Here is the Correct Title

The book is called “Filming the Dambusters” by Jonathan Falconer.

Mine was £14.00 plus £2.75 p & p from Amazon

Best Wishes,

Colin

East Fortune could have been the Scottish Duxford

A lot of Scottish Aviation enthusiasts feel the changes at East Fortune over the past two years have been a disaster. Let me explain.

A few years ago I was talking to pilot who has flown his aircraft at various air displays at East Fortune. I asked him whether East Fortune could become a “Scottish Duxford” with the runway in regular use,warbirds and light aircraft permanently based there and the control tower restored to working order. He agreed this was an excellent idea and many people were working towards this goal. The problem at that time was that the runway and control tower were owned by a farmer who used the runway for a Sunday Market and the Museum had to pay the farmer a large sum every time they wanted to use the runway.

At that time he hoped that it would be possible -at some time in the near future – to buy the runway and control tower and turn East Fortune into a working airfield for warbirds and light aircraft,just like Duxford. He said there were already tentative plans to create a grass runway on the land the museum already owned which would allow the operation of aircraft like the Spitfire.

Since that conversation a new curator has been appointed who is not interested in such ideas. The whole place has been “dumbed down” e.g. the acquisition of Concorde which has no connection with Scotland and which is designed to appeal the the “Sun ” reading,Mondeo driving masses rather than true aviation enthusiasts.

This has meant that restoration work on the Bolingbroke and Beaufighter has stopped and many exhibits have been placed in less than satisfactory surroundings. In short the changes at East Fortune have been the biggest blow to historic aviation in Scotland since the closure of the Strathallan Collection in 1988.

Catalina at Greenock

The Catalina took part in two displays over Greenock’s Battery Park on Sunday September 18 at 12 midday and 2.15 p.m. This was to commemorate the role of RAF Greenock (Flying Boat Base) during WW2.

WW1 Film

I think the film was indeed “Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies”. I remember seeing in on ITV many years ago. I will try and find out more. I think it may also have been directed by Steven Spielberg as one of his earliest films.

re “633 Squadron”. The Internet Movie Database reports that Cliff Robertson bought one of the Mosquitoes used in “633 Squadron”. In fact this is not true but if you read Cliff Robertson’s own website he recounts some of his own memories of working on the film. Apparently he did want to buy one of the Mosquitoes but a certain person (who he refuses to name) blocked the deal and that is how he came to buy his Spitfire Mark IX (which he sold a few years ago.)