Hello everybody,
My name is Alex, I’m in my fifties and I live in Northamptonshire, England, not far from an airfield called Sywell Aerodrome. I’ve loved aeroplanes ever since I can remember, and still do. After being introduced to Airfix models at a very early age, I stumbled by chance across Revell’s 1:72 series of WW1 aircraft tucked away at the back of a dark and gloomy shop: it was love at first sight! I didn’t know which to buy first: they all looked so fabulous and exotic, I wanted them all! I eventually did buy the whole set, and added models to it from other manufacturers to make what at the time was an impressive collection for a kid (I was 14 by then!).
Unfortunately soon afterwards I had to get rid of the whole lot because we emigrated. I then finished school, went to University, got married, commuted to London, had kids etc etc and here we are! In all that time, I never lost interest in aircraft, and my passion for the WW1 ones never diminished. Business was going well, and because I live not far from an airfield, I felt I had to find out what it was like to actually fly! The closest thing available to a WW1 machine was a Tiger Moth so I arranged a trial flight in one. It was not only one of the best experiences of my life, but one that I didn’t want to end, so I went and got a pilot’s licence. During the lessons I found that it was the actual flying that I enjoyed, so I progressed to aerobatics and eventually bought a Russian Yak52. This was the closest thing I could affordably get to a warbird, and I flew it whenever I could (and weather allowed).
Unfortunately, the plane was eventually scrapped due to a crash landing (not by me, thankfully!), so I’m not actively involved with planes any more. However, despite having loads of books on the subject, I was wandering about the internet looking for something or other and came across your website. All I can say is “Wow!” The quality and standard of work displayed by you guys is breathtaking. I never was, and am not, in the same league. However, my appreciation and understanding of your abilities, your dedication, crafstmanship and sheer artistry is immense. I suppose it’s a bit like enjoying playing snooker and being happy to pot a red and a colour, and then suddenly finding yourself among the pros! I’m not in that league, never was and never will be, but I’m happy just to watch how the experts do it, and feel privileged to be amongst you. So I’m afraid I won’t really be able to contribute anything regarding model building, but would love to just be part of the community and be involved in what you do, if only as an admiring fan - I hope that’s OK.
