FlyPast 01.2018

Br itain’s top-selling aviation monthly

EDITORIAL:

Editor – Chris Gilson

Deputy Editor – Steve Beebee

Contributing Editors - Ken Ellis and Dave Unwin

Group Editor - Nigel Price

General enquiries to:

Editor’s Secretary: Johanna Buckley

FlyPast, PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincs, PE9 1XQ, UK

Tel: 01780 755131 Fax: 01780 757261

E-mail: [email protected]

http://www.flypast.com

DESIGN:

Art Editor – Mike Carr

PRODUCTION:

Production Editor – Sue Blunt

Deputy Production Editor – Carol Randall

Sub Editor - Norman Wells

Production Manager – Janet Watkins

ADVERTISING AND COMMERCIAL:

Commercial Director – Ann Saundry

Group Advertisement Manager – Brodie Baxter

Advertisement Manager – Alison Sanders

E-mail: [email protected]

Sales Executive - Paige Hayward

Ad Production Manager – Debi McGowan

Ad Production Controller - Cheryl Thornburn

E-mail: [email protected]

Group Marketing Manager – Martin Steele

Marketing Manager – Shaun Binnington

MANAGING DIRECTOR/PUBLISHER:

Adrian Cox

EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN:

Richard Cox

SUBSCRIPTIONS / MAIL ORDER:

Manager – Liz Ward

PO Box 300, Stamford, Lincs, PE9 1NA, UK

Tel: 01780 480404 Fax: 01780 757812

E-mail: Subscriptions: [email protected]

E-mail: Mail Order: [email protected]

Readers in USA can place subscriptions by visiting

http://www.flypast.com or by calling toll free 800-428-

3003 or fax 757-428-6253 or by writing to

FlyPast, 3330 Pacifi c Ave, Ste 500, Virginia

Beach, VA23451-9828.

SMALL PRINT: While every care is taken with

submissions, the Publisher cannot be held

responsible for any loss or damage incurred. All

items submitted for publication are subject to our

terms and conditions. These are regularly updated

without prior notice and are downloadable from

http://www.keypublishing.com

We are unable to guarantee the bonafi des of

any of our advertisers. Readers are strongly

recommended to take their own precautions before

parting with any information or item of value,

including, but not limited to, money, manuscripts,

photographs or personal information in response

to any advertisements within this publication. The

entire contents of FlyPast is © Copyright 2017. No

part of it can be reproduced in any form or stored

on any form of retrieval system without the prior

permission of the publisher.

FlyPast (ISSN 0262-6950), January, is published

monthly by Key Publishing Ltd, PO Box 100,

Stamford, Lincs, PE9 1XQ, UK and distributed in

the USA by UKP Worldwide, 3390 Rand Road,

South Plainfi eld, NJ 07080. Periodicals postage

paid at Rahway, NJ and at additional mailing

offi ces.

Periodicals Postage Paid at Piscataway, NJ and

additional mailing offi ces.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to FlyPast,

Key Publishing Ltd, C/O 3390 Rand Road, South

Plainfi eld NJ 07080.

DISTRIBUTED BY: Seymour Distribution Ltd,

2 Poultry Avenue, London, EC1A 9PP

Tel: 020 7429 4000 Fax: 020 7429 4001

PRINTED BY: Warners (Midland) plc,

The Maltings, Bourne, Lincs. PE10 9PH

PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY:

Key Publishing Ltd,

address as Editorial

Printed in England

ISSN 0262-

Art Editor

Mike Carr

Advertising

Manager

Alison Sanders

Follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ ypastof cial

Welcome

T

here is something rather sad about a once
active aeroplane without its wings. Having had
the essence of its existence removed, it becomes
essentially redundant, instead being used for
a multitude of purposes, or is simply scrapped.
However, I was fortunate to see one such aircraft
that, despite being wingless and somewhat
battered, had lost none of its poise and presence. In fact, there was even a
sense that her dignity had increased.
The subject was Gloster Sea Gladiator N5520 Faith, a representative
of the type that was used by the Hal Far Fighter Flight which defended
Malta during the siege of 1940. Three of the biplanes – named Faith, Hope
and Charity – possibly by an unknown Maltese newspaper – succeeded
in capturing the public imagination. Now suspended from the roof of the
National War Museum at St Elmo’s Fort, Valletta in Malta, Faith forms part
of a World War Two-themed exhibition.
It felt as if history exuded from the very fabric of this venerable machine.
Walking around it within the necessarily rather con ned display space, I
could not help thinking of the critical events in which Faith was involved; of
how the aircraft was taken aloft time and time again to successfully counter
seemingly impossible odds, until a well-deserved retirement in 1943 when
she was gifted to the people of Malta. Some years ago she was refurbished

by staff at what was then RAF Luqa, Malta (now the island’s airport). This

made her ‘presentable’, but the spirit of this machine remains the same.

I’m lucky enough to have seen some wonderful aircraft at close hand in

this job, all with their own incredible stories, but I think the signi cance of

this one has affected me the most. As the sole Sea Gladiator survivor  own

during that crucial period in the island’s history, N5520 remains a symbol

of unbeaten and unbowed de ance.

In the same period Faith’s pilots were defending the Maltese archipelago,

the early exchanges of the Battle of Britain were beginning more than a

thousand miles away. Inside this issue you can read about 74 Squadron,

during that momentous period, as part of our new RAF 100 series. We’ll be

running a number of themed features over the next 12 months to celebrate

the service’s centenary, and I hope you’ll agree that this is a compelling

subject to start with.

Look out for our RAF 100 special section in future issues.

As always, enjoy your magazine.

Chris Gilson

Editor

Contributing

Editor

Ken Ellis

Group Editor

Nigel Price

Deputy Editor

Steve Beebee

Below

Gloster Sea Gladiator ‘Faith’ on display at the National

War Museum in Valletta,

Malta. KEY