Voyage of the Humming Bird
I think the article on the Humming bird summed up Neil's attitude towards flying.
He enjoyed flying a 30mph machine because it was a challenge, and he was prepared to mentor anyone wishing to improve their aerobatics.
When he was using our miniscule 'club room' at the top of steep stairs at RH he was instantly recognised by his lightweight blue jacket rather than a badge adorned flying suit. In fact he seemed to wear that jacket regardless of the aircraft flown, and it also included evening trips to Reigate for an ad hoc TC meal.
We were so lucky to have him around watching over the hooligan element and providing such a friendly input to our activities.
We had to demonstrate a new display routine to him at a pre season shake down that had the team with a new leader and 50% new pilots. Neil and James Black positioned themselves on the airfield to assess our efforts, but without prior knowledge of the display content (still in development stage).
Suffice to say it ended up low and complicated but Neil's debrief was very short and to the point. 'It was like a clip from Hells Angels' good luck with the season.
Last edited by POBJOY; 12th Dec 2017 at 19:00.