Sad news 🙁

Flypast ran a very nice article back in 1986 about Bill Greenwood and TE308. I hope I’m not transgressing copyright by posting it and I’ll remove it promptly if required but I think it is a fitting tribute to him.

Nice to see photo uploading and the other functions which vanished for a few days make a re-appearance today.

That’s a great acquisition for you. Lovely little aeroplane – I saw it fly several times at Strathallan. Glad it’s going somewhere where it’ll be cared for.

John, I was truly saddened one day when, while browsing a second-hand bookshop, I heard a conversation in which a very young girl was telling her father about a map she was looking at and how much she liked maps and could she have it please. The answer was scathing – no, she didn’t need the map and anyway she could just use Google. “I don’t like Googling everything” said the sad little voice of a child no more than 6 years old. What a lost opportunity to encourage a young child’s interest in the world. The map was less than £3. Had daddy looked more approachable I’d have offered to buy it for her. Being in the bookshop he was obviously a reader himself so I found his attitude very surprising.

I’d agree that reading is a lost art and a huge factor. The internet has taken over and is there all the time with the answers. Those answers don’t need to be retained in the memory banks because it is always there and it is instant. I think in a way that brings about a lack of interest in learning.

John, I feel ashamed. I must admit to not knowing that mozzarella comes from buffalo. However, I do know that Westcliff-on-Sea is in Essex but only because I know that the other three choices are not. Have I heard of Westcliff-on-Sea? No. Yet I wouldn’t say I have a poor standard of general knowledge (well, I wouldn’t would I?) just from those examples.

I assume though that it is not just those 2 questions that have brought about a state of mourning over the loss of general knowledge and probably it’s not just while watching “Millionaire” that you’ve noticed this. Why the lack of general knowledge nowadays? Why did there used to be more? Hobbies and pastimes, which would impart knowledge without you even realising how educational they were, played a big part – stamp collecting, model making, family quizzes, 20 questions, etc. For kids there were exciting things still happening to get passionate about. To want to learn more about. Learning is so much more fun when it isn’t formal. Of course, there were no computers to instantly answer any questions so they had to be discovered in books or by asking someone “in the know” and, by having to work to get an answer, the information stuck.

Without going any further, John, I think “changed days” is the simple answer to your question.

My favourite TV program being screened at present is “Walking Britain’s Lost Railways” on Channel 5. We even had a bonus this week as the latest episode was filmed on a line we have walked a few times. It was great to see a lot of historical footage and images of it in its heyday.

AM, image uploading vanished a few days ago along with the quote function. When or if it re-appears is anyone’s guess.
The Search function on the other hand wasn’t working the other day when this thread was started. I tried searching at that point but the results didn’t display correctly although they do now.

That’s one of the main problems – you never know what you’re going to find, or not find, when you use the forum now.

By Creaking Door – looked for the ‘quote’ button just now…..does such a thing even exist?

Not today it doesn’t! It was here up till yesterday but today it has gone accompanied by a few other useful functions. The only other useful functions. But, never mind, we’ve now got a link to Air International in the top right hand corner instead.

I received a PM some days ago but the forum software does not recognise that I have read it so it still shows that I have one unread message. Just to make sure that I know this it also puts a (1) on the tab – so useful.