To be fair tough, the surviving 707s, P & W powered E-3s, KC-135 and DC-8s are all turbofan versions of the JT-3 engine and are not quite the same as those old pure turbojets.

Originally designed by De Havilland as the DH 121 Trident, it was to be built by a consortium called AIRCO. However, the great amalgamations in the British aircraft industry in 1961/62 forced De Havilland into the Hawker Siddeley group. From that point on it was referred to as the Hawker Siddeley HS121 Trident.

It might be fun to do a SABENA early 50s fleet list check to see what they used at the time.

I have often thought about this issue. How can a weapon designed for death and destruction be also admired as a thing of beauty?. Well, the answer is of course, it can.

Throughout history, man has made weapons, often to hunt, sometimes to defend, sometimes to attack and also to kill each other. But one can admire the skill and craftmanship that has gone into many of these weapons, whether it is a 50,000 year old flint axe head or whether it is “Enola Gay”.

Knowing the context in which the weapons were used is usually a factor in whether it is admired or despised. As someone said earlier, a Stuka may be a thing of beauty to a retired Wermacht officer but to a Dunkirk verteran it might be epitomised as the flying equivelant of a Swastika and the evilness that symbol embodied.

I think admiring man’s handiwork, whether built for good or evil, is not an issue. Knowing the context in which the weapons were or are used, knowing the background history and the way it effected people’s lives and appreciating the technology are the factors which keeps me fascinated in military aircraft.

I also do my best to ensure that my love for combat aircraft does not cloud my political judgement. Just because I think an A-10A Thunderbolt II is an aweome and impressive piece of kit does not mean that I would support every miltary action it has been involved in.

I flew to Houston in 1981 on a BCal DC-10 (and returned on a similar aircraft). They were lovely flights with cheery and helpful staff. We even got a trip to the flight deck on each flight.

BCal itself was formed when the original Scoittish based airline, Caledonian, merged with British United Airways in 1970.

Aircraft performing a flypast or overshoot/go-around?

No excuses accepted – they are so small they take about 5 minutes to put together. I’ve made the Airfix one- which is nice and the PM model of the original DFS194 which was the (in modern terminology) the “proof of concept” design.

Thank’s for that. I have always wondered what their eventual fate was.

I spotted a Stuka in a trailer for the BBC’s “Dunkirk” the other night (which I’m taping for later viewing). Are these shots done by CGI?

In fact, with CGI will we see a resurgance of interest in WW2 epics and maybe re-makes of such films as “The Longest Day” and “A Bridge Too Far”?