Danny et al,
Interesting your discussion of heating in various aircraft. I know from experience (gliding) that altitude equals frostitude. I well remember getting airborne in a glider, sans shorts and tea shirt, attaining 5 thousand feet, and arriving back on the ground with teeth chattering. I believe the dry adiabatic lapse rate is around 3 degrees per thousand feet, so even at relatively low levels, the cold will be felt. I wonder at the heating systems on aircraft like the Lancaster, Mosquito and Halifax, if they had any, and if not, how did the crews overcome the cold- Irvine suit ? Someone must know, and perhaps might give an insight into wartime privations when flying.
Danny, love the UFO story, and my surprise at the eventual explanation. I suspect its basic geometry, but I never considered a high level cloud would reflect light, after dark, on the ground. Awesome, as they say. Except I should understand that having landed gliders on hangar flights, from good viz to very dusk !
Smudge
