H
ow to develop a new
generation of British warbird
pilots? This has been a
question on many lips for
years. Now, the signs are that it’s defi nitely
happening. Of course, a lot of pilots may
get to fl y lighter vintage aeroplanes, and
do so with great aplomb, but opportunities
to progress to the heavier historic metal
are — for obvious reasons — not always
forthcoming. However, certain necessities
have come into play. The long-established
names, inevitably, can’t go on fl ying
warbirds forever. Their expertise, whether
of the aircraft themselves or the demands
of the display world, needs to be passed
on to some fresh blood. And the growth
in warbird passenger fl ying means, in
practical terms, that more pilots are
required. This can only be a good thing.
Some examples of the new breed are
obvious: Richard Grace, for
one. But there are plenty of
others — former Aerostars
Yak-50 team pilot Mark
Levy, for example, along
with the two men who
make up the Firefl ies duo
of Vans RV-4s, Jon Gowdy
and Andy Durston. All
have recently progressed
to become fully fl edged
warbird pilots, and each
represents an excellent
choice. They have
plenty of taildragger experience and are
seasoned airshow campaigners, having
fl own high-quality aerobatic displays for
many seasons. This is the route many
existing warbird campaigners took into
such aircraft, and it provides an ideal
grounding. Witness the litany of leading
historic aircraft display pilots who took
their fi rst steps into the business via
the Tiger Club — it’s much the same
principle.
And it’s not all about fi nding people to
fl y Spitfi res, Mustangs and so forth. TheShuttleworth Collection’s recent efforts to
bring on new talent are well-known, and
have this year seen Clare Tector becoming
possibly the fi rst woman ever to pilot a
Bristol F2B Fighter. The Bremont Great
War Display Team has inducted several
new names, including its fi rst female
pilot, multiple aerobatic champion Emily
Collett, who fl ies an SE5a replica. On the
heavier warbird side, Plane Sailing now
has two younger Catalina display captains,
Matt Dearden and Sébastien Mazzuchetti
— and Jon Corley, for so long chief pilot
for the Air Atlantique Classic Flight, is
to convert on to B-17G Flying Fortress
Sally B. This trend is not only welcome
— it’s vital for the continued health of
our historic aircraft scene. More power
to the elbows of those, whether pilots or
operators, who are making it possible.With the RAF’s
centenary very much
in mind as some of the
biggest celebrations
approach, now seems a
good moment at which
to mention a fundraising
appeal relating to one
of the service’s many
‘founding fathers’.
To mark the upcoming
100th anniversary of the
RAF College at Cranwell,
which was opened by
Lord Trenchard on 5 February 1920, it has
been decided that a statue of Trenchard
should be erected in front of College Hall.
Vivien Mallock has been commissioned
as the sculptor, and donations towards the
£120,000 cost are being sought. For more
details of this very worthwhile endeavour,
go to http://www.oldcranwellians.info, while to
enquire about donating you are advised to
e-mail Mike Horton at
[email protected].
Ben DunnellCONTRIBUTORS THIS MONTH
DENIS J. CALVERT
It is probably fair to say
that Denis is in his element
when writing on the
subject of Farnborough
and its 70-years-young
airshow, which he’s been
attending for the majority
of its life. In his feature
‘Stars of the Farnborough
Stage’ to mark the event’s 70th anniversary, he
relates a few of his favourite Farnborough
moments from over the years. Some of these, like
the Black Arrows’ 22-ship Hunter loop, are well-
known and already part of aviation history, while
others are relatively insignifi cant but nevertheless
made a lasting impression on him.GILLES COLLAVERI
An aviation enthusiast
since he built Airfi x kits in
his youth, Gilles now works
in the Airbus group within
its ATR regional airliner
subsidiary. He is also
developing the aviation
archaeology scene in
France, the idea being to
remember forgotten crews and aircraft. Gilles is
involved in the management of the brand-new
Aeroscopia museum in Toulouse, located near
the Airbus A380 assembly line.BRUCE HALES-DUTTON
“Like many others”, says
Bruce, this month’s
Database author, “I’ve
always had a soft spot for
the Fairey Rotodyne, but
documents in the National
Archives reveal the division
of opinion in Whitehall.
One comment contained in
an internal minute clearly went to the nub of the
argument: did the Rotodyne represent a
promising and original line of development or
was it a freak which would lead the industry up a
blind alley? I’m not sure there’s a defi nitive answer
to that question. To this day the Rotodyne
remains an enigma.”STEVE RICHARDS
In the 1970s and ’80s Steve
contributed many
photographs and some
articles to aviation
magazines and books.
Blindness has now
curtailed his photographic
work. Nevertheless, Steve’s
most recent book, The
Luftwaffe over Brum, sold out, necessitating a
reprint which was issued at the end of 2017 (for a
review see Aeroplane December 2015), and for
us he’s put together a fascinating retrospective on
the making with B-25s of the fi lm Hanover Street.
He is married with two grown-up daughters and
lives in Solihull.4 http://www.aeroplanemonthly.com AEROPLANE JULY 2018Aeroplane traces its lineage back to the weekly The Aeroplane,
founded by C. G. Grey in 1911 and published until 1968. It was
relaunched as a monthly in 1973 by Richard T. Riding, editor for
ESTABLISHED 1911 25 years until 1998.Editor
From the
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Editor @HistoryInTheAirFrom the
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From the
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From the
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The civilian
aerobatic route is the
one many existing
warbird campaigners
took into such
aircraft, and it
provides an ideal
grounding
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