[G-CPTN]

I'm G-CPTN - I'm a retired vehicle engineer with an interest in aviation (mainly old stuff). As a youngster I collected photographs of all types (mainly by writing to the manufacturers, who were very generous with leaflets and occasionally actual original photographs) which I mounted onto 3ft x 2ft card bound between hardboard outers. Unfortunately, my Mother gave the folder away whilst I was away at University! 'Twould be priceless today . . .

It included such things as full-plate size b&w photographs of a Twin-pin and so many others that I shudder to think about it!

I sort of gave up my aviation enthusiasm in the mid 60s (years, not age) in favour of motor vehicles (car racing and military vehicles and heavy trucks) so my knowledge of types is somewhat sketchy from then on.

I do recognise B747s (and Concorde) - and the A380 which I saw at Farnborough in 2008 together with XH558 - but apart from that I struggle to differentiate between Boeings and Airbuses (and Tupolevs).

Locally I get to see F15s, Tornados, Harriers (and now Typhoons have replaced the Jaguars) as I live under a military low-flying corridor - oh and C130s, Chinooks and Apaches. I've even seen a Su22 (which I first thought was a Lightning then immediately realised that was impossible so I knew it was one of Ivan's - it was low and fast and on an exercise from Czech (oslovakia - I still think of it as that).