Page 114 - Demo

112%u201cWhy does the 109 always lose?!%u201d I replied %u201cKurt, I was fighting a Spitfire in Polish colours in front of the Polish President and two hundred thousand Poles, what would you do?%u201d After a moment%u2019s thought he smiled and said %u201cI would lose!%u201dThe party that night exceeded the one the preceding evening by any scale you wish to use, and the Poles celebrated a very successful day in their own inimitable style. I didn%u2019t last much past 9 o%u2019clock, which was just as well, as it gave me a solid eight hours kip, and I awoke surprisingly fresh and with no vodka headache. The programme for Sunday followed the same line as the day before, and John and I completed it successfully, but already our managing pilot was looking to get the aircraft back to UK. Kiwi chum John was planned to go out from Warsaw by scheduled airline later that evening, and the Spitfire was to be flown back to UK by another friend of mine from Norway %u2013 with me again in the 109. The weather to the west was not looking good, but the best line (or, more accurately, least bad) was back through central Germany, despite the challenge of the Ruhr. So, after our display, the aircraft were refuelled and, as soon as we could, we set off with, this time, %u2013 relief %u2013 Rolf leading in the Spitfire. We were heading once again for Bautzen, where John and I had nightstopped the previous Tuesday. Rolf was right on the metal with his navigation and, in reducing cloud base and a darkening sky, we dropped into Bautzen, with our Merlin exhausts beginning to show flames in the dim light. As soon as we had refuelled and put our aircraft to bed in their warm shelters, the heavens opened and we were mighty glad to get to our hotel for another well-earned beer. The weather on the Monday morning was truly awful, and the forecast was dreadful for another two days. Neither Rolf nor I now had time to spare and, by 10 o%u2019clock, we were heading for Dresden Airport to catch flights home %u2013 him to Oslo and me to Heathrow.And so ended a rather eventful week%u2019s flying .......! I wonder who took the next phone call to pick the 109 up ....%u201dIt%u2019s where? Bautzen? Where the hell is Bautzen?%u201d It wasn%u2019t me!