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 Scenic Highlights From My Travels In The USA
 And An Aircraft Quiz, Wednesday 12th February 2020 - Bob Catterson Photos

Part 1 Scenic highlights

Barry Pegram introduced Bob Catterson by first giving a summary of Bob's working history. In 1974 Bob joined HSA Kingston as a graduate apprentice and from 1976 he worked on Harrier/Hawk mechanical systems. In 1980 Bob moved to the Boeing Co in the USA and led the wing hydraulics design on the Boeing 757 and 737-300. He rejoined BAe in 1983 and retired in 2011 as Chief Systems Engineer and Project Director in Strategic Capability Solutions.

Barry announced that Bob's talk would comprise two elements: the scenic highlights photographed during his travels in the USA, and then Bob would set out an aircraft recognition quiz for everyone to join in.

Part 1 was a series of excellent photographs that Bob had taken partly when he worked in the USA and had taken the opportunity to visit national sites such as the Grand Canyon, Yosemite National Park and many others, and partly when he had visited the USA on holiday.

The colour images that Bob displayed were to professional standard not least because Bob mentioned that he'd inconvenienced himself to take images at optimum times of the day, usually in the early morning light, and again in the late afternoon. His images included essential information such as the locality but also 4 or so extra items such as height above sea level, and, where it applied because it was something significant, such as the maximum daytime heat recorded in Death Valley, California. (109F/42.8C is significantly hot!)

Bob moved through the images at just the right pace, each came with Bob's additional brief explanatory comments, and at the end of a total of 25 images, Part 1 was brought to a close


Part 2 Aircraft in USA Air museums; Quiz

Frank Rainsborough then offered an intermediate thanks to Bob and at this intermission time the rules for Part 2 were explained, a quiz in which the participating audience were shown Bob's images of aircraft in USA air museums and participants were required to identify them. Bob had clearly gone to a lot of trouble in that he handed out prepared A5 size sheets with a matching card backing board, on the sheets were prepared columns for a row ID, a row with adequate space for the answer and a column detailing the museum where the aircraft had been photographed.

Bob then asked 'Is everybody ready, have you all got your sheets? Yes? OK, let's start.' He then displayed his first image and asked 'What aircraft are these?' Offer your answers in ID Lines A & AA' Appropriately enough Bob had asked the audience to identify aircrafts AV-8A and a TAV-8A. And so to the next image, answer required in the next line B & BB, and the next line, and the next line, through to the 31st line, Z1, which ended the quiz.

It was a late thought to pick up one of the A5 answer sheets and names were not required on them so what was picked up was as they all were, anonymous. However, if someone would like to claim that what's in the images that accompany this story is an image of their answer sheet, then that honour of achieving 50% correct answers, can be announced!

The quiz was smooth, good humoured and thoroughly enjoyable due in no small measure because the process and the prepared paperwork were very well engineered which was to be expected given Barry Pegram's summary of Bob's work experiences and qualifications.

And that's a note to end on; Bob's work experiences and qualifications is what this account opened with, so to slightly amend Magnus Magnusson/John Humphrys words 'this where I started so this is where I'll almost finish.'

To finish, Frank offered 'thank-you' words to Bob for his excellent talk and enjoyable quiz, and handed Bob a 70cl bottle, the Association's more solid (and liquid!) token of appreciation.

The day ended with Ken Batstone running the raffle, for that days attendees there were 5 prizes on offer, all gratefully accepted.