NEWPORT octogenarian Bill Fiveash relived his youth with a flight in a Tiger Moth - 60 years after flying dangerous missions with the airforce. Mike Buckingham reports.

AS the wheels bumped and finally came unstuck from the runway intrepid aviator Bill Fiveash exclaim-ed: "This takes me back sixty years".

It was during the war, when he was a tail gunner on Liberator bombers flying dangerous missions over Burma that Bill, 87, from Ponthir, last made his acquaintance with classic Tiger Moth biplanes.

"We had one in India which we used as a sort of flying taxi between our base and Calcutta," said an exhilarated Bill.

"It's always been my dream to take the controls of one again, and thanks to my friends in the pub my wish has come true."

London-born Bill came to Newport as a child and was living in Queen's Hill Crescent in September 1939 when war broke out.

After joining the RAF as an airframe rigger he transferred to flying duties as an air gunner, serving firstly on the ill-fated Fairey Battles which nimble German Messerschmitts scythed from the sky in considerable numbers in the early part of the war.

Surviving that, Bill flew in Bristol Blenheims and Bostons before finally being posted to India where 355 Squadron was flying American-built B-24 Liberators against Japanese targets.

"That could get pretty hairy. One of the things I remember was a cannon shell fired from a Jap plane coming up and hitting me under the seat.

"Fortunately, there was a nice piece of armour plating to protect my tender parts!

"Worse was to come in October 1943 when we were shot down and I had to bail out over Cox's Bazaar in Burma. I landed behind our lines - just - and was back with the squadron in days. Nobody was hurt or killed but it's not the sort of thing you want to do too often."

After the war Bill worked as the commercial manager for John's the Austin garage in Newport before getting an administrative job with ICI and finally, working for Lloyd's bank.

"Ever since my days in India I have always longed to fly a Tiger Moth," he said.

"My Tiger Moth flight was from Gloucester aerodrome with a highly experienced lady pilot with something like 6,000 flying hours on her log book.

"There was absolutely no danger, although I do like a the spice of adventure. A couple of years ago I went paragliding in Mexico and I love jet-ski-ing.

"I'm grateful to Mike Williams, a great mate of mine and another regular in the Ponthir House, for fixing this up for me."

Pilot Tizi Hodson, of Tiger Airways, the Tiger Moth's operator, said: "Bill flew it all the way apart from a victory roll at the end.

"We had a marvellous flight up to the Malverns and back.

"Bill's a natural pilot. Even after 60 years he's got a feel for the aircraft."

Mike Williams, who owns the Commodore Hotel at Cwmbran, said: "It was a pleasure to see Bill's face.

"I'm humbled when I think what guys like him did for the rest of us."