Introduction
Hi!
I first became interested in military planes around 1970, when I became a member of the Royal Observer Corps and had to learn to recognise them. We also went on visits to RAF bases. I remember watching Phantoms practicing aircraft carrier landings at night at Yeovilton, for example. The same planes used to roar over our home in Watchet and turn to practice at a range further along the coast. I also remember seeing around a Vulcan Bomber and going to air shows, including St. Mawgan.
My favourite military plane is the Harrier, for its VTOL and versatility. I still enjoy watching it at air shows. I think the first model airplanes that I built were Harriers and Phantoms.
I also recall one year that we acted as marshals for an air race (the King's Cup?), standing on a cliff edge and noting down the planes (one of which was piloted by a prince) that flew feet above our heads.
Many years ago I applied for and was offered a job at Westland Helicopters in Yeovil, but decided regretfully in the end that it would be too risky to fulfil my ambition to own my first home in what was basically a one-company town. My decision appeared to have been vindicated when a strike began on the day I would have started.
My favourite civil plane is the Concorde. My father used to tell me how, in his younger days, he was offered an apprenticeship to work on Concorde, but his father wouldn't let him go.
I liked Concorde for its speed and elegance and cutting-edge design. The environmentalist in me did not like it's pollution, however. I have a friend who lives near the Bristol Channel and keeps guinea fowl. They used to hear the sonic boom before we did and used to set up a racket of their own. My main regret is that Concorde was not enough of a commercial success to allow investment on improvements that would have made it more quiet, clean and efficient, and extend its range and life. Here's a picture I took of Concorde at Manchester Airport on its farewell tour.
I don't really have a favourite helicopter at the moment. When I lived on the coast I liked the air sea rescue helicopters that I used to see, such as the Whirlwind and Sea King. I built models of those, too.
These days I go to air shows with a friend whose main interest is modern military aircraft. He's far more knowledgeable than I am. Because I live within reach of Duxford and Old Warden, however, he's getting to see more of the older planes. At least they keep flying at air shows whilst the modern stuff is away at war or kept at a distance for security reasons. The day before 9/11 we went over to Mildenhall and Lakenheath and were treated to a wonderful display from very close up as planes practiced landings and takeoffs.
These days I am interested in solar planes and UAVs. Unfortunately they don't fly near me so I have no pictures.
These pages are still under construction, as I'm still wading through my considerable collection of plane photos. Once I have done so, I'll decide the best size to make the index pictures for each page. These will point to additional pages with full size pictures and more information on each plane of interest. In the meantime, some pages will have few photos, while others will have a lot of full size pictures which may make them slow to load. My apologies in advance. I hope you enjoy the show.
Please choose a category from the list on the right.
Sue