homepage Forums Air Combat & Civil Aviation Battle of Britain + Battle of Britain II Here's what happened (Continued)

Folks,

Apropos to our recent conversation regarding storing the contents of a human mind; I read this morning on FlipBook interesting news that researchers are now mapping rat's memories. This led me to wonder just how interesting and diverse a rat's memories could actually be. A bit of cheese found here a scrap of something stinky over there, where the cat sleeps, which lady rats are especially friendly.....?

This begs the question will human memories be next? They indicate scientists have cracked the code of memories by tracing how they are imprinted on the brain. Researchers found how nerve cells changed when rats made decisions. For decades scientists have been trying to map memories in the brain. Now they seem to be on the cusp of fantastic and perhaps (though not for rats but certainly for man) chilling breakthroughs into the mysteries of the mind.

I watched a very interesting TV program last night. The program was all about the restoration of one of the last two Lysanders still existing. Number 416 was beautifully restored to flying status at Canada's Vintage Wings Museum.

There were interesting insights as to the inner workings of the historic kite. The museum staff certainly had a lot of volunteer help completing the job. I did not realize that the Lysander engine was so powerful and that it could fly as slowly as 45 MPH or as fast as a bit over 300 MPH. Neither did I know that, according to the program, it was a Lysander that bagged the first enemy plane in WW2. Those external MGs placed in the wheel boots must have been quite lethal to overly curious German pilots. I believe there was also a 30. cal. Mg inside the rear canopy that could be brought out to protect the tail.

As you all would already know, the sturdy Lysander made a real name for itself landing behind enemy lines supplying partisans and dropping off and picking up spies. What a distinctive silhouette the plane had with those big gull wings and those aerodynamic wheel boots. The museum's annual air show was also featured. Several Spits and other war birds, including a Lanc and the restored Lysander were flown. It was an enjoyable hour for me.