Sad farewell to the planes which put the exotic within reach | Rick Jackson

Even the amazing, giant Airbus A380 isn’t being built any more and airlines have started to withdraw them.

The 747 cannot be matched for her beauty.

She is a graceful swan compared to the duck-billed platypus A380.

Did you ever get to fly in a 747? Where did it take you?

I bet wherever it was you had an amazing, unforgettable time. You see, this long-hauler took us to many an exotic destination.

I almost flew in one once. I got on it, but after half an hour had to get off it again as the captain was about to announce a delay in departure due to a slight technical fault.

Imagine the scene, a packed British Airways 747 loading for Orlando, a stunning bungalow booked in Kissimmee and a Pontiac Firebird hire car standing by for the two-week holiday.

But I knew something wasn’t right the week before we were due to fly as I wasn’t sleeping because of anxiety.

My doctor proscribed Diazepam.

On the way to Gatwick I popped three but still my heart was racing.

As we checked in, I started to melt down. Things weren’t going well.

We boarded, made our way right to the back... and then I spotted my seat. It looked like an electric chair in a high security American prison. I started to hyperventilate.

Then surprisingly we were upgraded.

A steward friend had surprised us and upstairs into the bubble we went. Champagne in glasses, proper cutlery on the tray, ‘I could do this,’ I thought.

Then the captain’s announcement of the delay and off I bolted.

The plane left for Orlando without us and then the six Diazepam tablets I’d taken kicked in.

If only I knew then what I know now, I would have flown on that 747.

It’s a risk, but show lower league football free on BBC or ITV

In 10 years what will happen to football if Liverpool and Manchester United get their way and the Premier League gets more power and more money. Will the game be any better?

Yes it will. The clubs and the players will get richer and the world’s best players will be attracted to play here. Could it spell the end of clubs like Portsmouth? Perhaps.

For me, it’s a simple choice. Lower league clubs need better support from fans. The BBC or ITV need to show lower league matches for free to attract a bigger audience. To keep kids interested in lower league football, they need to be able to access it free. Risky, but speculate to accumulate.

Get the EFL off Sky and on to terrestrial TV.

Night on the tiles ends with a triple word score at... 5am

My wife Sarah has been making beautiful Scrabble letter picture frames.

You tell her the names in your family and she lays them out on some wallpaper in a picture frame to hang on the wall.

They are lovely and all the money she makes goes to the Cash for Kids charity. It’s now turned into a bit of a cottage industry and most nights she’s up late arranging Scrabble letters on to these frames. Everywhere I now look, there are little square letters as the kids have also got hold of them.

I can also confirm they hurt like hell when you step on one barefoot at 5am! I rearranged some words on one frame to tell her exactly what I thought!

A message from the editor, Mark Waldron. Thank you for reading this story. The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on our advertisers and thus our revenues. The News is more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism. You can subscribe here for unlimited access to Portsmouth news and information online. Every subscription helps us continue providing trusted, local journalism and campaign on your behalf for our city.