Red Arrows Over Niagara

The Red Arrows, Britain's aerobatic team, had to cancel a show over Niagara Falls due to weather  this week.

Just a reminder of the role in aviation that was played by my native Gloucestershire. The Red Arrows were formed in Gloucestershire and their home base was there.

An important company in the early development of aircraft was the Gloucestershire Aircraft Company. For some reason, so many people misspelled it that it was shorted to "Gloster". It is unfortunate that the company is known for warplanes, rather than civilian aircraft, but during the Second World War the Allies fielded only one jet plane. It was the Gloster Meteor, and was made in Gloucestershire.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloster_Meteor#/media/File:Gloster_Meteor_F8,_UK_-_Air_Force_AN2059465.jpg

Just past the other side of Gloucestershire was the town of Monmouth. This was the hometown of Charles Rolls, of Rolls-Royce fame. The company is known for it's iconic car but Charles Rolls, a race car driver, was more interested in aircraft. Henry Royce did not share the interest in aircraft, and the two separated. Charles Rolls would ultimately be the first Briton to die in a plane crash. 

This is the statue of Charles Rolls in Monmouth. He is holding a model aircraft. Image from Google Street View.

The estate of Charles Rolls' family near Monmouth was like a palace.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hendre#/media/File:The_Hendre_1.JPG

Rolls-Royce, best-known for the car, would ironically end up putting most of it's effort into producing aircraft engines, which would have fulfilled what Charles Rolls wanted for the company.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Holdings#/media/File:A380-trent900.JPG

The grass area in the following scene from Google Street View is where the Cinderford Carnival, near where I was born in Gloucestershire, used to be held. When I went back there as a teenager the Red Arrows did a show for the carnival.

This is the program that I brought back. This states '73 but it was five years later that I was there.

This is my birth village. It is built along a road that runs through a valley. When I was a young boy, the viaduct was still there. It was a railroad bridge.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lower_Lydbrook_Viaduct#/media/File:Viaduct_I._Lydbrook_(Lower)_England.jpg