Aircraft

Mosquito – uncompromising lines, just looked beautifully fast

Javelin – the right delta shape, but looked too chunky and underpowered to succeed. My first noisy air-show jet (at Middleton St George)

Hunter – simple curves, the archetypal jet fighter

Lightning – from the sublime to the ridiculously sublime. all engine, razor thin wings and power in vertical climb. can still feel the heat from the afterburners.

Vulcan / Victor / Valiant – visions in white, slow rolling to bank up and away

Phantom – business-like workhorse with the unexpected angles. first seen in the wild on training exercises just before RAF bought them. The F4E/F lines still favourite.

Harrier – from hover to tailstand before gradual vertical climb. pure energy going nowhere fast.

Chinook – so distinctive a noise, you could hear its weight.

F4U Corsair

B1B Skyraider – scarily large in the flesh for a single prop, indestructible looking monster in every lack of refined detail, yet effective over a long service life.

B58 Hustler – wearing its engines on its sleeve, surely 4 was more than enough, and that fuel tank looked bigger than the fuselage

F104 Starfighter – stripped down lightning, just the one monster engine, just enough wing to fly (well almost), nothing to spare and beautiful with it.

F105 Thunderchief – same workhorse appearance as the Phantom when loaded up, but beautiful aircraft underneath the ordnance

F101 Voodoo – just loved the lines of the RF101C versions – cross between the phantom and the thunderchief in impression

SR71 Blackbird – science fiction made real, with the mystery of matt black and the menace of the powerplants on display.

A10 Thunderbolt – resistance is useless, not surprisingly inspired by the Skyraider apparently