My comment about ‘costume drama’ was based on most of that which has gone before. They might get it right but past productions not necessarily connected with this particular subject fail to give me confidence. If they get it right, I’ll be more than fulsome in my praise. The one thing the producers need to do is to talk to people alive at the time, preferably those connected with aviation.

John Green

Yes, but not in the bomb bay, which was my point.

Many of us, myself included, are very sensitive on the subject of Bomber Command. For example, it was with some nervousness that I read that the occasionally estimable Stephen Fry had been commissioned to write the script for an updated version of the Bomber Command attack on the Ruhr dams – I can’t wait.

My ‘beef’ with TV producers and writers is that when producing a costume drama they cannot ever do justice to the speech, deportment and style of dress of the period. They will persist in introducing contemporary jargon and verbal expressions that simply were not used at the time. The Americans went on ‘missions’; the RAF went on ‘raids’. That’s one of the more mundane infelicities. People of the 1940s had a strong sense of patriotism, duty, honour and personal responsibility, all qualities that are almost entirely absent from present day life.

I hope that at the very least the producers of this epic – because that is what it should be – get the uniforms accurate.

John Green

Buying a new Spitfire

If you’re in the market for a new Spitfire/Me109/Hurricane, you need to speak to a very capable and knowledgeable aircraft engineer named Steve Vizard presently located on the Isle of Wight. Mr. Vizard runs an a/c manufacturing company specializing in the production of the above aircraft.

About two years ago I had the mad idea of getting a group of like minded individuals together to produce a feasibility analysis of the problems associated with building a new Mosquito. I mentioned the project to Steve Vizard who reckoned that ir could be done but would cost then about four million !

John Green

Lee on Solent

If the recent news is correct, commercial organisations at Lee will breath a collective sigh of relief that at last they appear to have some kind of secure future.

After all the years of ‘shenanigans’ that forced the relocation and removal of some of the businesses that thought they were safe and prevented others from further development, the prospect of a secure future might lure some of them back and perhaps convince others to start up at Lee.

It would be useful if Britten Norman would publish at least some of their plans for the use of the airfield especially those that affect GA.

John Green