how was 2004 for you

A magic year indeed –
January – Florida and lots of flying in Senecas plus sunburn…………!!!!!!!!!
February – European Airshow Council extravaganza in Belgium – lots of old friends.
March – First shows in the Skybolt
April – New Zealand and Wanaka – what a superb setting for the last Breitling display.
May – New Zealand – loads of flying in aircraft various. Omarama wave soaring.
June – Home again for Shuttleworth evening show and back into Skybolt displays.
July – PFA rally and Flying Legends – what a choice and what events.
August – AWAC 2004 in Sweden and Little Gransden – the best yet.
September – Duxford and Sywell – really enjoyable and great to be Barnstorming again.
October – Looking forward to the final Duxford show and the HAA symposium.
November – The post season RAF displays washup. ADAE and CAA DA/DAE seminars.
December – A long weekend in Prague with friends from Leicestershire Aero Club….!!!
Its been and still is a fabulous year.
Cheers,
Trapper 69

A great year for me.

Loadsa shows
Starting my PPL and going solo last week
Met loads of people, most memorably Peter Ayerst
Meeting and becoming a friend with Carolyn Grace
Undergoing loads of G with Denny in the Extra and Pitts.
Drinking too much Guinness, usually after the above.

Neal

thanks to all for your replies to my original posting…seems like most of you have had a thumb-wigglingly stonking year….let’s hope that 2005 is at least as good,hopefully better
…my main aim for 2005 is to meet more of you in person,some I’ve met this year and found you all thoroughly decent chaps and chappesses…roll on 2005!!!!!!!!

Hello Everyone….. Highlights for me were flying at different displays around the country, sometimes on my own and sometimes in formation with people who possess far more talent than myself. Thanks to those organisers that asked me to participate in their shows. The highlights were Chailey and Sywell, although the private show hosted by Marshalls at Cambridge is well worthy of mention. Closer to home, I must thank Duncan and the crew at Rougham who continue to put up with me.

Roll on next season…………. can’t wait

Getting Divorced
Getting rid of old ghosts
Top Gun Sortie In Extra
Getting a cuddle and Picture with Ray Hanna
Meeting Rob Davies
Meeting Maurice Hammond
Meeting Charile Brown
Also Mark Greeners + Nitro
John Romain
Dave Miller
S.Patterson
Andy In Beds
and of course Robbo
Just a few examples 😉 😉 Anna 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 :diablo: :diablo: :diablo:

Oh dear Anna! Sounds terribly like my year! My Div started last year and is still on going and things are getting to some sort of order now. This year my highlights are as always my daughters, CockpitFest and flying in an Apache. Things are looking up at last…cannot wait til next year and the warm airshow sun on my cheek!
Regards to all and hope you all have a happy (or happier) end to 2004 and fantastic 2005
TonyD

did a few trips this year to various airfields,
got involved with the restoration of a jet provost (not able to give it as much of my time as i would like though)
Sywell show (the bucker display by Taff Smith, AWESOME!!!)
met some nice people, all members of this forum and all here 😀
Greg

Not sure at the moment. I suspect both will go if they are serviceable.

cant wait to See the Sea Hawk on Sunday at Duxford any news on the Sea Fury will she make it?

Highs for me

– Abingdon (VERY underated event)

– Being treated to several BBMF flypasts on D-Day over Southampton water.

– Sandown the same weekend (superb)

– Getting wet during Kemble’s showers 😉

– Ending my 14 year wait to see a RNHF Sea Fury fly again.

– Related to above, watching the RNHF Sea Fury and Sea Hawk perform a validation display on the Thursday before Yeovilton Air Day.
Paul Stone and Russ Eatwell, you are the men. 🙂

2004’s been brilliant. Some cracking small events at Old Buckenham, Hardwick and Little Gransden. Legends was good. RIAT week was simply the best week of the year, and Duxford in September and a first trip to Old Warden topped it all off nicely…

Nope not me. I only noticed LE on driving out about a month ago, and it was a shock! Sadly on my last visit the hangars were all shut. Will be down next sunday though, hoping for some decient weather. Will say Hi if I see you, Im a spotter used to abuse 😉 .

Aha, you need to stop and be abused whenever you get the chance! I am usually down there at the weekends and often during the week. I was there yesterday (Sunday) but the weather was seriously pooh.

MH

Was that you ****ting about when I was trying to put her away last week? I kept the doors open but you were tripoding around and I got bored and closed them. I thought you might have died frm the response I got.

Why didn’t you come and say hello you miserable git?

If you had I would undoubtedly have been rude to you, but others have been there first and survived.

MH

PS you had that look of a forum member . . . . . .

Nope not me. I only noticed LE on driving out about a month ago, and it was a shock! Sadly on my last visit the hangars were all shut. Will be down next sunday though, hoping for some decient weather. Will say Hi if I see you, Im a spotter used to abuse 😉 .

An airworthy Seafire at last.

For me this was the year of the Seafire 47 as I have always had an affinity with those contra-prop late mark Seafires.

For historic aviation in general, an He111, a Ju88 and a B17 all recovered from fresh water, in amazing condition, during or about the month of September – simply stunning.

Now if 2005 could be the year of th Spitfire floatplane…… 🙂

Mark

Seeing my first Legends, and getting to sit in Clive DuCros’ replica Spitfire at the same event. All the other miserable buggers in front of me coughed up their coppers as a donation, but yourse truly stuck in a fiver for the museum!

Well except the shock of seeing EVLE poking out of the hangar at Popham one wet sunday( when is the first flight Melvyn?).

Was that you ****ting about when I was trying to put her away last week? I kept the doors open but you were tripoding around and I got bored and closed them. I thought you might have died frm the response I got.

Why didn’t you come and say hello you miserable git?

If you had I would undoubtedly have been rude to you, but others have been there first and survived.

MH

PS you had that look of a forum member . . . . . .

It may have taxi’d today.

Who can tell?

I am a man of mystery.

Melv

I’ll let you know when it’s done.

So far it’s been rather A1. Can’t really pick one out at this stage –

But I’d like to raise a glass to those who’ve enjoyed sharing aviation experiences with me – you know who you are, and it’s been great. All we need now is Melv’s G-EVLE to fly…

Cheers!

2004 started frustratingly for me – cack weather prevented me from flying until April, but since then it’s been a veritable smorgasbord of aviation delights. I’d set myself three personal aviation goals for 2004; complete my PPL, get the Tailwheel rating done, and get my first cross channel trip done. By August, my goals were achieved.

Everything else has been a bonus, and what bonuses they’ve been!

Airshows at Old Warden, Duxford, and Gransden. Behind the scenes at Duxford, Cranfield and Bruntingthorpe. Aerobatics in a Yak 52, touring the old PFF stations in a PA28, sitting in the cockpit of a Lightning, being present at Francois de Spirlet’s memorial ceremony, meeting Jimmy Stewart, hearing old George’s stories, a special day out at Coningsby, flying in a Dragon Rapide with my son, meeting Bob Doe, spending time with friends from the forum, new and old…

Yeah. It’s been a good year. 🙂

As a(the only?) ‘spotter’ who perfers the lighter side of historic aviation its not been a vintage year. PFA rally was almost a washout, wish I had gone to Legends insted(on seperate weekends in 2005, woo,hoo!!). Most of the ‘light’ flyins were a tad dissapointing. Well except the shock of seeing EVLE poking out of the hangar at Popham one wet sunday( when is the first flight Melvyn?).
Wish I had gone to the Air Britian flyin at N Weald and all those Jungmann’s 😡 . Gransden was good as was GVFWE.
Here’s to 2005, may we have a 2003 type summer!

Kemble Hangar Footy – pre-show party Sat eve, Damien B & OAG will know!
Made history by passing ‘the test’ to kick a football clean over a hangar!! 😀

Lows – RIAT, not like it used to be and getting more expensive by the year!
Tho the Super Hornet was cracking, and the informal 3 ship on monday after Waddington of the Belgian F16 & 2 Saab 105 formation was certainly different, as was the B52 beat up on the monday at Leuchars (upon start up called “Fairford Ground” – hmmm long way from their matey!).

All for the small shows ie Sywell – very relaxed and also Turweston VAC fly Ins which need abit of support at the moment.
www.abingdonfayre.com
:diablo: