#the royal air force museum

[sinceileftyoublog]

Heartworms EP Review: A Comforting Notion

(Speedy Wunderground)

BY JORDAN MAINZER

A Comforting Notion, the debut EP from Jojo Orme’s dark dance project Heartworms, is the platonic artist’s statement. That is, the four tracks that make up the South London artist’s release are uniform in their aesthetic, cohesive in their themes, and provocative in their visualized form. Released on Speedy Wunderground (and produced by label founder Dan Carey), the record is classic goth-punk: wiry guitars, metronomic drum loops, vocals that elevate from whispered sprechgesang to shouted chants. “Ugly is the man, he’ll chew his eyes,” Orme sings, sinister and foreboding. On word workout “Retributions of an Awful Life”, she bounces back and forth over harmonic bass wobbles, glassy synths, and propulsive percussion, reciting lines like, “Very stressed, unimpressed / This is fun / In fact, it’s keeping me awake,” like she’s going down a checklist, yet fully knowing that moods are anything but simple, often multitudinous.

Best, Orme is aware of the genre’s history and what came before her. Her interest in military and aviation imagery is legit, having started volunteering at The Royal Air Force Museum, and she appropriates it without succumbing to the genre’s dabbling in fascism. In essence, she ironically finds a sense of individuality in donning uniforms while performing, something distinct from the all-black palate of her forebears. Taken in context of a song like “24 Hours”, a dissociative track about Orme not fitting in at school, Heartworms’ at-times monochromatic vocalization and percussion is a powerful push-pull between conformity and individuality. Orme named the band after the 2017 album from The Shins, whose sunny melancholy is as far a cry as possible from Heartworms’ grey soundscapes. Funny enough, James Mercer’s father was in the U.S. Air Force, and while that has never really made it into the New Mexico band’s music, the factoid is the cherry on top of Heartworms’ mood board, unexpectedly deep and wide.

[nocternalrandomness]

Display at the Yorkshire Air Museum of a tail gunner in an RAF Avro Lancaster Bomber during WW2

[sometimeslondon]

A Sopwith Camel

This is RAF Museum in Hendon, one of the many brilliant museums in London. Whilst not centrally located, it is definitely worth a visit.

[intheshadowofwar]

20 June 2023

A Royal Fellowship of Death

London 20 June 2023

Sometimes a memorial becomes so ubiquitous in the landscape that you forget its a memorial. Take the Arc de Triomphe. It’s as ‘top down’ as a memorial ever was, but it is technically a war memorial, commemorating Napoleon’s battles and marshals. Arguably the Washington Monument is the same. And so, of course, is the Wellington Arch. In fact, the Wellington Arch doesn’t just commemorate Old Nosey’s victories in Flanders, Portugal and Spain, it serves as the epicentre of a small cluster of war memorials, just down the road from Buckingham Palace.

We started today at Victoria Station, visiting the memorial to the war dead of both the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway during the First World War and the Southern Railway of the Second. (For the uninitiated, the LBSCR was amalgamated with several other south coast railway companies to form the Southern in 1923, as a direct result of the war.) We then proceeded one stop up the Victoria Line to Green Park, and walked from there to the Bomber Command Memorial, the newest member of this little community of memorials.

The Bomber Command Memorial was always going to controversial, even divorced from it’s commention to Tory political operator Lord Ashcroft. For seventy years after the war, RAF Bomber Command existed in between the moral necessity to commemorate its more than 55,000 dead, and the politicial impossibility of raising a monument to the men who destroyed Hamburg and Dresden. Proportionally, both for Australia and the Empire generally, serving in Bomber Command was the most dangerous and deadly occupation of either world war, with a staggering 44% death rate. (Not casualties. Deaths.) To fly a Lancaster (or a Halifax, a Wellington, a Stirling or any of the other less fashionable bombers) took immense courage. Yet this courage was used to pursue what Arthur ‘Bomber’ Harris called ‘dehousing’ - the deliberate targeting of civilian areas. This was controversial at the time, to the point where the Americans took it as a point of moral pride that they didn’t bomb in the British fashion (until towards the end of the war, where the gloves came off, particularly against Japan.) Today, it’s a huge issue that a lot of people are very sensitive towards.

I think the Bomber Command Memorial does it’s job as tastefully as is possible to do so - bearing in mind that it is not possible to do this in a way that would be tasteful for everyone. Yes, the men on the pedestal are elevated, and we look up at them, but we look up at figures with a distinct sense of weary resignation to doing an awful job. It is the statues that turn what could be seen as - and what Ashcroft probably intended to be - a blandly nationalistic piece. They give it a human quality. It’s also worth noting that once a memorial, like any other piece of art, is finished, the interpretation of the beholder becomes just as valid and important as that of the artist.

I won’t get into whether or not I think strategic bombing was tactically or strategically justified, although I will say that for a long time there weren’t many other ways to prosecute the war, and I’m hestitant to judge Harris or Churchill too harshly.

We crossed the road to the Wellington Arch, and here split up so that each group could examine a chosen war memorial. I’m not in a group, so I got to wander around and look at whatever took my fancy, so instead of the insightful commentary of my cohorts about WWI memorials, you get to hear me moan about a Napoleonic statue. Specifically, there’s a statue of Wellington that faces Aspley House, and a handsome statue it is, but there is something about it that bothers me intensely. On the base, standing guard at each corner, are soldiers from various regiments of Wellington’s Army - probably intentionally, they represent England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. This is good - what bothers me is their choice of representatives. The Scots soldier is an infantryman of the 42nd (Black Watch) Foot, as is good and proper. The Welshman is of the 23rd Royal Welch Fusiliers, the Englishman is of the 1st Foot Guards, and the Irishman is of the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons. And therein lies the problem - they’re all from elite regiments. (Additionally, the Fusilier is a sergeant.) Were it up to me, I’d swap the Foot Guard for, say, one of the light infantry regiments - let’s say the 52nd Foot, just for an example - and the dragoon for the 28th (Inniskilling) Foot. Both of these regiments deserve recognition, and neither of them are part of the social elite of the army.

Some might say this leaves out the cavalry. Well, bugger the cavalry. It’s the infantry and the artillery that win wars, and the cavalry that take the credit.

As for the other memorials, most of them were handsome enough. The Australian Memorial is a clever design; a wall in which, from a distance, one sees the name of battles, and when one comes closer they can see the small names of towns across Australia. The Machine Gun Corps Memorial is classical to the point that nobody would ever know what it was a memorial to unless they took a close look - it just looks like a naked Achilles making a jaunty pose. The New Zealand Memorial looks like somebody left their giant tent pins sitting in the side of a small rise, while the memorial to the Indian, African and Caribbean troops of the world wars is handsome but a little generic. It’s the Royal Artillery Memorial that really stands out, with it’s stone 9.2in howitzer and the weary figures of artillerymen standing sentinel around it. At the back is the stark image of a dead gunner, his body covered by his cloak and helmet. Below this anonymous casualty is an inscription - ‘here was a royal fellowship of death.’ It’s an outstanding memorial, and one of the standouts of the tour so far.

After presentations, we caught the Piccadilly Line from Hyde Park Corner to Piccadilly Circus, and from there took the Bakerloo down to Lambeth North. Here was the Imperial War Museum; it almost needs no introduction. Before the Australian War Memorial, before the hundreds of local memorials across the Empire, before the war had even ended, there was the everpresent IWM. Perhaps appropriately, the premises of the IWM used to be the infamous Bedlam asylum. We lunched here, and then looked around.

The IWM is undoubtedly a world class institution, and there was much to like about its famed First World War exhibit - it’s clearly global in scope, pays attention to the civilian as well as the military dimension, and has a number of artefacts one would never find elsewhere. Yet I could not help but see serious problems. A museum needs to keep things simple and accessible to the public, but some of the placards were so simplified that they actually made it more difficult to work out what things were. Take the Ottoman shoe one of our groups examined - it’s fascinating, but would it not be more fascinating to know where it came from? Was it recovered after the disaster at Salakamish, and does it thus have a connection to the ensuing extermination campaign against the Armenians? Or perhaps it came from Gallipoli, Mesopotamia or Palestine? Was the wearer a soldier, or a labourer behind the lines? Was he Turkish? Armenian? Arabian? Knowing where it came from could help us answer these questions and increase our understanding of history, all without making the placard unacceptably complicated.

There was also a giant naval gun standing in front of and obscuring the international uniforms (Italy, the Ottoman Empire and so on), and I just have to wonder what genius came up with that placement.

The Second World War wing had a lot of the same problems, but I can’t help but feel it was just a little better - less cluttered, slightly more context and information. It also had a lot of profiles of ordinary people involved in the wars - very quick blurbs about people to give the objects a more human touch. There’s also a bit on the Australians in New Guinea, complete with Owen Gun, so naturally that’s a big point in it’s favour. Upstairs there’s a temporary exhibit on the Troubles - I saw someone on Twitter who was absolutely infuriated that a British museum was talking about this, and I think they ought to look at it for themselves because I thought it was brilliant. At the top is the Lord Ashcroft Gallery of VCs, and all I’ll say about that is that I find the fact that Lord Ashcroft personally has the world’s largest collection of Victoria Crosses to be very disconcerting. As a great archeologist once said, ‘it belongs in a museum!’

(Yes, I know technically already in a museum, but the museum should own them.)

We finished around 4.30. I had dinner with mum at the Victoria Wetherspoons (review - it’s a Wetherspoons, you know what to expect) and then headed back in to write this. Tomorrow we get most of the day to ourselves, so I plan to duck down for a cheeky visit to the National Army Museum. But first an early rise, because there might - and I cannot absolutely confirm this - be something special in at Paddington…

[usafphantom2]

Handley Page Halifax III LV907 | Yorkshire Air Museum Nightshoot by Jakub Zurek Via Flickr: 'Friday the 13th' - a little bit difficult to photograph, but definitely another one to tick off the bucket list, courtesy of Timeline Events earlier this year.

[abbyisabroad]

Riyadh's Aviation Museum - Saqer Al-Jazirah Royal Air Force Museum

Easily one of the best-kept secrets of Riyadh is the Royal Airforce Museum, located on Eastern Ring Road. With tickets being just 10 SAR per person, and there being enough displays, simulations, and airplanes to view, you could easily pass 2 hours, it's worth a visit.

There are lots of airplanes on the grounds outside the building to walk around and explore, making it a great destination during cooler weather. Sometimes, the employees will even open the planes up to give a tour.

Inside, there are more planes, models, and even a feature on Saudi's first astronaut Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. There are a few flying simulations to try out as well.

Museum hours are 8am-12pm and 4pm-8pm on weekdays. Weekends, the museum opens from 4pm and closes at 8pm.

Find the location on google maps here.

[humanspaceflightday]

NEW ZEALAND - Yuri’s Night 2024 International Space Event at the Air Force Museum.

Yuri’s Night 2024 at the Air Force Museum of NZ, an International Space Celebration; Come along and see Canterbury’s Aerospace on display, completely free; Turn up any time throughout the day (below for some workshop times)

– Planetarium tours – Mars Rover display – Build-Your-Own-Rocket workshops – Static Rocket displays – Giveaways (from stickers to aerospace collectibles) – Astronomical displays – Wind Tunnel exhibit – Build a Shuttle – Send a postcard to space (Really!) – watch a rocket launch (weather dependant) – Touch a piece of rocket that’s returned from Space! – Spot Prizes of cool aerospace swag! – and so much more!

Yuri Gagarin became the first human in Space on April 12th 1961. Fast forward 40 years and “Yuri’s Night” was created as an international space party, celebrating everything aerospace!

– Rocket Workshops at 10am and 2pm (spaces limited) – Rocket Launch at 1pm weather dependant – Planetarium tour numbers subject to space constraints

– Therese Angelo Wing of the Museum (hang a left and go past the cafe upon entering)

Proudly brought to you by the Christchurch Rocketeers, Royal Aeronautical Society of NZ, and the Air Force Museum of New Zealand

Event displays volunteered by: – Christchurch Rocketeers – Royal Aeronautical Society of NZ – Air Force Museum of NZ – Canterbury Astronomical Society – Aerospace New Zealand/ Aotearoa Aerospace Academy – House of Science – UC Aerospace Club – SpacewardBoundNZ – Canterbury Astronomical Society

Yuri’s Night 2024 International Space Event WHERE: 2024-Apr-13 @ 09:30 AM - 2024-Apr-13 @ 04:00 PM WHEN: Air Force Museum of New Zealand Harvard Avenue, Wigram, Christchurch, New Zealand

[d-bovet]

Glider pilot and co pilot badges during WW2 in Great Britain (with Kingcrown KC)

[kaitaiga]

Archie “Frost” Campbell Profile

》[Open Profile] Disclaimer: as I’m still working through the lore of Task Force Dagger, Archie’s biography is still quite bare. Everything else is finished :)

General

Name: Archibald (Archie) Charles Campbell

Callsign: Frost, Dagger-01 (TFD)

Age: 29

Birthday: 16th November, 1995 -  Newcastle, NSW, Australia.

Face Claim: Callum Turner (Specifically - ‘Bucky’ from MOTA’)

Occupation: Fast Jet Pilot (F-35A Lightning II)

Affiliation: Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF - 75th SQN)

Rank: Flight Lieutenant (FLTLT)

Height: 183cm (6ft)

Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Aviation

Languages: English, Spanish, German

Appearance

Hair: Dark brown, wavy hair. Short back and sides.

Eye Colour: Grey

Facial Hair: Pencil moustache

Marks: None

Tattoos: None

Family 

Unnamed Mother and Father

Grandfather (Former RAAF 460 SQN)

Pet: Vader (Black cat with white markings on face)

Affiliates

Task Force Dagger

Captain Lachlan Jones (2CDO)

Sergeant Damien Whitlock (2CDO)

Sergeant Daniel Greenhill (2CDO)

Sergeant Joseph “Joey” Hernandez (CCT)

Talullah Jones (ASIS)

Personality

Myers-Briggs Type: ISTJ (Logistician)

Honest and Direct: Archie is a straightforward, no-bullshit kind of person. Will tell his peers how it is without holding back. 

Observer: Not one to talk much unless needed, Archie prefers to observe and analyse his peers or situation.

Archie is a level-headed person. He is calm and is able to keep his cool under difficult situations.

Archie doesn’t let his emotions drive his thought process. He is a logical person who bases his thoughts and opinions based on research and experience, and can become stubborn when he doesn’t particularly agree with something.

Skills

As a fighter pilot, Archie has inherited a range of skills apart from simply flying a fighter jet. There include:

Mental Skills: quick and accurate decisions, situational awareness.

Technical Skills: navigation, avionics, flight system and weapon proficiency.

Social Skills: effective communication, cooperation and working as a team, leadership.

Air Combat Manoeuvring (ACM), Fighter tactics and manoeuvres, etc.

Mission Planning

Maths and Physics, as well as creativity in situations.

Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE)

Archie also likes to partake in electrical work, commonly seen tinkering with devices and studying mechanical/electrical engineering concepts in his spare time.

Behind the Callsign

At a glance, “Frost” derives from his frosty attitude towards his peers around him. Being one to keep to himself majority of the time and only speaking when necessary, his attitude was often perceived as cold to others, even when he didn't mean it.

Though if you were to ask his squadron and ground crew, they’d tell you that they call him “Frost” due to his impressive flying skills, often leaving onlookers and other pilots frozen in awe. Almost like an advantage over opponents.

Biography

Archie was born in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia on the 16th of November, 1995. Growing up, Archie would listen to his grandfather’s stories of being a pilot on an Avro Lancaster throughout the majority of WW2. Though a little incoherent at times, Archie still enjoyed them regardless as they shaped his childhood and future to come.

Throughout high school, Archie would spend a lot of time volunteering at an aviation museum alongside his grandfather as a technician assistant, working on maintaining planes on display whilst rambling bits of information of various planes to visitors. Archie would also frequent RAAF base Williamtown, where he would stand just outside the base and watch Super Hornets scream over his head. He wasn’t the type to stand out among his classmates, much preferring to stick his head in a book and soak up as much information as he could on various aviation and engineering topics. He graduated with a top ATAR score of 97.

Thanks to his constant exposure to the Air Force along with his grandfather’s stories, Archie knew he wanted to become a fighter pilot from an early age. In his later years of high school and after, he worked diligently preparing for multiple officer and screening boards during his application process. He managed to score one of five spots out of hundreds of applicants.

Archie then attended the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA), where he pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Aviation. He would be a maths tutor to a few of his peers in his spare time, but most commonly Joseph, his newly made friend who he bonded with over their love for Star Wars. 

Upon graduating ADFA, Archie was sent to Perth to begin his initial specialist employment pilot training (ISET), where he spent a year flying the PC-21. He graduated from Number 2 Flying Training School and was recommended by his instructors to pilot the newly introduced and mighty F-35A.

Now part of 75th Squadron, Archie is posted to RAAF base Tindal in the Northern Territory to continue his training, also managing to deploy overseas to various locations such as the US and Japan.

At some point, Archie was approached and recruited into Task Force Dagger on recommendation from Joseph. Working with TFD would show him his first set of real combat outside of simulations and practice exercises. To be continued…

*(Archie would have been 26 years old when the F-35A was first introduced into the 75th SQN, a few years after he graduated ISET (22-23 years old). For story purposes, assume the F-35 arrived earlier.)

Trivia/Preferences 

His favourite music band is Daft Punk. His favourite song from them is ‘Face to Face’. Also likes Coldplay, Kenny Loggins, Phil Collins, Foo Fighters, Linkin Park, etc.

In his spare time, he also likes to build lego sets and model jets. He’s also a gamer, preferring to play games like League of Legends, Cyberpunk 2077, Helldivers 2, etc.

He likes to wear Rayban Aviators in the colourway black/black or gold/green.

He is a big fan of Star Wars. His favourite movie is ‘A New Hope’ and he also really enjoys ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’. His favourite characters are Wedge Antilles and Commander Wolffe.

He likes to spoil Vader rotten! Buys him all kinds of toys. Even has a Death Star cat house. He has a really big soft spot for Vader which Joseph likes to tease him about, quote: “he is the only one to knock down that icy wall he’s built around himself.”

When Archie chose his aircraft preference, he originally chose the F/A-18F Super Hornet.

If he didn’t become a pilot, he’d become a mechanical engineer. 

After his grandfather passed, Archie carries his ID tags with him as a source of comfort and support. 

Archie was inspired by the character ‘Viper’ from Titanfall 2 and the song “Dodge This”.

[secretobsessionstuff]

Hi hi, I love your work :D Never really got the nerve to send an ask in to say that tbh. If you don't mind, I have a request for a scenario you could possibly do B) No pressure though!! (If you do end up writing this I don't have a preference for any specific characters, but I'm soft for male characters.)

I'm so soft for scenes where a character is sick, but whoever they tell just don't believe them. I'm also soft for when a character coughs hard enough to get sick. If possible could you write something combining those? Or even just one or the other would be great too!! Thanks :D

Thank you for the request and the kind words!! I'm going with the first option because I too am soft for disbelieving caretakers.

------------

Shawn was a man of culture. In the Canadian museum of history, he thoroughly admired every bench, chair, and sofa with his scholarly behind. The current gallery boasted an impressive collection of fucking postage stamps. Shawn dropped his head into his hands with an exaggerated huff. Kill me now.

A mass of whining school children flocked past him, not giving a second thought to the pale and lifeless man lounging on the bench. His boyfriend was lost somewhere in the sea of families and tour groups, probably admiring the royal collection of [redacted]. Shawn didn’t care anymore. He wanted to go back to the Airbnb. 

“Are you going to sulk the entire time?” Mateo had asked as the two of them received their admission tickets. 

“I’m not sulking,” Shawn sulked.  

“Yeah, okay.” Mateo walked further on ahead, determined to enjoy the one event he had specifically requested. “I just wish you would get excited over things I care about.” 

Shawn scrunched his eyes up tight, tired of hearing this. “Hon, you know I care.” His voice was weepy with an edge of annoyance. “I told you, I’m just not feeling up to this.” 

“I recall,” Mateo said, not looking back. “Your malaise came on at such a convenient time.” 

It wasn’t Shawn’s fault that his stomach decided to reject breakfast at precisely that time. He couldn’t control the churning in his gut. The eggs and hashbrowns he had eaten earlier floated in a bath of grease in his belly. He swore he could hear the chirping of baby chicks that did not appreciate being digested. They cried out in his stomach, cursing him for scrambling their potential lives. 

A growing pocket of air forced Shawn into a sitting position. As he straightened his spine, the burp easily rose in his chest. The belch filled his mouth with the taste of sulphur, making him shiver. For the next ten minutes, he concentrated on settling his stomach. He was so lost in thoughts of nausea and discomfort that he did not notice Mateo had approached him. 

“Onto the next exhibit, then.” Mateo waited for Shawn to get up. He seemed almost nonchalant, but underneath it was a longing to experience the museum with his boyfriend. He wanted to hold Shawn’s hand as they walked through the halls. Unfortunately, Shawn kept his hands in his pockets and his head tucked into his neck. “I’m sorry the morning is boring for you. I promise we’ll do something fun later.” 

“I’m not bored, Teo,” Shawn mumbled in between burps. He pressed his fist into his mouth, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. “This isn’t my first choice of activity, but I really do want you to enjoy it.” 

Mateo swung his hand at his side, purposefully touching his boyfriend’s arm. “I want to enjoy it with you.” 

“I know.” He smiled sadly. “But I am honestly feeling…Just blah.” 

“Blah?” 

“Blahughuh, in fact.” Shawn forced a smirk that didn’t stick because he felt a ripple of nausea move through his belly. “It’s just my stomach—it’s so gurgly and full.” 

“Maybe it will settle down after one more exhibit.” 

“Maybe.” 

“Well, then you will definitely start feeling better after two more exhibits.” 

“…Mateo.” 

“What?” Mateo said playfully, still not totally taking his boyfriend seriously. “Give it two more exhibits. Your stomach probably just needs time to digest. If you still feel bad after that, then we’ll leave.” 

Shawn did not think that was a good idea, but he let his boyfriend run ahead to the next gallery. He lagged behind like a parent watching their child enjoy themselves. He would have smiled at the way Mateo absorbed himself in the history and culture that so many people dismissed, but a smile would not come to his lips. He kept his mouth pressed into a hard line to keep the nausea at bay. 

Something was horribly wrong in his stomach. The queasiness made his throat feel like it was blocked by a lump of clay. How long was Mateo going to take? Shawn didn’t know how much longer he could last. He walked at a zombie-like pace through the gallery, keeping a hand on his bloated middle. Something squirmed beneath his palm. He imagined bright yellow worms, the colour of scrambled eggs, writhing in his belly. 

Saliva filled his mouth, flooding his tongue with a warm, uncomfortable feeling. Fuck, where was Mateo? Shawn staggered about, feeling his jaw grow heavy. His whole body was telling him to get out of there. 

He found his boyfriend in the corner of the exhibit, reading an informational poster on the wall next to colourful minerals. 

“Teo?” he said after swallowing thickly. The mouthful of thick saliva came right back. “I want to leave now.” 

“Fine.” Mateo sighed, not yet looking at Shawn. “Give me two minutes.” 

Shawn whimpered. He did not have two minutes. His belly gave him two seconds after belching wetly into his hand before it forced its contents up his throat. He braced himself on the wall as a deep retch overtook him. 

Sludgy vomit fell past his lips, splattering on the floor with a wet squelching sound. Nearby people gasped and quickly deserted the area. Shawn put another hand against the wall as his back arched again. There was no stopping this now that it started. 

“Whoa shit,” Mateo said, quickly turning around to take in the sight of his heaving boyfriend. A puddle of pale brown chunks had formed at Shawn’s feet. He placed a gentle hand between Shawn’s shoulder blades. “Oh babes, I’m so sorry.” 

Shawn wanted to say something acidic, but his mouth was again filled with chunky sick. He parted his lips to let the rush of vomit join the growing mess. His poor belly gurgled and constricted. Tears clouded Shawn’s vision. He couldn’t stop the flood from coming. Everything had to come up. 

“Ugh, I can’t stop.” Shawn gagged. He sniffled and wiped at his face before the second gag proved productive. More of the bitter tasting crap came up from the burbling pit of his belly. A sob broke free in between bouts. Drool and snot hung from his chin. 

Mateo’s heart squeezed in his chest. “Shh, Shawn, babe. It’ll be over soon.” 

These cooing words did not fix anything. It did not stop Shawn from gagging, nor did it ease the ache in Mateo’s chest. The mess on the floor was his fault. The sobbing mess of a man was also his fault. None of this would have happened if Mateo had listened the first time. They could have been in a private area, probably curled up in each other’s lap, but no. He decided to prolong his boyfriend’s suffering. 

Finally, Shawn coughed and cleared his throat. His chest rose rapidly in attempt to take in more air. “Ugh God.” The words glued to his throat, coming out wet and thick. “That fucking sucked. I feel disgusting.” 

Mateo rubbed his boyfriend’s shaking back. “Come on. Let’s clean you up in the bathroom.” 

They turned around to find a janitor wheeling a mop bucket in their direction. Shawn’s face turned red, and he allowed himself to be ushered away by Mateo. He pushed the embarrassment deep down and clung to his boyfriend for good measure. 

“So, this is what Blahughuh means,” Mateo said while he wiped Shawn’s face with a wet paper towel. 

Shawn hiccupped and mumbled, “I thought I made myself pretty clear.” 

“You did. I’m sorry.” Mateo rubbed his thumb softly over Shawn’s cheek. “I should have taken you more seriously.” 

“Yeah, I shouldn’t need to puke everywhere for you to listen.” Shawn winced at the spasm that went through his belly. “I might need to go again.” 

Mateo raised his eyebrows in surprise. “What did you do to your poor stomach? Did that breakfast place poison you?” 

“That’s a very possible…possibility.”

Mateo pouted at his grey-ish looking boyfriend. He kissed his forehead. “Time to go. I'll get you a bag for the car.” 

“Five more minutes?” 

Mateo smacked his arm. “Stop, I hate myself.” 

[rockyp77mk3]

WWII Colorized Photo: This December 13, 1944 photo was colorized by Colourised PIECE of JAKE. The original black & white photo is from the British Imperial War Museum CL 1729, and it was taken by the Royal Air Force official photographer, Clark N S, (P/O) in the Airfield Volkel, Holland. (Santa had arrived in a RAF Hawker Tempest Mk-V.)

In the pic, the British Royal Air Force Leading Aircraftman Fred Fazan from London, is dressed up as Santa Claus, and is handing out presents to Dutch children at the 486 Squadron, No. 122 Wing. The members of No 122 Wing had saved their candies for weeks, and contributed enough money to give the Dutch children their first Christmas party.

[sometimeslondon]

An Avro Lancaster

Another aircraft from the collection at the Royal Air Force Museum in Hendon

[intheshadowofwar]

15 June 2023

Scramble

Imperial War Museum Duxford 15 June 2023

The east of England - specifically Cambridgeshire, East Anglia and Lincolnshire - is sometimes known as ‘bomber country.’ It was this region that housed the heavy bombers; the B-17s and B-24s of the US Eighth Air Force and the Lancasters and Halifaxes of RAF Bomber Command. Duxford Aerodrome, just outside Cambridge, was not one of these bases, but it still played a major part of the Combined Bomber Offensive (and of course the Battle of Britain - Czech, Polish and British squadrons flew from there during the height of the battle.) After 1943, it was occupied by the US 78th Fighter Group, flying P-47 and P-51 fighters to escort the bombers to their targets (or as close to their targets as fuel allowed) in Germany and occupied Europe.

We’ll discuss the moral dimension of the Combined Bomber Offensive on Tuesday; the human cost for the USAAF is evident in the nearby American cemetery. 26,000 airman of the Eighth Air Force were killed over Europe. The total number of casualties, 47,000, represented half of the entire total of USAAF casualties in the Second World War. In Bomber Command, it was even worse - 55,573 were killed, an astounding death rate of 44% of all personnel.

Today, Duxford is the home of an annex of the Imperial War Museum. I went there with a good friend from Bedford to show them around; it’s always a very good time, and today was no exception. We noticed a lot of classic cars pottering around when we got there; I later found out that it was a car meet. Essentially, we got a full gauntlet of planes, cars, tanks and artillery. All that was missing were trains and boats.

The museum is divided between three purpose-built exhibition buildings and three hangers, and stretches along the length of the airfield. I’ll admit some of the exhibitions feel a little muddled - the big AirSpace building feels like a smorgasbord of random aircraft at times. Yet a smorgasbord of random aircraft is still a collection of aircraft, and sometimes that’s exactly what you want to see. Lancasters, Vulcans and Concordes are impressive machines wherever they are. Perhaps I am simply becoming a grumpy old man before my time.

I have spoken about Duxford time and time again, but I never have difficulty coming up with highlights to bring up. There’s the He112 jet fighter being cosmetically restored in the conservation hall for example - I’m not certain I’ve ever seen one. There’s the Fairey Swordfish, the unassuming biplane torpedo bomber that crippled the Bismarck. There’s Montgomery’s M3 Grant command tank in the Land Warfare Hall, and an A10 Warthog in the American Air Museum that I swear wasn’t there before.

And there were Spitfires - lots and lots of Spitfires. I don’t think I’ve ever stopped to think about how many Spitfires there are at Duxford. I suppose you can never have too many.

It’s also worth noting that Duxford contains the regimental museums of the Parachute Regiment and the Royal Anglian Regiment. The former is particularly impressive, and somewhat impressively it dedicates a placard to the infamous Bloody Sunday of 1972, where men of 1 PARA opened fire on civilians. I imagine there’s a lot of people who would say that it’s insufficient, but it’s a start.

We grabbed McDonalds for lunch and headed back to Bedford, and I spent a quiet afternoon in. Tomorrow we’re taking the bus down to Cambridge proper, which ought to be an interesting day trip.

[wileycap]

THE TORCH (Headlines from the end of the Hundred Year War, as collected by the Royal Museum and the Military Historical Society)

The Torch was a newspaper founded in year four of Fire Lord Azulon's reign and shut down in year 16 of Fire Lord Zuko's reign. It had two purposes: to act as a mouthpiece of the current regime and to provide sensationalist entertainment. Due to the oft-conflicting nature of these dual purposes, examining the Torch can provide insight into Fire Nation society during the War and the spread of information within it. The Torch was occasionally permitted to gently criticize the government, leading scholars to believe that its true purpose was to alleviate public tensions and moderate criticism of the War.

Barbarians Destroy Grand Fleet At North Pole: Unnatural Powers Used, Fire Lord Ozai Vows To Protect Nation

Obituary For Admiral Zhao: "Not well-liked or particularly competent, but still mourned by 5-12 people in the nation"

Air Nomad Terrorist Sighted In The Earth Kingdom: "Possibility of Earth terrorism in the homeland", Cautions Top Official

Air Nomad Terrorist 'Oung' Sighted In A Swamp: Possible Drug Use?

Air Nomad Terrorist Kidnaps The Daughter Of EK Noble Beifong Amidst Rising Cries To Submit To The Fire Nation- "Helpless and blind"

Giant Drill Launched, Destroyed In The EK - Expert: "Definitely the best way to spend the equivalent of three years' GDP. All hail Fire Lord Ozai."

War Minister Caught In "Peace Conspiracy": Fired (Note: A correction was later printed, clarifying that the minister was burned to death.)

VICTORY! Fire Nation Covert Forces Capture Ba Sing Se, Led By Princess Azula

Disgraced Prince Spotted In Tender Moments With EK Sweetheart - "A travesty"

JUSTICE! Air Nomad Terrorist Uang Killed

Prince Zuko And Princess Azula Return To The Homeland

Prince Zuko Confirmed As Crown Prince: "Now that his official mission to strike out at our enemies is complete, the Prince will resume his duties"

The Most Eligible Bachelor? Prince Zuko Is Still Without Bethrotal

Royal Etiquette Trainer Slams Top Bachelorette Princess Azula: "Time to find a suitable match"

Renowned War Hero Princess Azula Has No Plans To Marry, And That's Okay

Former Etiquette Trainer Imprisoned For Defaming The Royal Family

East Coast School Life Disturbed By Cave Dancing

Fire Nation Factory Relocated In A Planned Way Without Any Explosions, Officials Report: "There are no river spirits in the Fire Nation"

Vicious Teen Arrested For Scamming, Destroys Part Of Peaceful Town: "This is why truancy laws are necessary"

Prince Zuko, Princess Azula Spotted Relaxing At The Beach: Six Injured, Luxury Mansion Destroyed

Spooky! Old Woman Keeps People Prisoner Under A Mountain

Two Ministers Jailed For Spreading Lies: "Prince Zuko was never banished and to claim that he was is a crime", Says Palace Spokesperson

Airship Fleet Unveiled, Thwarts Barbarian Incursion

Traitorous Former Prince Zuko, Who Was Banished For Three Years, Abandons His Nation

Front Falls Off Of Airship: "Highly unusual, I'd like to make that point"

Concerns Raised Over Fire Nation Engineer Uniforms: "Revealing and chafes my nipples"

Are Ancient Civilizations Still Here? "No", Says Expert

Escape At Boiling Rock! Two Prisoners Freed, Two Traitors Captured: "Really, the result is a net zero, if you think about it" (Note: No corrections were issued, despite a factual error in the number of escaped prisoners.)

Decorated Veteran Harrassed By Teen Girl, Own Mother

Hilarious! Ember Island Players Debut New Comedy

Fire Lord Zuko Ascends The Throne, Promises Era Of Peace

6 Reasons Why Fire Lord Ozai Is The Most Successful Ruler In History

Sozin's Comet Approaches, Officials Caution Against Firebending In Public

Four Things You Need To Do During Sozin's Comet To Ensure Prosperity For Your Family

Phoenix King Ozai Launches Surprise "Final Strike"

Ozai Of The Fire Nation Held For Crimes Against Humanity

Avatar Aang Brokers Truce

Is Fire Lord Zuko Still Single? Speculations Erupt

[aimeedaisies]

The Princess Royal’s Official Engagements in September 2024

01/09 unofficial With Sir Tim Attended a church service at Crathie Kirk. ⛪️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

10/09 As Colonel-in-Chief, visited The King's Royal Hussars at Aliwal Barracks in Tidworth, Wiltshire. 🪖

Sir Tim represented Princess Anne at a Service of Thanksgiving for Sir Clive Johnstone (National President of the Royal British Legion) which was held at St. Margaret's Church in Westminster, London. 🌹

11/09 Visited Estuary Services Limited and named a Pilot Vessel in Ramsgate Royal Harbour, followed by a Reception at Royal Temple Yacht Club. 🍾🚤

As Patron of the English Rural Housing Association, opened a new development at Carpenters Yard in Shepherdswell near Dover, Kent. 🌳🏠

12/09 As Patron of Citizens Advice Scotland, visited Penicuik Citizens Advice Bureau. ⚖️

As Patron of the International Sheep Dog Society, attended the International Sheep Dog Trials at Syde Farm in Lanarkshire. 🐑🐕

Unofficial Sir Tim attended the launch of the Bradford UK City of Culture 2025 🏙️

13/09 Attended the Southampton International Boat Show. 🚤

As Patron of the National Museum of the Royal Navy, visited the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton in Ilchester, to mark its 60th anniversary. ✈️⚓️

As Patron of Save the Children UK, attended a Concert at Cheap Street Church in Sherborne, to mark 30 years of support from the Cambridge Choral Scholars. 🎶

16/09 As President of Victim Support, visited the Bristol Service at St Werburghs Community Centre, to mark its 50th anniversary. 🤝

As Patron of Gloucestershire Rugby Football Union, attended the Annual Volunteer Awards Reception at Lockleaze Sports Centre in Bristol. 🏉

17/09 As Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Logistic Corps, visited the Joint Helicopter Support Squadron at A Hangar in Royal Air Force Benson. 🚁

As Patron of the National Transport Trust, attended the Annual Awards Ceremony at Fawley Hill Museum, in Henley-on-Thames. 🏆

As Royal Patron of the National Coastwatch Institution, attended a 30th anniversary reception at the Corporation of Trinity House. 🍾

18/09 As President of the UK Fashion and Textile Association, visited ApparelTASKER Sustainable Garment Manufacturer in London. 👕👖

20/09 As Patron of the Beef Shorthorn Cattle Society, attended a Members' Development Day at Podehole Farm in Thorney. 🐮

21/09 Unofficial With Sir Tim Departed from Kemble Airfield and arrived at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. ✈️🇳🇱

With Sir Tim Attended a Reception at the Airborne Museum Hartenstein, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Arnhem. 🪂

22/09 With Sir Tim As President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, attended the Annual Service of Commemoration at Oosterbeek Airborne Cemetery. 🪦🌹

With Sir Tim Visited the house of “the Angel of Arnhem” in Oosterbeek. 🏠👼🏻

Unofficial With Sir Tim, departed from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and arrived back at Kemble Airfield. ✈️🇬🇧

24/09 As President of the Scotch Chef’s Club, visited Hugh Black and Sons Limited in Stirling. 🥩🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

As Patron of the Royal Highland Education Trust, attended a Food and Farming Day at Solsgirth Home Farm in Dollar. 🎓🚜

As Patron of Opportunity International United Kingdom, held a Dinner at St James’s Palace. 🌍 🍽️

25/09 On behalf of The King, held an Investiture at Windsor Castle in the morning and afternoon.

26/09 As President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, inaugurated the Loos British Cemetery extension and attended a Reburial Service of Unknown Soldiers. 🇬🇧🇫🇷🪦

Attended a Reception at the Town Hall, Place de la République in Loos-en-Gohelle, France. 🇫🇷🥂

As Patron of Sense International, attended a Dinner at Church House, Westminster, to mark the 30th anniversary of the charity. 🦯🦻🎂

27/09 Opened Hull Trinity House Academy in Hull, East Yorkshire. 🏫

As Patron of the Sailors’ Children’s Society, presented awards at the “Anchor of Celebration” ceremony at Hull Trinity House. 🏆⚓️

As Patron of the Spinal Injuries Association, attended a 50th anniversary reception at SIA House in Milton Keynes. 🦽🎂

30/09 With Sir Tim As Patron of the Minchinhampton Centre for the Elderly, visited Horsfall House, to mark its 30th Anniversary. 🏡🎂

As Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Logistic Corps, visited the Gurkha Allied Rapid Reaction Corps Support Battalion to mark the redesignation of 170 Headquarters Squadron at Imjin Barracks. 🪖

Total official engagements for Anne in September: 33

2024 total so far: 313

Total official engagements accompanied/represented by Tim in September: 5

2024 total so far: 86

FYl - due to certain royal family members being off ill/in recovery I won't be posting everyone's engagement counts out of respect, I am continuing to count them and release the totals at the end of the year.

[usafphantom2]

Buz Carpenter sent me this email. This email is for Habu’s the people who flew the SR-71 or worked on the airplane members of the Blackbird Association

To All Habus - Pilots, RSOs, Maintenance, wing Support, Tankers crews,

contractors, Government civilians, & Families now that we have concluded

with a spectacular 25th and final reunion in Reno

What a fitting salute to our legacy and our life long friends. At the

reunion you were introduced to the important role our Blackbird symposia

play in the out reach programs of museums that possess any type of

Blackbird. There has been an out pouring of requests from museums to come and

provide them a Blackbird symposia. This is not a final commitment but

an assessment of interest and possible commitment so that we can judge our

capabilities to support these museums with our classic excellence we are

known for.

It’s about upcoming events in the Habu world in the next two years if you have questions or concerns and you don’t have Buz’s email send them to me and I will forward it to him. My email is sheffieldmiller@comcast.net. In 2025 we will start out with our Father's Day Weekend in McMinnville

at the Evergreen Air Museum. 13 -15 June 2025. This will be our normal

format with Friday Youth outreach day, Saturday & Sunday a series of panels,

the 360 degree cockpit demonstration, engaging guests around the aircraft,

possibly open cockpit viewing, and some type of Saturday night activities to

be determined. August 8-10 We'll be at the SAC Museum for our normal

format among the brand new RECON display area. A hotel has been already

determined. There has not been any Blackbird activities here for over 10

years. If you remember the SAC Museum gave a wonderful presentation at the reunion.

2026 will be a very special year celebrating many firsts at three museums.

The National Museum of the USAF in Dayton will hold a three day gathering in

March celebrating 50 years since setting the bicentennial aircraft records

which are still the standing aircraft records today. Activities will include

panels, presentations, cockpit viewing most likely, and some type of

Saturday night activity TBD.

The Royal Air Force Museum at Duxford, The American Pavilion , will host

a 50th anniversary of the first SR-71 recon mission flown out of Mildenhall

in 1976. They plan to dovetail this with the major air show at Farnborough

towards the end of July 2026. They want to market this as the largest HABU gathering

in Europe since our detachment shut down in 1990. This is in the early stages

of discussion and they are looking at ways to support us as the airfare will be

high during that time of year. These supports are yet to be determined.

There maybe a limit here as to supported participants but not attendees.

Rounding out the year will be a special symposia at Robins Air Museum

featuring aircraft 958 that Al Joersz set the Current Absolute Speed Record

in for our bicentennial in July 1976. They put on quite the celebration

for our 45th anniversary. Exact date to be determined

2027 The Air Zoo is looking to host again one of their great SR-71

symposias but this time they are entertaining the idea of expanding this

into a full weekend Blackbird Midwest gathering with multiple activities to

be determined.

Jerry & I are particularly interested in your feedback to understand

what we might be able to support as a group. Your response will show us

interest and support.

Buz Carpenter

I can forward any concerns or questions that anyone might have about the upcoming events. Linda Sheffield.

@Habubrats71 via X