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Nosher Flies in a P-51D Mustang, Hardwick Airfield, Norfolk (and the Whole of Suffolk) - 17th July 2011

Nosher, Isobel and The Boy are hanging around Hardwick Airfield after the traditional Camper Van breakfast, on the day after Maurice Hammond's hangar dance. Whilst we're deciding what to do and looking around at some of the 1940s vehicles floating around and Nosher is taking photos of the parked Mustangs, Isobel wanders over to say that there's a spare seat in "Janie", Maurice's first Mustang restoration. It takes ahout 400 millseconds to decide to splurge out and have a flight - after all, the plane's been over the house about a hundred times. And it's incredible, in particular as we're flying pairs for a chunk of the flight with Maurice's other Mustang Marinell - the sight of another WW2 fighter plane up so close is just amazing as we roam over the countryside of Suffolk. After a while, Maurice and Marinell peel away and Nosher and pilot Dave head over in Janie to Brome and Diss for a circuit or two, then fly on to Stowmarket before briefly looking at Latitude Festival and the coast at Southwold, then finally meeting up again for a dual fly-past of the airfield at Hardwick prior to landing. The view of the world from the clear plexiglass tear-drop-canopied cockpit is just poetry. Massive props to Clive "Chickens" for brokering the spare seat.

next album: Mike's Memorial, Prince Hall Hotel, Two Bridges, Dartmoor - 12th July 2011
previous album: Maurice's Mustang Hangar Dance, Hardwick Airfield, Norfolk - 16th July 2011

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Dave and Nosher before the off

Dave and Nosher before the off

Nosher clambers in to Janie

Janie is loaded up

Isobel gets a photo from the sidelines

Taxiing back for take-off

A quick glimpse of the cockpit instruments

Meanwhile, Marinell loads up

Smoke as the 27-litre V-12 Merlin starts up

Janie starts up

Marinell is running

Nosher, Dave and Janie taxi down to the end of the runway

The view of the gathered crowds

Marinell is just behind, ready for takeoff

We're up in the air

A view of the Norfolk/Suffolk borders

Marinell comes alongside

Marinell and Janie fly side-by-side

413521 Marinell switches sides

Marinell in the clouds

Air-to-air shot of Marinell

Nosher in the back seat of Janie (© A. Seager)

Marinell over Suffolk

Another view of Marinell

Flying past Stowmarket

Nosher and Isobel's pad, bottom left

The Brome Swan, on the A140

The back of the Brome Swan

The avenue of the nearby Cornwallis Hotel

The side field

The Brome triangle

The Cornwallis Hotel

Flying past Diss

Dave looks out over the sea near Sizewell

Southwold, with the lighthouse on St. James' Green

Another aerial view of Southwold and beach huts

We fly up towards the Waveney

The Beccles sugar factory and the Norfolk Broads

We re-engage with Marinell

Marinell the Mustang is back in formation

Marinell again

The canopy is opened in case we need to bail out

Back on the ground

Fred and Max by Marinell

Nosher and Fred, just before The Boy escapes

An in-theme photo

Isobel and Fred have a look around Janie

Janie, the Harvard and a US-Army truck

Amelia, Suzanne, Fred and Isobel

Dave secures the cockpit

Dave and Nosher and the cliché photo

Janie watches the approching storm

Clive's truck hangs around in the rain