The Night Mail

[polybear]

3 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

As for airyplanes - a mate, who had better remain nameless, had a nice blue uniform (not that they are any more)  and used to go to fix planes that had 'become unserviceable' after attention by Dave's mates, and recover them or repair to allow to be flown home.  One job was something to do with the damaged skin of the vertical stabiliser aka tail fin on a certain type of very fast aircraft.  Upon stripping the panel off, the back of the high tech specialised material had an image and wording - 'wear ear defenders'.  The nuggets had used an old safety sign.....he was 'not impressed'.  Some sh!t did indeed hit the fan!

 

At Bear's "far, far better site to work at" - yes, the one that the Grown Ups decided to close 🤬 - there was a Flying Club.  They leased a private light aircraft from a RR guy (RR also had their own small site on our site) - I suspect that part of the attraction was that the aircraft could then be kept in the hangar on our site.

Well one of the Flying Club herberts had a sh1tty landing - very heavy on one main undercarriage leg, and "on the twist" as well.  So heavy, in fact, that there was damage to the upper aluminium skin of the wing directly above the Oleo.  One RR Man less than happy (very, very p1ssed in fact - especially as he'd not long had the aircraft repainted in Red Arrows Red).

Not to worry, the Flying Club Chairman "knew someone" who was supposedly a licenced engineer working at Heathrow.....

A certain Bear witnessed various small sheet aluminium "fragments" coming out of the wing as the guy worked on the aircraft in the hangar.  I also saw him rummage thru' the scrap ally sheet bin for something he could patch the cracked upper wing covering with. Hmmm.....

I heard from the Boss that Mr. RR Man was less than happy as well.  No sh1t sherlock.

Not sure who made the call (a CAA Inspector maybe?) but someone, somewhere said "NO" and insisted that the aircraft go to a Licenced Repair Facility.  The last I heard was they discovered that  the main wing spar was cracked....

At a guess that sounds quite bad🤣 

 

[Happy Hippo]

My understanding is that a licenced aircraft engineer of whatever discipline has to have any work they carry out on an aircraft inspected and signed as acceptable by an independent inspector.  Certainly the AAC Workshops guys when working on any of their charges would often have their worked checked by a superior and this was en checked again and certified by the workshop's Articifer before the aircraft was declared fit to fly. The other two services  will have had similar robust safety checks in place.

 

It might be stating the obvious but there is a big difference between your car breaking down at the side of the road, where it can be parked and recovered, as opposed to flying at 200 feet and suddenly losing a vital control function.

[PhilJ W]

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

It might be stating the obvious but there is a big difference between your car breaking down at the side of the road, where it can be parked and recovered, as opposed to flying at 200 feet and suddenly losing a vital control function.

Followed by losing another vital control function, the sphincter.

[SM42]

Cars breaking down are OK as most can walk 

 

Ships breaking down are ok as most can swim or get in another boat

 

Aeroplanes are more awkward as very few of us can fly. 

 

Andy

[SM42]

It's a rather cosy 34c here today 

 

Even thinking about moving brings a sweat on 

 

Any attempt at holiday model making has been abandoned 

 

Tomorrow is forecast similar with an interesting side line in thunderstorms during the evening.

 

Luckily the fridge is well stocked with beer.

 

Tomorrow morning I have a haircut booked. 

Then  I have a pass for most of the day., except

 

Mrs SM42 has signed me up for a pistol shooting contest tomorrow.

 

The range I went to the other day is having a fair tomorrow and she has entered me into the competition. 

 

15 rounds at 15 metres. 

 

Only a certain make of gun can be used in the contest, so if you don't already own one you'll have to borrow one, hence the higher entry fee of just under £7 

 

It's a bit cheaper if you bring your own.

 

Andy

[Happy Hippo]

34 minutes ago, SM42 said:

 

 

15 rounds at 15 metres. 

 

Only a certain make of gun can be used in the contest, so if you don't already own one you'll have to borrow one, hence the higher entry fee of just under £7 

 

It's a bit cheaper if you bring your own.

 

Andy

What target will you be shooting at?

 

Most people would be lucky to hit a door at that range with a pistol despite what you see in action movies and on Youtube.

 

As a matter of interest we used to stand clays on their end  on a wooden board and secure them with a loop of elestic so they couldn't roll or fall.  We'd then shoot at them with a 9 mm Browning Hi Power from 20 metres.

 

Only a few clays did not make it back to the clay trap at the end of the session. The ratio was something like 1 clay per 50 rounds of 9 mm

[SM42]

6 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

What target will you be shooting at?

 

Most people would be lucky to hit a door at that range with a pistol despite what you see in action movies and on Youtube.

 

As a matter of interest we used to stand clays on their end  on a wooden board and secure them with a loop of elestic so they couldn't roll or fall.  We'd then shoot at them with a 9 mm Browning Hi Power from 20 metres.

 

Only a few clays did not make it back to the clay trap at the end of the session. The ratio was something like 1 clay per 50 rounds of 9 mm

 

I have no idea 

 

Probably  a bit of paper hanging from a wire. 

 

Whether we get the standard circle or the slightly more useful stylised figure ,( at least you can aim at the theoretical centre of mass) is to be seen

 

I'll be glad just to hit it

 

Andy

[SM42]

Mrs SM42 has just held up yesterday's target sheet at just over 14m

 

The second style of target is preferable

 

I'll definitely be able to see it. 👍

 

Andy

 

 

 

[Tony_S]

20 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Most people would be lucky to hit a door at that range with a pistol despite what you see in action movies and on Youtube.

It was well before the age of YouTube but we couldn’t watch an action film without Dad making a similar remark to yours. I suppose he had some experience with pistol shooting as before he left the army he had been instructing post WW2 recruits how not shoot themselves with various shooty or exploding things. As tank crew they carried sidearms not a rifle. I never saw Dad with a pistol but he seemed pretty competent with a rifle. Unlike me, I just seem to be useless. Fortunately it wasn’t a skill I needed in my career. 

[Tony_S]

We are off out tomorrow. We are meeting Aditi’s brother, his wife and daughters near at a National Trust place near Cambridge. We have got a voucher that lets us take a family in with us. It was decided this morning that a picnic would be probably best. I have rummaged round the garage and found some “in date” lemonade. Aditi decided that we must take slices of cake and has produced a Mary Berry recipe lemon drizzle but with added sprinkles. Apparently the nieces like sprinkles! There will be sandwiches and sausage rolls too (and veggie stuff for BiL)  We used to go on lots of picnics when Matthew was little, and not so little really. I recall one when he had just come back from Utrecht and he was suggesting that now we had eaten all the food could we go to a pub, please. I don’t think the primary school age nieces will be asking that. I did have to taste test the cake. I did try to claim that the nieces probably wouldn’t like it so perhaps we shouldn’t take it. Aditi didn’t believe me.

[polybear]

3 hours ago, SM42 said:

Mrs SM42 has signed me up for a pistol shooting contest tomorrow.

 

 

Beary Tip of the Day:

It's not what you're shooting, it's WHO you're shooting at......

 

Imagine the right b'sterd you really, really hate and you'll ace it.  🤣

 

2 hours ago, Tony_S said:

Fortunately it wasn’t a skill I needed in my career. 

 

Bear would've liked "access" to that skill at times during my career....

[simontaylor484]

1 minute ago, polybear said:

 

Beary Tip of the Day:

It's not what you're shooting, it's WHO you're shooting at......

 

Imagine the right b'sterd you really, really hate and you'll ace it.  🤣

 

 

Bear would've liked "access" to that skill at times during my career....

Luckily I acquired the skill as a teenager when I joined the Air Cadets as well as flying and gliding amongst other activities 

[Happy Hippo]

Nothing much to report today.

 

I made another trip to the tip.  More timber, some old batteries and two steel car wheels which were to have been converted into some sort of portable bbq.  Since they have been in residence behind the garage for some years, I decided that their conversion was unlikely.  The polycarbonate roof sheets, again stored behind the garage since the conservatory was given a hard roof, had an abrupt meeting with a circular saw.

 

Despite these sacrifices to the Gods of the Tip, they remained unsatified as on my return home, they made the skies open once more.

 

I did manage to finally clear my portable work table, although the clearance was either boxing up various bits of plastic into a box, and putting the rest onto a number of  previously semi cleared surfaces.

 

I think unconciously I am moving stuff from surface to surface and either managing to put a little bit away, or dispose of it.  Eventually after about seven circuits of the moving stuff from surface to surface, I will end up with a small box on top of the portable work table.

 

I will also have recieved a telegram from the Monarch🤣.

 

With all this talk of shooting earlier in the thread, all being well tomorrow afternoon, I will ajourn to the field next door and see how my accuracy has degenerated since Easter, which was the last time I went out and had a concentrated session.

 

I have a lot of catching up to do as I was shooting at least twice a week during lockdown!

 

 

Edited August 18, 2022 by Happy Hippo

[PhilJ W]

2 hours ago, Tony_S said:

We are off out tomorrow. We are meeting Aditi’s brother, his wife and daughters near at a National Trust place near Cambridge. We have got a voucher that lets us take a family in with us. It was decided this morning that a picnic would be probably best. I have rummaged round the garage and found some “in date” lemonade. Aditi decided that we must take slices of cake and has produced a Mary Berry recipe lemon drizzle but with added sprinkles. Apparently the nieces like sprinkles! There will be sandwiches and sausage rolls too (and veggie stuff for BiL)  We used to go on lots of picnics when Matthew was little, and not so little really. I recall one when he had just come back from Utrecht and he was suggesting that now we had eaten all the food could we go to a pub, please. I don’t think the primary school age nieces will be asking that. I did have to taste test the cake. I did try to claim that the nieces probably wouldn’t like it so perhaps we shouldn’t take it. Aditi didn’t believe me.

Watch out for Poly bears.

[Happy Hippo]

12 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Watch out for Poly bears.

No, just look out for the Polybear, the others are cunning holograms designed to thin out your defensive line!

[polybear]

45 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

No, just look out for the Polybear, the others are cunning holograms designed to thin out your defensive line!

 

Aw, Hippo.....

Don't go revealing Bear's secrets.  Snafflin' can be hard at the best of times.

☹️

[Tony_S]

55 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

No, just look out for the Polybear, the others are cunning holograms designed to thin out your defensive line!

I have been informed that it isn’t a mere LDC it is a LDTB. TB doesn’t stand for teddy bear,it is a tray bake. This seems to be a description of what looks like an A4 (paper not loco) sized cake. I know the nieces like Aditi’s chocolate cake, but perhaps not a good idea on a picnic. If they don’t like Auntie Aditi’s lemon drizzle cake I will take them into the tea room. National Trust do some quite nice cakes. At one time they were all local but I think they have the same cakes everywhere now. 

[Tony_S]

I have just been into the kitchen. There is so much food preparation taking place. I asked if we were taking all the food for the picnic. Apparently not. I think there will enough for us, the other family, visiting bears, hippos and anything that breaks out of the rare breeds farm at the venue.  
Aditi does like a picnic! 

[SteveyDee68]

5 hours ago, SM42 said:

It's a bit cheaper if you bring your own [gun]

 

Andy

Are there any restrictions? Can’t you just turn up with a double barrel shotgun?!

Which is a poor attempt at introducing my one and only experience with firearms…

 

My uncle bought a derelict farm, which he then restored to its original condition (or as close to given the only reference was an engraving!). Having lots of land, he decided to buy a shotgun and one of those clay (pigeon) launchers, as a bit of fun.

 

On a trip one sunny afternoon, he decided to show his clay shooting skills to my dad, along with my grandad. Uncle shot a few, Grandad had a go and then my dad. Finally, he asked it I would like to try…

 

I was about 14/15 years old at the time, keen to have a go but as thin as a rake. Whilst my Uncle instructed me, my Grandad went to the bottom of the field to retrieve any clays that had not been shot.

 

He was well out of the way to the right of the field when my Uncle fired off a clay… I tracked it through the air, finger ready on the trigger, but then realised I hadn’t a hope given the weight of the gun, so took my finger well away from the trigger and simply “tracked” the clay as it arced over to the right and downwards, thinking it good practice for the next attempt…

 

To witness my Grandad sprinting like Linford Christie and throwing himself over and behind a dry stone wall into the next field, clearing the top by at least a couple of feet!

 

In retrospect, perhaps the sight of his fourteen year old grandson slowly bringing a double barrel shotgun to bear upon him wasn’t the healthiest thing for a pensioner, but it certainly provided the impetus for him to move faster than someone a third of his age!

 

Afterwards there was a bit of shouting from my Grandad along the lines of me being a bloody idiot who could have shot him, until my Uncle confirmed that he had seen me take my finger away from the trigger as soon as my gun barrel moved beyond/below the 1 o’clock position.

 

I’m sure the more experienced gun users will probably remark that there was an awful lot of mistakes made that day (back in the early 1980s!) and that it was only luck that a serious accident didn’t occur…

 

Needless to say, I wasn’t allowed to have another go after all, and I haven’t held a real firearm since!

 

Good luck with the contest, Andy @SM42

Edited August 18, 2022 by SteveyDee68

[newbryford]

It's that time again.

 

She told me it turned her on to have her movements restricted when she made love. - I was going to have to get a smaller shed.

[bbishop]

Five thirty start to Lord's this morning.  St John paid for a taxi home as I have an early start tomorrow.  

 

Some of you will understand when I say that I had a ROSC this afternoon.  Bill

[SM42]

48 minutes ago, SteveyDee68 said:

Are there any restrictions? 

 

In retrospect, perhaps the sight of his fourteen year old grandson slowly bringing a double barrel shotgun to bear upon him wasn’t the healthiest thing for a pensioner, but it certainly provided the impetus for him to move faster than someone a third of his age!

 

Afterwards there was a bit of shouting from my Grandad along the lines of me being a bloody idiot who could have shot him,

 

 

Yes you can only use one specific make of pistol. 

 

Muzzle awareness is one of the principle safety considerations. 

 

Never point the Muzzle at anyone, even if it's empty. 

You may know it. Others don't and they suddenly obtain powers beyond expectation 

 

I've seen some scary things out on shooting grounds. 

 

A friend suddenly being face to face with the muzzle of a semi auto being waved about without a care  by another in our party. 

Oh how we laughed.

 

People resting the Muzzle on the ground whilst waiting to shoot

 

Semi autos being carried over the shoulder with the muzzle pointed horizontally backwards and no safety flag in the breach. 

 

O/Us being carried the same unbroken  and on one memorable occasion standing further back than normal on the skeet range  as the shooter threw the nasty end into the air, catching it as they pulled the trigger. 

 

There never seems to be a sturdy tree about when you need one. 

 

Andy

Edited August 18, 2022 by SM42

[Happy Hippo]

Mick! Mick! YELLOW stuff!

 

[Dave Hunt]

When I worked in California, one of my colleagues was a member of a vintage gun club. I went along with him once and got to fire a genuine Colt .45 Peacemaker, which had a kick like a mule, and I think I managed to hit a one foot diameter target at fifteen yards or so once. Even that was accurate compared with a .44 Navy Colt with black powder charges, which roared rather than going bang and nearly blinded you with smoke. The guy who owned them reckoned that most of the classic western gunfights were at a range of ten yards or even less and even then the idea of the fast draw firing virtually as soon as the gun cleared the holster usually portrayed by Hollywood is ridiculous as the only way to have a chance of hitting your opponent was to take careful aim. I mentioned having seen a western movie where one of the bad guys shot a telegraph cable while sitting on his horse and the guy nearly wet himself laughing.

 

Dave 

[Happy Hippo]

32 minutes ago, bbishop said:

Five thirty start to Lord's this morning.  St John paid for a taxi home as I have an early start tomorrow.  

 

Some of you will understand when I say that I had a ROSC this afternoon.  Bill

That makes a pleasant change.

 

With or without using the AED?