Early Risers.

[tigerburnie]

Back in the early 1970's me and my brothers used to go fishing on a Sunday on the river Welland at Wakerley and Barrowden which seemed to be almost at the end of the Wittering runway, they often used to fly the Vulcans then, they looked like they were almost stationary when climbing, I often wondered if they were going to just fall out of the sky. Impressive sight they were.

[Kingzance]

1 hour ago, roundhouse said:

Morning. Just.

 

Beer o'clock has occurred. Not sure how my typing will be on my swift half between pubs here in windy Horsham

That would seem to be something of an enigma.

[Tony_S]

I just had the “could you come downstairs for a moment please” request. After many many years I know that is often followed by “should this piece have come off (insert name of appliance). “
This time  however it was “this should come off and I was worried about breaking it”.  This was the bag replacement on what is supposed to be our upstairs vacuum cleaner. She hadn’t thrown it down the stairs, Aditi just prefers, using that one now. Anyway I also found another filter that needed replacing and have ordered a few. 
Tony

[Petesquire]

Been enjoying the posts on airports and landings etc, but it was the photo of the KLM 747 coming in to land that brought back a memory not actually of a landing though. Many years ago we were on holiday in Kenya and sharing the hotel were US aircrew flying relief supplies into Somalia. One bright spark thought it a good idea to buzz the hotel on the return flight before landing at Mombasa. The sight of a C130 coming straight at you skimming the waves before climbing steeply to clear the buildings was something to behold. My wife questioned the sanity of lying on a sun lounger oohing and aahing as this huge aircraft blotted out the sky. My comment that " that was  a real hoot" apparently proved beyond any reasonable doubt that man's stupidity knew no bounds. But sure enough the following day we were all down on the sun terrace waiting for a repeat performance.

[81C]

1 hour ago, Kingzance said:

That would seem to be something of an enigma.

Don't you mean an emena most of those beers give you the #h!ts  

[sixoh8sixoh]

Afternoon all. Back for an irregular post... the modelling mojo went a couple of years ago but may have just had a spark of reignition. 
 

We had the central section of the lift floored this week and a proper wooden folding ladder installed. And once I went up to see the finished product, the other half suggested I could now get a model railway in place. Looks like I could have a roughly 3’ x 4’ section with a further 12’ of 1’ to 2’ wide section either side of the uprights...

 

That’s the spark (along with seeing Gordon get a train round ET!)...

[Gwiwer]

Afternoon all.  Dennis is here.  A calm start to the day has given way to monstrous wind and steady, but not torrential, rain.  And I didn't sleep well.  

 

We ventured forth to Wait Rose out of need more than anything.  Packed it certainly was but the register queues were moving quickly for once.  SWMBO has returned to her study and is busily checking and cross-checking all her references for the PhD submission.  She confirmed overnight with her principal supervisor that the word-count was acceptable.  The verdict was "That's perfect".  So we keep our fingers crossed for a smooth ride when the examiners are involved.  

 

Sister has checked in after a very difficult drive from Sussex to Cornwall for their half-term break.  They left last night and stayed in Honiton to break the journey.  300 miles against the wind and rain would be tiring enough for anyone to need a week by the seaside!  Apart from dodging a few flying trees they had an otherwise uneventful trip.

 

Notter Lott else happening for now so I'll have a Muggertee.  I'll pop back when Later Ron arrives.  

[tigerburnie]

I really should know better, my comment went, "it's wet and horrible out there, supposed to get worse tomorrow", why did I get surprised by the reply. "Well we are nearly out of bread so we'd better go to Horrosons(well she didn't actually call it that). Now drying out by the fire.

[New Haven Neil]

A'noon.

 

Dennis is most certainly here, horizontal rain, trees and humans. No power cuts #touches wood# as yet this time, thankfully.  A cable fault outside of the village was identified as the cause of the 12 last weekend, according to the Chair of Manx Utilities.  Who was also my GP until recently!

 

Mrs NHN crashing around the house as she's bored and it is a bad thing for her.  Too nasty to go down the garage, and play with the things we shall not mention, so trying to keep a low profile.

 

I recall flying on several McD aircraft, which indeed seemed popular with crews, I certainly preferred them to 'Boing''s efforts.  Since 99% of my flying was done 'some time ago' I have never flown in any Airbus product.  Mention of Middle East Airlines bring to mind two flights in 720B's, which were very tired indeed.  Dubai via Beirut IIRC.  Awful things.  The 720B's too....... LOL.   Nowaday's it's Q400's where you have to move seats to help trim the damn things.

[The Stationmaster]

Talking about low flying reminds me of my former workplace in Wiltshire where we had a west-ish facing office window and we were on the first floor.  There was an airfield a few miles away   at a place called Keevil and the most common airborne sight locally was of Hercules following the railway in and lining up above us to gently dive down towards Keevil where they unloaded LandRovers and such like without bothering to go through the formality of first landing the aircraft.  No real nuisance and we were quite used to it so rarely batted an eyelid.

 

A bit more exciting was when NATO exercises took part on the nearby part of Salisbury Plain.  The former village of Imber wasn't all that far away so at times the nearby corner of the plain got quite lively with lots of helicopters playing or, one year, a load of Starfighters doing low level stuff (I think all of them remained airborne).

 

But the real humdinger came very noisily and unexpectedly one afternoon when instead of a Hercules following the usual flightpath in over the railway we got something that was not only considerably noisier but even lower - in the shape of a Phantom.  There can be debate about the height at which this aircraft was flying but from first floor level I could make out the pilot's face (behind a mask etc head on) while several of our yard staff swore blind that it was below the level of the yard lighting towers (60ft)  I don't know how low it was but when I rang the locao constabulary to register a complaint about extremely low flying I was able to give them at least part of the aircraft's service number.

 

I must have got something right about the number because a couple of weeks later I received a letter from the MoD advising me that it was an aircraft from Boscombe Down (not that it was in their colour scheme) and it hadn't flown below 200ft.  Again there could be some debate about the height but we were well used to Hercs flying at only a few hundred feet as part of their everyday low level training and that Phantom was definitely lower.  I've no doubt the pilot was having a grand day out doing a low level beat up along the railway and over our yard in an area where low level flying was permitted and it was easy to maintain a course between populated areas but.I still wonder if he'd been completely honest with his leaders.

 

The lowest, non air-display, flying I've seen since then was a Merlin obviously working up prior to heading for Afghanistan practicing low level very steeply banked turns over the former Abingdon airfield - with the lower end of the main rotor whizzing past well below treeetop height and worryingly close to the ground, incredible stuff.

[Tony_S]

When we went to Duxford it was interesting to see just how big the Phantom was in comparison to some other planes of that era. 
 

Edited February 15, 2020 by Tony_S

[TheQ]

Just back inside from dodging radar guided jaguars,  Bmws , Lexus, Mercedes etc that seem to be able see through the rain and spray... 

 

Low flying aircraft,  well, we used to score visiting aircraft over flying the airfield / radar station. Hercules used to disappear out over the Atlantic,  then we would hear a roar to climb over the sand dunes and then us. 

Many years later when practicing for gulf war 2, they would fly BY our house then pull up to go over the sand dunes... We are at 19ft ASL.... 

Edited February 15, 2020 by TheQ

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. When there was the Southend air show many aircraft used to follow the A13 when leaving the airshow and there used to be a procession of aircraft heading west over my house from late afternoon. Everything and anything could be seen flying over from microlites to a Nimrod. They were usually quite low as they had to fly below the flightpath into Southend airport.

Edited February 15, 2020 by PhilJ W

[choo1choo]

 

 

Some years ago Mrs.Choo and I lived in Langtree just outside Great Torrington in North Devon. Our most interesting close encounter was a fleet of three Hercules flying along the valley floor beneath us,turning and heading straight up for our back garden. They must have a very good rate of climb because they all managed to miss our chimneys..(just!) Made a change from the Harriers and Hawks from Chivenor careering around.

 

Such fun.

[Barry O]

Ey up!

 

Welcome back to some of our "missing" ERs. And hello to our new ones.

 

Tigerburnie, Victors at Wittering, then Hunters, then Harriers.

 

Phantoms were made that large so that Dave H7nt could fit into one

 

We had a USAF C17 visit Leeds Bradford during a NATO bring your airplane to Leeds week. It was so low you could see the lettering in the undercarriage bays.

 

I only flew in a DC10 once to Houston. No problem, as with a trip in a Tristar. (Banned from LBA due to not being able to come to a stop before running out of runway).

 

Hope you are all safe from Dennis. We are due Cyclone Uesi some time today. That could be a bit problematic!

 

Now time for a mugacaff!

Baz

[Barry O]

Just checked..it may get windy here after lunch but I need to slam on the sunscream as UV is high.

Baz

[Ozexpatriate]

In the 1980s I was living in Orange County California when MCAS* El Toro was still in action. Many interesting aircraft could be seen there.

 

* Marine Corps Air Station

 

Occasionally there would be airshows. The Navy Blue Angels (then flying F/A-18s) were the highlight of the airshows at MCAS El Toro.  Their flight pattern had them perform a tight turn immediately above my home at a safe but low altitude before heading back to the airfield. This was as dramatic to see as their performance at the airshow. At that point they were much closer than the flight line at the airshow.

 

At the 1988 airshow I was one of a large crowd (300,000) who witnessed a USMC F/A-18 crash during a very low altitude loop. I thought I remembered the pilot ejecting (at 0') but this is not evident in video of the incident*. He was seriously injured.

 

* at about 1:15

[Tony_S]

4 hours ago, tigerburnie said:

"Well we are nearly out of bread so we'd better go to Horrosons(well she didn't actually call it that). Now drying out by the fire.

Soggy bread isn’t very nice...

[Tony_S]

My post appeared twice. It wasn’t that funny.

Edited February 15, 2020 by Tony_S

[Ozexpatriate]

3 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

My post appeared twice

A lot of that happening lately.

[PhilJ W]

For HH.

[AndyB]

My earliest memory of the Phantom was getting to sit in the back seat of one. 

On a Scout camp at Lamarsh one year arrangements were made to take us youngsters to visit and RAF base. They really laid on a great visit including lunch in the mess (my first ever chicken curry), rides round the airfield in fire tenders; there were life-expired decoy aircraft dotted around the airfield. Followed by a demonstration of parachute packing. I think the base played host to Lightnings as well as Phantoms. We got up close to the latter in a hangar and were invited to climb inside. Wow.

Sadly I can't remember the name of the RAF base. But it certainly left a lasting memory. 

[Dave Hunt]

Going on to the Phantom in 1970 after a tour on Hunters it did seem like a big beast. Particularly impressive was the size of the cockpit. Unlike British fighters such as the Hunter and Lightning, which gave the impression that the aircraft design had been finalised then someone said, "Oh dammit, we forgot the pilot again," and squeezed the necessary accommodation in the smallest space possible,  the Phantom had what to our eyes looked like a palace. Once you got to fly it and found how hot and noisy it was, of course, it lost some of its charm.

 

This evening the lurgy and other aches and pains have gone into something of a diminution if not remission so I'm hoping that  tomorrow will be better than today. Luckily I haven't been as badly affected as GDB during any of the diverticular flare-ups. Thanks to all who sent sympathies. With any luck I'll be able to get in some quality workshop time tomorrow but for the moment I think I'll settle for a glass of milk and an early night while SWMBO watches something hospital based on the haunted fish tank.

 

Have a quiet and peaceful night everyone.

 

  

[New Haven Neil]

Dennis appears to have departed eastwards, good luck over there!

[tigerburnie]

G'night all