Its just you.

Richer ? -Yes.

How many airline pilots d.i.t.t.c.a.l.b ?

Just one .

He holds it still, and the world rotates around him.

Don’t mean to be contentious, but off the top of my head, I cannot think of many display pilots who have come to grief doing straight and level flypasts, even VERY low ones. Low level aeros though, I haven’t got enough fingers to count them.

( Actually, I have just remembered a Flamant that crashed in France, and hit a photographer whilst attempting doing a beat-up. Perhaps he was not a display pilot….)

It is interesting to note how the requirement to ‘create’ a structured story for the programme extrapolates known facts perhaps beyond what they can reasonably confirm.

That these relics were still in place is probably reason enough to examine them before they finally disintegrate, but the thrust of the TV production was to reveal the circumstances of the tragic incident, by archeological means.

This is great, in theory, but seemed to make a little evidence go a long, and maybe unnecesary way. There is no doubt that the two A26’s collided soon after take-off, in poor visibility, but the lengthy conjecture on the exact sequence and circumstances of this collision seemed to me to be of no great significance, given that the ‘evidence’ was so mangled and incomplete.

The concluding theory, whilst of passing interest, was far from certain, and raised, by implication, issues of blame and responsibility which are maybe best left undisturbed. I hope that most of the wreckage was left in situ, since even if no human remains are present, it is still a memorial of sorts, and has about it an air of dignity and relevance, which is more than can be said of recovered scraps of corroding aluminium.

Not altogether surprising, given the number of events all chasing the same (small ) market. I gave up on Farnborough years ago, for the same reason. There are insufficient developments to maintain a fresh feel, and most of the new fibreglass ultralights seem much the same, even though they may be very good at what they do. I went to the first Aerofair, and found it rather dull, apart from landing on the hard runway with a tail-skid, which was briefly most exciting.

It might be best to get behind the PFA Rally/ Flying for Fun, and help make that a success, since that can be a trade fair but also offers much more beside.

I will not argue with any of that. Assuming your info is correct, that last one is a pretty good effort, and in that picture at least, looks quite convincing, certainly better than its less-‘Super’ sibling. So what is a ‘Super Wot’? This will end up leading us to the Issac’s Fury, and then you know where……

Daz, Your photos show two different types, C1904 being essentially a modified Currie Wot (wot?); just add Lewis gun, headrest fairing and bingo, one SE5.

The other one is a rather more sophisticated affair, and is (I think) a Replica Plans example, the first of which to appear in this country being built by Mike Beach and flown from Booker 1978 onwards, G-BDWJ, I think. Since then there have been maybe another 5 or so. They are quite Tiger Moth-ish to fly, apparently.

Mike’s example was beautifully built, and was admired by many. One acquaintence dropped numerous hints about how much he fancied a go in it, before finally asking outright ‘ What would a chap need in his logbook to get his hands on this SE5 ?’ . ‘ The name Mike Beach ‘ was the reply.