As Megalith says… We notice coincidences that involve us. The odds of it being ourselves we spot are small. The odds of us merely spotting someone – anyone – are much larger. However that doesn’t stop it being a funny feeling when it does happen to you, does it?

My personal jaw-on-floor was being at the National Archives and finding that I was looking for the same person’s service record as someone else was. Lets say a million people visit every year, the likelihood of that happening (given how much interest there is in the WW1 service documents) to someone is probably fairly large. It’s got to happen sometime, especially given that anoyone who served in WW1 would have at least three generations of descendants. But it is going to be much less likely to happen to ME – a million times less likely if I am one of a million visitors? Perhaps, but the mathematics of chance just ain’t like that. For starters, not all of that 1 million are looking at the WW1 docs…

It’s not simple is it? (he says, stopping before he confuses hell out of himself!)

And no, it STILL doesn’t stop it being great fun when you do spot yourself!

ADrian

Sometimes they had Jap engines strapped to the top for charging up the batteries. Anymore out there?
Anne

J. A. P. engine, before anybody wonders what on earth the RAF were doing using Japanese equipment. Short for J. A. Prestwich, and built engines for almost anything that moved…

I’ll get my anorak…

Adrian

I’ll try to dig out my pics of the one visiting Old Warden last October for the Autumn AIr Day – I do have a piccy on my desktop, but it’s very arty and doesn’t show the registration.

ADrian

FART! I have just looked and all I have is the arty one, and a close-up of the tailskid! Sorry about that – perhaps if you try the airshow photos forum someone else will have traken some of it and you can see which one?

😀 Oh yes it is!!

I have an interest in Werra cameras (mainly that they are fun, and I have b******d two up, so don’t have a good one anymore), and every now and then have a browse on Ebay for them. To my amusement, all the hits for Werra that come up in the UK are either cameras or Franz Von Werra related stuff – what I wonder are the odds on everything being on subjects I am interested in?

By the way, if you have a Werra you don’t want (Franz Von or camera)………………

As Wings over Malta was a recent event I thought that those of you with digital or Sky might be interested, stars Alec Guiness, it’s so long since I saw it I can’t remember much about it. Isn’t it based on the life of a famous pilot whose name escapes me as usual.

Adrian Warburton?

If so I cycle past his Alma Mater twice a day. Probably says more about my taste in reading that the only three old boys I’ve heard of are Warburton, Gibson and Bader…

Adrian

Anyway, you are all wrong. It is quite clearly the Ridgefield Model 902 ‘Prometheus’ VV119.

I saw it on David Lean’s ‘The Sound Barrier’.

(Pic BFI)

Even I’m amused! (or should that be AMUSED!)?

Adrian the not so grumpy

I don’t believe anyone said any of the aircraft you quote could go supersonic, they just quoted unsubstantiated rumour. The simple truth is that none could because of their physical shape. Getting something to go supersonic is not simply a matter of increasing the engine power, or pointing it towards the ground in a dive at full bore inthe blind hope of breaking the sound barrier.

My point exactly – RUMOUR! It doesn’t matter if so-and-so says that the Yakoyan Q-34 Yurtmolestor MIGHT have gone supersonic before the end of WW2 because it DIDN’T! The thread is about the first supersonic aircraft, not what Bertski down Das Pub says his plane might have done. Gimme PROOF! (or failing that proof spirit)…

On the other hand, you have replied with the reasons why x,y and z COULDN’T have – which I would have liked to have done if I knew more about the aerodynamics involved. I think we are actually largely in agreement on this point, though my grumpiness probably hides that… Note to self – cheer up you miserable git! 😮

(and I’ve just remembered that capitals are shouting online, rather than emphasis. Bottoms! Sorry, but stuffed if I’m going to rewrite the whole reply!) 😮 again…

Adrian

I think that this thread proves that aviators are mainly cat people:
Slightly aloof, independantly minded and like to sit in front of warm fires eating fine food! 😀

And with a tendency to lick their cobblers at inopportune moments? 😮

I’ll get me coat…

Adrian