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Yesterday I collected my 70th Birthday present..a taxy ride in Just Jane at East Kirby Aviation Heritage Centre. It was an amazing experience and standing between 4 merlin's at full throttle was something I never expected to be able to do.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/136443478 ... datetaken/

Nice !

That must have been great fun.

Que Dambuster's theme tune.

What did it smell like?

Unfortunately my sense of smell has almost gone so I can't really say.

My overriding impression is how small it is inside..they call it a reverse tardis and its very apt. Just getting through the door and into the fuselage without hitting your head is a challenge! Getting into the rear turret entails sitting on a platform facing forwards, spinning round on your backside to face the turret and then shuffling forwards with your legs outstretched until you get in the turret. Getting out is the reverse but words don't convey how awkward it is because of the lack of headroom. Its the same getting into the cockpit, a narrow walkway to the radome, climb over that and down the other side, over the bomb bay and then a 2 foot slide/climb/shuffle/do it how you can over the main spar with 2 foot headroom and all the way there is hardly a passing place. Then a squeze into the cockpit. How anyone got into the front turret I don't know. Getting into the bomb aimer's position is no better.

But what an awesome experience with the 4 merlin's running. I found it to be a very emotional experience and I am very pleased that I have done it.

Fantastic!
I must show this to my boys, at least it will give them a few years to start saving up for my 70th.
I brought my dad a flight in a Boeing Stearman for his 80th but it got postponed last weekend due to 30 knot gusts across the runway. Hopefully it will go ahead on the 5th June.

Wonderful bit of video and it must have been amazing to have actually been there when it was taxiing. Closest I have got was in a Shackleton that was stationary.

falco67 wrote:Unfortunately my sense of smell has almost gone so I can't really say.

Ah the blight of John Tradescant, what a shame.

I always associate smells with these machines, it brings life into them as they assail all of our senses.

Nice - got me thinking of an old uncle who was a navigator on a Lanc during the war....

Something else for the bucket list I think - awesome sound.

Oh and Happy 70th Birthday falco67.

thanks chuck...

my birthday was November 2015, but when it was decided I deserved the taxi ride in March 2015, the first availability was 30th May 2016. The availability in 2017 is almost non existent so if you want a ride its almost certainly going to be 2018!

My Dad got a flight in a Harvard at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Society for his 75th. They have the only other flyable Lancaster in the world.