Aircraft Aviation Planes

1950 - At Eighty-One Flying Is Still Fun For The Air-Mad Major: Up among the clouds over Surrey's hills the sight of small private aircraft pop-popping on their pleasure-cum-training flights is a common one. From airfields such as Chobham's fodroaks Britain's part-time airmen whose hobbs it is to fly are allowed air space in which to enjoy themselves and keep in practice. But look up next time you hear a single piston-engine aircraft cruising often at little more than a mile a minute, so much less fearsome than the faster than sound jets.Because, in that little bi-plane, handling the controls will calmness, confidence and skill, may well be britain's oldest pilot-xeighty-one-year-old Major Francis Maunde-Thompson. The Major, late Royal Artillery, live near Woking, and has been flying since Bleriot's day. He qualified for his A license in 1935, and is soon coming up for a renewal ehich he will get if medical evidence and sports are o-kay. Only thing wrong with the soldier who fought with Lord Roberts in the Boer War, is that he is slightly deaf. And so the goldfish keeping old soldier who has 300-hours logged and who retired from the army in 1923, hopes the authorities will continue to allow him to enjoy the peace and thoughtful, that only those who fly can ever know. The Major Who Finds Flying Such Fun At Eighty-One: Major Francis Maunde-Thompson in the cockpit of his Tiger Moth, which he flies over Surrey fields from Fairoaks aerocrome

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Airfields Airmen Allow Allowed Authorities Bi-plane Bleriots Boer Calmness Cockpit Continue Controls Cruising Deaf Evidence Fairoaks Faster Fearsome Finds Flies Flights Fought Goldfish Handling Hear Hobbs Hopes Keeping Less License Logged Minute Often Oldest Part-time Piston-engine Qualified Renewal Retired Surreys Themselves Thoughtful Woking Wrong

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