Speaker Meeting, 6.15 for 6.30pm

Paul called his talk “Aircraft I have known”, but perhaps a better title might have been “Seven things we didn’t know about Paul”.  Illustrating his talk with pictures of the following aircraft, he had a fascinating tale to tell about each one.

1. The Lockheed C-130 Hercules

Sitting on the back of the open loading bay of a Hercules as it flew from RAF Colerne, over the sea, and then up the Bristol Channel and the Severn to Gloucester whilst working as an unpaid volunteer in the Royal Observer Corps in 1968.  

2. The Boeing 737

Flying straight through a tropical storm over Taiwan.  Absolutely every part of the aircraft was shaking and everything in it, including Paul, was as well but not one excited 6 year-old who thought it great fun. 

3. The Thruxton Jackaroo (a modified De Havilland Tiger Moth)

Whilst employed as an apprentice at Vickers Supermarine racing a GWR Castle hauled express train on the main line, flying in a Jackaroo about 50 feet above it.  The train was faster.

4. The V-1 Flying Bomb, the Doodlebug

As a boy living in Kent, seeing Doodlebugs flying over his home.  His Grandmother’s beautiful house near Maidstone was destroyed by one.

5. The Caravelle

Watching a Caravelle take off at Heathrow carrying his (soon to be divorced) first wife on her way to Spain to live with her Costa property developer boyfriend, Paco.  And then, 2 days later, having to fetch her from Heathrow. She came back because she discovered that Paco had a wife and several children. (Footnote: some years later Paco was jailed)

6. The Boeing Jumbo Jet

Flying from Chicago to Korea on Korean Airlines flight 007, a weekly service.  Seven days later Korean Airlines flight 007 was shot down by Russia, killing all on board.   

7. Another Boeing Jumbo Jet

Being one of about just 20 passengers on a Garuda Airlines (Indonesia).Jumbo from Heathrow to Australia, until Jeddah.  At Jeddah 400 plus Indonesians boarded, returning to Australia from the Hajj in Mecca.  There was somewhat of an emergency when one of them lit a stove in the aisle to brew himself a cuppa!! 

8. The Junkers Tank Buster

Whilst working for Deloro Stellite in Swindon he often met up with the MD of their factory in Koblenz, a larger than life figure called Gunter.  Gunter had flown a Junkers Tank Buster in WW2 and was himself responsible for knocking out hundreds of Russian tanks.