I visited Biggin Hill on a very spotty schedule, usually only if I heard of something worth traveling all the way across London for, which wasn't very often. The airfield was basically a large general aviation haven, but odd things did pass through from time to time.
My first visit was in June 1978, most likely with my late father. The only shot I took was of T-28D N99160 and that was on a compact 126 camera. In the scan I've cropped it from the usual square to the standard 3:2 ratio. It's a little out of focus, but passable as a record shot.
This aircraft came out of N'dolo in the Congo as an ex-Zaire Air Force machine, and Biggin Hill was on route for its delivery flight to the USA. The ferry flight was performed by Ted White, who later went on to purchase B-17G 'Sally B'.
Anyway, Ted was tasked with preparing three T-28s, two of which would be de-militarised in the USA, and the third, N99160 ex FG-634, would be his payment for the job.
For almost a month, between 29 November 1977 and 16 December 1977, he flew this T-28 via Abijan, Monrovia, Freetown, Dakar, Rabat, Tanger, Valencia and Le Touquet to Biggin Hill. Unfortunately it was later revealed that the aircraft wasn't allowed to be kept in the UK and could only be de-militarised in the USA.
I'm sure that was quite the journey!
The aircraft now flies out of Virginia Beach with the same registration and is flown from the Fighter Factory collection.
