HAVING TO RESORT AGAIN TO A QUICK “BUMP” (FOR OLD TIMES’ SAKE) 😉 !!!!!

NEED TO KEEP THREAD ‘CURRENT’ AS THE REUNION IS GETTING EVER NEARER 😎

CHEERS 😉

Richard

ANY ‘FORUM’ MEMBER GOT ANY IDEA WHAT’S HAPPENED TO ‘SPIT’ ? :confused:

HAVE ANY OF YOU FELLOW “LIVERPUDDLIANS” HAD ANY CONTACT RECENTLY – IF SO COULD YOU PLEASE ASK HIM TO CHECK OUT THIS SITE AND RESPOND TO THIS THREAD. 😀

THANKS

Richard

BUMP, BUMP, BUMP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry to have to resort again to this :dev2: 😎 !! Hope it’s allowed ! 😮

Bit like the sound of traffic in a road of ‘sleeping policemen’ !!! 😮

Hope the BUMPS will serve to “waken those sleepers” and encourage them to speed up the ‘Forum’ traffic on this thread !!!(Ouch!!!!!)

Yes, OK, I know – I’m obviously starting to “loose it” !!!!!!!! :rolleyes:

Again I’m trying to keep thread current for any ‘newcomers’. 🙂

Come on you wide awake ‘seasonned veterans’ 😎 , please help spread the word of the reunion to anyone you may know who was involved in any capacity with our ‘preservation groups’ in the 60s / 70s.

OK, so you need a little more encouragement ……………..
Here’s a couple of shots to help the memory process !!

Regards

Richard

Hello Richard,

Just thought i’d add to this thread by letting you know that I am going to East Kirby on March 16th to take part in a Taxi run with your Lanc. Its been a life’s ambition of mine to get aboard a working RAF WW2 bomber and although not flying this has got to be the next best thing. May I take this moment to say Thank you on behalf of everyone who gets to experience the thrill of seeing and feeling NX611 in action because if it was not for the forsight and dedication of such as yourself then these historical aircraft would have been lost forever. I for one am 3rd generation RAF and am currently trying to research my late Grandfathers service career. Through my research i have emailed, written and spoken to several ex bomber command aircrew and will at last, thanks to my trip in the Lanc, have just a tiny bit of understanding of what it was like to be an operational airman during WW2. I enjoyed reading the articles in Flypast and these have given me a much better appreciation of what has happened over the years to make my visit possible. Once again many thanks.

Jon

Hello Jon

I’m very sorry for taking so long to respond to your thread contribution. Can’t understand how I failed to reply to your kind comments – seem to have replied to ‘Lauriebe’ and ‘Peter’ so I must have been distracted somehow !! Again, my apologies !

I see you are due to experience the ‘ultimate’ experience of a ‘taxi run’ trip in NX611 at East Kirkby on the 16th of this month. Bet you can’t wait for that day ! Other than actually flying in a Lancaster, the experience you are about to have will remain indelibly printed on your mind I can assure you.

I also have been priviledged to take part in a ‘taxi run’ event at East Kirkby and the memories came flooding back. Memories of the time that I actually flew as a passenger on NX611 – flying from Biggin Hill, Kent to Lavenham Airfield in Suffolk in 1969, where we were battling to set up our ‘Reflectaire’ Aviation & Vintage Military Vehicle Museum. The rest is history so I won’t enlarge on that in this ‘Forum’ thread.

You say you are 3rd Generation RAF, and your ‘public profile’ shows that you were a Corporal L Tech FS between 1980 and 1989 – where did you serve during your service career ? Quite a bit different to your present career I should think.

Have you managed to make headway in your research on your late Grandfather’s RAF service? Did he serve on Lancasters during the War?

I am sure that you will experience some intense emotions during your trip on NX611 and feel very close indeed to your Grandfather as you sit in the confined fuselage space and let your imagination take you on a trip of pure dedication to the brave young aircrew who manned the crew stations over enemy territory in the cold and dark…………………….

Do let us know how you get on and share some of your experiences with others not fortunate enough (yet, anyway!) to have had this opportunity to sample just a little of this country’s heritage at close quarters.

Do keep in touch.

Very Best Wishes

Richard

Hi Richard,

Unfortunate but I will be in contact when I get back. I’ll also email you.

By the way, I have no problems accessing Peter’s site through the link he posted. Could your Norton settings be blocking it for some reason?

Regards,

Laurie.

OK Laurie, I’m sure you’ll have a great time in the States. Don’t forget to post all your ‘441 shots when you get back (as if you would !!!).

Look forward to hearing from you on your return. Safe journey.

Re Pete’s link – I don’t understand why I can’t access the website from his published URL. Pete’s now PM’d me with a link and I then had no trouble getting on to the website at all !!! You tell me why !!!!! I’ve added that URL to my ‘Favourites’ so will be able to keep fully abreast of developments re ‘FM159’.

‘Speak’ again soon.

Best Wishes

Richard

Hi Richard,

I will be in the UK over 2 short periods, 5 – 12 May and again, 28 May – 2 Jun. Unfortunately, time constraints and ticket restrictions won’t allow changes. Pity. Hope all goes well with your get together at EK.

I’m looking forward to seeing ‘our’ old friend again. Especially seeing her in the air.

Regards,

Laurie.

That is a great shame, Laurie !!

It would have been good to see you.

Make sure you get plenty of good shots of “our old friend” (VP441) in Montana (ground – air and air – air) and post as many as possible on the ‘Forum’.

Look forward to hearing from you when you get back to Penang, if not before.

Cheers for now,

Richard

Perhaps they have been in touch with East Kirby direct? It would be worth checking. Not everyone uses this forum, there must be a few who don’t 🙂
mmitch.

Thanks for that – yes I know that the Forum is only one way of trying to make contact with these people. Both I and Martin Collins (who penned the two articles in Flypast last year and who was a fellow ‘Reflectaire’ employee in the late ’60s/early ’70s) are trying as many avenues as we can, including, I understand, the possibility of enlisting Ken Ellis’s assistance with a mention in ‘Flypast’ magazine.

I am hoping that there are enough contacts between this Forum contributors to help spread the word as much as is feasibly possible.

All offers of help will be gratefully acknowledged. 😉 🙂

Cheers

Richard