Backing up LesB’s comment, we were invited to display our classic cars at the last show but access to our display area was so churned up that several cars turned back at the gate. There is a gate near the Museum that could have been opened, which had hard access to the show area, but a whole series of jobsworths refused point blank to assist. I’ll have a hard job persuading them to come back in 2008 if there isn’t a bit more co-operation, always assuming you want us to provide some alternative interest for the non-aviation fans. By the way the show content was excellent but I’m still getting mud out of places I didn’t think it could get to.

As I understand it, aircraft like the FW 190 won’t be certified (i.e.with a C of A) but will fly under an EASA Permit to Fly. The problem is that EASA don’t know what form the permit will take as they are way behind on all sorts of legislation. They are also prone to making changes on a whim. For example the Beagle Pup has gone from being an Annex 2 aircraft, eligible for a C of A on the basis of there being a Type Certificate holder, to an EASA permit aircraft. It’s a minefield and I think my mate “Feather No 3” has got the answer.

The best thing we can do is to stop buying cheaply produced Indian and Chinese goods. Even if we did get to being carbon neutral in the UK they’d just build another 20 coal-fired power stations and belch out their own emissions. However the question of which fuel we use is going to be a problem. The Brazilians use an etnanol based fuel in their crop-sprayers but I don’t see a racing Sea Fury at Reno being happy on that. Sonex have proposed an electric-powered VLA and that will be interesting to see how it develops. I wonder what Liberal MP Lembit Opik thinks of his Party leader with his well known interest in aviation (and Cheeky Girls!).

Don’t quote me but I believe it is waiting for the correct (repro?) canopy to be fabricated and fitted.

Really excellent photographs. The ones of the Spitfire and Hurricane look as though they were on their way home after a combat mission over France. Very nostalgic.

Thanks for the reference to the Radfan Hunters. A quick glance indicates that I’ll have to spend more time looking up the activities of my favourite fighter, the Hunter. Although not in the services I spent many happy hours in the Sergeants Mess at Eastleigh between 1968 and 1974 with a Nairobi based folk group.
It does make you wonder how things would have turned out if the UK could have afforded to maintain a presence in that area of the world….discuss as they say in the exams.

Feather *3 who is on here occasionally might know. He was kind enough to take me for a trip from Bankstown to Wedderburn (?) and back in the “Ozzie Provost” and vey nice it was too.

As I understand it the Cessna 337 is banned at Elstree and Turweston amongst others. As for the list of aircraft using pushers I rather think it proves my point, as they were all abject failures except perhaps the Avanti which has taken years to acheive some sort of sales success. Beech had to buy back the Starships to break them up as it just wasn’t worth supporting them.