Folks,

A warm partly sunny summer day here in Dixie. The current temp is 87°F. / 31° C. humidity is 70% and the dew point is 72%. It might not be 100° in the shade but it sure isn't winter.

I wonder what Danes dream of in very warm weather? Probably more warm weather.

If it continues to be blazing hot in Texas, Fittop is probably sipping a cold beverage dreaming he is on oxygen at 30,000 feet riding in something fast with a window open. It sounds good but that might be hazardous to his health. Naw. He's dreaming of a Caribbean island, crystal clear blue water and a Margarita in both hands... and only one of those Margaritas is a drink.

Y'all,

Grin, I do remember the "Salesman's Courses" taken when I got a RE salesman and then broker's license. That was a long time ago, but it does not seem to have changed.

Decided it was the last chance to attempt taking advantage of morning temperatures and finally cut the grass on the third morning attempt. -Too wet the last couple of mornings. Alas, could only get half of it before the heat index got to me, so I cleaned the loose stuff and will give it a try in the morn again.
It was actually cooler late this afternoon after the thunder bumpers dumped too little rain, but I was cooking by that time.

It was accompanied by first a leftover beer and then white wine since it was crab cakes I made.
Actually the dream of breathing cool dry oxygen occurs when going to the dentist and the nitreous oxide is first inhaled. It does bring back those memories when the altitude first dries off the sweat off the flight suit, your ears have popped and acclimated and you've run the pressure checks. That, the simulator can not yet do; or at least I can't afford one that can.

That does bring up the minor point that I don't remember many daytime simulator sessions. It may come as a surprise that they are almost always staged at nighttime.

Yes, I am ready for a clear blue water beach, a cold drink, margarita or a very smooth rum piña colada and a smiling hair-blown face softly looking at me from under an umbrella or coconut tree. Just make sure not to sit under a coconut because when it falls ...that can ruin your day.

Gens,

Just checking in from hot, overcast Copenhagen. There’s a light drizzle in the air but the 2 1/2 months of draught is continuing. On one of my bike rides I spotted an RC model of a biplane being flown very expertly with aerobatics and stunting, from the local RC field. I think the model was a Tiger Moth or something like that.

Roger, I can’t remember many of my dreams, in fact in this heat, close to 25 C during days and nights, it is becoming increasingy difficult to sleep. Wien I remember any of my dreams I find I am being visited by loved ones who have passed away.

Folks,

We are advised to expect 92°F. for our high today. That would be with high humidity and up to a 50% chance of showers after 4 PM. Some storms may contain heavy rain and strong winds. OK. It is summer in Carolina. I can deal with that. Just keep the hurricanes away.

I hope it is cooler and maybe wetter for you Fittop. Good lord Fittop.... wine a AND beer? Ha! The sickest I can remember ever surviving in my older teenage years was from having beer and wine together. That was at a High School play's after party. No, I shouldn'ta hadn'tna oughtna dood that. I learned that the hard way... as usual.You are a stronger man than I. I was truly a novice drinker back then, I had never had more then one beer before that. A Bud chased by a few good sips of cheap wine seemed OK to me though my date advised against it. Despite the fact she was going with me, she was a very smart girl.

That single episode taught me a good lesson about drinking that I never forgot. I got my girl home safely and on time thank goodness. But I was, however, late getting in as I sat in my car in front of her house for quite a while until I felt well enough to drive home. For a time it seemed a tossup whether I'd go home or the emergency room. I said I was a novice.

MG:

"Overcast in Copenhagen", sounds a bit like the title of a book about flying the mail in the 20's and 30's. So, the drought continues. Then I am surprised that you do not dream of rain. I hope you will have several days of slow, soaking, drought breaking rain very soon.

Yes. Those RCs are fascinating to watch, especially the larger scale jobs piloted by a good stick. At distance, I can often not tell they are not full scale. I was looking at a YouTube video just yesterday that featured a very large scale Connie with a perfect TWA paint job. Incidentally, that reminds me, I once worked for a company owned by KLM. Odd, how the Dutch Airline just popped into my memory because I mentioned Howard Hughes' TWA.

Hi Y'all,

You are giving me too much credit, JRT. The beer was a leftover less-than-half bottle from making beer batter the day before.
But I was in the kitchen and thirsty.
I usually enjoy a glass of wine before or during dinner. That's a lot less than when I had someone to share a bottle back when.

That was always consumed after any outside driving activities. The hard stuff in the cabinet is mostly older than my granddaughter and I occasionally find a bottle that has lost its zest for life due to cover failure.

Of course the good rum is long gone and the aged good stuff is only rarely shared. The añejo sherry and the good port is treated like gold. The Harvey Bristol Cream used to be only tapped when an old roommate and fellow wingman dropped by. The last full bottle is held on standby for a last hurrah.

Don't expect him to drop by much anymore.
The last bottle we opened but didn't finish is covered with a new top and Saran Wrap and I tip it only on special occasions on late evenings.
Last time was when I finally watched a particular reel of The Viet Nam War. That was the second try at watching it 'cause I could not bear to finish it the first time.
Couldn't find it on PBS, but have tracked it down on Netflix presently.

Was trying to remember the last time I rode a Connie, 1970, I think and still wondered about the flames coming out of the engine exhaust pipes.

Folks,

Congratulations gentlemen (and you too Dux)!!! We now have over 20 million views! Last time I looked, we still had a ways to go. Shall we try for 30M ? 😉

OK, you can't go down to your favorite market and buy a can o' beans with that. It is very nice to know someone is out there in the shadows ireading. If only they would visit and also post.

Y'all,

The congratulations and thanks go mostly to you, JRT.
You are by far the biggest contributor to the success of this thread, providing tales and observations that inspire and cajole others.
Thank you and the rest of the "old-timers". Yes, I am using the term meaning experienced, ya young whippersnappers.

Gentlemenses,

Congratulations to all of you who have kept this going. I am a rather new participant. Not only am I new, but I can’t spin engaging tales like you all.

Weather here is crappy. I recently changed the wingtips on my airplane. These are the modern style that have some “droop” in them rather straight to the end. This helps reduce the effect of wingtip vortices and are supposed to give 1 or 2 mph to cruising speed and reduce stall speed. Both of those are very minor gains, but I will gladly take any improvement. Oh, another advantage is that they add 8 inches of wingspan combined. That means a bit more lift and associated load capability. I will ignore that claim and stay with my POH load listings. But, that should give me a bit more margin at full load.

Biggest benefit is that they improve the appearance of the plane. I can post photos if anyone is interested.

Was test flying them and was unsatisfied with my landings. I figured I was just rusty because I haven’t flown in a bit because of time spent putting on the new tips and getting the wiring right for my strobes and navigation lights and days of bad weather. Snuck in a flight this morning before the weather closed in. Was going to do some touch and goes to get my feel back. I do not always look back at my flaps to confirm their deployment. You can usually feel them and the different pitch and drag. Well, this morning I made it a point to observe them. First notch of 10 degrees was normal. When I went to 20 degrees I questioned whether I got the expected result so I craned my head around and didn’t see them further deployed. On final just before threshold I put in for 30 and I checked again (never having done so on final before). No joy. They were at 10 degrees instead of thirty. I informed the tower that I was doing a stop and go rather than a touch and go. After stopping I cycled the flaps and again got 10 but no twenty or thirty. Damn. Did the takeoff as normal and circled back in pattern for another landing. 10- good , 20 - echhhh, 30 - ecchhhhhhh. Landed and told tower I was returning to hangar. While taxiing I cycled the flaps again. This time got all three. Cycled again and only got the 10. Damn. In front of hangar I cycled again and only got the 10. Thought I would shut down and restart to see if that had a “reset” to my flap actuator. Did so and - nope. Next cycle was good. Ok, something is happening in the actuator. Shut down and tried just on battery power. No good.

Oh my. Fortunately I am doing my annual this weekend and can hopefully sort it out during that. May need new actuator. Problem is that with a vintage aircraft is parts availability. Just another thing to keep me worried.

And that’s what happened.

Folks,

Another quiet summery day. Temps in the high 80's F. humidity very low (25-35%) .... unusual for July around here but appreciated.

Fittop:

Another goal reached by this thread. I had hoped to reach it by our anniversary. You are far too kind. We all contribute one way or another according to our talents and desires. I haven't written a much of a tale in quite a while other than a few items regarding personal experiences. The ones safe enough or long past their legal arrest limit.

OG:

We all thank you I'm sure. Maybe we can make it another million with interesting flight posts like yours. Do please post a pix.

Here is a little something I photoshopped today in celebration.

Y'all

And the man with the real airplane says he can't spin tales...That was a great "there I was" story -with a happy ending I might add.
Well, happy that it all ended up well with no short field landing into a corner.
A real flying story to boot. OK, sorry that you might have to go searching for an actuator; but you're well, the airplane is in one piece and a good pat on the back is merited for that intuitive visual check on the flaps.

Yes, please post photos.

BTW, I am also a new guy here, doubt it's been much over a year., just got enticed by the tales and stuck around to read the archives. Have not finished them yet and remain envious of those who .managed to open BOB successfully.

Like your medallion, JRT.
That's a lot of ink and devotion through those years from all you guys, whether no longer posting or here opening our eyes to the rest of the world.
Yes, I enjoy reading about the *Shires, the beaches on the east side of the pond or the Danish roadways and specially about the antics in those areas.

Folks,

Our day so far has been partly sunny and warm.Right now the temp is 76°F. / 24° C. with the likelihood of thunder showers later in the day coming from the south. Ditto for the weekend weather with a high of 90° on Sat.

Fittop:

Thanks for the compliment. I have recently upgraded to the very newest version of Photoshop CC. I now struggle to learn how to do what I could instantly do with Photoshop CS2 years back. Yes, there are new features. Many. Yet over the years since CS2 so many changes have been made to the program I feel like a novice again. The graphic of the medal is small. Reduced in order to upload here. Everyone knows that you can click on an attachment and see a bigger version, righ? What's that LeRoy? Why would anyone want to see it enlarged, you ask? So you think the smaller the better for anything drawn by me? OK, I see your point. Kinda like your huge nose... I see it but I don't necessarily like it.

Gents,

Congrats on the many millions of views! Avery fine commemorative badge you have produced Roger. As always, sterling stuff!

oldgrognard; thank you for sharing your recollection of a real life flying tale, far more interesting and appreciated than you perhaps give yourself credit for.

I can again report of sunny, warm, summer conditions. Forget about Elvis. forget about Hitler. Bambi lives!!!!!! I saw her crossing the road in front of me on today's bike ride. One tiger striped cat was also accounted for. Now I am a happy man.

I was not so happy Monday, when on my excursion to the beach and the seaside, on three separate occasions I very nearly augered in, went for a burton, Top-hole. Bally Jerry, pranged his kite right in the how's-your-father; hairy blighter, dicky-birded, feathered back on his sammy, took a waspy, flipped over on his Betty Harpers and caught his can in the Bertie.

In spite of wearing my new helmet with added yellow decoration for increased visibility mind you, my fellow Danes seem to have gone soft in their heads from this prolonged period of sunne, warm weather. I was very nearly the victim of a "car turning right hitting cyclist" on two separate occasions that day, and coming up to a gentle blind curve in the road with and added compression after the curve, two farmers had stopped their cars, one in each lane, having a nice old pow-pow. No considerations for traffic safety whatsoever. I had to throw the anchor to the extent that my rear tire lifted into the air, before I managed to steer for the narrow gap on the right side of the road. Luckily I'm here to tell the tale and so far I have been able to spot most of these situations prior to them becoming critical and thus in time to plan my defensive strategy.

Hello Chaps,

Rain this afternoon but we can't complain after 4 weeks of glorious summer weather. Off to Derbyshire on Sunday for a few days after time spent repairing the tailskid and u/c wiring on the Fokker. It needs a new length of rubber for the 6 strand 'motor' and an acre or so of long grass. :eek

'K' is coming over your way Rog for a month in LA, working up for a bass position in a band. Hope all goes well for her. She will be with the Beach Boys when they tour over here next year. Maybe Mike Love will let her loose on bass for a couple of numbers!

Congrats to all contributors past and present for bringing us past the 20 million mark! An astonishing achievement.

Looking forward to the new film: Hurricane which features the Battle of Britain history of 303 Squadron Polish pilots. The top scoring squadron of that epic battle.

Folks,

MG:

Thank you for being a large part of the reason we could celebrate 20 million. Bambi...? That must have been a thrill for you both. I once lived right by the river. One day on a long walk in the woods by the river I spooked a doe and her fawn. The fawn was a bit older than Bambi in the story but that reminded me of the Disney story book Bambi I had as a child. My son lives on a farm. One night 3 or four weeks ago a large buck stepped out of the shadows and posed in the moonlight. My son was out having a smoke and also standing in shadows. He watched for a moment only before the buck melted back into the darkness and was gone. What a thrill sometimes provides.

Good thing you were not hurt by those inconsiderate motorists. When a kid I once was overtaken by a driver in a hurry. The road was dirt and also narrow. There was no room for both of us. No horn blowing was heard by me as the driver forced me off the road and into prickly bushes. To add insult to injury, when I hit the foliage I distinctly heard that driver cursing me for being on the road on a bike. I had a few scratches and the bike's handlebars were bent a bit, that's all.

Dux:

Other than myself, you have been here the longest. There were times that I could not be here and you held the fort. Thank you for that. Thank you for all the stories of Olga you have written plus many others.

Did you ever admi....obfusca... err...relate the true facts regarding how the Fokker came to be damaged? How are the other planes coming along?

K is really a bass player?? I thought it was only a lark fooling around with your guitar for the photographer. I did not realize she was a serious musician. Wow! The Beach Boys no less. I grew up when they were at the peak of their fandom. Everyone my age has their favorite Beach Boys song. Never met even one Beach Boy. My son knew Jimmy Buffet's keyboard player and played in a band with him. So he knew Jimmy well enough that we both got to talk to him on the phone one night. I met Elvis once. He was going incognito to Duke to dry out and staying with friends that had a professional connection to the colonel. I was invited to a very small party and actually asked to sign a total silence agreement.

See if the more than just a pretty face and multi talented K will send you some pix from her BB gig.

Chaps,

I'll send you some pics soon but off to Derbyshire in the early hours. K has made remarkable progress on bass recently - I'll see what I can send in relation to that next week.

The Fokker has been damaged here and there due to being moved about with bits becoming detached but now repaired. Just been looking at some improved colour schemes and ideas to add more detail.

Folks,

Overcast this morning but warm. 74°F. at 10:45 AM. Showers expected.

Dux:

Have a nice visit. I'm beginning to think you are homesick. I do hope your brother is not ailing. As for the lovely Fokker, I do not remember your flying her since the big move to Wales. Last I heard she was flying over the tall, green grasses of a pasture in Derbyshire. I had much the same happen to my large Sopwith. That now resides in storage a few miles distant. I spent one summer building and painting that kit. I could not build her today though I wish that I could. Just another passionate but forlorn memory from the oh so seductive past.

As that lovable scamp Bugs might say to a screaming Elmer who has been somehow locked in a bright, red rocket pointed toward a rendezvous with the moon. Boney Voyagee.

Folks,

We had a whopper of a rain storm very early this morning. It was still dark. The sound of the rain lashing at the roof and windows was the only sound competing for my attention with the sound of many flash flood notifications coming loudly from my phone on the bedside table. We were in no danger here and I knew that. Others perhaps were. I knew that too. It was all over here by 6 AM. The rest of the day was partly sunny.

I'm a southern boy. Born in Virginia, reared in "The Old North State" of North Carolina. That is where I have lived for almost 74 years. Yet all that time I have been, above all, a proud American. I have an interest in the Civil War. I have visited Gettysburg and other battlegrounds. The past two days I have been watching Civil War movies. Yesterday it was "Gettysburg" and today "Gods and Generals". I enjoyed both and recommend them to you.

You;ve read on this thread that my great grandma was a small child back then not too long after the war to know some participants. I can see her blue gingham dress, starched white apron and silver haired bun in the back hairdo right now. She was a proud lady who never suffered fools gladly. She was always gentle with me. She usually had a tart, red apple in one apron pocket. This she carved into pieces with a small two bladed, tortoise shell decorated knife that she ddew from her other crisp apron pocket. She fed the apple to me. Great Grandma actually knew Confederate soldiers who fought in what she referred to as "The Uncivil war.

I'd sit beside her in that old wooden swing set up in the shade in her backyard. Swinging slowly on a soft summer's afternoon, I'd quietly listen to enthralling stories from her own childhood. I never questioned the veracity of any of her recollections from the long past. One who had ever witnessed Great Grandma's wrath as I had knew better. I do not question them now though they were interesting and exciting tales indeed. I heard all about one young lad, a relative of 15 years or less. This boy ran away from home and joined the Confederate army as a drummer. He was at Fort Fisher when the Yankees took it. He escaped. There were 3 forts in NC at the time. Branch, Macon and Fisher. I have been to Fort Fisher and many times to Fort Macon.

I was told that a relative still has that young drummer's uniform. It was said to be so very small as to cause a sensitive person who looked upon it to tear up. Hewas with Joe Johnson at the final surrender ending both the "War of Independence" and "The war of the Rebellion" depending which side you were on. I watched both movies on Amazon Prime at what I consider to be a very low price, considering the entertainment value.

Gents,


The heatwave has officially been announced and the draught continues. Even to this Dane who is very fond of hot food, hot wome...., heat and warm climates it is almost too much. Alas, the toil of cycling to the beach almost every day and spend time there, being fabulous, it is hard work I tell you, but someone's got to do it!

Roger, While very fond of my grandma, especially when I was pre-teens, I never enjoyed the kind of relationship you describe with yours. I never had her tell me any stories from her own childhood, or her life for that matter. Grandma was quite a formidable presence: My younger cousins were intimidated by her, my school mates when visiting were scared as well, yet she never did anything, was perhaps just quiet, keeping herself a a little bit in the background.

Even my mom could be tight lipped and would quite a few times utter the line "does it really matter?" when I asked some naive question about the family's past. Mom always was a huge Anglophile, a character trait I've inherited. She told me the younger ones liked to wear home-knitted berets in the red white and blue colours of the RAF roundel.

In later years I've been wondering how the war and the occupation of Denmark 1940-1945 affected the people. My older sister and her husband, my brother-in-law owned a summer residence of the coast of Jutland where the Nazi's built their west-wall, defence against invasion from the Allies in Denmark and my brother in law has written a book about how the local inhabitants of the small town had to face a daily routine with the occupying forces, how they were given no options but to do ordinary business with the soldiers for example, at the local grocery store, for ciggies, tins of soup or whatever.

This relates to my grandmas generation, caught in circumstances beyond their control and doing what they deemed necessary to do in order to survive and protect themselves and their family from mishap. My grandfather died in 1943 from a brain tumour. Grandma apparently found a person of dubious loyalties and from what I have later learned he was a non-engaging character with two children of his own, which he didn't treat well. Details are sparse because obviously such an interlude (he was redacted out from the life of my family and the official narrative) was deemed embarrassing. did he have any connections with the Wehrmacht? I don't know. A younger sister of my Grandma, and you have to remember that this was a flock of 12 siblings so this sister was the youngest and most impulsive and some not very nice liaisons were hinted at within the family.

So this is just one very small example of how a war or occupation affects us, generations after the events.

Folks,

Warm and stormy here. Heavy rain again after midnight last night. Presently,our temp is 84°F. the humidity is 70%.

MG.

That was my maternal Great Grandma I was speaking of. My actual grandmother was born much later in 1900. It is possible she may have known men who had fought in the war between the states as there were some still living after 1900. I never heard her mention any. She could tell stories about living during the great Depression and WW1 and WW2. Mostly she read to me. I am sure my love of reading and learning to read early came from that.

It was a different time. A difficult time for everyone. The family was spared many of the privations of the depression as they were on a large and productive farm. The family was large so manpower/woman power was never an issue. Only the boys were allowed to go to school. That was a source of sadness for my very bright grandma. Her other sisters did not seem to mind. Eventually, Grandma, with help from her mother, taught herself sometimes using the boy's school books to read, write and do math. Then she taught her sisters.

Your country went through a perilous time indeed. I wonder, were those who consorted with the Germans treated as harshly as the French did their collaborators after the war? I've seen film showing how brutally the women collaborators were treated in France. I think the men fared slightly better...they were shot,weren't they? Surely it must have been tempting for loyal Danes to take a righteous revenge upon those who had not kept the faith.

The south during the Civil War was invaded as surely as was Denmark. Sherman's forces passed right through my hometown headed for the sea burning the cotton mill and other buildings, taking provisions, even tearing up the railroad in the bargain. Some of his men apparently watered their horses from the spring running on the property where I grew up . No, LeRoy, I wasn't actually there to witness any of that. I came along much later. You can ask Dux about the Roundheads and Cavaliers in your own civil war if you like. I am not sure which side he was on.

Y'all,

Enjoying the telling of the sacrifices made by men and women of all sides during the uncivil war.
I did not have an ancestor in this struggle, but I did have a couple in another similar one.
A great grand-father was mentioned in a book long lost about that war.

The closest family member who fought in WWII that I knew was a much-loved uncle .
Or as a high school teacher told my son's class, that would have been World War Eleven. Yes that was in this proud state.

My uncle survived and lived a peaceful life until he retired from the rat race. Didn't talk much about it. Somewhere I have the name of his ship. But the photo of his mates, proudly smiling, was lost to relatives of his wife. Oh well. He did talk about seeing a torpedo trail but I never heard how that ended.

I have just early memories of that war. Remember when peace came, and later the trips to the store for sugar and the coal shop to have fuel for the next day.
Do remember eating a lot of fish; just hated finding bones and needles in the fish. The highlight of a day was the five o'clock tea and cookies to tide us over until dinner. Yes, Charlie Chaplin cookies!
I think the whole world was readjusting then, but I did not find out about it until later.

Can not imagine an agricultural and partly mechanized society surviving unless there were children that would later help with chores while able bodied men were gone.
Those had to be some tough women, and kids and the few men that stayed behind.
Bet there are lots of stories that will never be told.
When we'd take a family trip to Alabama, more often that not a stop was made in sacred ground.