Powerlines as it used to be done

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

can't help taking the piss out of the accents, but the film is quite entertaining and informative, nonetheless.

[F Murtz]

Youse poms used to once talk proper.

[Stephen Mawson]

It's Alvar Lidell, the famous WW2 BBC news announcer!

Stephen

[newshound]

And the man in the street is Norman Shelley, for many years a familiar voice to them as huddled round the crystal set to listen to plays on the Home Service....

[Brian Gaff]

Did you ever see the one about testing pylons. That looked like fun back in the day. They probably test them virtually in a computer these days. They applied twist to the arms until something broke. Brian

[Brian Gaff]

Or electrocution lessons, given the sub line? Brian

[Andrew Gabriel]

Saw a TV program about it, probably 30 years ago. The CEGB's destructive testing facility was used by power companies from all over the world to come and test their own pylons (towers).

Ours are designed to withstand losing all the tension on one side without collapsing. Some other countries only use these about every 10 towers or so, which means that if a tower does come down, a line of them will collapse until the next strong towers in each direction.

[The Natural Philosopher]

For yeas only hearing his name spoken and never written I was cominced his name was

Alvarli Dell.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

I've been watching 'Great Planes' series - the 747 wing roots were destruction tested like that. Impressively, the tip can bend up to 25' from horizontal before the root fails. Mind you, that was on a new structure and many of those still in the air are probably not as strong as they were.

[The Natural Philosopher]

fatigue and more importantly corrosion sets a limit on life which is covered by regular maintenance.

At the end of life the plane is scrapped for other reasons that inability to meet working stresses.

There are not a few DC3s and even DC2s still flying..and they are 70 year old designs. All metal planes.

[dennis]

Are you sure, I think I have flown on one where they were bending by more than that.

[ARWadsworth]

It's Mr Cholmondley-Warner:-)

[John Williamson]

In the case of the DC3, and possibly the DC2, the end of the plane's flying life is denoted by cracks appearing between the rivets that hold the wings on, as there is no main spar in the wing. This means that the joint can be inspected easily. Other aircraft which have a concealed structural member have a time limit modified by the number of takeoff/ land cycles, as This limit is checked by the maker's test samples using accelerated testing methods and by testing of in service planes, and may be revised up or down during the plane's life.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

You're right - on re-viewing it was 29'.

[newshound]

Pretty sure it will be more than 29 minutes, so I guess it must be 29 feet?

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

Pah, some diy-er you if you don't know the difference between ' and "

[dennis]

ITYM "'" and """.

[Terry Casey]

Same here - except I thought of it as Alvarley Dell but, as that didn't seem right, I opted for Al Varleydell as a more plausible option.

[Owain]

On Mon 7 May, ITV, 22.15, "Britain Beware" - Adrian Edmonson takes a nostalgic look back through 66 ears of public information films made by the central office of information.

'm sure we all remember this one:

[ARWadsworth]