Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[Geo the Sarge]

East Fortune Airfield, just outside Edinburgh, hosts a flight museum and  has a static Vulcan bomber and also a Concorde.

Been a few times, extraordinary amount of old planes in what is a fairly non-descript location. rather annoying that East Fortune is known more for it's Sunday market (which is crap.)

May take a trip down soon and gather some pics.

http://www.nms.ac.uk/museumofflighthomepage.aspx


Geo

[Jon MW]

Speaking of big aircraft

Does anybody know why Chinooks would be regularly flying around and occasionally landing near Robertsbridge (that's between Battle and south of Tunbridge Wells if that helps anyones geography)

Because I can't work out any RAF places close enough for it to make sense



Mightily impressive they are too

[Geo the Sarge]

Speaking of big aircraft

Does anybody know why Chinooks would be regularly flying around and occasionally landing near Robertsbridge (that's between Battle and south of Tunbridge Wells if that helps anyones geography)

Because I can't work out any RAF places close enough for it to make sense



Mightily impressive they are too

Wonderful machines indeed JW.

Robertsbridge has an aviation museum, they may have some sort of event on. May also be that they are doing some large scale refurb and are using contacts to have the Chinooks do some heavy lifting.

http://www.villagenet.co.uk/esussex-iron/attractions/content/robertsbridge-aviationmus.html


Geo

[Geo the Sarge]

BTW,

Did I ever tell you about the time a mate and I tried to pinch a Wessex helicopter in Lydd?

Geo

[NoflopsHomer]

Not the last Vulcan,This one was flying till recently.

Correct, my apologies.

Rushed research = bad research.

In fact, I now gather there are THREE Vulcan's remaining in seviceable, or semi-seviceable, conditiion. This I assume excludes the one at Duxford.

I really must sort out that outing to Duxford. I seem to recall that Red, Ralph, Tonji, & a few others were all up for it. I'll have a gander at my Diary, I really want to do it. In fact, dammit, I'm gonna go next week if I can round up a few who are interested.

Hopefully they'll live long and prosper.

[Jon MW]

Speaking of big aircraft

Does anybody know why Chinooks would be regularly flying around and occasionally landing near Robertsbridge (that's between Battle and south of Tunbridge Wells if that helps anyones geography)

Because I can't work out any RAF places close enough for it to make sense



Mightily impressive they are too

Wonderful machines indeed JW.

Robertsbridge has an aviation museum, they may have some sort of event on. May also be that they are doing some large scale refurb and are using contacts to have the Chinooks do some heavy lifting.

http://www.villagenet.co.uk/esussex-iron/attractions/content/robertsbridge-aviationmus.html


Geo

This is over the last few months.

Also I found that site but I thought that the museum really didn't seem to be of a sufficient scale in terms of importance or size to have anything as cool as chinooks involved

I think I might return to my previous theory that there's a top secret base hidden in the fields somewhere

[tikay]

Speaking of big aircraft

Does anybody know why Chinooks would be regularly flying around and occasionally landing near Robertsbridge (that's between Battle and south of Tunbridge Wells if that helps anyones geography)

Because I can't work out any RAF places close enough for it to make sense



Mightily impressive they are too

Recently, or always, Jon?

They had a bunch of Chinooks down that way during the G20 thing, for Military security. They were painted plain black, not sure why.

I can only recognize three aircraft by sound alone - Spitfire, 747, & a Chinook. The deep "woof-woof" sound of a Chinook is unmistakeable. I'd not go up in one, mind, sod that.

[Bongo]

I'd be interested in a trip to Duxford!

[booder]

Not the last Vulcan,This one was flying till recently.

Correct, my apologies.

Rushed research = bad research.

In fact, I now gather there are THREE Vulcan's remaining in seviceable, or semi-seviceable, conditiion. This I assume excludes the one at Duxford.

I really must sort out that outing to Duxford. I seem to recall that Red, Ralph, Tonji, & a few others were all up for it. I'll have a gander at my Diary, I really want to do it. In fact, dammit, I'm gonna go next week if I can round up a few who are interested.

Hopefully they'll live long and prosper.

sigh..

[Jon MW]

Speaking of big aircraft

Does anybody know why Chinooks would be regularly flying around and occasionally landing near Robertsbridge (that's between Battle and south of Tunbridge Wells if that helps anyones geography)

Because I can't work out any RAF places close enough for it to make sense



Mightily impressive they are too

Recently, or always, Jon?

They had a bunch of Chinooks down that way during the G20 thing, for Military security. They were painted plain black, not sure why.

I can only recognize three aircraft by sound alone - Spitfire, 747, & a Chinook. The deep "woof-woof" sound of a Chinook is unmistakeable. I'd not go up in one, mind, sod that.

At least a couple of months, and none since the G20.

The ones we saw were standard camouflage colours not black - although you never know how shortly before the G20 itself they could have gone in for a respray.

So definitely feasible.

It looks vaguely silly to call it a, "deep "woof-woof"" sound - but it does precisely describe the noise - very handy to give us time to get out the office to have a gawp.

[tikay]

I'd be interested in a trip to Duxford!

You'd be very welcome to come along - details of when will be Posted on here. I keep putting things off, it's time I got to work on my Bucket List.

They do "Pleasure Flights" (a misnoner) in 1930's Bi-Planes, off Grass Runways - make your hair stand on end. Not that you need help there.

[kinboshi]

Not the last Vulcan,This one was flying till recently.

Correct, my apologies.

Rushed research = bad research.

In fact, I now gather there are THREE Vulcan's remaining in seviceable, or semi-seviceable, conditiion. This I assume excludes the one at Duxford.

I really must sort out that outing to Duxford. I seem to recall that Red, Ralph, Tonji, & a few others were all up for it. I'll have a gander at my Diary, I really want to do it. In fact, dammit, I'm gonna go next week if I can round up a few who are interested.

Hopefully they'll live long and prosper.

sigh..

I LOLd.

[kenjude]

Can the tower guys get in to serious trouble for little jokes like that?

I would imagine the rules are very strict at the major airports but probably a bit more relaxed at less busy ones.

When I was into simming I knew someone on-line who worked in ATC at the Isle Of Man, and from discussions with him it would seem there could be quite a bit of banter between tower and aircraft.

I guess it's all about them being professional enough to know when's right and when's not right for banter.

I once spent a fascinating couple of hours listening to the Manchester tower on my scanner while staying in a Travel Inn near the airport. There was a major storm and quite a bit of chat between the tower and the pilots of the last few flights of the night that they were trying to get away. It was all quite entertaining if you're interested in aviation.

The last flight to the IoM lined up multiple times on the runway pointing the nose in slightly different directions trying to find a gap in the storms on their weather radar  through which they could escape Manchester. When I mentioned this to the guy I knew he said Manx pilots were under massive pressure not to have flights cancelled because of the cost of overnight hotel rooms for passengers.

[Bongo]

Random photo time!

Mexico: Giant Selenite Crystals!

In 2000, one of the most unusual and splendid caves was found in Mexico by miners. Located only a mile from an upthrust of magma, this cave is 112 degrees Farenheit and at 90-100% humidity, limiting greatly the amount of time explorers can spend in it. It is a spectacular cave, with gigantic crystal formations thought to be 600,000 years old.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

[tikay]

Stunning pics, Bongo!

Where/how do you find all these?