The message
from "Martin Rowley" contains
these words:


"Jack Harrison" wrote in message
m...
Fog can be induced by aircraft. I quote just one example.

I was based at Strubby, Lincs in the late 1960's operating Varsity
aircraft (large twin pistons). One winter's morning, it was fine,
windless and relatively clear but obviously very close to being foggy.
snip
Anyway, as soon as the first Varsity started an engine, the stirring
of the air put the whole airfield in fog (circa 100 metres vis) in a
matter of seconds. No one got airborne for another couple of hours.

.... yes indeed Jack: I've seen this happen too. Back in the days of the
'cold war', Finningley was used as a war dispersal airfield for the
Vulcans from Scampton - we had 3-day exercises, including NBC shut-down
for the last 24 hr or so. The Vulcans used the old dispersal points at
the village end of the airfield, brooding like silent giant moths ...
until the dawn of the last day that is!

Then, as the exercise was about to finish, they would to a "QRA"
launch - usually 4 of the beasts taking off in quick succession. On one
occasion, the airfield was rather misty, but otherwise conditions were
near perfect - there was fog in adjacent fields though. After the second
Vulcan had thundered down the runway (afterburners full-on; a splendid
sight & sound), the mist became fog for a short time, though the
following two aircraft tended to stir things up even more and the RVR
improved.

As sunshine was already lifting temperatures away from the airfield, the
thick mist/fog didn't last too long (a matter of 30 mins or so), but the
whole experience was wonderful to behold.

Martin.

(PS .. does anyone know if the old Vulcan is left by the crash gate at
Finningley/Robin Hood?)

The reverse also!

Back in the late 50s when I was a mere lad and met observer at
Finningley the squadron would sometimes return from excersie (Akrotiri
or Goose Bay) around sunset/early evening just after radiation fog had
set in and vis had fallen to perhaps 500m (yards in them days). However
if the fog was relatively shallow, rather than divert to Scampton & etc,
the lead Vulcan would do a low pass (vert vis OK so lights could be
seen, but slant vis very poor) and do a go-around with afterburner and
full throttle. The effect was marvelous - the fog rolled back from the
runway and the following aircraft then were able to quickly land one
after the other - with the first completeing the circuit and joining the
end of the queue!

The Vulcans, and to a lesser extent the Valiants, often gave us problems
in the winter of '63. A they either left, or returned to, the dispersal
pans opposite the met office (hangar 3?) they would swing round and
blast the enclosure with engine exhaust - the temperature trace on the
DRT shooting up from -5 to +10 or 15C almost instantaneously!

Dave
Fair Isle