A Sicile Record 1050, the first plane I really loved in Pontarlier airclub. I flew 200 hours on her.  

Details are crucial. (Xara-made)
 

 

Lovely craft to fly. Like a fighter plane, my instructor Grandvalet, a Mirage fighter pilot, said.
The club later used this pix as the logo for their hangar, letter-head, sweatshirts, caps, etc.

I took the plane over the Channel to Biggin Hill, the Spitfire WW2 base of great fame, flying solo. Then at the club they'd call me Blériot. That vexed me. I hate moustaches.

 
On December 31st, 1998, at 23:45 I took PapaZulu (a 180hp DR400) off from Pontarlier on a thin layer of icy snow and flew over the villages around. At 24:00 all communities were pumping fireworks into the sky, and I had to get the hell out, it was getting very hot. At the same time the radio kicked in, and a lady from the airclub --they were having a party and all-- wished me a good year.
I landed in a beautiful crisp night at 00:15, January 1st, 1999, feeling like I was the king of the world.