I was eleven for this show - as a childhood Farnborough fanatic. Marvellous video Beags thanks! By the time I got into the Air Force, there was one very senior officer still flying his "own" Meteor and one flight line of Vampires, flyable but for maintenance instruction only. Of course Canberras still in service. But it is great seeing those long- forgotten types - the "insurance" Sperrin, the Vulcan aerodynamic models (one of which was still flying when I got in), the shiny new Valiant. The days when we as a country could still actually DO things. How far we have fallen.

His "own" Meteor
 

Being evidently of the same age as Royalist and another habitué of the Farnborough airshows of that era, I wonder whom he knew to have his “own” Meteor – AM Sir Richard Atcherley ?

I well remember that the Commandant of CFS (in my time Air Cdre Bird-Wilson) owned his “own” Mosquito. I will not have been the only course student to sit behind its windscreen and imagine an Amiens-type attack on the hangar in front of me (and speculate about the discomfort of my imaginary nav).

BEagle,

Thank you for a wonderful wallow in nostalgia ! - how many types, in service and experimental, we could field then - the contrast with today is pitiful.

Many names completely forgotten now (at least by me), but then could trip off the lips of any schoolboy. Loved the fairweather cumulus background in the early part (the photographer was lucky there), and the clever way the head- on shots were presented, with the subjects sashaying to the camera.

And oh, those 'greaser' landings !

A beautiful piece of work altogether - brings a lump to the throat, it do !

Was young then, at Valley with 20 Squadron, flying Spitfires and Vampires, and had a few training hours at Driffield on the Meteor, but no more.

Eheu, fugaces....

Danny.

PS: Once heard a story that an (Ambassador ?) display aircraft couldn't start one engine; but was light, stripped out inside and little fuel. Test Pilot managed to take off on one. That brought the house down !

Any truth in it ?

G-CPTN (your #20)
Story: After landing at Filton on its first test flight, Bill Pegg (the Test Pilot) was supposed to have been asked by the excited reporters: "What's it like to fly a great big aircraft like this ?"

Bill thought for a moment, then replied: "Don't know really - I just flew the front end and the rest followed on behind ".

Don't know if it's true.

Danny.

Forbiden thingies
 

I recall a movement that was "interesting" in the Chippy, though nothing as clever as this lot, called the Porteus . One entered a stall turn about ten knots faster than usual and at what would be the stalling speed in wingborne flight full in spin rudder and elevator was applied causing a sort of spin but in the vertical plane, centralising when once round or thereabouts and then completing a fairly normal stall turn recovery Done nicely it looked good but felt horrible. It was supposed to be very bad for the airframe and was eventually banned.seems it caused many loose rivets down the back end

Did porteous loops with Fred L. (my ex-Javelin NF pilot turned QFI) over Nottingham during our night flying phase at 2FTS Syerston - never really understood what what was happening but wouldn't have missed it for the world ... and that was what flying was all about for a aviation mad 19 year old,,,,, oh!

Quite believable Danny. When the Aero Commander was introduced they did a demonstration flight from Oklahoma to Washington on one engine. Had to be one engine because one prop was stored in the cabin.

the Porteous loop
 

I did over twenty years of Air Experience flying on Chipmunks and Bulldogs.

The check rides would often include a full-deflection entry to the spin, from right-way-up. My logic was that to do the same thing upside down was essentially no more dangerous or destructive. So my version of the Porteous loop was just that, half way through an ordinary loop.

Cautious not to cause unnecessary trouble, I did not discuss this with fellow instructors but offered it freely to the sort of young customers who might be amused by it.

I think the manoeuvre that Tinribs described (#25) was liable from time to time to end in a tail-slide, which was never going to be how mine would fail. For me a tail-slide both felt horrible and, if you did not hold firmly to the rudder and elevator, no doubt loosened rivets.

Re personal Aircraft
Group Captain (later Air Chief Marshal) Denis Smallwood was Station Commander at Biggin Hill when I was there 1953-55. With two auxiliary squadrons (600 & 615) and one regular squadron (41), Biggin’s normal working week was Wednesday to Sunday. ISTR that at the end of the working week on Sunday, the CO was in the habit of flying off to Honiley in a Meteor (one of 41’s perhaps), returning first thing on Wednesday.

Don’t think the Meteor he used was a “personal” one, but his weekly trips to the Midlands (to see family – perhaps?) was well known on the station as he tended to be off late on Sunday as the last of Biggin’s weekend flyers returned to base.

his "own" Meteor
 

I entered the service in 1958 at the age of 18. Royalist tells us that he is of the same age. Surely Meteors were confined to training and trials by then. I am expecting Royalist to name a commandant at Farnborough, Boscombe or Manby (where "Splinters" was 1961-63) or otherwise a very senior HQ figure of the time. I only mentioned "Batchy" because he arrived once by Meteor at Cranwell while I was there.

Hi,

I realise this is a little late but I can remember my Dad saying that when he was flying Meteor NF11's that quite a few guys tried Zurabatics, (cartwheel), and they all failed because the F4 didn't have the thrust and the F8 didn't have the inertia, (i..e couldn't put rockets and tip tanks outboard).

Slightly off topic but has anyone else thought the Supermarine 508 was just a Fouga Magister on steroids, i.e. straight wing, vee tail, 2 engines in the wing roots?

Regards
Mark

Not sure how you came to that conclusion about the Supermarine 508, given that it flew a year before the CM.170 and was about 3x the latters's MTOM.....

Yes, okay I should of said the Magister was atoned down 508. Just an thought, great minds think alike.