Latest news with #Strutter
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
World War One replica takes off after 25-year labour of love
It has only taken 25 years to get her in the air, but a replica World War One plane built by a group of volunteers in East Lothian is finally flying. The team behind it started the ambitious project from scratch in 2000, meeting up almost every week to work on the Sopwith Strutter - which they affectionately call Sophie. After years of painstaking work, Sophie is now undertaking a series of test flights. Once she is cleared, she will be able to carry passengers. It's one of these test flights that brings us to RAF Kirknewton, in West Lothian, on a sunny May morning. Sophie's engine is warming up and her propellers start to turn as she prepares for take off. There's no hiding the delight in the faces of the team who have put years of work into finally getting her off the ground The ambitious project by the Aviation Preservation Society of Scotland was not something that could be rushed, according to chairman Mike Harper. He said: "Every single nut and bolt has been checked, every single bracket has been checked, every single piece of wire has been checked. You don't cobble these things together. "When you're going to fly it, it has to be done right. If it was for a museum, if it was just going on display we would probably have finished it within a few years. "But the meticulous attention to detail to get this thing in the air is what's taken the length of time. Who can say they've achieved this sort of thing, a bunch of guys who've retired?" The team - whose oldest members are in their 80s - have followed the exact plans of the original Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter - which came into service in 1916. The plane was involved in protecting the Forth coastline in World War One. Recreating the Strutter involved using the talents of many people, including relative newcomer Donald Gardner. "It's a fantastic bunch of people, with a huge range of skills from craft skills to engineering skills," he said. "It's kind of humbling seeing the results of all the work everybody's put into it over, I guess, a generation. Also it's a bit sad that in the back cockpit there's a plaque to all the people that were involved at the start that haven't unfortunately been here at the end. That's quite humbling." Even on a sunny day, the team has to be very careful about the conditions, especially the wind. Aircraft inspector Tim Rayner is also the solo pilot and these test flights are allowing him to get used to the feel of the aircraft and how she reacts in certain weather. He finds a decent window for take-off and the plane leaves the ground. More stories from Edinburgh, Fife & East More stories from Scotland The flight lasts about 15 minutes and afterwards Tim - who has been involved in the project since the start - gives his verdict on how it went. "This is the icing on the cake. I'm used to flying modern aeroplanes from the 50's and 60's - the classics - and they're very different from this aeroplane to fly. This is very much more of a challenge. "The controls are nowhere near as responsive as they became as we developed better technologies. This is 1915 and it's not that many years since the first flight so you've got to look at it as flying as you would expect for an aircraft of that era." The plane has a passenger seat, but isn't allowed to take two people until passing this testing phase - and completing five hours of flying. Colin Murray has helped her to prepare for these flights and he is excited about getting a shot in her himself. "There's a backseat there and currently we're looking at putting some instruments in there, so that when you're flying along you can see what's going on. I don't think I'll be flying in it any time soon because there's quite a queue of, shall we say, older gentlemen in the club who've got first dibs at that. "But hopefully one I'll sit in the back seat and have a shot." The test flights allow them to make any necessary tweaks. But the team are very keen to show her off, and if they get enough testing time they hope to take her to air shows before too long. The men who spent 20 years building a fighter plane
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
World War One replica takes off after 25-year labour of love
It has only taken 25 years to get her in the air, but a replica World War One plane built by a group of volunteers in East Lothian is finally flying. The team behind it started the ambitious project from scratch in 2000, meeting up almost every week to work on the Sopwith Strutter - which they affectionately call Sophie. After years of painstaking work, Sophie is now undertaking a series of test flights. Once she is cleared, she will be able to carry passengers. It's one of these test flights that brings us to RAF Kirknewton, in West Lothian, on a sunny May morning. Sophie's engine is warming up and her propellers start to turn as she prepares for take off. There's no hiding the delight in the faces of the team who have put years of work into finally getting her off the ground The ambitious project by the Aviation Preservation Society of Scotland was not something that could be rushed, according to chairman Mike Harper. He said: "Every single nut and bolt has been checked, every single bracket has been checked, every single piece of wire has been checked. You don't cobble these things together. "When you're going to fly it, it has to be done right. If it was for a museum, if it was just going on display we would probably have finished it within a few years. "But the meticulous attention to detail to get this thing in the air is what's taken the length of time. Who can say they've achieved this sort of thing, a bunch of guys who've retired?" The team - whose oldest members are in their 80s - have followed the exact plans of the original Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter - which came into service in 1916. The plane was involved in protecting the Forth coastline in World War One. Recreating the Strutter involved using the talents of many people, including relative newcomer Donald Gardner. "It's a fantastic bunch of people, with a huge range of skills from craft skills to engineering skills," he said. "It's kind of humbling seeing the results of all the work everybody's put into it over, I guess, a generation. Also it's a bit sad that in the back cockpit there's a plaque to all the people that were involved at the start that haven't unfortunately been here at the end. That's quite humbling." Even on a sunny day, the team has to be very careful about the conditions, especially the wind. Aircraft inspector Tim Rayner is also the solo pilot and these test flights are allowing him to get used to the feel of the aircraft and how she reacts in certain weather. He finds a decent window for take-off and the plane leaves the ground. More stories from Edinburgh, Fife & East More stories from Scotland The flight lasts about 15 minutes and afterwards Tim - who has been involved in the project since the start - gives his verdict on how it went. "This is the icing on the cake. I'm used to flying modern aeroplanes from the 50's and 60's - the classics - and they're very different from this aeroplane to fly. This is very much more of a challenge. "The controls are nowhere near as responsive as they became as we developed better technologies. This is 1915 and it's not that many years since the first flight so you've got to look at it as flying as you would expect for an aircraft of that era." The plane has a passenger seat, but isn't allowed to take two people until passing this testing phase - and completing five hours of flying. Colin Murray has helped her to prepare for these flights and he is excited about getting a shot in her himself. "There's a backseat there and currently we're looking at putting some instruments in there, so that when you're flying along you can see what's going on. I don't think I'll be flying in it any time soon because there's quite a queue of, shall we say, older gentlemen in the club who've got first dibs at that. "But hopefully one I'll sit in the back seat and have a shot." The test flights allow them to make any necessary tweaks. But the team are very keen to show her off, and if they get enough testing time they hope to take her to air shows before too long. The men who spent 20 years building a fighter plane
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Gene Simmons Reads Weather Report for Local Los Angeles News Station, Predicts People Should 'Party Every Day'
And now, Gene Simmons with the weather. The KISS singer and bassist crashed the weather report on Thursday, March 13 on FOX Weather Los Angeles. Wearing black leather pants, a denim button-down shirt, a black baseball cap and sunglasses, Simmons, 75, joined meteorologist Adam Krueger for a special broadcast. At the start of their weather report, Simmons cheekily told Krueger, "You look much better in real life than you do on TV." Krueger told the "Strutter" singer, "Oh, you look great in both," to which Simmons replied, "I know that." Related: Gene Simmons Says the Only Time He's Gotten High Was by Mistakenly Eating 6 Weed Brownies: 'Wasn't Prepared' The legendary rocker stepped aside to show Los Angeles on the map and give audiences his analysis of the forecast. Krueger pointed out that there's been a lot of rain driving L.A. residents crazy, slipping in a KISS lyric. "You drive us wild, we'll drive you crazy," he said, referring to their song "Rock and Roll All Nite." "I wrote that," Simmons realized. "I like that." Krueger is known for slipping song lyrics and quotes into his meteorology reports. In January 2024, the reporter weaved "Get Low" by Lil Jon into his broadcast one day. In June, he featured Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" in a report. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The clever quotes didn't stop there. "So this weekend it's looking pretty good if people want to rock and roll all night," Krueger continued. Simmons agreed, adding, "They should probably party every day, yeah." "I think you should probably join a showbiz thing, because, you've got it," the "Radioactive" artist said. Before the news segment ended, Simmons attempted freestyle rap and a quick jig. Simmons previously delivered a weather report in September 2024 for KTLA, giving commentary about how folks should dress and what they can do during certain weather conditions. "45 degrees in the evening, nice and cool, put on a sweater, you'll look cool, just like me," he quipped. Added Simmons: "Friday, 80 degrees, you know you like it hot. So do I." Related: Gene Simmons Is Charging More Than $12K for 1 Fan to Be His 'Personal Assistant and Band Roadie' for a Day on Tour He told Entertainment Weekly the origin story of the segment. "The weatherman approached me and asked me if I wanted to jump on and do the weather," Simmons said. "But I told him, 'Hold onto your britches. I'm not your usual weatherman. Weather advisory is in order.'" Up next for Simmons is his eponymous group Gene Simmons and his Band, embarking on a North American tour in April along with a performance at the Summer Breeze Festival in São Paulo, Brazil on April 26. Read the original article on People
