AeroSuperBatics

AeroSuperBatics Limited, legally known as Aero-Super-Batics Limited, and commonly known merely as AeroSuperBatics, is a British civilian biplane multi-aircraft formation aerobatics and wing walking team. They currently perform as The AeroSuperBatics Wingwalkers (unsponsored since 2018), and were branded as the 'The Flying Circus' in 2018. They were previously branded Breitling 'Swiss Chronographs' (performing as The Breitling Wingwalkers, 2011 to 2018) in accordance with their sponsorship agreement with the Swiss watch manufacturer Breitling. Prior to that, branding included Guinot 'Institut Paris' (performing as Team Guinot, 2008 to 2009), Colt Cars, St.Ivel 'Utterly Butterly' (performing as The Utterly Butterlys, 1999 to 2007), Cadbury's 'Crunchie' (performing as the 'Crunchie Flying Circus', 1992 to 1998), and Yugo Cars, according to their commercial sponsors at the time. Their display options currently consist of either a solo aircraft, or two-ship formation pair, or three-ship display, and previously included a four-ship formation, and during the 2008 display season, a five-ship formation. They are the worlds only formation wingwalking team.
History and operation
AeroSuperBatics as a company was originally formed, and incorporated by Companies House in England and Wales as on , registered as a private limited company (limited by shares) under company number 02070666. On , following a vote of agreement at an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) by the company to change its name; on , its registered name was officially changed to Aero-Super-Batics Limited.
The AeroSuperBatics display team (as it was later to be known by) was founded in , by veteran aerobatics pilot and now honorary air commodore of 614 Squadron RAuxAF RAF Reserve Vic Norman, initially operating a sole Zlin Z-50 in a traditional display role. During the mid 1980s, Vic and his wife attended an airshow at Salinas in the USA; it was there that he first witnessed wing walking with a Boeing Stearman, and this was the seed that sparked Vic's idea of bringing wing walking to the United Kingdom, which was only happening in the UK on top of a Tiger Moth. Upon his return to the UK, Vic managed to get a flight in a Boeing Stearman newly owned by Ray Hanna; Vic subsequently purchased the Stearman from Hanna. A wing walking rig for the Stearman had been created and certified in the USA by Art Scholl, though Scholl was reluctant to allow others to use his rig, due to fears of getting hurt whilst using it. After Scholl was killed in 1985 during filming backdrop scenes for the film Top Gun, his widow gave the wing walking rig plans to Norman, thus allowing Norman to replicate a wing walking rig on his own recently acquired Stearman. Being as Norman was still displaying his Zlin, Norman persuaded Bob Thomson to fly his Stearman, with Lesley Gail becoming their first wing walker.
Still operating as Oval (277) Limited, commercial sponsors were the key enabling Norman to expand his display business. The change in company name to AeroSuperBatics occurred around the same time as Yugo Cars became their first sponsor. Following Yugo was Cadbury's in 1989, and this enabled Norman to expand his fleet to two Stearmans. Successive sponsors included St Ivel, Guinot from France, and latterly Breitling from Switzerland. The team expanded to display up to five Stearman aircraft simultaneously at one airshow programme in 2008, and the five-ship performing a wing walking display in their new big V 'Vulcan' formation, as a homage to the return to flight of a former Royal Air Force (RAF) Avro Vulcan XH558 as restored by the Vulcan To The Sky Trust. In 1992, Norman became a full time wing walking pilot for the team.
AeroSuperBatics currently operates four modified Boeing–Stearman Model 75 biplanes. Their original Continental radial engines were replaced with a Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN14B 'Junior Wasp' engine driving a Hamilton Standard constant speed propeller. AeroSuperBatics currently employs five male pilots and six female wing walkers.
The team currently offer the following display show options; consisting of either one aircraft (solo), two (formation pair), or a three-ship display, (and previously offered a four and five aircraft option). The display consists of aerobatic manoeuvres, with female acrobats attached to a harness and tether to post above the wings who engage in wing walking activities. The team is based at its current registered office location of RFC Rendcomb Aerodrome, a former World War 1 training aerodrome of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), and now private airfield near Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 7DF in England, which is also owned by Vic Norman and two business partners (which include Nick Mason, drummer of Pink Floyd). Although being UK based and regular participants at some of the UKs leading airshows, the team are also regular visitors to many European airshows, along with performances in Asia and the Middle East; its furthest displays being performed in Japan, the Philippines, and Australia.
AeroSuperBatics also offer the opportunity for members of the public to experience wing walking, and can also be used for charitable fundraising and corporate events. The team have also taken many famous people wing walking, including: Richard Branson, Bear Grylls, Elon Musk, Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt (both of Status Quo), the Crown Prince of Dubai, along with many others from musicians, sports personnel, racing car drivers, broadcast presenters, journalists, actors, and royalty. They have flown on the wing from as young as age 9, up to 95 year olds. AeroSuperBatics hold two Guinness World Records; for the most consecutive wing walking rolls (10), and for the shortest person to wing walk. They facilitated the worlds' first wedding on the wing at using three of their aircraft, one each for the bride, the groom, and the officiating reverend.
Accidents and incidents
At at 14:48 hrs UTC (15:48 hrs BST) on , as part of a two-ship formation wing walking display at the Bournemouth Air Festival, one of the AeroSuperBatics Boeing Stearman aircraft crashed into the sea near the Sandbanks Ferry, Poole Harbour, after the biplane suffered an unrecoverable mechanical failure of its engine. The wing walker Kirsten Pobjoy (who was able to return to the cockpit immediately prior to the crash) received minor injuries, the pilot David Barrell (in the rear cockpit) was unhurt. They were both promptly rescued from the water by a nearby motorboat, assessed by event medical staff at the scene, and subsequently in hospital. Both were released from medical care later the same day. The aircraft, significantly damaged due to its impact with the sea, was later recovered from its sea crash site by a crane on instruction by the harbour operator. Following a Field Investigation by the United Kingdom's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) at Farnborough Airport, it was discovered that the Boeing–Stearman A75N1 (PT17), registration N707TJ, manufacturers serial no: 75-950, lost power to its engine, this was caused by the failure of a metal strap supporting the oil feed pipe to the engine, and the oil feed pipe breaking at its connection to the engine. The aircraft was destroyed following its ditching into the sea. In the aftermath of this crash and the findings by the AAIB, AeroSuperBatics modified the rigid engine oil feed pipe as fitted to one of its remaining Stearmans with the R-985 engine (its other two R-985 engined Stearmans had a different flexible oil feed pipe), and developed a new set of hand signal communications between pilot and wing walker, to advise of any mechanical issues and additional emergency procedures.
Pilot controversy
On 5 April 2022, an AeroSuperBatics pilot and former Red Arrows pilot Andy Cubin MBE (aged 59) appeared at Swindon Magistrates' Court (via video link), and pleaded guilty to possessing incident images of children, including 48 images in the 'most serious category'. Magistrates committed him to Swindon Crown Court for sentence at a later date following the completion of pre-sentence reports, with the chair of the magistrates' bench remarking "These offences are so serious you need a greater punishment that we can give", before releasing him on unconditional bail. Now known as Andrew Lloyd after a recent surname change, he has been placed on the sex offenders register. Prior to his court hearing in April 2022, following a police raid in February 2021 at the Wiltshire home of Lloyd, he was arrested by Wiltshire Police after they discovered the indecent child images. Later that year, whilst awaiting criminal trial (and without notifying AeroSuperBatics), in September 2021, Lloyd flew one of AeroSuperBatics biplanes as part of a two-ship wing walking formation display at the Bournemouth Air Festival, when the other AeroSuperBatics biplane crashed into the sea.
In response to his criminal conviction, Lorraine Wright, operations manager for AeroSuperBatics Limited stated that they "were unaware of prior to reports of his court appearance on 5 April 2022", and that they were "shocked and devastated by the case against this individual". Wright confirmed that they had "immediately terminated any association with him".
Gallery
References
External links
AeroSuperBatics.com — official website
Six fantastic flying careers 3: Display pilot — profile of Martyn Carrington, chief pilot of AeroSuperBatics, at Flyer digital magazine
La première Breitling Wingwalker française! Une Star west née! — article about a wing walker, by Le Journal de l'Aviation
British aerobatic teams
Cirencester
Organisations based in Gloucestershire
British companies established in 1982
1982 establishments in the United Kingdom
Organizations established in 1982