17/3 1618hrs Spitfire heading North West near Alton Hants, looked like merlin powered, without tailwheel, Mk8 perhaps?
Although I didnt have my specs on.

Richard

Martin
Have you seen these pictures on YouTube of the drones at Tarrant Rushdon. Doesnt help with your cockpit view.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddDB7jIyCIY

Richard

Some pictures of this aircraft are on the SVAS web site,
see here http://www.svasweb.org/news.php page down past the vehicle section news and you can see it, still with the remains of the green paint.

Richard

Sorry should have asked- can anyone identify these i.e. mark, squadron, where stationed etc. and any ideas on why my parents would have this picture. I don’t think it was anything to do with a Polish squadron & nothing to do with weather forecasting.

They are Vampire F1’s of 247 Sqn based at Odiham. Have a look here http://www.rafmuseumphotos.com/pictures_639853/De-Havilland-Vampire-FI.html, may even have been taken on the same photo sortie.

Richard

You can add the Whirlwind, Manchester,Skua, Roc,Botha,Barracuda, Lerwick and Warwick to the missing list of combat types. Loads more if you include none combat.

Richard

The GE engines fitted to Swiss Air Convair 990 Coronado’s were by far the smokiest visitors to LHR during the 70’s, it seemed especially odd that a country known for its clean living and healthy lifestyle operated an aircraft that left a thick black trail in the sky. You didnt need radar to plot their route, they left it marked in the sky. Later in their life 990’s benefitted by engine mods developed by GE that were designed to make F-4’s less easy to spot, better combustion cans I think. When Spantax operated 990’s they were much better.
In my younger days I spent many a happy! hour up JT3D jet pipes, getting covered in sticky black deposits, now look up a jet pipe on a modern engine and its as clean as a whistle.

Richard

Powder coating was used on TVR car chassis, the sales patter when they were new was that it was the ultimate corrosion protection, now its a real problem with alot of cars suffering severe structural problems. As said earlier, the issue is that when the protective skin is breached moisture gets in and rust starts, with no outward signs, scrape the surface away and the tubes are rotting away. Do a search on TVR chassis corrosion, shows the result.
For a static restoration zinc coating is probably the best bet. Or an etch primer and hammerite.
Richard

and since no American has ever heard of the Falklands, they decided to change the target slightly to somewhere in the middle east…

I dont think that would help, they dont know where that is either. Try Cuba its in their back yard.