Ghosts in the ether... Radio transmission travelling in time and space..

Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
TheGreenGoblin
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 17596
Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2019 11:02 pm
Location: With the Water People near Trappist-1

Ghosts in the ether... Radio transmission travelling in time and space..

#1 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sun Jun 28, 2020 5:36 pm

Though you remain
Convinced
"To be alive
You must have somewhere
To go
Your destination remains
Elusive."

Boac
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 17207
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 5:12 pm
Location: Here

Re: Ghosts in the ether... Radio transmission travelling in time and space..

#2 Post by Boac » Sun Jun 28, 2020 6:29 pm

Rivetting stuff, TGG - where did that come from?

User avatar
TheGreenGoblin
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 17596
Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2019 11:02 pm
Location: With the Water People near Trappist-1

Re: Ghosts in the ether... Radio transmission travelling in time and space..

#3 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sun Jun 28, 2020 6:45 pm

Boac wrote:
Sun Jun 28, 2020 6:29 pm
Rivetting stuff, TGG - where did that come from?
Twas a purely serendipitous discovery Boac while looking for further details on this chap....as part of my quest to remind South Africans of folks who had been written out history by the perfidious Nationalist government...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dering_Nettleton
Though you remain
Convinced
"To be alive
You must have somewhere
To go
Your destination remains
Elusive."

Pontius Navigator
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 14669
Joined: Fri Jul 07, 2017 8:17 am
Location: Gravity be the clue
Gender:
Age: 80

Re: Ghosts in the ether... Radio transmission travelling in time and space..

#4 Post by Pontius Navigator » Sun Jun 28, 2020 7:49 pm

What is remarkable is the clarity of the speech. When we tried there was always too much noise.

Considering their typical age they could have been on a training flight in a Sim. It just proves that the Danbuster Film and other 1950s war film dialogue was realistic.

A far cry from the Hollywood 5 star all action American love story war film.

One thing I picked up this time of listening was "Engineer from Captain". In the early 60s we used the more common "Plotter - Captain, next heading...". It took a sustained campaign by the trappers to change it to the more logical "Captain - plotter".

Although we flew with the same crew most of the time we always used crew function rather than names.

User avatar
TheGreenGoblin
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 17596
Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2019 11:02 pm
Location: With the Water People near Trappist-1

Re: Ghosts in the ether... Radio transmission travelling in time and space..

#5 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sun Jun 28, 2020 7:51 pm

Boac wrote:
Sun Jun 28, 2020 6:29 pm
Rivetting stuff, TGG - where did that come from?
More perspective here Boac...
It was September 1943 and two BBC correspondents were on board. Wynford Vaughn Thomas and Reginald Pidsley were there to record what it was like on a dangerous flight over enemy territory.

The bombing mission was piloted by Flight Lieutenant Ken Letford. They were in flight with 315 other Lancasters and four Mosquitos, all part of the 207 Squadron of the RAF. The Mosquitos dropped spoof flares further out to distract German fighters.

This recording was made using a process that required them to cut the discs in flight from acetates and then warm them up. The altitude was such that the disc material was too brittle to cut and could not be made into a recordable disc until Pidsley warmed it up inside his jacket. The recording was then made on a BBC midget recorder resembling in both appearance and difficulty an antique gramophone.

https://www.cd41recordings.com/bomber_c ... vol_1.html
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instan ... any-2.html

Brave men all...

In the recording you will hear the first six of these airmen listed:

Skipper: Ken Letford

Navigator: Con Connelly

Engineer: Charlie Stewart

Bombardier: Bill Bray

Gunner: Henry Devenish

Mid gunner: Jock Fieldhouse

Wireless Operator: Bill Sparkes
Though you remain
Convinced
"To be alive
You must have somewhere
To go
Your destination remains
Elusive."

Boac
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 17207
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 5:12 pm
Location: Here

Re: Ghosts in the ether... Radio transmission travelling in time and space..

#6 Post by Boac » Sun Jun 28, 2020 9:06 pm

What a find!

User avatar
CharlieOneSix
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 5004
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 12:58 pm
Location: NE Scotland
Gender:
Age: 79

Re: Ghosts in the ether... Radio transmission travelling in time and space..

#7 Post by CharlieOneSix » Mon Jun 29, 2020 8:24 am

Spirits in Flight

I saw them return, seven spirits in flight,
Engines fired by the sparks of the night,
Lumbering, throbbing like a battered ghost,
So thankful for a friendly coast.

Glowing and gliding, a Lanc without sound,
The rubber screams as it kisses the ground,
Perfect touchdown on a deserted plain;
Now a cornfield, a field with no name.

Night after night, mission after mission;
Helmets, goggles, masks and ammunition,
The seven Sky Warriors from long past,
All knowing tonight could be their last.

I hear the field alive with noise,
Filled with brave men; some of them just boys,
I see them walk in their suits of leather,
Slowly and proudly they walk together.

Where their Lancs rose to meet the foe,
Now the larks rise, from their nests below,
Down the runway only peace is heard,
Save for the wind and the song of a bird.

Time passes, January to December,
From spring to winter the years drift on,
Every April, every Easter, I will remember
Cliff, Al, Pete and John -- Nick, Stan and Skipper Don.

By Eddy Coward dedicated to his brother Cliff and the crew of Lancaster LL899 of 49 Sqdn lost 12 April 1944.
The helicopter pilots' mantra: If it hasn't gone wrong then it's just about to...
https://www.glenbervie-weather.org

User avatar
TheGreenGoblin
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 17596
Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2019 11:02 pm
Location: With the Water People near Trappist-1

Re: Ghosts in the ether... Radio transmission travelling in time and space..

#8 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Mon Jun 29, 2020 3:57 pm



It seems fitting that the footage is silent...
Though you remain
Convinced
"To be alive
You must have somewhere
To go
Your destination remains
Elusive."

G-CPTN
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 7594
Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2018 11:22 pm
Location: Tynedale
Gender:
Age: 79

Re: Ghosts in the ether... Radio transmission travelling in time and space..

#9 Post by G-CPTN » Mon Jun 29, 2020 4:23 pm

Did Charlie just get a life-jacket but no parachute?

User avatar
CharlieOneSix
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 5004
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 12:58 pm
Location: NE Scotland
Gender:
Age: 79

Re: Ghosts in the ether... Radio transmission travelling in time and space..

#10 Post by CharlieOneSix » Mon Jun 29, 2020 7:46 pm

There wasn't enough room in the rear turret for a parachute to be worn. It was stored in a canister behind Tail End Charlie in the fuselage and clipped onto a chest harness if needed. A simple statement - bet it wasn't simple to find it and clip it on in a hurry....
The helicopter pilots' mantra: If it hasn't gone wrong then it's just about to...
https://www.glenbervie-weather.org

G-CPTN
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 7594
Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2018 11:22 pm
Location: Tynedale
Gender:
Age: 79

Re: Ghosts in the ether... Radio transmission travelling in time and space..

#11 Post by G-CPTN » Mon Jun 29, 2020 7:55 pm

Thanks for that enlightenment, C16.

Pontius Navigator
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 14669
Joined: Fri Jul 07, 2017 8:17 am
Location: Gravity be the clue
Gender:
Age: 80

Re: Ghosts in the ether... Radio transmission travelling in time and space..

#12 Post by Pontius Navigator » Mon Jun 29, 2020 8:36 pm

In one drill, on the ground in relatively slow time I had to fight off 'Spot' (as in spotty youth) who was assisting and trying to hang a dinghy pack on my harness.

Post Reply