A competition to win a flight in Compton Abbas Airfield’s Harvard radial-engine, canopied warplane was run in June to coincide with the broadcast of the George Clooney television series ‘Catch-22’
on Channel 4 . The airfield’s Warbird ‘ was costumed’ in quite a different livery for filming.
A multitude of names was suggested, including the inevitable Planey McPlaneface from quite a few, but Jim Dunkley from Sywell, Northamptonshire, was the winner of the flight with his
suggestion of ‘Devil Dog’.
Every year, Jim and his wife travel down to Dorset for a holiday as they love the area so much, but 2019 was the first time they popped into the airfield café after his wife prompted him to ‘stop for a coffee’ on the way home. His wife noticed the competition entry postcards, and once home, he researched what would make a great name for the vintage aircraft.
As Jim knew, ‘Devil Dog’ is one of the nicknames for a US Marine and as the aircraft normally sports the US Marines insignia, Compton Abbas judges thought it an excellent choice.
“We are very much looking forward to welcoming Jim and his wife back to the airfield for his flight above their beloved Dorset countryside,” one of them commented.
