Mrs P and I went for our daily walk recently. We went for a stroll through the pine forest at Ringwood. I know the forest very well, from a time long ago. I’ll tell you why. Late in the last millennium, I set my sights on a career in the RAF. I had completed the … Continue reading Twenty Two Years
Today is the 100th birthday of the Royal Air Force, the world's oldest independent air force. Once upon a long ago, I served in the RAF. Why did I choose the RAF? Well, I got a bit too seasick for the Navy. And bullet dodging with the British Army wasn't something that appealed to me. … Continue reading Happy Birthday RAF
We're at war. Again. Sort of. I'm not really sure why our latest campaign in Syria is being called a war. Obviously there is a war happening on the ground. We're not participating in that. We're just dropping bombs on distance targets from a safe distance. But anyhow. I have a few thoughts. Why are we … Continue reading Syria
The UK is littered with airfields and RAF bases, past and present. Mostly past. The majority were opened at the outbreak of WW2 and closed again at the end of the war. There were no airfields terribly close to my current residency in Bournemouth. There were RAF Stations nearby, as you'd expect on the south … Continue reading Bournemouth Aviation Museum
Every little boy and little girl dreams of being something special when they grow up. A satisfying, enjoyable job that they'd do just for fun if they could. Some dreams change, some come true, some remain elusive. Mine? Shall I start by excluding the dream of playing football for a living and captaining England to … Continue reading The Career Path
I have never been naturally inclined to take to the air. That's not to say that the concept of flight hasn't ever fascinated me. It has, and still does. I spent many an afternoon on the spectators gallery at Heathrow Airport as a child, wonder struck as Jumbos and Concordes took to the skies. I … Continue reading A Flying Issue
The Mexile 