Hello from rogerp - 19 july 2010

[Guest ROGERP]

Hello,

 

I am an aircraft enthusiast - not a pilot.

 

As a youngster in the 1950s living in a suburb of Adelaide, I regularly rode a number of miles on my bicycle to Parafield airfield just to watch activities there. An invitation one day to climb into a DC3 aircraft and take a short ride as it was towed between hangars was something very special!

 

Display days at the old Mallalla RAAF base stand out in my childhood memories. A school friend's father was stationed there and a stand-out memory is an invitation on one occasion from this officer to actually sit in the pilot's seat of a Mustang fighter.

 

In the 1970s I spent some years with my family in Papua New Guinea and teamed up with several like-minded folk (including the necessary pilot) to visit a number of WW2 airstrips with (in those days) many military aircraft of both allied and Japanese origin to be seen in various stages of disrepair.

 

These days I enjoy visiting air shows and aircraft museums. Older aircraft really take my fancy.

 

At the weekend, I visited the centenary celebrations for the first flight of an Australian built, powered aircraft at Mia Mia in central Victoria. A great experience, with a full-sized replica of the 1910 machine to view, on a cold and threatening day. See http://www.duigancentenaryofflight.org.au/ for more information about the celebration.

 

Best wishes,

 

ROGERP

 

 

[sixtiesrelic]

My cousin was like you... at Mascot in the early sixties.

 

You are part of a band of brothers who had the freedom to get up close and personal to aeroplanes and could talk to the engineers. Now people need a step ladder and a huge telephoto lens to see what you had.

 

I was lucky, my old man was a management pilot so I went off to work with him occasionally when he was in the office and could roam at will airside, where everyone knew who I was and I had free rein to climb all over aeroplanes and up and down the steps which were parked by the hangar.

 

Got rides on tugs and the company ute... THEMS were the days.

 

 

[siznaudin]

... the early sixties......part of a band of brothers... THEMS were the days...

Ah - nostalgia; but it ain't what it used to be, as the saying goes.:frown:

 

Can I be cheeky enough to perhaps translate "a band of brothers" as "old farts"?:tongue:

 

Well, in 1956 this particular old fart was at Mallala as a 15 year old for this, and now there's just the sad remains of one of 'em stuck in a couple of corners of Moorabbin: very sad.:frown::frown::frown:

 

 

 

[sixtiesrelic]

Ah! yes!!! the Lincoln Bomber... biggest warplane on Archerfield in the early fifties when a mate of mine was doing his 'Nasho'.

 

I went to see him on his passing out parade and a Lincoln did a flight....Mmmm four beaut throaty Merlins ROARING by.

 

I thought they had a slightly different sound the Qantas's Lancastrians.

 

Maybe... they had slightly different Merlin models and perhaps the cowls and placement on the wings made that difference.

 

Now ... Haaa! just the same old roar of high bypass fans.

 

Remember the crackle of JT8s on 727s and DC-9s ... Sounded like the two and a half thousand plus, horses farting together in each engine.

 

You could follow them out of sight by watching the black trail behind them too.

 

 

[siznaudin]

Ah! yes!!! the Lincoln Bomber... biggest warplane on Archerfield in the early fifties when a mate of mine was doing his 'Nasho'.I went to see him on his passing out parade and a Lincoln did a flight....Mmmm four beaut throaty Merlins ROARING by.

I thought they had a slightly different sound the Qantas's Lancastrians.

 

Maybe... they had slightly different Merlin models and perhaps the cowls and placement on the wings made that difference.

 

Now ... Haaa! just the same old roar of high bypass fans.

 

Remember the crackle of JT8s on 727s and DC-9s ... Sounded like the two and a half thousand plus, horses farting together in each engine.

 

You could follow them out of sight by watching the black trail behind them too.

Hardly planet-friendly, but certainly spectacular...

 

Sixties - you & I could well have a super-sentimental session over a beer or three, I suspect:tongue:

 

Cop this ...

 

 

 

[Guest Darren Masters]

Roger, a very warm welcome to TAA I'm sure you will (and have) found many with similar interests. Hey, I'm not that young...I still want the 727 back!!!! Enjoy.