When I was with 14 Int in Northern Ireland back in the day (re First Into Action) I was flying over a lake in a small helicopter coming back from a task when I saw what appeared to be an aircraft in the lake. I asked the pilot to take a closer look and indeed it was and it looked very old.
So along with a few mates from the Det we got a rubber dingy and paddled out to the aircraft to discover it was a fighter from World War 2 that had crashed. Fast-forward to Christmas Eve 2019 – a news report on that aircraft.
Ulster Aviation Society is a charitable association. N. Ireland. Charity No. NIC100128
To cut a long story short, I took something from the Grumman Wildcat. A souvenir. I've had it with me all these years.
I was completely ignorant of the significance when I saw the fighter rotting in Portmore Lough back in the day.
Click the Live Chat podcast for my full Wildcat story.
I’ve had the machine-gun all these years and didn’t know the aircraft had been rescued from the lake and restored.
Ulster Aviation Society
Founded December 1968 Our aims and objectives: • Public education on aviation-related topics. • Highlight Northern Ireland's aviation heritage. • Maintain an aviation museum
