Those are some very eerie sounds. One in particular reminds me of a visit to a town called Tuscaloosa in Alabama. It was my first ever trip to the US, and it was to visit a lifelong friend, who had emigrated from the UK a couple of years earlier. Whilst there, I heard the tornado sirens more than once, and they were very un-nerving, and certainly unsettled this first time visitor from rural Cambridgeshire. Despite some terrible wind and rain during my stay, there were no actual tornados in the area. However, about 18 months ago, the town of Tuscaloosa, bore the brunt of one of the biggest tornados ever recorded in that area. When it struck, my friend was on her way home from work, and took shelter in a roadside diner. A great many people perished that day, and according to my friend, the scars there are still very real. So I guess it’s thank God for sirens, however ‘eerie’ they might sound.

Well that’s a brave admission;) But then I don’t think I’m far behind you. I can still remember as a child, flying on a BEA ‘Red Square’ Comet 4B!

I really like seeing the retro jets, that Alitalia is a gem.

Nice shots. I can remember seeing the Mozambique DC10 some years ago, whilst I was on a ‘pre fall of the wall’ visit to Berlin Schonefeld.

A sad, but quality, image Keith. The cabin crews on the flights I used seemed really cheerful, and to be enjoying what they were doing. I always think that the saddest part of an airline folding, is what it does to those who worked for it. I hope those cheerful and enthusiastic cabin crew, and indeed the pilots, can find the same kind of work again.

Arm the Police? Definately not. Most Police officers don’t want it either. An armed officer will be no more a deterrent to a determined criminal, or a ‘category A’ nutcase.

Certain other countries, have both armed Police, AND capital punishment, neither work. In these countries, their serious crime levels are higher than ours, in certain cases, significantly higher.

Quote from J Boyle ‘The unarmed police seems to give UK residents a feeling of superiority over other nations.’

Well, I’m not sure that, that statement is totally fair. Like the great majority of us in the UK, I am very proud of our Police force, and of what it achieves within the concept of policing by mutual consent. I’m not sure that it makes us feel superior to other countries. It would probably be more accurate to say, that yes, we are fortunate to have the Police force we do, working the way it does.

Receiving my first iPhone:):)

And Daz’s cat!:)

Well, from what I’ve seen of late, a great many of the main European airports don’t seem to suffer from the siege mentality of many of the airport authorities we see here in the UK. In many parts of the world, far from denying enthusiasts a decent place to pursue their hobby, many airports are actually re-opening previously closed viewing areas/decks or building completely new ones. The added bonus for these forward thinking airports, is the additional revenue generated by the visitors, it maybe not be that lucrative I’ll grant you, but additional none the less, and that could be invested in the viewing facility itself.

The potential for enthusiasts to be extra pairs of eyes, and making a positive comtribution to improving the security of the airport itself, should not be dismissed lightly by the airport authorities either.

Manchester, is a shining example of what can be done in this field, by an enthusiast friendly airport authority, in co-operation with the plane fans themselves. It’s hight time that some of the UKs major airports, and those who run them, cought up with the rest of the modern world. With ref to my local airport STN, it is to be hoped, that as it will shortly be freed from the shackles of the BAA, things may improve for those of us who love seeing aircraft at ‘close quarters. I find the involvement of those who run Manchester Airport in the bidding process for STN encouraging. Well, one can hope. I do feel that as far as Heathrow is concerned, remaining as it will be, under the iron fist of the BAA, that it could very well be a lost cause. It would be really nice to be proved wrong. Well, that’s my take on it for what it’s worth.