Bill Gunston’s Classic Aircraft ‘Fighters’. It was on my Grandma’s bookshelf and was compulsive reading EVERY sunday… It now graces my sheves….

Hello,

From the MoD I see that the UK forces are to get the A330.

Should we not worry a little ?

Folowing the Nimrod with all its costly changes and problems.

We now are about to take on the A330.

One of which in service in Civil colours has been tragically lost and cause(s) for the loss is/are as yet still unproven.

Again it seems that the Duty of care to our troops and other servicemen is to be put on the back burner.

Alex

Can you name a large aircraft type which has never had a hull loss of any type? (Except A380 – its brand new..)

HP Jetstream 200 G-BBYM at Newcastle Aviation Academy
(Not public, but preserved nonetheless…..)

Shorts 330 G-OGIL at NEAM, Sunderland

Agreed, Mr. Boyle.

I have spent 4 weeks dismantling a Jetstream 200, and the last year trying to re-build the thing! And thats a tiny airliner. At some point, a certain 737 is going to be replaced, and although I would like to preserve it, there is no economical way to take it apart and transpoirt it. For that particular one, it will be, at best, a cockpit section or forward fuselage.

Airliners are not designed to be taken apart easily……….

The plane could have a structural defect, that could have happened years and years ago, constantly weakening througth flight cycles. When the storm placed an increase in the amount of stress acting upon the fuselarge, it could have ruptured causing the decompression. Something similar happened in Japan Air 123 and that China Airways 747 that broke up suddenly en route from Taipai to HK

refer to page 2 of this thread, post no. 53. Airbus statement: 2500 cycles, 4 years old.

Condolences.

The same photo is in the original ‘Aces & Wingmen’ captioned as being YF-L of the 358th Fighter Sqn (355th FG), crashed at Manston on 3rd Jan 1945. However 44-14564 was bellied in by Capt. Grant A Seeley near Steeple Modern on that date. According to the database on Littlefriends site it was coded YF-E but what can be seen of the letter doesn’t look like an ‘F’.
The officer is identified as Lt Col Moody of the 355th, which would make more sense for him to have been photographed close to their base rather than Manston.

It looks feasible that this side of the aircraft is coded L * YF. The lower portion of the Y is between the pilot’s knees, next to his hand….. His body would mask the top of the Y perfectly.