Dave Hunt

On occasions the starter wouldn't fire and you then had to carry out a dry start cycle to purge the combustion chamber before trying another start. The trouble was that the purging wasn't always successful so the next attempted start would result in a loud bang and a fire in the starter bay. The groundcrew had a large asbestos and metal gauntlet for patting out such a fire (in fact, a normal start would sometimes result in a minor starter bay fire anyway) and it wasn't much of a problem. There were, however, occasionally more serious fires that required more heavy duty extinguishers and at Tengah one day a Lightning caught fire following an Avpin starter fire and burned out on 74 Squadron's pan leaving a Lightning shaped sooty mark on the concrete. Dave

This afternoon I witnessed something that really p!ssed me off. Outside our local Sainsbury's mini market a police car was parked in a disabled parking slot even though there were plenty of other slots available. At first I thought its occupants may have been responding to an emergency but when they came out of the shop chatting and carrying sandwiches and drinks cans I realised that it was just idleness and a total disregard for the rules of decent behaviour. I went back to my car to get my phone and take a photograph but by the time I'd got it they'd driven off and being a numpty I hadn't taken the number. Is it just me or is that an appalling way for our guardians of law and order to behave? Dave

This is the third evening in a row that it has bucketed down and the pond that I was trying to keep topped up (fairly unsuccessfully I have to admit) is overflowing. The great kitchen rebuild is in day 2 and has led to a major session of head shaking. When some of the top cupboards were removed they revealed some damp patches with black mould growing on them so I rang a roofing firm to come and see whether there was a leak. The result is that the roof has 40 odd cracked and broken tiles, almost all the ridge tiles are loose, the valley gutters are in bad shape and the felt needs attention. We haven't had the estimate for fixing it all but I reckon more than a few Deltics will be involved. Turdycurses. So I'm in the right mood for a telephone consultation with the GP tomorrow morning about my sciatica. Think I'll have a nightcap. Dave

It was a great piece of kit to fly. Dave

Building bridges? Dave

Back in 1968 I took a Hunter as a static exhibit to a display at Teeside and the organisation (or lack of it) was unbelievable. There was little or no security and we had to stay with the aircraft all the time as there was no attempt to keep people away from them. When it came to departure time there were still people milling around the statics and I had to get a band of so-called security individuals to clear them away from my aircraft while I started up - after I had cleared a coke can out of one of the engine intakes - then an escort of four cars took me to the runway threshold keeping the public out of the way. There were people taking photographs from the side of the runway and it wasn't until the same cars drove up and down telling them to stay off the tarmac that I was able to take off. I and several other participants complained bitterly about the whole thing and I believe that the CAA took action over it. Dave

It was axle loading as well as weight per foot run that was used for setting limitations on a locomotive's route availability. Dave

I was asked recently if I’d like to attend the Cosford air show. My reply was along the lines of, “For three years I was involved with the flight safety of that event and I still have nightmares about it. No thanks.” Hope you enjoy it HH. Dave

Like Q we benefitted from the RAF sponsoring a financial advisor, not when I first joined but visiting stations in Germany in 1977 and as a result we took out two endowment policies for £25,000 that covered our first house purchase in Lincolnshire three years later (sounds unbelievable these days doesn’t it?). We still had to find the deposit but my parents helped somewhat. By the time I left the RAF in 2005 we had progressively increased the mortgage but it was still only something like £60,000 and we paid that off when the policies matured with decent profits and I received my RAF gratuity. I hate to think of young people these days having to find the means to buy houses in the £350,000 plus bracket first time of asking. Dave

How about a compromise (in good old British fashion) whereby you let us know on this thread that you have made some more progress and provide a link to your FDM turnout printing thread? Dave

If they're thriving it's because they're thieving. Dave

For the first time in ages it is tippling down at Hunt Towers. This has not come as a real surprise as this afternoon Jill watered her pot plants and I topped up the pond😐. Dave

I had to give them a mid-course correction though. Dave

I like bridies and Scotch pies too. Dave

I'll give you jellied eels and lasagna or pizza with chips but pasties (good ones anyway) and crisp butties? Food fit to be up there with the bacon butty as ambrosia. Dave

We had a combat simulator installed in the late 80s that had a Silicon Graphics running it; the installation required a room of its own. Dave

That could have caused nearly as much damage as an angry hippo. Dave

I'm well aware of the amount of dust that building work can generate. When we went out to our friend's place in Spain a few weeks ago after workmen had been in to find and fix a water leak when a pipe buried in a wall had failed it took three of us nearly four days to clean up; the dust was easily a millimetre thick in places and had got into places where it seemed impossible. A lot of the trouble was that they had left all the doors open while they were working. Dave

Talking of Irish biscuits, Lily O’Brien’s Uglies are quite toothsome if you like chocolate. Dave

We’ve gone (that’s the royal we you understand) for the cheapo option of a £6.50 roll of polythene and masking tape for DH to wrestle with. Dave

At a friend’s wedding a few months ago I was sitting next to a lady who asked if I was the ex-RAF pilot and when I replied in the affirmative she asked if I knew George Aird. I said that I didn’t know him but knew of him and why did she ask. “I’m his sister,” she said. Nice lady. Dave

That’s why tomorrow involves me fixing polythene sheet and taping up every gap whereby dust can get into the rest of the house. I tried telling the management that it was probably a fruitless exercise but my protestations fell on deaf ears. The one bright spot in the whole sorry affair is that we get to eat out or get takeaways for four weeks or so. Dave

Another C word with dreadful connotations is that which is being bandied around at Hunt Towers for the third day in a row. It is clearing, as in moving everything not nailed down from the kitchen ready for the great rebuild due to start on Monday. The garage is full of crates and boxes ready for the event. Deep joy. Dave

At least he’s not angry. If he was I would be able to hear the bellowing; after all, I’m only fifteen miles or so from the Hippodrome. Dave

A friend of ours developed her own tiramisu recipe that starts with a packet of Jaffa Cakes soaked in brandy, rum and coffee then adds cream cheese, cream and more rum..... It's yummy but you can feel your arteries hardening with every spoonful. Dave