From a more personal perspective, one on Nigeria gaining independance, seeing as I’m a former child resident of the former British West Africa.

The jet flights were to be available as part of the classic flight club membership but the CAA came calling.

It would be worth a week’s holliers to travel over for a ride in one of them! And better value than a week on a beach for a redhead like me!

Ooh sorry! The book says the conversions were done at Castle Bromwich, Supermarine and Westlands.

Sadly Mr.Price doesn’t go into too much detail about the work involved with the wings, apart from saying the VB had 60 rounds per cannon while the VC – which he says was the first with the universal wing – had the capacity for 120 cannon shells per gun.

How interesting, I’ve just finished reading this

and found it fascinating. Picked it up in a second hand shop (but this was a return so is in pristine condition) for €10 (£6-ish?), bargain. Then I try to remember how the IIA’s were converted to VA and Bs and nothing comes to mind! Bah!

Lovely! 😀

Two fantastic threads on aircraft that I can relate too and, more pertinent, aircraft recognisable from other makes and models with character, lovely lines and individuality. It doesn’t get much better than this, unless it’s a bumper 1,000 page photo book of the same subjects that I can stroke on my lap!

Fabulous stuff!!! 😀

On instant recollection, I flew on eight various marks of the types shown but sadly not on six. Still, not bad!

They’re not available online as of yet, they’ve just started to archive their issues as can be seen here.

Sadly the only type in that photo I haven’t had the pleasure of travelling in is the Tristar! 🙁

I always have mixed feelings about the Viscount, great memories of flights in Aer Lingus examples but sadness in that a cousin who was a hostie on them died in the crash of the St.Phelim in 1968.