Facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/events/903509153055030/
Belgian Aviation Preservation Association (BAPA)
http://www.bapa.be
|
January 2015
| |
2014 first year of operation in perspective
|
|
|
La BAPA est une jeune asbl qui regroupent des passionnés d'aviation qui ont accumulé des centaines d'années d'expérience dans le sauvetage, la restauration et la préservation du patrimoine aéronautique, principalement belge.
Au BAPA, il n'y a pas d'avions, de documents, d'outils ou d'objets aéronautiques qui soient en double, excédentaires, inutiles ou sans histoires.
Nous sommes tous bénévoles et n'avons pas besoin de spécialistes rétribués fort cher pour savoir que ces "objets" sont tous des témoignages uniques de NOTRE histoire et de NOTRE patrimoine commun.
Nous n'en sommes que les conservateurs temporaires pour les générations futures.
Chaque pièce du plus petit rivet jusqu'au bombardier de la Seconde Guerre mondiale en passant par les planeurs l'incroyable histoire méconnue du plus vieux rêve de l'homme : Voler !
Ce qui n'est pas directement utilisé est préservé et trouvera demain une nouvelle jeunesse dans un de nos projets ou dans celui d'une autre équipe dont les buts sont les mêmes que les nôtres.
Si vous disposez d'avions, de pièces d'avions, d'instruments, d'outils, de documents, de tout objets aéronautiques dont vous voulez garantir la pérennité, nous pouvons vous assurer de leur sauvegarde, et ainsi éviter que des vandales ou des iconoclastes fassent disparaître toute trace de votre histoire ou de votre passion.
Aujourd'hui nous recherchons particulièrement tout équipement pour le B-25 Mitchell ainsi que tout outillage de tollerie.
Au BAPA, nous construisons le futur avec notre riche passé commun.
The Mitchell rescue and delivery at BAPA workshop some years later
Nothing will be lost or destroyed
BAPA is a young non-profit organization created by aviation fans and restorers, who together repersnt more than hundred years of accumulated aircraft restoration experience, mainly in Belgium.
Within BAPA, there's no single piece of hardware, document , tool, that is redundant, unused or without its bit of history.
We are all volunteers, and do not need highly paid "professionals" to tell us that all we own or guard represents a piece of our Country's history. We just preserve artifacts for the future generations. Every item, from the smallest rivet to a WW2 medium bomber tell us the unbelievable history of mankind's oldest dream: flying.
What we do not immediately use for on-going restorations is and will be preserved for further use.
If you own, or happen to know someone who owns, aircraft artifacts (up to and including whole aircrafts), be it tools, instruments, documents, logs, that you want to preserve for future generations, we can guarantee you their preservation, so avoiding "good willed iconoclasts" actions to scrap or destroy what they do not identify as worthy.
Mainly today, we are looking for everything that is North-American B-25 Mitchell related, as well as sheet iron (or light alloy) tooling.
BAPA builds the future by preserving the past.
The Austria at recovery and after refurbishing
If you wish to join BAPA, visit us or learn more about our activities, you are welcome to contact us at contact@bapa.be
Any support, financial as well in gift of tools, archive or aircraft is still welcome. See more at http://www.bapa.be/how-to-help-us
Many happy landings
All pictures available from our picture albums
The Mitchells engines acquired thanks to our sponsors and delivered in August 2014
Manuals and a scale model given to BAPA. All manuals are scanned to be easily available and definitively preserved
|
|
October 2014
| |
Successful 2nd Open door afternoon
Last Sunday October 5th, the Belgian Aviation Preservation Association organized her 2nd Open Door afternoon. The young nonprofit organization dedicated to save, restore and preserve the aviation heritage in Belgium officially launched in September 2013 wanted to invite friends, sponsors and aviation maniacs to share the results of the first year of operation.
It was also the occasion to show the B-25 Michell engines to the sponsors who helped to acquire theses essential parts for the "B25 back to Belgium" project.
The results of the year are quite incredible :
- Participation to the TV Show 1001 Belges
- Croses Airplume saved and preserved
- Phoebus glider saved and preserved
- Austria Glider restored and put on display
- Airfield lighting equipment gift put on display
- Lockheed P-38 display completed
- Progress on the Flying Flea OO-04
- Start of the restoration of the first Slingsby and manufacturing of a new support for flight simulation.
- Digital library of technical manual : volume increase of 20 %
- Gifts : Scale models, books, tools,
- Visits : Every Saturday and at least 3 groups visits.
- Successful experimentation of electrolyze to restore steel parts.
B-25 Mitchell
- Front undercarriage restoration completed
- Main undercarriage restoration started
- B-25 front compartment repairs anti corrosion treatment
- Engine crowd funding campaign, acquisition and transport
The event was also the occasion to remember a friend who just left us a few days before.
Georges Pradez was an unique animator on the Belgian national radio but he was also a talented scale modeller and an aviation lover. Since the early time of the BAPA, he was always there when help was needed. He was also a "no way to stop" story teller about aviation as well a permanent source of innovation and new ideas in our activities.
We decided to give his name to the workshop of the BAPA and in the presence of members of his family and friends a plate was unveiled wearing his name.
Further initiatives remembering the memory of Georges are already running.
We hope in the future to honour other great Belgian aviation figures.
The end of the official part of the open day was marked by a flypast by 3 flying machines piloted by friends including the most iconic Belgian aircraft : A Stampe SV4
As there was still a lot of things to eat and drink at the buffet, promising discussions continued long in the afternoon.
Thanks again to the ones who helped to make this year and this event successful.
If you wish to join BAPA, visit us or learn more about our activities, you are welcome to contact us at contact@bapa.be
Any support, financial as well in gift of tools, archive or aircraft is still welcome. See more at http://www.bapa.be/how-to-help-us
Many happy landings
All pictures available from our picture albums
| |
We do it because we did not know it is supposed to be impossible
|
|