Does anyone happen to know an accurate colour match for what is often colloquially termed ‘de Havilland Blue’? The engines on display at the Stag Lane and latterly Leavesden showrooms (and now scattered between Salisbury Hall, RRHT Derby and RRHT Bristol) were all painted in this French blue-like hue and I’ve saw Vintech restoring some engines in the same colour when I visited a few years ago.

Any help gratefully received.

Lee Howard

Sounds like the colour DH60 Cirrus Moth, G-EBLV, at Old Warden is painted in? Suggest go along with a colour fan swatch and compare it?

This was the Wapiti ~ as seen back in Feb 2005.

I’m sure to some of of us it might see to leave a lot to be desired

Considering that this is the world’s sole surviving Wapiti (what’s left of it!), it would be criminal to restore this to fly! I am all for seeing historic aircraft rebuilt to fly, but not the very last one. If it crashed and was destroyed the type would become extinct with no example to be seen by future generations anywhere in the world. Look what happened to the Bulldog at Farnborough in 1964 – after its crash,it took over 40 years to get it restored as a part-replica in the RAF Museum at Hendon today.

As of now, I cant actually see that the seller has done much wrong.

Really? A polite request to collect the items was greeted by this tyraid:

I have since received an abusive email calling me names and telling me that thousands of people buy items on eBay and get them sent and that if i want to pick them up i should ask in advance etc etc. This of course is true but they generally have better photos, no negative feedback and a returns policy if there turns out to be a problem! It is entirely possible that these instruments are legitimate but there are sufficient concerns over the listing and the behavior of the seller to make me very cautious! My advice is be very careful!
The user has now re listed the items despite not having cancelled my bids. He has also changed his username from Sopwith.7f1 to bobs_trinkets. Caveat emptor!!

Does this sound like a friendly and helpful seller?

Re Ken Wallis

Well, there is nothing I can say except to echo all the tributes on this thread. I had the great pleasure to meet Ken several times and when I was in the RAF at Eastern Radar, RAF Watton, I got invited to his house at nearby Reymerston one Sunday morning, where we pushed Ken’s entire Autogyro collection outside and arranged them in production order for my cameras. Ken also gave me an original (then rare) Airfix kit, which I converted and fashioned the ‘James Bond’ pilot in his image as a tribute to this kind and generous man – here is that model and my tribute to Ken

RIP Ken and thanks for all the pleasure you have given us aviation enthusiasts.

This story will be twisted and turned to suit the teller’s agenda. A far as my understanding goes only one side in the conflict has both the stocks and arms to launch chemical weapons.

That’s what William Hague said, but are we sure about that? Sacrificing some of its people might be thought worthwhile if the rebels could frame the Assad military, so the West will take them out? Do we know categorically that the rebels have not acquired stocks of chemical weapons and are not capable of delivering them? If there were defectors from the Syrian military, they could help them perhaps?

….and whilst I’m going through old pictures, here’s one of G-ADWT in her previous (interim?) existence – namely as CF-NXT in the ownership of Fr. John Gillivray RCAF.

I contacted the owner of Hawk Trainer G-ADWT only last week, as I have never seen it since it was imported from Canada a couple of years ago. It is kept on a strip near Abingdon and rarely flown.
I believe it is up for sale again, so hopefully the new owner will take it out more.

Most UK bases are on pretty flat terrain.
Although I’m not familiar with Upper Heyford.

No trees like that around Upper Heyford. Looks very much like Germany?