Bob has recently sold Silvertone Electronics to Mr Ken Taylor of Wagga Wagga, NSW and during Ken's training period which runs until the end of September, Bob and Ken have been thoroughly enjoying themselves talking about work, talking about what needs to be done, talking about how to fly, talking about learning to fly, enjoying coffee breaks, lunch breaks, going flying to teach Ken to fly, the odd spot of practical work, coffee breaks and interviewing potential customers.

During the last interview with potential customer Mr Ken Richards, (an ex-airline captain now turned UAV pilot), which ultimately degenerated into Bob and Ken R swapping stories about learning to fly the real thing, Bob spun his favourite yarn in which he recounted the tale of his second flight in a full size aircraft. At age 15 and 9 months (1953) Bob had his first lesson with the Kingsford Smith flying school. This flight took place in a small Auster aircraft. After the flight Bob was standing in the hanger and his instructor said to him "Would you like to go for another flight in the back seat?"

The instructor was checking out a pilot who was unfamiliar with Austers prior to hiring an Auster for the day. Bob beat the two experienced pilots to the aircraft by about 50 meters (actually yards in those days. No answer was necessary).

The flight passed uneventfully until the landing approach. The pilot being checked out rounded out for the touchdown about 20 feet ( 6 meters) too high and the poor old Auster dropped like a stone upon stalling and thumped onto the undercarriage, bounced back into the air and the instructor opened the throttle and went around again.

The instructor handed the controls back to the other pilot and around we went again. Bob timidly pointed out from the back seat in a nervous squeak that the shadow of the right hand wheel was doing strange things during the aborted landing. Young 15 year old boys did not warrant too much attention in those days and the instructor happily allowed the other pilot to do the next landing as well.

Same old, same old, too high, stall and thump...... only this time the already weakened undercarriage collapsed and the aircraft spun around in a savage ground loop and those two pilots in the front seats went out of that aircraft like corks out of a bottle.....well before the aircraft stopped moving.

That was all OK except nobody thought about poor old Bob who was trapped in the back seat due to a trick lock which he did not know how to release. Eventually the two pilots came back to the aircraft, released Bob and we then proceeded to carry the Auster home on its one good wheel with the instructor jockeying the throttle to help.

Ken R upon hearing this story just stood there with his jaw wide open. When he had recovered sufficiently he gasped "Was that you?" "I have told that story dozens of times over the years" Ken said.

It appears that Ken was standing up at the hangers watching the landing and saw the accident and the two pilots execute their high speed exit from that aircraft, eventually making their way back to the stricken aircraft to help out the young passenger.

We could not believe it! Almost 60 years to the day, traveling widely divergent career paths, only to have those paths converge into the UAV scenario. What sort of coincidence was that? Bob could not let such an occasion pass with getting a photo of Ken Richards and himself posing in front of a Flamingo UAV.