geedeeThought I’d do some work on my start panel for the ‘Stang. Got the blueprint, printed it off, marked it all out, drilled the hole…a big one for the Mag switch…and the 4 little ones for the holding screws…..then noticed I’d printed off the wrong blueprint. Instead of a P-51 D start panel….. I’d printed one for P-51 B, and the Mag switch is in a different position.
Ar*e.
Got to do a whole new bl**dy panel now !!!.
Ho hum, at least the heater is now working in the workshop !.
geedeeIt was a cracking trip, though it seems eons ago now! Just dont mention Geedee’s camera!!!
I did once, but I think I got away with it!
Nav to Skipper….has anyone told you, you are a rotten scoundrel recently !.
geedeeHeres a few shots I took on my visit to the CAF Airsho 2008
geedeeWas at Legends on the Saturday, got there at about 08:20, straight in and no hassle with parking or queues. Ambled down through the line of vendors and got re-aqauinted with ‘Liberty Belle’…havent seen her since I was on board during Oskosh 2005… had a good look at the Invader …thats a purposeful looking machine if ever !!!…and the ambled over to the flightline walk.
Well, actually the whole show was pretty good but one, but more importantly it was safe !. I think numbers where down this year…it didnt seem as crowded as usual…but the flying was varied and well run.
The over-riding memory for me was without any doubt, when I pushed down on the priming handle and pushed the start button on Peters Merlin. Now a lot of pilots will have had the pleasure of sitting behind and starting a Merlin, but they are normally sat behind a firewall and within a ‘cosy’ cockpit.
Me ?….I was standing directly, and I mean directly !….behind that awesome motor, without the benefit of a windshield and totally exposed to the slipstream and glorious noise (Regular attendees at FL will have seen these babes running and kow what the setup is). Dude…(enters into overexcited mode)…. I ground ran a Merlin for around 5 minutes !!!!!!.
Words just dont describe the feeling when that monster shakes itself out its slumber and the first pot catches closely followed by the rest. I dont know what hits you first…the lurch as she starts to turn over, the slipstream from the prop as she catches or the totally unforgetable sound track that only a Merlin can produce. I have to say that that soundtrack is even more fantastic when you are sat not quite 3 feet behind the stacks, and even wearing ear defenders, it was loud….errrrr, did I say loud ?….more like ohmygodtheyllhearthisinthenextcountryandwonderwhoseunleashedwhat kinda loud…sorry….LOUD.
You may have heard of people who like old aeroplanes, they’re very easy to spot when you run up a Merlin….theyre all stood round in silly grin mode and not one finger is in any ear !. I have to say that there where a lot of people who like aeroplanes, standing at least 5 deep all around the display area. Aaaand, the applause after the motors where shut down was almost as loud as the display was !.
My thanks go to Peter …for those interested, check out his website for the story behind this Merlin and the others … http://members.lycos.co.uk/pwgrieve/… for letting me have the opportunity to run his Merlin and to not only run it on the haloed ‘turf’ at Duxford during Flying Legends, but to also run in time with a Griffon and yet another Merlin at the same time with his colleagues. I think its fair to say, that we where the center of attention for that five minutes.
Peter, you sir are real Gent. Thank you very very much…..(looking for a ‘we’re not worthy’ smilie)
I still cant believe I ran a Merlin up. Even though I was video’d by Rocketeer and I was wearing a ‘helmet cam’ to get a different perspective on the event, I keep looking at the video footage taken and think you ‘lucky lucky barsteward’. I’m also pleased in the fact that my ‘Aluminum Overcast’ flight jacket and ASB hat, where ‘christened’…nope, they wont be put in for a wash !… during the run-up. Hopefully I can upload some video later today…thats if I havent worn them out through constant re-runs !.
Any way, that was my Legends, and yes, I’m still on cloud nine !!!!
geedeeOn the subject of Cats….Thought you might find this amusing…
We’ve all had trouble with our animals, but I don’t think anyone can top this one:
Calling in sick to work makes me uncomfortable. No matter how legitimate my excuse, I always get the feeling that my boss thinks I’m lying.
On one recent occasion, I had a valid reason but lied anyway, because the truth was just too darned humiliating. I simply mentioned that I had sustained a head injury, and I hoped I would feel up to coming in the next day. By then, I reasoned, I could think up a doozy to explain the bandage on the top of my head. The accident occurred mainly because I had given in to my wife’s wishes to adopt a cute little kitty.
Initially, the new acquisition was no problem.
Then one morning, I was taking my shower after breakfast when I heard my wife, Deb, call out to me from the kitchen.
“Honey! The garbage disposal is dead again. Please come reset it.”
“You know where the button is,” I protested through the shower pitter-patter and steam. “Reset it yourself!”
“But I’m scared!” she persisted.. “What if it starts going and sucks me in?”
There was a meaningful pause and then, “C’mon, it’ll only take you a second.”
So out I came, dripping wet and butt naked, hoping that my silent outraged nudity would make a statement about how I perceived her behaviour as extremely cowardly.
Sighing loudly, I squatted down and stuck my head under the sink to find the button. It is the last action I remember performing.
It struck without warning, and without any respect to my circumstances. No, it wasn’t the hexed disposal, drawing me into its gnashing metal teeth. It was our new kitty, who discovered the fascinating dangling objects she spied hanging between my legs. She had been poised a round the corner and stalked me as I reached under the sink. And, at the precise moment when I was most vulnerable, she leapt at the toys I unwittingly offered and snagged them with her needle-like claws. I lost all rational thought to control orderly bodily movements, blindly rising at a violent rate of speed, with the full weight of a kitten hanging from my masculine region..
Wild animals are sometimes faced with a “fight or flight” syndrome. Men, in this predicament, choose only the “flight” option. I know this from experience. I was fleeing straight up into the air when the sink and cabinet bluntly and forcefully impeded my ascent.
The impact knocked me out cold.
When I awoke, my wife and the paramedics stood over me.
Now there are not many things in this life worse than finding oneself lying on the kitchen floor butt naked in front of a group of “been-there, done-that” paramedics.
Even worse, having been fully briefed by my wife, the paramedics were all snorting loudly as they tried to conduct their work, all the while trying to suppress their hysterical laughter……and not succeeding.
Somehow I lived through it all. A few days later I finally made it back in to the office, where colleagues tried to coax an explanation out of me about my head injury. I kept silent, claiming it was too painful to talk about, which it was.
“What’s the matter?” They all asked, “Cat got your tongue?”
If they only knew!
Why is it that only the women laugh at this?
geedeeOn the subject of Cats….Thought you might find this amusing…
We’ve all had trouble with our animals, but I don’t think anyone can top this one:
Calling in sick to work makes me uncomfortable. No matter how legitimate my excuse, I always get the feeling that my boss thinks I’m lying.
On one recent occasion, I had a valid reason but lied anyway, because the truth was just too darned humiliating. I simply mentioned that I had sustained a head injury, and I hoped I would feel up to coming in the next day. By then, I reasoned, I could think up a doozy to explain the bandage on the top of my head. The accident occurred mainly because I had given in to my wife’s wishes to adopt a cute little kitty.
Initially, the new acquisition was no problem.
Then one morning, I was taking my shower after breakfast when I heard my wife, Deb, call out to me from the kitchen.
“Honey! The garbage disposal is dead again. Please come reset it.”
“You know where the button is,” I protested through the shower pitter-patter and steam. “Reset it yourself!”
“But I’m scared!” she persisted.. “What if it starts going and sucks me in?”
There was a meaningful pause and then, “C’mon, it’ll only take you a second.”
So out I came, dripping wet and butt naked, hoping that my silent outraged nudity would make a statement about how I perceived her behaviour as extremely cowardly.
Sighing loudly, I squatted down and stuck my head under the sink to find the button. It is the last action I remember performing.
It struck without warning, and without any respect to my circumstances. No, it wasn’t the hexed disposal, drawing me into its gnashing metal teeth. It was our new kitty, who discovered the fascinating dangling objects she spied hanging between my legs. She had been poised a round the corner and stalked me as I reached under the sink. And, at the precise moment when I was most vulnerable, she leapt at the toys I unwittingly offered and snagged them with her needle-like claws. I lost all rational thought to control orderly bodily movements, blindly rising at a violent rate of speed, with the full weight of a kitten hanging from my masculine region..
Wild animals are sometimes faced with a “fight or flight” syndrome. Men, in this predicament, choose only the “flight” option. I know this from experience. I was fleeing straight up into the air when the sink and cabinet bluntly and forcefully impeded my ascent.
The impact knocked me out cold.
When I awoke, my wife and the paramedics stood over me.
Now there are not many things in this life worse than finding oneself lying on the kitchen floor butt naked in front of a group of “been-there, done-that” paramedics.
Even worse, having been fully briefed by my wife, the paramedics were all snorting loudly as they tried to conduct their work, all the while trying to suppress their hysterical laughter……and not succeeding.
Somehow I lived through it all. A few days later I finally made it back in to the office, where colleagues tried to coax an explanation out of me about my head injury. I kept silent, claiming it was too painful to talk about, which it was.
“What’s the matter?” They all asked, “Cat got your tongue?”
If they only knew!
Why is it that only the women laugh at this?
geedeeWhatever the weather….you’ll be under it !:D
geedeeRocketeer and I crawled all over her at Oshkosh back in 2005 (best big show ever…White Knight, Global Flyer, 7…yes 7 B17’s..awesome show !!!!…the list went on).
They’ve done a fantastic job on the restoration and to fly her here as well. You just know She’s going to be photographed within an inch of her life at Legends for sure and will be the new wallpaper on umpteen thousand PC’s.:D
Would be interesting to find out if the crew managed to get any pics on the fly-over of the spot where Glacier Girl was hauled out from under the Greenland Ice-cap.
geedeeBe a nice surprise for everyone when the Breitling Super Constellation appears in the pattern……
geedeeThats not the remnants of the Supermarine Type 544 cockpit is it?
Thats my latest !, a lovely little cockpit from Harrier XV806. Originaly a GR1 later modded to GR3 status and based in Germany with 4 Sqn before coming back to the UK to Culdrose before being stripped….literally !…to examine fatigue life for the mid-life upgrade for the GR7 fleet. I have a laser nose and the sliding part of the canopy (less the perspex) but apart from that, what you see is ‘wot I got’ !.
My intention is to clean the framework, fit out the interior but NOT to add any skin. Nope, no cladding, no perspex as a skin, no ali, no nuffink, so’s the interior is not only on display but it gives you a chance to see how a plane is actually built (got the idea from the stripped F86 at the USAF Museum in Dayton last year on the way to GOML 2007)
She needs a bit of work (Nope…it wont be a Legends !) but I’m not in rush on this one as I’m just getting back into working on my Mustang after a break. Got to get this ready for the next ‘Fest as I’m hoping it will have a Warbird theme.
Ritch and Max, PM sent.
geedeeThis was quite a good event considering the weather we’ve been having recently !
I based myself at the Old Sarum castle ramparts, cos that where the ‘planes would be climbing out over, so I would be abvle to get some different shots to those from the field, that Tony was covering. Great plan…..errrrr….actually, they were taking off in the opposite direction…b*m !.
Unfortunately, I only have a 200 zoom so was limited to what pic’s I could take. Here’s a coupe of shots that I’ve had to crop, copy and paste so the quality isnt as good as I’d like, but hey ho !.
I must say that sat up on the Castle ramparts and watching the two Spitties curving down for their display and the Hurricane popping up over the trees was magical. Also, the glider towing display was….how do I put it….ruddy fantastic. I’ve never seen a tow plane rolling one way with the glider rolling the other way…while towing, and looping and….all sorts of stuff. Fantastic energy management from the solo glider for its display.
anyway, here goes with a few pics.
geedeeThe vulcan makes a pretty good umbrella !:diablo:
So what are the chances of hearing the ‘Olympus scream’ if she’s only operating statically….would chocks hold her against the power setting required on all four motors to produce that unmistakable sound ?
geedeeYesterday I was speaking to somebody I know who works at Boscombe Down about the possibility of an Air Cadet visit to the Boscombe Down museum.
http://www.airsceneuk.org.uk/hangar/museums/boscombe/boscombe.htmI was amazed when he told me that no personell, to his knowledge are allowed to visit the museum because it is considered too dangerous.
He also stated that despite being launched in a blaze of glory a couple of years ago it has very quickly degenerated into scrap dump for anything at Boscombe which nobody has any use for and is of absolutly no interest as it is all literally junk!
Hmmmm….as a volunteer at this museum that is “dangerous and full of scrap” !!!….I think it might be best if your fount of all knowledge informant who ‘works’ here at BD spoke to someone in the know rather than go around slagging it off with unfounded, ill informed here-say. Perhaps he might even take the time to come and visit the museum (working at BD he will have access if he took the time to enquire !!!) and speak to the guys who work there during the week, he would come away with a better understanding. He might even like to consider becoming a volunteer at said museum !
Visits ? yes indeed we now do visits, however there are restrictions on things like taking photo’s. The comment on items being of no use or interest is also untrue. Perhaps if the miss-guided would like to actually take the time to find out out a bit the museum, its aims and aspirations, then they would understand what we are doing.
Additionally, if you would like to get in contact with me ref ATC visits, we can sort something out.
geedeeGreat minds think alike…
I started this way back in 2000…
geedeeNope….not drunk.
Dont forget that as you’ve mentioned the speed of light….what about its opposite….? http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=9908&highlight=speed+dark
errrrrr…. a bit of a warning here, this one gets heavily into physic’s after a few replies !
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