Well I think advance sales suck. Going to be a lot of people not come. I think I might go to Yeovilton instead.

Modern short run manufacturing is now eminently viable for almost any component, including cranks and cams heads and blocks. Its just a matter for the manufacturer to be certified by the CAA for airworthy purposes. I’m not sure how RR cast all the Merlin cylinder heads, but with an original and todays materials and methods any replacement would no doubt be better than the original war-time product. I’m picking that any “new heads” would be of the same material as the original and cast in a way to give the new head the same properties as the original so as not to introduce any unintended changes to the engines that could result in an inflight failure.

Duxford Sunday 1st November:

The Sea Fury’s engine gave trouble on the Legends Sunday, I’m told an R2800 is on the way.

Are you sure that an R2800 is coming for the Sea Fury and not an R3350 given that Most 2800’s where about 2000 hp (B series) and about 2300hp C Series. Some Corsairs had 2500hp and the P47 had 2800hp available but that was with exotic fuel and water injection. Given the R3350 was and easy 2500hp or even 2800hp and up to 3000+ as was the Centaurus, an R2800 is a lot less power

The actual flight path in the report clears up confusion I had as having been to quite a number of shows in Shoreham I couldn’t figure how he was where he was doing a loop. Seeing the plotted flightpath only adds to the mystery I think.

Has anyone at any airshow ever seen an aircraft make a pass, pull into a loop outside the airfield then continue away?

I think the better question is has anyone every seen Andy do this at a display I never have .

and what has lead to him ending up over 90 degrees to the display line at that end of the field he to good a pilot very odd

Now that is one of the better question we have had. I think it finally dawning on those who have looked at the video(s) that the manoeuvre to reposition looked a little odd, why we will hopefully find out in due course, and whatever was never going to be a loop. Has anyone seen this hunter display before? Were you expecting a half cuban, which may have put him back out at sea before getting down to display height or a reverse half cuban which is what transpired or was a wingover what was expected, which changed for some reason.

I have witnessed 2 other close calls at that end of Shoreham, (and one fatality) one by a Mustang doing a barrel roll and another by a Vampire doing the same manoeuvre. I’m just thinking can pilots become disoriented by the high ground? Does Shoreham require a special briefing?

Shoreham is a wonderful setting and for the appropriate display no more or less dangerous than anywhere else. But I think Bruce alluded to the fact that some places need to be looked at for their suitability for some types of display.

Firstly my condolences to all the families effected by this tragic accident. I won’t specular about the accident, didn’t see it live but having been to Shoreham many times I have seen a few close calls and one other
fatal accident. Maybe its something about the place.

However to those that call this a “watershed” or otherwise event I just say this. The world is full of tragedy every day, most of which goes unreported and much of which we could do something about with a little effort. Yes this is tragic but lets keep it in perspective, as I’m sure the AAIB and CAA will do. Otherwise we should all sit at home, not drive, not work or play sport and all starve to death, surely a far better prospect.

Humans make mistakes no matter how well we mitigated and regulated. We were all shocked many moons ago at the double tragedy in F1 and since then were lulled into a sense that it was now safe, that is until Japan last year. I’m sure there is not a single display pilot that takes off without a care in the world and has not fully prepared. But every now and again we all need to be reminded that most human endeavour has some danger attached. A couple of years back we had a Red Arrow crash, same weekend I believe, one that could have been much worse, and it was not for lack of preparation or training.

Wow reading all these big posts from all of you sitting in arm chairs in leafy Surrey etc…. theres always a few who know more than the rest of us. If they had not dropped the bombs maybe i would not be here, my dad was training in the raf and was pretty sure they were going to be bomber crew and that meant going to the far east. He was there and was glad of the end to the war. In the far east there was more inhuman torture going on than in europe, so cant you except that this deed had to be done.We have all the answers now because it is history ,they at the time had none because the next day was there future. Amen.

I think you may have miss the point. What we are trying to discuss, with the benefit of time, making no morale judgments about the use of the atomic bomb, is how significant the dropping of the bombs were to the timing of the surrender. I think the surrenders was likely within days or a couple of weeks at most anyway due to the state the people were in. Certain elements of the army wanted to continue to the death, but the Navy was no more and had no power, and the Army was very fractured with little cohesion left, and certainly not enough to mount a decent defence. And whilst we can all be thankful the war ended when it did it remember despite the shock and awe suffered by the residents of Hiroshima 6th and Nagasaki 9th it was still the 15th before the Emperor I believe announced the surrender. That he did was because he had become impatient with the prevarication of his own military and as has been mentioned a certain amount of self preservation. I and others who think this way mostly make no comment as to the rights and wrongs of the bombs use. For me it happened and I just like to understand the actual thought processes and what the main players really knew Certainly in the week or more after its use several British pilots lost their lives. Indeed on the 9th a Corsair pilot was shot down pressing home an attach and posthumously awarded a VC for his actions. It is unfortunate that those who are against any use of nuclear weapons will take our side of the discussion and use it to argue that the bomb should not have been used or that its use was unjustified. As with all history there is no right or wrong answer, only an interpretation of the events.