Alan Hall – RIP

I remember the day I wandered into 3 New Plaistow Road to buy a copy of Aviation News No.1; I was directed to the converted garages at the back and introduced myself.

“While you’re here would you mind sorting through that stack of photos and sticking them in the filing cabinets?”

“Sure”

That was my introduction to Alan (and Jerry Scutts) – somehow I stayed for over a year. My first paid job after graduating!

Got me into all of my writing & publishing.

Great memories – thanks mate!

Gordon Riley

I only met him once at Mildenhall, but I will never forget meeting him.

RIP

Tim S

Likewise, I met Mr Hall once, at an IPMS Show in Perth, a few years ago. He had his Warpaint series with him : I’d been trying to get hold of the ‘Buccaneer’ Warpaint (then out of print) : he said he would look into the possibility of a reprint of that and several more similar OOP titles. Which he subsequently did. Thank you, Mr H.
I have a fond memory of leaving him, surrounded by admirers, amidst clouds of smoke billowing from his pipe. (One could do such things in public places then, in less non-PC times.) We are left poorer by his leaving.

I only met him once at Mildenhall, but I will never forget meeting him.

RIP

Tim S

Very sad news indeed. Uncle Alan was a temperamental old sod but he was great company and we jobbing writers and photographers had a lot of respect for him. I had my very first article published (with his guidance) in Aviation News. He did a great deal and he’ll be missed I’m sure. RIP

Tim

I only met Alan occasionally but over the years corresponded with him regularly as he published many of my photos and some articles. His knowledge of and enthusiasm for aviation knew no bounds and he inspired many budding authors. A real doyen of aircraft publishing R.I.P.

Tim

Ask senior aviation people today how they were first inspired to get into the business, and a high proportion of the answers will contain the words ‘Biggles’ or ‘Airfix’. And if you took your kits seriously, then you bought Airfix magazine.

In that way Alan Hall must have been responsible for starting the careers of literally hundreds of people in the industry. That’s quite an achievement.

Someone in a magazine article referred to the concoction of dope and talcum powder used to seal balsa wood for painting as ‘Alan Hall’s mixture’. Worth remembering the next time…RIP

Blue Skies Mr. Hall

Although I never had the pleasure of meeting the man, his work has long been educational and inspirational to me.

Thanks for the post Richard.

James

I’m absolutely gutted- I only received an email from him the other day concerning the B-26 Marauder Warpaint and the efforts being made to clear it for the IMPS Nats.

Like many Alan also gave me a break in the writing game. Some Editors can be downright unpleasant but Alan was always encouraging. I met him many times while he was resident in the UK although I never had much chance to chat with him in depth until a RAFAS do many years back- yes he could be gruff but if he reckoned you were worth your salt he could soften quite considerably.

Goodbye old friend and many thanks.

Mad Jock

THE LEGENDARY ALAN WILBUR HALL

If I may, I would like to add my small salute on the passing of a legend.

Alan would wryly acknowledge that he was never actually the Editor of the Airfix Magazine in the 1960s – although he would become its owner and publisher years later.

His legacy is the series of photo-illustrated kit conversion articles that appeared in the centre pages of a magazine that had a peak circulation of 100,000 copies per month. He was the inspiration to a generation of kids like me and provided the incentive to read and to learn more.

His brilliant Aviation News from the early 1970s was an innovation and an inspiration, driven by his passion for all things aviation.

Other contrubutors above have acknowledged the breaks that he gave them in publishing their first articles or photos – he never ceased to seek and encourage new talent.

His confessed favourite aircraft was the Avro Anson – somehow summing up Alan Hall – classic, British, dependable, an enduring icon.

Alan Wilbur Hall – you were an inspiration to me and so many others

Alan Hall

Very sad news. Way back in the late 60’s and early 70’s he encouraged, directly and indirectly, my enthusiasm as a young teenager in all things aeronautical and related to aviation history. I still have correspondence from him when he was at Amersham from about 1969 and that I found only last week, stashed away in a loft storage box.

He was a pioneer in many ways and my present interest level and involvement in various aspects of historic aviation are, to an extent at least, down to Alan – through his publications and his personal contact with me over a good many of my “formative years”.

Blue skies, Alan.

Alan was one of those people who inspired me to get into the model making business. I first met Alan at Farnborough, when I was there with the Harriers in the early 70’s. It was there I showed him my first effort (a Miles Messenger)for a proposed range of kits. From then on he was always extremely supportive.

We in the aircraft modelling world all owe Alan a great deal. He more than anyone else in model journalism set the standards we enjoy today.

He was not always the easiest of people to know but he was a great friend to have. When I spoke with him at the Scale Model world Nationals last year he said to me “this will be my last visit”, how true is that.

Bless you “Balsa Hall”. Happy landings.

In grateful memory

John

I think Alan inspired many of us in the early days. I never met him, but do remember seeing him at IPMS shows – a larger than life character.

Like many of us, I would buy Aviation news every fortnight until its demise. This is indeed a sad loss.

Bruce

Though I never knew him personally it is sad news.

Just one contribution to to aircraft preservation I will recall – it was a tip-off from Alan that led to the Midland Aircraft Preservation Society acquiring Meteor F.4, EE531 (then stored at Lasham) from the MoD.

A great loss, Roger Smith

Absolutely sad news.
His aircraft and modelling magazines/books were a stable diet when I was growing up, and in the pre internet days his information was amongst the best out there. I still treasure my copies of the ‘Warpaint’ series and old copies of Scale Aviation Modelling. His modelling magazines had more detailed information than most dedicated aviation magazines.
I initiated a Gannet book years ago, and his personal information and the photos I purchased from him were some of the most valuable contributions.

It seems that in the past few years we have lost some of our most authoritive aviation authors, their work and research was incredible, especially so being in the times when information really had to be weeded out and wasn’t readily available.

Again a very sad day, and best wishes to his family and friends.

Alan was a character and a true aviation person. He published my first articles in the early 1970s and many more after that. Yes, he could be gruff and we fell out once but it was soon patched up. Alan did much of the work on Aviation News from home and I remember the funny stories about vans arriving at all hours and dumping stacks of magazines. The neighbours in that posh part of Buckinghamshire were not amused! RIP.

Dave Smith

Big or small Alan always had time to help promote aviation museums in the UK; he published one of my first articles in 1979.

I remember him helping to clear the hall for judging at Newark’s first Model Show, everyone certainly moved when told to do so.

I can also recall sitting next to him at a BAPC Meeting and being asked to nudge him when he dropped off to sleep!

A character and a true gentleman; blue skies Alan.

This is a very sad day for me!

I can’t think of anyone that has served the aviation enthusiast modeller better, or for longer, than Alan Hall. I first met Alan in 1965 when he was in a hangar at RNAS Yeovilton accompanied by Dick Ward and Dave Cook with their hugely impressive “History of Air Power” 1/72nd scale model collection! WOW, just about every military air arm and aircraft type was on display there in rows and rows lined up on tables! Many of them were not available as kits then, so were scratch-built or conversions using the old balsa wood, talcum powder and dope method that Alan used to advocate in his many articles in Airfix Magazine, which he was editor for many years. Alan had a microphone at Yeovilton and there was seriously competition between him and the official commentator for attention on that day! I caught up with him and this display at Biggin Hill a couple of years later, then I learnt that this huge model collection was transported to Germany by the RAF in an Argosy a couple of years later, specially for a show at Wildenrath. It had to be brought to the aircraft in a removal van! Then in 1968, the RAF element was on show at Abingdon before HM The Queen,for the RAF’s 50th Anniversary celebrations. I think the collection was on show once more at Benson the following year, then it disbanded and most of the models can be seen today at the FAST Museum at Farnborough, a location that was very familiar to Alan during his years as Public Relations Officer for the Royal Aircraft Establishment. When I started getting material published in the aviation press, Alan got me airborne in an RAE Wessex over the SBAC air display in 1968 and hardly a year went by before I saw him again at either an MoD press day or an air show. Between those times I kept in touch with his activities via the pages of Airfix Magazine, followed by the launch of Aviation News and then Scale Aircraft Modelling. His output never ceased with aircraft modelling articles and historical material, everything being highly detailed and accurate and worthy of archiving. We shared many RAF Press visits, flying in all manner of aircraft to take photos and reporting on the subject of the day. Alan was working right up to the end producing his WARPAINT series of books of which the last one on the Folland Gnat has recently been published.

Alan never suffered fools gladly, but under that gruff exterior, lay a dedicated enthusiast with a heart of gold, who will be a hard act to follow!

R.I.P.Alan

It’s a sad day, and I’m sure I’m talking for all of us who knew him.