Old & Rusty 
To Rio and back – Hindenburg’s first Trans-Atlantic Flight
Rummaging through the loft I came across a collection of old and very rusty copies of Newnes Practical Mechanics that I rescued many years ago from another loft! I do from time to time have a look through the odd issue to both chuckle and marvel at how far we have come in a very… Read More ›
Nice Train Set? – How rude can you be?
Some years ago following a site-seeing trip travelling to fly at the Devon Show the next day, in the bar that evening, someone asked Greggy what the hi-light of the trip down was seeing’s we’d arrived using the A303 and had visited Silbury Hill, some impressive erratics, Maiden Castle, Seaton Tramway, Sidmouth and Seaton Junction… Read More ›
In search of Snafu and the nose art of the Flying Fortress
The first aircraft my old man ever flew in was a B-17E Flying Fortress. Quite a claim but supported by his first logbook entry. On 17th April 1943 with nothing to do during an ATC camp at Bovingdon Airfield he and his mate wandered across to a parked Flying Fortress and asked the groundcrew if… Read More ›
Alan and the Villiers – Putt-putting the New Hudson Autocycle
I’d been looking for an engine for the spare Dunkley Popular frame we’d picked up with the Mercette for ages and knowing how unreliable the Dunkley powerplant tended to be decided that I’d quite like to stick something Villiers into it if possible. Imagine my surprise when a New Hudson described ‘as an incomplete Villiers-for… Read More ›
Flying the Towers – Bidding farewell to Didcot Power Station
Ever since they’d announced that they were going to blow up the Didcot Power Station Southern Cooling Towers I got it into my head that they deserved a flypast. Didcot Power Station is that rather large feature east of the A34 near Abingdon. The South Towers are those closest to the A34 alongside the Great… Read More ›
Phil’s Hurricane – nearly there
Brilliant news from Phil Lawton that his Hurricane rebuild is finally getting to the end and plans are now realistically being made for its maiden (well second) maiden flight from Thruxton in the near future. Although the flight date has not been set yet as they are still waiting for the Permit to Fly and… Read More ›
The Bakelite telephone -by Steve Roake
Another in the series of occasional writings into things that we take for granted but that have become classic icons, this time concentrates on the design that revolutionised our daily communication with one another; I give you the Bakelite Telephone. Designed in collaboration by Swedish-Norwegian designers, this telephone dates back to 1925 and set the… Read More ›
The Mighty Dynatron – Restoring the Queen’s favourite
Its never been a secret that I have always been a firm supporter of the LP. The size of the things meant that they always had the opportunity to sport fantastic artwork that sold the work long before the content did. Don’t believe me, just look at the covers spray-painted by one of my favourites,… Read More ›
Camera’s in full Focus – by Steve Roake
It came as a surprise to me to find out the other month that there are a growing number of colleagues who are privately retrospectively pursuing a trend which smacks in the face of fresh and new and encapsulates older generation technology and opens debate whenever discussed. What I hear you say, could possibly entice… Read More ›
The Queen and the Green Goddess – A Day trip to Southampton
Now this is going to be a bit of a heady read this as it’s a cross between a trip back in time and a Time Line. What are we talking about you ask? The ongoing saga of lost photos and stories continues and now we have turned up some piccies of what was the… Read More ›