Not as daft as it sounds - ice axes dig in due to their sharpened tips and the force applied to them. The long handles give plenty of leverage too.

Essential for the "I'm a war correspondent in my day job" look!

In general it seems that you should expect to pay under £30 for any M series apart from the MX. The two MV1s I have cost £5 and £7 respectively (in need of a good clean, and some replacement parts around the winder lever in one case), the MG was £16 but included a presentable "ever ready" case. The ME Super was £28 with original strap, generic flashgun and 50mm f1.7 lens, it's pretty much perfect although I need to replace the mirror bumper foam.

The MV seems to be a little harder to find in good condition, according to various sites it wasn't a big seller so naturally there will be fewer about. They're probably lucky in that due to having black parts they can't be used to replace missing bits on more desirable M series bodies. Well, apart from the black versions, but those are pretty rare too!

I fully intend to track down a good MV, as these cheaper models seem less sought after at the moment and are surely at greater risk of being thrown away as a result - people just won't bother listing them on ebay after seeing the sums they fetch, or after they've been through two auctions without a bid.

I do wonder if the problem is that aircraft require ongoing funding. It's not like restoring a building where the major costs die down for a few years after the initial work is completed. In this case, you put money in and you get Vulcan out!

Having to go on sponsorship drives on a regular basis will inevitably reduce your potential sponsor base - many will react with "but we gave you £2k last month!"

It seems that the big aviation sponsors (Breitling for example) are only interested in things with propellers on the front.

I was at RIAT this year, and saw the crowd reaction to the Vulcan take-off. There was quite literally a standing ovation when she rolled down the runway and took off. Sponsors would do well to note this...

There are a few differences - as I understand it the MV is lighter, the MV1 was deliberately made heavier so that the action of the mirror wouldn't cause camera shake!

IIRC the MV doesn't have a self timer and can't use the motor wind unit?

There is ample provision in law for using proportionate force in self-defence if you believe your life to be in danger. Something anyone using such techniques without identifying themselves as Police would do well to remember. They're not the only ones who know about defensive driving...

I have one of the generic ones from "Terence's Camera" on ebay. Feels solid enough, no nasty mould lines, clicks onto my 18-55mm DA L (which didn't come with a hood) fairly precisely and only cost £9 or so including postage.

I've got two of these (one black, the other the much rarer chrome), but have yet to try putting a film through either.

I initially thought mine had a problem as the LEDs produced a "smeared" effect rather than a solid dot of light (as per the ME Super), however as both do this I can only assume that it's either original or a very common problem!

Keep an eye out for the AF200S flash and the motor wind unit, both will fit an MV1 and aren't too expensive for good used examples. In the case of the flash, that one will interface with the Auto mode on the camera and illuminate a red x in the viewfinder when the flash is charged. You will still need to set the flash mode manually along with the aperture but the camera will automatically select the right shutter speed.

The old Pentax-F 100-300mm zoom isn't a bad choice. I think 200mm won't quite be enough for aviation photography.

It might also be worth looking at older manual focus K mount primes. They do pop up occasionally and are usually faster than a zoom at a given focal length. The only snag is the weight - they were built to last in those days!