Sadly, I think redhillwings hasn’t reappeared since The Reorganisation, but from what I’ve seen the Wings Museum has some really top stuff in it – only A20 in the country, for starters.

But I digress.

…including at least one person who’d once landed a Cessna, which qualified him to slag off someone who’d just had to deadstick a Sea Fury with the gear down…

Well there you go, I started a thread here back when, and not one “expert” suggested that IT’S FISHTAIL EXHAUSTS THAT MAKE THE CRACKLE!

Thanks, Daz, that was grand to see, and gave me hope that Merlins will crackle for me again!

Avion ancien, I think your  answer is yes – one – Paddy Hemmingway above! Though with the rider that Ireland was part of the British Empire when he was born, but gained independence in 1921.

Most people didn’t hang around at UKAR either – whether the moderation level put them off or what I don’t know, but there’s four threads in Historic there that have been posted on in the last week, and then nothing since the 3rd. This on the 75th anniversary of VJ Day and in the 80th anniversary year of the BoB.

Mk12 popped up in Flypast?Aeroplane a couple of months ago giving the contents of his garage an airing  – I won’t say what as I can’t remember the mark, never mind even whether Spit- or Seafire…

There’s a tale in Michael Bentine’s autobiography (he was an RAF intelligence officer) about aircraft returning from Germany sans Elsans. Worth a read of you can find a copy.

According to the latest Aeroplane Monthly, the former Shark is now flying in the scheme carried by Don Blakeslee’s personal aircraft flying out of nearby Debden. If only Dad were still here to see it, he’d often have seen the original…