A new facility from the website software will allow me to add audio clips to these pages.

Geoffrey Pett 2004As you may know, Geoffrey dictated his memos onto audio tapes, which were then transcribed into text, from which the book White Water Landings eventually emerged.  For security, the tapes were also recorded onto digital files.  These are completely unedited at present.  There are little touches like Geoffrey saying “Thanks, love,” and the chink of a teaspoon against a cup and saucer, suggesting he’d just been brought a cup of tea!  The grandfather clock occasionally chimes in the background.  And sometimes, Geoffrey pauses, stutters, repeats or corrects himself, or hums and hahs.

But I think it would be charming to have a few of his stories here for you to listen to.

If you have any particular segments you’d like to hear, add them in the comments.

Would you like audio clips?
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6 thoughts on “Would you like audio clips?

  • July 28, 2017 at 3:45 pm
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    I would be delighted to hear the audio tapes. One that would really delight me would be his recollection of the S23 being guided into Lindi during the rainy season using radio heading guidance from the station’s radio operator. I believe that is about the earliest ever example of a ‘blind approach’ procedure that was to become commonplace in later decades.

    The RAeS has recently placed taped interviews on Soundcloud, and they have already become a source of useful knowledge from the memories of predecessor engineers and pilots. Geoffrey’s contribution is even more unique.

    Reply
    • August 11, 2017 at 7:27 pm
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      I’ll see what I can do, Mike.

      Reply
    • January 26, 2018 at 2:46 pm
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      Mike, I haven’t forgotten about this. Moving from my old Windows XP machine to a shiny Mac meant going back to find the files because I’d carefully uploaded the tapes onto the old computer.
      There are four steps I’ve gone through to find they are no longer there and I can’t upload them with the system & connections I have.
      I am only three steps away now, I hope.
      It’ll be worth waiting for.

      Reply
    • April 10, 2018 at 2:36 pm
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      Hi Mike. I have now overcome all the main problems of getting the tapes onto my Mac. I won’t tell you how many hoops I’ve jumped through. Now to edit them for a few soundbites!

      Reply
      • April 10, 2018 at 7:42 pm
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        Hi – delighted to hear from you. If there is anything you rescue and that relates to the Lindi experience it would delight me. I worked within the team doing the world’s first blind-landing system (I hesitate to admit – 50 years ago!) and the passage in the book is a wonderful early example of what pioneers were doing long before we got in on the act. My feeling – nothing more than that – is that the radio operator knew of radio let-down procedures using a simple radio beacon, and he offered to replicate the information that would give to a crew through is own equipmemt and using radio messages. To be able to confirm that would be an excellent piece of research. (I have replicated it on a flight simulator and it worked – greasy hands feeling as he altimeter wound down towards zero, and then water appeared: not trees! Big issue was find the base in the miry weather), I have a video replication of that – do you do presentations ?: I can forward it as an item you are at liberty to intergate or dump: it does give a 3-D ‘feel.’

        Sorry to hear of the cross-computer issues: I have stayed with PC, and with Windows7, it is difficult to take sides – I hope the Mac/Apple set-up proves to have been a good decision. I package my videos in powerpoints – will a Mac coup with that?

        I recall that a friend from Aviation Historian magazine met you at a a book fair in London in 2016 – he and I met at the fair last year ; we were not sure if you would be there … anyway: I bought a veritable stack of old books! It would have been nice to see you.

        Best regards
        Mike

        Reply
        • April 21, 2018 at 7:18 pm
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          That sounds fascinating!
          One of the books I have from his ‘box’ is the Q code manual. The Croydon airport chaps seemed very interested in that. I’ll see if there is anything else to do with the radio set up. The only thing I can think of is sending Qs to try and help Corsair relocate before she crashed.
          I might do the RAeS book sale again but not if it coincides with.a Spitfire talk again. I didn’t cover my costs as very few people at the talk bothered to visit us.

          Reply

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