Sunday May 26, 1996: WAR IS HELL (crossed out) FUN;Tanked Up
Beating plowshares into swords, a farmer in Collingbourne Ducis, England, has turned his wheat fields into a training ground for novice tank drivers. The half-day course at the Tank Driving Center at Highland Park (it costs L95, about $145) teaches weekend warriors to handle a 750-horsepower, 55-ton Chieftain tank over 20 acres of hills, curves and craters. Chris Vincent purchased the first of his 20 tanks at a post-cold-war tag sale in 1993. "We just went out one day and  bought one for riding around the farm," he says. "After word spread, people we hadn't seen in years began dropping by. Soon it became apparent that we had a business on our hands, so we advertised and received a tremendous response."
One recent Sunday at the center, 70 miles west of London, Michael Dukakis imitators included a bespectacled grandmother, couples on dates and a former military sniper, who proudly recounted his successful kills. (No accidental tank kills here; guns have been deactivated.)
The school intends to expand its theater of operations. A cafe will replace a horse stable, and a barn may one day house a souvenir shop. There are even plans to restore an armored personnel carrier and outfit it with a dual steering system like those used by driving schools. "It'll be a family tank," says John Curtis, an instructor, "great for kids who can't reach the pedals."