Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2008-05-24 08:29:13 - Graham Ellis
It must have been some 15 years ago that I flew with Dick (a retired flyer with rthe US military who had gone on to a distingued career managing their flight maintainance base and in civvy life) from Montgomery field in San Diego up to the back of the LA basin (I am trying hard to remember the place name) where we landed at an airstip, parked up the plane as one would park up a car, and had a darned good ham and eggs brunch. Those are memories that I hold quite out of proportion to the tiny amount of time they took - as are my memories of working with Dick in some rewarding but politically challenging times of company takeovers, re-organisations and backstabbing through which we tried to do our techincal work to the very best of our abilities and with our customes at heart. We sorta kept no eye on our own positions and at the conclusion Dick retired and I was working elsewhere - my move into a nearly full time training role. Some other fabulous times with Dick and Dottie too - showing them around the UK, visiting with in Coronda, and at Mammoth Lakes where they (and we) skied. We (and it's all down to me) have lost touch rather in the last few years, but we still hear very occasionally and should I be passing through San Diego (pretty darned unlikely) I would be sure to have them at the top of my "must look up" list.
Why the flying memory, and the memory of the smell of cows from thousands of feet up? Because last Wednesday I did a day of Linux Consultancy about 30 miles from our base at Old Sarum Airfield, with the airport's cafe - chair and tables laid out on a lovely May Day on the edge of the airfield - and it is literally an airFIELD.
Old Sarum was a First World War airbase, and the aircraft hangar there is the oldest in the country (that's still standing? still in use?) - a listed building with great wooden beams that looks slightly down at heal but created a magnificent first impression and a feeling of awe and wonder.
The military's control room building is still exeant too - with the office I was working in for part of the day being that classic map room where, on old films, you see the wrens moving model aircraft around while the top brass stand in the gallery and plan the battle high above.
See here for another First World War site on Salisbury Plain, and here for more about Old Sarum.
