Phil, I’m not sure what you are insinuating about George Welch (who I believe was the first to exceed Mach 1, even if it was in a dive and not in level flight), but here is a quote about his demise from “Test Pilots” by Richard P. Hallion:
“. . . his experimental F-100A Super Sabre abruptly sideslipped during a rolling pullout (the most strenuous of maneuvers) from a Mach 1.5 dive, yawing about 15 degrees and then disintegrating. . . . a program of research (ensued) that finally led to a complete redesign of its vertical tail surfaces, as well as a thorough understanding of the inertial coupling phenomenon.”
Thus George did not die in vain, and as far as I can see, money had nothing to do with it.
Forgive me if I misunderstood you.

How many Hawks to the cubic metre?
Fantastic, looks as if it was a good show!

Like HP57, I am a “foreigner” and may never get to see the subject of this discussion, more’s the pity. Is there any chance at all of this programme being shown in Sweden? I do get Discovery and BBC World on my cable TV in addition to the domestic Swedish channels.
Incidentally, I have been writing books for years, but they are technical manuals, so my name will never be known. However if your Volvo bus breaks down and you need to refer to the electrical maintenance manual, you now know who probably wrote it! I would guess that my score is a couple of hundred!

Hi landraver – I may have a Sheffield accent, but it’s a heck of a long way from Gothenburg to Yorkshire!
Sorry, no, in fact all I know about Fort Paull is what I’ve read on here!
Thanks to you and everyone else for the birthday wishes, too.

Like this, perhaps?
Saab 29 Tunnans in the Congo.
From “Flyg 86” page 183.

Cessna L 19 A

One of the Swedish UN Cessnas in the Bekaa Valley.

Thank you all, now I am 63 and as the Forum is my main link to the outside world, I feel honoured to receive your congratulations. I also hope there will be many more of my little reports yet!

What’s with you people who come on the Forum and complain of being bored?
I am 63 today and have never been bored in my whole life! There are a thousand things for me to do, and my problem is that there are only 24 hours in a day.
Just one example, I have spent the small amount of spare time I have compiling a database of the first flights of every aircraft I can find. I know it will never be complete, and I’ve been working on it for the last 5 years, but it gives me a good excuse to rummage through aviation books and magazines.
Start a project!!! Any project!
Rant over, I’ll get back to watching a film I haven’t seen for 50 years, “Strategic Air Command”.
By the way, I got into plane spotting by living as a small child at RAF Waddington, when the Brabazon was still flying – anyone remember the Brabazon?