walking through Spitalfields market at lunchtime, and came across a stall with a stack of Cold War era spotter sheets.

Indulged in three of my favourites... before the bank manager started to ask questions!

 

Very cool, those would look great framed

 

That's the plan.

The guy who sold them to me has put me in touch with a lady who does document stabilisation and preservation for the British Library - she's going to linen mount them, and then I can get them framed.

 

What a great find. Archival framing and hang them in your house. Would love to see a photo after you have them framed up.

 

He had around 100... but my heart sits with these early British Jets.

I then got home and googled, and found there is one for sale... just need a pilot license, a jet license, and 200 hours flight time... then the £5 million for the jet... plus fuel... and yea... I need to win the lottery!

 

Well, I've got everything they need..........except the 5 million.

 

Aww man.

What do you/have you flown?

I have serious envy...

 

Various Citations, Lears and Gulfstreams over many years (didn't own any of them, just had the opportunity to fly them). Haven't flown in over 15 years. Can't afford it anymore.

 

I believe Maddog has the best of both worlds. He gets to fly cool planes at no cost to him and he gets paid to do it.

 

I'd happily do that... I'm not moving to Kensington though... might bump into the wrong sort of people.

 

Very Nice. Used to go past the attached every day on my way to work for many years. It wasn't till years later I knew the history or appreciated the importance of this Aircraft.

 

There is still a Sea Vixen flying with the Royal Navy FAA Historic flight which is a twin engine twin boom of similar design and does the odd display here and there. Amazing thing, just exudes cold war chic and looks so different to everything else.

 

Sea Venom and Vampire were the first jets I worked on in my early days. Quad 20mm Hispano cannons with ammo fed by the dreaded BFM. They were a real bitch to get working right. But the rest of the aircraft was very easy to maintain. the forward fuselage was actually made of plywood like to Mosquito.

I often got to go on rides in them, the twin Vampire was a great little aircraft but being a pax in the Venom was rather claustrophobic.

Lets see some pics when they're framed.

 

Doesn't he fly greyhounds ?




(I hope he is a good enough sport)