A rare aircraft type, built in 1947

Seen off public display on a trade day at Farnborough

Taken shortly before boarding............a Boeing 747(unfortunately) at the start of a tour of the USA and Caribbean.

Written off on 1st December 1984

What a livery!

This is an unconventional home designed and homebuilt aircraft. With a delta-wing it is very fast. The designer was told by many that it would never fly! It is powered by an engine from a Subaru car.

Seen in the microlight area at Sun 'n Fun was this ultralight motor glider. It is battery powered, capable of self launch and neither needs to be registered nor a pilot's licence !

DM-3308 registered Oct-1962, later to DDR-3308 cancelled Feb-1984, to Deutsches Segelflugmuseum at Wasserkuppe painted again as DM-3308

NC18407 registered 1937, to N18407 registered 1948 but remained painted as NC18407. It is representing an American Airlines route survey plane

Austrian AF 3C-OB delivered 1976

N75113 registered 1976, to C-GXEE registered 1976, to OO-DKM registered Nov-1988

Seen with brake chute deployed on landing after a flying display at the Mildenhall Airshow

Stored at Long Beach for several years. Sale reported in August 1982, but fate unknown. The FAA incorrectly lists this aircraft as c/n 11352, which is not a valid number for a DC-3.

This is the General Aviation Freighter (GAF), designed by California-based Hawk Industries. It became known as the Gafhawk 125, and only one prototype was built, which first flew on 19 August 1982. The aircraft never went into production, and N101GH remained the only example of its type. It was initially equipped with a PT-6 turboprop engine, but in the early 1990s this was replaced by this Polish-built radial, which also powers the Antonov An-2. This unique aircraft made an emergency landing in a field in Alaska in 2011, and was abandoned at the accident site with only minor damage. It was still there by late 2017.

Still showing the very faded colours of its former owner Piedmont Airlines, and even its name "Mount Mitchell Pacemaker" can still be seen below the cockpit windows, also very faded. Piedmont used this old TWA aircraft (ex N40439) between 1965 and 1968. It passed through the hands of some brokers before ending up as a spares ship with PBA at Naples, FL in 1977. It was completely scrapped during the early 1990s.

For many years I was unsure of the type of this Balloon but it was identified as a Semco by Dave Wesner. It was seen taking off at a Balloon Festival as part of the Nottingham Festival.

This aircraft was destroyed in a taxying accident at Tehran on 7th January, 1983