11 Course Hawk – 1977

 The first Hawk course at RAF Valley in 1977.  I'm the only one still serving: Graham died in a Hawk accident at Bratislava in 1999, whereas Tim is now an airline pilot as far as I know.  The backdrop is the fireplace in an anteroom of the Officers' Mess at RAF Valley.

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First Fast Jet

1977 was a good year. I was 23, I had started the Advanced Fast Jet Course at RAF Valley (Anglesey, Wales) and I was on the first Hawk Course. Here I am being congratulated by my Boss on my First Solo in the Hawk. The flight consisted of a takeoff, and circumnavigation of the island of Anglesey before flying circuits at Valley. Since this was a speedy little machine, I got it up to 550kts (the highest the airspeed indicator would go!) by the time I got to the Menai Straits. The circuit of the island didn't take long.

I was the first ab-initio student pilot to fly it solo (the luck of the draw as there were only 3 students on that first course).

Halcyon days!

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Pheasant Visitor

This fine specimen visited our garden today, availing himself of the dry soil to give himself a dust bath. He took little notice of the humans working in reasonably close proximity.

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Photo taken with Olympus E-3 and 50-200 lens.