dww Posted February 1, 2015 Posted February 1, 2015 One of the most amazing things I have seen in my lifetime was back in the early sixties at an American airforce base in Bedfordshire, I believe it was Chicksands. An English Electric Lighting going faster than the speed of sound upside down what looked like 10 foot of the runway. I remember my little brother about 1 year old pooing himself and leaping out of his carry cot when the sonic boom came, the Lighting was by this time banking away and in a near vertical climb. life is not a rehearsal
meganiwish Posted February 2, 2015 Posted February 2, 2015 My first born being given to me. Sorry, that's not quite in the spirit, is it? I walked home one night last year after it had snowed. No-one, nor any vehicle had preceded me. The snow was virgin. It was wonderful, but I felt guilty making footprints.
Shyheels Posted February 2, 2015 Posted February 2, 2015 The great migration on the Serengeti; the view from the summit of a very high mountain in Antarctica; hundred-foot seas in the Southern Ocean; Lake Eyre in flood; a rare violet flash from the sun at sunrise over a hot glassy sea.
meganiwish Posted February 2, 2015 Posted February 2, 2015 Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. Seabeams dancing by the Tanhauser Gate.
skirtandheel Posted February 2, 2015 Posted February 2, 2015 An electrical storm comprising ball, forked and sheet lightning overlooking a coastal bay of the Ionian near Levkas.
ilikekicks Posted February 2, 2015 Posted February 2, 2015 Standing on the DMZ looking at North Korea and all the firepower they had in the late 80's. I have NEVER seen anything like it and hope I never do again. It was quite an impressive sight to behold.. until I thought about what it meant to my position. REPEATEDLY ARGUMENTATIVE, INSULTING AND RUDE. BANNED FOR LIFE.
meganiwish Posted February 3, 2015 Posted February 3, 2015 There was an astonishing effect around the Moon tonight. The Moon is heading for full and it was at the centre of a big, perfectly circular dark area outside of which was a sort of grey haze. I've never seen anything like it.
Rockpup Posted February 3, 2015 Posted February 3, 2015 Got to see areas west of Juno Alaska via a sea plane on my way to a jobsite. Gladly, my one condition for taking the job was to take my now husband with me as an assistant. It was an amazing trip. (formerly known as "JimC")
dww Posted February 3, 2015 Author Posted February 3, 2015 I noticed that to Megan, but have seen the moon like that before. life is not a rehearsal
meganiwish Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 It was like there was an LP in the sky. dww, you're a flyer, so you'll have seen lots of strange things. But thank you for confirming.
Amanda Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. Seabeams dancing by the Tanhauser Gate. Meg your a Replicant. I knew it I knew it. Quick hand me the gun thing someone!
meganiwish Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 I don't know why he saved my life. Maybe....
Amanda Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 "Quickly" said Amanda jumping up and down with excitement and clapping her hands with glee. "Get me the gun thingy!"
meganiwish Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 Not your favourite film, then? I have a soft spot for the one with the voiceover. Have I told you about my plans for various 'Muppet' movies. I think Muppet Bladerunner would be a runner, with Miss Piggy as Priss and Kermit in the Harrison Ford role. That scene where she does the somersaults and catches him in her legs, I'm sure I've seen that in the real Muppets. But I think best would be a remake of The Wicker Man. The Wicker Muppet.
skirtandheel Posted February 4, 2015 Posted February 4, 2015 That would be a brilliant. Is there any film that can't be successfully reworked by the Muppets? As for amazing sights, a full rainbow, inside another full rainbow! Quite extraordinary, doubt I'll ever see that again.
meganiwish Posted February 5, 2015 Posted February 5, 2015 The double rainbow, keep your eyes open, you'll see that lots. ROYGBIV VIBGYOR. Still thrilling though, isn't it? I found out about the moon thing. Apparently ice crystals in the atmosphere refract the light and if it's at 22 degrees you get http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2937745/Did-halo-surrounding-moon-night-Stunning-ring-light-caused-ice-crystals-atmosphere.html
at9 Posted February 5, 2015 Posted February 5, 2015 Normal double rainbows are quite common as Megan said. What's very rare and not properly understood are double rainbows where both are in the same sequence. I saw this once, last year in a London suburb, and could't believe what I was seeing. Took a photo too. What I saw was very much like this: http://www.atoptics.co.uk/rainbows/twin1.htmIn principle this implies 2 suns, at different angles. Obviously impossible but conceivably caused by 2 strong reflections of the sun. Both the Wembley arch and Welsh Harp reservoir were fairly close, between my back and the sun, so I speculated that the bows could have been caused by some kind of reflections off one or the other. All you wanted to know about rainbows etc: http://www.atoptics.co.uk/bows.htm
skirtandheel Posted February 5, 2015 Posted February 5, 2015 That's what I witnessed, at9, but from recollection they had better definition than shown in picture. All of the colours were clear which, from the ones I've seen before and since, seem to be less usual. Unfortunately, this was in the mid 90s so no camera readily to hand. Of course, recollections do get skewed as time passes:-)
Thighbootguy Posted February 5, 2015 Posted February 5, 2015 Several years before they were take out of service, Cincom chartered a Concord to fly to Cincinnati Ohio. The plane did a flyover the GE plant in Cincinnati that made the engines. When it landed at CVG the pilot put on an air show by flying the length of runway 27 (the major runway back then) in landing configuration just a few feet of the ground. (The control tower knew all about this.) I have never seen an aircraft that looked more like it belonged in the air. I'm still getting goose bumps just writing this. This is a composition of three pictures I took at the National Air Museum in Washington DC. I dream of a world where chickens can cross roads without having their motives questioned.
Shyheels Posted February 5, 2015 Posted February 5, 2015 I saw it fly over Buckingham Palace for the Queen's 50th Jubilee. It was quite a plane.
dww Posted February 5, 2015 Author Posted February 5, 2015 The Concorde was a brilliant aeroplane, had the chance to fly in it once when it was doing trips over the bay of Biscay. Concorde was powered by four Rolls Royce Olympus engines developed from the Avro Vulcan engines, I still have some spare turbine blades from a Concorde engine. My dad worked on the first Concorde ideas that was back in 1953, first models flew in about 1957. Back in 1968 Concorde was doing test flying the length of Great Britian testing the sonic boom affects on buildings etc, I was working at Goonhilly radio station at the time and me and my mate had the job of driving to St Agnus point with a radio and contacting the station when Concorde went over thus gave them 4 minutes warning to turn on the recording gear, but in them days with valve radio gear takes a time to warm up, couple of days Concorde went over and by the time we sussed out it was Concorde it was nearly 100 miles away, I think we managed it after about four attemps. The days driving a green Morris Oxford Estate. life is not a rehearsal
dww Posted February 5, 2015 Author Posted February 5, 2015 I was born on an airfield, and grew up with planes all my life, only wish I was allowed to take my pictures to school to show my mates, but it was top secret in them days. life is not a rehearsal
Shyheels Posted February 5, 2015 Posted February 5, 2015 Interesting. I've had a lot to do with planes as well - but only as a passenger!
dww Posted February 5, 2015 Author Posted February 5, 2015 Ever heard of the flying bedsted and what it become? life is not a rehearsal
dww Posted February 5, 2015 Author Posted February 5, 2015 Yep saw it fly, became the forunner of the p1127 went on to become the well known Harrier, Great British engineering. life is not a rehearsal
skirtandheel Posted February 5, 2015 Posted February 5, 2015 Yep, that was a wonderful bird. Saw it twice a day when staying at my aunt's as she lived on the Heathrow approach. Incredible statistics for a passenger 'plane; on one occasion it left Boston heading to Paris at the same time a 747 left Paris heading for Boston. It arrived in Paris, spent time preparing for the return and still made it back to Boston 11 minutes before the 747. Rumour has it that a SR71 Blackbird was ordered to change course and height for another plane. The crew were a bit perplexed at the order until they saw Concorde.
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