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Post by ronturner on Dec 7, 2017 12:12:37 GMT 1
Another of my favourites. For our younger members. Derby Airways was the fore runner of British Midland Airways. They were based at Burnaston, a grass aerodrome/airport near Derby. The change of name came about the same time as East Midland Airport opened, and they moved there. Burnaston is now the site of Toyota in UK. G-ALHG Canadair Argonaut, Derby Airways Speke April 1964 by Ron Turner, on Flickr I need to get back to this. When I stand in front of my PC instead of just sitting in front of it, I see vertical lines in the picture, so I want to see what I need to do to adjust this.I think it might be a function of the viewing angle on my monitor. What do others see?
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Post by gerrymanning on Dec 7, 2017 14:14:36 GMT 1
Hi Ron
When I sit in front of my PC it looks fine but when I stand at certain angles I do see vertical lines, they appear to be a greenish colour against the night sky part of the picture.
Gerry
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Post by Samba on Dec 7, 2017 14:36:37 GMT 1
What a great image and a Starways power unit as well, getting better Ron.
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Post by kevmul on Dec 7, 2017 15:18:30 GMT 1
I never tire of looking at this thread.
Thank you for all the posts.
Kev
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Post by radiostationx on Dec 7, 2017 16:29:11 GMT 1
I need to get back to this. When I stand in front of my PC instead of just sitting in front of it, I see vertical lines in the picture, so I want to see what I need to do to adjust this.I think it might be a function of the viewing angle on my monitor. What do others see? Great photo Ron, Bob has a Dan air shot in almost the same position btw. I don't think it's damage on the polymer medium of the slide. I suspect that the lines are "scan lines" caused by small particles of dust which could be on either side of the flatbed glass. Try cleaning the glass and buff with a spectacles cleaning cloth to a fine "hone" and repeat the scan. I will wager it will be much better second time around. Removing these by editing is a nightmare. As a trial you could put the slide in another area of the flatbed to try and see if you have same issue before you go at it with the "Mr muscle a la francaise". Mike
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Post by Deleted on Dec 7, 2017 17:40:18 GMT 1
'Hotel Golf' looking immaculate there in the night shot. Little did we know that it would come to grief exactly three years later in Stockport.
Lovely photo, Ron. I see what you mean about the lines, but tbh I would never have noticed normally.
It always amazed me that they were able to operate Argonauts off a grass strip. Burnaston was also the airfield where the Speke-based Proctor G-AIAA was written off in November 1961. It was nominally owned by a Mr Wayman-Hales, but operated by the Double Alpha Flying Group and used for flying training and days out and lived in either No 39 hangar or No 50 hangar, depending on whether there was space. Ironically, the flight to Burnaston was to collect some spare parts to keep it in the air!
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Post by ronturner on Dec 7, 2017 19:25:24 GMT 1
Thanks for your comments Mike and everybody, re the Argonaut photo. This one is not half as bad, but now that I am alerted, I can see those lines there again on the dark background. On the Argonaut one, the lines seem to be a bit more prominent and I am wondering, whatever the cause, if the problem is accentuated by the green taxiway lights. (Sorry. yet another Dak. !!) G-AMYX DC-3 BUA Speke April 1964 by Ron Turner, on Flickr
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Post by viscount on Dec 7, 2017 23:56:04 GMT 1
Going back to the Derby Airways Canadair C-4 Argonaut G-ALHG, I have an almost identical transparency in my possession which I 'cleaned up' just a couple of weeks ago - an 'uncleaned' version had been on the "Argonauts at Speke" thread until photobucket's vandalism. Dated 26th March 1964 it came from the John Pope collection and attributed to Brian Bond. Everything in the same position, but a little wider angle lens with some vehicle movement on the periphery. Likely stood next to each other swopping tips. In those days slides were swopped/sold/purchased with no thought of copyright ownership and certainly not an inkling that 55 years on there would be great interest in them and ability to share a better version of the image electronically, instantly, worldwide and in your home. Totally the stuff of science fiction.
Starways ceased trading as such on 31st December 1963, when their routes, ground handling, goodwill etc (but not aircraft) were sold to British Eagle. British Eagle for a while in 1964 placed Starways titles on a few of their Viscounts to satisfy the take-over rules as they applied then. Looks like it was more than just the aircraft that British Eagle applied the Starways titles to, afterall Starways fleet colours were mid blue, British Eagle deep red - that generator base is red. At that time the Airport's apron equipment was red and yellow and named 'Liverpool Airport'.
Taking night shots when you had no electronic aperture/shutter speed guide within the camera was a gamble. There was usually a 'B' setting on the shutter speed control. This kept the shutter open for as long as your finger depressed the button. You had to keep the camera absolutely still, depress the shutter and with 25 ASA (ie a typical 'slow film') hold it for 5 to 20 seconds, depending on how dark it was with around f.8 set as an aperture, Generally you would take three shots bracketing an exposure time - often more as on cold nights I would invariably shiver while holding the shutter button down and camera still! Then it became a matter of how many shots can I afford to take of the same picture in hope that even one comes out both reasonably exposed and without camera shake? Digital is a whole world apart from those days.
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Post by ronturner on Dec 8, 2017 7:15:00 GMT 1
On my camera I had a special aperture into which I could insert a plunger within a flexible cable. The shot of the Argonaut would have been with a relatively small aperture and about 25 seconds. This plunger cable more or less eliminated the risk of hand shaking. A study tripod was the other essential tool. The biggest hazard with this choice was the appearance of persons or vehicles appearing as ghosts on the image, but then it was Speke, a nice calm place where sometimes nothing happening for minutes, or hours, on end.
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Post by acklington on Dec 8, 2017 10:53:40 GMT 1
Cracking shots, and a joy to look at.
I've been thinking about the 'vertical green lines' phenomenon, and it seems to me that they are directly linked to the electronic scanning process, which seems to be generating 'false and variable density colour' on some of the scanning passes. I would suggest two things to try. First, if it is a flatbed scanner try raising the slide slightly further away from the glass. If the green lines don't reappear then the problem was an 'interference pattern' between the glass and the surface of the slide. Also try placing the slide upside down so that it is scanning a different surface of the slide (reflective, or emulsion, depending which side is scanned). You can flip the image later in your photo program.
If none of this works (or it ain't a flatbed scanner), still try reversing the slide in the scanner if that is possible. And if still no success, then I would use the post-scanning photo program to select 'green' on the colour/hue adjustment menu, and just kill the green. As long as it is not an Aer Lingus aircraft the absence of green shouldn't matter at night!
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Post by ronturner on Dec 9, 2017 8:05:04 GMT 1
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Post by ronturner on Dec 15, 2017 16:31:57 GMT 1
Here are two photos from May 1963. I am amazed just how few Starways photos I have. A couple of dozen, but I thought I had a lot more. G-APEZ means a lot to me because it was the first aeroplane I saw when I went to Speke in 1959, with a train spotting mate who tried to convince me that 'planes were better. We parked our bikes in the stands and 'EZ was starting up, just in front of No 2 Hanger, by the balcony steps. The sound, the smoke, even a few flames: and then all four were running..... I was totally smitten and remained loyal to this day. G-APEZ Starways DC-4 Speke May 1963 by Ron Turner, on Flickr G-AMSN was first commercial flight I ever took. To Heathrow in 1964 and return a week later, same machine. The return fare was £4 10s 0d when I booked but they wrote to me asking for another 10 shillings because of a price increase. I paid it next time I was in the terminal. The tickets were pieces of paper rather like the sheets from one of those carbon copy duplicate books. G-AMSN DC-3 Starways Speke May 1963 by Ron Turner, on Flickr
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Post by ronturner on Dec 16, 2017 9:44:38 GMT 1
It was not too often that we were graced with two Carvairs on the Dublin car Ferry, at the same time. It was always an interesting activity for visitors on the balcony. I remember one day, a Rolls Royce being loaded. It was obviously a bit on the large side. If took several attempts to get the lift and the Carvair access to line up with sufficient clearance. EI-AMP and EI-ANG Carvairs Aer Lingus Speke May 1965 by Ron Turner, on Flickr
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Post by acklington on Dec 16, 2017 10:58:36 GMT 1
I remember hearing a talk given one day by an Aer Lingus manager. When he got on to the subject of the Carvair he shuddered, went white, and called it the aeroplane from Hell. "Dispatch reliability?" he said, "It didn't have any!"
So I suspect that your lovely photo of two on the ramp may show one sick, and one replacement?
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Post by ronturner on Dec 18, 2017 20:47:45 GMT 1
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