HW: Calvert reference?

[Jonathan Jarrett]

On Fri, Jan 02, 2009 at 06:18:32PM -0000, trev typed out:
> the tf starfighter was nothing compared to the english electric lightning 
> p1b, which had similar speed but was far more manoeverable and could fly in 
> all weathers. over 100 german pilots were killed in starfighters during 
> non-combat flights

	The Lightning was rather faster, in fact. When I was at school 
we went on a visit to RAF Coningsby, and one of the fitters told us that 
the older pilots had never forgiven the RAF for taking away their Mach 
2.5 phallic symbols.

	Odd thing about the Starfighter is that although both Germany 
and Canada lost horrifying numbers of them, Spain never lost one in a 
crash and they flew them for a long time, and Italy, which has only 
just retired their rebuilt F-104S interceptors, also has a fairly good 
accident record with them. Seems like there was something pretty 
powerful in procedures that could go wrong. Yours,
						    Jon

-- 
"When fortune wanes, of what assistance are quantities of elephants?"
	    (Juvaini, Afghan Muslim chronicler, c. 1206)
 Jon Jarrett, Fitzwilliam Museum, jjarrett at chiark.greenend.org.uk