At least three Typhoon fighter jets were landing at RAF Coningsby around the time when the brief U.K. temperature record was declared at 15:12 on July 19th last year from a measuring device situated halfway down the runway. Following a Freedom of Information request, the Daily Sceptic has obtained portions of the log books of four pilots flying from the base that afternoon, casting considerable doubt on the record that made headlines around the world.
The pilots’ log books record three of the four Typhoons landing at 15:10, 15:15 and 15:15. However, since these log books round off all times to the nearest five minutes, we can interpret this to mean the three jets landed between about 15:07:30 to 15:17:30 at the latest. But pilots want to rack up the most possible flying hours, so a landing at 15:12:30 would be written down as 15:15 and not 15:10, and there is always wiggle room.
In reality, it’s likely that the three jets actually landed in very quick succession, rather than over the space of several minutes. Many videos are available online showing operations at Coningsby, with Typhoons flying (and landing) close to each other, and a very recent video shows three jets landing within 30 seconds. The lead jet of the three landing on July 19th was ZJ914 – the RAF’s primary display aircraft – suggesting the others were experienced pilots who may well have landed in close formation. Taken in context with the log books, this points to the three aircraft landing together at some point very close to when the record was set at 15:12, and likely a little before.
At 15:10, the temperature suddenly jumped by 0.6°C to hit the 40.3°C record at 15.12. Within 60 seconds, the record temperature dropped back by 0.6°C. At the time, the Met Office claimed that verifying the record had been a “rigorous process” and that all data was accurate.
The Daily Sceptic has published a number of articles about the Coningsby incident and the general recording of surface temperatures by the Met Office. Last November, we asked the Met Office if its “rigorous process” confirming the validity of the 40.3°C record had ruled out all non-climatic causes such as jet aircraft operating near the measuring device, since RAF Coningsby is a major jet pilot training centre and home to two squadrons of Typhoons. We received no reply. Earlier, Lincolnshire Live was told the rise in temperature might have been due to a break in thin cloud. Last November, the Daily Sceptic published a satellite photo showing cloudless skies at 15:00 on July 19th across London and most of eastern England.
In the light of our latest revelations, it’s time the Met Office made a statement about its claimed record at RAF Coningsby. It should either withdraw it, or provide convincing evidence as to why the record should be retained. If it does not take public action, it risks the ‘record’ becoming a national joke.
Last year was a warm year in the U.K. and July 19th was undoubtedly a very hot day, although the mini-heatwave had broken by 22:00, with rain in London and a 20°C drop in temperature. Five English places declared temperatures over 40°C, but all have problems with non-climatic heat corruptions.
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) grades weather stations and gives lower classifications to those surrounded by tarmac and buildings. An interesting article in the blog Climate Scepticism looked at the five U.K. 40°C sites and found problems at all of them. According to the WMO, the classification set for Coningsby suggests a temperature margin of error of up to 1°C. The second place at London’s St. James’s Park is sited next to a metalled path, suggesting a 2°C uncertainty. Heathrow and Northolt are busy London airports with the same problems as Coningsby. The last site in Kew Gardens is marginally better, but it is sited near one of the largest tropical greenhouses in the world, and breezes wafting over the vast glass structure could corrupt surrounding measurements.
For the purpose of taking temperature measurements to build a picture of long-term climate change, there are few places more unsuitable than an airport runway. But all airports measure temperature for operational purposes, and the easily-available data from numerous locations is embedded in both national and international datasets. In the U.K., the Met Office is fully signed up to the ‘climate crisis’ narrative. One-off weather events and measurements are fed to the unquestioning mainstream media by the Met Office and this helps promote alarm in the cause of the collectivist Net Zero agenda. The Met Office is particularly busy in the summer months where it seems to have decided to catastrophise what was once considered normal summer weather. Three balmy days of 25°C on the Cornish Riviera are now termed a ‘heatwave’, while national weather maps turn blood-red as temperatures climb through the 20s. On a global scale, the Met Office has retrospectively added over 30% warming to the last 20 years, removing a 2000-2012 pause clearly still seen in satellite data.
At the time of the claimed Coningsby record, Dr. Mark McCarthy from the Met Office told Lincolnshire Live that in a climate unaffected by human-induced climate change “it would be virtually impossible for temperatures in the UK to reach 40°C”. There is no way that McCarthy can know this since it is just an opinion, or to be more accurate, an opinion backed up by computer models. There is not a single science paper that would prove that claim conclusively.
If anything, it would seem that much of the claimed urban heat should be removed, rather than increased. In recent ground-breaking work, two American scientists – Dr Roy Spencer and Professor John Christy – working out of the University of Alabama in Huntsville, have started to separate out the effect of urbanisation on temperature measurements. Over the last 50 years, it was discovered that warming could have been exaggerated by up to 50% across the eastern United States. Interestingly, the largest exaggerations were found at airports. At Orlando International Airport in Florida, the local data showed massive warming of 0.3°C per decade, a figure that fell to just 0.07°C when adjusted for urban heat.
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Another scheme that’s dimmer than a 3W bulb.
It won’t even keep those JSO idiots happy either…..
I reckon the bricks will be crap, too. I got fake Lego from family in the DDR back in the day and it was just horrible compared to the real thing.
I have an acquaintance who works for Lego in Denmark, she mentioned that the company had so much money they couldn’t give it away to enough charities for tax purposes, I suggested lowering the prices and she replied they would never consider that.
Seems a modestly higher manufacturing costs is one way to reduce your taxable income.
Let’s not exaggerate here, it’s taking the cost to make a block from 0.01 pence and making it 0.0165p, and the block is sold for 5p
True. The Danes are very avaricious in business. Lego has a wholesome image but is undoubtedly a rapacious profit maker, too.
And as a free market believer, I see nothing wrong with that
This sounds like virtue signalling or greenwash. Perhaps they expect to win over some customers who go for “green” products. However, surely such customers wouldn’t be buying plastic-looking toy bricks anyway and would be getting their kids used to building their own houses out of recycled pallets, plastic straws up and mud!
Never mind Lego bricks. The insane bastards will be trying to fine us to remove all the carbon from house bricks next. I do not joke.
That’s the main thing. We are on the verge of cultural collapse, massive health deterioration, economic ruin, nuclear war. But good to see that Lego has its prirrities right. Try having enthusiasm for Lego when you have been annihilated into a shadow by a nuke or degraded into a cannibal. What are you going to do – get a stiff out of the chest freezer, eat him, and then have fun with everyone assembling some Lego together?
Walkers.
The propaganda must go on!
Sorry chaps, should be wankers of course.
Siece the war we in western Europe have grown used an adventure playground lifestyle. As if that was ever anything durable. In a predatory world do you think the predators are just going to let a tank full of domesticated fattened fish go to waste. It is more about us softened people getting a grip than anything else.
Lego appears to have a death wish.
Fortunately, I have a suitcase full of traditional Lego in my garage – a legacy from my sons which I’ve kept just in case any grandchildren ever appear
I guess its value is going to rocket in a few years ……
The madness goes on. They’ll also install more machines to replace humans. So thanks to enviro communism, humans will suffer.
Jumping through the Sustainability Hoops. —-Is this really about concern for a planet that is actually doing fine, or is it just more ESG point scoring?
Lego have missed an obvious trick that would save them this extra expense – make the bricks in the traditional manner, melt them down again then remould them in the same factory and voila – every box can now state ‘Lego is made from recycled material’!
Makes as much technological, economic and practical sense as any other Net Zero measure.
Indeed ‘[Lego] tested hundreds and hundreds of substances but said last year it had been unable to find a ‘magic material’ that had a smaller carbon footprint’ should be adopted as the slogan of the entire futile and astronomically expensive Climate Change project.
”Niels B. Christiansen, Chief Executive, insisted the higher raw material costs would not mean higher prices.”
Insisting gravity doesn’t exist in Legoland doesn’t make it so for the World outside.