He must have had some qualities of merit, to dominate every news broadcast for the last 72 hours- I just can’t understand what they were.

‘and now, for the latest on Football legend George Best, we go live to the hospital.
Penny, what is the latest news?’

‘ Umm…… he is still in bed………………Back to the studio’
And so on, for days on end.

He may have played a good game of football, but that was 30 years ago, and the only thing he has subsequently done for England is drink. Still, at least he managed to hang on for 24 hour boozing. He has only remained in the public consciousness due to his drunken clowning, the lurid headlines generated, and newspapers sold.

Like any of us, he deserved a private, dignified departure, and sadly, he has been denied it. These days, the only thing the media loves more than a hero is a ‘victim’, and in GB they had a bit of both.

Bill Lancaster was an interesting character, something of an entrepreneur and adventurer (obviously). One of his enterprises was the Red Rose (Lancaster) garage, which he established in Wendover, Bucks, just down the road from RAF Halton.

The premises are still to be seen, adjacent to the filling station on the Aylesbury road, and are now occupied by a heating company. Certainly up to very recently at least, the Red Rose logo was still displayed on the building. I imagine very few people now know , or care, about the history or the man.

For reasons unknown, he is still making headlines. According to the BBC today, GB has just sneezed.

The Clash said it best– ‘Should I stay or should I go ?’

Great shot- even in that state, she is still a real beauty.

Was it in the BBC production ‘Wings’?
It WAS in Aces High, painted red I think, skirmishing with SE5a s ( alright, Stampes)

I understand that the replica was scaled from an example in a museum in Berlin, and it was only after a few years that somebody noticed that the fuselage was rather too long. It was later modified, and lost a couple of feet.

Mike- Are ALL your pictures taken at Dunstable Downs ?

If it was fake, the AIIB (Air Accident Investigation Branch) were in on it- there was a formal report in ‘Pilot’, and no doubt elsewhere.

He knew it was coming, just didn’t know it was going to whack him!

Thanks for ther pics Mike, and welcome on board.

That looks like Dunstable Downs gliding site to me, which is appropriate given that the Luton is so short of power it is virtually a glider anyway-probably needed an aerotow to get out!

The media folk are getting restless.

At a press conference this morning, they seemed rather dissappointed that GB seems a bit better today.