Having just completed a very demanding tour at Strike Command, I was looking for a quieter posting and what could be better than the Defence Operational Analysis Establishment (DOAE) at West Byfleet, otherwise known as 'Sleepy Hollow'. Tied to a desk, the omens there were extremely good for a quiet and civilised life, with friendly staff, a tennis court, and an attitude to work which suited my exhausted frame. However, it was not long before a certain sense of boredom set in and I found myself looking for work, even something as tedious as inserting data into the rudimentary computers that we then had. In short, anything to make the time pass a little quicker. It was then that one of the pilots suggested I might like to apply to become a pilot on an Air Experience Flight (AEF), of which there were several located round the country. I phoned around and was delighted to be invited by the No.2 AEF commander at Hurn Airport, near Bournemouth, to go along for an assessment. The aircraft operated by the AEF were de Havilland Canada (DHC) Chipmunks, the type that I started flying at Cranwell many years before, and I had little difficulty in feeling at home again inside the cramped cockpit. After a couple of dual sorties with Mike Kelson who was in charge, which included spinning, stalling and practicing forced landings (an art I never fully mastered) I was deemed fit to go solo and taken on board. I then spent many happy hours floating round the aerobatic area over Blandford Forum, and coming back in the evening twilight for a softish landing on Hum's welcoming runway. Thus began a renewed love affair with that delightful aircraft.
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