Flying Cat - may 2008

In the glorious sunshine that has been our lot since me and m'Marmalade Chum were freed from Big Cage, mpu was entrusted with 'our' digicam, as it is euphemistically known, so that he could hang out with flyboys at the airport and take photos of some quite old aeroplanes.
The Special Occasion was the 75th Anniversary of the first scheduled flight from Inverness (Longman) to Kirkwall (Grimsetter). Longman is now an industrial estate and the present-day Inverness Airport is at Dalcross.
This is possibly the longest running internal air service in the UK. The very first airmail service in the UK was initiated on this route, piloted by Captain Ted Fresson in a De Haviland Dragon.
The Fresson Trust was set up to provide bursaries for young Scots entering Civil Aviation, and a cairn was erected by the Trust adjacent to the original landing field at Wideford Farm to commemorate the occasion, not far from the current Airport.

Leopard Moth, Tiger Moth, Gypsy Moth, Cessna 140, Tiger Moth.

Tiger Moth, Leopard Moth, Hornet Moth.

Tiger Moth and Leopard Moth.

Tiger Moth.

De Havilland Dragon



This Gypsy Moth, previously owned by Capt Ted Fresson, landed in the original field, carrying Richard, son of Ted Fresson as a passenger.

Cessna 140 - a mere youngster at 50

DH Dragon. This type was one of the mainstays of the original service.

Ancient&Modern - DH Dragon and Fanjet Falcon



Pilatus PC 12 - ultra modern business aircraft

Saab 340. Surely the aircraft with the tiniest overhead lockers ever to fly on the island routes in modern times.

DH Dragon

Tiger Moth

Tiger Moth

Scottish Air Ambulance Service Eurocopter. Bring back our locally based Britten-Norman Islander aircraft, flown by experienced pilots in all weathers and available when needed!

Thursday and the stunning weather holds. After a frustrating afternoon stuck indoors with the Talking Newspaper, fpu decided to be taken for a drive in the country, despite the gratuitously horrendous and unnecessary increase in our collective carbon pawprint. Sometimes you just have to say 'oh bother carbon pawprints!' like Mole and Spring Cleaning (and I could tell you a few tails about the lack of THAT hereabouts, but that I know who opens the kitty tinnies).
Tootling along the Orphir Road, (very familiar to some iB'ers) parental units decided to visit Waulkmill Bay. Naturally they went for a paddle and took some photos...anyone who doesn't immediately feel an overwhelming urge to paddle at Waulkmill when the tide is out is several wavelets short of an ocean. So I'm told...you wouldn't catch me or Marmers getting our dainty paws all soggy wet and salty, no sirree!

10th May was a Big Day in Stromness. That was the day the yole called Lily got her naming. Constructed by Ian Richardson for the Orkney Yole Association, with labour contributed by members, she was funded by the National Lottery and sweat equity. She has two different rigs - one for training inexperienced youngsters, the other for the more advanced.

awaiting the big moment on the Nav School pier

from front to back - Helga (b. Ian Richardson), Gremsa (b. Len Wilson), Sumato (b. unknown, 100 years old), Frances (as Helga).

crowd on opposite pier (Pier Arts Centre) with as-yet-to-be-named Lily and her flattie.

yoles as above in opposite order

the Naming of Lily...by Lily!

music on Pier Arts pier...that's Mark Shiner on the right...he makes awfully fine harps

young Steven and friend get Lily ready for her maiden voyage

setting sail



and...on the way home, mpu spotted Alex snapping these lovely ladies (possibly on a daytrip from Caithness, but we don't really know...) and I couldn't help thinking, as you do, wouldn't they have been a real asset at this year's Fank? Imagine the joy of the desperate single men of Lewis...

and, for a wee divert, my lovely self, intelligently listening to The Archers in the May sunshine...

...oh do shove over fpu, I'm wanting a schmoozle...

...and a small visitor, Mr Siskin, who remained unscathed...unlike the nearly-fledged blackbird I got instead...at least they think it was a blackbird, there wasn't enough left for a good i.d. and I'm not telling. It was lipsmackin' gooood...