Fear of death or injury

[Cormanus]

My late father was flying reconnaissance in a Mustang when he was shot down. Waste of a plane. He spent the rest of the war in a POW camp.

Very good thread this, centered on risk taking. For those with an interest in WWII aircraft and the Spitfire especially, a link to a short film about US reconnaissance pilots who flew the iconic plane.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/ie3SrjLlcUY

My apologies for getting off topic a bit.

Very good thread this, centered on risk taking. For those with an interest in WWII aircraft and the Spitfire especially, a link to a short film about US reconnaissance pilots who flew the iconic plane.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/ie3SrjLlcUY

My apologies for getting off topic a bit.
Thanks for that, Redbirds. Fascinating. So the US pilots were flying Spitfires while my father, a Pommie, was flying a Mustang for photo reconnaissance.

Why the dickens did you bring that up?

How could he possibly have guessed, or is this "wrapping in jeweller's cotton" part of some never ending historical slide? What a horrible thought.

Warning: this post may contain the hint of a pun.

I hope you googled that up. If not, then not only are you a gentleman, you are also a scholar. And that's scary.

Quote:part of some never ending historical slide?. I am afraid so.

Cheers

I hope you googled that up. If not, then not only are you a gentleman, you are also a scholar. And that's scary.

Quote:part of some never ending historical slide?. I am afraid so.

Cheers
Pterodactyl, I'm afraid I googled it, but I have read Bleak House a very long time ago. The Tasmanian author, Richard Flanagan, has written a curious novel about Dickens and other things. It's called Wanting.

It's the six degrees of separation thing. My first instructor was on RAF loan. He was a remarkable man. His last tour was PR Spits. Sky blue colour and pressurised, not sure which model, probably about the Mark VIII so so. He would say that he preferred the peace of high altitude flight to mixing it at low level with those with teeth. This from a man who started on Hurricanes in '40 and was a DFC and more. A real gentleman with a sense of modesty that was remarkable. When pushed for "warries" they were always about his colleagues rather than himself. I think I was one of his greatest challenges. When he passed me on his only comment was "If you last a thousand hours you will probably be OK".

Our American friends, I think Tom Brokaw specifically, coined a phrase the Greatest Generation. That, of course, simplifies history somewhat, however your Dad, and all those others from that era could give us some valuable lessons in the "Right Thing", rather than the "Right Stuff".

Have read and enjoyed the The Unknown Terrorist so will give Wanting a burl.

Cheers[/u][/b]

Very different books. The Unknown Terrorist was a different style of books from his others.