Syl's Sydney Homestay wrote:
>
> G'day Geoff
>
> You've flown a Spitfire? What can I say - you're nothing short of a hero in
> my book.
>
> My Dad was mostly in Tobruk during the war, where he got seriously wounded,
> but he spent some time in Britain during the Battle of Britain. As a lad my
> Dad would tell me stories of the air battles he viewed at that time.
>
> I used to draw Spitfires on my exercise books and can't imagine a more
> beautiful airplane.
>
> Last year when I was in England I visited the air museum at Duxford where
> there was a woman pilot putting a Spitfire through its paces. Well I lay on
> the grass and just watched this plane bank amd roll and dive bomb the field
> for probably an hour or so.
>
> I believe you could book a ride with her for about 8,000 pound - If I had
> the money I would have done this.
>
> That will remain a dream.
>
> As I often say to returned soldiers - Thanks!!
>
> Paul
>
> >and this list would probably be discussing der
> >Volkes "Focke" or perhaps der Mercedes "Wulfe".
>
> We almost are - what about BMW?
>
> Paul
G'Day Paul, Hi,R Johnson.
I have to get one thing clear this very instant. I am no hero, much as
I would like to have been. I never flew in WW2, as I was only 4 years
old at the outbreak. Because I was not evacuated from London, I watched
the Battle of Britain going on over my head, and was bombed every night
of the week by the gentlemen of the Luftwaffe for 4 years, to my
childish mind, a MOST exciting time to live in. That's what turned me on
to aeroplanes. The possibility that I might die never occcured to me.
When I was old enough to learn to fly, I took lessons, and have been
around aircraft ever since. The opportunity to fly a Spitfire occured
one day in the early 60s, when a friend and I flew my Tiger Moth to
Biggin Hill (a WW2 aerodrome famous for it's B O B connections) and
someone had a privately owned Mk V adapted for training purposes to a
two seat version, and was dotty enough to allow some people to get
checked out. I got checked out and had about two hours solo time at
vast expense solely to be able to say "I have flown a Spitfire". It get
people's attention! The experience lives with me to this day. Although
my TD is supercharged, and the exhaust note is somewhat enhanced, the
noise of a Rolls Royce Merlin aero engine in a Spitfire beating up an
airfield at low level around 350 m.p.h. has to be heard by anyone with a
spark of nostalgic romance in them. I am sure a lot of the subscribers
to this list drive LBCs for just that reason, nostalgic romance.
Probably they should also hear a Spitfire! WOW!
As R.Johnson has a picture of a Spitfire hanging on his wall, so I have
a print of Kevin Walsh's picture, The Aero Club, depicting a scene at
the Essex Aero Club, probably in the mid 50s, showing a Tiger Moth, a
Triumph motor cycle and of course, an MG TD. Naturally, as I have owned
all three of these types of transportation, and still drive TDs, that
picture was a must. Anyone interested sufficiently in his nostalgic art
can find advertisements for his pictures in past issues of the Sacred
Octagon, the NEMGTR's magazine.
Like you, Paul, I also say THANKS to returned soldiers.
Geoff Love, The English Connection.
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