MPN 11,
Do you think there is something about some Air Trafficers and artists coming from the same mould?
I had a good friend on my ITS course at South Cerney in 1960 who came from Rhodesia and he was destined to become an AEO. It was obviously difficult for Hugh to go back home on leave so he used to come back with me to my family in Scotland.
Anyway, he did not get on too well for some reason with the AEO game and re-mustered into ATC.
We just about managed to keep in touch and many years later I was driving back to Brize on a Friday afternoon from an interview with Air Secs branch (I wanted to PVR and they wanted me to go for Specialist Aircrew).
I decided to pop into Benson on the way back for TGIF and hopefully to have a beer with Hugh; which I did
To cut a long story short, I had been involved in running an RAFGSA gliding club for 17 years in my spare time and I had been asked what I would like as a present when I retired. I told them that I would just like them to replace all of the tools that they had borrowed from me over the years!
Come the retirement party at Weston on the Green; instead of getting a tool kit, I was presented with the most wonderful oil painting of Belfast XR365 "Silly Old Hector"! It was one of the few occasions in my life when I was speechless.
Imagine my amazement when I discovered that it had painted by Hugh (he had given me absolutely no clues when I had met him at Benson a few weeks before).
"Silly Old Hector" hangs in pride of place in my lounge and I still have not figured out how Hugh has managed to paint it such that the cloud colours change quite dramatically whether it is a bright day or a dull one.
Perhaps it is such hidden talents that allow our Air Trafficers to keep us apart and our Fighter Controllers to get us together.