It is with sadness that I advise that John Wegg passed away last week after a short illness.
John was a good friend of the blog, frequently sending excellent photos from the far North as Jean 210.
In fact John was an internationally recognised aviation author and historian, having written 12 aviation book titles and also founded and edited "Airways" magazine for 20 years until 2014. One of his books was "Caravelle - the Complete Story" and I know that the Caravelle was his favourite aircraft, hence the 210 in Jean210. He retired to New Zealand in 2014.
John was also an instructor with the Dargaville Aero Club and travelled up from Warkworth every flyable Friday to give his time to flight instruction. He had also recently been elected joint Club Captain and was in the process of organising two flyins, the first of which will be held at Dargaville on 10 February.
John's photo of the Dargaville Aereo Club's Fly Synthesis Storch ZK-DAQ2, the aircraft in which he did most of his instructing.
John was a good friend of the blog, frequently sending excellent photos from the far North as Jean 210.
John was also an instructor with the Dargaville Aero Club and travelled up from Warkworth every flyable Friday to give his time to flight instruction. He had also recently been elected joint Club Captain and was in the process of organising two flyins, the first of which will be held at Dargaville on 10 February.
Rest in Peace John - you will be missed.
John was my "brother in law for a few years". He was like the TRUE older brother I never had. He bought me my first VHF Airband Radio and we had happy times visiting Gatwick airport and taking photographs which he processed in his tiny bedsit and dried the prints on the window pane. He was working at West Drayton London ATC and used to give me tips on forthcoming "RARE" over flights on the "Green1" Airway, 123.800Mhz that was visible from the house. The flights were apparently "troop charters" as the Vietnam war was at its height. Planes such as Trans Caribbean DC8s, and Eastern DC8s that NEVER landed in the UK were overflying regularly, my "Plane Spotter" friends were really jealous!!! His aviation records at that time were massive and impeccably kept. He was also responsible for spotting the advert in "Air Pictorial" which became my first job for Hawker Siddeley Aviation. I was later able to repay the favour in tracking down the ONLY glass negative in existence from the vast HSA photographic files, of a photo of a Yugoslav Hawker Fury which my dear friend Mr John Tweddell The "Chief Photographer" had numerous 10x8 copies printed for John's Book. John was born in Ipswich, sadly he never knew his real farther and was actually brought up by his lovely kind Grand Parents, there are still a number of "Weggs" listed in the phone directory in this area, I assume they are related? Strangely enough after travelling thousands of miles over the years I now live very near to Ipswich, I remember I used to tease him about his Suffolk pronunciation. In the "HIPPY" period he became a very colourful character and I remember him driving a Citroen 2CV that he painted purple to match the boots he also painted purple with gold stars. Which I also remember he wore to the London ATC Christmas party at the old Heathrow Control Tower which my then partner (Ingrid) and I attended thanks to John. He also introduced me to Led Zeppelin and Santana etc etc and broadened my musical horizons beyond belief. He left ATC and went to work for "World Airways and also Lufthansa if my memory serves me well, as a "Ramp Agent" ?."I am so sad he is no longer with us. It is a sad loss for his dear wife and all his many friends he was always in my thoughts as a kind and gifted "brother figure" and I also admired his many wonderful talents
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