Originally posted by Tony C
If I remember the name correctly, wasn’t Maskelyne tasked with how to camoflauge hardware during WW2?

Don’t remember his first name as Jasper though!

Yep, I read about Maskelyne recently – he was an illusionist who came up with some clever ideas on disguising tanks and trucks. The scheme was used in the desert war, and was very effective. Stuff that is second nature nowadays, like covering the windscreen glass, eliminating shadows, etc. but also really clever things like inflatable imitation tanks, trucks modified to look like armour, and tanks modified to look like trucks. Crude when close up, but remarkably effective when viewed from an aircraft, for instance.

With the greatest respect for the team at Southend, it’s not 426. Having seen it close up, someone has gouged great areas of corrosion out of the lower surfaces of the wings, and then it’s been painted over the top.

Mechanically, she’s good, but the airframe is too far gone to be considered as a restoration to flight project.

I know that what I’ve said will upset some, but I’m only reporting on what I have seen with my own eyes.

Mine is also the SR-71; in this case the one at Alconbury (1985??) I was there with a bunch of mates and the rumour was about that we were going to be treated to a fly-by.

Lots of anticipation as the appointed time neared…then someone spotted it, lurking about over to the East.

A few more minutes while the previous display cleared……then –

HAROOOOOOOSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

There she was, banking to one side to give us a good look, before returning to Mildenhall.

In the silence that followed we all lowered cameras and just smiled at each other, in the knowlendge that we had just shared a grand moment;

That silence was then broken by my missus, who declared out loud..

“Nasty,’orrible noisy ugly thing – can’t think WHAT you were all so excited about!”

They just don’t understand….:rolleyes: