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James D Kightly @jdkightly.bsky.social · 9d

Well, I’m hanging for the proof of the breadth of BlueSky’s reach when someone pops up and says ‘yes’!

Reposted by James D Kightly

Aviation Cultures Conference @avculturesconf.bsky.social · 9d

* And extra points if you can tell us about something YOU put in a logbook. (Or better still, left out!)

You can DM us in confidence, this account isn’t monitored by any retro aviation authorities (probably). -JDK

a man in a military uniform is sitting in a classroom with other men and says `` it 's classified . ''

Alt: I’ma just gonna leave the auto descriptor there: “a man in a military uniform is sitting in a classroom with other men and says `` it 's classified . ''

media.tenor.com

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Reposted by James D Kightly

Aviation Cultures Conference @avculturesconf.bsky.social · 9d

Logbook oddities? We’re interested. What’s the strangest, funniest or most unexpected thing that you’ve found* in an aviation logbook?

We’ll be talking ‘Logbooks & Avdocs’ in our next Spotlight event, free, online, in just over a month. Can you tease us with an odd fact first? -JDK

Poster for the Logbooks & AvDocs free online Spotlight event at Aviation Cultures on 8 November.

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James D Kightly @jdkightly.bsky.social · 9d

The ‘dress’ has been worn by almost every surviving Spitfire decades longer than the re-production of two seat conversion revival.

The casual watcher of warbirds is getting a brief intro. Not an accurate history lesson - on multiple counts.

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James D Kightly @jdkightly.bsky.social · 9d

Nice! A Tiger Moth with manners!

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James D Kightly @jdkightly.bsky.social · 9d

There’s a lot of interesting developmental elements to the D-520 story.

But in 1944, they were still using the standard model. And it was not capable as an air superiority fighter by then.

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James D Kightly @jdkightly.bsky.social · 13d

Essentially, yes. Long range over water to return to a MOVED base seemed to justify a dedicated navigator.

(There's also a forgotten belief that bombers were going to be hard to down, and fighters, thus less useful - so adding other roles to fighters didn't seem as a big compromise as it became.)

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James D Kightly @jdkightly.bsky.social · 15d

Monday Movie Magic: "...you're wanted for murder on every front page in America. Don't be so modest."
-
"I told you. It's a nice face."

A man in a suit is about to remove his sunglasses, sitting at a train dining table facing a blonde woman and holding a cocktail. He's Cary Grant playing Roger Thornhill.

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James D Kightly @jdkightly.bsky.social · 15d

That level of thinking is next level, literally!

Great model and idea, too.

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James D Kightly @jdkightly.bsky.social · 15d

Ha! *If* I get there (fingers crossed) this will be the largest model I've completed in decades. That said, if you can avoid messing around and/or trying to be clever (like me!) it's a pretty simple kit that mostly looks like it fits well, so there's that...

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James D Kightly @jdkightly.bsky.social · 17d

A bit of progress on #HeaviesGB #histscalemodels Fw 200. ‘Busying up’ the cockpit which, as well as being very empty, bears little resemblance to the real thing. And the seats are nothing like those provided. Meanwhile the mystery boxes and 1:1 screws have come good in V2 of the plan. Details anon.

Photo of the main cockpit structure with one fuselage side and chairs laid out separately.

Blocks of wood in the fuselage with two threaded bolts running into them.

A cockpit shot of the real Fw 200 civil cockpit.

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Reposted by James D Kightly

Zac Yates @zacyates.bsky.social · 19d

The three 1/72 Sea Furies are done! A big “Thank You!” to @jdkightly.bsky.social for his generous assistance with decals, without which these would be back in the stash waiting. I still shudder that Airfix released this kit given its limitations, even compared to Hornby Era designs. #histscalemodels

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James D Kightly @jdkightly.bsky.social · 20d

Blocked Tom a while back (on Twitter) as it became increasingly evident No One Was Ever As Right As Tom About Anything.

He also stopped listening a long time ago.

Of the fascism point, the current US is ticks all the criteria of the definition. You know, Tom, FACTS.

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Reposted by James D Kightly

Ben Miller @benwritesthings.bsky.social · 21d

The Met Opera’s season ad shows people being transfixed by gorgeous singing in different places in New York. This commenter is very angry: what if the wrong sort of people show up? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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Reposted by James D Kightly

Aviation Cultures Conference @avculturesconf.bsky.social · 21d

Going to be worth your time! @danellin.bsky.social shares great research.

Dan Ellin @danellin.bsky.social · 21d

I'm giving a talk "Penguins and Chop Girls: Remembering RAF Bomber Command ground personnel 1939-45" Monday 6th October 2025 at 6.15pm, @uolhumanities.bsky.social Brayford campus (room TBC). #WW2 #History @nmtdambusters.bsky.social cityoflincolnbranchha.wordpress.com/.../branch.../

Historical Association Lincoln Branch
‘Penguins and Chop Girls: Remembering RAF Bomber Command ground personnel 1939 -1945’
For every member of aircrew who flew a bomber aircraft in RAF Bomber Command there were up to ten men and women who served in supporting roles. Their diverse trades included aircraft fitters and mechanics, WAAF clerks, parachute packers and drivers, and the lowly AC2 who emptied the latrines and drove the sanitary truck. ‘Penguins’, as flightless ground personnel were sometimes called, were marginalised in the RAF, and the women of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), were frequently reduced to sexual objects. Women who had dated an airman who failed to return were shunned as bad omens or ‘chop girls.’ However, without the effort of all these personnel, the bombing campaigns would not have got off the ground. Using published and unpublished testimonies including oral histories recorded for the IBCC Digital Archive, Dan examines the lives of ground personnel on operational bomber stations.
Monday 6th October 2025 at 6.15pm, University of Lincoln’s Brayford campus (room TBC). Refreshments before and questions afterwards.
QR code and images of WAAFs

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James D Kightly @jdkightly.bsky.social · 21d

It was a good airshow! So in my #HeaviesGB #histscalemodels Fw 200 build, I decided the failure of my special bit was just a blip.

In the 'conventional modelling' element of the build, I created an inner frame structure and the inner side of the passenger door. This Fw 200's cabin was stripped out.

The two fuselage halves showing the ribs and stringer framework created with nearly 40 year old drafting tape. Also masked up with blue masking tape.

Same again with the cabin spray painted silver. Looks good!

A detail shot showing the crude door frame structure. It doesn't need to be great, because it'll only just be visible through the windows.

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James D Kightly @jdkightly.bsky.social · 21d

The Royal Australian Air Force base, RAAF Point Cook, in Victoria, has a rare (possibly unique) pre-WWII aircraft gun butt building.

The modern image was taken on a base tour while the great period shot shows one of the RAAF's Hawker Demon fighters using it.

Any other pre-WWII aircraft gun butts?

A Hawker Demon fighter firing its fuselage guns into the sand of the gun but in the later 1930s. RAAF Museum Archive image, via post author.

A modern (20 year old!) photo of the same gun butt building. While there are a number of WWII era gun butts on military airfields, I'm not aware of any like this. Anyone? Photo copyright James Kightly, Vintage Aero Writer.

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James D Kightly @jdkightly.bsky.social · 22d

Oh, indeed! This one it was that everything from focus to framing was fine from the camera. Nice.

a man in a striped shirt is smiling and waving at the camera with the word nice .

Alt: The 'Nice' jazz compare. A man in a striped shirt is smiling and waving at the camera with the word "nice".

media.tenor.com

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James D Kightly @jdkightly.bsky.social · 23d

I certainly thought so, and Sree Nair could provide data in terms of relative performance, and what I also think is interesting, it's one of those aspects of history that won't have been documented, and thus easily missed.

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James D Kightly @jdkightly.bsky.social · 23d

Talking to an Indian Air Force historian about their WWII early days, he suggested they achieved a (documented) higher level of aircraft serviceability and performance because they worked harder, smarter and longer to pre-empt British racial judgement. Be twice as good to get the same credit?

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James D Kightly @jdkightly.bsky.social · 23d

I rather like this one. No filters, no tweaks, no processing, straight from the camera. Tocumwal airshow practice, take off, 100 Squadron RAAF CAC Mustang current serial A100-170. (Formerly VH-SVU, A68-170, painted as A68-750.)

Photograph showing the front end of a fighter aircraft on take off. It's pulling up the gear, and you can see the pilot and the shark's teeth and eyes. The shark's not the pilot's teeth and eyes, he's wearing a dark visor and helmet. Photo copyright James Kightly, Vintage Aero Writer.

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Reposted by James D Kightly

Jason Thorne @jasonthorne.bsky.social · 24d

Big News! The Toronto Society of Architects is now doing architecture boat tours! I got to ride along for the first one this weekend. Details at torontosocietyofarchitects.ca/events/

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James D Kightly @jdkightly.bsky.social · 26d

There’s a lot of work between displays, most of it not nearly as noticeable as this engine run by Mustang VH-BOB.

You can fly in this Mustang, see mustangjoyflights.com.au or come to the Tocumwal Airshow tomorrow and watch the display with two other Mustangs and more: www.tocumwalairshow.com.au

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Reposted by James D Kightly

derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 27d

if you want to understand tailoring, you only need to watch mid-century movies, when actors were dressed by tailors, not brands. in the 1944 film cover girl, gene kelly's suit drapes beautifully, moving with him, not against him. collar stays on his neck, even as he dances.

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James D Kightly @jdkightly.bsky.social · 28d

I see others are going well with #HeaviesGB in #histscalemodels.

Hmmm. Here not so much. How DID I end up with this weird clamped ‘thing’ in the middle of a plastic kit?! Definitely in the ‘trough’ stage with this project.

Off to the www.tocumwalairshow.com.au and it’ll ALL look better next week.

A weird wood and metal clamped object between the two halves of the Fw 200 kit. There’s a screwdriver in the middle.

The Gartner Hype Cycle graph. Current status ‘trough of disillusionment’.

Plasticine hero Gromit is nailing up a crate.

High Viz jacket and tag for the Tocumwal Airshow.

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