Re: sort of on topic...
Don't suppose you remember where/when? Probably an OCU somewhere, and I'm aware of a few of them. Many of them built by Rediffusion.
19 publicly visible posts • joined 18 Dec 2008
5 miles from the centre of Cambridge in a brand-new development (only just finished) and we are lucky to get 2Mbps - most people (myself excluded) get around 1....and in order to bring FTTC BT Allegedly have to close one of the busiest stretches of road in the country.......not going to happen any time soon.....urgh.
Owners forums are a wonderful source of all that is good in the world of motoring and have helped me greatly. There is no way, without the forums, I'd have ever done half of what I have on my car - and it being from the VAG stable, you have to faff about inside in "invisible" space with tools to take the headlights out to change the bulbs - usually losing part of said tool into the bottom of the car in the process. Same with the rear lights where the bolt holding them in place is placed such that the likelihood of you losing the bolt/tool tip/magnetic holder into the bodywork is at its maximum. So much so that it's a standing joke for the apprentices at the dealers to be given these jobs then made to find the missing part which involves taking the back of the car apart...
That said though, much of what the author quotes has happened with cars these days anyway. Electric power-steering - check. Revised starting systems - check. More advanced cooling systems - Check. Weight reduction - Check. Changed drive ratios - Check - the list goes on and on.
To go back and apply it to something designed 40 years ago - hats off!
Very few people actually check their cars between a light telling them to do so - and most only check tyre pressures when they look low - having driven hundreds of miles, maybe even thousands with them low chewing through extra fuel and causing safety problems....
Now if only there was a solution....oh wait, attended garages....that could catch on! Check oil, water, tyre pressures.....oh well!
It's hardly a huge demo is it given it's over a creek and you can't see the underlying support.....strangely most materials are able to hold a higher load over short spans than over long spans......lets see it over a real void - not jut a creek that you could have driven the tank over anyway ;-)
"Vulcan XH558 is not privately owned, but operated as a National Heritage Asset. She belongs to every man, woman and child in Britain and is an iconic and emotive example of Britain's pivotal position in World technology and foreign affairs. "
So in that sense, it's every bit as worthy of a million quid in cash as our growing list of "Heritage Assets" (namely anything we produce, our financial services industry etc etc.)
Perhaps Sir Fred could cough up a few quid of the money he will be earning to keep her aloft?
I seem to recall an article, may even have been on el-reg tbh that mentioned the costs of a "usable" hydrogen filling infrastructure in the core EU countries as costing less than the first round of bail-outs to the banks (<£25bn)......perhaps we should have just chosen one bank in each country and cut it loose and spent the money on that......