I can still see this one in slow motion after 25 or more years.
I'm following a chap in triumph toledo (auto i think) approaching red traffic lights on A6 travelling south out of Leicester.
He brakes, vehicle spins anti clockwise about 120 degrees, remains static for a moment and then shoots off at said angle straight through wooden fence surrounding very small part time police station (remember them?), and embeds itself in hedge, chaps not hurt, but amusingly policemans head appears out of door peering round corner to see what the noise was. One of those moments if only i'd had a video camera.
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Tailgater within feet for some while in a line of traffic in a 30 limit, plucked out of line by beckoning police motorbike cop, and into the off-road police reception area for yobs. I think he'd been spotted earlier by ANPR:)
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A canoe in the middle lane of the M56, in one piece and still attached to the roof rack. A Volvo estate was a hundred yards further up the road on the hard shoulder, with the clips of a roof rack still attached to the gutter.
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I was driving along the M1 in the late eighties when an airliner crossed in front of me less than 20ft above. by the time i had braked and looked around the plane had hit the ground and exploded. i pulled onto the hard shoulder about another 250meters further up and it looked like a scene from an Armageddon movie.
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was it the crash at east midlands airport, i remember it well as i went past earlier in the day (apparently the co-pilot swiched the good engine off by mistake leaving the plane with no power just short of the runway) just missing the motorway
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yes. it was outside east mids airport. Major loss of life i think. i climbed the embankment and it was carnage. couldn't get within 200mtrs of plane because of the heat. i just went home and called the police in case they wanted a statement
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Difficult to believe that it was nearly twenty years ago. My father was involved in the investigation (medicine-wise), we also had a family friend who flew Chinooks then, who has a vivid and unforgettable account of the aftermath.
Edited by Pugugly on 13/04/2008 at 21:24
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It was the Kegworth crash I seem to recall.
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Ah yes Kegworth - British Midland flight, in what was then a new B737-400 with French engines if memory serves me right. Off to surf now about it. Long term injuries to passengers lead to some aircraft design changes.
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It was the Kegworth crash I seem to recall. The village name has been bugging me all day.Absolutely horrible sight.
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Didn't actually see these two 'sights' but they were reported on the local (West Midlands) news about 10 years ago, following a police crackdown on people using shavers, puting on make-up etc whilst driving:
A lorry driver playing the bagpipes
A man eating a Chinese take-away - using chopsticks!
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Concorde coming into land at Manchester Airport whilst I was on the M56 (quite a few years ago) it was one of those perfectly sunlit evenings - quite magical (in an industrial sort of way)
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I never realised just what a magnificent sound Concorde made on take-off till a few years back I was in a plane taxi-ing a just behind it. As we were waiting to turn onto the runway it passed us already doing nearly take-off speed. The sound nearly ripped my stomach apart even from inside the cocooned safety of another aeroplane. Truly wonderful.
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Yeah, what a machine - real 'stuff the rest' engineering the way we used to do it best...
I still sigh because my 'secret' 50th birthday treat was to have been London-Venice by Orient Express then home by Concorde. The week after the Paris air crash. At least SWMBO got her money back. Nobody will convince me it would be flying now if it wasn't for the perfidious French at Airbus.
Anyway, to return to the thread - I may have mentioned this on here before but I was once confronted by a broadsiding caravan, and watched the wheel fold under, break off and flip right over my car like a tiddlywink. The caravan missed me as well and the guy (driving a Granada, I think) managed to stop the whole plot in a straight line!
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I was in the outside lane of the M4, morning rush hour, 3 lanes doing 55-60 mph, when the driver in a Vanden Plas Metro directly in front of me managed to unlatch her (already open) sunroof panel! Luckily it sailed up, barrel rolling, in the air, so that everyone saw it and braked/swerved/scattered before it landed, in a huge shower of bits of safety glass, hinges, etc on the lane markings between the middle and outside lanes...
Alternatively, near Silbury Hill a couple of summers ago, the contrast between the vivid blanket gold of a rape field stretching up to the ridge, where the sky was blanket dark blue from a pending summer storm...
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Two occasions, one stunningly beautiful, the other dreadful.
Aberdeenshire, 20 or so years ago. Crop stubble being burned on fields just after dusk. Flames licking across the rural roads like a scene from Mad Max. Night sky glowing red for as far as the eye could see. Strangely beautiful, if highly dangerous, driving through the midst of it all. Seem to think some manufacturer made a car ad along similar lines a few years back.
Southern Brazil about 16 /17 years ago. Backwoods town down on the Uraguayan border. Early evening, slow moving traffic, plenty of people about. Car in front of mine held at gunpoint by bandits. Occupants dragged out and shot in cold blood. Bandits speed off in stolen car having rifled bodies for wallets, watches, jewellery etc.. Horrific, but tragically not terribly unusual occurance in those parts at the time.
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Following a truck on the motorway many years ago. The load was of those huge blue plastic pipe sections that are about 15 feet tall.
The two rearmost ones rolled off the wagon and one bounced OVER the car in front of me and rolled onto the hard shoulder and up the embankment. Both missed me and the car in the outside land by about 10 feet - loosened the bowels a bit.
I don't even think I reacted, just had time to let my mouth drop open!
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A young woman pushing a pram with infant on-board, crossing a busy main road whilst texting on her mobile. Truly astonishing, especially because she was obliviuos to the fact she had forced drivers, including me, to come to a stop in both directions. She was also smiling. How many points does that manouevre merit (and I'm not referring to the brownie variety)?
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Reminds me of the time I was driving a cake delivery van, ooh! about 30 odd years ago.
I was on the M1 near Sheffield driving North, quite slowly because of a slight incline.There was very little traffic that day, unlike the motorways these days.
I saw a car stop in the outside line, an old women got out and looked over the central barrier at a sign on the opposite carriageway, where there was an opening that was coned off.
She then moved the cones and then drove through and went South.
Of course I saw the last bit through my big side view mirror.
Not a word of a lie !
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Probably muttering to herself "piece of cake that"
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Some years ago, heading West on the M4 near Swindon. A flatbed lorry loaded with aluminium aircraft catering boxes shed its load(about 40 boxes, dog-kennel size) in the middle lane. Some frantic avoidance and lots of tyre smoke, but amazingly no collisions!
P.
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YOU COULDN'T MAKE THIS UP!
About 18 years ago, I was travelling in the central lane of the M25 in a clockwise direction, at approximately 70 mph, in a Renault Savanna estate, about 4 miles from the A1 'turn off', when I found myself directly behind a car trailer travelling at a similar speed.
Nothing wrong with that, except the two wheeled trailer [loaded with camping equipment] was travelling 'indepedantly' [at the maximum speed limit], devoid of any towing vehicle!
Following a period of mesmorised tailgaiting, a speedy risk assessment was made [oh sugar] to overtake, rather than confront the inevitable 'fallout!'
A successful overtaking manouver was undertaken, and still the trailer maintained a steady 70 MPH in the central lane.
A glance in my rear mirror witnessed the trailer and contents going 'head over heals' - with following vehicles swerving to avoid the debris, and 'horror struck' expressions of the occupants of a vehicle drawing up on the hard shoulder!
Seems you forgot the no swearing rule!
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 13/04/2008 at 21:20
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I never realised just what a magnificent sound Concorde made on take-off till a few years back I was in a plane taxi-ing a just behind it. As we were waiting to turn onto the runway it passed us already doing nearly take-off speed. The sound nearly ripped my stomach apart even from inside the cocooned safety of another aeroplane. Truly wonderful.
I carried out quite a lot of construction work at Thiefrow years ago and had the privilege of seeing the thing in all it's glory many times including standing on the runway behind it as it took off. Awesome, deafening and blooming hot. Amazing sight.
MD
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I never realised just what a magnificent sound Concorde made on take-off.....
>>
I have experienced this many many times. ( the last time was on its last night take off to NYC.) I videoed it just a few yards from where the BA 777 recently flopped)
As the noise subsided there was the usual chorus of car alarms.
One night, many years ago, before BAA installed the screens on the perimeter fences, I was travelling west on the northern perimeter road when Concorde "undertook" me and then "rotated" with the usual four reheats burning bright. A real tingling feeling watching the diamonds playing in the flames and a it caused me problem concentrating on the road.
The fence screens are a must for road safety even though the big bird is no longer flying.
P.S Concorde is now easily seen, in the open near, the fence of BA's ( BOAC) hangers a few minutes walk from Hatton Cross station. If on foot, cross over the pedestrian bridge and just follow the"perimeter" road /traffic East else if by car then follow the mob.
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Avro Vulcan XH 558 due to fly today. No doubt it will wake up a few motorists and be an "astonishing thing" of the future.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7350939.stm
Dearn't post this as a standalone - I'll get shot or deleted. Film of XH558 taking to the air earlier.
Edited by Pugugly on 16/04/2008 at 18:29
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Vulcan XH 558
I chipped in a few quid to the restoration fund for that at Fairford air show last year. I'm so glad they got it flying. It was looking dodgy for a while.
The Vulcan is one of the most incredible moving objects ever created by mankind, IMO. Aesthetically and sonically awe inspiring.
Cheers
DP
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Ah, Concorde!
Some years ago, queueing for a roundabout on the A4 in vicinity of Heathrow. Nice summer's evening, sat in my MGB roadster with the top down. I heard a loud noise overhead, looked up and was treated to the sight of Concorde, nose up, on approach as seen from underneath. I watched, awestruck as it flew on to Heathrow. A few seconds later I was pressed firmly down into the seat by the "ground effect" from the ogee wings, an interesting and somewhat surprising effect. Very, very impressive piece of kit.
Not the loudest MGB / aeronautical experience I've had though. That was one morning sat at traffic lights in South Ruislip. I heard an absolutely ear-shattering racket overhead and looked up. It was the whole Battle of Britain flight passing extremely low overhead on the way into Northolt. That many Merlin engines all running in one place at the same time is very loud indeed.
The most astonishing motoring / aircraft story I ever heard was from a chap in a pub in Eastcote. He'd been going along the A40 past Northolt when the white van in front of him was taken in the side by a LearJet emerging through the perimeter fence..........
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I remember that Northholt crash !
Happy days when we were young on Newborough beach on Anglesey and Lightnings, gambolling like spring lambs across the azure blue skies we seemed to have then.
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Same here. Lived in Ealing at the time and drove past the scene not long after the A40 was reopened... Quite surreal!
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My childhood home was pretty much at the end of the runway used for RAF Turnhouse. The sight and sound of a Lightning being caned on take off was addictive to us kids. One guy subsequently went on to fly fast jets in his adult life. I'm quite sure those early experiences watching them take off and land from our back garden must have stirred that ambition in him from an early age.
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One of the delights of visiting relatives in Stirlingshire from Edinburgh (pre M9 days)was the possibility of being stopped on the main road when a plane was taking off as the old main runway threshold & emergency runoff were on either side of the road. Men seemed to be permanently on duty in a wooden shed at the roadside on either side of the runway to halt traffic. There is still the old road open as far as Boathouse Bridge but this is where the plane spotters gather now to get best view of traffic on the newer runway.
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I too have been shocked by Concorde.
Sat in one of the usual Friday afternoon / evening traffic jams on the M25 by Heathrow, staring at the back of the stationary car in front, listening to reasonably loud music in my then newish Fiat Coupe ( which had been playing up for several months) when I noticed that the car was shaking. I thought that the engine was going into 'auto-disassemble mode' and about to expire so I turned off the music in order to hear the engine only - to realise it wasn't my engine - cue the look left at Concorde tearing towards / over the motorway and into the distance. Awesome.
The 'plane NOT the car..
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I used to live near Heathrow, and once a month or so a mate and me would go down just to see Concorde take off.
It was always spectacular, but one time we managed to park on the perimeter road about 200yds from the end of runway 09L without security moving us on. Concorde came thundering over at possibly 100ft (you could make out the rivets on the undersides of the wings), on full reheat, and set every car alarm off in the staff car park just behind where we stood.
The noise was pure armageddon. The shape, the speed, the smell of the brown fug of partially burned kerosene in its wake... What a machine!
The Westerly section of the M25 often throws in a low flying jumbo or similar to keep the Friday evening queues interesting.. ;-)
Cheers
DP
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