OT: VE day warplanes

[tony sayer]

Isn't that what they do, or used to do anyway;?....

[Ian Stirling]

To some extent, yes. But without the regulations it'd be even worse.

[Depresion]

This must be some kind of new definition of 'safe' that I was not previously aware of.

[Cynic]

You missed the best experience. During the war years in Zim, internal routes were often flown low-level so that terrorists could not get a lock on them with heat-seeking shoullder-fired missiles. 500 feet was considered fairly safe. Most of those routes were handled by Viscounts.

[Cynic]

You can find out easily. Look at the statistics for the average number of car accidents per 10000 driving hours, and the average number of aircraft accidents per 10000 formation flying hours (excluding combat of course).

By the same argument, you expose yourself and others to a finite risk of death every time you drive your car. One thing that is certain is that if you were to walk instead of driving, the risk vanishes.

I really don't know what to suggest to you if you want to live a totally risk-free life. But it would definitely involve you moving out of modern society. Perhaps find yourself a padded room and eat only baby food. Meanwhile for the reast of us, the pleasure that such displays give to a lot of people watching is well worth the extremely small risk that it entails.

[Cynic]

It does not have to move. It is the difference between the position of the observer and a different position that would give a more accurate view.

Yes. In this case the two points are the one where the observer is standing, and a point under the aircraft where he would get a more accurate impression. Just as a car passenger reading the speedo will read the wrong speed due to parallax. The needle will appear to be displaced from the passenger's position when compared to a point directly in front of the instrument. The passenger does not have to move his position at all.

[nightjar]

IIRC, it worked because a third pilot, who happened to be aboard as a passenger, was able to take control of the engines while the other two tried to keep the aircraft in the air. It was a particularly skillful piece of flying on the part of all concerned.

Colin Bignell

[Martin]

Developed by Honda to get round a 4 cylinder limit ie the NR500* was almost a V8

They were trying to enter GP racing with a 4 stroke against 2 strokes.

2 con rods, 8 valves per cylinder

• Nicknamed the Nearly Ready

[nightjar]

There is a finite chance that I will win the lottery. However, I don't consider it likely that I will.

Colin Bignell

[Martin]

Ferrari

Michael Schumaker

[Ian Stirling]

AIUI, it was later determined that the other two were having no effect at all, the controls being of no use whatsoever.

[Depresion]

There were also lots of tests in simulators performed after the incident and not one of them (IIRC over 300) landed safely. So it may have been blind luck that kept them in the air or simply a crap simulator.

[Fat Sam]

I feel so much better now ;-) Friendly bombs don't hurt as much as enemy ones, do they?...LOL

[Ian Stirling]

Speaking personally, lost about 2-300 quids worth of livestock, due to panic when overflown at very low altitude.

[Cynic]

It could easily be the simulator. Simulators can only simulate the parameters that are known and have been programmed into it. One you operate them outside of those parameters, their behaviour becomes increasingly unrealistic.

[tony sayer]

In article , Depresion writes

[tony sayer]

What do they do, run away or die of fright?...

[Depresion]

[Depresion]

It was a USAF fly past and the pilot mistook the cow for a SAM and took "appropriate action". ;)

[BigWallop]

A real COWard then? :-)