. . and the use of some parts that Pondskater has leant us . .

Delighted to help – and especially seeing the quality of the parts you are getting made. The bits on loan are from the floor of a Sunderland given to me years ago. It turned out have castings that were missing from the Delft column. Just shows, Stirling parts turn up in the strangest places. I didn’t know I had some under my bed!

It is a shame that such lovely work will be hidden away.

It is but it is also marvellous to know that under the floor or behind the panels everything will be in place and right. Painstaking work but well worth it. Well done to all involved.

1> The top one was the last Sunderland to alight from the water of any Flying Boat remaining in service with the RAF

I’ve got that one down as being DP198 (2nd to last RAF flying boat) coming ashore for the last time in May 1959. I’ve also seen a very similar photo of the last Sunderland, ML797 coming ashore a day or two later. My interest is that DP198 was built just a mile from where I’m writing this.

2> The graveyard barrack block is ‘K’ Block which is the block that 205/209 Sqn were billeted in, my room was on the top floor

Thank you – that’s useful to know. Must have been strange to watch your aircraft being dismantled right outside the billets though.

John, L’nS,

Nice photos. Where was the seaplane base in relation to those views. There are a couple of buildings I think I recognise from the background to Sunderland photos but I can’t work out where the slipway would have been. Am I right in thinking there has been some land reclaimation?

Allan

Ah, that question:

What did CERN ever do for us?

D’you really want me to tell you or are you content to Google it.

I love irony. 🙂

Excellent work on this photo. Really good stuff guys.

Just to add my tiny bit. I would agree it is a Rangoon (three engines can just be seen) and therefore 203 squadron at Basra between 1931 and 1935.

If it were a French Rangoon then I would expect it to carry the anchor symbol on the tail, which seems absent from your pic. See below for a French Rangoon with the distinctive tail markings. The French aircraft were sometimes refered to as “Naval Calcuttas”.

Allan

There’s two safety issues caused by driving with front fog lamps on:

1. The light from the hi-intensity lamps illuminates the road immediately in front of the car. The driver will then concentrate on this area, instead of looking where the designer of his headlamps were directing his attention, into the middle and far distance – where drivers should be looking.
Peering just over the edge of the bonnet, doesn’t give you time to react – unless you’re going very slowly.

2. On big cars, blasted 4×4/people carrier type things, the fog lamps are at the same height as the eyes of a driver in a sports car – as I know from bitter experience.

My little car, when I still had it, had two tiny but effective spot lamps (not fogs, long range spot lamps) below the bumper which came on with the main beams. I found flashing those at errant drivers while shouting “its not foggy” always made me feel better, but was really just as dangerous as what they were doing. Still, a couple did actually turn their fog lights off for me. 😮

when the afore mentioned BMW is about 3cm’s from your rear bumper . . .

The correct, safe thing to do is to gently slow down and create a bigger braking distance between you and the car in front – makes it less likely that the Beamer will hit you if the traffic suddenly slows or stops. But it also aggravates them because they’re trying to get you to go faster.:diablo:

The LHC has broken – still seems churlish to not expect small teething troubles after a 13 year build. Apparently a wire overheated and a section of magnets failed causing temperatures to rocket by 100C – which from its working temperature still leaves it colder than Jupiter. See BBC Report and The Guardian

It could be next year before they can start colliding, making black holes and dragging the world down into a singularity.

We’re still doomed, but we get to have Christmas first.