count me in, could give a lift through for folks from the west coast. Only fly in hte ointment is the museum appears to be closed until the end of March, their website says open normally from April 1st.

Ken

sad, news, very sad news. a great comic

🙁

more on the BBC news website

I think I can identify where things started. Much is down to my father, who grew up in the States in the 20’s and early 30’s until the depression forced the family to return to the UK. His many tales of watching the various flying circuses and flying displays in the US, added to stories of seeing flying and gliding around Luton and the Dunstable downs, lit the flames of a lifelong interest in aviation.

These flames were fanned by my eldest brother Charles. He is 12 years older than me, so as a toddler I was surrounded by his teenage obsession. An idea of how dedicated he was then is his story from the late 60’s of driving overnight from Glasgow down to Old Warden for a Shuttleworth Collection flying day, arriving about 9am. Spending the day investigating the collection and watching the flying, then immediately driving back to Glasgow without any sleep.

There are lots of byways in between, including air spotting at Glasgow Airport as a 10 year old, teenage years in the ATC, studying aeronautical engineering at Glasgow Uni (and dropping out), plastic kits, visits to many airshows, and a lot more.

The engineer in me wants to find out how things work and are built, so I read a lot about the aircraft. This then leads to finding out about the people who designed, built and flew them; man and machine can’t be separated. The artist in me wants to record images of these magnificent machines.

Now I have a decent job, in the future I hope to start flying lessons, then I can finally touch the sky.

Ken

Originally posted by Moggy C I’m so pathetic with the video that even sitting over it is no guarantee it’ll record the right thing.

to Groucho – “It’s so simple a 4 year old child could do it”
Groucho – “get me a 4 year old child”

cant remember which Marx Brothers film

It’s all the ‘fault’ of my elder brother Charles. Although my father had an interest in aviation, Charles took it much further. So grew up with models and photos around me. It was my brother that took me to my first air display aged 9, at Prestwick in 1967, and many more over the years, Edinburgh, Leuchars and so on.

Just after Glasgow Airport opened at Abbotsinch in 1968 (Charles’ first job as a civil engineer was to assist laying out the aprons!) a friend (Stuart Hill) and I went every saturday to the vewing gallery over the then international pier (now the low cost pier). Still have many happy memories of those days.

Later, after the family had moved to Girvan, my father, a toolmaker, found a job at Scottish Aviation, making parts for the jigs for the Bulldog.

Leaving school I moved on to study aeronautical engineering at Glasgow University, but dropped out after 3 years. For various reasons my interest in aviation wained, but in the last 5 years I’ve fostered it again visiting airshows when I can, but also reading and using the internet. Now i have a decent job and have cleared some debts, I hope to start taking flying lessons in about 18 to 24 months time.

So Charles and my father have a lot to answer for.

Re: Moggy’s ‘Most Iconic Aircraft’ list

Moggy

interesting list, just a couple I’d nominate instead:

Jet airliner: B747

As an aircraft that brought cheap airborne travel to the masses I’d nominate the B737 instead. The 747 is an impressive plane, but the 737 has had more impact.

Trainer is being fought out between the Stearmen, Harvards and Tiger Moths?

Tiger Moth – synonymous with training in the UK. Which lay person has heard of a Stearman or a Harvard?

Ken

grumble, grumble, mutter, mutter
🙁