Thread 29 Starmer - Paint your Bandwagon

[DuncinToffee]

And do a little rain dance

previous thread
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5385382-thread-28-starmer-weodmonath?page=40&reply=146569893

We used to go to a hill opposite Farnborough airport to watch the airshow, the Vulcan was a sight to behold

There used to be at RAF Cosford, rather looking abandoned, a Nimrod. The wings had been folded up, and hundred of plain white wires had been cut to do it*.

I did ponder on the fact that someone, somewhere knew how to fix that and how that builds into the UKs position as a truly industrial nation in a way few are.

*Possibly to confound espionage. I also wondered about the obvious holes in the TSR-2. And bits have been carefully removed from Concordes in museums. There are still secrets around ...

That conference is going to be compulsory viewing of the edited highlights.

We had the red arrows a few times last week as the flew back from Eastbourne air show to Bournemouth.

We get a lot of chinooks and helicopters of all sorts due to location too.

The main thing I see bird wise flying over is seagulls though 😂

In other news Braverman has taken a photo of her enjoying lunch and drinks in a village pub in front of the Sg George cross and commented “nice flag”.

I hate her even more every passing day.

Surely it was an invitation for other people to share their favourite flag pics ? That's how I would read it.

If I'm wrong, then obviously she can correct me as to what she was saying ?

The hill was opposite the runway and when the red arrow took off they would fly straight over our head, the pilots flying upside down gave us a wave.

The Shoreham crash changed all that.

They still fly over but no show.

Not quite the same, but many years ago we were caravanning in Worcestershire and a whole load of hot air balloons drifted over at about 50-100m high (or so it seemed). You could hear the people in the baskets.

I wonder what the collective noun for a group of hot air balloons is ?

Local FB group has just blown up because a few snowflakes have just learned that - shock horror - farmers muckspread every year. A few of these appear to be the same "patriots" banging on about how wonderful English country life is.

Don't call them stupid .....

A drift of hot air balloons?

Why sadly?

We have Texans and T2 Hawks every day as this is where the RAF train their pilots. Also frequently get visits from F15s, A400s and Red Arrows. Love it.

Ohhh, I like that (updates Janes book of fighting words).

A hot air balloon landed between parked cars in a narrow sidestreet in my town a few days ago. Was in the national news and everything!

I'm reminded of the Captain in "Ghosts" 👻

Sadly because they're horribly loud (we're half a mile from base, they fly low), my cats hate them and we have fewer birds as a result - it's really only the sex obsessed neighbourhood pigeons who don't seem to care.

Was that the one where the man walking his dog ran over and guided it down? I saw that!

Me too, that bloke made me laugh in his interview wondering why he was the only one trying to hold on to the rope

I remember when our windows suddenly started rattling around 9pm every evening in 1976. It was eventually attributed to Concordes sonic boom out in the channel. We were mystified for a long time.

Yes indeed. Although I think his role may be being overemphasised as his wife provided the footage!

The DDog sensibly took one look and legged it.

Growing up in Harrow, I was within earshot of RAF Northolt. Sometimes something there would fire up and you could hear it for miles.

Presumably that's where the Harrier I must have seen came from when my DM told me not to be silly as aeroplanes don't stay still in the air (which is what I had seen while she was in the shops, leaving me in the car. It was the 70s).

Interestingly my dad was telling us about the same thing with Concorde and the boom when we had dinner the other evening. He was saying it was before I was born so would have been 70’s time!

Sharing a house in the late 80s with Australians and New Zealanders, when Concord flew over it was amazing to see the excitement. Photos were taken and a celebration followed. Those house mates were brilliant! Very particular on the house rules though. And taught me a lot about misogynistic attitudes.

No military aircraft, here, though we do often get a very close up view of the police helicopter and the Great North Air Ambulance as the police HQ and a major hospital are both very near by and they often land <points> just over there, behind the trees >>>

There was no sonic boom over Hounslow. But the noise of the engines - once heard - was unmistakable.You immediately knew it was something special.

Rolls Royce Olympus engines. We won't see their like again.

Fun fact is the national Gas Grid is pressurised by a few RB-211 engines remotely operated and fuelled by the gas in the pipeline. Run one of those for a day and it can use more gas than Leicester (or that Leicester used in 1986). Rather susceptible to rodent nibbling though.

I do have actual swans fly overhead. Loads of geese and ducks as well.

Have seen Concord several times. Always salute the Spitfire, such a distinct noise.

I think the sonic boom started as it hit the Bristol Channel or the Irish Sea, IIRC it wasn’t allowed to go