2017-19
January 2019
It was with the member’s considerable disappointment that Bob Kirkham’s sudden health problem prevented him from delivering his maiden speech to the members on Tuesday 15th at the Mundford Bowls Club. Bob has been honing his talk for the last two years and misfortune has many times intervened. The society wishes him an early recovery and we look forward to his prompt return to the parade ground.
Undaunted as usual, the club rallied to the disappointment and with the help from cheer leaders, Chairman Chris and Secretary David, a party spirit soon resumed.
At the previous meeting our resident graphics designer had been detailed to create a selection of images suitable for a club logo. These were displayed and the club voted for the most suitable.
There was hearty approval for the club secretary’s suggestion that, in troubled times when we are speakerless, we should consider running a forum in which any member having an aeronautical query could ask the rest of the assembly for a solution.
It was announced that in February something special was happening………? And in March the club is organising a visit to Roger's workshop where he is building another vintage replica biplane.
The meeting ended with the usual bowls club bounty and a well-received video of the intricacies of the Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird” (courtesy of YouTube).
February 2019
The scheduled meeting of the WNAS was convened as usual at the Mundford Bowls Club on Tuesday 5th of February. There was no guest speaker on this occasion but, some 30 members gathered at the event with the expectation of participating in a DIY forum designed to provide, and/or, impart information on aeronautical matters. All the interrogative pronouns were out in force: what, where, when and who, seemed to be the order of the evening but, for some, the whys and the hows were in short supply. A director might have been useful; someone to delegate whether a shy-one or a showman should take the floor. But, without the anecdotal prowess of those who had the courage to speak and, the participation by our hosts, Len and Val, the evening would have been a far less jolly affair.
An additional attraction to the evening’s entertainment was Dennis’ Display: Once discarded wartime rubbish is now regarded as treasure and it was exhibited here with pride; recoveries included sections of heavy duty communication cables, and a cast iron pot containing HV transformer and circuitry for the ignition of the FIDO petrol burners. These dual purpose devices could provide runway lighting with fog dispersal properties. Are there signs of the emergence of an aviation museum on the horizon?
Next month, we look forward to a visit to the workshop of WNAS member Roger B, an unassuming gentleman whose apparent shyness overshadows his technical ability; he builds large scale WW1 fighter planes for his personal transport.
March 2019
This month’s aeronautical spectacular began at Steve and Jean de Roeck’s palace in Saham Toney where a very welcome feast was enjoyed by an extremely encouraging representation of the WNAS membership. This event was a warm-up to the unveiling of a long awaited exhibition of the on-going construction of two replica WWI aircraft in the Watton workshop belonging to society member Roger Burrows. This modest master craftsman has spared nothing in his quest for perfection using the same production methods of the period: wood, fabric and a minimum of metal. A 5/8 scale ‘Isaacs’ Hawker Fury and a 7/8 scale ‘Royal Aircraft Factory’ SE5A are well on the way to completion with no extra help other than from the encouragement of an understanding family. The atmosphere in the ‘hanger’ was electric; the outpouring of enthusiasm from the crew could be felt; camaraderie abounded; nostalgia took over with reminiscences of a time gone by, and, fortunately, with none of the fear.
Many thanks go to Roger and also to the unseen caterers in both departments who helped make the day such a wonderful success.
We all look forward, someday soon perhaps, if we’re lucky enough, to be invited to the maiden flights of this magnificent man in his flying machines.
April 2019
The Guest Speaker at our April meeting was Keith Thomas, and very good he was too.
He is one of a half dozen presenters for the General Aviation Safety Council who tour the country giving presentations and advice to private pilots in order to reduce the number of mishaps which occur each year, ranging from controlled air space infringements to serious loss of control of the aircraft by a pilot, too often leading to the death of the occupants.
Keith's audience at the WNAS contained only a couple of pilots yet he managed to explain his mission to us with authority and good humour. Thus, all of us went home much the wiser and potentially safer pilots and or even passengers in light aeroplanes. Thank you, Keith.
May 2019
Julian Horn was our guest speaker at the WNAS meeting this month. Held in the friendly atmosphere of the Munford Bowls Club he gave a very passionate talk about some of his personal WW2 heroes who were in service during the conflict at RAF Watton flying Bristol Blenheims. Julian himself served in the RAF at Watton and it was there that he became a proficient glider pilot and a prodigious historian.
He showed a clip from a BBC film archive of, one Bill McGrath, in his 90s, giving an account of his exploits to a group of history students. What a speaker he was: his audience was spellbound as were we. Setting off from Watton on one sortie Bill gave a blow by blow account of how his squadron, detailed to a mission in Aalborg, Denmark, were attacked and suffered many casualties. Bill survived but in rather a battered condition. He was captured and sent to a hospital in a German prisoner of war camp. Once mobile again he was sent to another camp in France where he teamed up with a kindred spirit, Ollie James. The two became great friends and escaped to Spain where they eventually hitched a lift back home to England. Both were decorated but Ollie later became a casualty of the war. Bill survived and went on to be a peacetime raconteur, self-styled pacifist and historian.
The club were delighted when Julian accepted our invitation for him to return to present another episode from his collection of memorabilia.
At the end of this convivial evening our host and hostess were complimented again for their hospitality and fare.
June 2019
There were two members of the WNAS meeting this month both delivering talks contemporary with a bygone era: Marconi, Alcock and Brown by Nigel Tooth and David Allen.
Firstly Nigel took to the stage and gave an entertaining account of his interest in electronics which began as a schoolboy when he spotted the enormous Chain Home radar defence masts at Bromley Heath in Essex from the windows of the school bus.
After leaving school he recounted stories of attempts he’d made at securing a job at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, the BBC and Marconi. The first two opportunities failed to secure a position as a result of bad timing and, flippancy at the interview. The Marconi radar research interview was more successful, probably, he said, as a result of nepotism.
He met a number of characters there who had their own stories to tell: older colleagues who had met Marconi and his clever engineer Charles Franklin; another who might have witnessed the bombing of Dublin Bay by the Germans as a result of the British ‘beam bending’ techniques and, yet another who claimed the E1189 won the war and not the Lancaster, the Spitfire or Winston Churchill. The E1189 was a cavity magnetron which was an essential component used in airborne radar systems during the battle of Britain in WW2. To add flesh to some of these characters, several comparisons were made between Hollywood actors and music hall artistes.
At this juncture, Nigel took a more serious direction and explained how the magnetron operated using props he’d taken from a microwave oven. He then mentioned the radar system on which he had worked at Marconi’s which was so large that power consumption was capable of draining a small power station. He concluded by saying that research in this particular field was largely made redundant by advances in technology relating to signal detection rather than generation.
There then followed a small interlude where the well-stocked bar at the Mundford Bowls Club was made available and the complimentary buffet could be enjoyed while the raffle was being called.
David then gave an account of his own experiences of having visited a heritage site, on the west coast of Ireland, dedicated to the memory of Guglielmo Marconi, what he had achieved and, a legacy: that of being the first person to transmit a radio signal across the Atalantic in 1901. David skilfully worked into his dissertation, the coincidence of the location of another momentous occasion: when, in 1919, two military men, John Alcock and Arthur Brown became the first men to fly across the Atlantic in an aeroplane, landing close to the site of the first radio transmission. With questions about the aforementioned topics David concluded the evening with a competition designed to pit his wits against those of the audience – nobody knows who won.
July 2019
As the Mundford Bowls Club need their premises for its own activities at this time of the year, our club took to the road in July and August and headed to The Imperial War Museum at Duxford where we were treated to displays of fighter and training aircraft which were rehearsing for the weekend’s air show. Between the pauses in the flying displays we viewed the exhibits in the Land Warfare Building and visited the workshops where the vintage aircraft are restored.
The combination of the fine weather, excellent flying, interesting exhibits and convivial company made the day memorable and worth repeating next year.
August 2019
In August, a few more of us set off for the Norfolk & Suffolk Aviation Museum at Flixton. Most of us had been there before but, with so much to see, interest was maintained for the whole five hours we were there. Whilst sitting aboard a Vickers Valetta – which served suitably as a reception centre – we were briefed by Steve, the chairman of the museum, who gave us an extensive and entertaining account of the initial and continuing developments of the project which functions almost entirely on volunteer support and public donations. Steve then took us on a private tour of some of the exhibits and even allowed the lucky few an opportunity to perform a simulated flight in a converted Bristol Sycamore helicopter. Another member of the crew, Ray, a wartime avionics expert, endowed some of us with his knowledge of early radar wizardry. We owe both chaps a debt of thanks for their attentiveness and tolerance towards our ribaldry and banter. Best wishes to you all at Flixton; you deserve it.
October 2019
It was nearly three years ago when, WNAS member, Bob Kirkham was first asked to give a talk about his own exploits serving with her Majesty's Royal Air Force. He seemed a little reticent when first approached but became more amenable with the passage of time. Following a few brushes with death defying health issues, on Tuesday 1st October, he launched into his maiden speech with a vengeance and fairly rose to the occasion. Like most airmen, from an early age, he had an obsession with the prospect of learning to fly and to becoming a pilot. At first he was an air cadet but, by his own admission, felt his academic prowess was running short of the mark to gain acceptance into the esteemed ranks of the RAF but, by sheer determination and a few lucky breaks he nevertheless succeeded with his endeavours and eventually became one of a few non-commissioned flying officers whilst still in his early twenties.
He became competent and familiar with many aircraft types from chipmunks, through Jet Provosts and, eventually to the Canberra, like the one in our heading; more than that: he’s the pilot. As an aside, Bob said that he had visited the Flixton Aviation Museum just recently and had become reacquainted with one of his ‘old flames’; except on this occasion it was only half a Canberra. Bob brought along, for support, his lovely wife who was able to provide the odd prompt. She was also remarkably tolerant of his confessions and references to the revelry and bawdy antics he and his colleagues had pursued; even to the allusions of ‘other old flames’.
Bob’s performance was so much appreciated by his fellow members that there was no hesitation about inviting him again next month to give another installment of his fascinating career.
September 2019
At our September meeting in the Mundford Bowls Club, Steve, a WNAS member and pilot, gave a flying start to our autumn programme of presentations & activities with his account of post WWII British test and research aircraft. A Lancaster powered by two jet engines and two RR Merlins, the Short SB5, the RR Flying Bedstead and the Fairey Delta are just four of the many aircraft that some of us did not know about or had forgotten until Steve's lecturette. And that was just the first half of the evening!
After the break, Steve showed and discussed some rare footage of the development of spy aeroplanes, including the Canberra and the U2. Thanks, Steve, you are already booked for next year!
Although September's meeting was a hard act to follow, another of our members, Bob, will rise to the challenge with a talk called: With my Head in the Clouds or some such. As a former Canberra pilot, we expect the evening to be both informative and entertaining. So, if you would like to join us on October 1st for a couple of hours, come to the Bowls Club just after 7pm. There is no charge for a first visit.
November 2019
Such was the enthusiasm for WNAS member Bob K’s talk last month that he was asked to deliver the sequel this month. After spending over 30 years as a pilot in the RAF it is no wonder there was so much more to tell.
Having qualified as a pilot he joined 3 Squadron at Coningsby in the 1960s and his responsibilities were extreme and varied. When stationed at Laabruch in Germany, a 3 minute mobilising time was often achieved in preparing his Canberra for a potential nuclear strike. Collaborating now, with old allies and some old enemies, combined exercises were important. Target practice in the Libyan desert won them prizes for accuracy; the Salmond Bombing Trophy being one.
Compared to the American Starfighter the Canberra was aging somewhat but it still excelled, beating the American and European teams by at least 20%.
Despite this, Bob’s comrades were still in awe of the Starfighter’s performance and, when offered a flight in one, foot already poised on the bottom rung of the boarding ladder, his excitement was suddenly extinguished by orders to return to the mess.
The testing of ejector seats was another practice vital to a well-trained squadron; here again the Martin Baker equipment was superior to that of the competition.
He was later invited to go to Oman and demonstrate to the Sultan’s air force procedures for parachuting from aeroplanes. The preferred types were Islanders, Dorniers and his favourite: Buffalos. After a cancer scare he was ordered to return to England where he was invited to assist with the formation of Air Wales and a charter company at Ipswich, operating Dorniers. With this experience he was asked to return to help his mate, the Sultan, refine his air force. As if his life’s adventure so far wasn’t enough, Bob, having a musical bent, still felt the urge to express himself in other ways and formed a band with some of the locals. They called themselves ‘Rashid goes to Nizwa’; ‘The Duelling Banjos’ being their signature tune. Bob now on a high and, having talked for nearly two hours, Jenny his wife, prompt and manager, cautiously coaxed him down to a safe landing.
Here endeth the second lesson.
December 2019
On Tuesday 3rd December, the WNAS held an AGM at its depot, the Mundford Bowls Club. It was chaired by, Chris H, and was supported by our manager, David A. The formalities were executed swiftly and efficiently; all existing officers were returned to their posts and there was a healthy balance left in the kitty. For more detailed information regarding this please visit our website: www.westnorfolkaviationsociety.org.uk where you will also find, information regarding future and past events.
After a raffle, a nosh, a noggin and a natter the chairman concluded the evening’s entertainment with a briefish and very amusing account of his posting from Conningsby in 1984 to Fort Stanley in the Falklands for a clean-up operation. Forever the humourist, Chris, an ex-RAF armourer, in his self-effacing naivety, adopted a light-hearted approach to his involvement by declaring: ‘When I first heard that British territory had been invaded by the Argentinians, I wondered why on earth would they want to attack Scotland?’ We suppose his confusion lay in the fact that Falklands has a tonal resonance with Orkney and Faroe. In a similar vein, he went on to declare the exercise was a way of making his own contribution to the downfall and later imprisonment of the renegade General Galtieri.
The list of aircraft requiring Chris’ involvement during his tour was endless but, needless to say, his beloved Sidewinder missile got a special mention. And, to illustrate this he had constructed his own rocket but, with slightly different styling. It consisted of a six-foot broom handle upon which was mounted a cardboard artist’s storage tube decked with yuletide nose artwork. It was brought to the launch pad: an aluminium milk churn. The touch paper was lit. The launching was not spectacular. There were sparks, a fizzle and a pop from both ends. The broom handle didn’t leave the ground but the nose took a short sideways flight onto the edge of the bowling green. There were no casualties and hopefully, the £100 donation the society made to the bowls club won’t all be consumed in the restitution of the green.
January 2018
Never to be foiled in the face of adversity the West Norfolk Aviation Society triumphs again at its Mundford Bowls Club depot. When a scheduled speaker fails to appear, external resources run dry or, are too expensive, the society turns to its own crew for monthly enlightenment. Our very own master techie, Fred Miller, rose to the occasion and delivered a compendium of photographic phenomena dredged from that wondrous archive: the internet. The programme started with a collection of slides depicting the irony of ‘Nose Art’; those zany pinups that emblazoned the front end of the war machines; the ones that belied and understated the apprehension and emotions of the sometimes adolescent aircrews. Our audience wasted no opportunity in punctuating the presentation with its own bawdy comments; even an emancipated lady listener felt cheated by the fact that the caricatures were exclusively female . . . . .
February 2018
New-ish member of the West Norfolk Aviation Society, Simon Booth, jumped in at the deep end last month and presented an extract from his film archive which highlighted some of the history of the enigmatic Lockheed F-104 Starfighter. His fascination for the aircraft started as a result of a family member having had personal associations. Developed in the 1950's this machine had such a striking appearance, with its rocket-like proportions, that that alone should have been enough to deter any would-be MIG15 aggressor. Unfortunately, despite holding altitude and airspeed records, it was bedevilled by a catalogue of misfortune, latterly being described by the press as: The Widow Maker – Simon prefers the expression: Window Shaker.
March 2018
A recent addition to the society, the unassuming Roger Burrows, was next to give us a talk. On his first visit to our venue, at the Mundford Bowls Club, he was asked by a nosey official what were his personal interests in the society and his response was: ‘Well, I make aeroplanes’; in a tone that was almost an apology. We can be pretty sure that almost everybody in the club has made a Keil Kraft or Airfix model at some time in their lives but Roger’s retort was: ‘No, I make scale models, almost full size’. The nosey official was flabbergasted and took immediate steps to engage Roger as a future speaker; the future, on this occasion, turned out to be Tuesday 6th of this month.
To embelish his talk he brought along with him a comprehensive set of slides depicting a multitude of projects and their various stages of construction. He also brought a collection of piece parts which included ribs, spars, longerons and frames.
From an apprentice in his father’s furniture workshop to master craftsman this gentleman took the initiative and ventured along a career course most of us humble enthusiasts would have died for. Roger’s expertise has not gone unnoticed elsewhere; he is well known among media figures for restoring their broken Stearmans and Tiger Moths. On the stocks at the moment is his own 7/10 scale SE5 WW1 fighter biplane. He has very kindly invited the society to visit his workshop in the summer for a special viewing of work in progress. Without being too presumptuous, one day perhaps, we may even be invited to a flight demonstration. Who needs Duxford!
Thanks again to Len and Val, stewards of the Bowls Club, for their hospitality.
April 2018
West Norfolk Aviation Society secretary, David Allen, gave a glowing introduction to our part-time president and author, Peter Gunn, who helped establish the society in the early ‘90s. He made a welcome appearance and talked to us about his sixth and most recent publication ‘Aviation Landmarks in Norfolk and Suffolk’.
Peter delivered his presentation in the soothing and cultured Scottish accent with which we have since learned to associate him. The book could be likened to a travelogue or tourist guide to the sightings of, not only the current and extinct airfields in the counties but it also delves into the wartime stories linked to other landmarks like country houses, churches, grave yards and village pubs. During both wars these places have all helped to contribute historical evidence to a tragic but sometimes romantic past.
We do forgive Peter for the confession he gives for his poor attendance but he does live a little distant and he also struggles to keep pace with the deadline for his forthcoming epics.
May 2018
The society gave a warm welcome to Essex boy Andy Phipps who is an officer in the USAF Fire Service at Lakenheath; his presentation was no less fascinating than Peter’s but delivered in the rapid staccato style that we associate with the American military speakers who have graced our platform before.
Andy had not ventured far into his talk before his audience realised the extent to which he and his colleagues were expected to execute their duties: removing the charred remains of corpses from burning aircraft and to the opposite extreme: delivering a new-born baby, on one occasion, to a lady passenger on a paralysed aircraft.
He went on to describe the functions of a multitude of tools with which he had to be familiar: from the different types of domestic extinguishers to rapid response fire engines, the diverse variety of aircraft construction materials, the idiosyncrasies of which require a specialist approach for fear of worsening an already delicate operation.
Andy’s delivery was punctuated with humour and he was quick to appreciate the rejoinder from his audience. Like all good comedians his strength was in his modesty and he didn’t hesitate to draw attention to the fact that his stature wasn’t representative of today’s stereotype fireman.
June 2018
On 7th June Steve de Roeck, once again, returned as speaker at the West Norfolk Aviation Society and delivered a compelling talk about a hero of his, Noel Pemberton-Billing (1881-1948). This man’s eclectic achievements wowed many of us at the meeting and, in his day, could have or, should have been a role model to aviators, soldiers, inventors, philanthropists, publishers and politicians. To include here even a few of his accomplishments would be detrimental to all those we could not fit in the space available; even our dearly departed society president, Ken Wallace, would have struggled to keep pace with the achievements of PB; on one occasion it was alleged that he won a bet with Frederick Handley-Page that he could learn to fly in one day.
Steve has received much acclaim for his photographic skills and it is no surprise that he should revere this man so highly, especially since PB patented a pocket camera in 1934 which he called the Compass. It was this invention he was most proud of, weighing less than eight ounces and, had specifications not much different from those of today. In the year of his death in 1948 he created a miniature spy camera called the Phantom; one of these was sold in 2001 for £120,000.
During the second half of the evening Steve presented some of his own creations: photographs illustrating flying versions of WW1 and WW2 aircraft taken at different venues around the world. Such is the sophistication of his equipment that we were able to identify the pilot of a Lancaster flying over a mile high.
The meeting at the Mundford Bowls Club was not without the customary banter and not without the customary fare generously supplied by our congenial hosts, Len and Val.
August 2018
August’s meeting of the society came in the form of a visit by members to a local crash site. Just off to the west of the A1065 on the road between Mundford and Brandon is the location and memorial of this tragic event. Our member, Simon Booth takes up the story below:
Visit To The Mundford Lancaster HK773 Memorial
Back in the heat soaked days of August, a small but dedicated group of the society's members met under leaden skies in readiness to be escorted up to the Lancaster crash site by Rod Billen - the local memorial custodian. Fortunately the predicted thunder storms held off and once at the crash site Rod delivered a very informative talk detailing the events leading up to the crash and the subsequent efforts made to remember those that lost their lives with the creation of the permanent memorial. With the skies continuing to darken, the assembled party returned to Mundford Church, where a brief inspection was made of another small memorial plaque before retiring to the ‘The Crown Hotel’ for much needed refreshments.
A further visit to the site is being arranged again by Rod Billen. This will be in the form of a memorial walk from Mundford Cricket Club on Sunday 11th November (exact timing TBC)
He also said that he is prepared to drive anyone unable to complete the walk.
September 2018
On Tuesday 4th September at the Mundford Bowls Club the WNAS played host to a presentation from a double act: two pilot instructors from Mid Anglia Microlights. The first of the two, Pat, dealt with administration, the history, the development and the procurement of their aircraft. The fleet they have is comprised of two types, The Flexwing weightshift P&M GT450 and the 3-Axis Ikarus C-42. The former can be likened to a sophisticated hang glider driven by an 80hp engine, the latter is a small conventional monoplane with a basic joystick control. Both devices are weight, pay load and power-restricted and are therefore exempt from much of the CAA red tape and, in consequence, the cost of learning to fly is much reduced. Also, a flying license thus procured is valid to fly some more conventional machines. The second speaker, Gary, and partner in the enterprise, manages the maintenance and the safety of the aircraft. He also manages the safety and the syllabus of his students: what, when, and who should fly and to where?
October 2018
On Tuesday 6th of October, in the cosy confines of the Mundford Bowls Club, the West Norfolk Aviation Society proudly presented, for the first time in the history of the club, a lady speaker who captivated her mostly male audience. This elegant and eloquent lady, Jocelyn C. Blakey, gave a brief but intensive insight into the life of her brave and adventurous father, Roger Maw, who, being the son of a gentleman farmer, expected to follow in his father’s footsteps until, that is, he was cajoled into joining the Special Reserve Air Force in 1927 by a wing commander from the nearby base at Waddington. Jocelyn described her father modestly but it was clear that he was a man of exceptional character with a natural flying ability and a good eye for strategy. He earned much respect from his colleagues through a waggish sense of humour and an incredible practical and innovative ability. He was credited with designing and building the famous vaulting-horse in Stalag Luft 111 which, apart from being used by prisoners of war to keep fit, also served as camouflage whilst escapees tunnelled beneath it.
Not entirely unscathed Roger survived the war and returned to farming at his cherished Lincolnshire village home. Together with his records and his family’s subsequent forage for further information Jocelyn published a book in 2014 defining more fully the extent of Roger’s talents and achievements. The book is entitled ‘Wapitis Wellingtons and Binderband’
There’s an interesting sequel to this story, but hardly competitive: our esteemed club secretary, David Allen, was recently dining at a hostelry in Feltwell the landlord of which being Chris Samuels a one-time member of our society. Chris renamed his inn, The Wellington, to commemorate the aeroplane’s activity at RAF Feltwell during WW2. Wing Commander Roger Maw DFC flew many missions in Wellingtons; as did our late president, Wing Commander Ken Wallis (James Bond’s stunt double in the film ‘You Only Live Twice’). Chris was a past pupil at Methwold High School and David was a past teacher at the same school; the former introduced the latter to another diner, her name: Jocelyn Blakey.
December 2018
Whenever a club holds an annual general meeting it is quite common to assume that the event will be received with less enthusiasm than normal but, not on this occasion; our members enjoyed an evening in the spirit of what would normally be regarded as a party, with food and liquor being supplied by our host and hostess at the Mundford Bowls Club. Entertainment was provided by a comedy double act comprising the Chairman, Chris Halliday, and the proxy secretary, David Allen.
A motion to re-elect all current officers was proposed and seconded. To confirm solidarity, the chairman light-heartedly bestowed upon the worthy, hand crafted medals he had constructed himself from non-negotiable UK currency.
Our technical officer, proposed the introduction of a logo to help others identify our organisation; this could be used as a transfer to emblazon various garments we might wish to adorn. The motion was carried and a member, a graphics designer, agreed to undertake the assignment.
Our treasurer reported that we had a healthy set of accounts and it was agreed by all that the current annual club subscription of £10 per member should stand for the coming year. It would appear that this is not a deterrent to prospective recruits especially when the buffet each month is all inclusive. There is no restriction on membership and it’s particularly nice to welcome a growing number of lady members and, lady speakers too.
After the meeting ended the rest of the evening was devoted to a video presentation, courtesy of Fred and projectionist Andrew. This was entitled ‘The Gimli Glider'. This aeroplane turned out to be a Canadian B767 airliner which ran out of fuel at 40,000ft and managed to land without loss of life on a disused airstrip actively being used for car racing events. The air accident report claimed that it was not pilot error or an aircraft fault but a situation brought about by lack of training i.e. an administration blunder; confusion over whether the fuel was measured in gallons or litres. Steve de Rouke, long standing member and retired airline pilot, then took the floor and spoke of similar experiences he had encountered himself.
At the end of the evening the secretary thanked the chairman for executing his duties so well and in return the chairman thanked the secretary for having been responsible for ‘holding the club together’ during the last twenty five years. In recognition of this David was presented with his favourite tipple, a bottle of Dalwhinnie malt whiskey together with a little light reading material; 12kgs worth of vintage aviation history.
Chris went on to thank our charming hosts, Val and Len, for their contribution and participation throughout the year and, likewise, were presented with tokens of our gratitude.
November 2018
Once again Fred Miller stood, nay sat, in the firing line of an audience at the Mundford Bowls Club where the West Norfolk Aviation Society held its Tuesday meeting on 6th November. Fred, who is not only a relatively new member to the club he has also aspired to the rank of group technician and has rescued many previous would-be speakers encountering problems with their own support equipment. On this occasion, however, Fred demonstrated how he had been able to take his technical ability to a limit that few in the audience could have imaged. Gone are the days of Airfix and Keil Kraft aeroplane modelling, gone are the days of balsawood, balsa cement and tissue paper; here was an insight into the technology surrounding the next generation aeroplane modeller; in a nutshell: 3D printing. Fred has been able to construct various aeroplane sections using an apparatus with an extruder nozzle which draws a molten plastic thread onto a horizontal surface. Further deposits are created on a succession of planes in the vertical direction. The continuing process eventually creates a three dimensional body which can be solid or hollow. Although he is capable of writing a computer programme which controls the printer Fred has used proprietary software to construct his first aeroplane model: an eighth scale model of a pre-war Boeing Stearman biplane which incorporates an electric simulation of a seven-cylinder air-cooled radial engine. Piece parts were on display at the meeting.
Sometimes one gets the impression that a few diehard members of the society prefer to receive talks about the real thing and models are only bodies that move along catwalks. Well, Fred certainly expelled any such notion with this audience.
The meeting ended with a nosh-up, courtesy of our favourite caterers, Val and Len.
January 2017
The West Norfolk Aviation Society held its January meeting on the tenth of the month, again, at the Mundford Bowls Club. There was no speaker on this occasion but members enjoyed a film showing the comings and goings of various commercial aircraft at Manchester International Airport in the 1960s. After the interval, which included a raffle and a sumptuous table of fine fayre, we had another film showing the valuable contribution the Blenheim made to the war effort. Although there was a minor sound issue with the projection media, the hard of hearing were helped along by the less aurally challenged; they gave their support with musical accompaniment. Before the meeting closed, Tech. member Fred ‘Magician’ Miller, took to the floor and gave a demonstration of how a micrometer can also be used to induce lift.
February 2017
On Tuesday, 7th February, the West Norfolk Aviation Society enjoyed the presentation of a collection of aircraft photographs taken this century by fellow member Andrew Barnes. From Sea Fury to Concorde, the range of aeroplanes was wide and detailed. Anecdotes contributed by other members added extra interest to the evening. A further bonus was the hospitality and catering provided for us by the Mundford Bowls Club. Our thanks to them. Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday March 7th when another member of the society will give a talk on Aerial Gunnery. Chris Halliday's performances are always informative, humorous and unusual, so join us if you can.
April 2017
On Tuesday 4th April the West Norfolk Aviation Society met at the Mundford Bowls Club and, disappointing though it was that the scheduled speaker was unable to attend, our own member Mark Burch came to the rescue with 2014 film footage of the meeting of the only two surviving Lancaster bombers. Vera, a recently restored Canadian machine, flew across the Atlantic to rendezvous with Thumper, the British counterpart at RAF Coningsby. Both aeroplanes were joined by the Spitfire and Hurricane of the Memorial Flight and the film showed clips of the four aircraft in formation touring around various locations in the country. The evening was particularly enjoyable now that we have a new sound system. As usual, a show of appreciation was bestowed upon our caterers, Val and Len, for their cream tea and beer.
June 2017
On Friday, May 26th, members of the West Norfolk Aviation Society met at a Duxford practice day to see a collection of WW2 war horses being put through their paces. As usual, tears in our eyes and lumps in our throats, the nostalgia was all consuming even though none of us witnessed the real thing. It was mainly a day of history with two incredible museums to support the day’s entertainment. But, to most of us, the star turn of the day was the Eurofighter Typhoon which never fails to exhilarate; even the traditionalist anoraks. The machine’s manoeuvrability was breath-taking with its ability to stand on its tail, almost stationary, and, with the potential to accelerate to 2000mph – not on this day though. What a credit this machine is to human engineering; surely a case for stealing the glory from the pilot. Is his or her role almost redundant we wonder and what part would a pilot really play in a dog-fight with competitive hardware? Watch out politicians, the engineer is on your tail.
On Thursday, 8th June, members and guests met again at the very hospitable Mundford bowls club. On this occasion we were entertained and educated by another charismatic speaker, Mike Dalton. Although Mike had served time in the RAF his main claim to fame emerged when he pioneered a school for would-be racing drivers. The success of this was limited by the overheads incurred in the venues he was able to afford. His shrewdness and an innate empathy with economics led him onto founding another scary venture: a flying school. This time, with a difference: at the height of its popularity he was operating six, 80 year old Tiger Moths. At the end of his address the floor was opened up to questions and another hour passed by with anecdotes and banter. We have a feeling that Mike might have liked us and, there is a suspicion he might even join our ranks. If he does, or doesn’t, we will certainly ask him back to talk to us about what he does now for kicks.
July 2017
The scheduled guest speaker was unable to attend the West Norfolk Aviation Society meeting on Tuesday 4th July and the duty was thus performed by our own Club secretary, David Allen. He began his presentation with a film illustrating the development and testing of one of his favourite aircraft, the Handley Page Herald, which, although a technical success suffered a production run of only nine years, mainly the result of political interference - nothing new there. David went on to give a masterly account of his own involvement with the aircraft, from the hair-raising to the holidays. One small point: whilst on guard duty one night he had cause to castigate an unscheduled intruder who was also enthusiastic about the Herald; David grovelled once he realised it was the Duke of Edinburgh….. runaway. The evening ended with a rousing applause and as usual, a special thanks to our catering hosts, Val and Len, stewards of the Mundford Bowls Club.