Folks,

Dux:



Who knew you had a Bible?

I find no fault with the fellow and even if I did this flame-free zone would not be the place to voice it. He is entitled to his opinion (and mine for that matter). As our FF put it, "It was damned honest of him to say so".

We know how proud SNAFU is of HWH and I think since this was the first negative post we've seen in over 4 years he showed great control of his emotions. It was one of his finest moments IMHO.

While I would love to think that everyone with an IQ above average room temperature who can read enjoys perusing our chatter and scanning our stories we know that isn't realistic. No one has ever come right out and said so before because there is very little reason to do so I suppose. We know that everyone is simply not partial to our unique thread. They just stay away in droves perhaps and the multitude of others who do enjoy what they find here visit as they often as they choose.

Many of our new squadron mates have never had the inestimable pleasure of meeting Olga my friend. Perhaps you might introduce them in a little story soon? Or perhaps I might post one from the voluminous archive. Have you a favorite?

JRT,

Who needs a bible with the world wide web at one's bedside?

Folks,

Dux:

The WWW by one's bedside? Quite true.

To each his own. Personally I can think of certain warmer and more enjoyable things to have by the bedside. No, I most emphatically do not mean Olga.

I just watched a program on PBS TV that brought you to mind. The program was about inventions by old Leonardo (no, not Di Caprio). They built a huge crossbow from one of his 500 year old designs and tested that. It worked but not well. The failure was more in the construction methods and not in the design I think.

Then they built a glider using his famous design, the one that looks like a bird's wing. The thing is they were testing the glider in the Peaks area of Derbyshire. It flew amazingly well. Problem was it had no roll control and it wanted to go nose up then tended to stall and go straight in. The highly qualified female pilot beat the Wright Bros. record for time and distance in the air significantly nevertheless.

I kept scanning the background in every scene figuring you wouldn't miss this for anything. Alas unless you were on all fours wearing a wool suit I never saw anyone that seemed likely to qualify as you.

Were you aware this was happening in your general area? I have no idea when this was filmed. The countryside was lovely. Lotsa green hills and sheep... no the hills were green the sheep were mostly white.

JR2

Can I ask you a question?

As an American from the fine State of North Carolina, why are you so interested in the Battle of Britain?

As a Brit, it is my heritage. Liking the Spit is like liking the Beatles - it's assumed. Ironically my favourite aeroplane (airplane) is the F4U Corsair (Birdcage version). So I have some explaining to do also.

Sorry if this has been dealt with before. It's a long thread.

Want to exchange notes?

Best wishes.

EF

Folks,

EF:

Over and over it has been my pleasure to find that those who frequent these halls have so much in common. Even with the likes of me.

The old F4U is and has always been a favorite of mine as well. My favorite Corsair ace is Greg "Pappy Boyington" and I have sung his praises and that of the gull winged "Ensign Eliminator" upon these pages many a time.

My favorite WW2 era Allied fighter planes are:

The Spitfire
The P51-D Mustang
The F4U Corsair
The P38 Lightning

My favorite Axis fighter planes are:
The BF109
The Zero
The Me 262

No surprises in that list of course.

Now speaking of lists. And specifically, as to why I, an American born and reared in the south, am interested in the "Battle of Britain".... here are just a few reasons:

1) I'm a military history buff with a strong emphasis on combat aviation
2) BoB was possibly the most important single strategic air battle of the war
3) Several Americans fought in that battle
4) I've always wondered what it would have been like to fly a Spit and take part
5) The Spitfire has always appealed to me
6) I have been an avid scale modeler and computer flight sim gamer for years. Rowan's BoB excited me from day one.
7) Mr. Churchill is one of my heroes and his eloquent speeches have greatly inspired me
8)The mental picture of the British people standing defiant on their island is worthy of great respect even today
9)War in and of itself holds no appeal for me, it is a horror and an abomination. Aggression is wrong for it brings men down below even the level of the savage beasts. On the other hand IMHO fighting to defend one's life, family and home is another thing altogether. Here man sometimes nobly rises to his finest hour. It is this then that really captivates me when I consider the Battle of Britain and the sacrifices of the few.

How could those brave lads, boys really, muster the courage and strength to go up over and over knowing the odds were against them? They were so unbelievably tired all the time yet they managed to gather their kit and climb into those cold cockpits without a whimper.

What was that actually like? We have a few survivors to tell us their story but they are going fast. There are books and movies but for me nothing has been like my on going experience with this flight sim. It can't provide a true representation of course, nothing could, but for me it comes closer than anything else and it is close enough.

JRT,

I missed that programme. There is plenty of scope around here for such ventures, with hills, slopes and several hospitals.

Gentlemen,

hirundo rustica

This valiant trio only left us a week ago...leaving it very late. They were a second brood with five in the first and just three the second time around. Just when we thought they had departed they would re-appear and were starting to give us some cause for concern as the weather went colder and wetter.

This of course has a direct effect on the insect population and without an adequate supply of food they would have no chance of reaching North Africa.
Hope the little blighters are well on their way.

We may see their parents again next year...

This post is included in the hope that it may elicit a reply from C51! :rolleyes:

Folks,

Dux:

Should he not respond quickly I will get the info that he is expected to report for duty to the gentleman in question ASAP.

No cold weather here as we have had an unusually extended summer. We in eastern NC have been experiencing drought conditions for some time now with very little rain since July (the exception being some rain from Hurricane Ophelia). This week we have been visited by the remnants of tropical storm Tammy and for the past two days we have had constant rain and expect this to continue at least another 24 hours. Sounds like Brit weather to me. Fortunately so far for all concerned it has been a rather light, slow rain so it will help relieve the desperately dry conditions. Having said that we are under a flash flood watch until 8 PM tonight.

I am sure that avid birder C51 will have a few choice comments regarding your pix.

Sorry you missed that interesting program, it would have been right up your street (in more ways than one it seems). Of course the Peaks area is large enough that you wouldn't have necessarily know the filming was going on unless it was in the papers or mentioned on TV.

Is Father Christmas still on schedule with his holiday aircraft building?

greetings lads,

nice try - I go on leave and when I get back the mess has moved. I had to sniff my way to the new location. good thing JRT left a trail of bottle caps.
SNAFU's creation rocks on!

Folks,

C51:

Welcome home again!

What a singular delight it is for me to have you posting again. Bottle caps? Let it be known to one all that it took a a trail of full bottles not just the caps to help C51 stumble his way here. It was he who left the trial of bottle caps and empties behind.

Erythromyacin who? Gastro hiruns what? Having internal distress on Thanksgiving are we? I knew Canadians were bi-lingual however I thought the 'other' language was French. OK, I get it, that was Latin for Swallow, right? Who knew Capistrano was in Africa? I always thought that was in California. Is there one in Canada too?

Oh, they so wisely spend the cold winter in toasty Africa.....I finally do get the picture now. Powerfully winged little world travelers aren't they? You birders have a wonder of avian knowledge at you fingertips all the time don't you.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and to your lovely Ladies "M" & "M". Hmmmm. That sounds like a ripping good name for a bag of those little candy coated chocolate buttons. I'll rush right out and patent the name before someone else does.