My trip to the UK Nationals is now over, and I can report that it was superb! After a fairly short flight (courtesy of a 140 MPH tailwind!) I arrived at Heathrow at 6:00 AM. I met up with Les, and it was off to get unpacked and catch up on the news. Les and Jan hosted a dinner party that night, with the President of IPMS Farnborough, Rod Ulrich, and his wife Sarah attending. They are a wonderful couple, and we had a grand time. Sunday, we visited the Museum at Farnborough, an excellent display of all aspects of flying at that venerable location. A bit of shopping Monday with Jan and Les, a super pub lunch, then it was off to the IPMS Farnborough meeting.

I was made extremely welcome on arrival, and I spent a wonderful evening speaking with the club members. I also made several presentations to the club and members, to mark the twinning of our two Chapters: Canadian lapel pins and a large Canadian flag, paint mixing containers, decal sheets and monographs from IPMS Canada (Thanks, Jamie!), and a copy of the book “Metal Canvas.” I thought that very appropriate, as it documents the “nose art” applied by Canadian pilots and aircrew to their predominantly British aircraft. Following the presentations, we toasted the twinning with a very appropriate Canadian libation: Canadian Club!

The rest of the week was taken up by: modeling discussions; pub lunches; shopping; the Airborne Forces Museum, visiting relatives in Kent; RAF Duxford aerodrome (highly recommended), and a damp but very memorable visit to Stonehenge. After an early Friday night and an early departure on Saturday morning, we arrived at the UK Nationals at about 9:00 AM.

The UK Nationals consists of three main activities: vendors; Special Interest Group and Chapter displays; and the actual competition, housed in three huge halls. The vendors covered every aspect of the hobby you can imagine: kits, references, tools, aftermarket items galore…you get the idea. One vendor in particular bore a striking resemblance to Mike Belcher… good to see you there, Mike! The displays were innovative and extremely interesting. IPMS Farnborough, for example, had a two-stage display showing high- and low-visibility finishes on a variety of military equipment. The title? “Now You See Me… Now You Don’t!”  Other displays included “RAF Bomber Command, 1936-1945,” Spitfires, Phantoms, Finnish Aircraft, and the list goes on! The competition tables showcased some of the most intricate and accurate work I have ever seen, and my Motivation Factor rose exponentially as I toured the area. As soon as I learn how to post photos on this site, I’ll set up a display to illustrate the halls.

The dinner that evening was quite enjoyable, with Farnborough members dressed in dinner jackets to lend an extra touch of dignity to an already decorous event. My highlight was having Rod Ulrich take the podium, outline our twinning initiative to the guests, then inviting me forward to receive a number of items to mark the event. On behalf of IPMS Ottawa, I received a set of decals for the membership, a copy a book documenting the history of aviation at Farnborough, and a particularly interesting libation with which IPMS Ottawa is invited to toast the twinning at an appropriate time and place. I hope to be able to deliver these items to our membership in January. Next day we spent a few more hours at the Nationals, then it was back to Yately to prepare for my flight home the following day.

IPMS Farnborough is a great group of modelers, numbering three National Champions among them. One member took three gold medals at the 2006 Nationals (Well Done, Chris!). They are also a very hospitable club, and they raised the Hospitality Bar very high indeed for me. Ottawa members are enjoined to do the same for Our British club as and when their members are able to visit us. I am sure that we will rise to the occasion!

A great ten days. Thanks again, Farnborough, for a grand time!