Aircraft General Discussion

Any major changes will be at least a couple of years down the track, an opportunity for the "EXPERTS" flying desks to utterly screw up the works, they also have the opportunity of streamlining the regs and getting it right. My fingers crossed for all the flying types UK. That's if as I said in another thread, the Gov't doesn't chicken out, and desides to stay after all. Ian S C

Hi, just came on here to idle my time away , know I should be doing something more productive but!!! saw your thread and thought Aircraft , interesting , But I must have missed something some where ,it feels like I have only halve the story ,or should I have looked some where else for the start of the thread Stewart

This thread is a hoch poch of aviation subjects that come up every now and then. Hi Stewart, no you have not missed much, Andrew mentioned something of his flying(glider tug pilot) and I mentioned something about licence changes post leaving EU, so the entry before mine explains what he knows of the situation. 

Ian S C   Here's one from my past in aviation, Cessna 185B with full agricultural gear.

Edited By Ian S C on 04/07/2016 16:17:13

Thanks for that Ian ,now I know ! .Like the plane , sounds and looks like like you have had some fun . I have flown in a small plane a long time ago . For work and holidays the usual jets. I love all things mechanical and still get a thrill whilst tacking off, even in the USUAL JETS . I can't help finding it amazing how all that weight gets off the ground and into the air . The nearest I have got to actually piloting a plane , is a couple model planes I have built , Thought about hang gliding ,a few years ago , but too long in the tooth for that now. Just got my Drummond lathe running and enjoying that , Just a thought ,I can remember welding old Minis to keep them on the road (MOT etc ) and not being able to wait to get at it after Christmas holidays were done .That's having fun . Stewart

Many, many years ago at the age of 18/19 I was fortunate to be sponsored by the RAF via the ATC to learn to fly and then solo in Gliders, specifically the Slingsby T31 and the T21 Sedburg, Tug, and what an experience that was, unfortunately when at the age of 21, when I left the ATC, I couldn't afford to join a club to keep the license on apprentice wages but over the years when the opportunity has arisen I have enjoyed a ride in an aircraft and so far I can list over 30+ types including Military, airliners, Gliders and light aircraft.

One way to get a ride in a glider would be to go to a local club, usually on a Sunday and sit in your car and watch and usually as the day progressed I would get asked if I was interested in helping move a few gliders and they would offer a trip as a thank you, my first air tow came this way.

I used to spend my time at various airfields plane spotting, particularly Military, we would visit RAF/USAF airfields particularly ones with gate guardians and ask if we could take pictures and usually the answer was yes, on one of our trips out friends and I went to Woodbridge and Bentwaters in Suffolk to catch a few Warthog A10's particularly as there was an Air National Guard unit from America on exercise, at the back of the Airbase was a wood where we could see the A10's and with our binoculars and camera's we took the numbers of everything in view until my two mates decided they wanted a couple of unreadables so one of them climbed up on the others shoulders and was holding onto the fence when two soldiers appeared with their rifles at the ready, they wanted to know what we were up to and when they were happy one took our notebook and went off to get the numbers of the ones we couldn't read whilst the other one chatted to us.

Whilst in the ATC and then an Aviation Club I got to visit many Airfields, the highlights were crawling over a SR71 Blackbird at Mildenhall, looking over Super Sabres and F111's at Lakenheath, watching a test firing of an A10's Gatling gun and visiting RAF Honnington to look over the Buccaneers.

One of the biggest highlights came via a millwright where I worked, he was one of those that if you had a paddling pool he had a swimming pool, one day he suggested that he could arrange a visit to the crash investigation unit at Farnborough which I treated with a pinch of salt but it turned out that his Brother in Law ran the unit and a visit was duly arranged, it was a most fascinating day being shown around the crashed aircraft and being shown how they deduced what happened and also how they retrieved info from the black (orange) boxes.

Martin P

Edited By martin perman on 04/07/2016 22:31:40

This is the workshop just after our new hanger was built at Dunedin airport, My work was on the ground, same plane a few weeks later, I did the engine overhaul.

When I was a bit younger, my model aircraft club visited a RAAF base.

In exchange for giving the RAAF people some basic instruction on r/c models I was invited to have a flight in a glider (I think that it was a Kookaburra).

The launch was towed by a Holden ute, painted in black and yellow chequers with a jerrycan of petrol on the roof as apparently the fuel pump had packed up. The fuel filter was just in front of the windscreen.

A wonderful adventure and I only was told to input more rudder on turns.

Sweet memories

* Danny M *

Edited By Danny M2Z on 05/07/2016 08:13:38

Edited By Danny M2Z on 05/07/2016 08:16:01

Hi guys, last week I was on a mission in North Yorkshire in the campervan, there had been a certain amount of aerial activity involving large american jet fighters during the week, however one day the missus came back from walking the dog about teatime & said she had seen a strange aircraft that she took to be a drone & that it was very noisy, the doors where open & I hadn't heard anything so I asked shape, size, number of engines etc etc no joy. The following evening however I was outside around the same time when I heard something approaching very very loud & fast, it passed only about 200 yards away & I identified it in the same instant that my jaw hit the ground, V22 OSPREY, was then treated to a demonstration of what they were designed for including one screaming turn where all underneath detail was on display, unfortunately camera was stashed away so no pictures but looked it up when we got home, a cross between an aeroplane & a helicopter, vertical take & landing, high speed flight, large UK input, engines by RR, transmission & many other airframe parts by BAe, never thought I would see one in all my life!

I am sure I read somewhere that the UK has just bought some for the special forces, if anyone knows different? When I was working in London recently during the US presidents visit we saw a couple flying escort on his helicopter

Robjon44,

The Osprey's are based at the American Airbase RAF Mildenhall and here is a link about the SAS using them http://www.eliteukforces.info/uk-military-news/05042016-osprey-special-forces.php.

Martin P

Edited By martin perman on 05/07/2016 20:26:08

, Gentlemen,

I've been outside today loading my trailer and van with an engine to display at Little Creeting tomorrow and whilst tinkering I heard a raspy engine coming towards me which turned out to be a Commander Wallace type AutoGyro and he was going at a reasonable pace as well, approx 1000 feet up, I came in to write this when I spotted something on another forum and thought I would share it **LINK**

Martin P

Having done a few hours on the S K HAR 3 at Boscombe Down when we had it on Service entry assessment, that R/C demo struck a real chord!! The airframe 'sit' is very realistic although it's missing the proper coning angle on the main rotor. A remarkable piece of model engineering as well as aero-modelling - well done!

To avoid inter-Service angst, Martin, the designer/builder of the autogyro was (the late) WING Commander Ken Wallace, ex Royal Air Force and a legend in the gyrocopter world as designer, builder and flyer - known among the non-gyro world for his 'Little Nellie' of James Bond fame.

rgds

Bill

Bill,

Silly me I should have known that  my Father worked for a company, as a draughtman, which fitted reconnaissance camera's to two of his Autogiro's for trials by the army.

Martin P.   

Edited By martin perman on 09/07/2016 17:49:32

Does anyone have knowledge of Heston Aircraft (besides what is on the net). My Dad worked there, finishing as chief draughtsman as chief draughtsman 1937- 1957 ish.
BobH

Further to the anecdotes about Ken Wallis, I was at a model aircraft meeting on a farm strip near Baldock in the late '90's when we observed an autogyro approaching. Ever mindful of the dangers of mixing models and the fullsized, all the airborne models landed while the autogyro completed a circuit and then landed on our strip. Who other than Ken Wallis himself! He'd seen the models flying, so decided to 'pop in' and take a closer look. After about half an hour of chatting with various modellers, he climbed aboard, took off again and turned to perform a hands and feet free low pass along the strip before waving goodbye and heading off. One of aviation's real characters and a bit of a hero to boot!

Heston Aircraft - I regret I have no knowledge other than seeing signs at the entrance to Heston village which depicted the Heston Racer. Last time I drove through, I think there was only the one sign remaining.

Hi guys, fresh from my spotting the V22 OSPREY near Leyburn in Yorkshire last weekend, this weeks expedition was to the Cambridge area, around 11.30 am I was packing up ready to go home when a small voice said " ooh look theres an aeroplane with 2 engines" I quickly nipped round to the other side of the campervan & sure enough about half a mile was another OSPREY in aircraft mode tracking directly away from us, it was not difficult to identify as from behind or in front the "PROPROTORS" as I now know they are called are huge! however as I resigned myself to watching it disappear into the distance it did a fast 180 degree turn back in our direction & shortly afterwards transitioned into helicopter mode & stopped, it turned on the spot in either direction a couple of times then reentered aircraft mode & cleared off in a big way, I think their following me about.

Robjon,

You were following them as their base, Mildenhall, was no more than 20 miles from where ever you were in Cambridgeshire.

Martin P

I'm 6 miles away from Mildenhall so the things are like wasps round a jam jar.

Martin

Martin, found Mr. Google Maps straight line measuring tool this morning, RAF Mildenhall 26.6 miles from campsite, who knew? anyway I have pencilled in some hanging on the chain link fence for another day, in another lifetime I signed the Official Secrets Act so they wont mind Robjon44

Hi Guys
A Spitfire & Hurricane was at White Waltham airfield Berkshire today
Nobby