The local branch of the Aircrew Association finished the year on a high note.
At their November meeting at Fairoaks, they were privileged to have John
Huntley in person present extracts from his unique archive of aviation films,
which are much in demand world-wide whenever rare footage of historic aircraft
is needed.
Prudence was the Flight Safety byword for the york crew in the film
He started with a professionally made flight safety film "Flying with Prudence"
dealing with a passenger flight to India in a York, and drawing on the
legendary wartime "Tee Emm" series of semi-humourous safety briefings to
aircrew in the form of the stupid activities of "Pilot Officer Prune". Next
came a German briefing film produced at the time of the Battle of Britain to
show potential invasion forces how to recognise vital features of Southeast
An animated German film showed routes to UK
England. Much of this film, which was rescued from an abandoned landing craft
in Belgium, was produced by animating pre-war holiday postcards.
Following films included a 1944 German Newsreel sequence of their fighter
pilots scrambling to attack allied bombers; some historical film of Croydon
Airport; Jim Mollinson arriving in one of his Moth aircraft, and explaining to
an admiring crowd how its controls worked; and a film of the 1952 SBAC show
produced by Shell, in which many contemporary front line aircraft were
demonstrated.
Air Cdre Broughton, Chairman ACA, gave an inspiring speech
The social highlight of their year was the Christmas Ladies' Dinner held in the
splendid Chobham Golf Course clubhouse, where the guests of honour were Air
Commodore Jack Broughton DL, the very distinguished National Chairman of the
Aircrew Association, and Captain "Winkle" Brown RN, a World Record holding Test
Pilot, specialising in carrier landings and flying captured German aircraft,
who also holds the rare distinction of being a Master Pilot of Russia
(see report for 18 August 2001)
.
Mrs Pam Easey presents the RAF crest to Woking ACA Chairman Jimmy James
Other guests included Mrs Pam Easey, formerly of Chobham, who presented to the
Branch a beautiful-framed RAF Crest which had been executed in real gold leaf
by expert calligrapher Mrs Ida Henstock, MVO as a tribute to Pam's brother Flt
Lt Dick Hinxman, who had been tragically killed flying a Meteor in 1953; and Mr
Alan Milton of Alan Mann Aviation, who graciously undertook to put the plaque
on permanent display in the Fairoaks Flight Centre where the branch meets on
the third Tuesday of every month.