[jim]

Originally Posted by Ara1

Yes. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. I'd even have the construction guys build shelving where the roof slants. I'm thinking a bench-type shelf running the length of the house, where the floor meets the roof. I'd paint it white and all my 1/48's would be parked wing tip to wing tip. We can wish, can't we Jim?

With one big dio running the whole length.
Indeed, that why I buy a lottery ticket every week!

Make a deal with you Ara, you buy a ticket as well and then if either of us wins he pays for the others loft conversion!

[Louie]

My SD is to have wall to wall glass shelving in my sare room/office full of my favorite models.
Big big bucks though.

[FormerViperDriver]

Originally Posted by Ara1

Interesting. My latest SD is to hear one of FVD's jet stories (if he cares to share with us here...)

Well, you're easily pleased!

I think I've posted a couple on the forum before, in various threads. But I got to tell you: I never flew either the F-111 or F-16 in combat (I did my combat duty in Desert Storm as a ground Air Liaison Officer and Forward Air Controller with one of the US Army's 3rd Armor Division), so you may be disappointed, compared to what you see on "Dogfights" or such. Never got a MiG kill . Still, you can't fly jets in the Air Force for 20 years and not have stories.

For example, I had the "pleasure" of once landing an F-111 at Lakenheath, UK, with the main gear door (which in the Vark is also the speed brake) fully extended, at an almost 90 degree angle relative to the aircraft's underside, at night. This was due to a malfunction in a hydraulic valve, and was an extremely rare occurence (no one at the base could remember such a thing happening before). This caused a spectacular landing with sparks flying all over the place as the honeycomb-filled gear door ground to a pulp on contact with the runway. This was also one of the very few times I dropped the arresting hook on the F-111 to engage the emergency cable. The wing commander and a bunch of others came out just to see the landing.

Well, OK, that's it for now, as I've got too many other threads to catch up with!

FVD

[Ara1]

Thanks for the sparks story FVD!

[FormerViperDriver]

Originally Posted by Ara1

Thanks for the sparks story FVD!

No problem. But hey, don't confuse that with the "SparkVark." That was the EF-111 electronic jamming version (which I never flew).

FVD