I
think we all felt that just getting there was an
achievement in itself, when we saw the plane: best
Russian vintage, stout bolts holding the engines
on, no waste of resources on such peripherals as
double-glazed windows.
More
than anything I was minded, as I saw the fierce
grip the pilot had of the controls as we took off
and landed, of my school-boy hero Biggles, flying
"by the seat of his pants".
The
plane had to wait half-an-hour between landing
and take-off, for the engines to cool down
- helped by a bit of gentle propeller-turning
from the ground crew... or indeed anyone
who wanted a bit of exercise...
