Welcome to My Aviation Blog – A Journey Through the Skies Begins! ✈️

Hello and welcome to my aviation blog! My name is Henry, I’m 11 years old, and I live in beautiful Northumberland in the north of England. I’ve started this blog because I absolutely love vintage British aircraft – the sounds, the history, the engineering – everything about them is just amazing. I want to share what I learn, discover new planes, and hopefully inspire others who are interested in aviation too.

Ever since I was little, I’ve been fascinated by planes. One of my earliest memories is watching the Red Arrows fly over the coast near where I live. But my love for aircraft really took off (pun intended!) when I found out my dad learned to fly when he was just 17. That really inspired me. I want to follow in his footsteps one day and become a pilot myself. Until then, I’m learning as much as I can, visiting museums, and of course – writing this blog!

One of My Favourite Aircraft: The Handley Page Victor

To kick things off, I want to share one of my favourite aircraft – the Handley Page Victor. It’s such a cool plane, and I think it deserves more attention. The Victor was one of Britain’s three "V-bombers" built during the Cold War. It flew alongside the Avro Vulcan and the Vickers Valiant. All three were designed to carry nuclear bombs if needed – though thankfully they never had to.

The Victor looks really unique with its crescent-shaped wings and long, sleek body. It first flew in 1952 and stayed in service for a long time, even after it stopped being a bomber. Later on, the Victor was used as a tanker aircraft to refuel other planes in mid-air. It played a really important role in the Falklands War in 1982, helping aircraft fly thousands of miles from the UK to the South Atlantic.

One of the most interesting things about the Victor is how futuristic it looked for its time. It was incredibly fast for such a large aircraft – it could fly at nearly the speed of sound! Its final flight was in 1993, so it had a service life of over 40 years.

If you want to learn more about the Handley Page Victor, I found a brilliant video that shows it in action and explains more about its history. You can watch it here:
🎥 Watch the Handley Page Victor in Action

Where You Can See a Victor Today

There aren’t many Victors left, but luckily a few are preserved in museums. If you’re in the UK like me, you can go see one in person!

🛫 Imperial War Museum Duxford – They have a Handley Page Victor K.2 on display. Duxford is in Cambridgeshire and it’s one of the best aviation museums in the world. I went there last summer and it was amazing!

🛫 RAF Museum Cosford – This is another fantastic museum, located in Shropshire. Their Victor is in great condition and you can get really close to it.

Both museums are perfect for anyone interested in military aviation, and they have loads of other aircraft too – including Spitfires, Harriers, and even a TSR-2!

Join Me on This Journey

Thanks for visiting my blog and reading my very first post! I plan to write lots more about vintage British planes – like the Avro Lancaster, the Gloster Meteor, and the English Electric Lightning. I’ll also be sharing stories from museum visits, flight shows, and anything else aviation-related I come across.

If you’re into old planes like me, please leave a comment or let me know your favourite aircraft – I’d love to hear from you!

Blue skies and happy landings,
Henry 🛩️