Hello chaps,

Rog, never heard of anything like it. I think it must surely be a feature, not a bug. Possibly a browser hiccup?

Sometimes I've had to throw my mouse into the concrete wall in an attempt to beat it into submission or to break its back when I've been trying to move the cursor to a specific point in my text to edit something, and that cursor won't budge an inch.

Folks,

MG:

How do you throw just the backspace key against a wall? It is most likely another irritating indication that this steam powered computer system is well past its trash by date.

I have downloaded and installed the mission editor. It won't allow me to make changes in 'Historic' missions for a "What If" scenario but the rest seems to be functioning. Thanks again PV1.

We were on patrol over Manston when we chanced upon a number of unfriendlies. It was afternoon and the weather was poor. We fell upon the Hun from angels 12. They saw us coming down and scattered. I latched on one fellow's tail and here are some screen shots taken by C51 who was cruising nearby in his baby blue Stearman:

Folks,

My wingman fired but overshot. The 109 turned away and did not follow and I caught him a withering blow across the fuselage and wing. I failed to mention that in the first shot the 109 has, as a result, now lost a large part of a wing which you can spot falling away and you can see my wingman just going out of frame. In the final shot you can see a good chute. The war is over but not his life for that chap.

JRT,

You clobbered him good. He has a grandstand view of his Emil going down and will soon be reunited with it for a taste of the English Channel.

Chaps,

Let me be the first to light up the HWH green.

Perhaps eventually...

Folks,

Dux:

Go right ahead mate. wait! You haven't been eating pea soup again have you? Here is a photo C51 passed on to me for our enjoyment. This one taken in the air museum.



Here is what he wrote:

"I was happy last week to see my first BF109, and I noticed that it is noticeably smaller than the Hurricane that was parked beside it. I also had - thanks to Joe [The museum curator and Stearman pilot]- my first peak inside a Spitfire cockpit. It was quite compact but not as small as the 109s seemed to be, although the 109 cockpit wasn't accessible. You really do have to wear the aircraft."

Chaps,

JRT,

Reminds me of S/L Paul Day's comment (of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight) when comparing the two. "Given that the opposition was the Spitfire, I wouldn't have been comfortable with the cramped cockpit and visual limitations imposed by the heavily framed canopy of the 109".

Folks,

Dux,

Yes indeed. Though the 109 proved itself a worthy adversary in the right hands it is a wonder that the great Luftwaffe pilots like Galland, Molders, or Hartmann much less the average German pilot did so well as they did considering the constraints of fuel and the other shortcomings of the 109 E when taking on modern British fighters. However I must admit that when I have flown a 109 in BoB or IL2 visibility in the cockpit and short time over the target may have been issues but I never felt the least bit cramped....

Unlike many of you chaps; I've never seen a Hurricane, Spitfire or 109 in flight or even in a static display. Perhaps I can make it to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum again one day? I expect they have examples of most WW2 fighters and bombers by now.I have a 3" thick coffee table book showing the exhibits that were there back in the 80s.

C51 writes that the Lanc Project has fallen upon hard times. You'll remember his mentioning that in the past. He and a number of skilled and unskilled volunteer enthusiasts put in a huge amount of labor on restoring that historic old lady. They lost their building and all has been moved elsewhere. He does not seem to have any information as the future prospects (if any)for the project. He does however stay in contact with a few of the fellows. They tried everything they could think of to hold on but there was too much money at stake for those who wanted the building for other purposes. It's a shame really.

JRT,

Sorry to learn about the faltering Lancaster Project. Over here things are somewhat better. Historic aircraft are restored mainly through public subscription and fundraising events like the unlikely Avro Vulcan success which resulted in that huge aircraft being restored to full airshow flying condition. Others are rebuilt for static display only but are constructed exactly to original specification with just the C of A lacking.

I wish them the best of luck in finding alternative hangarage and the funds necessary to complete the project.

I see management has moved us to the basement since my last visit. Well, we shall just have to sing louder and party harder then!

Such a shame about the Toronto Lancaster. As the years go by I would have thought that more and more people, corporations and institutions would be able to appreciate the historical value of maintaining a few representatives of a very important part in our shared history, with Lancs coming off the line in Canada and that same nation supplying many aircrew as well as training for Britons thus cooperating to defeat the common foe, and common he was.

I've just recently enjoyed "Luck and a Lancaster" by Harry Yates and can recommend it wholeheartedly. It is a very good and readable book about just such aircrew from Britain receiving training in Canada and then going on to fly and complete a tour of operations.

Apparently there is another Lanc restoration project in swing in Canada, of which I was made aware when watching a short documentary on YouTube, I think. FM212 is (hopefully) being restored in Windsor Ontario: http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/aviation/ch2a-avro-lancaster-fm212-restoration-23100.html