There's a good article on Biggles in the Review section of last Saturday's Daily Telegraph (17 May). In the nineteen-sixties, after a Unesco survey (!) found that he was the world's most popular schoolboy hero, Biggles ran foul of a few politically-correct goons in the race relations industry, one of whom called for public libraries to destroy their copies of Biggles books. In response, Neil Clark, the writer of the article, quotes this passage: '"While men are decent to me I try to be decent to them, regardless of race, colour, politics, creed or anything else". Hardly the credo of an Alf Garnett in flying goggles'.              

Great dave!  Just remember to avoid any cross wind stuff. Open her up gently  and steadily to full chat with FULL UP on the old elevator. Release the up steadily once she is moving, this will lift the tail, don't yank her up, let her roll tail up till she lifts. DO double check your Cof G for any tail heavy stuf now. Nose heavy is ok , but if she is tail heavy she my bite on lift off. I reckon you'll have a ball. Just remember to get her good n high then find out just how slow you can go, it'll stand you in good stead when trying to land. With all that wing you'll be amazed at the low stalling speed.And do not forget dear old Manfred Von Richhofen. "it climbed like the devil!" Yours will too. Once these bipes have flying speed they climb on the merest whisper of throttle. The main trouble that I have with the pup is getting it to sink on calm days, it just want to fly man.

Best of luck with her my friend. Flanker  PS READ BIGGLES FLIES WEST. Wow what an adventure! I read it to the wife n kids last summer. During a beach read I noticed that all those around me were quiet and listening too with baited breath ! lol F

You can still get many of the biggles books, and they are well worth reading, but the WW1 stuff is very evocative - Biggles is not the cool calm hero unfazed by war, he is very young, a battle veteran and a nervous wreck, Jons does not attempt to glorify the war in the air, he tells it like it was.  F

PS I have a couple of WW1 properler parts, blades, hubs etc that STILL HAVE THEIR MAKERS BADGES! If any body wants a photo of said graphics for scale stuff please let me know.