News from our desk

5th December	Greetings of the Season!	2008
Where has the year gone?? They say time speeds up as you get older and we have to agree. The team here have been kept more than busy over the last 12 months and a huge vote of thanks to our wide range of national and international customers who have continued to support us with their business in 2008. Clearly with the deepening world recession, we all have to watch our non essential expenditure but having personally lost money through the collapse of the UK banking system, we firmly believe investing in quality collectables is far less risky and significantly more fun! Finding quality stock remains an issue but our sources continue to deliver. We have just updated the site again and have tried to offer a range of marine and aviation items at a variety of prices. If you do require that special gift for the festive season, please get in touch as soon as possible and we will do our best to satisfy your requirements. It just remains for the team at the oldnautibits HQ to pass on very best compliments of the season and every best wish for 2009.
1st November	Bomber Command Memorial - at last?	2008
It finally looks as though the dedication and bravery of all who served in Bomber Command in WWII and to the 55,000 who did not return will be recognised. The British Daily Telegraph newspaper has set up a fund for donations and is being supported both by the government and by Nicholas Soames MP, who is the grandson of Winston Churchill. Join us in making a contribution - this can be done online at the Daily Telegraph website:- www.telegraph.co.uk/bombercommand Hopefully the memorial will be as impressive as the Battle of Britain sculpture on the embankment in London. Now we are in November it must be safe to mention the "C" word and to this end we have added a variety of new stock to the site concentrating specifically on a range of nautical and aeronautical collectables that may sit happily under a festive tree. We hope you may find something you like although if you are after a specific present and do not see it in the listings, please ask and if we don't have one, we may possibly know where to find it. We are out on the road later this month and will be exhibiting at the Aircraft Enthusiast's Fair at Middle Wallop Airfield on Saturday, 22nd November. The stalls are actually located within the Museum of Army Aviation and entry to the fair also includes entry to the complete museum which is well worth a visit in its own right. We look forward to seeing old and new friends & customers at this event which will enable you to try before you buy! With Armistice Day approaching we will be remembering not ony the fallen heroes of Bomber Command but all those who served and did not return and those who continue to serve.
5th September	Water, water, everywhere!	2008
This entry is written against the backdrop of wind and driving rain, when we had all hoped to be finally drying out after a distinctly lack lustre "summer". This has impacted on the majority of the airshow season events and our own Yeovilton air day was viewed in variable to poor conditions. The Flying Legends Event at Duxford faired rather better and the Vulcan XH558 stole the show at Farnborough. Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Sally B has been sadly missed from the circuit due to engine difficulties but hopefully she will return where she belongs for the 2009 season. We were affected by the postponement of the annual Popham Aerojumble and Fly In and despite this being rescheduled for August, our wonderful weather again refused to play ball. On the sea, where these conditions are expected, the QEII is nearing the end of her ocean going career and on 11th November she will depart for the final time for a permanent berth off Dubai, where she will continue to serve as a floating hotel and conference and events centre. Whilst a somewhat sad end for a magnificent ship, hopefully she will be maintained in good condition as a reminder of her former days. The team at Oldnautibits, in an effort to avoid rust setting in, are grabbing a last minute sailing holiday in the Med and will be out of the office for the latter part of September. Apologies for any delay in response to fresh enquiries but these will be dealt with promptly on our return. Finally, our next outing will be on Saturday, 22nd November when we will be stalling at the Aircraft Enthusiasts' Fair at the Museum of Army Aviation at Middle Wallop. This is a great venue, as the fair entry also includes full access to the excellent museum, so will make a great day out. The timing will also be perfect for securing those special presents for the festive season!
3rd June	Mid Summer Blues	2008
Here at the Oldnautibits HQ we have recently experienced yet another wet holiday weekend; we had the same story over Whitsun and as a result the Popham Aerojumble was cancelled. The good news is the event has been rescheduled for Sunday, August 3rd, so we hope to have better luck. We will be stalling out in the marquee so come and say hello. Whilst you have your diaries out, make a note of the Aircraft Enthusiasts' Fair on Saturday, 22nd November, to be held at the excellent Museum of Army Aviation at Middle Wallop where we will be exhibiting. Entry tickets also entitle you to enjoy all the museum displays and the fair is perfectly timed for those special Christmas gifts. The U.K. airshow season is fast approaching and we all hope Vulcan B.2 XH558 will be the star of the Summer displays but she first needs her permit to fly from the CAA. All being well, her first public outing could be at Waddington on July 5th/6th. She is also still looking for significant corporate sponsorship, so if Richard Branson reads this, please take note! On a more modest level, we have finally taken the plunge and after several false starts have commissioned a Spitfire Mk. IX cockpit section and it has been fun tracking down original parts for the project. We will publish more information on her in due course, so watch this space but if you happen to have any surplus parts gathering dust in your garage or loft, please get in touch!
30th January	Tempus Fugit	2008
With Christmas, New Year and now Burns Night behind us, it is rather too late to wish you all the compliments of the new season, but we will do it anyway! January has proven to be a very busy month for the team here at Oldnautibits HQ. We have sold a record number of assorted flying jackets, both RAF, USAAF and Luftwaffe to customers who have been patiently waiting on the Wish List.The U.K. is forecasted to receive its first real Winter weather over the next few days, so no doubt, some will be put to the use for which they were intended. We continue to burn the rubber travelling the country following up leads on interesting stock. Recently we have taken advantage of a beneficial exchange rate against the dollar and have been able to re-import some interesting aviation stock from North America. Perhaps the most exciting find of the New Year has been the bell from the WWI Battle Cruiser RMS Bremse, originally recovered by the salvors in the 1930's. We are currently researching this item before offering for sale, so watch this space! Our soap box entry this month has to be concern for the future of Bentley Priory, the nerve centre during the Battle of Britain and of course the spiritual home of "The Few" and the headquarters of Air Chief Marshall Lord Dowding. It appears that when the RAF withdraw from its 6 London sites including Bentley Priory, the MOD is planning to sell it off as a multi million pound luxury apartment development. Let it be hoped that we and all like minded enthusiasts will support the pressure groups to prevent this happening, or at the very least to retain and preserve the key areas of the building, including the entrance hall and of course Dowding's office.