Jeff Hawke
Hi JDK,
There was a thread on this fascinating bloke several months back.
I remember him displaying the B25 at Biggin Hill - in the days when looooooooooow passes followed by a barrel roll were de rigeur, (at least until Don Bullock dropped a b@llock and found himself upside down in the A26 Invader at least 1500ft too low and took 6 others with him into the smokin' hole.)
I remember Hawke climbing out of the B25 afterwards - a bit of a shed it has to be said - with one very smokey/ stuttering engine (and that was before he took off!). He was beaming like a cheshire cat and enjoyed an appreciative audience around him - including me. A larger than life character with his goatee beard, megabelly and multi-badged (and much too tight!) flying 'whistle'.
I also remember him blatting overhead from behind the crowd at nought feet in the B17 one year (can't remember where) and cranked it over so suddenly, it seemed to stop flying and 'hang' in the sky. It all looked scary to me at the time.
Airshows just aint the same .....
Fortunately......!!!!
I agree with you JDK that a story on this bloke would make fascinating reading so please get to work on it.
Somebody somewhere knows the story in detail. Hasn't he got a widow somewhere?
If there were any 'naughties' - lots of rumours about drug/ gun running I know - then surely the passage of time might just enable the story to be told to you by now?
There are so many colourful characters in UK aviation -
How about a book on Maurice Kirk?
The story of Chris Barratt-Jolly - ex Phoenix Air Cargo at Coventry and multi squillion 707 hours across the broadest spectrum of 'carriers' - now banged up for 25 years for drug running (707 again) - would make very interesting reading too. I had dinner with him and his charming wife once (and no - he wasnt after borrowing the Hairyplane for a quick 'booze (?!) run across the channel...!
Good luck with Hawk JDK - the story must be told 'cos I for one want to read it!
HP