There were a few Tornado jets which were fitted with Structural Usage Monitoring System which was essentially a big bunch of strain gauges all over the wings and fin which fed data into a cassette tape changed after every landing.

The training film for this system opened with the footage of the Vulcan break up which led to a section on the probable cause, which if memory serves, was due to a large section of the leading edge failing peeling back and causing catastrophic structural failure of the wing.

Obviously the accident investigation techniques were not as advanced in those days; but the implication was that a lot of high speed runs and ‘sporty’ displays of the aircraft had resulted in minute fatigue cracks in the leading edges which had joined up and essentially uinzipped a rivet line. This was the start in a sequence of events which resulted in the horrific crash.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the bare metal finish applied to high performance jets was to allow easier inspection of rivet lines etc. and also fitting of fatigue meters and the fatigue indexing process were all introduced following this accident.

Last time I was down there it looked in good nick and well cared for by the lads on 1435 and I would be very surprised if it had become unsafe since 2007.

Given that the 30th anniversary of the war is next year and Flt Lt Wales is going down at about that time, I would be surprised if they were scrapping it this year. I can imagine that the Islanders would be a bit miffed and if it was definitely not to remain in front of the terminal, it would not surprise me at all if it had the wings folded and towed down the road into Stanley.

There is a bloke down there who gives the most outstanding history talks I have ever attended and if I remember rightly he was very active in preserving anything to do with the islands pre or post ’82, so I would imagine there would be a campaign to keep it in some way shape or form.

Nothing in this weeks Penguin News, but I will be watching it closely over the next few weeks for the story.

Anyone got any ideas what this is?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Thorn-Threshold-Control-Panel-/200657050754?pt=UK_CPV_Aviation_SM&hash=item2eb8179c82#ht_500wt_1202

‘Threshold Control’ kind of says it may be something to do with Blind Landing Trials perhaps as in runway threshold?

I take it that there is nothing in the Leading Particulars of the 700? (“Granny get in here – there is eggs to be sucked”)

Or as a real long shot, do you have access to the BDR manual as that lists alternatives; but they could be for ‘one trip – war goer’ only use.

Thanks for putting the link up for the online Shell Book and I am a confirmed saddo, as I was right about OM15, pretty much right on the grease and I will spend a happy hour or so later on reading through, while the Long Haired Sgt Maor watches Haemmorhoid Farm and Constipation St.

And the clincher was as they say staring me in the face. The phonic wheel just in front of your lad’s hands and the remnants of the NL Pulse robe in the exhaust diffuser could only be RB199.

It has taken some sort of a severe walloping though, are they bird remains all through it?

The Combustor starter on the Victor was, as I recall, essentially a tube which had high pressure air out of the bottles and fuel forced in at one end, lit and the expanding gases coming out of the other were used to start the engine.

As you can imagine these got flippin’ hot in use and so had a lagging jacket fitted to them.

These jackets used to get soaked in oil and I was on quite a few Ground Runs on Victor Servicing Flight when you could see them start to smoulder a bit after they were used.

Robert Hilton will be able to tell you a lot more – I just remember him giving me the fire extinguisher off the Land Rover ‘just in case’; as we would want to keep the 10Kg CO2 bottle for a real fire.

Should’ve tried the up rated version – the Ghost Teasmaid!

I always prefered the goblin version as she could have tidied the house up after…..

Indeed the RAF made use of Derwents after their flying time was over – in the form of the well-known MRD Snow Removal vehicles attached to Bowsers.. 😉

If you have a look here you can read my thoughts on the piggin’ things:

http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?t=108590