Danny, glad to hear it's only an electronic problem, Desmond my QFI warned me never to trust those black boxes as they would let me down just when I slipped into relying on them. I'll post the story when the weather improves enough for photography. So take your time, like good whisky your tales improve with age!
Chugalug, another Hastings story on the way. The Pig (Vickers Valetta to some) was used to service the various operations up country (ie the Radfan and Yemen). Then as now the local people gave us a warm welcome, I remember a Brigand mainplane with a one-inch hole on the underside. The crew at 2000ft heard a thump just before a huge exit hole appeared on the top, the culprit an Arab with his jezail muzzle-loader. Now for the first of the promised pictures:
When 142 and 12 Sqns flew into Aldergrove, Co Antrim, for their 1938 armaments camp they found a very boggy grass airfield. Three Harts overturned on landing and a couple of others were damaged.
Engineers of the time well knew that acetate dope was irresistible to cattle and my father snapped this herd which normally kept the grass short. The Hart was written off anyway so they were allowed to get on with their dietary supplement.
Much later I was to learn that sheep are much better mowers. They keep the grass much shorter, they don't trample it into ruts, and best of all their output is ... well, firmer. My lesson was to wash an Aztec which had flown three hours after splashing through cowpats, ample time to bake it solid.
However, nothing goes to waste and impecunious airfield operators have a recipe for runway markings: Cut end from 40gl oil drum. Half fill with water, mix in 1/2cwt lime, add three buckets fresh cow s**t, mix thoroughly. Apply with yard brush, will last until next year's CAA inspection. One might say that runway number 2 has a whole new meaning, but I'd better not.
Oh, the gems one can find contained in this thread.
