If you were there as well, I was the chilly looking chap who had wandered out to watch without his coat!

…and safely back again.

G-AKIU just departed Coventry with a Chipmunk as photographic (I assume since it had a canopy panel removed) chase.

Tame? That’s not the word that came to mind when I saw it at Southport a couple of weeks ago. F—ing brilliant might be better and I speak as someone who saw Vulcans display in the ’70s including four-ship scrambles. A couple of non-aviating mates with me at Southport were mightily impressed as well.

What is it about the so called aviation enthusiasts on these forums who constantly want to decry such a magnificant achievement as the VTTS project?

Nice story about the four year old. If it’s the girl I saw there last week (with mum, dad and baby sibling in push chair) when the Dakota was flying, I saw how she looked at the aeroplanes and immediately thought “She’s going to be a pilot”. The Shackleton on the ceiling is the start of something big!

Freshly repaired Electra G-LOFC spent a few hours flying circuits at Coventry yesterday. It was a joy to see and I hope the second one (G-LOFE, just gone into the hanger after weeks parked on the south side) is repaired again soon as well.

As far as I can tell from working in an office at Coventry for the last few months, these are the only two left flying but I am prepared to be wrong.

I was in Cologne a few weeks ago and Lufthansa seem to manage quite happily to operate a Ju52 on fare paying joy-rides every day so given the will, and presumably budget, it seems that it is possible.

PS I was very impressed when a security guard at Cologne airport asked me to move to a different spot for a while. As we were walking away, I mentioned that I was watching the aeroplanes while waiting for my flight, “Ah the Tante Ju.” he said, “You can fly in it you know”. A human security guard that speaks excellent English and is interested in the job. They have them in Germany so why not the UK? 🙂