{"id":5679,"date":"2021-04-05T12:00:17","date_gmt":"2021-04-05T11:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/?p=5679"},"modified":"2021-03-08T02:32:40","modified_gmt":"2021-03-08T01:32:40","slug":"rodney-butterfield-and-pucara-a-517-1-2-my-first-reaction-was-what-on-earth-is-a-pucara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gacetaeronautica.com\/gaceta\/wp-102\/rodney-butterfield-and-pucara-a-517-1-2-my-first-reaction-was-what-on-earth-is-a-pucara\/","title":{"rendered":"Rodney Butterfield and Pucar\u00e1 A-517 (1\/2):<\/b>
My first reaction was \u2018what on earth is a Pucar\u00e1?\u2019<\/i>"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to his official biography, Rodney John Halsey Butterfield<\/strong> was born in Rhodesia in 1950 and demonstrated an early fascination with sports & racing cars by restoring a 1946 MG TC from the ground up\u2026 at the age of 15! His automotive enthusiasm brought him to Britain in 1972, where he initiated a career in Formula One as a fabricator and race mechanic and later earned a Degree in Automotive Design from Loughborough University.<\/p>\n

He then turned his passion into a respected (yet demanding!) business which he run initially in England and ultimately in the USA. As noted in an earlier post [see Fifth and last \u201cBritish Pucar\u00e1\u201d rediscovered in North Carolina (USA)<\/a>], he bought A-517 in 1989 and has kept it throughout his intercontinental journey. In February last year we spent well over three hours talking to him about his life, his career and his 30+ years with the last and lesser known British Pucar\u00e1. Excerpts:<\/p>\n

Q: Your biography says you were born in Rhodesia, spent an interesting professional and entrepreneurial career in Great Britain and then moved to the USA. What made you such a globe trotter?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Butterfield: I was actually born in South Africa in Johannesburg but when I was three my parents moved with the family to Salisbury Rhodesia and in those days, it was Southern Rhodesia and that\u2019s where I went to school and grew up. After graduating from school, I studied geology in South Africa because my father\u2019s career was in the mining industry and we had a small family mining exploration company which I planned to work with and help manage.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Formula<\/a>
Rodney Butterfield in a McLaren Racing Team portrait. McLaren won the 1973 F1 World Championship and built the M16 Indy Car that won the 500 in 1974 for Johnny Rutherford (photo via Blue Ridge Sports Cars).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, I had always had a huge passion for cars and automobile racing, and at the age of 22 I decided to follow my primary dream and leave for Europe to get involved in racing and car design. I was lucky to find a job at McLaren in 1972 as a fabricator helping to build the F1 and Indy cars, and of course those cars all had monocoque aluminum construction, so I found myself working beside several master technicians for British Aerospace who honed my skills with forming and riveting aluminum panels.<\/em><\/p>\n

This was exactly the same technology as used in the aircraft industry so becoming co ride to in that later gave me the interest to take on Warbird aircraft restoration. I also at this time decided if I wanted to advance in Formula 1 I had to have a university degree in automotive and aero design, so I enrolled at Loughborough University (which was then the only place in the English speaking world other than General Motors Institute in Michigan to offer an Engineering Degree in Automotive Design).<\/em><\/p>\n

Accordingly, the next five years were spent working for various F1 teams to earn a living at the same time studying to complete the Degree. I spent time with Shadow, March, Lyncar and Surtees in the later years through 1976 traveling to races as a race mechanic.<\/em><\/p>\n

After the last year at university I decided in 1978 to start my own business to focus on my love of sports and racing car restoration. That was based in Oxfordshire and known as Thoroughbred Sports Cars Ltd.<\/strong> At the peak I had 16 workers and also built an adjacent 100 car showroom for classic car sales.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"War<\/a>
Abandoned by Argentine troops after the Goose Green garrison surrender, A-517 remained abandoned at the former C\u00f3ndor air base for a couple years (photo: Derek Pettersson, late 1982).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1990 the premises were sold to make way for a housing development, and I moved to live in the Isle of Man. Two years later I set out on my third continental adventure and moved to North America where I still live and continue to operate a world class restoration shop (<\/em>www.blueridge-sportscars.com<\/em><\/a>) and sell classic cars around the world (<\/em>www.sportscarsinc.com<\/em><\/a>).<\/em><\/p>\n

Q: You were also a Formula 1 professional for six years in the 1970s. Did you get the chance to participate in races taking place in South America (Argentina and Brazil grand prixes) or meet regional credits such as Carlos Reutemann or Nelson Fittipaldi? Do you keep any good, annoying or amusing recollections from that era?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Butterfield: Being mostly based at the factory in construction, I did not ever attend the South American F1 races in person. However, I have fond memories of my last day at McLaren near the end of 1973, when I painted the very first M23 F1 car in the red and white colors of Marlborough for Emerson Fittipaldi<\/strong> to drive in 1974. Iconic times! I do well remember Carlos Reutemann<\/strong>, but I never knew him. One amusing memory from later years when in the early 1980\u2019s I had my restoration shop in Witney Oxfordshire right across the yard from the Toleman F1 Team, and often saw a young kid arriving in sneakers to visit them. It was a youth called Ayrton Senna<\/strong> just trying to break into F1! LOL.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Wreck\"<\/a>
A-517 was to spend nearly three winters (1982-1984) abandoned at Goose Green before being rescued by Grampian Helicopters (photo via Javier Ruberto).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Q: How come a proven sports car enthusiast\/professional like you developed an interest in combat aircraft?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Butterfield: I am and always have been in awe of the great achievements of engineering, and while race cars are one sector, the aeronautical marvels of the 20th century are fantastic examples of power and precision and I always wanted to experience something like a P-51 Mustang or a Spitfire. The idea of finding one to restore was always thrilling to me.<\/em><\/p>\n

Q: Did you own any other aircraft before deciding to get yourself involved in the Pucar\u00e1 acquisition? Are you a flying pilot? When (and how) did your first learn about the commercial availability of A-517? What influenced your decision to purchase Pucar\u00e1 A-517? Did you find anything particularly attractive in that plane? Is there any emotional relationship between you and this model or aircraft?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Butterfield: I had intermittently started to learn to fly over many decades but had never actually owned an aircraft. I was hoping to find a Warbird project throughout the 1980\u2019s to progress as a hobby using our extensive engineering facilities. I was focused on a P-51 Mustang when out of the blue I was offered the chance to buy the Pucar\u00e1 A-517 which was being recovered from the Falklands\/Malvinas. Like most people my first reaction was \u201cwhat on earth is a Pucar\u00e1?\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Bounty<\/a>
Pictured on 10\/07\/1983, A-517 depicts restoration of its nose wheel to the erect position but also the sad loss of roundels and titles (photo: Ian Howat).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As I began to research the answer, I became more and more impressed with the story of A-517, and the remarkable flying characteristics of the Pucar\u00e1 design. The history of the war was current and real and well documented, along with the exact role of each participating aircraft on both sides. As I researched there were more and more reasons why I decided to favor the Pucar\u00e1 over a P-51 or similar project. These included:<\/em><\/p>\n