According to the Barry Jones book ‘De Havilland twin-boom fighters’:

Sea level = Mach 0.95
20,000ft = Mach 1.02

…Or am I just being pedantic here??

As JDK always says, it depends on the source and accuracy of the information put in books. Putnams DH since and British Naval Aircraft since say 700mph at sea level and M 0.95 at altitude. One also says 645mph/640mph at altitude for F.A.W.1 and 2 respectively. I suspect I’ve got other books around with different figures again.

My understanding was that it was not supersonic in level flight. Anybody know a retired Sea Vixen driver?

Amazing and, to me, fascinating engines. Including ones in locos, there are about a dozen of them 3 or 4 miles down the road from here at the headquarters of the Deltic Preservation Society.

In a book somewhere I’ve got a drawing of the geartrain that connects the three crankshafts. Truly mind-boggling.

Despite being a lifelong aficionado of the products of de Havilland, I feel it only fair to point out that the Sea Vixen was only supersonic downhill.

Concorde apart, especially as it was a government sponsored programme, I have my doubts if we will ever see a civilian-owned and operated aircraft capable of supersonic speed in level flight.

Aptly named… git. 🙂

I’m the same age. IIRC my barnet was also mid to dark brown but it’s been largely grey for 5, 10 years now, I really can’t remember. The grey I don’t care about but I’m really grumpy when I look in the mirror and see the pink highlights on top of my head.

I shouldn’t really complain, my Dad was bald by the age of 24. It’s not going to stop me though.

Pic 36, I have to agree with James here, which is quite possibly a first – from both sides. 🙂

The original print isn’t close enough to get any real detail from the two distant tanks. It’s a fair bet the second tank is a Matilda and the third one appears to have an identical turret profile. Tanks prowled in troops of four in that era, IIRC. The Matilda was fairly useless, although a little better than no tanks at all, so to see three together all the worst for wear wouldn’t be surprising .

I do have other questions though – sorry!!!. I’m still learning about the aircraft, but what are the markings on the fuselage? What are the 3 stripes on the tail fin? It may be a black and white photo but it looks to me like 3 different colours – but of course I could be wrong.

Patrick, the 3 vertical stripes in the fin are the RAF markings, red, white and blue reading from the front. Likewise the roundel, red, white and blue, red in the centre.

Edit
I think pic 99 is a Gotha Go-242 as pictured here recently.
http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=51594

Edit – again.

It may be more likely to be the powered version, the Go-244.
I can’t imagine what a Luftwaffe glider would be doing in North Africa, and the mainwheels are certainly in a different place to the ones in the other picture. Neither of them are in exactly factory-fresh condition so it’s difficult to judge.

The V-2 coloured smaller version is a ‘Smallboy’ it transpires. Not heard of that before……

That makes two of us.