It was a challenging year we are leaving behind. There has to be something to look forward to.

We are sincerely hoping that 2021 brings a lot of joys and achievements to all and once again we’ll live our lives to the full.

And – living a life to the full is never possible without learning formation flying!

It is a healthy cross between a 5-hour gym workout, an hour in a steam room and 15 mins of trying to keep close to something weighing a few tons and moving really really fast in from of your nose.

So, here is to the Bold & Brave New Year 2021!!!

We have never thought that one day we might see our T52 in one of her past lives – in Singapore. We were lucky enough to get pictures of her straight after the conversion to the ground attack version done by Marshalls and a few pictures during her service in South Yemen. Singapore remained a mystery that we could only imagine… and then one day we saw these… So emotional!!

Things happen in self-isolation… we started getting ready for the Briefing Room Great Refurb.

For this, a few original vintage posters got printed to go on the walls and remind about the importance of… getting airborne soon!

One of the things we miss the most is getting together with all our extended family – engineers, photographers, volunteers, enthusiasts and fellow pilots. It is tough times, but we are hoping that we will see each other soon.

T52 and the Team visited the Young Aviators Day organised by YES Flyers at Sywell in September. Numerous groups of scouts with their leaders and parents were in attendance and formed orderly queues for the cockpit tours.

One of the groups kindly shared their photos of quizzes, stories and other fun stuff that one would do with a ground attack jet.

Although black JPs is not everybody’s cup if tea but she is definitely very visible and very recognisable now. The owner says she is so immaculate that he is very cautious getting in not to leave a spot on the new paint.

Autumnal colours are beautifully captured by our irreplacible photographer.

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Huge congratulations to our new student (and his instructor) on his first solo!!

Want to do it too? You can!

 

Subject to the CAA giving us an mpd exemption as they promised we are hoping to fly on Sun…a few times! Quite a few interesting people & jets are expected to turn up… join us.

We had to wait for the exemption for a month. After a few delays and the workshop involving the vintage jet industry representatives and organised by the CAA we are very close to getting airborne on Sun. We were able to demonstrate that the engine fuel elastomeric parts failure does not cause any significant impact on the normal flight.

And while sensible people were busy with the Christmas turkey and lovely warming spirits this is what we were up to in a gusty wind at an almost empty airfield…

Photos courtesy Stewart Jack.

Looks like in the latest installment of Owners & Engineers vs Birds & Tech Issues the former finally established a strong lead. Prov had a successful engine run today and is very close to getting airborne – under her own power!

The 7th of Jan still remains the date when a lot of vintage jets may be grounded due to the CAA mandatory permit directive.