This is a pure guess on a quiet Saturday morning and please treat it as such, but Post-War British transports were specified with a secondary light bombing role, hence why Hastings, Beverley, Argosy etc have a flat bomb aimers glass in the nose. Smaller tyes such as Pembroke and Twin Pin could be configured for role.
Is it possible that the Soviets might have had the same secondary requirement?

I am surprised no ones linked the wonderful thread and photos from WIX that shows the RAF Museum’s Supermarine Stranier flying boat taking off from a runway after repair?

No need, it has its own thread here courtesy of JDK, http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=98231&highlight=stranraer, and includes input from the pilots daughter, & a bit more on the late Stranraers here, http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=105772&highlight=stranraer

Thank you James for the info & links about E-EMU … fascinating stuff.

And so does the Sunderland landing at Angle, http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=98040, the RAAF sourced footage was mentioned but not found until this thread it seems, thank you Caroline!:)

Hmm, slightly contentious!

That ‘Fanny By Gaslight’ isn’t what I thought it was, it’s a book!

Does it mean they will not be operating to or from Cardiff and/or Manchester ?

Certainly withdrawing services to Cardiff, which must be a blow to the airport more than the airline as there are some very quiet patches through the day as it is.
Re the schemes, I much prefer the existing one.

Don’t get taken in by the misleading headlines (which even the story dosen’t back up), it isn’t a fleet grounding, just four jets to provide spares for others in theatre – not that unusual a practice.

Don’t get to happy, a ‘listed’ status dosen’t necesarily guarantee survival of a building, depending on local autority plans and demands in the area.
It all comes doown to ballancing the category of listing conferred, the percieved importance of the building, and future planning for the area.
Also as Peedee says there are no regs to maintain a building and if it is seen as a wreck or costly to rebuild in comparison of its importance, it isn’t guaranteed survival.
I can see it becoming an extension of the shopping malls and housing estates already in the area, which is probably why some parts of Filton have already been levelled.
the Brabazon Hangar is no St Pauls, well not to non aviation friendly locals!

An airport would make a lot of sense, it could replace Lulsgate and Cardiff in one go, but would agree with FiltonFlyers’ points.

This report from only a couple of weeks ago, http://www.gazetteseries.co.uk/news/8934049.Airbus_announces___70million_investment_in_Filton_plant/, seems strangely at odds with the news here, I assume it is only good news as far as some fancy office blocks and a small assembly plant goes?