Airnews, June 2011
STRINGBAG TO SHAR
THERE IS an old saying, though admittedly not often bandied about, that there is a little bit of aviation in all of us. Seldom does this rise to the surface in those who are not directly involved in one or other sector of the aviation industry.
For those not so involved, this “little bit of aviation” could manifest itself, albeit very discreetly, in a hidden desire to fly as one sees as aircraft passing overhead en route, perhaps, to a far-flung destination. For Pretoria-born artist, Derrick Dickens, this manifestation is in the form of painting aircraft, something which emerged rather late in life and more specifically when he retired after many years first in show business as a set designer and painter, and then in the world of advertising and marketing. After matriculating at the Pretoria Boys High School where one of his main subjects was art, he enrolled at Rhodes University, in Grahamstown, where he majored in Fine Arts and Design.
Derrick Dickens
In 1964, he joined the Performing Arts Council of the then Transvaal, as head of Opera and, while there, he also formed and managed the PACT Symphony Orchestra. So, where does the aviation bit fit it? Well, in what little spare time he had, he started painting on an ad hoc basis and later, after retiring, concentrated seriously on this “hobby” with aviation art being at the forefront.
It occurred to him there could well be a market in books on various types of aircraft suitably illustrated which could supplement his retirement income. His research showed that there was very little reference material on Royal Naval Fleet Air Arm aircraft, especially in full colour, so the decision was made to set about producing such a book. The result is a magnificent work of 168 pages packed full of interesting facts and data about every one of the nearly 100 aircraft featured ranging from the early Fairey Swordfish, commonly referred to as the “Stringbag” through virtually every type to have served in the Fleet Air Arm (spanning the period 1938 to 2006) to the Sea Harrier, or more precisely, the Harrier II “Shar”, from where the book gets its title.
Derrick Dickens’ career as an aviation artist saw his first international exhibition taking place in Dallas, Texas, in 1980. He was invited to exhibit at the American Society of Aviation Artists’ 13th annual exhibition held at the Warner Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, in 1999 where two of his painting were chosen for the society’s next annual exhibition held in Fort Worth Texas, and a further two paintings were chosen for the annual Horizons of Flight exhibition in Dallas. He has also been a prominent exhibitor in the annual exhibitions of the South African Guild of Aviation Artists held in various venues and his paintings hang in a number of private collections, as well as in museum art galleries. So perhaps you can realise why I treasure the Illustrated History of the Fleet Air Arm – from Stringbag to Shar signed for me personally by Derrick Dickens.
YOU’VE GOTTA LARF…
To round off this session of Hangar Talk, here are a couple of jokes sent in by a reader. They’re not new by any means, but still good for a laugh…..
A student became lost during a solo cross-country flight. While attempting to locate the aircraft on radar, ATC asked: “What was your last known position?” The student replied: “When I was number one for takeoff.”
Tower: “TWA 2341, for noise abatement turn right 45 degrees left.” TWA 2341: “Centre, we are at 35 000 feet.. How much noise can we make up here?” Tower: “Sir, have you ever heard the noise a 747 makes when it hits a 727?”
From an unknown aircraft waiting in a very long takeoff queue: “I’m bloody bored!” Ground Traffic Control: “Last aircraft transmitting, identify yourself immediately!” Unknown aircraft: “I said I was bloody bored, not bloody stupid!”
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