airship!

was in the Lake District last May, there were two spitfires flying low through the hills, the beat of the engines, made my hair stand on end they dont crackle like a radial, very nostalgic mo, as dad was a mechanic RAF, ww2 and he used to talk abt em

 

yep you can go to jail; dont pass go here, for thinking without permission

 

I never said it was quiet, I said it was moving a bit.

In fact most of the modern fast jets are incredibly noisy.

Tim B.

 

Airship

Time for another rambling tale from me.
My old dad, although a trawlerman, like many of his generation was inspired by young Bleriot's achievements in the air and with his brothers built a working replica of the flying machine - interesting when you ralise that ther is no 'airport' facilities on the Island of Barra - only the beach at low tide. (The flying machine was still hanging from the barn roof when we left for Australia 20 years ago). Any way at the outset of WWII dad an about a half dozen of his contemporaries were trained to fly Sunderlands as escort for the Baltic convoys (the logic being that they would have intimate knowledge of the coastline - as though the ships' crews wouldn't....) Another aside: Many of the convoys rallied off the coast near Oban at the west end of the Great Glen (route of the Caledonian Canal). Naturally those sneaky Luftwaffe pilots cottoned on to this and would follow the glint of moonlight on the waters as they came in from the east, down the glen, and bombed the **** out of the unsuspecting convoys.
Finally to the point. Dad and his fellow 'trawlermen/pilots' spent a very fruitful war - updating their charts from the air ready for the resumption of fishing when hostilities ended in 1945.
Here's a picture of what the 'well dressed trawler skipper' wore in 1942. Note the family nose....

 

very interesting that
Qiute the nice part of GB Oban, thats where I picked up my LR for the trek to Turkey I wonder of that wee plane is still (hanging) was it a biplane?I visited some big ex trawler points Cuzhaven being one they have a fishing boat museum there the port is stuffed now I think the russians still have there Atlantic and Super Atlantic class but the brits hadda sell theirs
Cod now theres nice tasting fish
thanks for you artwork,

 

meant Cuxhaven

 

Airship

Quite possibly still there Lazeyjack. Younger brother took over the 'auld hoose' on Barra when we left. He subsiquently sold up and now runs his own 'fish flying' 'rockclimbing' school for London toffs just outside Killin. Never mentioned the flying machine fate - though he was a flying 'buff' and probably took it with him. And no, it was a monoplane with, as far as I remember 'warping' wings in place of flaps. Certainly it was 'rumoured' by the old feller and uncles to have flown, though we youngsters were warned on pain of death (literally) not to touch. Being an honourable youth (and sh*t scared) I left her untouched apart from brushing the odd cobweb away.
Little seven-cylinder Gnome engine used to tick over nicely (it was seperate and clamped to a work bench.) But now you've prompted the memory I get in touch with the bro and see if he has any photos of same.
Variation on artwork available...