Who were your childhood flying heroes?
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: gauteng
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I'm disappointed, no-one remembers my radio show in the 50's? I know that I spurred one young lad at least, but I suppose there are not many of you here that were around then. Now where's my glasses and blanket?
As an eight year old living in Cranbrook when the Battle of Britain got under way I was also an unpaid junior member of the Royal Observer Corps. Each day after school and at week-ends I would help man the Cranbrook ROC post armed with nothing but my catapult and two eyeballs Mk I. Biggles and Rockfist Rogan in the Champion comic were my heroes and then every RAF fighter pilot after that. I could spot Heinkels and Messerschmitts at Angels One Five quicker than my old Uncle Alf who was 57 then. I spotted the Jerries and he manned the Lee Enfield rifle and the telephone to whoever.
Later when I flew Lincolns I met some real live heroes who survived Lancs and Halifaxes over Europe. If you are interested in that era from the viewpoint of young boy in Kent then you are welcome to email me at [email protected] and I will send you by return email a story I wrote called " A Blackbird and a Messerschmitt on a Tree". The reason for the strange title is found in the last line of the story. This is not advertising, but the story is gathering dust on my hard drive so to speak, and someone might just enjoy reading it.
Later when I flew Lincolns I met some real live heroes who survived Lancs and Halifaxes over Europe. If you are interested in that era from the viewpoint of young boy in Kent then you are welcome to email me at [email protected] and I will send you by return email a story I wrote called " A Blackbird and a Messerschmitt on a Tree". The reason for the strange title is found in the last line of the story. This is not advertising, but the story is gathering dust on my hard drive so to speak, and someone might just enjoy reading it.
Dad was a F/E on Halifaxes (crewed the famous Friday the 13th) more than once, an uncle was a WOP/AG on Bleheims and big bro was into trains and aeroplanes. The aeroplanes won it for me and I devoured Biggles books and any thing about flying, mmostly WW2 orientated. Pierre CLosterman's Big Show was my favorite.
One of the officers in my ATC Squadron was also a hero. When we were being instructed by the younger officer on how to bale out of a chippie before we went for our first air experience flight he chimed in with " bloody rubbish son, I've jumped out of a Hurricane, a Spitfire and a Typhoon and I just jumped. Don't arse about, get out".
Regarding the last Beau flight mentioned above, one of the mags, Flypast I think, said that the last Beau flight was in Seletar in 1960. I can remember reading that the last flight was in 68 by a target tug in Malta. Why oh why were they scrapped.
One of the officers in my ATC Squadron was also a hero. When we were being instructed by the younger officer on how to bale out of a chippie before we went for our first air experience flight he chimed in with " bloody rubbish son, I've jumped out of a Hurricane, a Spitfire and a Typhoon and I just jumped. Don't arse about, get out".
Regarding the last Beau flight mentioned above, one of the mags, Flypast I think, said that the last Beau flight was in Seletar in 1960. I can remember reading that the last flight was in 68 by a target tug in Malta. Why oh why were they scrapped.
Oh, and the Sea Fury pilot at St. Athan in the late 60's and his colleague in an F-4 turning withing the boundary of the airfield and you couldn't see the wings because of the contrails. He must have been at the highest alpha he could have pulled. Brilliant.
