GPWdriver

Tony A quick internet search reveals that this system was proposed by BAe and I have seen a photo of a twin stick Harrier under the rig. MoD dropped the project and BAe didn't go any further with it. Reminds me of the 1940's concept for rotary launching fighters from a giant rotating arm.... Bob

Operation Glimmer - Stirlings 214 Sqn, window dropping Boulougne. Operation Titanic - Halifaxes, Stirlings and Hudsons dropping "Ruperts" i.e. dummy parachutists and SAS teams to spread mayhem. It worked. RAF Stirlings, USAAF Fortresses and Liberators provide Mandrel screening to the invasion force. 101 Squadron from "Mudford" Magna use their ABC equipment to disrupt enemy broadcasts. Nowadays we could do all of this by starting an internet rumour and watching the panic spread.........:-D

Don't forget that on 11 October 1956, Valiant WZ366 dropped Britain's first atomic bomb at Maralinga, Australia. XD818 always overshadows the orginal A bomb drop. I knew the co pilot of WZ366 for several years. After dropping, the procedure was to do a 180 and run away. The crew were warned about the shock wave from the blast and having felt it shake the aircraft, they all started relaxing. What the boffins forgot to tell them was that another shock wave was reflected from the ground back into the atmosphere............cue a second shake.:-D Practice drops of inert Blue Danube weapons were made on the Jurby ranges, some dropping visually. Allegedly, one of these visual drops caused a stir when the bomb appeared to be formating beneath the Valiant! this was caused by the nature of the airflow around the bomb bay.

My MOT station won't test the handbrake on the rolling road as it may snap the rear halfshafts. My tester has experience with early Landrovers which apparently had this design feature. Last time we did a brake check, we went on the rolling road and tested the service brakes and had a jolly in the car park with a "G" meter. The phrase was "I can feel them working.":-D Most pragmatic testers realise that the jeep is not an everyday vehicle and treat it as it should be. My advice would be to use an MOT shop who either do a lot of agricultural 4x4 or have an HGV testing facility. Gross generalisation, but in my opinion, these testers see a wider variety of vehicles and are very pragmatic whilst also staying legal. Gazza, if you are in or near to Cambridgeshire PM me and I can let you know who I use.

I do hope this will be EU OPS-1 compliant with liferafts, oxygen masks and door slides................:-D Dakman where art thou?? Give me a C46 Commando - twice the load lifter and pressurised for comfort. Just what one needs before taking to the door over Europe:shake:

I'd like a section on RAF Pinnaces between May 1931 and October 1932 only. After that time, the RAF bought any old Pinnace....... As for the Army - floaty things - think "Brown Jobs". Hoist the Gin Pennant!!

Okay latest update from the sun swept fens of Cambridgeshire. I decided to disc sand the frame to get rid of the flaky paint and rusty bits. So far so good. I was given a few 3M Roloc discs by a mate and I am pretty impressed. Found more of the sacred "F" marks and underneath the British Bronze Green is US Olive Drab. For some reason, a previous owner has welded shut the "jigging" holes in the rear frame. This is a Ford thing and allowed Henry to make Jeeps at a a cracking rate. The rear cross member was originally painted all white over the OD. Presumably, this helps in the blackout?? No piccys at the mo' because it was very dusty dirty work out there today.

If you say so dear.......:hug: What is the wheel in the middle for? Is it for going over rough ground or for steering a ship?

My grille doesn't have the dip either.

Chaps and chapesses, I can go one better. This afternoon, as I was chewing the cud with the window cleaner, we heard a mighty roar...... Turning towards us was the Vulcan, on final approach to Cambridge Airport.:banana: What was strange was that although over 15 years had passed since I last saw her, it all felt very normal. But what a beast........... All hail the V force.:yay: Bob

Very nice, well done Steve!!

Overflowing fuel is a problem for any aircraft that has been fully tanked. As Adam says, if the aircraft were fuelled during the night or when the outside temperature was low, the subsequent rise in air temp would cause expansion and overflow. Speedbird 747's at Gatwick used to taxi out dribbling fuel from the wingtip vents. We always wondered what the PAX must have made of it. Used to leave a lovely trail on the taxiway. The Victor had two ram air turbines dorsally mounted. If memory is correct, they used to deploy when engine power went below 80%. I can imagine the fun as the AEO tried to get all the electrics back online. Then to find out that the Artouste APU wasn't working as well.... If you can't take a joke......

Sorry Catweazle How could I ignore you! What happened to this forum was far more serious than Heathrow. I'd like to shake the web host firmly by the throat.

Snapper, Exactly how are the cockpits different? Experience tells me that there isn't a lot of room in a Harrier cockpit. You can adjust seat height and that is about it. As for the names, they often appear to be stencilled on. When you get up close to planes you will be amazed at how scabby they can appear, with bits painted over or peeling off. For in theatre ops, the aircraft used to be painted in a kind of alkali based distemper. I agree with Jessie, but matching curtains are soooooooooo last season.

Thanks for the encouragement Rik. The chassis holes are a GPW thing. Apparently, they make the frame "lighter". Yeah right. More like Henry was trying to save money. Will post more as time goes by.