The 'Introduce yourself' Thread

Yes welcome to the forum... your forum name is something many ex-cadets on here will be able to relate to !! (in my case Catterick 1969 or thereabouts)

Welcome to the forum. I once flew a T21 which has an amusing anecdote attached to it. I used to fly from Lee On Solent. One day an instructor asked me if I wanted to go up in the T21. Of course I said yes. I had only just started gliding so relied on instruction from the intsructors. Up we went and I found it difficult to hear the instructor due to wind noise. On the approach I could hear absolutely nothing but I had control of the glider. So all the way down all I could hear was muffled sounds from the instructor so in effect I landed the glider on my own. After we came to a stop the instructor said "that was a good landing". To which I replied hmm it was not bad seeing I couldn't hear a word you said all the way down!

Hi Everybody.
I am a serving member of the Irish Air Corps. I hope you can help me, I am writing a thesis on the Architectural legacy of Casement/Baldonnell Aerodrome.
As many of you may know the airfield was originally constructed as a training field for the RFC.
I am particularly interested in the Hangars, they were constructed in 1918 and were brick with belfast roof trusses. They are three left (soon only two) and are the most obvious relics of the RFC/RAF brief time at Baldonnell.
Any information, photos, references etc would be most gratefully received

Thanks very much. The hangars were substantially altered in 1938 when the Belfast trusses were replaced with steel trusses. There are also a few workshops still in existence, one I think was a parachute store. They are about all that is left now as with most operational airfields space close to the ramp area is at a premium and modern requirements override sentimentality or architectural heritage.

Earned my wings flying a T-21 from Haddenham airfield in 1982. I preferred the open-canopy to the covered one as there was so much wind noise due to it's loose fitting, also too hot in the summer. Though my first ever flight was in a German glider called a Bird Falk, if that's how it's spelt? a tandem style cockpit with me in the back. I remember thinking that as my dad was sick on his first flight in a Whitley if I follow-suit this bloke is gonna get it on the back of his head.....he was lucky

Hi T-21
I see you were at Manby at the same time as our Jet Provost, XS186, and probably watched it going about it's business many times.
If you still live near enough to Lincolnshire you may be tempted to come and take a look at XS186 now that she has been brought back to her former glory and is started up, and is about to taxi in the near future under her own power for the first time since leaving Manby in 1968.
Paul

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome . Paul I have been in touch with Gregers who works on XS186. my father flew this aircraft at Manby on a JP short course before becoming Unit Test Pilot at Cranwell 1966-1968 when he retired as a Master Pilot after 20 years flying in the RAF.