Sir - In June, I saw a large ruined castle on a hill above the village of Coruna del Conde, Spain, on the battlements of which, mounted on a plinth and visible from more than a kilometre away, is a full-size jet fighter with a Spanish roundel.
The village is on the road which runs north-east from Aranda de Duero (on the N1 Burgos-Madrid road) towards the 234, and is about 30km (18 miles) from Aranda. On the main road through the village is a memorial, which appears to have been erected in 1973, by the Spanish air ministry. The inscription claims that one Diego Marin Aguiliera was the first man to fly, but the method is not stated.
Perhaps a Flight International reader may know something of this gentleman's history?
MARCUS CHAMBERS
Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK
Source: Flight International
