Thank you for checking low ‘n’ slow, I know the feeling about records from then and now.

I have a bit of a soft spot for WR977 at Newark and I always try to go on board when the aircraft is open.

I have a couple of books about the aircraft, its service career, the move to Newark and its restoration.

Shackleton WR977 – Duty Carried Out 1957 – 1971 [ISBN 0 9500341 7 7]

Shackleton WR977 – Dedication To Duty [ISBN 0 9500341 4 2]

I think both are featured on the museum website.

http://www.newarkairmuseum.co.uk/prodpage.cfm?CategoryID=3029&CFID=16099283&CFTOKEN=63677370

low ‘n’ slow

I have a quick question about the Shackleton MR.3 picture that is listed as WR997, are you sure it’s WR997 at Leuchars?

The penultimate batch of British MR.3s ran from WR970 to WR990 so could I suggest that the MR.3 coded Bravo in the picture is WR977, which is now displayed at Newark Air Museum?

Also if the date on the slide is 1974 then I believe that the aircraft pictured would have been located at RAF Finningley, because WR977 was retired there in 1971 and remained in South Yorkshire until disposed of in spring 1977 during the run up to the Silver Jubilee Review of the RAF.

http://www.newarkairmuseum.co.uk/aircraftlist.cfm

I caught the back end of a similar sponsorship appeal on BBC East Midlands TV on Thursday [December 28], but they also did not give out a figure. I initially checked out the new VTS website but could find no reference to the appeal so I just dismissed the report as a slow news day item over the Christmas holiday.

Can recommend someone called Timothy O’Brien GAvA, who did some excellent work on the memorial at St. Omer, Northern France. His web address is given below, but the site seems to be down at present.

http://www.timobrienart.co.uk

Bruce – re Vipers talk to Newark’s Curator, Mike Smith – 01636 705585; [email]newarkair@onetel.com[/email], as I know that they have identified this as an issue during one of their surveys.

Melvyn your point about divergence is a good one, but with respect however slight the risks involved:

The Ionising Radiation Regulations 1999 (IRR99) and the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 (RSA93) are enshrined in UK law and have been in force for several years.

What is now different is that the HSE are now actively starting to implement the regulations.

BAPC have been trying to get this issue addressed for at least 3 or 4 years to my knowledge and their document [that I first saw in 2003] explains the practical application of the legislation and how to become compliant; see the PDF file from the Publications page at the link below.

http://www.bapc.org.uk/

Some museum large, medium and small are already addressing the issue as previously stated see post #31 and have been doing so for several years.

Unfortunately, the likelihood of that happening without somebody going RADIOACTIVITY! AAAAARGH! is low – someone down the scale will always cause an upset.

After all, your instrument is radioactive just like Chernobyl or nuclear fallout. Or that seems to be what people who jump up and down screaming about it think. Oh, and newspapers…

Adrian

Tell that to HSE Adrian and see where it gets you!!!

Recently there was a short news item on the Warbird Alley website about the same radiation issue being raised in the USA. I’ve just tried to find a link but it seems to have gone.

I’m aware that the radiation issue can also apply to some aero engines that have had their turbine blades hardened with thorium; artefacts like WWII escape compasses and fluorescent tabs on fire extinguishers etc!!