Yes.. I believe they have. If I'm not mistaken, it may well have been the guy's from Duxford.
Had the nose section been open and not where it is, while there'd still have been a problem.. it wouldn't have been as bad. You used to be able to blag a look inside once upon a time but everyone's scared to go near it now
Dave B, Tonks your offer of help is much appreciated and I will take you up on it, currently printing off all the pics I can find so I will advise soonest!
Amongst other things, fluorescent paint often used in dials contained a radioactive isotope. Personally I think its all a lot of b0ll0x as I remember my dad bringing home old bits of electronics from work to play with, quite a few contained these gauges (although not from aircraft) they were used extensivly in the forces.
Yup.. I'd tend to agree. Thing is though.. as the instruments get on in years, the paint starts to break down and flake and this is where the problem comes. In many cases, panels can be covered with a thick perspex screen and still viewed without a hazard to the public (so the chappie from Duxford said). I suppose a good comparison is asbestos. You can live and work around asbestos for years without undue health problems if the asbestos is stable. In most cases, all this requires is a coat of paint. The problem with old aircraft is that asbestos was used in firewalls, gaskets and any number of other components but even this is ok as long as they're left alone.
Anyway.. I sit here with a Lancaster ASI, Wellington ASI and Hunter ASI a few feet away from my bonce and I don't glow in the dark.. not much anyway :o
You might say that but if you look at your avatar there is a definate green taint to your surroundings..........
Anyway, as long as the glass on the instrument is intact, only the gamma rays can pass out of the instrument. At a distance of 2 feet this radiation is almost impossible to detect against background radiation levels.
