"Lots of rumours about Chinese aviation in the eighties and nineties; none of them true."
Really...? My father flew on a Chinese airliner in the early 1980s. There were two more passengers than seats, which wasn't a problem as they found a couple of deck chairs for them to sit in. My father having served during the war had doubtless seen and experienced less comfortable and safe air transport, but did raise his eyebrows when said passengers were offered seat belts to secure them to their deck chairs...
Danny I know you're not going anywhere, but just to add my noise to the legion of voices thanking you for your most entertaining stories. I am very disappointed that you will not be relating your VAT employment in weekly episodes. As a piece of history "I joined HMC&E and was one of the first VAT inspectors" is probably as good a tale as - and certainly a less-oft-told one than - "My service in WW2." I implore you to continue as you are a most skilled raconteur.
VAT's not enough yet... (Or, maybe, there's another 20% of this story to go...)