26 | Pilot September 2017 http://www.pilotweb.aero
We’re at North Weald at the home of the
Heritage Aviation Trust. Heritage Aviation
is on the lookout for new trustees (more of
which later) and very kindly offered this
extremely excited 54-year-old a ride in a
Gnat. Edwin Brenninkmeyer instils a lot of
confidence, which you need when you’re
being flown in a high performance
machine that can easily bite the foolhardy
and incautious. His briefing, a lot of which
is about vacating the premises via
Folland’s own ejection seat (which is
surprising as you’d expect the Martin-
Baker route to have been cheaper and
simpler for the company rather than
develop its own system), is clear and
precise. He reminds me of Richard Grace
(of Grace Spitfire fame) who is also a
master at setting the mind at rest. Like
Grace, Brenninkmeyer has been flying all
his life and has a CV that is most
reassuring, including display flying with
the Tiger Club−which for me is a pretty
suitable testimonial.
If you like dressing up you’ll love this
world of fast jets. First of all there’s the
drab green RAF-issue overalls with their
trademark map pockets on the knees; then
a pair of heavy boots. I’ve always
wondered why RAF pilots wear footwear
that looks designed for stevedores but it’s
apparently to protect the feet in an ejection
and for walking across inhospitable terrain
afterwards. Then there’s the G-suit which
is actually like an inflatable pair of
Col makes sure he’s well-hydrated before the tripAnti-clockwise from above: Heritage’s stock of bone
domes, essential for Gnat ops; Edwin checks Colin’s oxygen
mask for fit; and Goodwin walks the jet pilot’s walk