Gloster Meteor

[Bryan]

Well if the Vulcan can have a mention then surely this deserves one as well?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-co ... e-14028231

[v3man]

I remember in school we would hear the Meteors from Turnhouse flying over and Vampires as well (I don't know if they were also from Turnhouse, may have been Leuchars). As they were the first jet fighters we had seen they really excited us. I can't remember which, or it may have been both, made an interesting whistling sound but they were the inspiration for one of my school friends to join the RAF and retire as a Wing Commander.

As for the Vulcan, my first experience of them was a demonstration at Turnhouse Air Day in, probably, 1962 or 3 when one flew low over the runway, opened the throttles, put his nose up in the air and climbed away leaving a cloud of black exhaust. My last experience was when we lived in North Essex and three in formation went over quite low one day on their way to a Buckingham Palace flypast which we saw a few minutes later on TV. What a sight and sound that was!

[60041]

One of the experimental snow clearing machines tried out by BR in the late 40's/ early 50's was fitted with Gloster Meteor engines.

[65447]

Drifting slightly OT, for those of you interested in this sort of thing the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum has quite a collection of static aircraft (including the cockpit from Avro Vulcan XL445, and Gloster Meteor WF643) and other material and admission is free - it's just off the A143 between Harleston and Bungay: http://www.aviationmuseum.net/ Well worth a visit and there's a pub in front of it.

[redtoon1892]

Those were that days when this country actually built stuff rather than outsource it ( I hated that term during my working days). My particular favourite was the Gloster Javelin.
http://www.btinternet.com/~javelin/

I would much rather choose my childhood times than one of today, we had exciting times with a great blend of the old and new and Britain was still "Great", we had a huge world map on our classroom wall with the Empire in red, we collected Empire stamps and coins and kept scrapbooks of the Royal family.
Our headmaster Mr Bland was a real patriot and never missed an opportunity to have the whole school ( Windy Nook) out with the Union Jacks.
Its more than sad when you look now at how politcians of all parties have destroyed this country and are hell bent on destoying the Union for their own greedy ends.

[60041]

I would much rather choose my childhood times than one of today, we had exciting times with a great blend of the old and new and Britain was still "Great", we had a huge world map on our classroom wall with the Empire in red, we collected Empire stamps and coins and kept scrapbooks of the Royal family.
Our headmaster Mr Bland was a real patriot and never missed an opportunity to have the whole school ( Windy Nook) out with the Union Jacks.
Its more than sad when you look now at how politcians of all parties have destroyed this country and are hell bent on destoying the Union for their own greedy ends.

I thoroughly agree. My grandfather was the headmaster of St Mary's in Berwick and it is said that his "celebration" of Empire Day was legendary, if a little militaristic!
Could you imagine the uproar today if someone suggested that we celebrated the empire; we can't even fly the Union Jack in case we upset someone.

[third-rail]

i wholly agree if europe says jump we say how high while all other countries ignore the order ,health and safety will kill all industry in this country.heard of someone being sent on a two day course on how to move a computer,and being issued with a pair of boots ,hiviz, and gloves.