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 has taken place, with members flying with an instructor. For information, or to join the group, call Irene Rogers on 01702 582391

Colin's flight plan for a really good talk

Former airline captain Colin Towle was the guest speaker at the Aviation Group's well

attended meeting of 17th January 2012 at the home of group leader Irene Rogers, who

is pictured with him. Colin has a wealth of RAF and commercial aviation experience

and was a mine of fascinating inside information and personal anecdotes. He has flown

in and out of Southend Airport many times and gave an insight into the need for an

extension to the runway in the current major expansion by transport company Stobart.

We bring our model man to the fore

Pete Reay, well known as a flier of large-scale model helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, was brought in bv the the Aviation Group to talk to the main meeting on Tuesday 5th October 2010. Pete, pictured here with group leader Irene Rogers and her husband Peter, spoke for nearly an hour, demonstrating the complexity of the models and describing the control gear required - and the skill to use it. He created something of a sensation by producing a smaller-scale helicopter, which he proceeded to fly in the hall, producing a spontaneous round of applause.

Visit to Essex and Suffolk Gliding Club

Aviation Group members David Stone, Irene Rogers (leader), Elaine and Derek Brooks, Barbara Armitage and Peter Rogers pose outside the hanger at Essex and Suffolk Gliding Club at Wormingford, near Colchester, during an exciting visit during which three members took to the skies.

Pilot instructor John Bone briefs U3A Southend vice-chairman Mike Eldridge-Doyle on the cockpit layout of the ASK 21 glider. Parachutes are mandatory wear ("though they would only ever be necessary if we came into contact with another aircraft").

We see models flying at Two Tree Island

Realistic models are lined up at a model flying day at Two Tree Island. The day was organised by two clubs, Southend Radio Flying Club, and the British Model Flying Association. We were invited by Peter Reay from Southend Radio Flying Club. Flying site at Two Tree Island with the theme being a Warbird Day. There were awards for Best Model of the day and Most Realistic Flight, together with a raffle. A small single-seat, open cockpit Fokker was flown in from a private airstrip at Upminster.  The pilot, Pete, after taking off, returned later in his Mustang to beat up the field, the aircraft being was too big to land.  Finally he returned yet again in his Pitts to fly some aerobatics. The free BBQ was excellent.

Models go on show at leader Irene's home

Some of the model aircraft equipment shown by flying expert Pete Reay when he gave a talk at the

home of Aviation Group leader Irene Rogers.

Lancaster lunch an outing to remember

An Aviation Group lunch at The Lancaster, at London Southend Airport was enjoyed by 14 group members and their spouses. The food was good but the wait was too long, although no one complained. We were able to watch a few small aircraft take off and land, so that kept us occupied.

Members meet for coffee and reminiscences

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.

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 underground to see 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.

Control 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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