Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines

What-ho, chaps! Just when you thought it was safe to take to the air, those crazy Rogers boys are barnstorming like there's no tomorrow!

In the spring of 1999 my brother Steve was given a flying lesson as a late birthday present. As his plane was a four-seater, his son Chris and I were invited along for a ride . . . .

Most of the photos I took of the flying lesson were pretty boring shots of the landscape <yawn!>. There was one with Mum and Heather et al, but they were so far in the distance they ended up smaller than the scratches on the negatives. However, I did capture the following piccies of Steve and Chris. Click on the pictures to see bigger versions.

Steve at the controls. Eventually he found first gear and we proceded to take off in the more usual forward direction. Note the instructor, sobbing quietly . . . Steve the Red Baron. Except he's in Blue. Perhaps it's his day off. Chris looking a lot less pale than when we landed. . . . Chris and Stuart in the back seat. Our expressions changed abruptly when, moments later, Steve executed a perfect barrel roll at only 10 feet.

The bigger versions of the images are approx 800 x 550 pixels, and about 62 kb each.