Cold Encounter

By Ewan

Mon, 17 Mar 2008
  • 2937 reads
4 comments
 

As they came past for the third time
I knew that something was up.
It was us – and them: two Sukhoj,
sharp and sleek alongside our
lumbering, dully-painted fuselage;
their cheery, cherry red stars
shaming our miniscule roundel.

 

They came close, their canting left

a challenge, the exposed belly

a threat, a show of strength

with underslung guided death

on either wing.

 

I looked out at a space-age helmet
via my 50’s-built window,
through the iron curtain,
as he waved and peeled away
and shook our stately course
with his afterburners on.

Certificate U
Poem
The Long and the Short of It...
Miscellaneous

Comments

Submitted by CinCCO on
Ah, but what of the quality of the pilot flying the old horse with the small roundel. You probably knew of the guys who had to fly the Berlin Corridor. All good quality men. Nice poem to us who have some years on our backs and appreciate the meaning.

Submitted by celticman on

I remember watching a programme about Farenborough, when the Brits were the pioneers in jets and then...the explosion. Risky business, progress. 

 

Submitted by Ewan on

handed over every scientific and technical (mostly military) innovation to the United States between 1945 and 1965. By the time the TSR-2 project failed we had very little to interest them. Only the Harrier was pilfered-  sorry developed - into the Harrier II by McDonnell-Douglas. The Big Blue took over the world of computing that was developed by Turing et al and we made Vauxhalls and the Morris Marina, whilst they made muscle cars and Chevrolets. Progress is risky, but so is giving up manufacturing.

Author Page at the 'Zon
 

Submitted by Ewan on

the Nimrod I used to fly in has been replaced by the Rivet Joint RC-135 V/W which you might recognise as a Boeing 707. 

Author Page at the 'Zon