I went to a talk by Ing Gianpaulo Dallara who designed the Lamborghini 350 in the 1960s and many cars since. When asked which was the better car, the 350 or Ferrari’s 250, he replied that he thought the E-Type was a better car than either.

(We forgot to ask him if a Morris Isis was better than a Maser Quattroporte)

This is probably badly remembered half truths but I think there was some controversy about Beech being taken over by Ratheon who got cold feet about the design, and thought buyers would be reassured by a generous warranty policy. The result was a rush of warranty repairs which were uneconomical and so Raytheon’s accountants (unfamiliar with economics and game theory) bought the entire production run back except for a few which stayed in the wild – one was used as a chase plane for Scaled Composites.

As far as safety of carbon composite structures is concerned, when they’re in good condition they are peerless. I speak as somebody who accidentally hit a concrete wall backwards at around 80mph in a carbon car and got out muttering about my rubbish driving.

Found the taste for this now!!

Anyone remember a B&W film called something like ‘Danger in the Sky’

Proposition is that a Bristol test pilot is trying a Freighter with rocket assisted take off and once airborne the load shifts. AIRC some of the best footage ever (although I was probably in my teens when I saw it) of the Bristol Freighter and real nostalgic stuff of the Filton area of Bristol during the 50’s.

I think it was “Man in the Sky” with Jack Hawkins filmed at Pendeford, Wolverhampton. IIRC the freighter crashed in an unintended manner in filming, no injuries and returned to flight quickly.

That’s convincing. You’re a genius, sir.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/runway27r/2910942906/

I would be interested to know the lengths they went to to reduce weight – I bet the pilot had no breakfast and they took the valve caps off the wheels!

Never having flown a plane I am ashamed to ask, but is an unladen DC6 a bit of a “gti”? The AA ones always looked good low and fast at Baginton.

Castle Combe operated Airspeed Oxfords, according to “Motor Racing Circuits in England Then & Now” (P Swinger).

Thruxton was mentioned earlier so i thought a 1983 pic with Senna and a dead Dakota might be relevant.

A dispersal area of RAF Lichfield (a major post war scrapping field) became Curborough sprint course, which has meetings nearly every weekend of the year. RAF Anglesey (where John Peel did National Service) is now Anglesey track, though although it was RAF Anglesey I think it was radar rather than aircraft – maybe somebody can enlighten me. For John Peel fans, Anglesey has a corner called “Peel”.

No, this is Davidstow Moor

Sorry it’s a bit off thread but there might be one or two interested that Davidstow was used as a race circuit including hosting an F1 race (obviously not a championship one) and that Lotus had early success there. Presumably that lovely control tower was used on the circuit?