The 'Introduce yourself' Thread

Hi guys,

I am Scott from Edinburgh and have been interested in aviation and airfields for many years now.

Having walked round the former RAF airfield of Macmerry for many years before the current A1 road was built until now where the buildings get fewer each year although some small discoveries are made along the way. And having visited East Fortune for many years as a young boy and now as an adult. I have flown model aircraft at Drem and walked most of the land at Drem. I have also visited Crail and of course Leuchars during airshow season of course. I have passed but always held an interest in Findo Gask. I have seen a little of Grangemouth as the is little now to see. I have also seen my way round Kirknewton and have viewed this airfield both past and present. I have shown a little interest in Turhouse because so much has been written about this airfield but maybe I shouldnt be so dismissive. And I have seen other airfield both past and present from afar.

I have also recovered wreckage from a number of wreck sites (Legally and with MOD Certification I might add) The most notable being a Mustang in Northumberland, a Hunter in Kielder and a Spitfire in the Scottish borders. This does not belittle the other recoveries I have been on but these are the most notable to date.

I have always been intrested in the machines but never really thought about the men when I was younger ie just a lad but when serious research into airfields and aircraft began my research became more about the men that worked and flew from the airfields.

Lately I have become increasingly more interested in the events and airfields in my local area during WWI. Having a minor success in one of my research subjects a pilot who died in an Avro 504 has again increased my interest in all the local accidents that claimed many a young airmans life in and around my area.

I hope to be able to bring information to the table so to speak and to have it posted here on AIX.

I hope I have given you a sample of what I hope to do but in reality I realise I might be merely repeating information to many of you.

But here's wishing me good luck on my research quest.

Once again Hello to one and all.

Regards Scott McIntosh.

Hi all,

I found my way to this forum after searching for info on runway and taxyway lights! Mainly REVO T2 MKII lamps, with various coloured lenses. (lots of Blue and yellow and one red/green)

I was on the Gliding School at West Malling and managed to "liberate" some of the taxyway lights before the airfields destruction. I've since cleaned these up, painted and rewired them and they are (still!) awaiting their place in my garden!
See below!





I've climbed the unique tower in the north of the field, which is actually two towers separated by 1" to allow the radar to be shielded from the gun on the other tower. One weekend, a friend and I even painted 618 on the top of it.......a very dangerous experience, as there were large square holes in the roof which led straight to a 50+' drop!

During my time at West Malling I spent numerous non-flying days exploring the airfields history with fellow 618 VGS members. We were stationed at the westerly end of the airfield, then moved into the main hangar and control tower before the unit was disbanded.

Welcome Scott, I look forward to seeing your posts on the forum, I am yet to spend any time looking at the old Scotish airfields and anything you can bring to the table would be great.

Paul,

Unfortunately not, however my mate and I have a trip planned to see what is still left in November at some point. We also have a graveyard visit to do on the same day as it has some WWI graves which still have original cross in place.

PNK, Makes perfect sense to me. I think?

I hope to add a little info on the airfields themselves and what still survives as well as info on the men and aircraft that flew from there.

I think I may start with Macmerry Airfield. Possibly what exists now of the WWII site and what remains of the WWI site now. Which although essentially the same area they were infact 2 completely different landing areas a fact that a great many people have forgotten or have just not bothered to look any closer at.

The WWI site is actually on the south side of the main A1. The A1 road as it is now runs directly through the main WWII landing ground which is the area everyone knows as Macmerry airfield. But this was not always the case. Before the NEW bypass the road ran along the route of the now A199 which was the A1 at the time. All the landing ground was on the North side of the A1 with the main technical and domestic site being to the south. But even further south and still used during WWII was the old WWI landing ground. At the very southern boundary of this landing ground was the MT Sheds, guard house and hangars. I have a digital image of the site which the RAF museum sent me which I can't replicate here for obvious reasons but the oblique clearly shows the site and the buildings with aircraft parked outside. I am fairly confident that these would have been Avro 504's of various marks. I intend to visit the WWI site again armed with digital camera and tripod to take some photos before it disappears forever. And the winter is better to do it in because there is less plant growth and hopefully I can spot the main entrance gate posts in the hedgerows again enough for a decent photo anyhow.

This is what i hope to do in the coming months anyhow. And if I can figure out a way to show you all on here using some sort of map system I will show the difference between the WWI and WWII sites.

Hope this interests some of you.

Scott

Welcome to AiX. there is plenty to see on the forum about lighting and a really good thread about West Malling. i look forwardto seeing your input on here.

When you were a 'lad' it would have been isolated and seemed to have remained so until demolition.

Yes, the first live ejection by a Martin Baker seat was on 24 July 1946. Prior to that, the first 'dummy' ejection in flight was from a Defiant on 24 June 1946.

So, without written confirmation it is my opinion that the test to which you refer was a dummy ejection in flight from the Meteor used for the later 'live' ejection.

Almost 20 years later I witnessed two dummy tests of trials 'rocket' seats directly over Chalgrove airfield from the MB Meteor. Watching the dummy bounce as it hit the ground did not instil confidence!

Memory can play tricks and I was just 10 in1946 but my clear memory is that it was a dummy ejection from a Meteor.

I did write to Martin Baker but they too thougt that I had witnessed the first live ejection.

I too witnessed an ejection at Chalgrove when a friend of mine workong at Martin Baker (ot far from where I now live) invited me to the (ithink) 50th anniversary celebrations of the first ejection.