Pen Portraits: what happened next
Pen portraits of post-graduation life, as submitted to the 69th Association newsletter over the period 1994 - 2011
Philip Lovell - Engines
I went to 32 MU, St Athan, putting smashed up Dements back together, some with a higher power output, boy, did we do a good job.
Leeds University Air Squadron was next, 4 Chipmunks and one Harvard. Weekends (FSSM) with a half day either end if necessary.
2nd TAF, Germany was next, RAF Sylt for the usual 2½ years. Target-towing Meteors, air to air and ground to air, for our boys, the Germans and Belgians. We had a few pilots who had been thrown out of other squadrons for crazy stunts; one popped out of a Hunter at high altitude just to see if he could do so and survive - nothing wrong with the aircraft!!
From there to Lynham, the big boys, Comet 2s and 4s, and Britannia. Had the job of preparing some of the aircraft for Royal Flights. Met and had coffee with the Duke of Edinburgh, he sent his co-pilot into Ops to sign in and when he told them who his passenger was all hell broke loose, he was with us in our standby room, chatting up a storm.
Met and married my wife Glenys Mary Williams (known as Glen) when at Lynham, coming up 43 years now.
Demobbed from there in '66, came to Canada in '67 with a position with the United Aircraft of Montreal, Quebec, a division of Pratt and Whitney. Worked in the experimental division on PT6 variants. During a lay-off period, was called to rectify the Canadian Railway Turbo Train, designed by Sikorsky Aircraft and built by Montreal Locomotives. When the engineer went to start the engines the toilet flushed, he just got up and left, said nothing. We were called to fix it. The train had seven coaches and was powered by five PT6 engines, (a power dome coach at each end, three in one and two in the other), all the coaches were built of aluminium, the whole train was not heavier than a main line diesel locomotive.
Also worked for Air Canada engine repairing during another lay-off period.
Moved to Toronto, Ontario in '79 for personal family reasons.
Inspection of aircraft parts at DH Aircraft. Orenda engines, department of AV Roe, R&O J79, rose to the rank of Foreman and developed R&O for F404. I have meet several people who had the privilege of working on the A V Roe Arrow, an aircraft for which I have grown a great fondness for, and I am glad to see that it still exists in the minds of many Canadians. I am convinced we will see it fly again.
My wife and I are in our ninth year of employment , with the Core of Canadian Commissionaires.
Family-wise I have three children all married, one since divorced thank goodness. Three grand children and one on the way.
- RAF Halton and the Brats
- The Aircraft Apprentices Scheme
- Clubs, Societies and Sports at Halton
- RAF Halton's goats
- Tributes to Halton and the Brats
- The 69th and the Apprentices Network, 1951
- The Presentation of the Queen's Colour, 1952
- Summer Camp, RAF Formby, 1953
- The 69th and the Queen's Coronation, 1953
- The 69th's Graduation Review, 1954
- The Senior Entry - a graduate's letter, 1954
- A full list of 69th Graduates
- Halton days: stories from the 69th
- The 69th's Burmese Brats
- The 69th's commemorative window
- 69th Entry Reunions