It’s with great sadness that we say goodbye to an aeroplane that has been longer here than the airport.
G-BERC, or Bercky to those who knew him, was bought by Bob Jones, Jim Thomas and others back in 1980 at just three years old. The French-built SOCATA Rallye 150 ST was initially kept at a nearby grass strip but when that closed down Bob needed a solution fast. And so he did what any pilot/farmer would do and build an airport on his land. So, it’s really thanks to Bercky that Welshpool Airport came into being.
During its 35 years here, Bercky has seen as much as any other aeroplane, as the airport grew all around him. Every summer, Bercky went on holiday, visiting Spain, Portugal and the South of France as well as taking Bob and his family to Disneyland Paris. He has also had many pilots, with Jim Thomas flying him to the end.
Bercky now returns to France, to be based in Lyon. We wish him well with his new family and remember fondly all the adventures he gave us.
