Colin 'Aviator' Hammond - A Profile.

In the beginning

Colin started in the hobby in the mid-fifties, belonging to a club in New Addington, Surrey, (near Croydon) flying Gliders and Control line models. “We used to cycle to Kenley Aerodrome to fly Control Line, and used to put on flying displays at local schools and fetes etc. Ahh those halcyon days!” Modelling was priority in those days until I got interested at seventeen in Moto-Cross, and had four years of happy madness riding scramblers.

I was an apprentice carpenter and joiner from fifteen to twenty-one years, which gave me grounding for my hobby. I joined London Transport as an instructor, and stayed with them for most of my working life, until I was offered retirement early, so I collected the ‘Bounty’ from L.T. and retired..

In the club

I joined the Sevenoaks Club in the 70’s, after trying to pick up the art of flying at Croydon Airport, and a really nice guy named Dave Hooper spent many hours coaching me, and many others, for his patience, I will always be grateful. I spent many happy times at Sevenoaks, did a stint on cutting the grass, until I decided to move to Burgess Hill, where I joined the Hastings M.F.C. about 1995.

One of the advantages of living down south, was being down the road to a super show held at plumpton, and I, like many others, had lovely weekends there. People down here still talk of the Plumpton Show, especially a chap named “Joe Coolan” (I think I’ve spelt it right) I believe he came from Holland, (I stand corrected if this is wrong!) he flew those “Pulse Jets” noisy, but show stoppers never the less.

Hastings M.F.C. decided in 1998 to purchase two fields at Pevensey, East Sussex, and put on a show at the Bulverhythe Recreation Ground at St. Leonards, which incidentally is backed by RCM&E, and is still going strong. (This year it’s 24^th & 25^th July)

As raising money was a priority, after the first year the club decided to do the P.A. or commentary themselves. I like half a dozen others were asked to do it, I was the first out the door! On my way home I was muttering words like “YOUR JOKING”:

After a few weeks it transpired that nobody wanted the job, Eric Daniels, our then Chairman, (now our President) convinced me I could do the job! I was dreading the first show, “Take it from me, it a’int easy matey,”

Also I must add, that the club bought all the equipment with the money that they would have paid a professional person to do the show, and said, “you can keep the gear as long as you do our show” no problem, love it, added to it, and now look forward to doing the shows, love flying, long live the Queen, but Ahh, before I go any further, the “Aviator” logo was put on my first Transit by a scallywag of a Brother of mine as a joke, long before I started on the P.A. We both still have a laugh on life over the past five years, still, that’s what brothers do, don’t they?

Well the Hastings Club, thanks to the shows they put on, and all the hard work by many members and the Committee, now own a super site at Pevensy (East Sussex) with our own fishing rights. I am just pleased to be a small cog in a big wheel, which has worked out well.

When we hold shows, sponsored by RCM&E, there is no charge for caravans or camping, and there is food on site. Pevensy is just 5 miles from Hastings, and 3 miles from Eastbourne, into fishing? No problem, bring your gear and enjoy a leisure-able weekend.

Retired

Colin now lives at Bexhill-on-Sea with his “uver arf” The lovely Rose, (who is an expert at running the Tranie Tent!) incidentally, I live just a few hundred yards from where Spike Milligan was stationed in the war! (“They don’t like it up e’m Captain Mainwaring!”)

Colin maintains the now-owned flying fields for The Hastings Club Ltd. And Colin and Rose both spend many enjoyable days in their retirement at the Hastings flying field, with their many friends.

Colin, through me, would like to express his gratitude to all the organisers, LMA and fellow pilots that have showed confidence, and given their support at the various shows, and as the majority of his friends and pilots will confirm, he is always open to suggestions, and willing to discuss ways of improving what he loves doing, (As well as his love of flying!) Colin’s philosophy is, “in life you never stop learning.”

Scale man

Now I must add, as Colin is a very modest type of guy, and not one for showing off his talents, is a superb modeller, and has a small hangar of beautifully finished aircraft. In fact he won a silver award at the 2004 Model Engineers Exhibition with his gorgeous B25 Mitchell Bomber, which has a pair of Zenoah 38’s engines for the urge. Incidentally, Colin also fly’s at Bayaux in Normandy, France, and last year (2003) his picture was published in a French national newspaper flying his Mitchell.

His other lovely models include a 10ft wingspan Douglas DC3 Dakota, powered by two OS 90 Surpasses; Colin finished it in the livery of Finnair Hewlett Packard. (An electric version is reviewed in the Jan 04 edition of RCM&E by designer/builder Tony Nijhuis, Colin’s friend and club-mate). He also has a lovely Boeing B17, which was built by Dave Plummer from an RCM&E plan to about 1/9^th scale, and uses four SC 40’s for power.

His latest project is a 13ft wingspan Hercules transport plane, which he will be flying at the shows he is commentating at this year. Colin is also a BMFA Chief Examiner, and a staunch supporter of the BMFA and the LMA.

Last word from Colin, “Enjoy your flying, its my hobby, I know I will, and thanks to my friend Vince ‘The Bard’ Raia for putting this article together, so best regards to you all, and I hope to see you all at the shows, also don’t forget to come and say “Hello” and have a chat about our wonderful hobby.