And back it goes...

Edits done to the manuscript, and back it goes to the publisher. That was a fairly fast turnaround, but to be honest I've had trouble sleeping since it got back to me, so I've had my head down over the word processor (which promptly broke - thanks Word 2003 for corrupting your template file at just the wrong moment).

I can however reccomend Open Office as a good method of bacon-saving with its useful .odt format. Luckily, the publisher uses it too. Here's a hefty plug for OO - it's easy to use, I picked it up in five minutes, and the XP .doc format option actually keeps the comments and track changes correct when opened in Word.

My thanks also go to Gatwick Aviation Museum for a sanity check on some of the details - I'd got them right, so there wasn't the need for an extensive re-write that I had feared, but the confirmation has saved me a lot of worry.

Rejection, and a confidence boost?

Another form rejection, so I've sent it out to a new set of agents and cast my net a bit further a field this time. After checking the Association of Authors Agents lists I found four who appear to take this kind of thing - and who oddly aren't in the Writers and Artists Yearbook. So off it's gone and fingers crossed.

On the other hand, my aviation lenses gave me a quick confidence boost when I got an email dropped asking permission to use some of my images for a presentation. This was granted very quickly.

And Gatwick Aviation Museum are looking for a fundraising and media PR person, so anyone based down that way who loves planes and is good at PR, please contact them

Also, a new lens just went up: http://www.squidoo.com/folland-gnat is about the Folland Gnat Light fighter, used by the Red Arrows and in combat by the Indian airforce.

A day out - and in the cockpit

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Today was a busy day in Aviation. I missed:
- XH558 at SouthPort Airshow
- XL426 at SouthEnd Visit the Vulcan Day
- Croydon Airport 50th Anniversary flypast
and instead attended one of Gatwick Aviation Museum's few open days.

With not one, but two Avro Shackletons (including one of the only two running Mk3's in the world) and aircraft ranging from an English Electric Lightning to a Harrier Jumpjet, this small unique museum provides a fascinating day out.

Sited in an area of pictoresque countryside just outside Gatwick Airport, the museum's aircraft are housed outdoors, while the buildings contain models, engines and more. Most of the aircraft are either live or under restoration by volunteers. The museum provides extensive educational opportunities for students and has a number of independant volunteers working on the aircraft.

One of the treasures of the collection are indoors in the engine rooms - as well as the Conways, and Avon engines, there are two Bristol Olympus engines from the cancelled TSR2 programme.

As a day out, the day is very much what you make of it. With a little knowledge of aviation (or picking up a guidebook and being prepared to ask questions) the open day is a chance for anyone to learn about classic aircraft and have fun doing it.

So, while I may have missed seeing classic aircraft fly, I think I made the right choice. Besides, the opportunity to have a look inside an Avro Shackleton and get into the cockpit was not one I would pass up.

There is a lens and a full review on the way.

Meanwhile for anyone interested, the museum's official site is at http://www.gatwick-aviation-museum.co.uk/ and their next open day is on October 11th.