[Varley]

But you will still need a means of conveying the wishes of the pilot, however loosely one intends to honour them. FWE - Finished With Escapement. STB - Spring Tight Below. Date drive geared to shaft. Big hand geared to shaft. Little hand geared to shaft. Teeny, weenie hand geared to shaft. Etc.

A whole new slang. "You've one more tick-tock left for the prop or a strike on the fog gong"!

I have no problem with tick-tockery. It is spring and weight driven tick-tockery that requires thumbs nimbler than mine (and fingers less thumblike). The principles of Dr. Hipp and Frank Hope-Jones can be applied to platform escapements and so bring the considerable engineering advantages of electricity to clockworkery (Many to be seen at Dr. Nye's fabulous 'Clockworks Gallery' * in West Norwood).

Var, however should not be used by any but the shamans of the 'J' notation. We do not like Vars because they are impossible to understand and difficult to accept and require us to use more copper than does same-sex electricity. Clockworkery would do away with them but that, too, is impractical as distribution of useful clockworkery would be hopelessly inefficient (although with the help of Mr. Hope-Jones can be done electrically or, as plumbers know it, "magically").

* - Wot can be googled.