Who were your childhood flying heroes?
Bus429
Hope you enjoyed your holiday.
There are a number of wartime fighter strips alongside the Stuart Hwy between Darwin and Adelaide River (Spitfire, P-40, Boomerang, Beaufighter in the main). While a couple were maintained up to the mid-80's as emergency landing sites for fast jets (particularly Mirages) out of Darwin, they're falling in to disrepair now.
Darwin, itself was completed just in time for the Japs to bomb it on 19 Feb 1942. The earlier Civil Aerodrome is now Ross Smith Ave.
Bomber strips such as Fenton are similarly in disrepair, although Batchelor, where McArthur landed on Australian soil after his flight from the Philipines, is still very active.
McDonnell(sp?) near Pine Creek is well back from the highway but signposted. It hits you as a surprise when, in the middle of the bush, you suddenly come across a large sealed ex-B25 strip that's still usable.
You're right that the history of the area circa 1941-44 would require its own thread(s). Several books have been written about local operations.
Rather than blather on, if anyone has a specific area of interest, let me know and I'll see what I can provide.
To keep this on thread, everyone who served in this climate (36+C/95% humidity) in the primitive conditions then prevailing qualifies for the 'hero' apellation.
Hope you enjoyed your holiday.
There are a number of wartime fighter strips alongside the Stuart Hwy between Darwin and Adelaide River (Spitfire, P-40, Boomerang, Beaufighter in the main). While a couple were maintained up to the mid-80's as emergency landing sites for fast jets (particularly Mirages) out of Darwin, they're falling in to disrepair now.
Darwin, itself was completed just in time for the Japs to bomb it on 19 Feb 1942. The earlier Civil Aerodrome is now Ross Smith Ave.
Bomber strips such as Fenton are similarly in disrepair, although Batchelor, where McArthur landed on Australian soil after his flight from the Philipines, is still very active.
McDonnell(sp?) near Pine Creek is well back from the highway but signposted. It hits you as a surprise when, in the middle of the bush, you suddenly come across a large sealed ex-B25 strip that's still usable.
You're right that the history of the area circa 1941-44 would require its own thread(s). Several books have been written about local operations.
Rather than blather on, if anyone has a specific area of interest, let me know and I'll see what I can provide.
To keep this on thread, everyone who served in this climate (36+C/95% humidity) in the primitive conditions then prevailing qualifies for the 'hero' apellation.
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Gainesy - sorry, a little bit late coming back on this, but you mentioned a Beaufighter flying at Finningley around '62; I thought the last one flew in the Far East in 1960, but would love to be proved wrong. After all, it was a few years before my arrival...
Looking forward to seeing a Beau take to the air again (eventually!)
Looking forward to seeing a Beau take to the air again (eventually!)
Yes, Him
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BeauMan,
It was around 62, but could have been 61 (or 60 or 63--long time ago). The aircraft underside was in yellow/black diagonal stripes, I think the top/sides were silver and it had a long/deep (dorsal) fin strake.
I'll never forget the noise it made, just a faint whistling as it approached, then you could just hear the engines as it drew level, then "full piston audio" as it departed.
I think it was last operated by one of the target tug flights in Malta or Singapore. It did not land at FY so may have appeared at other BoB shows in that year as many stations were open and aircraft would tour the various venues throught the day.
Love to hear/see one fly again, that was the only time I ever did. Didn't some of them get flogged to Portugal as target tugs?
It was around 62, but could have been 61 (or 60 or 63--long time ago). The aircraft underside was in yellow/black diagonal stripes, I think the top/sides were silver and it had a long/deep (dorsal) fin strake.
I'll never forget the noise it made, just a faint whistling as it approached, then you could just hear the engines as it drew level, then "full piston audio" as it departed.
I think it was last operated by one of the target tug flights in Malta or Singapore. It did not land at FY so may have appeared at other BoB shows in that year as many stations were open and aircraft would tour the various venues throught the day.
Love to hear/see one fly again, that was the only time I ever did. Didn't some of them get flogged to Portugal as target tugs?
The only reference I can find states that 'May 12 1960 saw the last flight by a Beaufighter in RAF service when a TT10 (RD 761) made its final trip as a target-tower from RAF Seletar'.
The TT10 did indeed have the yellow and black diagonal underside markings; whilst the last RAF operational sortie was made in 1960, what happened to the Beaus after then?
The TT10 did indeed have the yellow and black diagonal underside markings; whilst the last RAF operational sortie was made in 1960, what happened to the Beaus after then?
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My hero has to be Douglas Bader and Grp Capt Duncan Smith their stories have put pride into my heart and willed me to fly and fly and fly!!!.
Ohh and my first experience flight when I was in air cadets!!. >-)--
Happy flying to you all!!!
Int. <img src="tongue.gif" border="0">
[ 06 January 2002: Message edited by: Intersection ]</p>
Ohh and my first experience flight when I was in air cadets!!. >-)--
Happy flying to you all!!!
Int. <img src="tongue.gif" border="0">
[ 06 January 2002: Message edited by: Intersection ]</p>
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Stan Sted - Yes, there's an ex-Aussie Mk21 (A19-144) being restored by The Fighter Collection at Duxford. There's also the ex- RAF Halton 'Cockpit Classroom' Mk 1F (X7688) being restored by Skysport Engineering; that's the beast I help out with.
Gainesy - Thanks for the description of how the Beau sounded. I'm a bit young to have ever heard one, unfortunately.
Talking of the Cockpit Classroom, and bearing in mind the wealth of experience of many on this forum, this seems like quite a good place to ask whether anyone here has any memories of X7688 while she was attached to a hut at Halton...?
Gainesy - Thanks for the description of how the Beau sounded. I'm a bit young to have ever heard one, unfortunately.
Talking of the Cockpit Classroom, and bearing in mind the wealth of experience of many on this forum, this seems like quite a good place to ask whether anyone here has any memories of X7688 while she was attached to a hut at Halton...?
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In about 1947 in Akron, Ohio were several thousand Corsairs were built, my dad would walk me down to the airport on Saturday mornings when the National Guard would fly. The airplanes taxied out , ran up, and disappeared. BIg Deal ! But on the way home we went past a railroad yard . They stayed there for hours, hissed for no explainable reason, and were enormous up close. Sooo, I didnt have any childhood heroes. Now however I have a couple. Wayne Handley ,who invented aerobatic maneuvers and did the best airshows I have ever seen. Unfortunately a couple years ago the engine of his aircraft on the down side of a loop done right after take-off and he has retired.. His aircraft weighed 1500 lbs. and had a 750 HP engine. It climbed to 10,000 feet in 90 seconds. The other is Ernst Udet. Not for his association with the Nazis but only for his ability to fly. Ive seen movies and it was spectacular. I met a pilot who said he never flew aerobatics at a show if Udet was there because he did not want to embarass himself.
Aviation heroes? Mine always was and always will be Smithy regardless of what revisionist historians tell us. For sheer empathy with an aeroplane he was the greatest. Coming a close second is P.G. Taylor who was something special because he could also write about flying, which he did brilliantly in several books. Taylor's heroism in the mid-air oil transfer in the Southern Cross over the Tasman while Smithy kept the crippled aeroplane airborne will take some beating.
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Hmm, everyone seems to have pounced on all my usual heroes... however there's one that dear to my heart that has been omitted thus far:
Francis Chichester was obvious dead, dead famous for sailing around the world all on his tod. Fair enough, but few people remember that he was actually a fairly accomplished pilot in his youth. His first 'boat' was actually a DeHavilland Gypsy Moth fitted with leaky floats. In this he decided to cross the straits between New Zealand and Australia, no mean feat in those days.
In order to save himself the embarrassment of missing his fuel stop on some diddy little island halfway across, he literally invented a new method of navigation using compass and stopwatch which seemed to have worked 'cos he lived to tell the tale.
The book which is as badly written as the rest of 'em is called Solo to Sydney. Badly written or not, his description of his feelings as he crossed the straits had my heart firmly in my mouth for page after page.
He actually got as far as Japan on this floatplane trip, but it all ended in tears when he hit a cable stretched across some harbour mouth or other. He decided to taken up sailing after that. Of course, he simply had to name his boats after his first love...
TW
Francis Chichester was obvious dead, dead famous for sailing around the world all on his tod. Fair enough, but few people remember that he was actually a fairly accomplished pilot in his youth. His first 'boat' was actually a DeHavilland Gypsy Moth fitted with leaky floats. In this he decided to cross the straits between New Zealand and Australia, no mean feat in those days.
In order to save himself the embarrassment of missing his fuel stop on some diddy little island halfway across, he literally invented a new method of navigation using compass and stopwatch which seemed to have worked 'cos he lived to tell the tale.
The book which is as badly written as the rest of 'em is called Solo to Sydney. Badly written or not, his description of his feelings as he crossed the straits had my heart firmly in my mouth for page after page.
He actually got as far as Japan on this floatplane trip, but it all ended in tears when he hit a cable stretched across some harbour mouth or other. He decided to taken up sailing after that. Of course, he simply had to name his boats after his first love...
TW
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This is my first posting on this forum so Hello to everyone.
I have many heros, mainly from WWII. My greatest admiration goes to Adolf Galland. I have read his book 'The First and The Last' and thoroughly enjoyed his experiences, thoughts and views both on air combat, aircraft development and the German High Command. I certainly don't share the views of the Nazi Party (no flames please) as neither did Mr Galland.
My real hero though has to me my uncle. During WWII he was a Lancaster pilot. As a mere teenager he had to deal with the full horrors of war. When I was 13 (back in 1979) I sat down with him at a cousins wedding and we chatted all night. I remember asking him about bombing the German people and watched his face as he looked back at me in sorrow. He said he couldn't talk about it and hoped those kind of events never had to happen again. He then quickly changed the subject and told me about his Spitfire incident just after the war. Apparently he was showing off and managend clip the wing of the Spit on a church steeple. Big trouble at HQ he said with a cheeky grin. Maybe this is B**S as he wanted to change subject maybe not. For me he is my true hero.
Why I like avaition I cannot say and I really do not recall when it all started. Maybe it was the film 'Battle of Britain'. I had those Dinky toys of the Spit and 109. Then I started building airfix kits. They got bigger and metaphorically turned into R/C models. By 16 I wanted to fly for real. I enrolled to join the Fleet Air Arm. Did the usual assessment at Biggin and then went to HMS Sultan at Gosport. However it wasn't to be.
Now I still fly R/C models including helicopters. PC flight simulators are my latest immersion. I am also a regular visitor to flying displays such a Duxford, Biggen, and Shoreham. The 60th Lancaster celebrations last year where particularly moving for me.
For me there is no cure. My wife just has to live with it bless her.
All the best.
Graham.
I have many heros, mainly from WWII. My greatest admiration goes to Adolf Galland. I have read his book 'The First and The Last' and thoroughly enjoyed his experiences, thoughts and views both on air combat, aircraft development and the German High Command. I certainly don't share the views of the Nazi Party (no flames please) as neither did Mr Galland.
My real hero though has to me my uncle. During WWII he was a Lancaster pilot. As a mere teenager he had to deal with the full horrors of war. When I was 13 (back in 1979) I sat down with him at a cousins wedding and we chatted all night. I remember asking him about bombing the German people and watched his face as he looked back at me in sorrow. He said he couldn't talk about it and hoped those kind of events never had to happen again. He then quickly changed the subject and told me about his Spitfire incident just after the war. Apparently he was showing off and managend clip the wing of the Spit on a church steeple. Big trouble at HQ he said with a cheeky grin. Maybe this is B**S as he wanted to change subject maybe not. For me he is my true hero.
Why I like avaition I cannot say and I really do not recall when it all started. Maybe it was the film 'Battle of Britain'. I had those Dinky toys of the Spit and 109. Then I started building airfix kits. They got bigger and metaphorically turned into R/C models. By 16 I wanted to fly for real. I enrolled to join the Fleet Air Arm. Did the usual assessment at Biggin and then went to HMS Sultan at Gosport. However it wasn't to be.
Now I still fly R/C models including helicopters. PC flight simulators are my latest immersion. I am also a regular visitor to flying displays such a Duxford, Biggen, and Shoreham. The 60th Lancaster celebrations last year where particularly moving for me.
For me there is no cure. My wife just has to live with it bless her.
All the best.
Graham.
I note that the names Tuck and Galland have come up a few times in this forum. It's not something I like to boast about but I feel that I can now reveal with all due humility that I flew with Tuck and Galland.
Unfortunately, propriety demands that I also reveal that it was in October 1980 on a scheduled Southwest B737 from Harlingen to Dallas when all three of us were returning (independently - that's another confession) from the Confederate Air Force Airsho. I did get their autographs though.
Cheers
Unfortunately, propriety demands that I also reveal that it was in October 1980 on a scheduled Southwest B737 from Harlingen to Dallas when all three of us were returning (independently - that's another confession) from the Confederate Air Force Airsho. I did get their autographs though.
Cheers
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What got me into this aviation lark? Apparently I was taken to the local airfield (Roborough) to watch RN midshipmen bounce Tiger Moths around the circuit in the very early 1960s. I was three at the time and couldn't be dragged away until flying ceased.
Heros? Oh so many. But grateful thanks to the Piper Aztec pilot who lifted me as a 7 year old over the airport hedge to sit in the cockpit of his air taxi. I've never forgotten.
Since then i've progressed through watching aeroplanes, making models of them, loading baggage on them, cleaning them, flying them and now controlling them. AND NEVER REGRETTED A SINGLE DAY.
Bex
Heros? Oh so many. But grateful thanks to the Piper Aztec pilot who lifted me as a 7 year old over the airport hedge to sit in the cockpit of his air taxi. I've never forgotten.
Since then i've progressed through watching aeroplanes, making models of them, loading baggage on them, cleaning them, flying them and now controlling them. AND NEVER REGRETTED A SINGLE DAY.
Bex
Great bloke, Neville Duke! Did a trip from Brawdy in the late 70s when we launched a 4-ship to 'greet' Neville in a T-bird with our OC Ops Wg inbound from sunny Dunny. Press ignored our 25th Hunter anniversary event - the Spams had landed something on Mars and most journos present just wanted piccies of our Meteor F8 ('Winston') and JFACTSU's first camo'd JP4..............
Do a Hover - it avoids G
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Since Adolph Galland's name has cropped up a few times may I say that I had the privilege of meeting him at the Hannover show in 71. I had XV276 (first DB Harrier) there and Bill Bedford brought him to see it. He asked me what it was like to hover I said easy and told him what you had to do. Then I asked him what it was like to shoot and he said easy, I will show you what you have to do. He then took us down town to a shooting gallery and proceeded to punch the bull out of target after target with a pistol. I could see I was in trouble when he said we will now see who are the best shots the RAF or the Luftwaffe. I think I got two outers and the rest were in the roof. Bad night. He was funny, charming, a real gentlman with no side to him but he was clearly born to win and lead.
As to my heros, I had a heroine (nothing funny about me) Hanna Reitsch. Best tp the Germans ever had in my view, but thats another story. I met her in the US when she happened to be in an elevator that I got into - by chance we were going to the same SETP do. Came over quite funny I did. What my spinster Aunt Mabel used to call nearly swooning I think.
As to my heros, I had a heroine (nothing funny about me) Hanna Reitsch. Best tp the Germans ever had in my view, but thats another story. I met her in the US when she happened to be in an elevator that I got into - by chance we were going to the same SETP do. Came over quite funny I did. What my spinster Aunt Mabel used to call nearly swooning I think.
JF - some years ago (1970?) there was a book published about the making of the movie 'Battle of Britain'. I well remember that 'Dolfo' Galland was given the chance of a trip in a 2-seater Bouchon and proceeded to wring it out in inimitable style - culminating in the famous Galland pushover to inverted flypast! Probably the first time he'd done it in 25 years!
Some 25 years later I was involved in some training at Furstenfeldbruck where we were looked after very well by our Lufwaffe hosts. In their Officers' Mess dining room they had massive portraits of famous WW1 pilots - we asked "When do you think that you'll be allowed to put 'Dolfo' Galland or Joachim Marseille up there with those chaps?". Our GAF host was somewhat perplexed - "Regrettably we cannot do this. Only we pilots understand the difference between flying and politics". I told him that we knew that Galland and Tuck were friends, although Bader had never been able to forgive any Germans for WW2 - and we all thought that it was high time that the leadership and flying skills of chaps like Galland were recognised. We had a good aircrew session, lubricated by copious 'Mad King Ludwigs' and the odd Jaegermeister or three....
[ 11 January 2002: Message edited by: BEagle ]</p>
Some 25 years later I was involved in some training at Furstenfeldbruck where we were looked after very well by our Lufwaffe hosts. In their Officers' Mess dining room they had massive portraits of famous WW1 pilots - we asked "When do you think that you'll be allowed to put 'Dolfo' Galland or Joachim Marseille up there with those chaps?". Our GAF host was somewhat perplexed - "Regrettably we cannot do this. Only we pilots understand the difference between flying and politics". I told him that we knew that Galland and Tuck were friends, although Bader had never been able to forgive any Germans for WW2 - and we all thought that it was high time that the leadership and flying skills of chaps like Galland were recognised. We had a good aircrew session, lubricated by copious 'Mad King Ludwigs' and the odd Jaegermeister or three....
[ 11 January 2002: Message edited by: BEagle ]</p>
Do a Hover - it avoids G
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BEags. Sometimes people are more appreciated abroad than at home....like Michael Wibault who took his idea of vectored thrust to M Dassault (in 1955/6)and got sent off with a flea in 'is ear.
Really - what a mistakea to makea!
I guess that explains the various lift jet Mirage derivatives in the 60s? No nice simple vectored thrust - just clumsy lft jets. If memory serves they were the Balzac which was a 9-engined Mirage 3 (8 lift jets and an Orpheus) and the Mirage III-V with 8 rather more powerful lift jets and a large Snecma afterburning cruise engine. The Balzac crashed a couple of times and the MIII-V had so little fuel/payload that it wasn't continued with?
Unlike the very much more efficient Harrier...!!
Incidentally, thanks for the picture and details of the vectored thrust Meteor (the ground photo was taken at Merryfield, I'm convinced, as I recognise that unusual tree in the background which would have been in the right place if the photo was taken from next to Westland's tunnels). But what escape system was envisaged for the pilot when flying at minimum approach speeds fully-vectored? If an engine failed, Vmca would surely have been massively in excess of normal with the larger engines - and the zero/zero bang seat hadn't been invented then? Presumably the low speed end of the trials envelope was only carried out at altitude - or did some brave TP risk himself in it making real landings?
[ 13 January 2002: Message edited by: BEagle ]</p>
I guess that explains the various lift jet Mirage derivatives in the 60s? No nice simple vectored thrust - just clumsy lft jets. If memory serves they were the Balzac which was a 9-engined Mirage 3 (8 lift jets and an Orpheus) and the Mirage III-V with 8 rather more powerful lift jets and a large Snecma afterburning cruise engine. The Balzac crashed a couple of times and the MIII-V had so little fuel/payload that it wasn't continued with?
Unlike the very much more efficient Harrier...!!
Incidentally, thanks for the picture and details of the vectored thrust Meteor (the ground photo was taken at Merryfield, I'm convinced, as I recognise that unusual tree in the background which would have been in the right place if the photo was taken from next to Westland's tunnels). But what escape system was envisaged for the pilot when flying at minimum approach speeds fully-vectored? If an engine failed, Vmca would surely have been massively in excess of normal with the larger engines - and the zero/zero bang seat hadn't been invented then? Presumably the low speed end of the trials envelope was only carried out at altitude - or did some brave TP risk himself in it making real landings?
[ 13 January 2002: Message edited by: BEagle ]</p>
Do a Hover - it avoids G
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I’ve never heard anyone call lift jets clumsy, but I take your point that they did turn out to be less than desirable. Aero Flight boffins at Bedford had a couple of SC1 s and the first P1127 in the mid 60’s and were trying to make the case for going one way or the other. The SC1 had lovely hover handling compared to the P1127 (thanks to the latter’s intake momentum drag making it directionally unstable at mid transition speeds and below) but it was a bit of a nightmare to operate as it was a five engined bomber that you flew by yourself. Starting the lift donks had to be left to a couple of miles out because of lack of fuel and it took a long time…
Clive Rustin, then my boss, was going to fly the Balzac around 66 but a yank ran out of fuel in the hover a few weeks before his slot and that was that. The trouble with the delta winged Balzac and ditto Mirage IIIV, was that they could only increase the wing lift when accelerating towards wingborne speeds by going to classic delta high AOA. That pointed the lift jets forward so slowing you down again. Hence they needed to get a lot of height from the VTO and dive down through the transition.
I am told that only one pilot flew the deflected jet Meteor with the deflection selected and that it was all very disappointing. It had no augmentation of the flying controls so how they expected to fly much slower than the standard stalling speed is not clear – even disregarding the lack of bang seat and so on. Plus the deflected percentage was not that high. Even 15 years later RAE had still not really got the control message, and remained obsessed with showing high lift without high V. So it came to pass that the H126 could be flown at a Cl max of 7 (yes seven) but because you could not control it properly you used normal numbers like 2 to land.
But then I always say every book in every library has got it wrong when they talk about the “Stability and Control of aircraft” They should be called the “Control and Stability of aircraft”. Just like the Wrights understood. All off topic and its all your fault.
Clive Rustin, then my boss, was going to fly the Balzac around 66 but a yank ran out of fuel in the hover a few weeks before his slot and that was that. The trouble with the delta winged Balzac and ditto Mirage IIIV, was that they could only increase the wing lift when accelerating towards wingborne speeds by going to classic delta high AOA. That pointed the lift jets forward so slowing you down again. Hence they needed to get a lot of height from the VTO and dive down through the transition.
I am told that only one pilot flew the deflected jet Meteor with the deflection selected and that it was all very disappointing. It had no augmentation of the flying controls so how they expected to fly much slower than the standard stalling speed is not clear – even disregarding the lack of bang seat and so on. Plus the deflected percentage was not that high. Even 15 years later RAE had still not really got the control message, and remained obsessed with showing high lift without high V. So it came to pass that the H126 could be flown at a Cl max of 7 (yes seven) but because you could not control it properly you used normal numbers like 2 to land.
But then I always say every book in every library has got it wrong when they talk about the “Stability and Control of aircraft” They should be called the “Control and Stability of aircraft”. Just like the Wrights understood. All off topic and its all your fault.
Mea culpa regarding the off-thread comments. Sorry!
Lift jets clumsy - OK, not so much 'clumsy' as 'an inelegant engineering solution'. Carrying 8 lift engines around in the Balzac or MIII-V (or 4 in the SCI?) seems rather a compromise to fuel/payload in a military aeroplane? Incidentally, didn't the Spam total the M111-V rather than the BalzacV (which itself claimed 2 pilots in 2 fatals)?
I would hate to have been at the helm of a Meatbox with 2 Nenes bellowing away at 70 KIAS and only aerodynamic control available rather than reaction controls.....and to have had an engine fail during a low speed go-around!!
The instability of the P1127 due to intake momentum drag has been well described on this site thanks to your excellent posts, but the stability of a slender delta accelerating away from the hover at high AoA must have been pretty eye-watering! I guess one lifted out of ground effect into the highest possible hover that thrust/fuel/bravery allowed, ensured that the cruise engine was working OK, whacked it straight into max AB and frantically pitched forward to maintain the AoA inside safe limits whilst hoping to avoid the ground? It must have been very entertaining to watch! From a safe distance!!
Mind you, the Yak 141 some Farnboroughs ago was pretty dramatic in its transition - it seemed to take most of Hampshire to slow down!! Not to mention winning the trophy for the number of car alarms it could set off at once - and another for melting the runway!
Oops - off topic still. Other childhood flying heroes? The chap at Merryfield air display on 18 Sep 1954 who fulfilled the air display brochure statement "It is hoped that the Flying Display will include the following:- ....Breaking the sound barrier by a Sabre of Fighter Command" He did that alright - it made little lads like me jump out of their skin!!
[ 13 January 2002: Message edited by: BEagle ]</p>
Lift jets clumsy - OK, not so much 'clumsy' as 'an inelegant engineering solution'. Carrying 8 lift engines around in the Balzac or MIII-V (or 4 in the SCI?) seems rather a compromise to fuel/payload in a military aeroplane? Incidentally, didn't the Spam total the M111-V rather than the BalzacV (which itself claimed 2 pilots in 2 fatals)?
I would hate to have been at the helm of a Meatbox with 2 Nenes bellowing away at 70 KIAS and only aerodynamic control available rather than reaction controls.....and to have had an engine fail during a low speed go-around!!
The instability of the P1127 due to intake momentum drag has been well described on this site thanks to your excellent posts, but the stability of a slender delta accelerating away from the hover at high AoA must have been pretty eye-watering! I guess one lifted out of ground effect into the highest possible hover that thrust/fuel/bravery allowed, ensured that the cruise engine was working OK, whacked it straight into max AB and frantically pitched forward to maintain the AoA inside safe limits whilst hoping to avoid the ground? It must have been very entertaining to watch! From a safe distance!!
Mind you, the Yak 141 some Farnboroughs ago was pretty dramatic in its transition - it seemed to take most of Hampshire to slow down!! Not to mention winning the trophy for the number of car alarms it could set off at once - and another for melting the runway!
Oops - off topic still. Other childhood flying heroes? The chap at Merryfield air display on 18 Sep 1954 who fulfilled the air display brochure statement "It is hoped that the Flying Display will include the following:- ....Breaking the sound barrier by a Sabre of Fighter Command" He did that alright - it made little lads like me jump out of their skin!!
[ 13 January 2002: Message edited by: BEagle ]</p>