The quote as I recall it was “broadside from a light cruiser” which suggests 6″ but where I read it and even if I remember correctly is long gone.

Despite my admiration for all things DH, given a dogfight between a Mosquito FB.VI and an FW190, I think I’d rather be in the ‘190.
As far as outrunning is concerned, I think it mainly applied to the bombers which of course was the original intent. I’m not sure I’ve ever known whether it was permanent or temporary but for certainly for some time at least any Mossie shot down counted as two kills.

It’s so long since I built either of the 1/72nd Airfix Mosquitos I can’t remember the fit now. The main thing to me was the ridiculous wheels on the early kit which were difficult to see past. For an aircraft that had very distinctive fat tyres, bike wheels stood out like a sore thumb. I guess as an early kit, nobody had thought then of moulding them as two parts – or it could have been too expensive to tool.

I’m also intrigued as to the mention of torpedo trails undertaken by Mosquitos, is there any more information on this available?

Sea Mosquito TR.33 (and a few TR.37s – same aircraft but U.S. radar). Folding wings, four-bladed props, oleo undercart, four cannon and torpedo gear. 2 x 500lb bombs in rear of bomb bay as F.B.VI instead of torpedo.
100 ordered Jan ’45, only 50 built and remainder cancelled presumably due to war’s end approaching.

Agreed (in principle – the wooden window frames in my house are 79 years old…) but if it was looking that unhappy 40 plus years ago, what would be left now?

I suspect it was more than a bit tired when scrapped. If that’s the first Vampire they had, it arrived some time in the late fifties to replace their previous piston-engined aircraft.

Anyone read Sky Fever?

Silly question 🙂

It’s some years since I last read it and it’s a very good book by/about Sir G. as a person but from memory it’s not got a lot in about actual flying.
To be fair, it’s an autobiography involving aeroplanes rather than a book specifically about them. Still highly recommended but probably not what you’re looking for here.

Um, so? The original series of Star Trek featured automatic doors about 20 years before they were actually invented. An idea, even a fully fledged theory backed up with a patent, is a long way away from a working demonstrable prototype. Just because you can imagine a thing doesn’t mean you can do it, and if you can’t do it, you haven’t invented it yet.

Very true. As the “British invented nothing” poster pointed out, the cavity magnetron was invented in Germany in 1935. However, the first people to make one that actually worked were in Birmingham in 1940.

I missed the event due to being at a funeral at Beeley although with the forecast road chaos I would probably have stayed away anyway. Chatsworth was absolutely heaving for the flypasts there but I missed that too as they were in the middle of the service. At least I heard them if I couldn’t see them…

The paper clip trick works on petrol Astras but not diesels. A cheap gizmo from China paid for itself immediately as the first thing I did was programme a new key and immobilser.