The final legs of the return journey back in Europe.

          Video showing M18-18 clip from Brian Iles's film of his return flight from RAF Jever to Bulawayo, Africa in his Miles M-18 light aircraft beginning on Tuesday 20th July 1954 and starting their return on Monday 16th August 1954.   They left El Adem at 04:45hrs the next morning Wednesday 25Aug54.   It was a flight of 2 hrs and 25 mins across the Mediterranean to Crete where they landed at Heraklion for re-fuelling.   There are some shots of the rough seas, presumably in Crete.   Then they are airborne again at 09:20 hours for the 2 hour flight to Athens.   They seem to have taken the afternoon off for some sightseeing around Athens.   There are some shots of the Acropolis and Brian and Sandy reading their guide books.   After more shots around tha Acropolis they are airborne again over Athens the next day at 10:20 hrs on the Thursday 26Aug54.   (2 mins 34 secs/30 mins 49 secs/3 mins 22 secs/1 mins 41 secs/51 secs)

          Video showing M18-19 clip from Brian Iles's film of his return flight from RAF Jever to Bulawayo, Africa in his Miles M-18 light aircraft beginning on Tuesday 20th July 1954 and starting their return on Monday 16th August 1954.   This clip shows the final shots of sightseeing in Athens.   At 1020 hrs on Thursday 26th August 1954 they took off from Athens and flew via Araxos to Brindisi where they landed at 14:15 hrs.   After a night's rest they left Brindisi early at 0605 hrs on Friday 27th August 1954 and landed at Rome (Urbe) three hours later.   I think the next shot of a car driving along a road beside a river is probably taken in Rome - but does anyone recognise the monument on the other side of the river?   They obviously did some sightseeing in Rome, including St Peter's Square in front of the Vatican, but after six and a quarter hours they were airborne again from Rome at 1515 hrs that afternoon.   (1 min 40 secs/20 mins 3 secs/2 mins 12 secs/1 min 6 secs/33 secs)

          Video showing M18-20 clip from Brian Iles's film of his return flight from RAF Jever to Bulawayo, Africa in his Miles M-18 light aircraft beginning on Tuesday 20th July 1954 and starting their return on Monday 16th August 1954.   This clip shows their flight along the coast of Italy and France to their next destination - Cannes.   This took 3 hours and they landed in the evening of Friday 27th August 1954 at 1815 at Cannes in France.   (46 secs/8 mins 58 secs/59 secs/29 secs/15 secs/1 sec)

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Route from Cannes to Lyons on Sunday 29th August 1954.

Video showing M18-21 final clip from Brian Iles's film of his return flight from RAF Jever to Bulawayo, Africa in his Miles M-18 light aircraft beginning on Tuesday 20th July 1954 and starting their return on Monday 16th August 1954.   This clip starts with their day off on Saturday th August 1954 on the beach at Cannes in France.
The next day, Sunday 29Aug54 they took off from Cannes at 1205 hrs and followed the route shown above along the coast before striking north to Lyons, landing there 2 hrs 35 mins later at 1440 hrs.   Two landmarks can be identified, first the stark single tower on the Ile d'Or and then later the stone Chateau D'If on the Island of If, just outside Marseille.
Having refuelled at Lyon they were airborne again at 15:30 hrs and landed in Paris after 2 hrs 15 mins at 1745 hrs.   There are shots of Paris from the air.   There is a quick clip taken in a Paris cafe presumably during their overnight stay as they were airborne again from Paris the next day Monday 30Aug54 by 1230 hrs and took some more footage of Paris from the air.   After a 2 hrs 15 mins trip they refuelled at Dusseldorf and 1 hrs 30 mins later landed back at Jever at 1810 hrs in the evening.   The clip finishes with shots of the friends welcoming them back as they taxi in.



Il d'Or, France

The Ile d'Or is a private island located at the east of the city of Saint-Raphaël in France, facing the Dramon cap.   This small island is composed of russet rocks (porphyry) and surmounted by a tower reminiscent of the Middle Ages said to have been the inspiration for The Black Island in Hergé's The Adventures of Tintin series.   Viewed from the sea from the left side of the tower, a rock, commonly thought to resemble the profile of a gorilla, also recalls the comic books of Hergé.



Château d'If, France

The Château d'If is a fortress (later a prison) located on the island of If, the smallest island in the Frioul archipelago situated in the Mediterranean Sea about a mile offshore in the Bay of Marseille in southeastern France.   It is famous for being one of the settings of Alexandre Dumas' adventure novel The Count of Monte Cristo.   (1 min 26 secs/17 mins 27 secs/1 min 54 secs/57 secs/29 secs/1 sec)

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..And after a long round trip - 10 days flying each way.

Brian ILES and Sandy SANDERSON on arriving back from Rhodesia in Brian's Miles-18 on 30Aug54.
L to R: Unknown, Unknown with camera, Unknown, Unknown, Brian ILES, Sandy SANDERSON.
(Click to see F540 report).       (Thanks to Tom Balfour.)

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...And Finally.

     On 28Apr14, Gerry Shipley wrote: "When the aircraft museum at Strathallan closed down in 1981, the Scottish Aircraft Preservation Trust bought the Miles M18 and based it at Perth, where they restored it to flying condition.

     I was then working for Air Service Training (Perth) and having recognised this old Jever acquaintance I had the great pleasure of flying it on behalf of the SAPT during 1986 & 87 when the original display pilot, Gp Capt Colin Bidie, retired.   I left Perth in 1987 but KY remained based there until 1991, when it was acquired by the National Museum of Flight, where it is still an exhibit.

                                        

                                        

                                        

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