I recall an incident where an airliner lined up on a taxiway.

Moggy

One of our Phantoms diverted ashore to Roosevelt Roads with rocket hang ups and the pilot mistook an apron for a runway and landed thereon.:D

I remember ’cause I was the one flown in by Sea King to replace port gas turbine starter. Worked a 31 hr day that time.

The Albacore was recovered by the Navy and bits went into the FAAMs example. The Ben Macdui Wellington was also recovered but the bits are now scattered throughout the UK. Probably one of the biggest recovery disasters in this country. 😡

Best wishes
Steve P

I often wonder which Wellington it was and the circ’s of its crash. I have ben following the lists of WW2 in Air-Britain’s journals but have not as yet come across that one.

I once had an old (Kodak Retina ??, i think) camera

Yes, there was a range of Retina Reflex series cameras including folding models IIc and IIIc with coupled range finders.

For an interesting trip down memory lane, or into history for younger folk, Ivor Matanle’s ‘Collecting and Using Classic SLRs’ is a most rewarding book. You will find some info on Retinas in there.

I always found the SRT101 with its CLC meter very reliable when used with a little nouse. As with any camera mounted meter the trick was to point the camera slightly down to get a reading and set at that. Then adjust by adding or subtracting 1/2 – 1 stop according to sun position if bright. On overcast days there were few issues. I founf Kodachrome II on dull days accentuated the reds something amazing, which could depend on lens in use. This down to red and blue being in sharp focus at different points and thus reds could spread a little.

In 1968 it was really something to have such a reliable meter in the camera and with an auto (stop-down as shutter is pressed) diaphragm lens with a bayonet-fit. This was about as good as it got. Unlike Nikons of the day there was no need to reset the meter as a lens was changed.

Metering, auto-diaphragm and rapid lens changing were the reasons I went for the SRT101 (also it felt good and solid in the hand – today picking one up sans lens one cannot but be impressed by its weight). Canons of the day had not settled into a homogenous design. Pentax had that slow change 42mm thread lens mount and were lightly constructed.

Focusing using a fresnel screen became more difficult as my eyes aged and a split focusing would have helped which to be fair was available in some Minolta X700s.

I recall trying out an uncle’s Edixa Prismat with pre-set lenses. An innovation on that was an accessory which cable connected the shutter button to the lens allowing the lens to be stopped down quickly, but it was a clumsy arrangement.

Who cares about the enviroment, i much rather get to A-B as quickly as possible.

I for one care about the environment.

Thinking such as yours is irresponsible and rather selfish.

What is the point of getting from A to B quicker when either are suffering from pollution, freak weather (you will likely get more of that in transit as the climate change shifts up a gear or two) or underwater?

Your reasoning is faulty, as others have pointed out, on technical issues. You have much to learn if you wish to become a pilot.

However, for publicity purposes, the Navy wanted the top man in charge to have the credit and so they gave it entirely to Carmichael.

Sorry but I don’t buy that.:(

…the Graham Thomas book on the subject…

That would be ‘Furies and Fireflies Over Korea’ one of the most error ridden misleading, poorly written and disapointing books that I have read, especially as I had waited another year past the originally expected publication date.

The account of Carmichael’s Mig shoot down is on page 90 on which it is clear that another Mig was hit by fire from a number of aircraft in Carmichael’s flight before the latter’s ecounter with the Mig that was downed by him.

Thomas, for a one time MOD Focus chief reporter demonstrates a woeful lack of knowledge about aircraft controls, who does what WRT maintenance on air arm squadrons amongst other deficiencies in this particular narrative. The map provided is also woefully inadequate.

As you say, it must have made life interesting for those on the flight-deck trying to do their “day jobs” and stay on their feet in the face of a constant 40Kt gale 😮

Heh! Heh! Much more fun at night and in the wet stuff, freezing or otherwise and trying to keep clear of prop’s, intakes and exhausts.

With that latter I recall an incident on Vic’ where I was burned by the exhaust of port engine of a Sea Vixen whilst, as ‘plane captain’, on walk around removing blanks, U/C locks etc (normal practice was to duck under port tail boom and then past the pen-nib fairing so it was at very close range) when the aircraft on which it was my job to signal pilot to start port engine but an orficer intervened – not his place to do so.

I proceded removing starboard U/C lock and climbed up onto starboard wing to remove wing jury strut. This was attached to the outer wing through a lug screwed into the wing with the strut end having a mating fork end on a screw thread with a locking collar. I had my left thumb pressing against the pip-pin, connecting fork to lug, sensing when the pressure came off to ease the pin as I turned the locking collar.

Things were well under control when the same orficer, unnoticed by myself, had climbed up on the mainplane via the starboard flap shroud, removed the large hex Alan key (used for drop tank caps) and proceeded to whack the split pin with it. Of course it met my thumb first. So now I had a sore face and a throbbing thumb.

My Sea Vixen was at the front of Fly 2, immediately aft of the starboard JBD (jet blast deflector) and I had been aware of the Bucc’ being ranged on the starboard cat’ and had judged I would be finished and back on the deck before it went to full power for launch.

But with this orficer’s intervention, unnecessary, I was still up there as the Bucc’ went to full power. The jet efflux was directed up the JBD directly onto the Vixen’s folded starboard wing leading edge, the aircraft being ranged in Fly 2 en-echelon, which neatly deflected it straight at myself.

There followed an interesting couple of minutes where, as I held on to the still in place jury strut, the hot avcat fumes further agravated my sore face, my goggles stretched away on their elastic straps and my tool pouch webbing belt slowly slipped through the buckle.

Fortunately the jury strut saved me from further injury.

There was a sequel to this when the following day during the early morning details this same orficer came unstuck when he tried to intervene again. But that, as the say, is another story.

Hope you don’t mind me sharing that with you.