More ancient aviation
Glad you liked them, Danny, a few more to come. Your teenage Wyton visit brought to mind the Ethiopian Air Force goodwill visit to Khormaksar in 1952 with their 12 Saab B-17 dive bombers (no, not the Fortress, a tubby single-engine job like the VV). Half of them fouled their plugs and this little boy was in seventh heaven with 28 plugs per Twin Wasp to dismantle and clean.
The flash point of petrol was way below the Aden ambient while goodness knows what the fumes were doing to my little lungs. Elf 'n' Strafeme would have a fit but we didn't know about the perils in those days. My reward was to sit in the back while the brute was taxied up and down the runway. The goodwill visit lasted for some weeks as half the squadron went u/s, there were dark whispers that the clever Ethiopians knew they would get a major overhaul if they could coax the beasts from Addis Ababa to Khormaksar.
On another subject, ITV produced a superb documentary called Bomber Command to mark the Memorial unveiling in 2010. If anyone wants a copy, strictly for personal use of course, drop me a PM.
Chugalug, the pics have been offered to IWM London and RAF Hendon, no reply ... Dad was just an amateur with his 25s camera but his prints clean up very well in Photoshop. In fact the French ones measure under 3ins x 2ins. Your promised Hastings story is on the stocks, or should I say in final assembly hangar.
Last edited by Geriaviator; 25th Jan 2013 at 22:01.