That’s what I am this morning after my first full day at the Bentwaters Cold War Museum yesterday…. I spent all day in a hardened hanger taking the flap and slat assemblies off a Sepecat Jaguar fighter. I literally spent all day climbing up and down ladders with screwdrivers and wrench es in my hands at all times.
Its blindingly obvious why aircraft restoration is such a long job – I had some exposure to this when I bought my Boeing 727 flightdeck, but the Jaguar is a complete aircraft. Other involvement yesterday included attaching landing gear rods, installing gauges into the cockpit, fitting the heatshields, and even attaching the top strobe light panel…plenty to do. The aim is to get the Jag (XX741 is the aircraft) back to an almost new state as far as possible and then get the electrics working via a generator… This is going to be a nightmare to troubleshoot wiring as the looms are tighter than tight and channelled into SMALL spaces all over the aircraft…. Plenty to do before that particular worry arises though….
I have also got day trips INTO RAF Lakenheath and Mildenhall coming up next week – the former has been arranged by the Bemtwaters crew, and the latter by the Mildenhall Aviation Society(that I have also joined!). Full days inside, USAF tour guide, access to aircraft, hangers etc etc. My camera will melt down over those 2 days I believe.
Yup I am now on the membership at the Bentwaters Cold War Museum officially! I spent the day up there last Sunday being shown around the entire place.. What was nice was the up close and personal visit to the Sepecat Jaguar (ex RAF) that’s in the process of being restored. Its housed in a hardened aircraft shelter(HAS) that was once used by an aggressor squadron based at BW. Before the base closed this was one of a cluster of 5 hangers used by F16s. Quite spooky really… What was fucking awesome was standing in front of the massive steel doors as they opened up – warning alarm bells ringing at the same time… once the doors opened the Jaguar was sitting there… What a beauty!
I dare say I will be up there at least one Sunday a month now working at the museum – and yes that entails a pseudo uniform – probably a black BCWM t shirt but with a combo of USAF BDU cammos…. Yeehaa!! Lol
Its a while since I have enjoyed something this much. Getting there takes just over an hour on the motorbike so that’s all taken care of too.
Pics of the Jag and HAS to follow.
Whilst at the BCWM I met up with Richard Flagg – a prolific and well known aviation/airfield historian – we started conversing in the Airfield Info Exchange forums and have now become friends – in fact we might well be off out together this weekend to look at some airfields in Essex. How cool is that? Richard has an amazing collection of images he has taken all over the UK (and abroad) documenting airfields and their buildings.
Its all things aviation a go-go!!
Work is fucking PANTS atm – so soul destroying you could not even dream it up or imagine a worse fate…I HAVE to get a local job somehow…
Another fucking week has gone… Where does it all go? Or for that matter where has the last month gone?
Things are busying up all over the place with the Airfield group, Bentwaters museum, and general aviation stuff.
I have been contributing a lot to the Airfield Info Exchange and have a walk around RAF Rivenhall planned for mid July – I have done that one before, but it will be good to go around with some other guys. I was planning a bike ride up to Lavenheath near Sudbury this weekend but the lure of lunch at The Company Shed in Mersea has got me hook line and sinker (literally with their seafood!). Perhaps I will go at twat o clock on Sunday morning.
The Bentwaters group has me helping out on their website, and I have a meeting on July 4th at the museum with some of the committee members to try and move up the ladder to work in the museum on a semi permanent rota basis.. once or twice a month either working in the museum and/or helping restore some of the aircraft collection that includes a Hunting Jet Provost and several ex RAF Sepecat Jaguars. They have an open day on August 1st which is right in the middle of my Norfolk holiday… Shit damn blast eh? Grrr
If I could do this sort of shit for a living I’d be laughing! If only…
How long since my last post here? Tutt tutt slap me…
I have been chocka for what seems like forever… New hobbies, work, home etc etc. So – what’s new?
Well I finally got the tattoo – 3 hours in the chair and I now have a rather large Saltire on my upper right arm, and rather nifty it is too.. I am already planning for what can now go on my right foream – starting just above the elbow and running down to the midway point. Gotta be done. I just gotta figure out what will fit in underneath the Scottish flag and not look out of place.
TV watching has been filled with 2 seasons of Southland – an almost documentary style LA based series about a group of Police officers and their everyday lives. Very good indeed. I let Lost finish and then watched the entire last season in one hit. Quite a good ending and one that wasn’t too much of a surprise but it also was a surprise in a way – bit of a paradox there. I am currently working through Season 8 of 24 and The Pacific simultaneously.
I have joined the Airfield Information Exchange now too! Its basically an online community who share and research information about former, used and disused airfields all over the UK. Living so close to Suffolk means I am close to a gamut of such fields I have already been to the former RAF fields at Rivenhall and Boxted, with RAF Birch on the agenda for this Saturday coming. The history of all these places is actually quite interesting and its great to find all these places – some with and some without remnants of their former selves – this ranges from Control Towers to Hangers to runway light fittings. In some places things have almost been untouched for 60 years, and others bear no resemblance whatsoever – the fun part is looking and then photographing them.
On a similar vein I have now joined the Bentwaters Cold War Museum and am helping them overhaul their website for starters. They are having an airshow this Sunday. so I will be at that. Quite a few guys from the AIX are also going, so it will be a double meet up.. Result. And the kids are away this weekend, so that makes Sunday even easier in some respects.
I have also kicked off a few pieces of work for website redesigns for different people and will be paid accordingly. I am now going to set up a limited company and run this stuff through it to legitimise this sort of work as it’s picking up right now for some reason. Not sure why, but I for one am not complaining.
Work is worse than ever – my main man Andy has resigned and is off in 3 weeks, whilst we have a new 1st line guy starting next week. Things generally though are fucking dire – knee jerks all over the place, and the same old shit. Andy has made a good call with his position I believe.
Is a new(ish) US Police drama based around LA – it’s shot in almost a documentary style and even has the swearing beeped out – unusual in the extreme.. Its good though, and I have have taken it up to retard my recent push on the last season of Lost – I have watched up to 12 and 16 is the next one one.. I want a run towards the final ever episode rather than a delayed or piecemeal approach…
I am on the train again, but listening to Big Country’s “Steeltown” album.. I had forgotten how good it was and they were…
Nostalgia-tastic.
What annoys you most in life? I think one of my big hates is when someone calls you, you lose the call with poor reception, and when you ring them back, all you get is an answerphone… Grrr. Its even worse when the person in question is calling you about a potential job interview.. How annoying is that? Bloody annoying to say the least.
This coming weekend is going to be one of those disjointed ones – Mollz is off to Eurodisney for the day with her school – she leaves the school at 2330 on Friday night and then returns at 0230 on Sunday. Jesus. How fucking stupid is that? And the trip was organised by the French language dept – just how many people are going to speak French there? Its beyond bloody belief. And then there’s the 110 quid cost, plus spending money. Grrr. And to add insult to injury they are going by coach and ferry – is there a slower way?
Saturday afternoon will also see me going under the tattooist’s “knife” for the first time!! I am aiming at a decent size St. Andrew’s cross flag on my upper right arm – space will be left for a Lion Rampant flag to go alongside it at a later date.. Whoo hoo!! About time too..
Hermann had his first service 2 weeks ago and only needed a bulb replacing – all good other than that. I have been looking into the Yamaha Midnight Star 950 bike as well… 7 grands worth of sexy rippling noise from a classic styled tourer.. get on you tube and search for the Midnight Star… Its superb. I am still torn beyween this bike and the Aprilia 850 Mana – the latter has an automatic gearbox and looks like another very good touring option.. Big, comfy and plenty of poke. The 125 at the moment is great, but get it on a decent sized A road in the open and it wobbles more than a jelly on a plate – its just not heavy enough.. A new “biker chum” from the local dry cleaners suggested stuffing a few bricks in the top box to help weigh the bike down… Yes that’s a good idea but not ideal if I am out to take photos (a la last Sunday) and I use the box for my camera gear.. Hmmmmm…
I got up and was out of the house by 0530 last Sunday with a trip to Stansted in mind. All was good until I got onto the open stretches of the A120 – windy wobbles arose again. It got to the point where I came off the 120 and took the “side roads” to my target… This is slower to a point but no major hassle. I would much rather be slower than lying on a major road with traffic racing at me… Slow But Sure said the tortoise yes! There’s a LOT of sense there. Om the return trip I swung past Chappel near Marks Tey and took a few photos of the enormous brick railway viaduct there – very picturesque indeed. I will “Lightroom” some of the shots and post them soon.
Boeing’s third test 787 has entered a two-week phase of extreme weather tests at McKinley Climatic Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida as part of the aircraft’s type certification effort.
The testing will expose the aircraft to heat as high as 115F degrees (46C) and as low as -45F (-43C). Boeing says once the aircraft (ZA003), is stabilized at either the hot or cold temperatures, flight test technicians will follow the 787 maintenance manual to prepare it for flight release and operate under these conditions. “Sensors and monitors will allow the test team to determine if all systems hardware and software operate as expected,” adds the manufacturer.
Cold-weather testing is being conducted first, with preliminary hot-weather testing to follow. Additional extreme-weather testing will be conducted later in the flight test program, much of it centered around flights of the test aircraft to areas of hot and cold weather.
The test comes as Boeing receives the long-anticipated FAA expanded type inspection authorization (TIA) for the 787, and at the same time has announced the finalization of the aircraft’s aerodynamic configuration.
Expanded TIA clears the way for flight test personnel to fully participate in future test flights and marks a major milestone on the road to certification. Initial TIA was granted Feb. 11, which supported the collection of flutter certification data using the first 787 (ZA001). However, the award of what is termed the ‘expanded’ TIA confirms the FAA’s assessment “that the airplane and team are ready to collect additional certification data. Boeing achieved the expansion by demonstrating the readiness of the airplane throughout a variety of speeds, altitudes and configurations,” says Boeing in a statement.
Boeing also says it has finalized the aerodynamic configuration of the 787. “We have completed sufficient testing to decide that no additional changes to the external lines or shape of the airplane are required,” says Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 program. “Having an airplane match its expected performance with so few changes is rare and speaks to the maturity of the design.” ZA001 is currently in a scheduled lay-up undergoing maintenance and software upgrades, as is ZA002. The fourth test aircraft (ZA004) rejoined the flight test effort on April 21. The aircraft, the last of the four Rolls-Royce Trent 1000-powered test fleet, undertook flight control system and cruise trim tests.
" I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for 12 hours. When it was all over, I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one stinkin' dink body. The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like... victory. Someday this war's gonna end..."
