Re: [gentoo-user] [Way OT] Tally ho!

[Peter Humphrey <peter@prh.myzen.co.uk>]

On Sunday 29 June 2014 04:22:16 Dale wrote:
> Peter Humphrey wrote:
> > Here's the Spitfire run. Hurricane to follow.
> > 
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHuVn7R4AcY
> 
> Wow.  Video is good but I bet being there is much better.

Of course! I missed the Spitfire, so I don't know how high it flew, but the 
Hurricane sound from no more than a couple of hundred feet or so was among the 
two or three most impressive of my life. Both planes have V12 Rolls-Royce 
Merlin engines (I think). As each cylinder fired, the sound pressure went up 
extremely fast at the start of the exhaust beat, suggesting huge exhaust 
valves, and the deep-throated roar was ... just ... beyond description.

The only engine to come close was an extraordinary 1/3 scale model of a nine-
cylinder radial aero-engine I saw years ago at a national model engineering 
exhibition. The crankshaft was anchored to the frame, and the entire engine 
and prop rotated around it. That's what you call air-cooling! Absolutely 
fantastic when he fired it up once an hour or so!

> I live about 4 or 5 miles from a air force base here.  We have mostly
> training type planes that fly over us but on occasion, we have something
> really big here.  We have even had the space shuttle land there a few times. 
> The B2 bombers have been there as well.

Sounds like a good place to live! That's not Edwards, is it? I drove up to the 
gates once to see what they'd say. They were actually quite polite.

> I have heard some of the large planes when they start their engines and
> like I said, I'm several miles away and it is loud.  Video just can't
> give you that even with a good sub-woofer.

Even that wouldn't help much, I think. You'd need something that can handle an 
extremely rapid wave-front and high volumes. As you said - you had to be 
there.

> Thanks for the link.

My pleasure. I don't know when we'll get the Hurricane one - the man with the 
camera just put a two-word entry on Twitter this morning: "Hashtag HEADACHE"

-- 
Regards
Peter