Don’t forget that the USA didn’t give the UK the ‘tools to do the job’ for any altruistic reason – the sold them at a very high price.

Part of that high price was the break-up of the British Empire, so that the US could gain access to those markets.

Great Britain was the only European nation to stop the Nazis, and was actually on the offensive by the time the US entered WW2. The cost was severe though, leaving the nation practically bankrupt, while arms and material production brought the US out of the financial crash and into prosperity.

The rest of Europe owed the UK a huge debt of gratitude for the price it paid to set them all free, but instead, that ingrate De Gaulle said “NON!” to Britain’s initial efforts to join the Common Market…

…
Is Spey Bay a place or the Spey bay at Kinloss, seems a bit of a coincidence?

Spey bay is a place – the mouth of the River Spey that the engine is named after.
XV240’s forward fuselage is actually at Spey Bay Salvage – if you look the company up on Google maps, you’ll see the site is actually built on RAF Dallachy’s most seaward runway end…

Ok, thanks Al, I was just curious.

It’s just that I have trouble getting my head around the concept of restoring a British aircraft without having more of a feeling of connection for it than a Starfighter. My mind boggles slightly that you’ll be painting roundels on it that you don’t believe in, especially as the aircraft is located at a place that isn’t a million miles from where so many of them saw service.

Reading the above, I realise it could be read as being a bit glib, but I don’t mean it in any ‘clever’ or point scoring way. I’m just curious.

Of course there is much more of a connection there with any British aircraft – there’s a very good chance some of the scientists, designers, and engineers involved in the production of aircraft (and other technologies) were Scottish, so it will always be of special significance. We had a part in it.

But I doubt if many Scots would describe themselves as being British – it’s just something that was foisted on us after Culloden…

Al, am I right in thinking you’re currently restoring a Hawker Hunter? If so, can I ask you what you’re doing it for?

What on Earth has that got to do with anything? I’d love to get my hands on a Zero, or an F-104!
I have also restored old Harley-Davidsons, antique dentists lamps, and my old house…:confused:

Does that mean that the language of Scotland will no longer be English and that you will revert to Scottish Gaelic?

Presumably, if you don’t want any part of the United Kingdom (principally England) you won’t want the English language either?
…

Unfortunately, nobody knows what the indigenous Pictish language sounded like, and Gaelic was a Celtic language introduced from Ireland, so is as Scottish as a chapati.

The 2001 census showed there were only 58,650 Gaelic speakers in Scotland, or 1.2% of the population. Would you ask why America continued to speak English?

….As for the Union Flag and RAF roundels, we’d keep the blue bits…..‘cos it’s our flag and Scotland wouldn’t get a say! :p

Nah – the blue from the saltire is ours! You’ll be sad when we’ve gone…:eek:

The post-independence UK Air Force roundel might not catch on though…;)