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Old 6th Mar 2018, 21:27
  #23 (permalink)  
MrBernoulli
 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Long ago and far away ......
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Steve Bond, I don't know how to get hold of him directly, but author Frederick Forsyth flew Vampires in the RAF in the late 1950s, so he might be worth approaching for some tales?

Many here will know that, quite apart from Forsyth's many best-selling novels, he also wrote a great short story, The Shepherd, about an RAF pilot flying a Vampire from Germany to England on a dark and cold Christmas Eve, 1957.

Forsyth's page on the Penguin Books website page states "He lives in Buckinghamshire, England." Perhaps an approach to Penguin Random House UK could eventually put you in touch with Forsyth? He is almost 80 years old now, so don't wait too long to make contact!

Additionally, Steve, there is Nigel Lamb (8-time British Unlimited Aerobatic Champion, 4-time British Freestyle Champion, 2014 Red Bull Air Race World Champion!) who survived a crash landing in a Rhodesian Air Force Vampire FB9 (no ejection seat ...), in 1977, following an engine fire warning. That has got be a tale worth re-telling, if Nigel will agree. And perhaps he will also have other stories from his time flying the Vampire in Rhodesia.

You might try contacting Nigel through his website or Twitter.
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