Warm Fuzzy Feeling At The Flypast

I woke excited as I had plans to go to North Weald to watch the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain flypast. I read an interesting article in the paper in bed featuring ninety-five-year-old Wing Commander Tom Neil who flew the battle out of North Weald.

When I fired up my laptop there was a message from my flying instructor son linking to the same article and a vid that he suggested his father should watch about Tom Neil. MrQ was busy today but I watched the long video in its entirety. I even took notes. (He was blindfolded and told to work out where the controls were. He thought of his aircraft in the same way one might a family dog. It was childishly easy to fly. Talk of landing at North Weald after a bombing raid, dodging the craters and setting off on another sortie the same day. How an heroic friend didn't get the VC, just a mention in dispatches because of protocol. Of seeing a chum incinerated before his eyes and hearing of another whose parachute became entangled in the tail of his stricken plane. The way that how ever many aircraft were lost they would be replaced by the following day.)

I arrived at The Squadron at the same time as a lovely couple. He is learning to fly a gyroplane. The three of us were asked by someone from Essex radio for our thoughts. In turn we gave our take on the event and then congratulated ourselves on our joint effort. The departure of the planes from Goodwood was delayed because of the weather so the couple had to leave to be back in time to collect their children from school.

I then got talking to some women of my age interested in photography. After a while one of them came back to me wanting to show me some of her pics. They asked me if I give lessons. :)

Later I got talking to another woman of a certain age and told her what settings I use for shooting aircraft. She got some decent shots and thanked me profusely. I have picked up a certain amount, mainly by making mistakes. I enjoyed passing it on.

It poured with rain while we were waiting for the planes. A man shouted, "Young lady, would you like to borrow an umbrella?" Lol.

It was fantastic when the two Hurricanes and a Spitfire arrived. It was from this field that my son took my father on his first and only flight with him not long before dad died.