91 year Spitfire pilot back in the air!

It may surprise some but being called a leftie is not an insult to many people

Ah, so I am a lefty now to add to the other insults that have been thrown at me on these forums? How little you know me.

I agree about the Mirror and, for that matter, pretty well everything that consumes newsprint, but bad reporting and outright lies annoy me and when they drag a decent man into the frame that annoys me even more.

How very, very lefty of me.

Bye.

Nice story but really bored with the ‘Daily Hate’ ‘Daily Heil’ predictable tags, this trend took flight on another forum that has a little cadre of Lefties.

We know the paper is a hysterical and neurotic publication specialising in scaremongering but they do have the occasional interesting aviation story.

The Daily Mirror on the other hand is a waste of paper without the aviation articles!
If the Mail offends you, don’t read it!

The Daily Mail do have a corrections and additions panel on page 2.Perhaps if they had been told they would have corrected it?
Very often they say that it was an agency report error.
mmitch.

Oh, they have been told. There are a number of comments after the article slamming Health and Safety which have been kept in place and I know of at least one asking why they have sullied an otherwise excellent story that has been edited out. There is a comment on there now asking why only ten comments out of 117 posted are visible! Could be the same thing.

Their terms and conditions state that libelous comments are not to be posted when their article is pretty much that about the H&S.

Just in case anyone new to this has not read my posts, I think it right and proper that Eric got his flight and a huge thumbs up to Boultbee for organising it. It is just a shame that a good mans name and reputation has been dragged into it. Eric, in my view, deserves more respect.

Anyway a Result !! Nice pics , Nice guy , nice story …all’s well that ends well ..

Eric Carter

Was not my intention to say Eric did not fly during the BofB. Mulroy and Eric Carter came from 615Sqn.

All I know is the operations that Eric flew with 81Sqn and what Tim flew with 134Sqn whilst with 151Wing.

Nothing to do with rank either.

Great that both got to sit in the back of a TR9 in 2012.

regards

Mark

Eric was around from 1939.

His Sqn was sent to RAF Valley in May 1940 for a rest, and spent the BofB guarding Liverpool by night.

He didn’t miss it….!

The Daily Mail do have a corrections and additions panel on page 2.Perhaps if they had been told they would have corrected it?
Very often they say that it was an agency report error.
mmitch.

Nice ‘good news’ story either way.

Absolutely agree, it is just a shame that he is associated with an unwarranted attack by a major, and influentual, newspaper on an organisation that had nothing to do with the story. H&S have their faults but they were not anywhere near this one. I still think the Daily Fail they should have the extra bit printed on their pages, just perhaps not the one Eric was on. He definitely deserves much better than that!

Operation Benedict

Nice story – crap reporting.

Eric is a lovely guy but he is not the last survivor of Operation Benedict. He is not even the last surviving pilot. I am sure Tim Elkington might have something to say about that!! He was with them in January.

Eric might be the last pilot from 81Sqn and Tim was with 134Sqn (and I am not sure if he is the last with that unit as another was alive a couple of years ago).

Both 81 Squadron and 134Sqn I think had 10-12 pilots to each unit but only 39 Hurricanes. Eric was one of the junior pilots whereas Tim of course was one of the more experienced having flown during the BofB.

http://lend-lease.airforce.ru/english/articles/sheppard/hurricanes/index.htm

Good for them both getting a flight even if in a Spitfire.

Mark

Nice ‘good news’ story either way.

How to ruin a nice story.

Well done.

For once the Mail has a decent article, highlighting the exploits of the veterans we admire, and you have a personal rant.

Met Eric and he is possibly the most pleasant chap of that era that I have ever met. Unassuming, funny and humble about his exploits. Great tale-teller too!

I am sure he is a nice guy and I have nothing but respect for him. I used the words ‘great result’ for the pilot and stand by that. Good luck to him.

As for having a ‘personal rant’, well I was hardly foaming at the mouth, just pointing out that the usual low standards of reporting by the Daily Mail apply even when they are trying to do the right thing. ‘Health and Safety’ even get mentioned and they had nothing to do with anything.

Bad reporting is bad reporting and there is no point in accepting it just when it happens end in a result you (and indeed I) wanted to see.

Agree with Melv- it was a lack of a seat in the Stoke Spitfire 16 rather than ‘health and safety’ that prevented Mr Carter from gaining entry to the cockpit. Very pleased that he has got back in the air in a Spitfire courtesy of Matt and Ratts, well done chaps!

I’m with Melvyn on this- very happy for the pilot, original article in the Daily Hate was very poor reporting as usual current piece quite well done for them but then they do set the bar quite low

How to ruin a nice story.

Well done.

For once the Mail has a decent article, highlighting the exploits of the veterans we admire, and you have a personal rant.

Met Eric and he is possibly the most pleasant chap of that era that I have ever met. Unassuming, funny and humble about his exploits. Great tale-teller too!

Great that he got a flight but the story would not have looked as good if it read ‘Pilot flies in Spitfire that actually has a seat in it unlike the other one he tried’.

A small story blown out of all proportion by one of the worst papers there is ends in a great result for the pilot.

The Daily Mail ought to have ‘now wash your hands’ printed on every sheet as that is all it is fit for.