I quite like diving. I used to do an awful lot when I was living in Northern Ireland at a place called Muff.

Guess you won the Internet today. :highly_amused:

Ok, my time to come out, I believe I’m a raving Lesbian, because when I see an image of a pair of young ladies from the isle of Lesbos, I have this major urge to join in :p

In that case I think a fair amount of us are strongly inclined in that direction. =)

Tom does come across as effeminate, but using that to judge his (perceived) sexuality is in itself homophobic.

We humans often have (changeable) mental models / schemes with categories that help us perceive and manage our experience of the world, often in a simplified manner. I guess I have a tendency to connect overly effeminate behaviour in other men with possible homosexuality, although I don’t think it’s always the case. I’ve been wrong a few times. I don’t really care either. Am I being a bit prejudiced? Possibly. But as long as my prejudices don’t cause any problems they don’t really bother me much. It’s there in the corner of my mind, but I don’t act on it. Not consciously. Don’t take this the wrong way. I took some classes in social- and personality psychology some years back. IIRC, some implicit (?) prejudice is quite normal. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work to contain and change bad prejudice. I’m just saying that it’s quite human, as I understand it. I respect your opinion, but I don’t view this directly as homophobic.

Thank you.

A waffer thin mint?

If he accepts it this time you’ll clean up.

That claims have to be red with some knowledge. That exercise was conducted to rise confidence of the pilots into their own weapon-system at first. In a realistic situation the Italian F-104S with their Aspide AAMs had made use of their higher speed and height envelope for a BVR engagement. The small number of Serbian MiG-29s with questional combat readiness were no real threat in an AWACS controlled sky.
Just at low level and lower speeds a MiG-21 is superior in terms of manoeuvrability to a F-104.

The book states that the Italian F-104s carried the AIM-9G only and that the MiG-21s in question would probably carry the AA-2 and -8. Using the all-aspect AIM-9M against an adversary with rear-aspect missiles was part of the deal here, as I understand it.

As I interpret the book, Serb MiG-29s were considered to be a potential threat at the time, especially against the Sea Harrier with its limited air-to-air capability. If you’ve read the book you should know that the Bosnian NFZ could be messy at times. Other accounts I’ve read from Deny Flight also suggest that. Also, some of the Luftwaffe MiG pilots which Richardson and the others flew against seemed to think that the Serbs knew their stuff. Remember that this was in 1994.

I didn’t come here to bash / criticize the F-104, but to provide some input based on accounts from a few pilots with relevant experience. I feel this forum could use some of that.

Had to stay above 200 KIAS or something during base turn, according to a former F-104 pilot I met years ago. IIRC.

Recently finished “No Escape Zone” by Nick Richardson. Well written and a very interesting read. Pick it up if you’re interested in Richardson’s story, Sea Harriers, the Bosnian War and Deny Flight, life aboard the HMS Ark Royal etc.

Anyone know what became of the author? Has he been back to Bosnia?

but world wide we must look at population growth and somehow slow or halt the rise, how to do this is the real question (…)

I don’t see anyone proposing anything on those lines anytime soon

I haven’t looked very closely at the issue, but AFAIK, poverty has a role in this.

All we will get, will be another round of initiatives and green projects all designed to extract even more money from the people and into the pockets of financiers and assorted fat cats, yet so many green campaigners wonder why there is so much cynicism regarding the whole issue.

For all I know at this time you might have a point here, but I also suspect that some of the cynicism as you put it stems from feelings of helplessness and a prospect of reduced standards of living, for instance.