October and November saw the rebuild of two old Pat French foam wing Zlin 526 models. One from Rob and the other via ebay. Both currently fitted with two strokes. One has a .91 and the other has a 1.08. Yet to be test flown. Both were complete rebuilds. One had seen previous service at Sevenoaks Club whilst the other had never been completed. Registration graphics by dear Emma who now has a vynal cutting machine. Give her a call if you need graphics cutting.

December saw me rebuild an ex-Rob`s ceiling Seagull MSX-R which had had a hard life. A couple of days work had it all fixed up again. The metallic blue covering was a bit tatty so became over-covered with black and white checker film from Hobby King which is cheap as chips. Once I got started, one thing lead to another...hence the huge amount of checker on the model. The existing spats were pulverised and the cowl had seen better days. These were replaced with new items. I`ve now nailed a nice used Saito FA120FS on the front. Yet to be test flown.

The MSX-R was followed by a new yellow and black liveried Seagull Yak 54 kit. Just a couple of days needed to assemble all the bits. Fitted with a nice ball raced set of pre-used JR servos from Rob`s box together with an eBay used ASP120FS, this model is also ready to go.

Covid restrictions and boredom set in and an impuse had me buy a Seagull 70" Funky Cub. This is really a sport model rather than a true scale rendition. That said, it does have significant styling cues taken from one of the modern Cub Crafters modernised Cubs. I have the Seagull supplied American registration stickers I could apply although there is a red and silver UK registered example which I could model this example upon. I`ll have to see what our Emma could produce for me. The trouble with these ARTF kits is that they assemble so quickly that if you had the time, space and money, you could easily turn out three a week at a rough cost of about £35,000 a year!!!

I`ve been closely looking at the new Limited Edition Hobby Craft 1400mm Stearman marketed by Hobby King. It appears to be a very well produced kit with loads of rivet type detail. Not so cheap perhaps at £287 with included delivery, the model follows on from the earlier Limited Edition 1400 Pitts Special. I really should have got one of those but missed the boat. Tonight the temptation prooved too much and I pushed the button for a Stearman from the UK HK warehouse. I didn`t want to miss out on this model. I`d be kicking myself if I did. Delivery should be in 2-3 days depending upon postal service holiday disruptions. Although the kit is designed for 6S electric power, mine will be converted to .91FS IC power and be fitted with the last of a bunch of used  .91FS and 1.20FS motors I bought in November and December.

Note that the lovely Seagull "Gispy" Moth, ie (Gypsy Moth in non Vietnamese English) has now been withdrawn from the makers range. There are just a few of them left on the shelf at some model shops so if you want one, you need to move quickly.

My camera/laptop upload/down load is presenly playing up something rotten. I`d have like to upload images of the Funky Cub but I`ve failed miserably.

Finally, here is a link to the HK 1400mm Stearman currently available from the HK UK warehouse. Again you will have to move swiftly if you want one. Re-stocks are not anticipated. See Youtube for vids of this model which flies very nicely.

Kingcraft Limited Edition (ARF) Super Stearman 1400mm (Balsa/Ply/Composite)

super_stearman_manual_8b.pdf

Kingcraft Limited Super Stearman MAIDEN FLIGHT!! by HobbyKing JohnVHRC JohnVHRC • 96 views 1 hour ago New

All the best to fellow members.

Kind regards,

Mike Kennedy

When you visit, you will immediately notice Rob`s new shop layout. There is more customer space and revised racking for all the common bits and pieces needed to build and operate your models. It's a great improvement which will become even better once the screens can be taken down.

Go and have a look. You won`t be disappointed.

Mike

Two low level prangs in less than a week......I`m quite diligent with my air frame maintenance but I missed a vital point. Having flown my Ultra Stick for over a year now, I failed to note advanced wear on the Rx fly lead to the aileron Y-lead. Each time the wing was removed for LiPo changing, wear on this connection accelerated with increased use and accumulated air time.

I`d completed three successful flights out of the Falcon field last week before an issue became apparent just as I was completing a landing. The Ultra Stick failed to respond to an aileron command and the model ploughed into the rough vegetation around the landing strip. This broke the fuselage in half aft of the wing trailing edge and ripped the centre section out of the wing. The model is currently border line as regards repairs.

Close examination of the wreckage revealed a worn plug and socket connection between a fly lead and a Y-lead.  I often debate whether to use security keepers in such locations wondering if it is better to have connections that part easily in the event of a crash or to put security keepers in place and risk tearing leads to pieces if there isn`t an easy break point. What do you do? Please tell me.

Having the heavily damaged Stick on the bench for post-prang evaluation, I compared the near two hundred flight fly lead and Y-lead against two unused equivalents. The used part connections were certainly worn. The new parts plugged together with an audible "click". Its obvious which parts would be more reliable. For the sake of just £3 worth of new leads, I lost an almost new air frame and the LiPo suffered a single cracked cell. Whilst it still held full 6S charged voltage of 25.2v in total and all cells read around 4v individually after a two minute flight.  The pack is now considered as scrap. Why? Whilst the pack holds its voltage, it will not provide sufficient current to run the 360Kv motor. It is a dead unit.

The defective £3 worth of cable and Y-lead cost the demise of a £206 Ultra Stick and the £100 LiPo pack. A lesson learned. Please check your own model cables and Y-leads for similar faults on a regular basis. I`ll be applying an inspection of this high wear point now after each and every flying session.

Yip, I missed this fault when checking the model over prior to flight. It won`t happen again. My model, my responsibility.

Mike

I've been trying to work out the decoder-wheel of instructions for how to join the club, but it seems that I've failed.

Step #01: The first step towards Croydon Airport Model Flying Club membership

Before applying to join our model flying club, we insist that you come to our flying field and meet the club, meet some of the committee and have a test flight with a club instructor too, to see if you like model flying and to find out more about our hobby. For existing pilots, we simply want to confirm your flying ability and safety.

Step #01a :Click here to Meet CAMFC (aka  Come to our flying field.)

Flying times at Fickleshole:

Fickleshole is our club flying site, located in Featherbed lane, Croydon. Entrance is to members and invited guests only and all members are issued with the gate padlock combination. Flying is permitted at Fickleshole 7 days a week from 10.00am until 9pm excluding bank holidays & Christmas Day(See Flying Times for full details). Sunday is the most popular day and most Sundays will find upwards of 30 people flying at the field.

I've been pondering how to come and meet the club behind a locked gate for quite a while now, so today I loaded our models into the car and took a drive out to Fickleshole to see if anyone was there for me to meet. 

Rather as expected, there was a padlocked gate preventing entrance, and as there is nowhere to park nearby, we couldn't walk past the gate to see if anyone was actually flying today.

Can anyone enlighten me as to how to come and meet the club please? Is there some particular time/date for this, or is it 7-days a week from 10:00 to 21:00.

I've attached a photo of one of the foamboard planes my 11-year old and me have been building during lockdown - We were hoping that we could show it off to a few club members as we're looking for some design tips.

Cheers,

Jim

I`ve spent the last three days shredding documents, disposing of three builders sized wheel-barrow loads of old magazines, bound volumes, cardboard, hardened tins and tubes of artists paint, broken tools and sweeping off tons of balsa dust from every horizontal surface in the place. All got swallowed by the roving municipal six wheeled rubbish gobbling diesel powered crocodile in just a few seconds. Thanks Tandridge Borough Council! I`ve promised them further supplies of time expired junk next week.

The working area now seems huge. Where the coffee table books once sat on the shelves, all my knives, screwdrivers, drills and other gear essential for building, now lurk in containers, pots, small boxes or old metal biscuit tins. At long last, everything comes easily to hand. Its a massive improvement and although the effort was exhausting, the end result is very pleasing and not before time. Once Rob receives my Steen Skybolt kit from Perkies on Tuesday, I can get going on it in comfort. This time I`ll be able to place the new model on a table in the middle of the room and get a full 360 degree walk round access instead of having it balancing precariously balancing on a table piled high with a ton of building gear already on it whilst working at awkward angles.

Mike

I tripped over James Hollands web site this evening. James, as many will know is a terrific TV presenter of World War 2 related programs and has an amazing ability to explore and capture little known facts relating to the conflict. His interest in this period of history goes back many years and incredibly has managed to interview many of the participants....in fact I`m quite taken aback by the number of interviews he conducted. Almost my entire evening tonight has been spent browsing his site. What he has achieved is an outstanding record of anecdotal evidence gleaned, for instance, from the last surviving Battle of Britain pilots. This includes the enigmatic, charismatic Bob Doe and the quietly spoken Tom Neal to name but just a few. By James own admission, the site is a bit rough round the edges, but that matters not one jot. The contents are fascinating, typo and recording errors included. In no way do they diminish his efforts.

So here is the link to the site. I hope many of us will view it because it opens a very fresh view on how we might view the Second World War. If you really want to explore the dynamics of how to shoot down an enemy aircraft, then viewing the Tom Neal interview will leave you astounded. His views on Leigh-Mallory, Keith Park, Hugh Dowding, Sholto Douglas and Douglas Bader are very firm and he doesn`t mince his words. I can`t recommend the site highly enough.

James Holland web site Griffon Merlin Forum

Mike K

Some of my modelling background here then. Back in the 1970`s, I started my modelling journey with the encouragement of my Father. We had hooked up with several other local modellers through my Fathers links with the construction industry. Two of his business contacts were keen RC flyers. Father was an architect, Geoff Swafield was a quantity surveyor and Brian Kilner was a building company director. The three of them decided to set up a new flying club based on the open and accessible games field behind the Riddlesdown Secondary School. Father became founder Hon Sec, Geoff became Chairman and Brian was Treasurer. I assume they sought permission to fly from that field from the authorities. That was back in 1972 and I was about fourteen at the time. The field was large and flat and proved ideal for the purpose. New members were quickly accumulated and we forged strong links with the Epsom Club. Seemingly the favoured model flown was the Super 60 trainer which was often powered by an HP.61 and modified to have an aileron wing with little or no dihedral. Radio gear was frequently 27Mhz Skyleader Clubman in four or six channel format and servicing, radio and spare radio parts were easily sourced from Skyleader who occupied part of the control tower at Croydon Airport. Our local model shop was in South Croydon where the lovely Ted Setterfield operated Heset Model Supplies. The second local retailer were the Hooper brothers who had a high street shop in Caterham on the Hill. The Hoopers were heavily involved with the Caterham MFC and our James remembers them well.

The tenure behind the Riddlesdown school didn`t last long. Inevitably noise issues killed use of the site. A move took us south to a field behind the then Noble Lowdes(?) Insurance company playing field between Hamsey Green and Warlingham. Essentially, the field was little more than a quarter of a mile further up the road towards Warlingham from the current CAMFC meeting venue at Trenham Drive. The field was closely bordered by trees which we hoped would control noise issues. Sadly not. About a year after taking occupation, we were on the move south again to a field immediately next door to the now Knights Garden Centre.  Again noise got us, a court case ensued and was lost. Off we went again. This time to another enclosed field half a mile east of "The Bull" on Chelsham Green. Within a few years the field was lost due to the local owner wishing to change its use. That was around 1979. Father and I dropped out of the modelling scene for a couple of years due to having taken on the mammoth task of building a house. I was soon to move away from the area to pursue a career in the PR, marine and aviation industries. Sadly, becoming married, having children, getting divorced and following other interests took me away from modelling for around forty four years. Father has kept his links with the Riddlesdown Club and I have indeed joined it once again. Now flying from a site below Edenbridge, the site is some sixteen miles distant from my current home at Warlingham. That journey doesn`t sound far but for me, it is a fair hike in a car which I don`t enjoy due to having a collapsed and herniated lower lumbar and raging sciatica down my right leg. Pain levels become uncomfortable and that trip to the site and back is not nice. It suits me better to be a CAMFC member which is just ten minute journey. My thanks go to Rob Newman and our wonderful Emma for roping me into CAMFC in April 2018.

Problems with my ailing Father meant I didn`t do much flying in 2018. I built a 47" Mini Super with which I infrequently staggered around the Fickleshole skies re-learning basic flying techniques from forty four years ago. It has been a steep learning curve. Whilst the flying came back easily, I had to get my teeth into electric power and the advancements of 2.4Ghz radio technology. I soon learned that the hobby was far more regulated than it was forty years ago and the emphasis was on safety and the latest Dft/CAA requirements. It quickly became obvious that gaining an A-test was a vital part of modern day model flying requirements both from the legislative aspects and to ensure maximum safety at flying sites. If I wanted to progress the hobby, then I had work to do.

Having satisfied the Club Committee that I could fly to BMFA and local Club rules, the A-test learning curve began in April this year and in May I piled the flights on to gain the experience necessary. In addition I boned up on the 23 BMFA oral questions together with our local club rules and also studied the BMFA handbook and the CAP658 CAA publication. As much time and effort went into that as attempting to learn what was required for the practical A-test flying examination. As far as the oral questions were concerned, committing them to memory really wasn`t difficult for me but one did have to pick out the operative information contained therein. To achieve this I read the questions on a three times daily basis for about ten days before the test, but most importantly, wrote it all out by hand on four sheets of A4 paper. This learning technique was taught to me at a CAA licensed training "agency" ie Brunel Technical College in Bristol between 1993 and 1996 where I studied for Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineers certification under Section A8-20 of the Air Navigation Order. (As an aside, the nick name of the didactic Head of School was "Ponchas the Pilot"!) Manually writing out all those questions by hand helps the brain absorb the material into the "Ownership and Possession" part of ones brain. Once you mentally take ownership of the material, then it is more likely to hit and stick to the little grey cells. Writing things out on paper by hand helps focus the mind and provides  you with a regular "refresh" by quizzing yourself when coming up to examination time.

The human brain is fully capable of achieving a good degree of retention provided you are interested in the subject and are capable of holding and compartmentalizing information. Carried out in a relaxed fashion, learning need not be difficult and it can be quite surprising what you have retained even years after you did a cramming session. At Aero School, I soon found myself developing a sharpened mind which seemed to open up and become more absorbent the more I studied. So with the A-test oral material, I found I enjoyed learning and that gave me the confidence when it came to oral examination. It pleased me greatly to answer the questions from Trevor and only on a couple of occasions did I have to dredge deeper through my mental filing system to come up with an answer. I always regard my own mind as infinitely expandable but operating in a slightly clunky fashion similar to lap top running Windows XP......it gets there eventually but that is sufficient for the purpose!

As far as the A-test flights were concerned, I was operating at a level of less than full confidence. On the Sunday before the test, I was confident of a pass under coming test conditions on the Tuesday. I`d flown reasonably well in front of around twenty club members that afternoon and managed three consecutive dead stick landings on the pitch. I felt good and happy and was clearly primed and ready for the test. Next day (Monday) the wind had dropped to nothing and any that there was came from the North West rather than from the East. I knew that landings would be faster than on Sunday and that I`d have to work a bit harder to set the model up for the finals approaches between the two trees at the Biggin Hill end of the landing patch. I managed a couple of good flights but on my third landing l lost concentration for a moment and caught the model on the lower bough on the right side of the huge model eating oak tree! The Ultra Stick lodged in the tree for a couple of seconds before dropping flat to the ground. The damage to the tail, a wing tip, a wing leading edge and a displaced wing/fuselage mount was enough to cause me nine hours of frantic repairs and a consequential loss of built up confidence. Next day, I flew a test flight to confirm the model was good again but I certainly had the jitters. I could have cried off taking the test but I decided to continue regardless. (Get back on the horse that threw you attitude.) I`m a pretty emotionless person and refused to let the tree incident get a strangle hold on me. Never the less, my flying no doubt showed signs of nervousness. Trevor was the examiner and was typically he was his usual encouraging self and showed sympathy for my dose of jitters. I was chuffed to bits to hear I had passed the test and on the way home bought a chilled bottle of Pinot to enjoy in a deck chair on the patio. In the afternoon, I fell asleep, rather exhausted but very happy.....

Saturday saw me attend the Sevenoaks fly in/barbecue. I flew three flights and began to feel the confidence return. It became obvious that the more elapsed time and the more flying I put in between the tree smash and my later flights, the sooner I would begin to forget about the incident. I know that almost everyone finds that oak tree at some time so the best thing to do is just put it down to experience and laugh it off. These things happen.

The A-test examination occurred fairly quickly for me. I had the advantage of learning to fly models when still a teenager. Even forty years later, the skills had stayed with me and just needed polishing up again. I suppose the run up to the test took me about six weeks and in the final week I attempted to fly almost every day dependent on suitable weather conditions. At all times I was conscious that the Club had given me the total responsibility of my own actions which included adherence to CAP658, the content of the BMFA guidelines, BMFA questions and also those local rules of our Club. Trevor Searle who kindly nurtured my journey towards the test was consulted when ever I required advice and I listened intently to his advice if I was seen to have strayed off the track. I`m immensely grateful for his quiet, careful and watchful tutelage and his regular appraisal of my progress. As a pupil it is important that one listens to ones mentor and then takes the steps necessary to advance to the next stage or correct errors in procedure if they become evident. Trevors` unflappable temperament instills instant confidence and I can`t thank him enough for his time and efforts on my behalf. 

As I was a returning flyer after a 44 year break, I surmised that my reappearance on the modelling scene would probably be at a low intermediate level. That recognized, I began to look for a suitable air-frame for the A-test training regime. Knowing that I would need a tough model and one that I could easily repair myself, I discounted most of the ARTF/PNP foamy offerings. They can look a dreadful mess after multiple repairs and in any case, I really don`t seem able to bond with a model that I have not built myself. I was looking for a laser cut ply and balsa model that was capable of absorbing a huge amount of punishment on the lead up to taking the test. In my internet search, the Hanger 9 Ultra Stick 10cc quickly gained my interest. Whilst the H9 kit is ARTF,  there was enough work needed from myself to enable me to bond with the model and make it "mine".  Now having six of these models, some of which are scratch built copies, I can usually build an H9 kit example in abut nine hours. That the US was a product off the design board of Ali Machinchy gave the model some serious credentials. Sales videos confirmed that the model could be used as a benign advanced trainer but could also operate as something akin to a flying witch on a broomstick. There was no opposition or competition really. At £207 delivered from Als Hobbies (Ali Macs`  fathers model shop in Milton Keynes) all that was needed to complete the kit to flying condition was the power system, radio receiver, suitable Lipos, an ESC and six standard servos. In my case, I asked George Worley at 4-max to spec and supply the power system.  George sent me a 70a ESC, a 5065-420Kv motor, a 3700mAh lipo, a 14x8 prop (15x8 found to be better) and a motor program card. That package came out at around £270 so it wasn`t particularly cheap. Savings could be made by buying cheaper gear or going the i/c route with a .60 size or larger two stroke glow motor.

Would the Ultra Stick be suitable for a raw ab initio student pilot? Perhaps not.....a new flyer really needs a couple of cheap and cheerful PNP models on which to cut his flying teeth. I`d say for a beginner, he really needs a relatively valueless model that can be bashed and smashed without fear of having to find over £200 each time the model gets hit hard enough to make it a bin bag job. Training thrills and spills can and do happen! There are plenty of cheap trainer models around and the possible the demise of a cheapy shouldn`t cause too many tears before bedtime. My suggestion for a newbie pilot would be to take advice from his tutor in respect of selecting a low value tool to fly until basic flying skills are attained. Once that is achieved, moving onto a more expensive model such as the Ultra Stick could then become a sensible progression.

A newcomer to the hobby is almost certainly best taught using a buddy box lead and two similar linked transmitters. Once a reasonable standard of proficiency has been reached, then I believe it is essential that the the newbie flyer gains flying time off the buddy box system. It is one thing flying with a tutor having master control with one transmitter and the novice being on the end of the buddy lead with the slave transmitter. It is quite another thing flying off the buddy box system as one progresses to flying solo. As a newbie progresses to flying solo, he should also have studied and taken on board the contents of CAP658, the BMFA guidelines and questions and the local club rules. At our Croydon Club progressing to a level of basic proficiency leading to the A-test allows the novice flyer to fly off the buddy box system as part of the learning curve once reasonable proficiency has been reached. At other Clubs, the regime is not so helpful and one is tied into the buddy box system until the day of the test. I don`t think that is particularly helpful as it could come as something of a shock to suddenly find oneself off the buddy box in one swift moment. I think our Croydon Club operates an excellent policy of allowing you to fly solo and off the buddy lead before you take the A-test and I`ve been very grateful for that. It has meant that I could visit the Fickleshole site alone and get some true solo experience and practice achieved before submitting to examination under test conditions.

My next target is obviously the B-test. Subject to test flights and confirmation that the model is suitable, my plan is to use my low wing version (conversion) of the H9 Ultra Stick. This is simply a standard 60" Ultra Stick modified by turning the fuselage upside down, correcting side thrust, adding a couple of inches of dihedral and re-locating the landing gear. That is for the future after progressing flying skills to the test standard.

So thanks again to Trevor for his time and assistance. The picture below shows us together immediately after my A-test and was sent to me by Ivan Smith. The other image is of my Ultra Stick low wing conversion which might make a good model for B-test flying.

Mike K

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-48413109

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-48086013

I decided that enough is enough and wrote to the BBC to ask 2 questions:

Q1. Who wrote and titled the article, or at the very least was responsible for it being published?

Q2. What facts do you have to prove the 1 pilot had seen a drone?

Well, in true BS fashion, the reply I got from the BBC South East edior today was this:

Quote

Thank you for your email. The report states that three flights were diverted, and Gatwick Airport said it had investigated an "unconfirmed sighting of an object" outside its exclusion zone. A spokeswoman confirmed an Aer Lingus pilot made the initial report. We confirmed all of these details with the airport and all the information we were provided with by the airport is included in the story.

I hope that sets out our position and explains why we wrote this story.

Kind regards
Lee Gibbs
Digital Editor
BBC South East
01892 675602
@leegibbs_

Basically he just wrote back repeating what the article had said and avoided my question completely!

So I replied back to him reminding him that I knew what the article states, and that he had completely ignored my 2 questions, and could he please answer the questions.

Please do feel free to let Mr Gibbs (https://twitter.com/leegibbs_) know if you are dissatisfied with the reporting of Gatwick events as it seems to be his department that keeps inserting the words "Drone" into everything that moves anywhere in the South East!

I will continue to keep on his case until he provides satisfactory evidence that backs up the BBC's use of the word "Drone" and failig that I'll be asking them to re-word there articles to stick to only what they can actually prove.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/technology-46310975/sci-fi-plane-with-no-moving-parts-flies-successfully

Take a look - https://www.youtube.com/user/boredentertainment88

You can thank me later...

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/raf-stamping-out-is-command-posts-in-syria/ar-BBO5luv?ocid=spartanntp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCZw9BGAdcY

(forum won't let me post the video, so link only)

AFAIK, it airs every night on BBC 2 from 9 until 10. The first episode aired tonight, and can be seen on catch up here -  https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03hhm6z

Let me know what you think!

P.S. There was also a documentary from 8 until 9 tonight (7.10.2018) on Rolls Royce, although I can't seem to find what channel it was on!

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2018/09/28/politics/marine-corps-f-35b-fighter-crash/index.html

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/uk-unveils-first-model-of-new-raf-fighter-jet-the-tempest-a3888501.html

Seems like the RAF has finally got moving; with the Tonkas being phased out from Marham next year, the first four F-35Bs having arrived in the UK recently and now the Tempest being announced at Farnborough. 

Based on experience from the F-35 however, 17 years from cardboard mock-up to remotely operated operational fighter aircraft does seem a little ambitious I think, especially with the previous reliability of the MODs funding.  It's very likely that the unveiling of the new aircraft was also a political move also, with this theory being backed up by the rather bold statement that the RAF would be the first air force to have remotely piloted combat aircraft...

BTW, despite looking new, the airframe is actually from the 90s and was in fact put aside by the MOD in favour of the F-35Bs from LM and the US. After seeing the much-higher-than-quoted cost of the F-35 however, Britain, France, Germany and Japan (potential customers of the aircraft) are setting about designing their own 6 generation fighter aircraft. However, due to BREXIT, the UK has been booted off of the Franko-German project so is going in alone with BAE on point.

Lets see how it all plans out in the next few years, and whether or not the Tempest will end up like the TSR-2...

B

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5781589/Two-U-S-F-15-fighter-jets-travelling-520mph-narrowly-avoided-midair-crash-police-drone.html?ITO=1490

I sometimes find it quite useful to watch "rc plane crash" videos, and learn from the mistakes of other pilots, to (hopefully) avoid making them myself....

Possibly the biggest aviation mystery there has ever been. We've all heard the hundreds of theories, and seen the pieces of wreckage that is confirmed to have come from the plane. 

Who knows.......................

I wonder if anyone can help me please. I know that mkI and mkII Spits had landing lights, and from 1943 they were abolished on those and the newer marks after the Spit was deemed a strict day fighter only. However, I can't seem to find any pictures anywhere of where these lights may be, other than pictures of the landing light handle, leading me to believe that the Spit had a retractable light.

I only ask as the Spit that I am currently "upgrading" has two white LED landing lights in the l/e about 1/3 in from the tips, and my inner plane freak is telling me this is wrong. Can anyone suggest any suitable alternatives that could go in their places, as they will leave two holes in the yellow covering that I can't hide too well?

Thank you!

B

-

  How many soldiers does it take to change a light bulb?

Navy: 2, one to hold the ladder, and another to climb and do the job.

Air Force: 30, including purchasing committee, vendor negotiator, site supervisor, and everything in between. This number does not include the vendor technicians who will           do the job.

Army: 203. 1 conscript who does the whole thing himself, 200 names of other conscripts written in budget request so a large sum of money can be drawn out of the army             accounting, and 2 commissioned officers who pocket that money

-

 A grizzled Army Air Corps veteran from Scotland comes to speak at a women’s college graduation. As part of his speech, he recalls the first dogfight he got into.

 “It was 1943, I was flyin’ my P-51 over the skies of France with my squadron when I see enemy aircraft, and all of a sudden i’ve got 3 fokkers behind me and two fokkers on           my left wing”

He pauses as he sees some of the women blush or giggle

“Ladies, the Fokker was a type of plane flown by the Germans in the second World War” the headmistress intervenes curtly.

With a grin, the man replies “Aye, you’re right ma’am, but these fokkers were flyin’ Messerschmitts!”

-

A Marine is waiting in line at the armoury, spending hours in the hot sun just for the opportunity to turn his spotless weapon in.

“I’m sick of this bull**it!” He says aloud. “When I get out of the corps i’m never going to stand in line for something again”

 A passing Gunnery Sergeant overhears him and shouts back, enraged “And let me guess, devil dog, when you get out you’re gonna piss on my grave too, since you just love         the corps!”

 “Negative Gunny, didn’t you hear me say I wasn’t going to stand in line for anything ever again?” The Marine replies

-

Two crows were flying along slowly minding their own business enjoying the scenery, when all of a sudden out of the blue an F/A-18E/F Super Hornet goes screaming past,         barely missing the now somersaulting, and wildly flapping crows.

"Oh my God!" exclaims one crow in surprise. "He was sure moving!"

 The other crow replies: "I reckon you would be too if you had two asses and both of them were on fire!"

Made me laugh