RAeS Marham - Would anybody be interested to join?

Location : Spalding Spotter Watch Member : No

As the title states, I am writing on behalf of the RAeS Marham Comittee to see if there would be any interest from the members of this forum to come along for our monthly series of lectures. We are a small aeronautical branch but are interested in expanding our group out and would welcome anyone that would like to attend.

The following dates and Lectures have been programmed - Start at around 6.45 - 7pm;

Tuesday 17th March – Commander Hayde “Empire Test School”

Commander Phil Hayde RN took command of the Empire Test Pilots' School at the end of December 2007.

“Phil entered the Royal Navy in January 1988 and following fixed wing flying training on Jet Provost and Hawk aircraft completed the Operational Conversion Unit and joined 800 Naval Air Squadron in 1992 flying the Sea Harrier FRS1 from HMS INVINCIBLE during a voyage to Japan and back. After two operational tours including Deny Flight operations over Former Yugoslavia he was appointed to the Sea Harrier Operational Evaluation Unit as the AMRAAM Trials Officer on the upgraded Sea Harrier FA2 conducting the first in service firings.”

Tuesday 14th April – Dr Eric Grove “The Rise of the Aircraft Carrier”

Dr Eric Grove is a senior lecturer in politics and international studies at the University of Hull, where he is also director of the Centre for Security Studies. He is the author of a number of books, including Vanguard to Trident, The Future of Sea Power, Fleet to Fleet Encounters, The Price of Disobedience and The Royal Navy 1815-2000

12th May – Air Commodore Norman Bonnor (R'trd) - The Handley Page Victor as a Bomber in the Cold War

Last year, the 100 Squadron Association held its annual reunion at RAF Wittering, where I served on the Mk 2 version of the Handley Page Victor with the Blue Steel missile in the 1960s. I was asked to give a talk covering the development of the aircraft and its service as both a Mk1 and Mk2 variant; I had also served on the Mk 1 with XV Squadron at RAF Cottesmore. I titled the talk "The Handley Page Victor as a Bomber in the Cold War". It has long annoyed me that the aircraft is mainly remembered as a tanker, but it served for over a third of its time in service as a bomber on a par with (and some say better than) the Vulcan.

It is usual practise that we miss the summer months and re start our lecture programme in September 2009 - Details of these lectures will be listed in the coming months.

If anyone is interested you are more than welcome to attend; I would ask that you contact me on my e-mail; jamesv9820@hotmail.com to discuss how to get to the lecture theatre and other arrangements.

I look forward to hearing from you soon