If you make it to 63 I guarantee you won’t think it too old !

Probably not, as I will probably be looking at a solid seven or more years of work before I get to retire at that point. :rolleyes:

I still stand by my original opinion though; there is a dogged, arrogant determination for older posters to try and justify the notion of quinquagenarians and sexagenarians pilots operating fast jets. The idea of this does cause me some concern. The same dogged, arrogant determination kept my grandfather behind the wheel of his car into his mid 80s, long past the point he was in any way a safe driver. The same dogged, arrogant determination has left it up to family members to ensure my elderly (post-stroke and heavily arthritic) aunt doesn’t get behind the wheel as well. It might seem an apples-to-oranges comparison on one level, but I think the same motivation is at play in both cases; cars and fast jet). Simply put, it is difficult to resign yourself to something with dignity, and to admit that you should probably not be doing a certain activity any more that previously brought you a degree of freedom and core identity. The use of a handful of cherry-picked examples of some older and highly experienced pilot ‘saving the day’ doesn’t change the fact that a fair few older and highly experienced pilots, with hitherto unblemished records, have wound up in smoking craters during the same period of time.

Is there a similar bid to raise a Pembroke from a Sunderland dock?

Pour yourself a beer, find a comfy chair, and decide for yourself………………

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvbQMqd0kEY

Seems like Diemert occupies an area somewhere between ‘spirited genius’ and ‘dangerously delusional’. In my opinion the film seems to be a joke; ostensibly concerning one man’s delusional bid to convince the Canadian government to buy his laughably ramshackle, dangerous design over the F18. Perhaps on a deeper level it is something of an allegory, and gentle dig, at the state of Canadian aircraft manufacturing in general, or simply a cosy David-and-Goliath story. For those that claim that autism is a modern invention (sic), then I think the behaviour of Deimert and his electrical engineer companion warrant some closer scrutiny.

From what I can tell, Diemert is worthy of credit as one of the earliest restorers of WW2 fighter aircraft. At the same time his work appears to be astonishingly crude and kludged together.

One of the many advantages of the -shall we refer to – more mature people in any society, is that they fairly obviously have a foot in the past and one in the near future.

Surely one foot in the past and one foot in the grave, John? :highly_amused:

Other than that, I’m wryly amused that those that were so stringently opposed to Scottish independence are now, in some quarters, recycling the same emotive and grievance-driven arguments the nats put to such good use in 2014.

£10.50 for a burger ? – I’d want the whole b****y cow for that money,

That is fairly standard for a non-chain burger, in Edinburgh at least (Edinburgers?). Blame Jamie Oliver et al for bringing traditionally low budget fast food into the restaurant realm. In business terms it brings a lot of non-gourmand types into restaurants!

Explosions have ripped through Brussels airport and the metro system there. My gut feeling is that it reprisals for the capture of Salah Abdeslam. Even if not I probably won’t have to bust a gut guessing as to who is responsible.

I’m surprised that you can have terrorist cells operating in the city commonly regarded as the capital of the European Union. Perhaps I shouldn’t be too surprised. It does indicate, to me, a lack of consideration given to defence, which probably plays into the hands of the Brexit camp.

Pulled carrots?