'Not the Red Baron-One Pilot's Love Story'

CAMBORNE, U.K. - Aug. 19, 2016 - PRLog -- Aviator Robin Bowes was killed 21 years ago this summer at the controls of his replica 'Red Baron' Fokker triplane, his fatal accident witnessed by thousands of spectators attending the National Trust's Fête Champêtre Centenary celebrations at Stourhead Gardens, Wiltshire in July 1995.

At the time of his crash, Bowes was Britain's only full-time civilian display pilot earning his entire living from exhibition flying at events across the UK, Ireland and the Continent.

For over a decade, he'd flown a wide variety of historic aeroplanes - mostly biplanes, but it was a replica of the Red Baron's scarlet Fokker DR.1 triplane that always brought him most attention.

His remarkable story might have remained untold had it not been for the presence of an aspiring writer who was attending the show in the hope of seeing the WW1 dogfight display.

Geoff Pridmore was a local resident who was about to commence a degree course in Journalism at a Cornish college. He'd already seen the show the night before the accident and had returned to see it again. "We were horrified to see things go wrong in the triplane's approach to the display area. Before we could make sense of it, the aeroplane hit a tree and crashed to the ground. It was clear to those of us watching that the pilot would not have been able to escape."

Following the crash, Pridmore says, "A bizarre series of coincidences brought me together with the pilot's family even though I had had no intention of seeking them out. They were so kind and helpful and eventually I asked if they might like me to write a biography of Robin's life. All his family and friends were in agreement, but it took me nearly twenty years to complete. I was determined to cover as much ground as possible and make it the best aviation biography that I could."

The bizarre coincidences and connections continued as Pridmore's research led him to discover some amazing parallels between Bowes role as a re-enactor of the Red Baron and the wartime flying experiences of Baron Manfred von Richthofen.

"There were other strange coincidences that linked Bowes life and career to those of other aviators including WW2 US Navy pilot Jo Kennedy - elder brother of JFK - and also barnstormers such as Capt. Percy Pilcher, a former WW1 pilot. I even discovered a Cornish connection with D.H. Lawrence, whose wife Frieda was a first cousin of the Red Baron. In 1916, they lived just a few miles along the coast from where in 1983 Bowes would discover the replica triplane making his first momentous flight in it at Land's End airport."

Robin Bowes was the last of the twentieth century barnstormers, the last British display pilot to earn his entire - though meagre living - through display flying. His legacy lives on in the form of various historic aeroplanes that he renovated at his Devon home - machines that are still flying today.

By the time of his death in July 1995 aged 50, Robin Bowes had reached a pinnacle in his long career. The cost of attending airshows at home and abroad as a privateer was financially crippling, with ever increasing insurance, maintenance and fuel costs. Display flying was a younger man's game. He was facing an uncertain future and without the privilege of finance, he was working himself to near exhaustion.

'Not the Red Baron - One Pilot's Love Story' is not simply about aeroplanes, it's about the human condition - hope, aspiration, love and loss. It will appeal to those who look skywards at the sound of an aeroplane's engine; those who are fascinated by history; and those who like a good love story.

'Not the Red Baron - One Pilot's Love Story' is available as an ebook priced $5.99 US dollars through Smashwords at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/658160

And in paperback priced and signed by the author £4.99 GB Sterling at: http://www.amazon.co.uk

ISBN 978-0-9928236-0-3 (titled: 'Not the Red Baron')

About the Author: Having lived most of his life in Wiltshire working in various jobs including Theatre-in-Education and freelance journalism, Geoff Pridmore moved to Cornwall in 1995 to study Journalism at Falmouth College of Arts.

As an undergraduate, he continued to contribute articles as a freelance writer and was a winning finalist in BBC Radio 4's Fresh Air Media competition for aspiring radio producers with a tape entitled: 'Amateur Actors Talking'.

Following graduation, he was commissioned to write his first book 'Teach Yourself Journalism' published by Hodder & Stoughton Educational in 2000.

He lives on a remote farm in Cornwall with his wife and two cats where he writes and makes films as an independent producer.