Gaining An R.A.F Pilots Brevet In WW II

[Danny42C]

Parachuting and Cameræ Obscuræ.

Chugalug,

I quote from you:........"To deliberately abandon a fully serviceable aircraft in mid-air is.........foolhardiness". My opinion exactly. (Great Minds etc).
As I've said a while ago, I'd have to have the flames licking at my toes before going over the side.

I think you are almost certainly right about the Camera Obscura. I did not know of the installation at Bicester, but it makes very good sense, everything starts to fit nicely into place, provided we make a few assumptions.

Let us suppose: (a) D. did not know what they had hung on/put in his aeroplane. Had the sun got to him at last ? (very probably, effects still visible, says Mrs D.); (b) He was doing a test of a DDT anti-malarial spray; (c) Some way had been found to turn on/off the spray - that would allow repeated runs, which would account for the 2½ hours (my gas sprays in October had lasted 2+ hrs - much longer than a single can-dumping exercise).

Now the log. "Chedlets" must be wrong (we were chucking the things into the sea a week later). Only explanations: (a) D. was temporarily of unsound mind; (b) the log was written up some time later (it was self-certified, there was no one else, might even have been written up on way home), memories fade and my mind was elsewhere. And remember the ORB that never was ?

I reckon we are as near the truth of the matter as we shall ever be - thanks to your (always invaluable) suggestions !

Yes, the same Miles, the Miles "Magister", "Master" and M52 Miles. IIRC, they also built some of the little aluminium "prefabs" which came out after the War. (They must have been very cold, but better than nothing).

Cheers,

Danny.