Seen Over Your House Today

[kitnut617]

A large flock of Barn Swallows have taken up residence in our yard. Each day they put on an amazing aerial display swooping all over the place especially around the house. And just out of principle, whenever the Magpies are on the ground, the Swallows will dive bomb them continuously  ---- 

[PR19_Kit]

Virtually every chopper at Shawbury is in that yellow-over-black scheme, there's HORDES of them there, in various sizes.

[kitnut617]

A large flock of Barn Swallows have taken up residence in our yard. Each day they put on an amazing aerial display swooping all over the place especially around the house. And just out of principle, whenever the Magpies are on the ground, the Swallows will dive bomb them continuously  ----

Correction --- not just Barn Swallows but Tree Swallows too ---

[jcf]

Shells from the US Civil War are occasionally dug up that are still sealed and the filling
isn't degraded and still explosive.

Probably far safer from bomb deposals point of view than if they'd started to degrade.

Mostly just black powder, so not too dangerous to handle, what's scary is that on occasion
the fuses have been found to be intact and still viable. They are a handling danger.

[Captain Canada]

Galaxy just flew over. Always nice to see some action ! Airshow weekend as well.

[PR19_Kit]

Mostly just black powder, so not too dangerous to handle, what's scary is that on occasion
the fuses have been found to be intact and still viable. They are a handling danger.

Reminds me of 617 Sqdn searching for a Grand Slam casing to go with their Upkeep and Tallboy bombs that were mounted outside their HQ at RAF Lossiemouth. One eventually surfaced, from a bomb dump at a nameless RAF Station in the south, and it was duly shipped off to Scotland.

The Squadron's Armament Officer then found that the Grand Slam 'casing' wasn't just a casing, it was full of explosive, and the fuses were STILL in place!!!! 

Needless to say it was disarmed and emptied pretty darn quickly!

[kitnut617]

Mostly just black powder, so not too dangerous to handle, what's scary is that on occasion
the fuses have been found to be intact and still viable. They are a handling danger.

Reminds me of 617 Sqdn searching for a Grand Slam casing to go with their Upkeep and Tallboy bombs that were mounted outside their HQ at RAF Lossiemouth. One eventually surfaced, from a bomb dump at a nameless RAF Station in the south, and it was duly shipped off to Scotland.

The Squadron's Armament Officer then found that the Grand Slam 'casing' wasn't just a casing, it was full of explosive, and the fuses were STILL in place!!!! 

Needless to say it was disarmed and emptied pretty darn quickly!

Apparently an urban myth ---

[PR19_Kit]

My guide at Lossie, a 617 man himself, said it was true..............

[scooter]

Mostly just black powder, so not too dangerous to handle, what's scary is that on occasion
the fuses have been found to be intact and still viable. They are a handling danger.

Reminds me of 617 Sqdn searching for a Grand Slam casing to go with their Upkeep and Tallboy bombs that were mounted outside their HQ at RAF Lossiemouth. One eventually surfaced, from a bomb dump at a nameless RAF Station in the south, and it was duly shipped off to Scotland.

The Squadron's Armament Officer then found that the Grand Slam 'casing' wasn't just a casing, it was full of explosive, and the fuses were STILL in place!!!! 

Needless to say it was disarmed and emptied pretty darn quickly!

Sounds no worse than 177 EOD and the Warren Grove Range staff finding a buried, intact, and still armed Mk13 aerial torpedo in the impact area...other than the utter level of destruction that would have been wrought on Lossiemouth and environs had it gone off.

[kitnut617]

Well Kit, my Dad served with 617 Sqn. during the time they were using the Tallboy and Grand Slam ('44-'46). He told me that on a few occasions the aircraft brought the bombs back as they were instructed to do should they not be able to see the primary or secondary targets set for the operation. And after the aircraft landed it would taxi to a certain area and shut down. After the crew exited the aircraft, the first person to approach it was the Armourer. He then defused the bomb. He would have also 'armed' it earlier after the bomb had been winched into the aircraft.

Although there 'could' be the possibility of it have explosives in it, I very much doubt that the one at Scampton had fuses in it for this very reason. But while searching the internet for the story, it's all coming up as being a myth. The main propagator of the story comes from somewhere in Australia of all places ----

The story says the bomb was carefully loaded onto a Queen Mary recovery trailer, what I've read is that these trailers was only rated for 3 tons, although there was another type rated at 5 tons.

[Rheged]

Near Lancaster, on the way up to Carlisle..........checking on aged mothers again...........at least three Pumas, heading south east..

[kitnut617]

A large flock of Barn Swallows have taken up residence in our yard. Each day they put on an amazing aerial display swooping all over the place especially around the house. And just out of principle, whenever the Magpies are on the ground, the Swallows will dive bomb them continuously  ----

Correction --- not just Barn Swallows but Tree Swallows too ---

We've just discovered the reason for the aerial displays right in front of our front window. A pair of swallows have built a classic mud nest in the recessed light fixture in the eave which is right over the old front door which we don't use now. There's babies in there ----- although by the size of them I think it won't be long before they leave the nest. 

[NARSES2]

I've always found mud nests fascinating. Great you've got one so close you can see it clearly. Hopefully they will return next season.

[Rheged]

Seen over north Carlisle, a Hercules making several extreme turns left and right, banking really steeply, at about 750 feet.   After this brief display, it set off at low level towards Carlisle Airport.

[Nick]

I spent 4 days in the area of Hay on Wye and the only flying I saw was a bright orange paraglider over Hay Bluff. On closer look we realised he had a passenger by counting the feet hanging out! Rather them than me.

I did see a Jet Ranger but it was a large model mounted on a stick. I assume it was the Hereford Model Flying Club ground by the A4103. That, by the way, is a very good road for driving