Aircraft General Discussion

Just as I finished cutting the grass today I heard what I thought was an old rotary engine bomber. But in the strong sunlight I could make out two biplanes heading south(ish). They banked left for a full circle and headed off in more of a SE direction possibly toward the Bristol channel and Airport.

Ed.

Went passed Duxford on Thursday and saw the Blenheim and a Spitfire parked near the small hangers at the east end, my wife and I took our new, to us, Corsa out for a run last Sunday afternoon and drove past Shuttleworth who were having an air day and the Mew Gull was being flown and he wasn't sparing the horses and was giving a spirited display.

Martin P

The Vulcan has something of a northern tour tomorrow (Sun 9th), plus several displays in the coming weeks of its last display year.

At last a classic racing day in the Nationals at the local gliding club. Almost everybody got round, with only one technical landout, ie, the turbo was started, rather than an actual field landing. One fumble for me during the grid launch. We have six tugs launching 36 gliders in less than an hour. Ideally we maintain the same order of tugs. However, it got fouled up today as a dozy club member rigged a club glider and then towed it across the active runway without bothering to look. As a result he baulked me on finals, so I had to go around, which I announced on the radio so the other tugs would know. The offender was collared by the launch marshall and red carded, ie, not allowed to fly solo, only with an instructor. It seems he turned up late, so didn't attend the club members briefing about grid launching, and didn't bother talking to the duty instructor either, doooooh!

We also had a small de Havilland fly-in this afternoon. A couple of Rapides, two Tiger Moths, a Hornet Moth, Queen Bee and a Thruxton Jackaroo. One of the Tiger Moths (G-AOEI) was of special interest, as I used to fly it when I was learning to fly with the Cambridge Flying Group.

Andrew

Edited By Andrew Johnston on 08/08/2015 21:50:56

Andrew, I didn't think there would be any Queen Bees still flying, but I see that there is G-BLUZ, as Wiki says, the original Drone.

Ian S C

That's the one. It is part owned by a club member and is based at RAF Henlow only a few miles from the gliding club, so is a fairly regular visitor.

Andrew

Just heard an aeroplane, definitely sounded big 'n' heavy. Which it turned out to be as the B17 Flying Fortress flew over the bungalow at about 1200 feet.

Andrew

We were having lunch today when Sally B taxied in and parked outside the canteen. Not sure why she visited Cambridge, which is just down the road from her "home" in Duxford. Must have been getting ready to buzz Andrew...

Just wonder how many aircraft are lost for ever one I remember mothballed in the 60's as I past it on my way to school is one of these.

Two passenger decks is nothing new

Bob

Calshott?

There were three mothballed two at Calshot the other in Cowes.

Edited By Bob Brown 1 on 11/08/2015 10:26:23

Saunders Roe Princess, the largest seaplane to fly more than once, and the largest ever all metal seaplane. G-ALUN was moored on a slipway at Cowes up to the mid 60s, then when Seaspeed were running their Southampton/Cowes hovercraft service she was moved to the old Samuel Whites shipyard at East Cowes, renamed by Saunders Roe as Falcon Yard. As I was doing my apprenticeship at Saunders Roe/BHC at the time, obviously several of us apprentices had to have a look inside didn't we?? There were sackfuls of silica gel inside the fuselage. Access into the wing was possible through a hatch, and one of the brave lads made it out to the inner engine bay. Right at the tail end of the passenger compartment, there was a hatch into the tail end, there was a narrow walkway, about a foot wide which led right aft, until a vertical ladder was reached, which enabled access right up inside the fin. The cockpit was tiny for such a big aircraft. She was a beautiful aeroplane, so sad that she was scrapped so ignominiously.

Happy days!!

cheers

Bill

Am I right in thinking that before the Princess was finally grounded (or should that be watered ? ) she did the same that the Bristol Brabazon did before it was grounded & broken up i.e. a final round the British Isles flight.

I can remember the Brabazon flight because I spotted it on that last flight heading south down the east coast.

Halifax, Stirling, Beaufort, Barracuda, Sea Hornet & many many more all gone. I am so glad that nowadays there is a thriving restoration industry both in the UK & around the world.

Alan

I don't know about an around Britain flight, but G-ALUN certainly did a fair bit of flying. First flight was in August 52, last flown in June 54, with a total of nearly 97 hours. Sadly there was no customer as BOAC did its usual job of buying from the US.

The Princess pioneered many new systems and should be considered a major technical success. Again it's so sad that she was scrapped.

cheers

Bill

G-ALLN was at Farnborough - in 1953
**LINK**

Edited By Speedy Builder5 on 12/08/2015 07:44:41

Cool picture

HI all,

speaking of RR Merlins....didn't they fit them on some of the US fighters for use in Europe...?

Clogs quite like this subject / topic......please keep it going.......

Clogs,

That`s how the P51 Mustang became such a great aircraft, when the Brits changed the Allison engine for a Merlin.

Alan

Even though the Merlin was made under licence in America by Packard, my favorite spotter, the wife, informed me that three aircraft were flying left to right over our back garden early this evening and the middle one was black and white by the time I got outside they had gone but there was a Merlin attached to one of them.

Mid morning a single jet went east to west over the house very low but I didn't get a look.

The problem with flying boats was not the fact we bought american airliners, by the time the Princess was built there were more airfields springing up around the world and a bit like Ryan Air the flying boats were landing miles away from there supposed destinations because there was no local stretches of water to land on so they became impractical.  

Martin P

Edited By martin perman on 15/08/2015 20:40:08

Edited By martin perman on 15/08/2015 20:41:21

Edited By martin perman on 15/08/2015 20:41:59

The reality is, according to my copy of "Saunders and Saro Aircraft" was that the Princess was built to a specification prepared by the Ministry of Supply, with the assumption (!!) that BOAC would be interested, which they purported to be. Then between the issue of the spec and the commencement of build BOAC seemed to hold diametrically opposed views, depending on who the subject was being discussed with. However in late 1950 BOAC did set up a "Princess Unit", to develop the procedures and infrastructure required. There was some concern at BOAC that the Princess engines were "unsuitable for commercial service", in 1952 BOAC suggested that the (then) new Bristol Orion prop turbine might be suitable, and on it goes.

The end result was that the project was cancelled, and the three airframes (one having flown, the second and third were complete but unflown) were turned into rather a lot of saucepans.

The senior management of BOAC did seem to want to buy US aircraft, rather than British ones. Even when they did "buy British" they complained that the aircraft wasn't suitable for the role. The Vickers VC10 is a classic. BOAC demanded that the aircraft be suitable for "hot and high" airfields typical in Africa. So Vickers built the VC10, sold a handful to BOAC, who then closed the hot and high routes and complained about the high operating cost when competing with 707s on the transatlantic routes.

I find it all very sad.

cheers

Bill