On 6th August 2011 at 14:33 a Forum member called Melv. said :-
I flew from Portsmouth Airport (now a huge housing estate) in a DH Rapide in 1956 from the airfield to Bembridge IoW. The fare for a child was 17/6d return (!) I was just 10years old. The Pilot was Jackie Moggridge.
On 20th July 1956 my sister and I (age 9) and our ex-WWII RAF Pilot (as a passenger), flew from Bembridge to Portsmouth in the Rapide and I still remember when I stepped off the aircraft a rather imposing gent said “and what did you think of being flown by a Woman Eh? She’s the fist ever female Commercial pilot.” Asa 9year old, I thought nothing of it at all. But as I am now building a Radio Controlled model of the first aircraft I ever flew in, I needed to research the Registration number and colour scheme. After many blind alleys and wrong assumptions, I was indeed led to Jackie Moggeridge. It is only this week that her daughter very kindly went through her mothers logbooks and found the entry that exactly fits the date we flew. It was a Scheduled : Flight Portsmouth-Bembridge-Portsmouth. Sadly I was not taken up to a front seat. In fact the pilot very much kept herself to herself and I am sure nobody aboard was aware the pilot was a woman.
MELV – if you are still there ! I would love to share memories. And is there any other oldies out there who flew that route?
By: Ian.L_1 - 6th August 2024 at 13:57
If you are interested in Jackie Moggridge see Channel 4 Series Women on the Frontline 2nd episode on Saturday 10th August at 7pm
By: dhfan - 16th July 2024 at 09:20
Indeed. Adrian_Gray said that MH had died – in February 2021 – and I confirmed that Melv was not his username.
By: Ian.L_1 - 15th July 2024 at 15:19
Thankyou for the information but, unless I have misunderstood, according to another member, the “Melv” who left the post in 2009 to which I was referring, is not your sadly missed colleague.
By: R6915 - 15th July 2024 at 14:49
I note you are new to this Forum – and welcome. You may not have noted that Melvyn Hiscock died after a miserable battle with cancer – I’m open to an accurate correction, here, but I think it was early 2023. His loss was widely reported in the aviation press and he remains a much missed friend to many of us.
By: Ian.L_1 - 15th July 2024 at 11:50
Are the forum managers allowed to look up the membership details of “Melv” and message him if he is still contactable?
By: dhfan - 14th July 2024 at 17:45
“Melv” is likely not the late Melvyn Hiscock. As I recall, his username was his full name.
Edit: Did a google search. It definitely was his full name so not that Melvyn.
By: Ian.L_1 - 14th July 2024 at 14:32
Thankyou so much. I had seen similar pics but not those exact two. Jackie had both RN and JZ in her logbook. At least I know from the colour scrapped pics, the colour scheme for my model.
By: Fargo Boyle - 14th July 2024 at 10:34
Found a picture of G-AKRN taken at Portsmouth in 1958, with Jackie Moggeridge named as the pilot – maybe this one? Also a colour picture of it on the scrapheap. Links only as I don’t have permission to publish
By: Ian.L_1 - 13th July 2024 at 22:38
Thankyou Adrian for telling me what I hoped was not so. Perhaps Jackie met him and took him to a front seat again. A lot of those I shared my time with through those better, if naive times are getting to the head of that flight queue.
By: adrian_gray - 13th July 2024 at 19:17
If Melv was Melvyn Hiscock, I’m afraid he now flies in bluer skies.
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July 13, 2024 at 3:43 pm