Sabrejet

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This is weird; Amalgam (made in Bristol, IIRC) are a respected and world-renowned model maker. Not sure what happened here though. On a related note, a friend of mine is a race car fan and saw this young lad turn in an impressive performance at a local meet. So he went to his local betting shop and managed to get them to take a bet that this young lad would be Formula 1 World Champion within 'x' number of years. That lad was Lewis Hamilton, and when he won the bet (at ridiculously high odds for a reasonably small stake), he went out and bought the Amalgam model of Hamilton's championship-winning car. Having seen that in the flesh (1/8 scale?) plus a few others, I can vouch for their incredible quality and detail. I hope they can rectify the B-17 and Spitfire.

I have to add some context here. One of the first intentional uses of what we'd now call "stealth technology" was on CIA U-2s back in the 1950s by use of certain external coatings. In more recent times the F-117 also employed stealth technology either by construction, form or surface finish. The fact that several examples of CIA U-2 were shot down and examined in China and the Soviet Union would indicate that "first-generation" stealth technology must now be well understood globally. Ditto for the F-117 and whatever that rendered of use. It would also be naïve to imagine that the western world either has the lead or the monopoly on stealth technology. We underestimate our adversaries at our peril.

These don't look like the type of engine turning seen on Bugatti dashboards, Spirit of St Louis etc. I wonder if it is more akin to some finishes seen on WW1 rotary engine cowlings?

Greenham Common was 1983, so 42 years and counting. Collective national willpower doesn't make a fence taller, or more resistant to trespass.

I'll keep this one open for now: with luck I can resurrect it if the mojo for this one returns.

It's not a goer Gene but many thanks for the offer. This one is on hold for the moment

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Rule of minimum force; you cannot just shoot someone who is coming over the fence. It's been a while since I had to remember it, but you can only fire if someone's life is in danger. At no point here was that the case. Maybe someone more recent can add on the current rules of engagement but I doubt they've changed much.

Well I deliberately said "at least two" (and yes my 'two' were Middle East and Ukraine) because there are always conflict areas that our press never covers; for years there was insurgency in Peru with Sendero Luminoso and in Colombia with FARC to name just two. These never got a mention because I guess there were no arms deals at stake, or oil involved. We also easily forget ongoing issues like Tibet and East Timor. Having served at various Air Force installations over several decades, I can now reveal that (shock - horror!!) it's not that difficult to get over the fence. You only have to drive by to realise that. Maybe it's more of a surprise that it hasn't happened more often.

We have short memories: back in the '80s during IAT week, protesters broke in and graffitied a TR-1 and an SR-71. Back then Greenham Common was a nuke base (IIRC) and so that lapse still seems far more embarrassing. Time also maybe for some perspective: some aircraft have been damaged. No-one's been hurt but meanwhile innocent civilians in at least two conflict areas are dying on a daily basis.

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