The judging panel at this year’s Freddie March Spirit of Aviation at the Goodwood Revival. Standing, left to right: Michael H. Davis (Managing Director, Midair), Rob Wildeboer (Goodwood host and technical adviser), Col Rick Searfoss (former Space Shuttle Commander), Nick Wall (Group Editor, Pilot magazine) and Sqn Ldr Alan Jones (Goodwood host and technical adviser). Seated, left to right: Jarrod Cotter (Editor, Aeroplane), Colin McGregor (TV presenter and pilot) and Capt Eric Brown (Second World War Royal Navy test pilot). Missing from this picture taken on the Sunday morning of the event is actor Ewan McGregor (Colin’s brother), who was also a judge but was called back to Los Angeles for urgent work duties on the Saturday. Tony Willitt

Obviously a major point of comment this month is the return to flight of a de Havilland Mosquito. A couple of years ago I visited Avspecs’s workshop at Ardmore, New Zealand, to view KA114, and like many others I have been waiting with great anticipation to learn that it has flown. And while that is exciting enough (see pages 51-56), we also have news of a Mosquito “flyer” for the UK in around three years! The Flying Mosquito Trust is now formalised and almost ready to begin raising funds. Aeroplane will bring you regular news of this amazing project. Of particular note is that you will be able to fly alongside this iconic aircraft, something which has not been possible before, courtesy of Action Stations!

Anyone visiting the Aeroplane website can find a link to a short clip of footage of KA114 in the air. There is also a link to some exclusive Aeroplane sponsored air-to-air video footage of The Vintage Aviator Ltd built RAF R.E.8 reproduction flying while it was still in New Zealand.

On the events front, I was excited to be invited back as a judge for a second year at the Freddie March Spirit of Aviation, part of the sell-out Goodwood Revival held on September 14-16. While it is a very difficult task to judge a de Havilland Gipsy Moth from a Consolidated Catalina, my experience last year was of great benefit. The winner was Bill Charney’s gorgeous Beechcraft D.17 Staggerwing NC16S, which is on a round-the-world tour.

I must conclude with the sad news of the death of regular Aeroplane columnist and contributor Johnny de Uphaugh. Johnny had a wealth of knowledge on all things aeronautical, and I was always delighted to receive his latest package for Flyleaves, which I shall continue in his memory. I visited Johnny just a short while before his death, and he was very enthusiastic about the work he had planned for Aeroplane. I am left feeling very privileged to have had his input.

What a great character, what an influence for me since becoming editor of Aeroplane, and how greatly missed he will be. All our sympathies here at Aeroplane go to his family. An obituary for Johnny will appear in next month’s issue.

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December Aeroplane Monthly

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TVAL’s chief pilot Gene DeMarco checks over his shoulder in the R.E.8 as he turns for another pass of Old Warden on September 3.

Putting together last month’s issue really whetted my appetite to
see The Vintage Aviator Ltd-built Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 and Albatros D.Va flying before they go into the RAF Museum. I couldn’t make it to Old Warden on September 2 for their debut, but the following day enjoyed an informal and relaxed beautifully sunny day there.

I also took the opportunity to spend some time with Kermit Weeks and he kindly agreed to do a Flying Visit interview for us. I think the result is a fascinating insight into Kermit’s passion for aviation. Turn to page 87 to read it.

I went to the Duxford Air Show the following weekend, which was an incredibly varied event. On the Saturday it offered a massive diversity of types from the R.E.8 to Avro Vulcan XH558 in the blue skies – quite a contrast!

We also had a sales stand there, and it was great to be able to offer visitors Gene’s exclusive article for Aeroplane on the R.E.8 and Albatros so they could read in detail all about the aircraft they were seeing. Gene and Kermit stopped by the stand on the Sunday to have their picture taken with our giant cover poster. Kermit was regularly updating Facebook during the visit and the picture went straight on to it! My BlackBerry then kept buzzing as many people who were following the page got in touch to tell me about it.

During my time at Duxford a number of people commented to me how sad it was that these incredible airworthy aircraft will be going into the RAF Museum. My immediate answer was that I thought it was great that they’d been allowed to fly before going on display at Hendon! They could very easily not have done so, and by making their flying appearances thousands of people have seen something very special.

At the time of going to print it was mentioned that the pair may also fly at another Shuttleworth air show later in September. And who knows, if their move to Hendon takes longer than expected we might even get a further display? But whatever happens, many of us have seen these perfect reproductions take to the skies of the UK. So on a cold, wet winter’s day, when I am admiring the wonderful collection of aircraft in the halls of the RAF Museum London, as I pass the R.E.8 and Albatros I’ll be able to think back to the sight of them flitting around in the beautiful blue skies on those warm autumn afternoons at Old Warden and Duxford. And I’m sure I won’t be the only one...

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Hawker Fury I K5674 in 43 Sqn colours being flown by Flt Lt Charlie Brown for an Aeroplane exclusive first air-to-air opportunity on August 7.

One of the proudest moments we get in this job is when we can bring Aeroplane readers something you can’t get elsewhere – so you can imagine how delighted I was to be able to bring you two such things within this issue!

The full story of The Vintage Aviator Ltd’s Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 and Albatros D.Va reproductions, which will fly at selected UK air shows before going into the RAF Museum, is a real coup. I have seen the already incredible standard of TVAL-built aircraft for myself, and was especially left in awe at the sight of the RAF B.E.2f and first Albatros built, so when Gene DeMarco said to me that the R.E.8 is “TVAL’s biggest achievement to date,” it just left me with a great feeling of anticipation to see it. And remember, while UK enthusiasts normally have to travel to New Zealand to watch the incredible TVAL aircraft fly, you will be able to catch the R.E.8 and Albatros for just a few selected air shows before they go into the RAF Museum. So if any of us take up Steve Slater’s advice from the last issue to get to at least one Shuttleworth display this season, perhaps September 2 could be a good option!

Our other great achievement in this issue was to get the first opportunity for air-to-air photography of the Historic Aircraft Collection’s Hawker Fury I K5674. This world’s-only example of its type is hugely exciting to see static on the ground. To see it fly is amazing, but then to see it in the air flying alongside our camera aircraft was a privilege I find difficult to describe. So to be able to share that with our readers for the first time fills me with a great sense of pride that we have hopefully given you a package of material that makes your loyalty to Aeroplane worthwhile. I must especially thank Janice and Guy Black for this, as well as pilot Flt Lt Charlie Brown, as it is of such special historical importance to Aeroplane.

In 1937 The Aeroplane covered a sortie of nine 25 Sqn Furies out of Lydd in Kent, and that is where our camera aircraft operator Bill Giles of Giles Aviation is based. So, some 75 years later, the magazine seemed to be going back to its roots, as Richard Paver and I flew from the same location to capture this beautiful 1930s biplane in the air for the first time! And how wonderful to be doing so, especially for our readers.

I’d like to conclude by thanking the many of you who got in touch to say how much you enjoyed our special coverage of the recent Bomber Command Memorial unveiling, and also commented on your appreciation of Richard Paver’s cover tribute to Trevor Roche.

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The recently unveiled Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park, London, which has a constant stream of visitors passing through it.

Once again it has been a hugely busy and moving month. Having been there when RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Avro Lancaster captain Flt Lt Ed Straw first met Flt Lt Ron Clark DFC, the original pilot of 100 Sqn’s Phantom of the Ruhr, whereupon it was mentioned that should be the next identity worn by PA474, I was hugely privileged to see Ron take to the air in the Lancaster for a poppy drop to mark the unveiling of the Bomber Command Memorial on June 28. I would like to mention chief fund-raiser Jim Dooley’s valiant efforts to help raise the considerable amount of money needed for this worthy cause; and he has become a good friend too. Jim was part of the pop group The Dooleys, and knew Bee Gee Robin Gibb very well. Robin was a significant driving force behind the memorial, though sadly died just weeks before its unveiling. If you haven’t done so already I would encourage you all to visit this wonderful structure in London’s Green Park. During my visit there some weeks after the unveiling, around a dozen people always seemed to be in the area housing the bomber crew statues, with many more investigating the structure outside.

I think that says a lot about its importance.

While it was hugely tempting to be there for the official ceremony, I instead chose to see Ron embark on his flight into history from RAF Coningsby. I do not think its likes will ever be possible again – a Lancaster representing the Phantom of the Ruhr, being flown by the wartime captain of that very aircraft over the unveiling of a memorial to the 55,573 bomber aircrew lost on operations and dropping a million poppies in tribute to those losses. This was history in the making at its very finest.

Then it was soon off to Flying Legends at Duxford, a worldwide highlight in the air show calendar. Aeroplane had a stand at this event, and it was a delight for us to meet so many readers there. The event was a great success for the magazine, and I must especially thank advertising manager Sue Keily and Kelsey’s Susan Cook for their hard work all weekend.

It has been a while since Aeroplane has been represented at Duxford, and the receptiveness from our readers over the Flying Legends weekend made the effort most worthwhile. I’d like to also thank everyone who made this possible and to all of you who stopped by, whether existing readers just taking the time to say “hello,” or new readers coming on board.

Sadly, the same Sunday saw the loss of life of Trevor Roche at Old Warden, Bedfordshire. Reported elsewhere in this issue I will not comment on this tragedy here, except to say that Richard Paver’s cover picture of Trevor flying the Shuttleworth Collection’s Westland Lysander is our tribute to him.

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