A bit cheeky,  but my first thought was whether we had more Spitfires than Typhoons abd F35s…

You wait 75 years for a Typhoon project and two come along at once!

I’m intrigued by that sectioned engine, that’s going to take a lot of work.

Guess what I saw on Wednesday evening…

The chap I spoke to who knew Bader through his regular viaits to St Edward’s School* certainly didn’t fit the “coddled, risk-averse” viewpoint expressed above, he would be well into his 90s if he were still this side of the turf. From talking to him,  Bader could most certainly be a sphincter, especially if you upset him, but he could also be nice as pie, especially to people he felt needed his encouragement. Which sounds much like the viewpoint expressed in the second sentence above. 

I remember as a primary school kid visiting the Lord Lieutenant of Essex’s house, and he had a photo of Yuri Gagarin on the wall, who he said he’d met. Given that he was only just over the way from a USAF base, I’d love to know the circumstances of that – did Gagarin ever visit the UK and in particular Essex, I wonder?

Welcome to our world,  Dave! Presumably this is a forum “feature”.

Not quite mine, bar two years boarding at the Fiends School*  but close enough.  On the list!

*I think it may have been used as a military HQ during WW2, ironic for a Quaker school.