SkippyBing

If you get the latest version of google Earth you can roll back the years and check out previous coverage, kind of neat now but if it goes for a few decades or more it'll be interesting to see how areas develop. The Canberras at Davis-Monthan are probably Martin B-57s, license built Canberras.

Err... could we not be based at Curacao? It's an excellent run ashore, there's Mambo Beach, a range of fine bars in the town itself and an array of fine looking women. And no I've never been to Camp Allegro so I have no idea what you're talking about.

Just spent ten minutes watching Channel 4 news getting overly hysterical about the event whilst simultaneously getting more things wrong about submarine operations than Gordon Brown managed about the UK's banking system. I was also impressed by how spectacularly uninformed CND seem to be about SSBN operations, considering their paramilitary wing camp outside Vanguard's home port you'd think they could have asked. Everyone seemed astonished that the two navies hadn't mentioned it before, whereas normally they like to tell you everything about deterrent patrols.

Having looked at the model of the A-6 variant, it looks a bit on the big side to be an A-4 replacement! You'd certainly not have got as many aircraft onboard which is always a consideration.

Here it is!

Gorgeous!

I've got a picture of it in a book on the A-6, looks quite tidy. Next time I've got the scanner working I'll post it here.

But surely Strike Fighters is a sim lite where pretty models are prized over flight model fidelity..... Repeat after me 'Stiglr is an ass' Be awesome if they can use their experience to accelerate flight model development.

Don't let the targetware fanboy hear you say that!

So to confirm, there's a film coming out featuring Amy Adams in f*** me boots and airplanes? It really doesn't get better than that.

The equivalent system in the Buccaneer was going through testing, anyway they wanted to avoid damaging the expensive targets which were designed to imitate the radar signature of a Smerlov cruiser as that was the original primary target, although you could target offset radar nav points etc. So a 400 yard error was programmed into the test aircrafts' nav attack systems. Interestingly this led to a number of direct hits, so after a bit of head scratching the boffins from Ferranti just plugged the 400 yard fudge into all the aircraft! Another point of interest, well to me at least, the Sea Vixen and Lightning weapons systems had a similar set up, where by the pilot would press the 'fire' button but it actually worked as a commit button in that it gave the system permission to fire allowing the computer to release the weapon when it reached the optimum launch point. Of course the difference was it was for the A/A weapons system which for the Vixen at least meant you could only launch Red Top/Firestreak if the computer wanted to, which may explain why a couple of rocket pods were the weapon of choice against a MiG-21 according to the Tactics Manual!

Not true, the Buccaneer and Phantom were both launched by a cable attached to the catapult as were all the American aircraft pre-Tomcat/Intruder. The largest things you can definitely get off those cats is Buccaneers and probably lightly loaded Phantoms. Not sure about the arrestor gear though... Unfortunately all four airworthy Buccs are lacking the hook on points for the strops having been built as S.2Bs, although I know where there are a couple of S.1s that could probably get off the ground... Just remembered the Rafale hooks on via the nose gear the same as modern US stuff so it should be possible to use either method as the cat will be dual purpose.

Catapult info for the Clem BS5 151ft 220ft 50,000lb@91kt (33,000lb@150kt) Eagle 1964 & Ark Royal 1970 [bow only]; Foch & Clemenceau For reasons that are too long winded to go into I have a handy graph of weight vs take-off speed using said catapult so if anyone has a list of carrier aircraft weights we can come up with a shopping list! Personally I reckon a Skyhawk'd be neat. Oh and my Bridge Watchkeeping Ticket is only about a year out of date so I could probably drive it without hitting anything...

Sorry to hear, it's things like this that make me wonder why I still live in this country.

What's orange and looks good on hippies? Fire. Thank you very much, I'm here all week, try the chicken.

I think that may be the only safe option!

Dude that's f**ked up. Years of therapy at least.

Oops

Disappointingly at some point in the last ten years the UK seems to have lost the ability to cope with weather. I remember getting snowed in at The Lizard back in the '80s, the snow on the road in/out of the village was a good four feet, and there was less fuss raised about that than the couple of inches we're getting now. As for warnings about it being too hot, seriously!

No, leaves is autumn, rain flooding the track is spring and heat warping the tracks is summer*. See they've got every season covered. *I wasn't aware 24 Celsius could warp steel either but there you go.

Somerset, this afternoon. Having spent a couple of years as a child in Canada, and gone on the odd ski holiday where the locals seem no better equipped than the UK, I'm continually embarrassed whenever we seem unable to cope with a bit of snow. It's not like this wasn't forecast last week or doesn't happen every few years.

I'd have to check, but were the Javelin's actually drop tanks or were they conformal tanks. The underbelly ones certainly don't look suitable to be jettisoned.

I'd advise checking the nationality requirements for joining the RN/RAF, although pretty much anyone from the Commonwealth can join I think it's harder if your head of state isn't the Queen. Reference the different entry standards for the RN and RAF it is literally a numbers game, the RAF are oversubscribed with people wanting to be pilots so they raised their medical requirements to make the selection process easier (for them!). The RN frequently have trouble filling places so can be more pragmatic about things, 26 is about as old as you want to be to start flying training as your ability to learn diminishes with age. We'll ignore the fact I started Basic Observer Course at 29.... Another point is that they're entry standards, the number of perfectly healthy people who suddenly need glasses the day after they start flying training would indicate some sort of link between light aircraft and eye problems.