Airfield's proprietors - if only his father had bought the place when he had the chance...
User avatar
By MichaelP
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1890908
It was unfortunate, Dalrymple wanted a grander scheme for the aerodrome.
Michael Jones ceded the chairmanship to Neil Jensen.
On both sides there was change afoot, and no meeting half way.

I had good and bad dealings with both Michael and Dalrymple.
Dalrymple was kind enough to give me landing cards for my aeroplanes when Michael took away the ability to pay the landing fees through the Tiger Club. Michael didn’t tell me for a month thereby presenting me with a large bill, four times the normal cost.

Michael was mostly reasonable, and I got on well enough with him.
The end came with the change in Chairman, and a letter to me to cease introducing new members to the Tiger Club as they now wanted to make it “exclusive”.
In that one letter was the downfall of the Tiger Club we knew.
The impossible court case with the aerodrome drained a huge amount of money and doomed all of us who enjoyed the green grass of Redhill Aerodrome.

I met Michael a couple of times in the years that followed and we enjoyed a good lunch together. No hard feelings between us, and friendly reminiscence of those wonderful times we had had.

For me, knowing Michael Jones and being a member of the Tiger Club was an excellent experience.

The other day I flew the Super Cub based in the old Tiger Club hangar from a complicated rule ridden aerodrome with a confusion of ATIS, and new radio procedure, not the enjoyable experience of yore.
The hangar in which I spent many many nights sleeping in the bunk room.
I’d get up early on a weekend morning, push out, fuel, and place 14 aeroplanes on the grass on summer’s mornings.
Occasionally I was the duty pilot, sometimes the duty engineer! I’d also substitute for Margaret Burgess and prepare the Tiger Club Sunday Dinner. (Believe it or not I can cook, as well as dope).
Tiger Club was my life for several years.

Pat on the back from Christopher Reeve when I fixed the magneto to enable Super Man to fly the Tiger Moth...
Watched my shepherds pie flown in mirror formation in two Zlins, Neil Williams and Brian Smith, on tv from Biggin Hill following one Sunday dinner.
Received the Chairman’s Medallion for services to the Tiger Club one year, then being told to stop bringing new members into the Club the next.

Michael sold me my second Condor and allowed me to recover its wings in the Tiger Club hangar; respray, new radio, and a Public Transport CxA.
The Condor Club was there to supply tailwheel 100 hour pilots to the Tiger Club until receipt of that letter.

The longer you fly the more people you meet and deal with.
Some are bad, and some are good.
Overall Michael Jones was one of the best of people in my life experience in aviation.
Michael enabled me to advance my aviation activities and experience, something for which I am very grateful.
JodelDavo, T6Harvard, Hooligan and 1 others liked this
#1890931
MichaelP wrote:The end came with the change in Chairman, and a letter to me to cease introducing new members to the Tiger Club as they now wanted to make it “exclusive”.


Guilty as charged your Honour, I was one of your club members that went to the TC... :thumleft:
#1890959
Michael must have reached a grand old age then, does anyone know more details please ?
As a lowly ppl l ran the PFA Redhill Strut from a club room abover the T/ Club hangar. That must have been ca. 1971 or so. And Michael P. already was Condor guy. Even ran our Breakfast Patrol there.
Michael Jones was always a gruff superior being as were all those about him, but nevertheless allowed me to talk to him !
I kept a Nord NC 854S brought over from France parked outside for a while around 1973.
But never knew about all the Tiger Club politics and undercurrents. Just as well l suspect.
R.I.P.
#1890985
Sad news indeed.
As others have said he was very instrumental in furthering flying ambitions.
I loved his stress relieving sweeping of the hangar whenever he witnessed a bit of bad airmanship or the airport management came out with another daft edict- it stopped him from exploding and saying something he might regret…
MichaelP liked this
#1891003
Talking of Michael and his broomstick, reminded me of a particular incident. One of the co owners of Marcus Norman’s Auster tried to hand swing backwards to blow it out without chocks and left the Mags on and of course full throttle. It started and the poor guy grabbed the strut, but it swung round just outside the hangar doors, knocked Ian’s Turb out of the way, then Mounted the rear of the Mew Gull like some demented animal and proceeded to have copulation until it Propeller was ground down to nothing. Finally satisfied the engine stopped. The poor owner was on his knees, we were all hiding behind the safety of the steel hangar doors peering round at the spectacle. Michael just stood there and picked up his broom and calmly started sweeping up shrapnel that had been fired into the hangar !! Didn’t say a word, just swept ! I had to phone Marcus at home and suggest he might like to pop down to the airfield.
Hooligan, JodelDavo, Stampe liked this
#1895441
It has been wonderful to read your posts about my uncle Mike. I remember him mostly for sailing having spent several childhood weekends on leaky boats in the North Sea with him and my father, Ben. More recently I was the grateful recipient of his beloved yacht, Mowgli, which he gave to me when he finally hung up his sailing boots. Mike died just after Christmas. There will be a small funeral in Bandol, where he lived, this week and we will be organising a bigger memorial service in the Spring in England. I will share details of that on this forum.
Stampe, MichaelP, mikehallam and 1 others liked this
#1897377
I was Michael's secretary at the Tiger Club for 7 years - probably the most entertaining years of my life. It's amazing how Michael managed to retain his sanity through all the crazy happenings at the Club. We've kept in touch since and he kindly sent me copies of all his books. There will be so many people who will wish to pay tribute to him at his memorial service.
Hooligan, JodelDavo, aerial and 1 others liked this