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UK trip - great time - great people!!!

Posted by john parker on Tue Oct 07, 2003 06:30:53 PM

Hi everybody

Just got back from a trip to the UK ( I am in Aus)

Toured with 20 Australians - great time took 1500 photos and 8 hours of video.

Got off the plane at Heathrow day one and we were at the shuttleworth collection 2 hours later !!!!!!! It still looks great - better in fact

Then stopped at the US war memorial at Cambridge - Very impressive.

Next day 2 full days at Duxford for the 100 years of flight show. A real blast even if I still haven't seen the damn Blenhiem in the air and where was the NZ restored Russian thing!! nowhere in sight - I came half way around the world to see these two and no go!! Never mind the show was a real eyepopper!

Then to Scotland via Newark, York (YAM), Kirkby (Lanc), East fortune, Leuchars 100 years of flight show - WOW !!!!and then back to London via Cosford and Hendon all in ten great Days.

I will put up some photos when I get a chance and make a few observations from the trip later but for now just a single point.

HENDON

This is the celebration year for 100 years of flight - a pretty big year for aviation and one would think for hendon.

Well I have to say I was very dissapointed at Hendon I think I realise that they are in the middle of a massive rebuilding of the site etc but the displays were very poor with much of the collection unavailable for view until the end of the year including most of the WW 1 aircraft and some of the more interesting WW11 types such as the He219, Tempest V and Me 262 etc all stuffed into the new hanger out of view.

An awful lot of people there on the day were a little upset and I think more could be done to open up the aircraft displays sooner.

Winging over I had a great time and I think the UK aviation scene is just fantastic - keep up the good work!!!

Regards
John P

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