Herts & Essex Aero Club, Stapleford Tawney, 17 July 1965, Forney F1A Aircoupe. Sent solo by the CFI Neville Browning. He was a local farmer and when you did a PFL you landed in the field; he owned the field. Remember him climbing out, scrambling through the hedge to check how his crops in the next field were coming on towards harvest, climbing back in and off we went from pointing into the corner of the field and accelerating, (a relative term in an Aircoupe), in a 180 turn to head off diagonally across the field for take off.
He flew displays his own Zlin. His speciality was a very low inverted pass but unfortunately, at the age of 72 I think, hit the top of the tail on the runway doing this and was killed.
Rumour was that he'd flown Camels at the end of WW1.
Cranwell, 26 April 1966, JP3 Most of the QFIs were ex 90 sqn, after the sudden demise of the Valiants, still sporting their XC arm flashes.
Thanks to all the QFIs who had to work so hard to get me through.
If they knew it had resulted in 46 years/ 26,000hrs I hope they might think it was worth it!
In that time I've put a bit back in the tank by sending others off on their first solo.
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