Transatlantic flight celebrates 90th anniversary

The R34 at East Fortune

By Cara Sulieman

RESIDENTS of a tiny town in America have been invited to Scotland to mark the 90th anniversary of the first return flight across the Atlantic.

The giant Glasgow-built R34 airship set off from East Fortune in East Lothian bound for Mineola on Long Island on July 2 1919.

And the National Museum of Flight, which is based at the East Fortune site, have waived the admission fee for any of the 19,000 residents of the US town.

The airship’s flight was an adventurous and exciting event and hit the headlines on both sides of the Atlantic.

Gay police to march in Scotland for first time

By Cara Sulieman

GAY POLICE will be marching in their uniform for the first time in Scotland when they join the gay pride march in Edinburgh tomorrow.

Seventy members of the Gay Police Association from around the UK will be taking part after getting permission from their chief constable.

Thousands of people are expected to start their march down the Royal Mile at 1pm after hearing speeches from a number of invited guests.

And the historic decision comes exactly 40 years after the Stonewall riots in New York, where a police crackdown at the Stonewall Inn sparked three nights of battles in the streets of Greenwich Village.

Susan Boyle to star in the jungle

 

By Cara Sulieman

SCOTTISH singing sensation Susan Boyle could be slumming it in the jungle as she is lined up for I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.

It is thought that ITV are looking to cash in on the worldwide phenomenon that the 48-year-old has become.

And with more than 100 million views on YouTube, Susan could be a dead cert to win before she even starts.

The singer’s popularity overseas, particularly in America, would bring in a new type of viewer for the programme.

Missing pensioner’s body found

By Cara Sulieman

A POST Mortem examination is being carried out on the body of a Scots OAP found dead in a river three week after he first went missing.

Jim Greig, 69, from Musselburgh, East Lothian, was reported missing when friends and family failed to hear anything from him after a night out.

His body was discovered at midday on Monday in the River Esk south of Inveresk Industrial Estate in Musselburgh.

Police are still unsure of what happened to Jim after he left the Coach and Horses Pub in Musselburgh on Saturday March 7.

But they are trying to track down his turquoise mobile phone, which wasn’t recovered with his body, in the hope that it might hold some clues.

Jim was a well-known figure around his home in the Links Avenue area of Musselburgh, especially in the Sportsman Bar.

A police spokesman said: “We are looking for any information that can help us ascertain Jim’s whereabouts since he went missing on Saturday March 7, when he enjoyed a night out with friends at the Coach and Horses Pub in Musselburgh.

“In particular, we are keen to trace a turquoise-coloured Nokia phone that he was thought to have in his possession.”

In anyone has information they should contact Tranent Police Station on 01875 610 333.

Furniture maker designs wooden kilt

By Cara Sulieman

A FURNITURE maker hopes his latest designs will nail approval from the fashion critics next week – when his WOODEN kilt hits the fashion catwalks in New York.

Anselm Fraser, 52, crafted the garment out of rough hessian material and wooden slats for the Dressed to Kilt fashion show at New York Tartan Week.

Having made furniture for 25 years, he had always fancied a go at making clothes, and the show provided the perfect opportunity.

“I think it’s beautiful”

Anselm said: “I am really proud of the kilt, and I think it’s beautiful.

“Wood catches the light in such an incredible way, and I hope this might inspire more people to use it in clothes.”

Anselm, who founded the Chippendale International School of Furniture in Gifford, East Lothian, took 10 weeks to make the kilt after a few false starts.

He said: “It has taken a lot of work – the first few attempts really didn’t work at all, and the sporran was very difficult to get right, but now it hangs and swings just like a real kilt.”

Reception was “fantastic”

And the kilt got its first airing when Anselm wore it on the streets of Venice recently where the reception was “fantastic.”

He said: “Walking around in it in Venice was an amazing experience, although I have to admit sitting down was quite tricky and not very comfortable, so I think I shall have to work on that and maybe put a cushion at the back.”

And the wooden kilt will get paraded down the catwalk next Monday when Dressed for Kilt hits New York.

The annual event celebrates the best of Scottish contemporary design, and always attracts a healthy number of celebrities from both sides of the Atlantic who walk the catwalk for charity.

Organised by Friends of Scotland, a charity headed up by Sean Connery, the fashion show is their main fundraising event of the calendar.

But some have their doubts over the authenticity of Anselm’s creation.

Howie Nicholsby, a kiltmaker who has dressed KT Tunstall and Robbie Williams, thinks that it lacks the criteria to be named a kilt.

He said: “Unfortunately it has not got any sort of actual pleating, thus it can’t technically be called any type of kilt. The word kilt means to tuck or pleat, from the Danish origin ‘kilite.’

“Really unusual”

But he praised the creativity of the design, saying it is perfect for the fashion show.

He said: “It’s always great when someone comes up with something really unusual and creative.

“I think it will be great for Dressed to Kilt. It’s conceptual, so you never know what may come out of its idea.”

Top Gun pilots owe everything to Scotland

By Cara Sulieman

THE FAMOUS Top Gun flying academy was inspired by Scottish flight instructors, a new book has revealed.

The US Army gained its world-famous experience from instructors from Fleet Air Arm.

In the early sixties instructors went across to Miramar airbase in California to help the Americans who were losing huge numbers of men in the Vietnam War.

Routinely shot down

Despite flying multi-million-dollar Phantom fighters, the US Air Force were routinely being shot down by much cheaper MiG 21s flown by the Vietnamese.

But instructors, all of whom had graduated from the Air Warfare Instructors (AWI) school at Lossiemouth, taught the Americans how to handle to expensive machinery.

In his book Phoenix Squadron, historian Rowland White claims that the knowledge that the AWI instructors gave the Americans led to their reputation for dominating the skies.

He wrote: “Through the instructors on exchange at Miramar, the AWI’s methods made their way into perhaps the most well-known programme in the history of naval aviation: Top Gun.”

Revolutionary training

The Royal Navy pilot credited with most of the revolutionary training techniques was Lt-Cdr Dick Lord.

He gave lectures all along the West Coast and it was his knowledge that White claims was the basis for the training programme created by the original Top Gun instructors.

Lt-Cdr Lord, now 72, thinks that it is about time that the British involvement in the Top Gun academy was revealed.

He said: “It is remarkable that any history book on Top Gun studiously avoids any British involvement.

“One finds this quite a bit on American history and certainly here they have not given us due justice.”

Struggling pilots

Lt-Cdr Paul Whitehouse, 72, was another Fleet Arm officer at Miramar and remembers all the help they gave the struggling pilots.

He said: “We were helping these guys in the Vietnam War because they were going straight from Miramar to fight the enemy, who were flying pretty useful MiG 21s.

“The Americans did not have the experience to use the Phantom properly. I felt a well of pride when I first saw the Top Gun film because I knew that we were behind it.”

Pub’s leprechaun gets kidnapped

Patrick on his magical trip with Obama

By Cara Sulieman
A PUBLICAN got a shock when his lucky leprechaun went missing – and he received a ransom note in return.

Mike Stuart, 25, runs the Black Bull Inn in Inverurie and always makes an effort to spruce the place up for St Patrick’s Day.

It was only a few days before the big day when he woke up to find his leprechaun, Patrick, missing and a ransom email sat in his inbox.

Didn’t notice anything

Mike said: “On the Saturday night when he was taken we were really busy so I didn’t notice anything.

“The next day I woke up to this email. I was still half asleep and just thought it was some sort of promotion. It never really clicked.

“But when I went to open the pub I noticed Patrick was missing and it all made sense.”

Leprechaun Liberation Army

The email stated that the Leprechaun Liberation Army had “liberated a leprechaun” from the Black Bull and wanted an improvement in his working and living conditions as well as a reward for his return.

It read: “Patrick has asked that to prove your commitment to him you put up some posters offering a reward for his safe return and also perhaps get your customers to fill a pot of gold which Patrick would then donate to charity.”

Mike instantly put up posters in the bar and started raising cash for the charity appeal.

Barack Obama

As proof that Patrick was being treated well, the kidnappers sent a number of pictures, including a few that showed him on his “magical leprechaun” trip to the US where he met Barack Obama and some Vegas showgirls.

Mike and his regulars raised £200 from the appeal through collections and pub quizzes. They even showed a filmed appeal during one night’s entertainment.

And due to their hard work Patrick was returned in time to join in the St Patrick’s Day celebrations.

Twelve years loyal service

Mike explained that Patrick was an important family friend after twelve years loyal service.

He said: “My mum used to run the bar at the local golf club and she used Patrick to decorate the bar for St Patrick’s Day.

“When I took on the Black Bull two years ago I inherited him. He’s an important part of our life.

“But we raised a lot of money for charity and we’re pleased to have him back.”

Boozy night in the pub

Although it seemed like a carefully planned operation, the kidnap was in fact the result of a boozy night in the pub.

Martin and Angela Matchett, the couple behind the Leprechaun Liberation Army, explained that the kidnap was spontaneous and they had to make it up as they went along.

They said: “We just had a few drinks and the idea came to us and before we knew it our son Liam had Patrick stuffed up his jumper and we were home with him.

“Then the idea grew arms and legs and we decided to see how far we could take it.

“It turned out the family had had him for years so it was lucky we didn’t go with our first idea to cut his finger off and send it with the ransom.

“Mike did think it was us that took Patrick and it was hard to keep straight faces when we were in the pub.”