So…. A culture of Political Correctness is preventing historic British fast jets from appearing at airshows? That has to be one of the single stupidest things I’ve ever read on here.

Re #26, is there a common consensus on drug culture in UK airfields at the time? Assuming that the drug aspect of the story is true (which it isn’t, necessarily), not all drugs would have reduced Meyer to a vegetative state, incapable of even walking out to the aircraft. Some drugs floating around back then might even have countered the effects of the alcohol to some degree. From what I gather there wasn’t a lot of cocaine usage back in the ’60s, but I imagine pilots would be generally more interested in speedy amphetamine-type drugs that allowed them to push the envelope, rather than the sort that make people lethargic and sit around contemplating the pyramids all day.

There was a thread on PPRUNE about a year ago on the dangers of flying over water. Having read it at length, I can see an inexperienced pilot putting an aircraft into the sea without even knowing he was at risk of doing so; especially if he had imbibed and/or was focussing on all the other aspects of keeping a Herc in the air. Pilots on PPRUNE discussed losing altitude over a calm sea without noticing. Wasn’t Meyer also flying in the dark?

I tend to always favour chaos over conspiracy.

Ultimately, for me, the shoot-down theory suffers from the fact that it is always 2nd hand information that is being relayed. Somebody spoke to somebody who was based at airfield X when aircraft Y returned minus a missile, etc. The exact same style of narrative has all sorts of aircraft supposedly buried all over the country. It is never coming from the guy with the photos of Westland Whirlwinds being buried in the quarry, or the guy who did the digging; only the guy who stood next to him in the pub thirty years later. Maddening, but consistent if nothing else.

This exploration might sail into some bother quite quickly no? The Internet informs me that there is a chance that this aircraft was shot down, to avoid any diplomatic issues were the Hercules to have plowed into French terrain. However The Internet reckons it might have been a Hunter wot done it, or maybe a QRA Lightning or even a Sabre. Some journalist reportedly saw recovered wreckage with “bullet holes”!

This seems a bit like another shaggy dog story. Apparently the pilot had a drinking problem and received a Dear John from his wife, who he already had a tempestuous relationship with. This is all ancient history, so is it really worth going to locate the wreck in a bid to ascertain whether it was shot down or not? What is to be gained here? Also, is it not a bit cheeky to call it ‘Meyer’s Hercules’ when he nicked it?

Per usual, the citizens of Orkney and Shetland get left out the loop.

I would hate for it to be static anywhere else.

I appreciate the chicken for scale.

Some people are far too easily offended. Ironically enough these people are probably the first to suggest others are too easily offended. :rolleyes:

DC-3/C-47B-1-DK/Turbo Dak C-FTGX came into Edinburgh earlier. Some lovely shots up on Facebook and (for once!) I saw it with my own eyes.

Built in 1944 and still working for a living in 2018!!!