There I was minding my own business...

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vernon

vernon

Harder than Ronnie Pickering
Location
Meanwood, Leeds
Does no one else struggle with the notion of Vernon minding his own business?

Yesterday I was trying very hard to mind my own business sitting on a bench on the village square at Ainderby Steeple on my way to Northallerton Station when a troubled young woman insisted on sharing her business with me. She was from Bournemouth and trying to visit her sister in Bedale who'd called the police claiming that she was being harrassed by her. When I tried to molify her by saying it was probably a misunderstanding she then revealed that the local police had warned her that she's be arrested if she entered Bedale and that she was coming to the end of a two year exclusion order preventing her from seeing her mother. I made more mollifying noises and suggested that contrary to her assertions that her whole world was at an end there were plenty of opportunities to be happy if she looked hard enough for them - big mistake! She then asked to come back to Leeds with me. I made as speedy an exit from Ainderby Steeple as I could.

I didn't see that one coming!
 

slowmotion

Quite dreadful
Location
lost somewhere
lightnin.jpeg
The Vulcan could out climb Hawker Hunters much to the chagrin of their pilots.
Has anybody seen an English Electric Lightning? They first flew in 1954 and had an initial rate of climb of 50,000 feet per minute. I was told that they could easily have exceeded that figure but the nose wheel retracted forward so the pilot had to keep the speed down after take off so that it l could fold in against the air resistance. I think it could be over Iceland in twenty minutes. There used to be one at Cranfield, privately owned by a New Zealand sheep farmer who would take it out for a fast taxi down the runway. A great sight and an even more incredible noise. Judging by the blast of heat from the aircraft, I wouldn't want to be the one picking up the fuel bill.
 

Beebo

Firm and Fruity
Location
Hexleybeef
The Vulcan flew over me as I was walking the dog the other day, near the Duxford airshow. Yes, it is undeniably a stirring and almost beautiful sight, but I nonetheless felt a chill remembering its purpose. It did a hugely impressive climb and roll, which is presumably what it would have done after releasing an atomic bomb.
Having read the book about the Vulcan's bombing run on Port Stanley, the pilots seemed well aware that dropping the bomb on St Petersburg was probably a one way trip.
I would recommend the book to anyone, it's called Vulcan 607. The logistics of putting together the world's longest ever bombing raid is amazing.
 

PaulSecteur

No longer a Specialized fanboy
A few years backI went to an airshow at RAF Cosford and took the girlfriend (that wasnt really interested in aviation). As everyone massed to see the vulcan take off she took advantage of the lack of ques at the loos.

When we rejoined i commented on how loud the vulcan was and that she missed it.

Apparently... porta-loos amplify the sound of a vulcan on full re-heat. She missed non of the audio. I think a onesie may have become a two-sie!!!
 

gbb

Squire
Location
Peterborough
When I were a nipper the Vulcan was a common sight as we lived near to Bruntingthorpe, and then at school later in Lutterworth the Red Arrows used to do a practice (pre-season) display over the school.
As kids, we lived on various airbases, or nearby and used to hear Vulcans from Scampton or Waddington doing engine runs, a low deep rumbling blast for maybe 30 seconds that used to make our windows rattle...8 MILES away .


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Has anybody seen an English Electric Lightning? They first flew in 1954 and had an initial rate of climb of 50,000 feet per minute. I was told that they could easily have exceeded that figure but the nose wheel retracted forward so the pilot had to keep the speed down after take off so that it l could fold in against the air resistance. I think it could be over Iceland in twenty minutes. There used to be one at Cranfield, privately owned by a New Zealand sheep farmer who would take it out for a fast taxi down the runway. A great sight and an even more incredible noise. Judging by the blast of heat from the aircraft, I wouldn't want to be the one picking up the fuel bill.

Again as kids in the early 70s, a huge array of military aircraft could be seen, but ironically, i do remember seeing Lightnings, but very rarely. Probably because they were based in N Lincs, we were not too far away but i suspect most of their flightpaths were towards the North Sea and beyond.
Bucaneers, Phantoms, Jet Provosts, Canberas, even late Shackletons, Jaguars, Victors, late Hawker Hunters perhaps, early Nimrods, VC10s etc etc...its boring nowadays.
 

Gravity Aided

Legendary Member
Location
Land of Lincoln
A couple of years ago one of those helicopters with two whirly's flew low over my house. Thought the house was going to fall down it shook so much.
A Chinook? I see them alot, as they have refurbished them and kept many flying. Dogs let me know when one is coming by.
CH-47DF_DVD-1100-2_300x375.jpg
image from Boeing
 

Beebo

Firm and Fruity
Location
Hexleybeef
A Chinook? I see them alot, as they have refurbished them and kept many flying. Dogs let me know when one is coming by.
We even get these in central London on a fairly regular basis, often flying in pairs. They follow the line of the Thames in case they need to ditch.
 

gbb

Squire
Location
Peterborough
What do you mean, 'nowadays'?
Perhaps i should say..it's still exciting (if that's the right word)...just not so often. As kids, we'd see aircraft everywhere. We were a forces family which brought us closer to it all, but flying is more restricted nowadays, probably to save cost.
 
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