Andrew Ray

@MrPitbull07 @Johnrashton47 Amazing 💪💪💪

Every time a German Messerschmitt pilot wanted to escape a Spitfire on his tail, he did the same thing. He pushed the nose down. In a dive, the German engine kept running — it used fuel injection. The British Spitfire's engine cut out. For one and a half seconds the Merlin went dead, the aircraft shuddered, and by the time it caught again the German was gone. Worse: if a German was behind a British pilot and the British pilot dove to escape, the German could follow and keep shooting while the British engine was silent. Pilots were dying because of a carburetor. The engineers at Farnborough knew about the problem. They were working on a long-term solution — a redesigned carburetor that would take years to perfect and manufacture. A woman named Beatrice Shilling fixed it with a washer. She was born in Hampshire in 1909 and was the kind of child who spent her pocket money on Meccano sets and tools. At fourteen she bought her first motorbike. Her mother, with the inspired instinct of someone who understood what her daughter actually was, found the Women's Engineering Society and arranged an apprenticeship at an electrical firm. She went to Manchester University — one of the first two women ever to study engineering there — graduated with a degree in electrical engineering, stayed another year for a master's in mechanical engineering, and in 1936 joined the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough as a scientific officer. By the late 1930s she was one of the best carburetor engineers in Britain. She was also one of only three women to hold the British Motorcycle Racing Club's Gold Star — awarded for lapping the Brooklands racing circuit at over 100 miles per hour on a motorcycle. She had reportedly told her future husband, an engineer named George Naylor, that she wouldn't marry him until he earned his own Brooklands Gold Star first. He earned it. They married in 1938. The problem with the Merlin was specific and lethal. The SU carburetor used a float chamber to regulate fuel flow. Under negative g-forces — the forces experienced in a sudden dive — the fuel flooded to the top of the float chamber and starved the engine for 1.5 seconds. Just enough time for a German pilot to turn the tables entirely. The RAF had known about this since the Battle of France. The formal solution — a redesigned pressure carburetor — was in development but wouldn't be ready for years. Shilling was thirty-one years old, working in carburetor research, and she designed a fix in weeks. A brass thimble with a precisely calibrated hole in the center — later simplified to a flat washer — fitted inline in the fuel line just before the carburetor. It restricted maximum fuel flow to just enough to prevent flooding without cutting off power. The key breakthrough: it could be fitted without taking the aircraft out of service. No downtime. No factory return. The old guard at the RAE looked at it and called it a plumbing fix. They called her a plumber. The first batch of 5,000 units was made by a Birmingham firm that normally manufactured plumbing fixtures, which they found embarrassing. The RAF pilots who flew Spitfires with Messerschmitts on their tails called it something else. They called it Miss Shilling's Orifice. With deep affection. By March 1941 she had organized a small team and was personally touring RAF fighter stations across England — traveling between bases on her old racing motorcycle — fitting the device to every Merlin engine they could reach. Squadron leaders all over the country were demanding installations. The word spread faster than the official channels could keep up with. The Germans noticed. They couldn't explain why British fighter pilots had suddenly started following them into dives. They were baffled by the new aggression. They didn't know about the washer. (More story replies)

@RealNatalieRowe @modernhistory A fantastic actor, Dunkirk, Peaky Blinders, Tinker Tailor etc… show how good he is… 👍

What happened to Tom Hardy?

@dave43law Agree👍

For all of those attacking benefit claimants currently a gentle reminder that anyone is a split second away from being in need 'I went to sleep and woke up paralysed, now I live in a nursing home at 36' mirror.co.uk/news/health/i-…

@will_owen9 @thepaulwilliams Rugby needs a good Wales side, thise lads are getting better and better… they have a never say die spirit.. Keep at it lads.. you are on the up 💪

@thepaulwilliams He’s become one of my favourite Welsh players lately. He’s always had a high ceiling and a good skillset but seems to genuinely improve every time he plays this year. My kind of form player, long may it continue

Eddie James is progressing rapidly. He's going to be a very, very good centre.

@SadiqKhan myself and my wife stayed over in SE1 on Friday night and had a fabulous time, this morning a lovely amble from London Bridge to the British Museum via the incredible feat of engineering the tideway tunnels… What a city… we really do have 1 of the best capitals 💪👍

@Stow6524 Thanks for the follow 👍👍👍💪

@mdeeks76 Wankers… the lot of them…. sport for all… All the best to all those fantastic young girls and boys who are out there enjoying sport. 👍👍

Some of the disgusting comments in this post, pure bullying. I’ve got nieces that play football and they absolutely love it. This 8 yr old girl is having the time of her life when she’s playing football. Does it hurt to be nice, if you can’t be nice don’t comment.

@thegreatwildo69 @JuliaHB1 Likewise 👍👍👍😊

@JuliaHB1 I’m a tax payer of 40 years +.. I’m more than happy with this, nice to see it doing some good 👍🏼

The breakfasts are not free. They are paid for by taxes - mostly on parents who feed their own kids. Most of these 10,000 children would have had a perfectly healthy breakfast at home without these clubs. This isn't about helping the poorest kids, it's the state taking over the basic job of parenting.

@JackWDart Mate its horrific, but they are a tiny minority and decent people want you to do well. Its a great day albeit a bit windy. Enjoy the run and know that you are doing the right thing thing 💪💪💪

Some of the comments on this post are absolutely insane. X has facilitated a growth in extremism you just don’t see on other platforms. Extremely worrying.

@JackWDart All the best and hope it goes well 💪💪💪💪

Tomorrow I’m running the London Landmarks Half Marathon for Refugee Action. At a time when refugees are so often dehumanised, lied about, and turned into political targets, Refugee Action does vital work supporting people who deserve safety, dignity, and a fair chance to rebuild their lives. So, tomorrow, I run. If you’d like to support me and support Refugee Action’s work, I’d be hugely grateful. ❤️ Link below!

@flaminhaystacks Fabulous 😊😊😊

My dad is camping in a place called Bela Bela in South Africa which means Boiling Boiling and a group of baby Kudu have just wandered into the campsite. Isn't that so incredible? 😍😍

@Socket1Sophie Good God 😂

@NotThatHughes Yessssssss I did both 😂😂😂😂

Crop rotation and oxbow lakes 👍

@NatashaMDay Fantastic 💪💪💪😊😊

Today marks 12 years in the British Army. That’s right, I’ve officially spent over a decade being shouted at, saluting things, filling out forms, and wondering whether the meeting could have been an email. - I’ve gone all the way to Africa to learn that mosquitos are apex predators. -I blagged my way into a paramedic course because I didn’t like my bosses bosses boss - Picked a ridiculous sport to compete at because nothing says work/life balance like being dragged across a body of water at 30kph. - I started a whole Defence Network/ movement because I couldn’t find a policy during Covid. - I’ve even wound up in the Royal box at Wimbledon in what has been the biggest plot twist of my career so far. (10/10 would recommend) Twelve years of service, adventure, questionable decisions, proud moments, surreal experiences, and the occasional “what on earth is happening?” thought. Would I do it all again? Well… I’m still here, so apparently yes. Here’s to the next chapter, may it be just as chaotic, brilliant, and unintentionally hilarious as the last twelve.

"Do you support Israel's 'right to exist'?" It's a 'gotcha' queston and I debunk all the BS surrounding the 'right to exist' propaganda right here:

@Socket1Sophie Good God! 👍😊😊That will get the Gammon going😂😂😂

@narindertweets It will be a landslide on steroids in my humble opinion if he goes down that route.👍👍👍… oh and those that Wright/troll you in the way that they do will always be haters regardless if you are (you personally) are online or not. I love what you do. Just love it.

If Starmer rejoins us back into the EU I reckon he will win the next GE.

@MyBioTriggersU @iamtomskinner Bosh 😂😂😂😂

Good morning everyone, and happy Friday ❤️ I really enjoyed doing Question Time last night, what an experience. I can see it’s rattled a few of the usual angry lot on here as well… 🤣🤣 What I’ve noticed is the insults ain’t about what I said. It’s the same old stuff. My criminal record, where I went to school… even me Wikipedia page getting changed again. I wish I had a multi millionaire family FYI, then I wouldn’t be working 6 days a week 🤣🤣 Funny how they never add all the good I do in the news and Wikipedia etc. It does make you think, do these people see me as threat to constantly attack me? I’ve made mistakes in my life. I ain’t perfect, never have been. But I’ve owned it, I’ve learned, and I’ve worked every single day to become a better man. And that’s what life is about. I’ve worked hard for everything I’ve got. Nothing has been handed to me. I’m up early pushing every day and I’m looking forward to a pint in the pub once I finish today. But what matters to me the most ain’t the lies online spread about me, it’s real life. I’ve got 14 unbelievable, loyal, hardworking staff, some who’ve been with me since I was 18 years old. This lot have believed in me, and I’ll always back them. I’ve got a loving, happy home. I’ve got a beautiful, kind, caring wife who is the most amazing mum to our children and watching her now she’s 7 months pregnant with our fourth, makes me proud every single day. And my kids… they’re my world. They’re the reason I keep going, no matter what. Because I know what it feels like to have nothing. I’ve been at rock bottom. Sleeping on a pull-out bed on the floor in my mum’s house. No money. No work. Because of my criminal records. I felt lost and like giving up. But I never did. I got my head down. I believed in myself and I built something out of nothing. That’s why I try to spread positivity. That’s why I visit schools, speak to young people, do the Sunday walks, because I want people to know that your past does not define your future. So when the negativity comes online with all the lies and constant digs….. it don’t break me. Because I know who I am. I’m someone who believes in hard work. I’m someone who believes in family. I’m someone who believes in owning your mistakes and becoming better. And I’m someone who believes in this country and its people. We’ve got the greatest country in the world. And I’ll keep going for my family, for my team, and for every single person out there trying to do the right thing. We don’t go home until we’re proud. Have a fantastic Friday. Let’s go and smash it. I love you all ❤️ Bosh❤️

@MyBioTriggersU Legend and a proper socialist… Liverpool were always good but when he arrived the transformation was incredible…