Archive for February 2012
Visitor Interview – Hercule Poirot
It is not often you bump into a world famous detective, especially one aged at least 130, who is still using his ‘little grey cells’.
Step forward Hercule Poirot – possible the most famous Belgium in the world. When Agatha Christie published her first book (The Mysterious Affair at Styles) featuring the famous private detective in 1920, she imagined that he had already served and retired from the Belgium police.
When I spoke to him he claimed he was not working and was just out for a day of ‘pleasure’ but it was early in the morning and he was unsure what ‘dastardly deeds’ could happen.
I got the distinct impression that he would get immense pleasure from exercising those ‘little grey cells’ to solve a crime!
Note: Martin Gaisford is the actor who plays Poirot. He has been officially endorsed as a Hercule Poirot lookalike by Agatha Christie Ltd. For more information on Martin see http://www.martingaisford.co.uk/4584.html
To listen to my interview click on the Video Podcast tab above or click here
Pilot Interviews – T28 Fennec
In this video the pilots Martin Willing and Ray Corsten talk about the the T28 and its history as a training aircraft for early generation jet aircraft. They also talk about her flying characteristics and how she saw active service in a number of conflicts in different parts of the world as a ground strike aircraft.
The T28′s radial engine has a very distinctive sound as can be heard in the video especially when she seems to ‘cough’ into life and when making low fast passes as part of the display routine.
For more information on the T28 and Martin see their web site at http://www.radialrevelation.airdisplay.info/
To watch the video interview click on the Video Podcast tab above or click here
Pilot Interviews – Fournier RF4
In this video we talk to the Red Hawks two person formation aerobatic team of Mathew Hill and Bob Grimstead about the Fournier RF4. The aircraft are often described as a power glider. Mathew and Bob talk about the history of the planes and the amazing affection that they are held in by owners and enthusiast.
These planes are probably the lowest powered (and cheapest to run in terms of fuel use!) aerobatics aircraft flying today. The combination of a quiet engine, smoke, music and formation aerobatics lends a graceful style to the display.
Before each performance Mathew and Bob practice their routine on the ground which you can see in the video and in the picture above. For more information on the Red Hawks see the website athttp://web.me.com/mafew/RedHawks/Who_Are_We.html
You can watch the video by clicking on the Video Podcast tab above of by clicking here.
Pilot Interviews – Antonov An-2
Watching the Antonov An-2 fly is a strange experience. You almost want to get up there and give her a push. She is just so slow – big and lumbering.
In this video we talk to Chris Thompson and James Black about the Antonov An-2 – the largest single engine bi-plane in the world.
Chris and James talk about its ‘big baby’ flying characteristics due to its size and large and powerful 1000HP engine. They need a crew of two – one to fly it and the other to manage the engine and aircraft. Its overall size and flexibility of its load area can be appreciated when on static display. Chris and James talk about all the varied uses this type of aircraft have been put to, her history and their involvement with her.
For more information see the AN2 club web site – http://www.an2club.info/
To watch the video click on the Video Podcast tab above or click here
Pilot interviews – Tiger Moth
In this video we talk to Trevor Pegrum and Ted Lay about their Tiger Moth.
They talked about the aircraft’s history, her flying characteristics and their long personal association with her.
Ted re-built and restored her following a crash and Trevor learned to fly in her and has been flying her, with Ted, for 50 years.
Being at Oxford Airport for Fly To The Past, was almost like coming back home for the aircraft, as she was built at the old Morris Motor Company Cowley manufacturing facility (now owned by BMW and producing the Mini) which switched to aircraft production during World War II (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Motor_Company#Second_World_War)
To watch the interview click on the Video Podcast tab above or click here.
2011 Video Recording
One of the things the organisers of Fly To The Past asked us to do was to create a record of the day by interviewing the pilots and owners of the aircraft and taking shots of the exhibitors, participants and the air displays. Having done that it was a short step to edit the resulting footage into a short summary and promotion for the 2012 event which happens on September 1st and 2nd at Oxford Airport.
The video is on YouTube and is being promoted via social media.
It can also be seen by clicking on the Video Podcast tab above or clicking here.
