BirdForum is the net's largest birding community dedicated to wild birds and birding, and is absolutely FREE!

Register for an account to take part in lively discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="David Ferguson" data-source="post: 2845448" data-attributes="member: 40004">When I was a kid I lived in Coventry where they held the annual King's Cup Air Race at the local airfield. This was a four-lap handicap race. I can still remember the first plane to take off (a Tiger Moth) beginning its final lap just as a privately-owned Spitfire was racing down the grass underneath it to begin its first lap. One year a Miles Sparrowjet was entered. The handicappers obviously didn't have a clue as to how to handicap this, the first jet to be entered in the race, as it went over the finishing line without another plane in sight. Usually they were wing-tip to wing-tip.In 1953, the 50th anniversary of the first powered flight, they had planes ranging from a reproduction of the first Wright Brothers plane (which flew) to a Sabre which gave off a sonic boom as it hurtled over our heads. For an 11 year old this was the stuff of dreams.</blockquote>