Yorkie370

And when all else fails, you could inflict some serious trauma by simply lobbing it at your opponent.

Almost as much fun as trying to get one out of a shoulder-holster worn under a suit jacket whilst waving your arms at a Puma.

Interesting. Perhaps either the PTB thought I'd be no great loss to the system, or the threat-level around Slipper City during my time there was low enough/risk of a cock-up high enough to preclude carriage. Glad you didn't need to try getting a Browning out of a daysack in a hurry.

WRT #5 - highly unlikely, except in the SARO blurb. Anecdotal evidence suggests that on a moderately warm day, the Skeeter was reluctant to perform with one up. #9 - could you be a little more specific? I may be able to help with AAC-type stuff. Or you could try banging your head against a brick wall/Museum of Army Faffing.

I doubt that those on roulemont tours carried PPW when off duty, although those of the UDR certainly did. I did a 2-year tour at HQNI and only carried a PPW when on duty. Dropping a HP when tripping round M&S could be embarrasing. Both were on duty, carrying out a handover of their op area. As an aside, AAC aircrew were generally armed as follows; BAOR & UK - Browning HP for the Pilot, SMG for his Aircrewman. NI Lynx crews (at least between 92 & 96) the Doorgunner was issued with a HP and a GMPG with 600 rounds 1B1T, while the front-seaters got a HK53 each.

Are the front and rear diff plates in that model of LR interchangable?

Looks to me like the lashings for securing the spare wheel on a LR Series 3 bonnet. If so, they should form a 'Y', with a hook on the end of the long leg which fits over a flattened hoop towards the front of the bonnet, while the ends of the shorter legs are secured by similar loops at the windscreen end of the bonnet. The mechanism is an 'over-centre' tensioner, with which to take up the slack. In practice, we would stuff hessian, exhaust extensions, and other sundry stuff under the strap as well, although leaving the security of a rather hefty wheel/tyre combo to a UV light-degraded bit of plastic was probably a little optimistic.

We (ie the AAC) had two per Sqn as Command Posts, until they were replaced by CVR(T) Sultan in 1981. AFAICR (there you go, another one) 669 Sqn never moved theirs from the time I arrived in May 79 until they were dragged off the park in August 81, although the old sweats would happily tell tales of derring-do in them.

Seen near me; Text on wing reads "THIS VEHICLE WAS THE PROPERTY OF THE HOME OFFICE".

Managed to aquaplane in a Sultan many years ago - although I can recall the experience as if it was yesterday - hanking down a wet road at about 30 mph. Once I'd figured out that using the levers wasn't going to alter where we'd end up, I pulled the seat pins to get my head out of decapitation-range and pumped the brake pedal in case 'cadence braking' might help. Finally came to rest about a foot outside an electricity sub-station. Very nice gesture from the victim in this instance. I wonder if the quoted '20 meters of fence' gets past the insurance assessor?

I think you're close with the 'taste sensation' bit. It's a special chemical that numbs your senses of taste and smell for the duration of your feast.

There's nothing better for business than the Royal seal of approval - just ask the boss of Harrods............. I wonder which glider Phil got from Santa.

Finningley was used as a support base rather than an operational Bomber Command airfield, so it's unlikely to have been carrying anything that glowed.

Arrse, Pprune, Flypast's 'historic' board, my own Corps' website, and the Consumer's Action Group.

These people may be able to help. http://web.ukonline.co.uk/lait/site/

Ran a 90 on a 2.5 n/a, and if I was looking for a short-haul mud-plugger I'd have another. Don't expect to go anywhere quickly, but it is a bombproof donk. If you try to push it, watch your oil consumption go up. For keeping up with normal traffic, it'd have be the 200tdi.

HTH. If he's got any interesting stories from the groundcrew perspective get them onto the linked thread - it'll make a nice change from tales of the winged master race.

He was driving HMS Brazen's Lynx, I was in a Gazelle ferrying HM's Governor to the Falkland Islands about on his valedictory tour. Weather was pants and we were pushed for fuel, when HRH comes barrelling out of the clag pretending to be a Spitfire pilot. Our pax, Sir Rex Hunt, who had been a Spitfire pilot, commented "Tell him to bugger off, or I'll phone his mum when I get back". In 13 years as aircrew I don't think I'd ever come that close to a mid-air, hence an adrenalin-fuelled rush to drag the pillock out of his seat and stick one on him. Fortunately for me his Observer got to me first.

Thanks, Clive. I thought it'd be from that part of the world.

Very nearly punched the second in line to the throne, on the refuelling point at Goose Green, after an in-flight tiff.

I rather think this is an Internal Security job, rather than fire-fighting, although at times blazing liquids may have been involved.

I'd like to see AOP9 XP286 airworthy again - I know where it is now, and remember clambering over it as a Spacey when it was with our squadron in Hull in the 70s.

In answer to the original question; Bristol Beaufighter rather than Mosquito - the Mossie had an uncanny knack of killing its crews when one or other Merlin failed at low airspeed, and its water-cooled engines were susceptible to damage from ground fire. The Hercules aircooled radials on the Beaufighter were more rugged, and could still get you home with a couple of cylinder heads shot away. Plus the airframe wouldn't warp or come unglued in flight. HP Halifax rather than Lanc, as the Halifax performed in more roles than the Lancaster. Due in part to Harris's own prejudices, the Lancaster gets too much emphasis. EE Lightning F6, the epitome of power. Or a P51-D, or a SIAI-Marchetti SF260. But not a Lynx.

I believe it is due to 6(RCAF) Group being Halifax-equipped until the last months of the war. The majority of the personnel on the sqns were RCAF, less Flight Engineers. There may have been a tacit agreement that, despite NA377 having been an A MkVII rather than a BIII, 'Friday the Thirteenth' was nearing completion for display in the UK, and that the next available airframe would go to Canada.

Culled from Wiki, and while the usual caveats regarding accuracy apply, I think they're pretty-much spot-on;