Moggy,

It was stated in a very recent post that one of the reasons for a forum update was to restore the ‘Search’ feature. Also in a very recent post it was stated (likely earlier on this thread, if not on a parallel one) that anyone with problems using features of the updated forum should post and make the administrators aware of the problem. That is what I have just done and been ‘shot down’ politely with a pre-update link, pointing to an action that I thought was now a thing of the past! On the previous version, while distant past posts may have been “lost” on the ‘search’ feature, I have never experienced problems just three-four months prior, in recovering a thread.

I was using the search function for a thread active around January 2013. It appears that this is too recent for the search function to locate, even after fine tuning the search to ‘under 6 months’. If the webmaster wishes to replicate my task, I was looking for a thread relating to a Strikemaster under restoration in a US Museum. While both ‘Strikemaster’ and ‘Singapore Strikemaster’ worked as key words, producing a huge number of possibilities listed going way, way back – but not the recent post I was looking for. The thread was started by ‘Mexicanbob’ if memory serves me better than the search function.

There is at least one Cessna 208 Caravan flying fare paying passengers in the UK – Loch Lomond Seaplane’s float equipped G-MDJE. Under what rules/limitations it operates I have no idea. Flying around the West Coast of Scotland I’d have thought the ability to operate IFR would be rather necessary! Certainly it is a type that has not ‘caught-on’ with British operators to any great degree, although there are a handful around and a couple of US registered ones with UK parachute schools (but then they would not be working in IFR conditions!). Interesting comment from Deano, as I would have thought the type would be the best candidate – after all Augriny have resisted operating the Twin Otter for decades and Scilly Isles mainly use theirs on longer sectors, with the Islanders for the short hops. I’m enjoying the speculation and comment on this thread.

Oddly my Dad (94) showed me a very similar WWII shot of him in a cockpit quite recently. He flew Oxford and Anson Is training navigators for a considerable time. As I type this I’m having difficulty locating a top view of an Anson I, but certainly the domed clear top without struts matches an Airspeed Oxford well, certainly later Ansons had a multipanel top to the glasshouse. Having said that how many throttles are under the pilot’s right hand? I’ll have to get my Dad to find his photo again, although the chances of him remembering where it is now are zero.

Thought of that one, however both (all three?) colours of envelope appear on the ‘New threads’ index – ie all are currently active threads in the past few hours. It is not the number of posts on a thread either, but could just be the number of posts within a certain time period perhaps? Why is the meaning of the most obvious index page colour coding so obscure?!

I’ve just now noticed that threads I’ve looked at (which on the old format turned a noticeably paler grey) on the index listing, are now shown by a blue circle before the thread title disappearing and the title appearing in a thinner font – so that useful (for the way I view the forum) ‘indicator’ which I thought had gone is still there, if slightly less obvious.

For those of us (or even just me) who are truly and unredeemably thick, to repeat an earlier request on this thread, just what do the green and pale blue (maybe some of those are really a pale grey?) envelopes on the index pages actually denote? I’ve figured out the little green arrow on the envelope (I have contributed to that thread) and the padlock (locked thread), but as to the colour code I’m stumped. Given the pale pastel shading, I’m sorry for the considerable proportion of the population who are colour blind and have even less idea what I’m on about than I am!

Perhaps no one knows!

It is easy to reject change when so comfortable with the previous layout. I prefer the more pastel shades. As I use ‘New Posts’ function a lot (I like to see what is going on across the board, not just in a section since my previous visit), I do find the instruction a wee small and tightly tucked away in the top left corner – but I’ll learn to live with that.

Yet to work out the significance of the blue and yellow envelopes on the index pages, but do find the the little green arrow that signifies that I have contributed to that thread in the past a useful new indicator of the threads I may wish to revisit first.

PM reading seem to be clearer, although I can only find access from the very front page, not the ‘new posts’ index page. Also on PMs, I’ve yet to locate just where on the front/index pages it informs me that I have new PMs unread. No doubt I’ll discover that when I get one (I hope!). It will all come together given a little time and patience. On edit add: Actually now found that top right of the index page is a tiny ‘Notifications’. Unless I find there is some warning that I have unread PMs, having to deliberatly find out on each visit, rather than being told could well mean I’ll miss seeing new PMs ?

In six, eight weeks or so, many will wonder why the forum did not change to an updated format years ago..just wait and see.

I cannot open attached images, no matter what I click the mouse over (paper clip, word). However [IMG] linked pictures do open up automatically properly.