This glorious painting, about 33 x 26 inches, is the work of Mitch Lovett long time resident of Hong Kong. In the background, crowned by fair weather cumulus clouds, towers the famous Lion Rock - one of the folkloric Nine Dragons. The foreground features Cathay Pacific Airway's first aircraft VR-HDB affectionately called Betsy. I am shown looking out of the port flight-deck sliding window. Mitch, thank you for that great honour, for there were many others that commanded that legendary plane. Betsy, currently hangs in the Hong Kong Museum of Science and Technology.

In the left mid-distance is Cathay Pacific's fateful Catalina PBY-5A the Miss Macao VR-HDT. On July 16, 1948 four armed Chinese men attempted to gain control of the Miss Macao shortly after she departed from Macao en route to Hong Kong. In a blaze of gunfire her commander, Capt. Dale Cramer, was killed and the doomed plane crashed into the foul muddy waters of the Pearl River estuary. That day 23 passengers and four crew lost their lives - one passenger survived - later he was identified as part of the gang-of-four. This sad incident brought the unwelcome notoriety upon Cathay Pacific of having suffered the world's first air piracy for material gain.

(Mitch Lovett can be found at E-mail Address: barnstormershk@hotmail.com. Chic Eather (c))