Southend U3A's Aviation Group flies high!

 

Membership of Southend U3A's Aviation study group now numbers more than a dozen. There have been visits to the control tower at Southend Airport, to the Mosquito museum at the de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre, to the Shuttleworth Collection of veteran aircraft at Old Warden, Bedfordshire, to the RAF Museum at Hendon, and to the preserved 11 Fighter Group control centre at RAF Uxbridge. A visit to a gliding aerodrome near Colchester is planned for July 17, with members offered a chance to fly with instructors. For information, or to join the group, call Irene Gildert on 01702 582391

 

Members meet for coffee and reminiscences at members' home

 

 

Aviation Group members Margaret and Roger Saward welcomed seven fellow members of the group to their home in Leigh-on-Sea

for a coffee morning. They discussed recent visits to places of interest to aviation enthusiasts and enjoyed a good long chin-wag.

Some of the guests are pictured above.

 

Fine weather rewards group members for long journey

 

 

Lunch break - group leader Irene Gildert and fiance Peter Rogers pause for lunch during the visit to the Shuttleworth Collection's Pageant

Air Display at Old Warden, Bedfordshire, on 6th September 2009. The top pictures show the  De Havilland Dragon Rapide passenger

aircraft (left), which this year celebrates its 75th anniversary, and the Avro Triplane, one of the Collection's "Edwardians". The Rapide is

in the livery of British European Airways. The third member of the group to make the trip was Mike Eldridge-Doyle.

 

Hendon visit recalls excitement of our aviation history

 

 

Some of the Aviation Group members who joined the latest trip to the RAF Museum at Hendon are pictured having lunch. At right: The must-have Mustang.

 

Deep into the earth to visit Battle of Britain ops room

 

 

During the Second World War, RAF Uxbridge was the home of 11 Fighter Group, RAF, which defended London and the South East of

England and bore the brunt of the Battle of Britain. The focus of our visit to Uxbridge on 8th April was the Operations Room, deep underground

(76 steps for us to descend and then climb again). There, curator Hazel Crozier (shown in the picture above right talking to four of our

members) told us the history of the base and the crucial role played by the Operations Room. The bunker has been preserved in its original

state, with a number of rooms surrounding the plotting room used to house historic exhibits. In the picture below left is the huge plotting table

with its extensive map of South East England and the near Continent. Below right are examples of the period's state-of-the art communications.

 

 

 

Attentive audience for aviation video showing

 

Four members of the Aviation Group of Southend U3A watch attentively as an aviation video is

screened at the home of group leader Irene Gildert. Meetings attract an average attendance

of around a dozen.  

 

Navigator John talks to us about his war

 

Wartime RAF navigator John Hill was the special guest

at the Aviation Group meeting held on Thursday 15th

January at the home of leader Irene Gildert, who is

pictured with him. A dozen group members heard

him speak.

 

Edward returns to complete his air story 

 

Edward Clack, a former RAF aerial photographer, who had already given a talk to

members of Southend U3A's Aviation Group, returned on Thursday 20th November

to continue the story of his adventures. In the second picture, group members

John Boote and Roy Briggs examine Edward's first camera, a Kodak Box Brownie.

 

Edward with his aerial camera

This is former RAF aerial photographer Edward Clack, pictured when he was younger

with an F52 aerial camera. The instrument, mounted in various aircraft, was the tool of his trade.

Edware has now given two talks to the Aviation Group.

 

A queen of sea and sky

 

 

This huge seaplane, photographed at the RAF Museum in Hendon, north London, was used to

carry passengers in Canada long after its type had ceased to be current transport in the rest

of the world. It is a type now long vanished from our skies. Picture: John Boote.

 

Deadly intent from a comfy seat... 

This cutaway section of a First World War fighting aircraft shows not only the lethal guns designed to

shoot down enemies - the height of technology for those days - but also the wicker chair the pilot sat in,

a far cry from the life-saving ejection seat of later designs. This was just one of many photos taken by

members of the Aviation Group on Saturday 26th July during a day trip by coach to the excellent RAF

Museum. Picture: Mike Eldridge-Doyle.

 

Magic at Old Warden

We visited a flying day at Old Warden, Beds, which featured a great

line-up of old aircraft, like this Tutor trainer, pictured beside

the control tower.

 

This replica of the British Roe-1 Biplane of 1907/08 could not be flown

during the day because of very wet and gusty weather conditions.

It was good to look at, though.

 

Tower visit

Members of the Aviation Group were given a tour of the control tower at

Southend Airport by Tom Clark (left). They were shown the systems

in use, met the controllers and watched on a monitor as road barriers

were lowered to halt traffic before a small jetliner took off.

 

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