The few.......

Have you ever met a wartime Spitfire pilot? Ebullient, game for anything, give it stick sort? No, he was actually quiet, contemplative and one of the nicest folk you could hope to meet. As usual the hero is quieter and more reserved than the bloke who thinks he's a hero. When Pat died his widow got his uniform from a dark cupboard, his son pulled it on and it fitted perfectly. She wanted to give me his log books but I suggested that they are family history and as such need to be retained for the grandchildren to know who their old Gramps was; not just the ancient wizened thin man but the 21 year old cavalier.

This aircraft is a replica at Spitfire Corner, St Mawgan airfield or Newquay Airport as it's now known. I was nearly killed about 200 metres from where this image was taken during a flight in 1978. The airfield was designated as a Master Diversion Airfield, MDA, which meant it had everything needed to get an aircraft down under most circumstances. We would plod up from Plymouth in our Gazelles and carry out instrument training. The safety pilot in the left seat had a clean windscreen, the pilot under training wore a hood device over his visor and the cockpit on his side was whited out. On this occasion I became uneasy as the cool clipped tones of the radar controller confirmed we were, "On the glideslope and on the centreline." Well we were certainly on the centreline but never anywhere near the glideslope, I could see that we were well under it. I told the handling pilot to 'go around' then asked the controller for the same approach. He once again brought us down this magical glideslope on his magical radar, it was only when he called, "On centreline and glideslope passing 200'" that I took control and hovered the aircraft at 20' and 400 metres short of any tarmac! In real life he would have been one of the pall bearers. (The pilot in the link is the son of the second senior NCO pilot in the Royal Marines; his father was awarded the Air Force Cross)

Mrs Booty and I were on a mission. Take a picture and deliver 50 meals to the St Francis dog rescue centre. Stuff Christmas cards next year. The dog's home will get the money. I would have taken Mervyn a Staffie, but I could never trust him near our boys.

Most of you will not be familiar with a short period of my history, here's a link. I must get over myself.

Thank you to everybody who made such kind comments on yesterday's image. Great site, great people.