OT - One for the petrolheads / hstory fans...

[guest18]

Turn the speakers up to 11 and just listen to this!!! 

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NURSE! More tissues!! I think I've just come over all unneccessary 

[guest27]

Mmm

daka-daka-daka-daka Spitfire etc.

Hope they never try to see it on Ebay 

Now those of you who like such things - Who has read Richard Bach's "A Bridge Across Forever" - includes a lovely description of his crashing his P51 Mustang and totaling it - not such a good outcome.

The bit when he finds out "Jonathan Livingstone Seagull" has been selling is great too.

R

[guest27]

Sometimes things just look right

SR71

R

[guest18]

I spent ages looking for the clip of "attackattackattack" with the novice pilots, but unfortunately got distracted by half dressed WAAFs 


The scary thing about the SR71 is how modern, even futuristic it looks, it makes it quite shocking when the surroundings date it to it's actual era 
I can't help worrying that the political vision and drive that made futuristic projects like that possible are sadly lacking in todays world.
Depressing isn't it that we seem to need conflict, or the threat of conflict to drive significant scientific progress

[guest18]

ahah! Found one (or at list a little bit  )

 

[Steve Lake]

there was a chap up here in norfolk, owned a pub.......had a merlin engine in the fireplace, (exhausts up the chimney!)....after being primed with many pints (he and the merlin) of a friday night, he could be talked into firing it up....obvoiusly the place was full to the 16th century beams with petrol heads/aeronuts etc etc......don't think he ever needed the flu swept!.....those were the days.....mid 70's....he, and the merlin are long gone and sadly missed

[guest27]

Whilst looking at the SR71 I was distracted by a load of stuff on the X-Planes - I think I was in love with the X-planes as a kid, everyone else was getting their rocks off over some lass and there was me looking at pictures of the X-1 etc, X-15, last of the line before the US got into the space race - where would we be today if the X-plane program continued?  Mind I guess being as the x-15 is only a few months older than I am we are soulmates?  20,000lb of fuel in 2 mins also makes the RD500 seem fugal!

Remember trying to make jet and rocket engines, never worked, mind I did make some rather splendid gel fuel that then worked well in a home made flame thrower - ahh early teen years   

R

[Andy M]

where would we be today if the X-plane program continued? 

Google "Scram jet". The X programme is sort of still going, they've just found it cheaper to use unmanned vehicles.

Model wise, by Dad gets all misty eyed over something called Jetex/Jetix? Sound like a small solid fuel rocket motor for launching gliders and/or setting fire to wooden Spitfires. I'm sure it's banned now.

Andy

[guest27]

Was never allowed a Jetex motor - mind a friend used the ignition fuses to set off home meade devices that would now get you a visit from MI5

They were banned at one time and models running jet engines were also banned - but seem to be OK now - remember seeing Barns Wallace flying a model of Swift or Swallow and having to destroy it at the edge of the land where he had special permission to fly a jet engined model - was in a film about him released after his death.