Aircraft restorer Guy Black and his company Retrotec Limited have been presented with the Historic Aircraft Association’s prestigious Conrod Trophy for year 2008/09.
The award was made in recognition of their outstanding efforts in locating, rescuing and resurrecting to flying condition a range of iconic British biplanes, including two Hawker Nimrod biplanes of the 1930s, a 1918 Bristol Fighter F.2B and a de Havilland DH9 of similar vintage. The company is also noted as a key supplier of components allowing historic aircraft such as the Hawker Hurricane to be kept flying.
At a special presentation ceremony held on Wednesday 25th March at Retrotec’s HQ in Westfield, East Sussex, Guy Black received the Conrod Trophy from HAA President Cliff Spink. Guy specifically asked that Retrotec’s engineers should be part of the presentation as he accepted the trophy on their behalf.
The HAA were also represented by Chairman Wally Epton, Deputy Chairman Colin Dodds and Media/PR representative Stephen Slater. Aeroplane Monthly Assistant Editor Tony Harmsworth was there to witness the event and will be recording the occasion in the next issue of the magazine.
The Conrod Trophy was originally presented to the HAA by the Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight to recognise outstanding contributions to the preservation and safe operation of Historic Aircraft. Previous recipients have been the RN Historic Flight; Andy Sephton, Chief Pilot of the Shuttleworth Trust; Squadron Leader Paul Day of the BBMF; Elly Sallingboe, for her work in keeping the B17 Flying Fortress “Sally-B” in the air and last year, to Peter Vacher for his restoration of Hawker Hurricane Mark I, R4118, a unique survivor of the Battle of Britain.
The first major complete aircraft to be restored entirely at Retrotec’s workshops in East Sussex was a 1932 Hawker Nimrod I, the naval version of the famous Hawker Fury biplane fighter. It first flew in July 2000 and is now displayed by the Fighter Collection at Duxford. In 2006, a second Nimrod dating from 1935 was completed for the Historic Aircraft Collection.
A further dozen or so Hawker biplanes wait in the wings, including the only known surviving Hawker Fury fighter and a rare Hawker Hind two-seater.
“I’m delighted to be able to present the award to Guy Black and Retrotec” said HAA President Cliff Spink. “They have a tremendous reputation within the historic aviation world and a dedication to the highest standards of authenticity and craftsmanship in their restorations. They set a benchmark standard for the whole historic aviation community.
"Retrotec’s high-quality and sympathetic restorations of iconic aeroplanes such as the Hawker Nimrod biplane demonstrates that Great Britain remains a leader in this field of engineering”.