And More additions !
OK, time to turn the attention to outdoors. The weather has been splendid today. Summer is on its way and we have (for the moment) gin-clear skies and some blessed warmth.
From the patio we watched some grown up lads playing with their toys. But these toys were those of an extraordinary nature.
Just think of the hundreds of hours of meticulous work that went into these craft. The engineering skills. The dedication to 'getting it right'. The electronic and mechanical intelligence. This is what marks out men who are devoted to their 'hobby'. And what a hobby this is.
Model aircraft.
Long gone are the days when a rubber-band-powered balsa-wood plane on the end of a length of string went around your head. These have jet engines.
The skill needed to fly one using a radio control box is exacting. One error, one fault, one momentary lapse in attention, and $30,000 goes down to a flaming heap.
Here are a few, which are the result of teams of men, working to an objective.
I am amazed and delighted, as were all the customers on the patio and the staff topping up their tankards.
It would be horrid to see a bad landing (which are frequent). Perhaps later as the fine foreign bevvies of distinction kick in.
Meanwhile let us not overlook the rotaries. These are even more highly complex and, yes, jet powered too.
Of course, things do sometimes go wrong and what was a stirring, sterling sight, becomes a disaster.
New. Here is a not-quite disaster with a highly complex operation: Launching a shuttle from an Antonov carrier, in the air. Whew !!
New. That was Russia's way. But the American one goes straight up. So....
This more 'regular' plane though was a disaster.
A great deal of ale is needed in large tankards designed for crying into !
Manufacturing defect !
But sometimes, even with the most majestic plane, a chap might just 'lose it'. 300 lbs of tech with a 30 ft wingspan emulates the wartime experience just a bit too realistically.
And, last.......(added):
You might have seen this last one before. This short video was recorded in the UK. The model as flown by Ali Machinchy was an Airworld Hawker Hunter - The estimated cost to build this model was over £10,000. Unfortunately, this model was totally destroyed on Saturday 9th May 2009, when it took it's last flight, all control of the model was lost, resulting in this amazing crash and fireball. The despondancy of the owner and his mates is palpable.
Ali Machinchy's - Hawker Hunter Crash - The Last Flight
I have to pull a LOT of pints for the lads.
OK. I shall put a barrel on as we have another but this time a truely stupendous effort. Watch and marvel that this is a MODEL. Enormous, but not the real thing.
Pax
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Ne meias in stragulo aut pueros circummittam.
Our Bouncer is a gentleman of muscle and guile. His patience has limits. He will check you at the door.
The Tavern gets rowdy visitors from time to time. Some are brain dead and some soul dead. They attack customers and the bar staff and piss on the carpets. Those people will not be allowed in anymore. So... Be Nice..