What a fascinating thread (to which, admittedly, I have come rather late). A perfectly content infantryman these days, I'm normally content to lurk In the dim past, however, I enjoyed several years as a a cadet, the highlights of which were many flights in the 1 AEF Chipmunks. What a privilege - that vast runway, Pegwell Bay and the estuary, heading inland to Canterbury - all great but, let's face it, it was all about aerobatics. One particularly merciless pilot 'encouraged' me to repeat the stall turn 16 times in succession. The only time I was ever actually sick in a Chipmunk, but not before I got it right!
According to the log I recently discovered in the attic, my last flight was in WP860 on 21st March '96. We knew it was all coming to an end but couldn't quite imagine cadet flying without the full parachute / lifejacket / video and cordite experience! I'm not sure who the pilot was, but from the scrawl in my log his initials might have been 'BFL' or 'BW'.
I also recall a day on which I was the last ride. We taxied back to the hangar to discover within the RR Mosquito, which had apparently suffered an engine failure returning from a display (Shepway perhaps?) and was awaiting repairs. The pilot and I spent some considerable time admiring it from every angle before finally heading back over to the poor chaps waiting patiently for me to hand over my parachute so they could go home.
Great times indeed - a wonderful aeroplane, invariably flown by the most interesting people.
Clearly, if questioned at work, I shall admit to none of this. Bloody crabs...
