Edgeler,his Mrs(Jude),his son(William,AKA "Small Billy",his grandad is Bill too you see)
and yours truly made the annual pilgrimmage last Sunday.

I arrived at Edgeler's gaff around about 06.55am for an 07.15 departure.
We set sail with nice bright sunshine in our kid's latest ride,a nice black Vee-Dub Polo.

Rain was predicted for the day(much to Mrs Migger's glee),but the bright sun banished all thoughts.
How wrong we were .As our journey progressed(Cosford is about 30 miles away),the cloud began to build and as we went through the airfield gates we picked up the first few spots on the windscreen.
By the time we'd driven across the airfield and parked the heavens opened and it rained and rained and
rained.
Pimply sissed down all day long in fact.

The flying programme was severely curtailed,out of around 20 items on the bill,we actually
saw eight(as Martin has mentioned,quite a few lobbed into Pershore and stayed put)all the rest
either stayed parked on the flight line(Kennett's lovely Seafire XVII,SX336 being one) or
stayed at home.
Airfield weather conditions were so poor,10/10ths cloud with a base varying between 700 and 1000',
wind gusting 15-23kts at 180 degrees(that's 90 degrees to the runway heading!!)and between
six to eight kilometres visibility,that the Vulcan(XH558) couldn't have displayed.Had Martin Withers
and crew managed to grope their way over from Robin Hood(RAF Finningley to you and me),
there wasn't enough room for the big brute to swing around safely.

So dear friends,I'm afraid that the usual picture box of delights is embarrasingly empty
this year,my camera stayed in it's bag except for a trip into a couple of the maintainance hangars
and one of the museum hangars to get some snaps of the Provost T.1 for Keith.

Harrier GR.3 XX991




Andy Greene(he's a Wing Co now) of Thrust SSC fame's latest ride:

The thing is huge

and is designed

to crack 1,000 mph,

never mind measley Mach 1,bin there and done that.

Remember when the redoubtable James May did his Toy Story series?
In one episode he built a 1:1 scale Airfix Spitfire Mk 1 at Cosford in one of the hangars.
Here for you poor,poor blighters that have to live in 'orrible places like California
and Italy,is the final part of the episode on YouTube so that you know what I'm
on about:


And here is the actual Spit that James(and a mob of kids)built:





Good innit?.

Now a couple of old pals before we get to those Provvy pics:

XS639,Rick Piper's 780/Andover


The thing that started Dave M(oly)on that long and winding road
he's so superbly travelled,the little yellow Airfix Auster,WE600:





Look at those dirty great flaps,no wonder these things land so slowly:


Now then here we go.
This is an ex-Ternhill kite,Percival Provost T.1 WV562:













Edgeler said "Get that bit,get this bit,get the other bit"
I reckon he's on a bit of a mission to get his mitts on this when Keith's done it
and Pete's painted it












If you'd like 'em zipped up and sent to you Keith......

That's all I'm afraid folks.
As I said,the weather buggered the day up big style,but hey-ho,both Edgeler and I
picked up that awsome new Airfix Seafire XVII.
We'll be there again next year,hopefully with a good helping of sunshine.

Mark

Yes please Miggers as the extra pixels will help the detail - especially the aileron & flaps levers on the underside.
Mine is not having the control surface flutes - later versions didn't - 'cos its easier & less polys. The poly counts bad enough already!
Keith

Try this Keith:

<a href='www.sendspace.com/file/j4jygy'>www.sendspace.com/file/j4jygy</a>

Yer snapped me favourite Miggers, you little beauty - no, not you - the 'Orster with skis on.
The Spit wasn't there when we went last year - it was away having its wings glued back on - I see the glue hasn't set yet by the look of that trestle.
Cheers
Dave M(oly)

Miggers many thanks for the photos - one very large package, took almost half hour!!!
Keith

Good show Keith.
Did they all come out ok for you?


Thought you'd like that little rascal Dave.
She really is a smasher and beautifully presented.

That Spit is rather impressive isn't it.
Has anyone had a good look at the pilot figure sitting beside it in the last photo?
His features are quite familiar to anyone that watches a certain very popular motoring
programme.

Mark

Shame the weather ruined the flying.

Thanks for the pics I really must try to get to Cosford one day. I visited there once when the CCF summer camp was at Shawbury. 1974 or 75 I think. I seem to remember that the museum, such as it was at the time, was half a dozen aircraft pushed into the back of an old empty hangar. That could be my memory playing tricks on me mind.

I have seen the James May Airfix Toy Story and must say that the roll out of the model in front of the vets was enough to make a chaps upper lip tremble.
It did seem from the program that the weight of the wings was causing problems, I'm not surprised that they had to be strengthened.

If it's any consolation it's been raining almost every day here in sunny Italy for the last three weeks. Heavy thunderstorms flooding etc. etc. It's been better since Sunday, I even managed to cut the lawn. I hope the weather's OK tomorrow as I've got a test ride on a Ducati Diavel. I didn't ask for it, they offered, and who am I to refuse, even if I think that the Diavel is madder than a box of frogs and ugly to boot.

Jon

<--Singing Uncle Rod's - "Some guys have all the luck"

Miggers - great photo's now i have seent he close ups of the Provo - Im hoping I can get settled and get my PC back up and running in time to participate in the beta phase of Keiths marvel

Leif