Vintage Aeroplane Writer

Hot Pup

2012-01-24T21:45:00.003+11:00

At today's example of the RAAF Museum's thrice-weekly 'Interactives' I grabbed a couple of shots of the Museum's Sopwith Pup replica, and noticed a phenomenon I'd not observed before.

It was a warmish 33 degrees C, with very light winds (7kmh, according to the local weather station), and I think as a result of these conditions, the Pup became distorted in some odd details: close observation of the wheels in all of these photos and the fuselage roundels in the images above and below show that they're no longer the circles they are in reality, but look 'retouched'.

Strange! (I should add, for those that care about such things, that all three images are full frame and unretouched except for resizing and the copyright note. The lens was at 500mm.)

Nevertheless, it was a good day to see such are a rare machine in action, and the audience clearly enjoyed it.

Traveller returns

2012-01-21T22:33:00.003+11:00

It's been a while, and it's been pretty intense with a number of visits to interesting aircraft collections and talking to many and varied people involved in the vintage aviation scene.

One particularly special moment was a long chat (thanks to Jonathan Pote) with Mac Bettjeman (left) on the Museum of Transport and Technology's Short Sunderland Mk.V (right). Mac flew as a 'Second Dickey' in 1944-5 in Sunderlands with 490 Squadron RAF off West Africa, a tough theatre of war, particularly for health risks, and he is now one of the MoTaT volunteers working on conserving the Sunderland before it goes inside in due course. That's the collection's Sandringham behind, a remarkable pair of Shorts in anyone's book. I was travelling with my New Zealand colleague Dave Homewood (centre!) around the aeronautic sites of the Auckland, New Zealand area, and we covered a lot of ground as well as a lot of rare aircraft.

But now I'm back at the desk. Let's see what gets put out from the gathering in.

Mark Hanna 1959 - 1999

2011-12-06T21:15:00.007+11:00

Following the recent post of Mark Hanna's article on flying for the Empire of the Sun film in Warbirds Worldwide, [here] I thought it might be appropriate to give a bit of background.

Mark Hanna was the son of the legendary Ray Hanna, ex-Red Arrows leader and doyen of warbird pilots. After service in the RAF, Mark joined his father in the Old Flying Machine Company and with a core of staff and a variety of interesting aircraft operated in displays across the UK, and occasionally Europe - and even Ray's native New Zealand. Additionally, they undertook a huge number of contracts flying for the screen - film, TV and even advertising. Given the ephemeral nature of these events, the story behind the film is often lost, but as seen in the Empire article, the story of the filming can be fascinating.

Mark was one of the most enjoyable warbird pilots to watch when he was operating warbirds, but it seems that his preference extended more to the early jets as well as the piston types his father was famous for flying. A full profile is on the Old Flying Machine Company website here.

Mark was both the most rewarding and frustrating of operators from the point of view of an editor. Mark was a remarkably good writer for a practitioner - someone who actually did what was written about - but getting him to put pen to paper, or finger to keyboard was a battle; not surprising as he led a full and very active international life. I should add that I understood from Paul Coggan, the editor of Warbirds Worldwide that Mark was a generous correspondent who always was keen to help - but getting him to deliver the text was a challenge. Nevertheless, the few articles he did pen for Warbirds Worldwide were among the most popular that we published, and should be treasured not just for their rarity but also for their insight and wry humour.

Sadly, Mark, Paul Coggan and the Journal itself are no longer with us. Hopefully people will enjoy seeing the Empire of the Sun article that prompted this posting, and may well encourage further articles to be mined from the archives.

Last word must go to Mark's sister Sarah Hanna of the Old Flying Machine Company for her prompt and gracious permission to reproduce Mark's article. The Old Flying Machine Company are still very much in business, and their details are here.

Mark Hanna gets out of Hawker Fury G-BTTA after the first flight in the UK. [James Kightly]

Skip-Bombing P-51s in ‘Empire of the Sun’

2011-12-06T14:10:00.013+11:00

Buried in one of the first issues of Warbirds Worldwide Journal, is an article by the late Mark Hanna on flying Mustangs for Spielberg's 1987 movie 'Empire of the Sun'. After receiving permission from Sarah Hanna of the Old Flying Machine Company to reproduce the feature this is a straight reproduction of the account; an interesting insight 'above' rather than 'behind' the scenes, and only just above... It is a period piece from Issue No.2, 1987, and things have moved on since and sadly the pilots are no longer with us, nor is Warbirds Worldwide or Editor Paul Coggan. It would be a pity for this to vanish as well. More on Mark here.

The article is reproduced with the text as published, and copyright for images and text rests with the Old Flying Machine Company.

So please read on - over to Mark:

Skip-Bombing P-51s in ‘Empire of the Sun’

The middle of May saw the deployment of three P-51D Mustangs to Southern Spain for the filming of Steven Spielberg's film Empire of the Sun. The Mustangs involved were the Old Flying Machine Company’s G-HAEC/A68-192, The Fighter Collection's N51JJ/44-73149, and G-PSID/44-63788. Pilots for the filming were Ray Hanna (who acted as overall Mustang consultant) ‘Hoof’ Proudfoot and myself. Engineering expertise was provided by Paul Mercer who had been released from The Fighter Collection’s Hurricane project for the duration, ably assisted by Hoof’s son Lee. Aerial coordinator for the film was John 'Jeff’ Hawke.

All Mustangs ready to go.

The film sequences, set in the CBI (China-Burma-India) Theatre in 1944 and '45 called for airfield attacks, strafing and bombing (if deemed feasible). Spielberg is renowned for his attention to the minutest detail in his films. To that end all three Mustangs were painted in the spectacular markings of the 118th Tactical Recce Squadron, 23rd Fighter Group of the 14^th Air Force, which operated in the Pacific during the closing stages of World War II.

13^th Mav 1987 saw G-HAEC and G-PSID set off for Biarritz and beyond with both Hannas flying, ‘Hoof’ was to bring up the rear in N51JJ as soon as the paint had dried, or at least gone 'tacky'!

The flight southward was uneventful, with excellent weather the whole way. Navigation through Spain became much easier once having rendezvoused with 'Jeff’ Hawke and Paul Mercer flying Stephen Grey's Beech Baron, at Biarritz.

Our initial operating base was Jerez in Spain, which is a joint civil/military airfield about ten minutes flight time from the film set, although the actual film set (which was dressed as a pseudo Japanese airfield) was available as an option. En-route to Jerez we took a look at the filming location and livened the place up a little! It was very interesting to see the airfield; it looked extremely operational with Zeros and light, communications aeroplanes parked along the strip. Flak towers, hangars and an array of military vehicles completed the illusion. Though we initially considered operating out of the film set airstrip (the ex Spanish Air Force T-6s modified to look like Zeros were operating from there) and it was long enough to take a P-51, we decided against it. The strip itself was largely crushed rock and dirt and having inspected it we decided the risk of dinging a propeller blade or damaging a radiator was too great. Our base would continue to be Jerez.

Once established at Jerez the film people added the final touches to the paint-work on the three aeroplanes. All received genuine World War II names, these being; Tugboat for G-PSlD, My Dallas Darlin' for N51JJ when it arrived and Missy Wong from Hong Kong for G-HAEC. Missy Wong also received a painting of a rather unattractive Chinese girl on the rudder.

Line abreast en route Jerez.

Having briefed with Steven Speilberg and 'Jeff’ Hawke it became obvious that the flying involved would be considerably more demanding than the average airshow routine, the main problem being accurate line-ups for camera angles and timing which would have to fit in with the acting, and of course the actors! An initial trial sortie ensured it became clear that our preferred operating speed of 250-300 knots would be too fast for the movie so we ended up opting for 200-250 knots. Flying was ultra low-level and very close to buildings, Zeros etc. After a little practice it was easy to get right in the groove. Formation was standard battle formation on the transit flight to and from the film set, moving into fighting wing or arrow formation over the set itself. All the flying was done at cruise power settings.

An authentic bombed up Mustang (Mark Hanna photos).

The next step was to evaluate the bomb dropping capability of the Mustangs. The film company had provided near perfect replicas of 500lb bombs. These were made up from plastic shells and consequently only weighed about 25 lbs each. Fed up with seeing bombs tumbling crazily in previous films it was decided to increase the weight of the shells by adding plaster, which was duly added along the length of each bomb. This increased the weight to a more realistic 150-200 lbs. Having weighed each individual bomb on scales the next problem was loading them without bomb trolleys - hard work! With the aircraft loaded with their deadly cargo we were presented with the very satisfying and rare sight of two fully bombed-up, authentically painted Mustangs.

The team hard at work loading bombs.

Take-off performance was noticeably less impressive whilst carrying the bombs, and once airborne cruise power gave approximately 10-15 knots less speed. The intent was for Missy Wong to drop the first trial bomb at 3000 to 4000 feet altitude so that I could observe its fall and check the trajectory. We were slightly concerned about the bombs hitting the flaps or tail immediately following release. Speed for the drop was to be 200 knots. Jeff Hawke and his boys set up a 12' x 12' orange target marker a mile or so parallel to the film set. Ray Hanna’s initial bomb drop was superb: the bomb separated cleanly from the aeroplane, wagged its tail slightly and fell perfectly.

Tugboat formating on (the camera ship) Dallas Darlin’.

Next was my turn. G-PSID – Tugboat - has an electric bomb release which pickles both bombs simultaneously. Being an Air Defence pilot with no bomb dropping experience since my 1980 Hunter Weapons Unit course, I thought I had better try what I know and set up an academic 10° dive attack As the target disappeared under the nose I pickled, paused and pulled and got a couple of 100 yard short bombs - considerably better than my aimed averages on the Hunter back in 1980 I might add! The next trial was Ray’s remaining bomb. This, we had decided, would be from a level skip-bomb attack. with the release height being 25 to 30 feet, a-la-Venom Pilot Attack Instructors Course of 1956 I believe. The result was a bomb skipping once, bouncing to about 10 feet and then straight through the target. Having explained to the film people that skip-bombing was an approved World War II tactic they eagerly took up the suggestion that we could place bombs right through the front doors of any target they chose - with the mock Japanese hangars being the preferred targets!

A superb and unusual shot of Ray Hanna in Missy Wong from Hong Kong.

The next day Hoof Proudfoot arrived with his son Lee in N51JJ. Another bomb dropping rehearsal ensued with all aircraft scoring direct hits or brackets from level skip bombing runs.

We were then ready for the first film takes. These consisted of a complicated attack pattern with accurate timings. The plan was for me to attack first, strafing a hangar and a Zero. Five seconds later, and from an angle 40° to that of my attack path, Ray was to skip bomb another hangar, closely followed (3 to 5 seconds later) by Hoof who would strafe straight down the runway, avoiding the debris from our attacks. After four or five 'dry runs’ the actual take was on. Once the bombing and strafing pyrotechnics were set off there was no return of course and the take would have to be perfect!

Line abreast en route Jerez. Note the Kill marks.

As we ran in the flak started! Air bursts were being mortared up into very realistic looking black puffs making one nestle a little lower to the ground and snuggle down behind the engine. Flashing in between buildings and suddenly seeing explosions walking all over a hangar and a Zero, supposedly as a result of my actions. the feeling that all this was real was quite strong. Lumps of phosphorous over the wing, then up and over the hangar. dumping stick to hug the ground on the egress, looking back to see Ray and Hoof emerging from a huge fireball and oil cloud - having scored two direct hits right through the front doors of the hangar - very, very exciting! Once clear of the airfield we all pulled up and checked each other over for coolant leaks and dents. This was SOP and we did not leave the filming site for our base until we were sure temperatures and pressures had stabilised. Transit home was at low-level and in standard battle formation.

Top shows the Mustangs ‘deadly’ cargo – plaster filled bombs.

Subsequently we moved to another airfield at Tablada near Seville. This was also a joint civil/military airfield and a delightful environment to operate from. A great deal of help was provided by the Spanish Air Force in the form of Engineering Officer Major Carlos Saldana and also by the Royal Aero Club of Seville who do some of the best flying club lunches I've ever had. They also have a huge swimming pool, large patio and dance floor. Not at all like the average fly-blown UK flying club. With the Mustangs parked under some trees, 50 yards from the bar the setting was idyllic!

We flew every day, sometimes twice per day. Sorties were all similar in that they were ground attack biased. However, there was a requirement for two other shots. One involved Hoof chasing and shooting down a Zero flown by Tom Donahue, an American gentleman who shot down the last aeroplane of World War II! The other requirement was for one Mustang to fly past the child-star at 150 knots with the hood open and the pilot waving. Having already had some banter with Stephen Grey and my father about them being in the background of any close-up shots, due to their advanced age, I was flabbergasted when Steven Spielberg picked father, personally, for this shot. Something to do with looking paternal I believe!

Father and son formation. Ray tail chases Mark home from the film set.

All too soon the flying was over despite our attempts to write into the script some 2 V 2 air combat sorties. Mustangs V Zeros (to no avail I'm sorry to say). I have to say that Empire of the Sun provided some of the most demanding and satisfying flying I have ever had apart from the odd air combat sortie in the RAF. Over a beer in the hotel bar each evening we would say to each other 'Well, not too many people have dropped bombs from P-51s today!'

The aeroplanes performed superbly during the film despite the very hot weather conditions. The only snags were one flat tyre, one radiator door failing fully open (luckilly) and a coolant leak, fortunately on G-HAEC's last sortie. Three minor problems for over 60 hours total flying.

The Empire of the Sun team. Left to right Mark Hanna, his father Ray Hanna, engineer Paul Mercer, Hoof Proudfoot and son Lee. Ray Hanna acted as the Mustang consultant to the film makers. Paul Mercer is currently rebuilding The Fighter Collection's Hurricane and Hoof is a Director of the same organisation.

I am told that Stephen Spielberg thought the flying sequences wore fantastic. Personally, having seen the rushes I think they are very exciting, and if you like the idea of P-51s blowing up dust and taking washing off clothes lines then this film could be for you. Of course I should point out that the film is not about aeroplanes, they are incidental. Roll on the next ground attack film! As I understand it Stephen Grey is collecting a complete Squadron of Typhoons right now, to participate in the next epic movie about the Falaise gap. I hope he lets me fly one! WW Mark Hanna.

The AWM's Hudson Turret

2011-12-05T22:50:00.004+11:00

I was pleased to see a report [here] on the rebuild of the Australian War Memorial's Lockheed Hudson Turret, a rare example of Boulton Paul's work.

It is a Type C Mk.II turret, and the development of it from the Type C Mk.I nose turret for the Handley Page Halifax to the Mk.II for the dorsal Hudson position took only nine weeks, involving re-routing the services from the top-entry on the Halifax and adding a glazed rather than solid back to the cupola. Despite its massive egg shape on the Hudson, it was not as draggy as might be thought. I've not got figures of speed-loss for Hudsons fitted with it compared to without, but when fitted to the Halifax as a dorsal turret it 'only' cost 6 mph, according to Wallace Clarke's British Aircraft Armament Vol.1.

Here's a couple of photographs I took in 2010 when it was at an earlier stare of restoration, than the recent shots on the AWM blog with the Perspex now fitted.

As can be seen, it's a complex piece of machinery, and owes more in appearance to steam engineering than aero, but they were an effective unit.

I look forward to Jamie's report on the even rarer ventral bathtub position.

Kiwi Butcher Bird

2011-12-01T21:48:00.002+11:00

Much anticipated for the Classic Fighter airshow at Omaka, New Zealand last Easter, the Flug Werk FW 190 (Focke Wulf lookalike) unfortunately ran into some technical issues on a test flight before the show.

These images were taken on one of those unfortunately truncated test flights. Note the prop vortices above.

Those problems have now been fixed, and it is hoped it will be up and flying again shortly.

Olympic Aviation - 1936

2011-12-01T20:18:00.002+11:00

Although aerobatics have never been an official part of the Olympic competition, in 1936 there was a significant range of surrounding events as aviation was being heavily promoted by the host nation. Laudable though that may have been in that fascinating era of aviation development, there was in fact a darker reason - the host was Nazi Germany.

I think because of this dubious agenda, little seems to have been published that is reliable on the aviation events then. While much of the Nazi era has been dissected and examined since, overcoming the period propaganda, this does not seem to be the case in this aspect of aviation, which is a pity, given what must really have happened would be interesting, and pretty much a unique conjunction of aviation and the Olympics - albeit tarnished with the Nazi's 'perverted science'.

(Thanks to Brad O for the pointer to the image.)

Awaiting the sound of the Bell

2011-11-25T22:26:00.003+11:00

One of the several airworthy restorations I'm very keen to see completed, the Planes of Fame Bell P-59 Airacomet, seen here at the 2011 airshow with a sectioned engine alongside, and the Grumman F3F behind. It will be a remarkable and significant flyer when it gets there.

From a correspondant...

2011-11-24T12:41:00.005+11:00

This pic and text came in from 'Old Fokker' and it was too good not to share.

Something for the CV (or straight to the pool room !)

The notam tolls the knell of airshow day,
The Lowy herd towed slowly o'er the lea,
The media men homeward plod their weary way,
And leave the hangar to darkness and to me.

(with apologies to Thomas Gray)

Stewart Wilson on the left, yours truly right.

Showthrough P-40

2011-11-24T12:23:00.003+11:00

During Alan Arthur's practice display at Temora on the Friday for the Warbirds Down Under airshow this last weekend, I noticed due to him being up sun in the evening, how much you can see through all the control edges of the P-40. Note the unusual show-through in the Frise ailerons above

An almost plan view (above) and a fair amount of control input in the roll (below).

It was a nice display to see in a quiet evening, as the sun was well over the yardarm.

The View from Space

2011-11-07T12:21:00.003+11:00

I found this article, discussing 'How the Airplane got its Shape', interesting by virtue of the fact that it comes at the topic from an unusual angle - the view of a space historian; and that it touches on some of the less acknowledged drives of this arena of design.

From the featured article, a NACA Curtiss JN-4 “Jenny” biplane with a model wing suspended beneath it. 1921. [NASA?]

People in aviation would have you believe that aviation is all about form from function, but it is far from so, most obviously from an examination of the more baroque aspects of aircraft design as exposed by the passing of time. There's an article about that, too, to be written.

Spi... Hurricane Women

2011-11-02T15:40:00.002+11:00

While looking up other books at the State Library (SLV) I found this book and was amused to note that the overly specific title was contradicted by the back cover, where these Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) women are photographed next to a late mark Hawker Hurricane - one of the many other types they flew.

Another example of 'Spitfire Snobbery'

The Measure of the Man - Gary Austin

2011-10-27T22:27:00.015+11:00

Gary Austin at the Flight Engineer's position on the CAF's B-29 'Fifi'. His good friend, Brad Pilgrim, has since taken these throttles on. 'cusrey'.

Yesterday was the second anniversary of the untimely death of Gary Austin. He was a remarkable man who became well known internationally in the warbird world via the WIX forum when he was working for the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) as an engineer. He was, of course, already well known to the many who'd come across him in the US in real life. But those two statements are the least of someone who was clearly a remarkable personality, an inspiration and a gentleman in his dealings on the web. As Taylor Stevenson said on WIX when recording Gary's demise we lost "a true artist in the Warbird Community".

Some details are available via this obituary:

Gary Austin, 39, of Midland passed away on October 26, 2009 at his home.
...Gary was a well-known, loved and respected war bird aircraft mechanic, pilot and humorous storyteller. He was always ready to be of service to anyone at any time sharing his loved and extensive knowledge and experience in promoting the safety, repair and preservation of all war birds. Gary's war bird career began with his work at Peeler Aviation DeWitt Spain Airport in Memphis, TN. He moved to Breckenridge, TX to work with Nelson Ezell doing war bird restorations at Ezell Aviation in Breckenridge, TX. For the past several years he has worked for the CAF as a aircraft mechanic and B29 FiFi Flight Engineer/Crew Chief with extensive restoration of the B24 Ol' 927 (Diamond Lil). He was known all over the world for his skills in aircraft maintenance and repair.

And Gary tells his own story on the EAA's Timeless Voices interview videos here, (obviously made before he passed away).

Gary was responsible for one of the most remarkable stories in warbird preservation, when he responded to a question on WIX "What's The Plan For Diamond Lil?" 'Lil' was the CAF's LB-30 / B-24A Liberator, which Gary was in the process of converting back from her freight-hauling configuration to something more appropriate to this rare and historic aircraft. This discussion became one of the longest running threads on WIX, and provided a remarkable insight (available in no other format I'm aware of) into the reality of warbird restoration and operation - and was communicated in a remarkably accessible, positive and friendly way.

The net result was that many were able to understand what went into a restoration, and as a direct result of Gary's approach, many were inspired to do everything from making small donations to changing their life's course to take on some of these kind of jobs. Somewhere in between was the inspiration for the donation of the new nose art (by Chad Hill, 'Django' and team) that took 'Diamond Lil' to becoming 'Ol 927' and took a lot of the aircraft's fans along with her in understanding the need and detail of this change; and the fact that this transport Liberator was equipped with a set of guns with funds raised by WIX and other friends.

Gary in the middle - in action, in conversation. Walking and taking are as vital for warbird organisations as wrenching - and Gary did all three. via Ryan Short, from the 'Gary Austin in Pictures' thread here.

I could write all day about that, and the many other stories that Gary shared on WIX, (posting as 'Retro Aviation - watch out for the 'In Memoriam stickers around) and that went out into the wider warbird community and other, more formal publications, my own among them. But more important to note is that Gary's old time courtesy, good manners and positive attitude made up a remarkable personality that got Gary - among may other things regular credits as 'the best ambassador for the CAF' and, not incidentally, the warbird world.

Just as important is the image I have in mind of another piece of bent metal heading to the bin after some tinbashing went awry. One of the best things Gary shared was that even for the best of us, the plan doesn't always go by the recipe, and overcoming the mistakes and hiccups we all face is part of being an achiever, rather than just a talker.

Much has been written by others about Gary, and the closest account is by his long-term friend Brad Pilgrim - one of Brad's tributes is here. I never knew Gary, although I corresponded with him, and we shared a couple of online jokes on WIX. However, despite the length of time he has gone, we are still finding evidence of his works and inspiration are out there. Certainly he's not forgotten here.

The Writing Wrench
What hasn't been said about Gary often enough, I think, is that he was (as well as remarkable warbird mechanic and inspirational role model in that job) a remarkable writer. I get to sub-edit and work on a huge number of aviation articles and books, and it's axiomatic that those aircraft engineers with the best stories to tell are impossible to get those stories out of - and if you can, those stories are a nightmare to knock into shape.

But Gary was a complete exception to this. His posts on WIX were remarkably clean and polished, and like many other great artists, you don't notice the real skill was making the very hard look easy. His writing was remarkably clear, grammatically correct and well spelled, and his style, while deliberately not formal in most cases, managed to convey sometimes difficult or emotive concepts in a accessible way that treated his reader as a peer. Frankly, I'd be proud to communicate as well as Gary at times.

Sadly, thanks to Photobucket, we have lost most of Gary's images he used to illustrate his stories and posts, but I think that it is a remarkable measure of the man that so many of his stories stand well even without that apparently crucial element.

If you want to read some writing that in the warbird environment is, I think, the equal to that of those recognised as 'great writers' (whatever that may be) I commend grabbing a cup of tea, cocktail or preferred light brew, and sitting down to one of the following:

Rookie school in a Cassutt.

2007 Reno Air Races...A Rookie's Adventure

Flying a Tiger Moth

The WIX Light Bulb answer

Not essays in the same mould, the massive 'Ol 927' thread is here. Not all Gary's own work by any means even a short read of a few pages gives and insight into his approach and the effect that has on the warbird environment.

Gary's endless fund of stories were visual as well as verbal. Here's he's being chased by the Sea Fury, thankfully not 'lost' due to being in Jack Cook's collection. Gary Austin, via Jack Cook.

While Gary was the kind of guy who would 'give you the shirt off his back' tragically there was one person he ultimately short-changed; himself. He faced the terrible demon of depression, and in the end it got the better of him. His loss and the manner of it is part of his story (the tribute thread from two years ago is here) but what I hope will be better remembered is his huge contribution to the warbird world, and it is clear that for many, even now (as seen in this thread) his inspiration lives on.

Gary in Cassutt 'Maybee's Baby'. Gary Austin, via 'N3Njeff'.

The heading is a reference to a comment by 'Locobuster' on WIX here "I have heard it said the measure of a man's greatness is best witnessed in the good influence he had on those around him". I certainly agree. His legacy is one that most of us would be proud to be within acres of. Attempting to write this tribute, something I've been trying to do for two years, shows just how hard it is to try and encompass such a remarkable life - it may be a poor effort I've made, but it is, I think worth the try.

Thanks too, to those who candidly shared their thoughts on Gary and kept and shared the pictures seen here and in the linked threads.

Gary Austin's view.

Thank you Gary, and blue skies.

Aviation Journalist Insight

2011-10-27T18:56:00.003+11:00

You may have wondered what it is like to be an aviation journalist, and interview a well known or respected aircraft engineer or restorer.

This video, from Franklin Poole of the Fort Worth Vintage Flying Museum is exactly like the interview experience. He is outlining how they have come up with some rather significant improvements, using a rare but important 1940s invention, for the Wright-Cyclone R1820-97 on their B-17G.

Improvements to the R-1820 Wright Cyclone engine (Turbo Encabulator) from Franklin Poole on Vimeo.

Having viewed the video, all you need do is write up your understanding of this magnificent achievement in no more than 500 words and by next Tuesday, and be prepared for any corrections sent in by the well-informed readers. And the not well informed ones too.

Should you find the material difficult to summarise accurately, further research will lead you to this video, and this web-page.

Whatever else you note, remember that side fumbling must be effectively prevented.

Shturmovik!

2011-10-11T11:04:00.002+11:00

A news item (in Russian) about the return to the air of one of W.W.II's most important aircraft, as well as the most produced - the Ilyushin Il-2:

Add another to the 'rare & unique fliers' list.

Battle of Britain film books

2011-10-02T22:06:00.003+11:00

This is a selection of the main books that relate to the 1969 Battle of Britain film and related cinema and television depictions of the battle.

'Academic':
The Battle of Britain on Screen. 'The Few' in British Film and Television Drama. S P Mackenzie. Edinburgh University Press. 2007. 9780748623907. Seven 'essays' one on the film.

The Burning Blue. A New History of the Battle of Britain. Ed Paul Addison & Jeremy A Craig. Pimlico. 0712664750. 2000. Five parts, one on film & media, one essay in that on the film.

From the Wright Brothers to Top Gun. Aviation, nationalism and popular cinema. Michael Paris.Manchester University Press. 0719040744. 1995. Passing refs and an entry.

The contemporary 'making of':
Battle of Britain The combined story of Harry Saltzman's production 'Battle of Britain' and the supremely dramatic events of 1940. With 16 pages of full-colour photographs. Leonard Mosley. Pan Books. 330023578. 1969

The modern 'making of':
Battle of Britain The Movie. Robert J Rudhall. Ramrod Publications. 0951983296. 2000. (Note I understand there has been a subsequent edition with changes not made by the late Robert Rudhall, and some of these have added errors. However that is secondhand information.)

Battle of Britain Film The Photo Album. Robert J Rudhall. Ramrod Publications. 0953853934. 2001.

The books by my friend the late Robert Rudhall are particularly treasured; one being signed and dedicated to me, the other with a letter regarding the (very little) help and encouragement I gave Robert when he was writing the books.

Spitfire from the cockpit

2011-09-30T12:47:00.005+10:00

Thanks to the retired Colonels (and no doubt Wing Commanders) of Tonbridge Wells' favourite paper, The Telegraph, you can see the pilot's view from the Spitfire I discussed in the previous post here.

Meantime, with background narration from Andy Saunders and John Romain, here's the Spitfire's flight.

Magnificent.

Spitfire I P9374

2011-09-11T16:21:00.009+10:00

Two images of early Spitfires at Duxford, 1939 (above) and 2011 (below). [BBC & Brian A Marshall.]

The newest, oldest flying Supermarine Spitfire. [Brian A Marshall]

Undoubtedly one of the most exciting aircraft restorations is the rebuild of Spitfire I P9374, the earliest configured Spitfire now flying. A great deal of interest has been shown on the early test flights (as yet, no public flying display) and it is clearly a symptom of the health and desire for authenticity that this rare Spitfire has been restored to as original condition as is possible; including awkward systems like the early 'wobble' handle for the undercarriage, as well as the ultra-rare 'bracket' type de Havilland airscrew.

As well as the 'chassis' pump on the right-hand wall (centre of the image) the single strap rudder pedals can be seen on the left, with the 'Supermarine' stamp. [BBC]

The rare and re-engineered de Havilland Bracket type airscrew. [BBC]

John Romain of Historic Flying Ltd, the restorers of this machine, referred to this aircraft in a BBC News audio slideshow programme (where many of these images come from) here in August 2010:

John Romain explaining the process in front of a Hispano Buchon. [BBC]

This BBC broadcast is a good quick insight into some of the detail of restoration. A recommended listen.

And as a guide to the level restorations are at in terms of recovery of very degraded airframes and simultaneous recognition of the achievement in accurate reconstruction, this Spitfire also sets an important benchmark.

As well as of warbird 'benchmark' interest, we must congratulate to John and the team, and not least the owner for funding such a remarkable project.

Here's a sequence of images of the aircraft 'beached' (via Spitfire expert Peter Arnold, and Andy Saunders - who is working on a book about the aircraft with Grub Street. Details of the book here):

Circa 1940, with two German soldiers in their travel postcard. [via Peter Arnold]

Sinking into the Calais sand. [Via Andy Saunders.]

Some of the remains after being disinterred. [Via Andy Saunders.]

Meanwhile, here's a couple of stunning images of this machine in action over Duxford, from Brian's blog here (thanks Brian!).

James

PS: Long discussions on the aircraft here on Key and here on WIX.

PPS: For a pilot's eye view, see the follow up post here.

Airplanista Article

2011-09-10T20:41:00.000+10:00

I recently assisted colleague Kathy Mexted with an article in a US aviation magazine, Airplanista, about flying (and its history) in Australia.

Head on over here to read more in the August issue - it's free. And Kathy's blog is here.

Wet 'Bou Signs Out

2011-09-04T20:52:00.003+10:00

The DHC Caribou A4-152 retired to the RAAF Museum arrived with some ceremony on the 26 November 2009. Here are some photos from the day.

On taxi-in, with an arch provided by Point Cook CFA, and Rob Fox's Birddog, a fellow 'Vietnam Vet' in the foreground.

Pilot Squadron Leader Victoria Rookyard showers the crew with champagne.

While the traditional military dousing of the crew is carried out by RAAF Museum staff.

RAAF Caribou A4-152’s first pilot joins it's last crew - Flight Engineer Warrant Officers Rod Cairns and Peter Ryter; 38 Squadron’s Executive Officer, Squadron Leader Victoria Rookyard; -142’s first RAAF pilot, Des Lovett, and lastly, Co-pilot Squadron Leader Ross Benson.

Macchi Mc 72 - Aircrew

2011-09-01T20:56:00.005+10:00

Following up on the current Aircrew feature in Aeroplane magazine for October 2011, here's a couple of the online items that can't be presented in print.

Perhaps the most important online offering is this link here which gives what is claimed to be the sound of the Mc 72 - a spine-tingling sound.

This modern Italian video has a minute's selection of period footage of the aircraft, pilot Francesco Agello, and engine.

The surviving, record-breaking Mc 72 in the Italian air Force Museum. James Kightly.

And here's a link to the reference in the period issue of Popular Mechanics. For particular - and now odd-seeming - reasons, this magazine never mentioned manufacturer or trade names.

Emphasis on the propellers, but also how little frontal area the aircraft has. James Kightly.

The original team, pilot and aircraft.

The Fiat AS.6 engine:

And joint between the fore and aft halves:

[Aeroplane's monthly Aircrew feature is built around a specially commissioned central illustration by my artist colleague Ian Bott (his website here) while I write and compile it.]

Young Spring Eagle

2011-08-21T21:36:00.003+10:00

What could be better than a young eagle getting some exercise?

This Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation CA-25 Winjeel* was being brought out after winter hibernation and a few circuits to remember what it was about.

*The name 'Winjeel' is supposed to be an unspecified Aboriginal language name for 'Young Eagle'.

Film 'Into The Wind' gets a UK TV release

2011-08-11T22:28:00.004+10:00

I'm delighted to hear that Steve Hatton's film Into The Wind, of Bomber Command veteran interviews, has been picked up for UK broadcast on the Yesterday Channel.

Electric Egg, Steve's company's press release says:

Electric Egg are delighted and proud to announce that our first self-produced feature length documentary, Into the Wind, has been acquired for UK broadcast by the Yesterday channel, part of the UK TV group.

Millions will now see Into the Wind, directed by Steven Hatton, when it airs on the popular digital channel, whose stablemates include Dave and GOLD.

The film is an insightful and touching documentary relating the experiences of Second World War aircrew veterans of Bomber Command through their own words and sadly in many cases for the last time. As well as a document of unique historical value and significance, Into the Wind is a record of deeply personal stories, tales of friendships gained and lost, the perpetual possibility and proximity of death, the importance of love and family, the moral implications of warfare and their shared love of flying.

Into the Wind explores the passion for flying shared by many of the veterans including Adge Boal who pilots a light aircraft over his old operational airbase as he recounts the tragic story of the loss of his first crew. The film also features Bomber Command pilot Ken Wallis who, at the age of 95, still flies his self built and designed autogyros from his home in Norfolk and also Ken Harder, who emotionally revisits his old crew position in a taxi run of a wartime Lancaster bomber. Shot across three continents, the documentary features contributions from former aircrew from across the commonwealth including veterans from Australia, Canada, Guyana, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago and the UK.

Into the Wind features a evocative original score by composer Hugh Cowling, previously unseen archive material and is director, Steven Hatton’s first feature length documentary. It will be aired on Yesterday in November 2011 and will also be released on DVD before the end of the year. A seperate announcement will be made about this soon.

Steven, who with Neil Baker founded Electric Egg in 2005, said: “We would like to thank all those who have supported us throughout the making of the film, it has been a long and rewarding journey and we are extremely pleased to make this announcement that these stories will be shared with such a wide audience.”

For more information on the film, trailer, screening times and the DVD release date; please join our mailing list by emailing us or visiting the film's website.

For further information on the Yesterday channel and UK TV please visit their website and for more information on current and future Electric Egg projects please visit our own website.

We would also like to point you in the direction of the composer Hugh Cowling's website. Into the Wind is Hugh's debut documentary score and his work deserves a wide audience.

We carried an article by Steve in Flightpath magazine here in Australia [Vol.22 No.4]. Steve touched on many aspects of the story that were, I think, very interesting and thought provoking in a degree such documentaries often are not. One item Steve touched on was the diversity of Commonwealth nations represented, and Steve said:

It was very interesting to hear the experiences of black Bomber Command veterans and their experiences coming to Britain in the 1940s. One veteran, the late Cy Grant, described a very ambiguous relationship with his wartime career and one that he only began to consider and discuss in his later years. Cy flew three Bomber operations before being shot down and spent the rest of the war in a prisoner of war camp. Despite this wartime service he was prevented from following his profession of law at the end of the war due to the colour of his skin. Despite this knock back, Cy ultimately pursued a career in acting, music and writing in which he enjoyed a great deal of success.

This experience of Black Commonwealth crews links back to an earlier post I made on the Tuskegee Airmen, the Black American fighter pilots, here, and particularly relates to a discussion (at the bottom of the post) that occurred afterwards.

But back to Into the Wind. I would highly recommend a viewing of the excellent trailer, here. I hope further screenings, maybe even in the Antipodes, eventuate.

Unreal

2011-08-10T22:45:00.003+10:00

All thanks to the volunteer team at Chino's Planes of Fame we can see this uncanny, historic, and unique Northrop N9MB in the air.

Remarkable.

Rolling...

2011-07-30T23:04:00.004+10:00

A practice with the repaired long lens at Thursday's RAAF Museum's Interactive with Mike Falls in Shortstop's SNJ.

Stringbag incoming

2011-07-30T12:39:00.001+10:00

First Fairey Swordfish to the EAA's Airventure. Well done the Canadians.

Hit by the shovel...

2011-07-01T22:05:00.005+10:00

A National Railway Museum's Explainer runs through how a steam engine works. Good, but no steam. [James]

One of the hardest things to get over accurately, and one of the main areas museums have lacked in the past is the importance of understanding how people use tools - or more how our predecessors artefacts are used, and thus how they really inform us how our predecessors live. Or not.

It is a core part of what's known as 'intangible heritage' and a fine example of it seemed to leap off the page and hit me like the implement in question.

[James]

We are on the footplate of a locomotive in a railway museum:

"It felt strange after so many years to stand where he had stood as a young fireman (and later driver), and he needed a moment to gather his thoughts.

...he picks up the fireman’s shovel and laughs. 'No man could wheel this for six hours.' The shovel is wrong, too heavy. 'These engines were veracious monsters, with an endless need for coal. It was like feeding the fires of hell trying to keep them fed.'

He explained the drivers chose their fireman and then you worked as a team, even taking turns firing: it was the only way the beast could be fed. You carried an extra shovel – your hands were so wet with sweat, the shovel could fly out of your hands into the firebox. It was back-breaking, gut-wrenching work."

The Fireman's shovel was an essential and - in a very precise sense - specialised tool, easily overlooked or misread by those, later who were not users. To a real Fireman of the day, one of the elite in the field, the weight (and probably, balance and feel) was crucial, and a spare potentially vital. But unless the company specified the 'right' shovel and a spare, that information, that user's insight, could well never get documented.

It is all too easy to see a locomotive curator laying in a suitable shovel for display, or a rough and ready, but hardly vitally weighted and backed-up example, for an occasional outing in steam. Thanks to Russell Holowood's blog from the National Railway Museum in the UK, we now have this little tale and a great case study both documented, recorded and in the public domain.

It is a small part of the complex system that is steam railway, yet the lack of a spare would be a classic horseshoe nail. There's a lesson in understanding, a terrific anecdote for making the crews' lives real for the museum's visitors and something intangible - around the shovel - so easily lost.

Mallard's tender. No coal, no water, no intangible heritage? [James]

Museums and academia are littered with false but authoritatively-presented assumptions by non-users of the real user's capabilities. The academic dismissal of claims for the achievements of Ancient Greek trireme crews based on calculation were sunk by the construction of a full size replica trireme Olympias, which with faults and all proved that with this example of experimental archaeology, the Greek writers' and historians' claims were perfectly feasible in practice.

I wonder what the aeronautical equivalents are?

[Thanks to the museum curator 'B1' who introduced me to the concept of intangible heritage via his studies; and to Rob Langham who pointed me at the blog via his own by recommendation.]

Lockheed Leading in 2011

2011-06-30T23:15:00.001+10:00

From
Les Whittlesey and team re-recreated the first flight of the Lockheed 12 prototype - here's the story by Les:

Yesterday we flew up to Burbank and shot a few photos of the Lockheed in front of old “Hangar 2”, one of the original Lockheed buildings at Burbank where they made the 12's. We then proceeded to take off at 75 years to the hour to recreate the first flight of the Lockheed 12 prototype out of Burbank. Call sign was "Lockheed 75". On the trip was myself, Kirk "Captain Kirk" Mc Quown and my dad Neil. We were well received by everyone. Planning for the 100th is starting now. Please forward to any interested Lockheed 12 folks.

Lockheeds Still Leading!

They don't make 'em like this anymore

2011-06-27T20:40:00.003+10:00

And I reckon the heyday of such events was very brief. Certainly didn't contest the Mousetrap's run.

Looks like an attempt to cash in on fashionably new airships...

From here.

Wirraways

2011-06-25T22:11:00.003+10:00

Apart from the bone-domes and colour film it could be W.W.II.

Queensland and NSW based CAC Wirraways at Tocumwal, on the RAAF Pilgrimage this year.

Colour film of Great Patriotic War trophies

2011-05-28T18:39:00.003+10:00

One of the great things about the internet is the access to film that would otherwise never get seen by anyone but researchers, if that. Some is interesting for illustrating an amazing event - even if the film itself isn't anything to write home about (we'll see an example of that here soon). Others are just interesting because they put you 'there' and in a period that's gone irretrievably.

The following film is a piece of W.W.II Soviet propaganda, and as partisan as you'd expect. However it's a colour film of a remarkable array of captured German materiel, and starts with slow passes over a now fascinating collection of Luftwaffe aircraft. (This includes a Focke Wulf Fw 189 'Uhu', Fw 200 Condor, Henschel Hs 129, Heinkel He 111, Junkers Ju 88, Dornier Do 217, and numerous Messerschmitt Me 109s, and Focke Wulf Fw 190s.). It then goes onto tanks, guns and some marine gear as well.

A translation of the introductory notes reads:

On June 22, 1943, exactly two years after the beginning of war*, an exhibition of captured armament, seized by the Red Army, was opened in Gorky Park, Moscow.

Obviously this was on show for triumphalist reasons - not unlike the Roman triumphs from their era (and this film serves a similar purpose for the technically interested historian as Trajan's column does).

The fascination for some today lies with the detail of the schemes and technology of some of this equipment. Of the aircraft types listed, only a couple survive into double figures, most in ones and twos and a couple are 'extinct' for all practical purposes. While most of the national markings are recreations by Russians over their red stars applied after capture, the other details - as well as in the correct context, the capture markings - potentially provide valuable data.

And there's more film of captured German (and Japanese) equipment here at the famous post-war American exhibition at Freeman Field, here.

*The date of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of Russia, and the start of what the Russians called The Great Patriotic War.

Modified Hurricane

2011-05-28T17:55:00.004+10:00

On the blog of respected French author Jacques Moulin, he has posted a set of photographs of an extempore armament modification to a Hawker Hurricane, apparently in Egypt.

This mod is new to me, and we can assume it was not successful. While it is obviously undesirably draggy the detail work, particularly the teardrop fairing for the ammunition drums and the aft pillar mount is well developed.

The gun is the Hispano-Suiza HS.404, usually known as the Hispano 20mm, and widely used from about 1940 on British (and other nations') aircraft. The Hurricane went on to get a set of four of these cannon replacing the eight machine guns in the 'c' version of the Mk.II, probably one reason this version didn't prosper. What's not clear is if the eight guns on this machine were retained - the open wing ports imply that they were.

I can't help but wonder if the cannon mounts and set-up are actually a set of the made but rarely used Westland Lysander cannons. We had an interesting discussion of these here on the Key forum and the image shows how they were attached to the Lysander - and the mount similarity, although obviously rotated into a different position. Note the extra bracing on the cannon.

The early Hispano cannon had major problems with the drum feed when it was either moved from the dorsal position as seen here, or under high-g manoeuvring, as found on the first cannon-armed Spitfires in 1940.

(Hurricane photos via Jacques Moulin, credited 'RAF'. Thanks to Jacques for sharing these photos, as originally posted here.)

And the view from...

2011-05-22T18:04:00.004+10:00

...the bombardier's post of a flying B-24. An educational experience.

Monday 16 May, 2011, California.

The RAAF's Balloons

2011-04-08T13:02:00.004+10:00

My good friend Brett mentioned in his RAAF birthday blog post here on Airminded that on the formation of the RAAF in 1921:

"Interestingly, among the usual propeller makers, cooks, machinists and so on, the RAAF declared that it had need of airship riggers and balloon basket makers. As far as I know, the RAAF never operated any airships (or balloons), but I would guess the idea would have been to use them for maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare."

Certainly the RAAF never operated airships or balloons for warlike purposes back in the inter-war period, but while at the Antiquers airshow and fly in at Echuca last weekend, I bumped into a current RAAF balloon airman - who is one of the crew operating the RAAF's balloons. Details of the balloons, and their (recent) history is here. Serendipity!

As to the 1921 recruits, I'm sure anyone actually taken on for balloon work would have just found out that the old military axiom - 'If you can't take the joke you shouldn't have joined' certainly applied. However while hot air balloon canopies and power has certainly changed in materials since 1921 (if not principle) baskets are still woven from natural materials. So the (very old) basket maker would have a job.

Strike!

2011-02-25T19:11:00.003+11:00

The RAAF Museum's new display, the 'Strike Hangar' is now open, in time for the local aeronautically interested influx for the forthcoming Avalon Airshow in the area. On show are the museum's General Dynamics F-111G A8-272, 'The Boneyard Wrangler', McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II 67-0237 and GAF Canberra A84-236 (above) and many other artefacts including two larger pieces of GAF Lincolns - the starboard tail of one see to the left above.

This tag won't be removed before flight ever again, and there won't be any F-111s at Avalon this year.

The tails of retarded bombs as not used in anger by RAAF F-111s.

I see a SE

2011-02-23T00:39:00.003+11:00

I see an SE; S.E.5a on its way from the RAAF Museum to Avalon for the airshow.

Back to the 'Bushe

2011-02-21T11:14:00.006+11:00

Sopwith Pup over Spitfire Mk.XVI - one of the many Spitfires Doug Arnold - the 'Big Man from Blackbushe' - traded over the years. [Peter Brown]

This great thread here (on the Farnborough Aviation Group forum) has a huge number of photos of the post-war era at Blackbushe airfield by one of the people - Peter Brown - who was clearly key to the airfield's operations. As well as a fascinating insight to general aviation of the era, there's a wonderful selection of (rarely seen) warbird ops.

A line of Sea Furies. [Peter Brown]

I'm presenting a selection of Peter's great images here, but for the full flavour grab a cup of tea (or a cocktail), sit back and run through the vast array of pictures (over nine pages at the time of writing) coupled with a wonderful insider's insight to the story of an often overlooked airfield.

Blackbushe was owned for a period by the remarkable Doug Arnold, and a selection of his aircraft - mainly warbirds - are seen in colour and black and white.

Neil Williams on the right with Peter Hoare. [Peter Brown]

There are also some featuring the late, great Neil Williams, one of the highest regarded aerobatic and display pilots of his (and I suspect) many other eras.

A beat up by B-17 'Sally B' [Peter Brown]

With thanks to Peter (no relation) Arnold for the 'heads up' on a forum for this, but most of all to Peter Brown for taking - and sharing - the pictures with his memories.

James

Lost Short 'Boat

2011-02-16T16:27:00.008+11:00

The ghostly bow of a Short flying boat. [Image from Michael McFadyen's website]

Under the normal methodology* I recently came across Michael McFadyen's excellent website covering various recreational dives and including a number of aircraft wreck dives, among which is that of the scuttled Short Sandringham VH-EBW, of Qantas.

A shot of the instrument panel in the cockpit [Image from Michael McFadyen's website]

Michael start by saying:

It ... came as a great surprise to discover on a trip to Vanuatu in 1991 that a Qantas plane had been wrecked there. Even more surprising was the fact that the plane was still there, sitting upright almost completely intact 41 metres below the surface of the Port Vila Harbour.

The story of this rare example of Short 'boat is an interesting one, and unlike many dive sites, Michael has troubled to explore the history of the aircraft and provides it on his website, here, as well as the references he used. As well as the Sandringham, he also list the other aircraft he dived, an interesting list (here) including a remarkable variety of Pacific machines, and well documented and illustrated.

There's something about an underwater aircraft wreck. Of course any W.W.II era machines which are in salt water at shallow depth are effectively 'ghosts' - their metal so far compromised that removing them now would cause them to crumble and vanish away like a scorched piece of paper. For that, they are best just appreciated for what they are, and prompt questions such as Michael's explored.

James

*WLFSE - While Looking For Something Else.

Shark Bites

2011-02-14T13:39:00.008+11:00

Extra to the usual Sharkmouth. ['Diego' & 'Domingo' IPMS Uruguay]

Over on the IPMS Uruguay board is a magnificent 40+ page thread on shark mouth decorated aircraft. It's a well known, well-worn topic, but this picture selection is a magnificent achievement with a much wider range than the usual 'Flying Tiger' P-40s.

The RAAF Museum's Pageant in 2008 was (as far as I'm aware) the only time three different warbird fighters, bearing original shark-mouth adornment, flew together. L-R the RAAF Museum's Mustang, the Temora Aviation Museum 'Grey Nurse' Spitfire and Alan Arthur's P-40. [James Kightly]

As is well known now, the AVG P-40s copied 112 Squadron RAF (and other, including RAAF Desert Air Force Kittyhawks) who themselves had copied the German's Messerschmitt Bf 110 fighters, as seen here:

One of the earliest W.W.II types adorned with teeth was the Bf 110, here seen later in the conflict. [Via IPMS Uruguay]

Better still is a selection of other related aircraft decorations such as a Medusa head (what an interesting idea) from this post ...

More terrifying than a shark? The Medusa's head.[Via IPMS Uruguay]

... and a few odd items like our amusing heading image. (it's from this post, and the translated note says: "And thanks to the collaboration with Domingo, I present the father of them all, the Me 262.")

This Hurricane was a new one to me. The other image in the post (here) shows a US star and bar on the fuselage. [Via IPMS Uruguay] [Edit: It appears to be BP654, a hack used by the 346th Fighter Squadron, 350th Fighter Group in Italy.]

For those interested in finding something a it more specific rather than a general browse, there's a listing by page in this post.

James

RAF Museum Conservation Blog

2011-02-12T17:59:00.003+11:00

[RAF Museum Image.]

The Royal Air Force Museum have an excellent blog developing on their website, here. The introduction, back in 2010, by Tim Wallis – Manager of Conservation, said:

On behalf of our dedicated conservation team, I should like to welcome you to the new website for the ‘Michael Beetham Conservation Centre’ (MBCC).
...
Our duties encompass conservation, restoration, preventative maintenance, repairs, salvage, collections and delivery of aircraft or specialist loads etc. Current aircraft under work within the MBCC include: Vickers Wellington Mk10 (MF628); Sopwith Dolphin; Handley Page Hampden TB1 P1344; Spitfire Mk XIX; Range Safety Launch 1667. To carry out this crucial work, we have a current staffing level of 22, which includes Airframe & Propulsion Technicians, Aircraft Welder/Fabrication Technicians, Aircraft Carpenter Technicians, 7 Apprentices, a Training Manager and our Administration Manager. Designated as a ‘Centre of Excellence’ the MBCC has won a number of awards for conservation and we were delighted to become this year’s winner in the Small Employer category, for both the Regional and National Apprenticeships Awards.

The posts on the blog go some way to giving a glimpse into the tasks and objectives of such collection conservation departments, and the skills - and with several apprentices posting - training of the people involved. This work, and its objectives are often not well understood by those interested in vintage aviation, and it is good to see for that reason.

Some equivalent collections are offering similar insights to their departments, though many do fall into the trap of not explaining the 'why' behind the pretty pictures of rare machines.

It would be good for more museums to take advantage of this route to fulfil their mandate of public communication.

James

From Zed to Air Ambulance

2011-02-11T22:01:00.007+11:00

On Britain's National Archives Flickr Photostream is a set simply marked 'Somalia', which covers a fascinating expedition which proved to be the genesis of inter-war air control, a concept of great importance for the RAF, the Empire and, not least, the legacy of such activities down to today.

This was the 'Zed Expedition' or 'Z Force'. In the first two months of 1920, RAF units were involved in operations with the Camel Corps in British Somaliland (now Somalia) to overthrow Dervish leader Mohammed bin Abdullah Hassan, known to the British at the time as the "Mad Mullah". The airborne intervention was "the main instrument and decisive factor" in the success of the operation. A dozen DH-9s were dispatched to form 'Z Force', and were used for bombing, strafing and - after the radios failed, communications. In colonial terms, it was a remarkably successful, cheap, effective and operation with very few British casualties. The Dervish losses don't seem to have been of interest. Seen from a military point of view, the success was complete. After 17 years of defiance, crushing the opposition took 23 days, and the British lost two other ranks and four wounded and the Mullah fled without possessions or followers and never regained political power.

The DH-9 Air Ambulance. Note that a temporary red cross has been draped over the fuselage for the photograph, and was presumably not used in practice. The attendant's small window can be seen between the airman's head and the flag. [National Archives]

The story of the expedition is fascinating, but perhaps for another day, as here we take just one intriguing element. Part of the expeditionary force was a single Airco DH-9 (D.3117, according to J.M. Bruce in Flight and confirmed by the images) reconfigured as an aerial ambulance, which by this account may well be the first successful employment of such a machine. Although primitive and vulnerable to modern eyes, this machine was doing exactly the same job modern helicopters and Casevac aircraft do - taking an injured casualty quickly to where more advanced treatment can be given and where other transport will be inadequate. It appears from the Somalia campaign, as well as the inhospitable and barren landscape to be traversed, the only other forms of travel were foot (maybe mule) or camel. The images in the National Archives collection show no wheeled transport up country at all.

In the February 26, 1920 edition, Flight reported:

The Secretary of the Air Ministry is instructed by the Secretary of State for Air to issue the following statement:— "The Air Force unit ... included a considerable medical staff equipped with a very complete hospital outfit. The aeroplanes with which the unit operated were 12 De Havilland 9's[*] with B.H.P. engines. One of these aeroplanes was fitted up as an aerial ambulance to take a stretcher case with attendant.

The Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine**, carried an article - "The Zed Expedition: the world's first air ambulance?" by American-based authors M D Scholi MD and C L Geshekter PhD. They wrote:

The RAF medical unit that supported the Zed Expedition was commanded by the army medical officer William Tyrrell. ... In November 1919, Tyrrell and an RAF officer had visited British Somaliland surreptitiously, in the guise of petroleum engineers, to evaluate the medical logistical needs of the forthcoming campaign. In early January 1920, Tyrrell returned to Somaliland as Medical Officer of the RAF medical detachment for the Z Unit.

They went on to describe the DH-9 modification candidly as "A coffin-like structure was constructed within the rear fuselage, enclosing the stretcher."

The text by the original image is quite clear: 'First cot case arriving from El Afweina'. [National Archives]

They go on to elucidate the work of this single aircraft, and its single stretcher position:

Tyrrell's medical unit was busy during and after the air attacks. From his notes:
'Three cases evacuated by aerial ambulance from Eil Dur Elan to Berbera:
(1) Captain James Godman, aged 45, w/necrosis of phalanges, middle toe left foot.
(2) Cpl. Edward Linnington, age 28, w/inguinal lymphadenitis secondary to Ulcus Molle***.
(3) AC/2W Sleath, age 19, petrol burns hand/arm.
Five others were evacuated by aerial ambulance b/t 15-24 February 1920, but not admitted to the hospital."

No doubt the patient was mighty relieved to have completed the journey, which then would have seemed a major technical achievement, despite looking extremely primitive now. He is also able to shield his eyes with his 'Bombay bowler' while the inevitable paperwork (in the hands of the man on the left) is checked. [National Archives]

The summary goes to Flight, in their January 19, 1922 issue, which included, on page 34, comments on the report of the 1920 'Health of the RAF':

It is stated in the report that, although of a primitive nature, the air ambulance has had an opportunity of proving its worth, and "the old blood wagon," as the air ambulance (a converted "D.H.9") was generally called, did such good work as to call forth the following statement, reprinted in the report : "Thus the aerial ambulance has shown that, especially in operations over country where other transport is so tedious and trying, the aeroplane is a veritable godsend for sick and wounded."

James

*The correct name is de Havilland DH-9 or Airco DH-9, depending on the date.

**Volume 82 November 1989, page 679. [Note the paper does not credit the origin of the images, which have been seen with various other attributions. It appears the authors have been confused by the engine exhaust collector box into thinking the DH-9 was "dual purpose" armed with a "machine gun mounted forward" in 'Fig.2' - the top image here. It appears unarmed, the normal fixed forward firing machine gun not being evident. However the aircraft is in full military camouflage and markings, and no red cross (or crescent) can be seen in the images.]

***It seems the corporal may have been misbehaving with local women as the diagnosis 'Ulcus Molle' relates to a sexually transmitted disease as described here.

French Merlin-Hawks in Colour

2011-02-08T18:52:00.008+11:00

I hadn't realised the French Armée de l'Air had operated the Merlin-powered Curtiss P-40F until I came across these great colour shots of the handover of several examples by US pilots to the newly re-constituted French Air Force. I found them on this blog, and went and did a bit more digging afterwards.

An Armée de l'Air Catholic priest to bless the machines?

Thanks to Wikipedia Commons, the caption to the Library of Congress photograph (below) reveals:

12 Curtiss P-40F Warhawk fighters on 9 January 1943 in Casablanca during a ceremony which officially transferred these former USAAF 33rd Fighter Group P-40s to the French in North Africa. In reality, these aircraft had been handed over to the Armee de l'Air on 25 November 1942. The recceiving French unit was Groupe de Chasse GC II/5, better known as the Lafayette Escadrille. Note the Curtiss Hawk 75 and at least two Dewoitine D.520s inside the hangar, still wearing Vichy-French identification stripes. A Douglas C-47 Skytrain is visible in the background.

The somewhat less revealing period caption: "Line-up of 13 P-40 United States Warhawks which Americans recently presented to the Fighting French air forces at an airport somewhere in North Africa on behalf of the people of the United States."

You can almost hear the Marseillaise.

EDIT: - Thanks to BenG and CDF on WIX, there's more info here and here (in French) and a couple more stunning images uploaded by Mike Furline on the WIX thread here.

James

DH Mosquito RR299

2011-02-08T11:52:00.003+11:00

From the 'gone but not forgotten' file, I decided to dig out a selection of shots of the world's last flying Mosquito, RR299, G-ASKH as it was operated by British Aerospace.

It's remarkable to look back and think how we assumed it'd always be there.

As a kid (many years ago now) I was trudging seawards in some massive dunes at Braunton Burrows, North Devon, when, looking out to sea, the Mosquito came howling in from the sea and whammed overhead inland. I’ve seen this Mozzie on countless occasions and the tragic loss of her crew is still difficult to accept, but for me that’s what flying, not static aviation is all about. It was about 10sec total, but it’s unforgettable.

I was suddenly like a small boy in Holland, 1944.

Thanks for the memories.

It was lost in an accident which also tragically killed the pilot and engineer, this machine had been flown on the UK display scene for decades, and was almost being taken for granted - but a Mosquito in the air is not something you can overlook.

There's film of a very typical display at North Weald's Fighter Meet (as seen immediately above) here.

And we should see one, maybe two Mosquitoes return to the air in the next couple of years. More on them anon.

Meanwhile, ave atque vale, RR299.

James

Finding the Ki 27 Nate survivor

2011-02-07T19:33:00.007+11:00

I like the rare-to-unique survivors, but occasionally I find a reference to something I'd not even realised was out there.

Thanks to Joe May's blog Travel For Aircraft, we can see Joe's shots of the sole complete survivor of this machine, the Nakajima Ki 27 'Nate' here as it is on display today in Japan.

Photo by Joe May, from the blog Travel For Aircraft. Reproduced with acknowledgment.

Joe explains:

Toward the end of WW II Japan was preparing for the invasion of the home islands and pressed any and all equipment, as well as citizenry, into service. That is why there is one Nate left out of the more than 4000 that were built. It was transferred from Manchuria to Japan after Okinawa has been invaded and was to be used by its pilot in a kamikaze attack. While on its ferry flight, as it was approaching Fukuoka Japan the engine failed and the pilot made a forced landing into Fukuoka Bay. The pilot survived the ditching and the aircraft lay on the bay bottom for decades. A private effort launched a recovery effort and the airplane is now on display in the Tachiarai Peace Museum 大刀洗平和記念館 — Tachiarai Japan.

He adds:

It is one of my favorite exhibits I’ve seen out of all that I have seen. This rare aircraft is not restored to an original pristine condition, instead it has been restored to a usable looking condition.

It's on my list to see too, now.

There's a history of the Ki 27 on the Wiki page here. According to the invaluable Warbirds Directory, there are two survivors, the other being a 'derelict' wreck in the Royal Thai Air Force Museum, Bangkok, Thailand. (No i.d. is offered for either aircraft, interestingly.)

Aircraft from the late 1930s are particularly rare as they were developed in an era of rapid change (and obsolescence) and also most were consumed by the following world war. In military terms they are also the last generation of machines that seem comprehensible to the interested layperson, and have a broad similarity to modern sportsplanes or races from their own era.

A big thank you to Joe for sharing his travels, and his blog is therefore also highly recommended, of course!

The first ever colour 'Air Display' photograph

2011-02-03T21:29:00.006+11:00

Certainly the first I'm aware of, being one of the first ever air 'shows' and a very early colour image. Although it's a trade show, rather than an outdoor event, it is no less historic, being taken on September 30, at the 1909 Paris Salon, and that's Blériot's monoplane, in which he flew the Channel, only months earlier, front and centre.

Taken by pioneer photographer Léon Gimpel, the process used was called Autochrome Lumière, and is occasionally mistaken for a 'colourising' process, but it is a genuine original colour image. Some of Gimpel's wartime photographs are seen in the AWM website here and some more on a French Great War photography website here (also yet more, including other pre-Great War shots here).

The Flight caption to their front page of the contemporary issue, although from a slightly different spot, identifies the machines in order. It said:

General view of the centre of the Grand Palais, showing the "Stands of Honour." In the middle, immediately under the spherical gas-bag, is the famous Bleriot cross-Channel machine. To its right is the "Rep" monoplane, in the extreme right foreground is the Farman biplane, to the left a French-made Wright flyer, and continuing round to the left the machines are respectively an Antoinette, a Voisin, and another Bleriot. The decorated spherical balloon in the distance is the Montgolfier.

Please send earlier colour photographs to the usual address. The shot above, although widely reproduced I originally found here.

Don't Mess With Texas

2011-01-24T09:22:00.004+11:00

Texas has a long running anti-road litter campaign, known as Don't Mess With Texas. One of the adverts features the (then) Confederate Air Force's (CAF) B-17 Sentimental Journey.

Unfortunately I can't embed the advert, but if you click on this link, scroll right to page two, and try the "Confederate Air Force" thumbnail you'll get probably the best Warbird advert ever.

"Somebody up there's gonna be watchin'."

If you think about getting that all to line up in real time (hiding a flying B-17 in a valley isn't easy at the best of times!) it must have been a tricky advertisement to film as well. Originally, it was going to be bigger. CAF pilot Randy Wilson recalls on WIX here;

"I flew the FM-2 Wildcat during the filming of the Don't Mess With Texas commercial and Reg flew the P-51D Mustang "Gunfighter". We were asked to fly directly behind the B-17 as it came over the hill but with the B-17 down in the dirt we were eating its turbulance and never made it into the final cut, despite several attempts. Looking at my logbook, the video was shot on 24-25 October, 1990."

Currently they are taking votes for the best advert in the series, and as I write, the CAF one is at No.3. You have to keep clicking to hit your preferred choice, but you can vote here... You know which one to vote for.

Quiet Mooring

2011-01-22T23:59:00.003+11:00

The attached photo was supplied to me by Tom Gould, for publication in Flightpath. It shows a view of the Short C Class flying boat G-ADUT Centaurus in the late 1930s. It's part of a photo album from an unknown RAAF airman of the 1930s, and we are publishing it in the next issue of Flightpath - Vol.22 No.3.

Even after sorting it and it's sister pictures out for publication, I've not been able to move on from this one recently, as the flying boat is actually moored on the Brisbane River at the Domain, in the City of Brisbane. As is currently well known, this river peaked at 4.46 metres (14.6 ft) in the January 2011 floods, as well as higher back in 1974, at 5.5 metres (18 ft), and in 1931, a few years before this photograph was taken.

It's not always looked this placid.

Spitfire vs Hurricane Streamlines

2011-01-21T15:04:00.003+11:00

For the first post of 2011, let's delve into Flight's fun archives once more. You might've opened your Flight magazine to see this spread* of the RAF's latest fighters in 1938. That art deco streamline look, works well for the Hurricane, while the unfortunate Spitfire, as well as going rapidly downhill isn't looking nearly as fast. Amazing what an artist can do for your aircraft's performance.

It's mildly ironic to see that both have the wooden fixed-pitched props that were discarded as quickly as possible to ensure the performance went up a critical notch, and the Spitfire's advertising for this ball-and chain of a prop it had, then, also mentions that it has a 'Schwartz Finish'. Wouldn't 'Black' be more British?

What make these two a bit more interesting I think is spotting the cheats from the real Hurricane design in the one illustration (for instance no ventral fin or fixed tailwheel - only K5083 was briefly like that) and the various items identifying our early production Spitfire.

Well, it passes the time, anyway.

*You wouldn't have really, as I made it up, combining two different issue's pages.

Five Years

2010-12-19T14:34:00.002+11:00

A special pre-Christmas present was this unexpected badge for the volunteer work.

Just proves that time flies when you are having fun.

Shirley's gone - Leslie Nielsen (1926 - 2010)

2010-12-01T13:21:00.005+11:00

Comedy often gets a dismissive wave off, but good bad comedy is a treasure, and often nails the icons and absurdities of the time.

This week we lost one of the great deadpan bumblers of film, immortal as Frank Drebbin, but also as the doc Rumack on one of aviation's scariest flights - Airplane!

I'm sure everyone's got the Shirley reference, not to mention starting to list their other favourites, but the following just seemed appropriate, including the cultural references and, of course, the bad puns and bad taste.

Rumack: 'Well, I don't have anything to say, you've done the best you could. You really have, the best you could. You can't expect to win em all. But, I want to tell you something I've kept to myself through these years. I was in the war myself, medical corps. I was on late duty one night when they brought in a badly wounded pilot from one of the raids. He could barely talk. He looked at me and said, "The odds were against us up there, but we went in anyway, I'm glad the Captain made the right decision." The pilot's name was George Zip.'
Ted Striker: 'George Zip said that?'
Rumack: 'The last thing he said to me, "Doc," he said, "some time when the crew is up against it, and the breaks are beating the boys, tell them to get out there and give it all they got and win just one for the Zipper. I don't know where I'll be then, Doc," he said, "but I won't smell too good, that's for sure." '
Ted Striker: 'Excuse me doc, I got a plane to land.'

What's not so well known is that Nielsen trained as a gunner during W.W.II in the Royal Canadian Air Force, but the war was over before he was to be posted.

And I'm sure he's up there, and he won't mind one final warning:

"...this guy has no flying experience at all. He's a menace to himself and everything else in the air... yes, birds too."

Leslie William Nielsen, OC (February 11, 1926 – November 28, 2010). Thanks for the laughs.

Forgotten Aircraft - The 1957 Lascurain Aura

2010-11-26T22:21:00.010+11:00

Sometimes one discovers a type and story that one had never previously encountered. Although a sad story, the brief career of the Lascurain Aura was a fascinating - and to me - new tale.

Angel Lascurain y Osio (March 26, 1882, December 24, 1957) was a prominent Mexican aeronautical engineer. After an interesting pre-war career (outlined here, and in translation here) he designed one more machine post-war.

This was the 1957 Lascurain Aura. The Aura was at the time the most advanced design from the tiny Mexican aircraft industry, but only one was built. It was lost in a fatal accident that killed the test pilot and also the designer Lascurain - undoubtedly a key reason the machine is not more widely known.

Lascurain's aircraft was an ambitious project: to provide Mexico with a twin-engine aircraft with capacity for 14 passengers able to operate on short routes at high altitude and off rudimentary runways. He called it 'Aura' (Dawn) and it was equipped with two 245 hp Jacobs engines enabling a cruising speed of 200 km/h (125mph).

Tragically, during a test flight on 24 December 1957, Lascurain decided to accompany the test pilot, one Carlos Castillo Segura. On take off the Aura's engines stopped and the pilot tried to turn back to the runway, but the landing gear hit a ditch, causing the aircraft to crash and the death of their two occupants Lascurain and Castillo.

A remarkable insight into this unique aircraft is this five minute film, which shows rare detail of the machine, and gives, I think, a flavour of the excitement and optimism of the designer and pilot - featured as two subjects in this movie.

What would have happened if there had not been this tragic crash? The Aura has the look of a Lockheed 10 or Beech 18 but with a fixed tricycle undercarriage, and a thick wing (incorporating baggage containers, seen in the film, just like the Lockheed 10). The fuselage interior seems narrow (for two rows of seats) but may have been viable.

It would have been difficult to have been competitive with the war-surplus light transports available, and bigger aircraft like the DC-3. One thinks of another fixed-gear specialised postwar feederliner (the DHA Drover) that found it difficult to expand its niche into a profitable space.

Aesthetically, the design has some lovely cues, with a delicate tail 'signature' and a curvaceous structure, although the nose seems a little stumpy, and I'm nonplussed as to the purpose of the wingtip blocks. It would have been a complex aircraft to build, although perhaps with simple systems.

But who knows? The crash brought a remarkable designer's life to a premature end, and also ended the dream of a successful specialised Mexican airliner.

James

[With thanks to 'aguilanegra4' on YouTube, and 'Kwinopal' on the Key Forum, the latter bringing the aircraft to my attention, and posting the attached images in this thread.]

W4050 clocks 70

2010-11-25T22:47:00.003+11:00

The first of many Mosquitos takes flight. Via the Mosquito Aircraft Association of Australia.

The prototype de Havilland Mosquito, W4050, celebrates 70 years since its first flight. This, the original day bomber prototype, was rolled out on 19 November 1940, and first flew on 25 November, only 10 months after the go-ahead from the British Air Ministry. The original estimates were that as the Mosquito prototype had twice the surface area and over twice the weight of the 1940 Spitfire Mk II, but also with twice its power, the Mosquito would end up being 20 mph faster. Over the next few months, W4050 surpassed this estimate, easily beating the Spitfire Mk II in testing at RAF Boscombe Down in February 1941 at a top speed of 392 mph at 22,000 ft altitude, compared to a top speed of 360 mph at 19,500 ft for the Spitfire.

Unlike almost all other prototype aircraft from the era, this one survives, and in good hands. As Bruce Gordon of the de Havilland Heritage Centre (the aircraft's long-term home) reports:

"70 years on, she is one of very few surviving wartime prototype aircraft and is currently undergoing an exhaustive restoration at the de Havilland Aircraft Museum. In the next few weeks, she will be dismantled into her component parts for the first time since 1959, to enable detailed work to continue."

Some years ago, in the 1980s. James Kightly.

It is a very historic prototype; a very historic preserved aircraft, and in a very historic museum.

A grand milestone in preservation and history.

Bomber Command Poem

2010-11-22T11:04:00.009+11:00

Refound in this thread on the Key forum, and brought back to my memory by this discussion on Brett's Airminded blog, here's a Bomber Command poem I particularly like.

The nose section from Ex-RAAF Lancaster 'Old Fred' being discussed by modern suits at the Imperial War Museum, Lambeth. James Kightly.

For me, the poem sums up some of the diversity of the contribution from within the UK and outside. Although titled 'Lancasters' it stands well, I think, for all of the Command and the crews of the less well remembered types. Found in Martin Bowman's excellent 'The Royal Air Force at War'.

Lancasters

Where are the bombers, the Lancs on the runways,
Snub-nosed and roaring and black-faced and dour,
Full up with aircrew and window and ammo
And dirty great cookies to drop on the Ruhr?

Where are the pilots, the navs and air-gunners,
WOP's and bomb-aimers and flight engineers,
Lads who were bank clerks and milkmen and teachers,
Carpenters, lawyers, and grocers and peers?

Geordies and Cockneys and Wiltshire moon-rakers,
Little dark men from the valleys of Wales,
Manxmen, Devonians, Midlanders, Scouses,
Jocks from the Highlands and Tykes from the Dales?

Where are the Aussies, the sports and the cobbers,
Talking of cricket and sheilas and grog,
Flying their Lanes over Hamburg and Stettin
And back to the Lincolnshire wintertime bog?

Where are the flyers from Canada's prairies,
From cities and forests, determined to win,
Thumbing their noses at Goering's Luftwaffe
And busily dropping their bombs on Berlin?

A reenactor in the RAF's airworthy Lancaster PA474 seen in 2003 at the Royal International Air Tattoo. James Kightly.

Where are the Poles with their gaiety and sadness,
All with the most unpronounceable names,
Silently, ruthlessly flying in vengeance,
Remembering their homes and their country in flames?

Where arc the Kiwis who left all the sunshine
For bleak windy airfields and fenland and dyke,
Playing wild Mess clinics like high cockalorum,
And knocking the Hell out of Hitler's Third Reich?

Where are the Poles with their gaiety and sadness,
All with the most unpronounceable names,
Silently, ruthlessly flying in vengeance,
Remembering their homes and their country in flames?

Where arc the Kiwis who left all the sunshine
For bleak windy airfields and fenland and dyke,
Playing wild Mess clinics like high cockalorum,
And knocking the Hell out of Hitler's Third Reich?

Where are they now, those young men of all nations,
Who flew though they knew not what might lie ahead,
And those who returned with their mission accomplished
And next night would beat up the Saracen's Head?

The Lancs are no more, they are part of legend,
But memory stays bright in the hearts of the men
Who loved them and flew them through flak and through hellfire
And, managed to land them in England, again.

The men who were lucky to live to see victory,
The men who went home to their jobs and their wives,
The men who can tell their grandchildren with pride
Of the bomber which helped to save millions of lives.

Audrey Grealy

Lancaster G for George at the Australian War Memorial. James Kightly.

Audrey is the widow of an RAF pilot, and while the poem may not achieve greatness as a poem for some, the reason for its creation is more than good enough for me. In this August 2010 BBC report on her, it mentions:

As the Battle of Britain began, Audrey was just 18-years-old and working for the BBC's variety department - helping to keep the population entertained during some of this country's darkest days.

Brett reviews a book discussing Bomber Command poetry here.

Gosling or Walrus?

2010-11-19T22:01:00.003+11:00

Looks like the Airfix brief didn't quite check the list of aircraft in the image against the aircraft advertised.

Much as I like the Grumman designs, it's nicer to see a Supermarine Walrus image.

Hawker Hurricane K5083

2010-11-06T22:04:00.001+11:00

Seventy-five years ago on this date, George P.W.S. Bullman took the prototype Hawker Hurricane, K5083, designed by Sir Sidney Camm, into the air from the airfield at Brooklands, Surrey.

It was (despite the focus on the more famous sister aircraft) the decisive aircraft in the Battle of Britain, five short years after that first flight. Hurricane pilots accounted for more enemy aircraft shot down during the battle than all the other defences combined. As Francis K Mason put it in his book on the type, "The RAF ... had to have the Hurricane". One key reason why the Hurricane was critical was that Hawker's were able to carry forward their well tried biplane technology and factories using the systems into an effective - albeit limited development potential - eight-gun monoplane fighter. Even with all the short cuts Hawker's used, production of sufficient Hurricanes was, in the words on another battle 'a damn close run thing'.

These two photographs of the prototype show both how it differed from production Hurricanes, and also a number of changes K5083 underwent in its own early career.

Notable changes are the re-arrangement and extra bars on the canopy after excessive flexing; the removal of the tailplane struts; the extension of the radiator bath as well as many other small items - as expected in a prototype's development.

Differences to production aircraft are also numerous, but one that always intrigued me is the change in the shape of the undercarriage door.

[Images originally Hawker Aircraft / RAF Official, I believe.]

Sabre Pilot Antics

2010-10-17T18:16:00.002+11:00

For those that may have had reservations over the sanity of Sabre drivers, this great little comedy film will confirm your expectations. Draw up a chair (maybe turn the sound off - the original was silent) grab a cup of tea - or better, a cocktail, and watch the story of Checkout Day with the (then) new F-86 Sabres.

It was made by the 526th Fighter Squadron of the USAF based at Ramstein Air Base, West Germany, and must be from about 1953 when the Sabres arrived. The film is from the U Tube website of TJDosier, to whom many thanks!

They really don't make them like that any more.

Stringbag Returns

2010-10-08T19:13:00.003+11:00

What a great thing to happen on my birthday!

From the RNHF Website, with acknowledgement: Finally back where she belongs - Swordfish II LS326 airborne on her second test flight on 4 October in the hands of Lt Cdr Mike Abbey. [©Lee Howard]

Going Once!

2010-09-05T19:15:00.003+10:00

Sometimes it's good to know you aren't registered for sales at the auction.

The Avro Cadet airscrew went for around $600. But not to me. Today's Steve Graham Auction.

Fifi's Back

2010-08-08T19:47:00.006+10:00

With this long-awaited take off, on Thursday, August 5, 2010, ...

Video via the CAF.

...the world's only airworthy Boeing B-29A Superfortress 44-62070, N529B, 'Fifi' of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) returned to the air after a four-year grounding, and after the development of a new engine system setup.

“I am deeply pleased to see FIFI fly again after such a long wait,” said CAF General Staff member, Neils Agather. “Today’s flight is a product of the dedication of many people, Gary Austin, Dave Miller and many more volunteers. We must also thank Jim Cavanaugh for his support. My parents, Vic and Fifi, would be proud.”

More from the CAF here.

For most of the post-Superfortress era, 'Fifi' has been the sole flyer, with only a couple of other airframes ever likely to be in a position to fly again at best. As the sole airworthy example of the worlds' first nuclear bomber, it is an important and historic type to have in the air.

Was 1940 like this?

2010-08-01T19:11:00.007+10:00

Image via 'Their Finest Hour' See the post's endnote for details.

As one might expect the commemorative juggernaut of the Battle of Britain 70th anniversary rolls on in an entirely predictable and unsurprising manner. Good, perhaps to introduce those who know little or nothing of the history and events (such as Britain's Prime Minister) but otherwise lacking in news to anyone knowledgeable in their aviation or British history.

So far only a few items have seemed worth commentary. Firstly I've noticed a tendency for the medium to overwhelm the message. In a somewhat desperate attempt to engage children and people who can only think like children, numerous organisations have gone overboard with Twitter feeds, blogs (yes, like this) YouTube and other new media methods to engage what they'd call 'a wider audience' and my cynical devil calls 'the illiterate with short attention sp..' What, I've lost you?

There's a great merit in original material (either from the period or modern, thoughtful new stuff) being made available through these methods, and a a few examples will appear here. However the downside seems to be a need to chop about the historical reality for the demands of the modern media; something that Marshall McLuhan would probably feel was OK.

One bizarre example is the Twitter feed (spotted by 'Bob') from 1940Chronicle.com which has a fictitious pilot 'Tweet':

Exhausted this morning after night with @1940Jane. Glad I'm not on dawn patrol today! 10:30 PM Jul 26th via CoTweet

As Flying Officer Molesworth would perhaps say; 'Hem hem'. You'll all be glad to note that Jane is, of course, his wife, so some propriety has been maintained (while some of us will have a flashbacks to a certain 1960s film moment between a Squadron Leader and his WAAF wife). The 1940Chronicle was brought to our attention by a new poster who popped up to announce it on both the Key and Plane Talk forums, under the heading 'Was 1940 like this?'

The answer, is of course, 'No'.

Image via 'Their Finest Hour'.

Much of the rest of the content on the 1940Chronicle looks accurate at a glance (with a number of detail and technical errors, such as jobs, ranks and aircraft types) but the idea that the sample audience will take away the idea that Battle of Britain pilots Tweeted their sexual achievements as a genuine period aspect is somewhat disconcerting.

The explosion of the Boy's Own style clean-cut hero versions of the Battle by Derek Robinson's Piece of Cake novel was an important but accurate reviewing of the unacknowledged and obscured elements of the 'real' Battle. However, introducing anachronism and prurience is another thing entirely.

The sexual mores of the 1960s or 2010 are very different to those of 1940. The past is another country, and there are many things - some unwritten - that they do differently there.

James

Image via 'Their Finest Hour'.

And a post-script, explaining the illustrations to this post. Another oddity is the 'Spitfire' and 'Messerschmitt' Smart Cars, from 'Their Finest Hour' and the photos, by photographer Dave Hammond. Obviously both the name Spitfire has already been used for a sports car, and Messerschmitt went on to produce bubble cars under their own name, but these are certainly something you'll either love or hate. It would be hard to find a vehicle less fighter shaped to start with, however.

Not the British PM's finest hour

2010-07-30T21:44:00.006+10:00

Spoof poster from here.

After a lengthy discussion on the Key forum regarding the necessity (or otherwise) that the Battle of Britain should be part of Britain's history curriculum in school, it appears that Britain's new Prime Minister may need to attend remedial history lessons himself, to to correct his poor understanding of his predecessor's 'finest hour' - given a gaffe made when in the USA.

When discussing the US-British relationship, it appears David Cameron, while acknowledging the junior role of the UK in relation to the US today said: “we were the junior partner in 1940 when we were fighting the Nazis”.

Oh dear.

I trust this blog's readers won't need to be told (as Cameron soon was informed, and acknowledged) that America was very much neutral throughout 1940, and profiting from Britain's isolation by making military sales (the Battle pre-dating Lend-Lease) and the US only entering the war after the attack by Japan a year and a half later.

So much for 'Standing alone'* then and a 'finest hour'.

It's too easy to go on, but apart from getting one of Britain's most important global historical moments wrong, does it show the reality of the British Prime Minister's grasp of history?

What makes the gaffe doubly surprising is that Winston Churchill is one of Cameron's heroes.

But after Cameron's original remark on Sky News, it was shown that wasn't just a slip of the tongue. In a prior recorded interview on America's ABC, Cameron said: "We were the junior partner in 1940 when we were fighting against Hitler; we are the junior partner now. I think you shouldn't pretend to be something you're not."

What was also interesting was the British press' (somewhat predictable) reaction. The Daily Mail fulminated, the Financial Times was measured and ponderous, and the Guardian simply didn't regard it as important at all, while lumping anyone who thought it worth getting right with 'incandescent of Daily-Mail-land'.

The Daily Mail:

David Cameron faced a furious backlash yesterday for the astonishing claim that the UK was a 'junior partner' to America in 1940 - a year before the U.S. even entered the war.

The Prime Minister was accused of forgetting the sacrifices made in 1940 by those who fought in the Battle of Britain, the heroes of Dunkirk and the Londoners bombed out of their homes in the Blitz.

Downing Street hastily claimed that Mr Cameron had meant to refer to the 1940s in general. But by then the damage was done.

General Sir Patrick Cordingley, former commander of the Desert Rats, said: 'I am quite sure if Winston Churchill were alive today he would be dismayed.'

The FT:

In Washington the previous week Mr Cameron did what he could to defuse American anger over BP and the Lockerbie bomber, and to strike a note of humility. But he over-egged it when he said that the UK was the junior partner in the Anglo-American relationship, just as “we were the junior partner in 1940 when we were fighting the Nazis”. As conservative commentators have reminded him to his cost, while the Battle of Britain raged the US was conspicuously and profitably neutral.

The Guardian:

The Cameron bluntness was given a high-profile outing the week before in the US, though the victims that time were patriotic readers of the Daily Mail. In an attempt to recalibrate Anglo-American relations to a more realistic level, the prime minister said Britain should accept it is the "junior partner".

To illustrate his point, Cameron said that this was even the case at the height of the "special relationship" in 1940 when Britain and the US stood shoulder to shoulder to meet the Nazi threat. He later admitted his remarks showed a shaky grasp of history because in 1940 Winston Churchill was embarking on his year-long campaign to persuade Washington to join the allied war effort.

History? It just one misremembered thing after another. Or was that before another?

James

* Britain famously 'stood alone' but no-one would overlook the help given by the Empire and many other nations, as well a handful of volunteer American airmen.

[Note: The post is not a party political comment or particularly to do with current British affairs, politics or personalties, but simply a comment on a remarkable misunderstanding of a significant moment in history by the same nation's current leader. This post therefore does not reflect the author's political views, or the views of any associated publications.]

Independence Day

2010-07-04T16:51:00.004+10:00

It's the 4th July, lots of happy Americans.

Only in America!

North American P-51D Mustang 'Quicksilver' N51HY at Oshkosh 2009. If you are going for a non-original scheme, go for it. This machine is not just eye-catching but blindingly shiny, with specular reflective paint in the red of the bar of the star & bar. Owners Bill Yoak and son and pilot Scott Yoak take a great deal of trouble to share their aircraft, letting people up close, touch - and from eight to eighty - have a sit in the cockpit.

Re-viewing Mosquitoes in film

2010-07-03T19:14:00.004+10:00

February 18, 1944, at 12 noon, two Mosquitoes after dropping their bombs on the prison walls at low altitude. Image: RAF.

I'd occasionally speculated as to why a film about the Amiens prison raid hasn't been made (details here, here and here) and particularly triggered recently by Sir Peter Jackson's decision to remake the Dam Busters movie, another unnecessary fly-over of well bombed dams in my opinion. Even more ironic is that as Jackson is a New Zealander, one might think he'd be interested in Operation Jericho as it featured several New Zealand airmen in an RNZAF Squadron, deserving of at least one feature film.

But there were films of the raid. A treasure is the film of the actual raid shot at the time, a not inconsiderable achievement, and unlike any commercial film a primary if partial source of the event. An extract of the film is on the Pathe newsreel website here and the image above is I think a still from that film.

Secondly there was a post-war French film (details here and here) but one that focuses more on the details of the prisoners than on the technical achievement of the operation. It also looks rather like what you'd get with a modern Hollywood director got hold of it, starting with the overwrought poster from here seen above, or as the French site says: "Au moment de l'exécution, la Royal Air Force bombarde la prison." Zut Alors.

Dave Homewood, a fellow writer and researcher, but from New Zealand found (on a now defunct website) the following description:

JERICHO
Dir: HENRI CALEF, FRANCE 1945
Lang.: FRENCH; Length: 95 Minutes

Once the French film industry was able to make WWII epics, it did so with a vengeance. Jericho is the true story of the bombing of the Nazi-held prison at Amiens. It is argued that, while the RAF took an enormous public-relations risk in the bombing, the end result was largely salutary, resulting in freedom for 50 French hostages. The dramatic portions of the film share space with newsreel footage of the actual attack. One of the better films of its kind, Jericho failed to make a dent in the U.S. market, which at the time was inundated with war pictures.

The sole reader review on IMDb contains the following:

1944: A train full of petrol has stopped in the station of Amiens. The German army, still occupying France, fears sabotage. So they decide to take 50 hostages: if the resistant fighters attack the train,they will be shot.

Brilliant scenes: The sleepy town where people hide,afraid of the boots marching in the streets.

The city council,who has got to choose the hostages. "We've got to put our names at the top of the list" says the mayor. But two members are frightened and they resign their mandate.

The scenes in the jail, where a man (Pierre Brasseur) is so afraid of dying he'd do anything to save his life, even boot-licking: "I know where the commies and the Jews are" he shouts at the soldiers.

But it's the long sequence in the church were the hostages are imprisoned which climaxes the film. Calef avoids the usual cliché that all French people were brave resistance fighters; among these 50 people, some of them rebel, they are afraid to die,they cannot stand that dawn which is inexorably approaching. In the priest' s pulpit, Morin (Brasseur) has gone completely mad, his terror knowing no bounds. His attitude is in direct contrast to that of Simone who bravely enters the jail between two soldiers. She too is to be shot with the fifty men.
(Minor edits for grammar & punctuation.)

Back in 1945 the RAF could provide a Squadron's worth of Mosquitoes. As Colin Ford recalls:

Mosquitoes of No.487 (RNZAF) Squadron during September 1945 were flying during filming of a documentary movie titled "Jericho", a recreation of the Amiens Prison raid. After being renumbered No.268 Squadron in October 1945 they continued that flying activity sporadically until mid November 1945 when the big flying scenes were filmed which included a full Squadron formation and flights making dummy attacks over the Amiens Prison accompanied by a photographic Mosquito from No.69 Squadron. A number of the pilots and navigators who had to fly their Mosquitoes up to Paris for certain parts of the filming took advantage of the visits for some R&R. One of the scenes the Squadron filmed using the aircrew at the time was the full Squadron raid briefing.

The film might be of interest for the flying, but the somewhat over-dramatic description doesn't really appeal otherwise.

We should have an airworthy Mosquito in 2011, while there have been none flying since the tragic demise of the British aerospace T.3 RR299. In the meantime, lacking the real thing, for a rather well put together film of completely CGI Mosquitoes, see the famous short demonstration by Tochy called Merlins, here.

Canada Day, Lysander, Eh!

2010-07-01T23:32:00.010+10:00

July 1, 2010. Canada Day. Recently, another Lysander returned to the skies, taking the world's population back up to three fliers, two in Canada.

Image: Peter Handley, VWoC.

This is Vintage Wings of Canada's (VWoC) aircraft, which is now painted as '416' the first ever 'Can Car' built Lysander. The story of the VWoC Lizzie is on their website, here.

And here's a picture after the original first flight of the original 416.

National Archives of Canada, PA-124189

From my Lysander book:

"In April of 1938, a contract for 28 (later raised to 75) Lysander Mk.I was placed with the National Steel Car Corporation of Hamilton, Ontario, with Mercury and Perseus engines to be supplied from Britain. ... The machines were essentially the same as the Westland-built machines, although the National Steel Car Corporation were able to make larger panels with their presses (including the wing leading edge sections) and the undercarriage ‘U’ beam was of a composite construction, as Canada did not have the facility to heat treat such a large item at that time

"The first Canadian example was No.416 and it joined the RCAF on September 7th 1939. Its first flight, to the great and justifiable pride of the workforce, as it was the first aircraft that they had produced, was on 16th August, in the hands of E L Capreol."

The Hungarian-American in a French aeroplane in Australia

2010-03-18T12:04:00.001+11:00

His name was Harry Houdini. The French aeroplane was a Voisin biplane, and the flight was the first in Australia, in a remote spot in rural Victoria called Digger's Rest, exactly 100 years ago today, the 18th March 1910 - Well, it was the first officially recognised, powered, controlled, heavier than air flight, which is what most people mean when they say 'first'. Of course it wouldn't be Australian if there wasn't some dispute about the claim. And we must recognise the pioneers who had gone before, such as Hargrave.

In typical Aussie fashion, having been beaten to the post by a Hungarian-American, flying a French aircraft, John Duigan got the finger out and flew his Australian designed and built aircraft from a place called Mia Mia, ironically not far from Houdini's spot. Thankfully these were both in Victoria.

A replica of Duigan's aircraft is suspended in the entrance to the Melbourne museum, and they have the real thing in store. I hope to see it someday. This photo shows the skeletal framework of the aircraft against the skeletal framework of the museum. My fellow-blogger Brett Holman has provide a much more detailed post on the story here.

617 Squadron back in the news

2010-03-14T13:25:00.007+11:00

RAF Museum

On this day in 1945 – 617 Squadron, RAF first used the Grand Slam: a 22,000 lb (9.98 t) earth quake bomb, on a strategic railroad viaduct in Bielefeld, Germany. The aircraft was commanded by by Squadron Leader C.C. Calder. More details here.

Film of the bomb in action:

Meanwhile over in the 'mad ideas filed' dept, Britain's Daily Telegraph reports;

Air Marshal Arthur 'Bomber' Harris proposed using the Lancasters of 617 Squadron to fly over Rome at "roof-top level" and drop bombs on Il Duce's headquarters and residence in an attempt to kill or maim him, documents in the National Archives at Kew disclose.

The operation, conceived in early July 1943, had the approval of Anthony Eden, the Foreign Secretary.

In a memorandum to the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, dated 13 July 1943, Eden wrote: "Harris has asked permission to try to bomb Mussolini in his office in Rome and to bomb his residence simultaneously in case the Duce is late that morning.

Eden reported that Mussolini's headquarters, the magnificent Palazzo Venezia in central Rome, and his private residence, Villa Torlonia, were both "unmistakeable" and could easily be identified by British bombers.

Importantly, neither was within 1,500 yards of the Vatican, which the Allies had promised not to damage.

"I suggest that if Mussolini were killed or even badly shaken, at the present time this might greatly increase our chance of knocking Italy out (of the war) at an early date. And I therefore ask your permission to lay the operation on," Eden wrote.

But within two weeks, Mussolini was ousted by the Grand Council of Fascism and replaced by a caretaker government led by King Vittorio Emmanuele III, who negotiated a surrender to the Allies.

Mussolini fled to northern Italy to lead a fascist republic. In April 1945, with total defeat looming, he tried to escape to Switzerland but was captured and summarily executed by Italian partisans near Lake Como.

Christopher Duggan, a historian at the University of Reading and Mussolini biographer, said there were probably other good reasons for not authorising the bombing raid. He said: "It may have been logistically difficult for the bombers to come in low enough to carry out a really good strike. The RAF may have decided that the air defences around Rome were too good.

"And if they had just wounded Mussolini it may have rallied the Italian population around him. There was still a lot of sympathy for Mussolini at this time, so there was the danger that the plan could backfire."

Nick Squires in Rome, Published: 7:00AM GMT 12 Mar 2010

All that and dams too.

PS: Note that the Daily Telegraph uses a still from the Dam Busters film - credited as just 'The Dam Busters'.

Blast from the Past - E.E. Lightning

2010-03-04T21:58:00.007+11:00

There's nothing quite like it. In collecting stories for Aeroplane's April issue Aircrew feature (on the news stands now) I discovered the many pilot anecdotes were known as WIWOLs (for 'when I was on Lightnings').

As well as revisiting the incredible famous photo of George Aird's accident (an accident photo with thankfully a happy outcome, and featured in Aircrew) there were a range of great bits of video and a sound recording, which I can present here.

On Chris Taylor's blog, is this excellent remix of film set to contemporary (ish) sound:

Scramble over Europe '68 (action series).

It's actually at least in part using some of the same film from a real RAF recruitment film, which had a soundtrack I still can't quite believe is genuine. Streaked Lightning: 'Join the RAF, it's cool and beatnick, with neato gear, chaps.' The film is on the National Archives site in the UK, so pop over for a look here.

This photo is of the Imperial War Museum, Duxford's Lightning. This is an aircraft with an incredible story attached to it, that of engineering officer Wing Commander 'Taffy' Holden's inadvertent flight. You can hear his story in his own words here, thanks to YouTube.

The heading photo is of the dramatically displayed RAF Museum Cosford's example, in the new Cold War gallery there. It's a display that's not to everyone's taste, and definitely there are major flaws with aspects of the curatorial and architectural decisions taken, but it's an impressive and appropriate way to display an aircraft famed for 'Going up!'... The two advertisements are from the ever useful and endlessly fascinating Flight Global archive.

There's more (of course) in the Aircrew feature, excellently illustrated as ever by Ian Bott.

Nothing quite like it, or the men who flew them.

Morning Mustang

2010-03-02T18:27:00.002+11:00

A shot from the RAAF Museum's Pageant at about 8.15 am of the RAAF Museum's CAC Mustang VH-SVU. We were lucky with the weather, and had a great show.

This is the kind of photo I like, but won't get published, given the preferences of most aviation magazines. So here we are!

Pre-Pageant Day

2010-02-27T21:28:00.003+11:00

There was a sneak peek inside the new Strike Hangar display...

A variety of aircraft flew in, althought the weather kept others out.

Some were rare in Australia...

Others returning to their 'home'...

Some were a long way from home and very modern...

Others very new versions of very old aeroplanes...

Someone let the dogs out...

But the Mosquito didn't look threatening...

Although it's got one leg all back together...

And as you asked nicely, here's one of the aircraft in the Strike Hangar.

RAAF Museum Pageant 2010 Incoming

2010-02-23T17:52:00.006+11:00

The RAAF Museum's Pageant is nearly here - on Sunday 28 February 2010. As well as the museum itself, on the historic RAAF base of Point Cook, there's a lot to see:

The RAAF Museum says- 'Gates open at 9:00am, flying display starts at 1:00pm' and 'Aircraft will include: Mustangs, Kittyhawk, ...

... Sabre, Winjeel, Tiger Moths, DC3s, Vampire, Sea Fury, Wirraway, Boomerang, Spitfire, and many more.....'

And the RAAF Routlettes will be back. The Temora Aviation Museum are sending the Spitfire and Sabre mentioned above as well as the Lockheed Hudson:

Other extras will be the chance to catch up on how the Project 2014 Bristol Military Biplane (or Boxkite) replica is progressing. This is the seat:

The rest of the aircraft is being assembled as we write...

And the forthcoming new display - the Strike Hangar - will be opened temporarily for a special preview opportunity, including this - the 'Boneyard Wrangler'.

See you there!

Don't try this at home

2010-02-21T22:01:00.004+11:00

One of the most remarkable events in the history of the last surviving Supermarine Stranraer was a take off. That rare thing of a pure flying boat (not an amphibian, note) taking off from a land runway.

This occurred after a rebuild (as required for the Canadian Department of Transport) at Abbotsford Airport, BC, Canada, by Aerovive Ltd over a 7-month period in 1962, and costing C$40,000, including complete refrabricing of the wing and tail surfaces.

According to the RAF Museum's PDF record for the aircraft, it;

Flew from Abbotsford Airport runway No. 18 to the Fraser River at Sea Island - took off with the hull resting on a specially constructed detachable 4-wheel 'dolly' from which it lifted off when flying speed was reached. The dolly rolled to a stop at the end of the runway.

As it was not equipped with brakes, as can be seen above, it was retarded before the attempt by a rope attached to a (presumably full) Shell fuel bowser. This '40-minute test flight, flown by Slim Knights' was probably one of the most 'testing' take-offs in the type's career, notwithstanding the many open sea rescues by Stranraers in the war.

In this next photo we can clearly see that the dolly wasn't proof against the aircraft rolling to the starboard on the take-off run, but the potential disaster was averted.

Today this aircraft survives in the RAF Museum Hendon, last of its breed, and last complete example of the large, multi-engine pre-war biplane flying boats.

(And it has a secret. No one knows what unit codes it wore in service. If you can find evidence, the RAF Museum would be delighted to hear from you.)

Credits: Canadian Aviation Museum images. Thanks to Andy Simpson of the RAF Museum for his help and the various people who shared their memories of this hairy flight with me.

More Landseaire

2010-02-16T14:00:00.004+11:00

Thanks to Dan and Chris, I've been appraised of Maurice Allward's report on the Landseaire design in Flight of 1953. See here. (My original post is here.) This elaborates on the design, and implies that there will be a production run of these conversions. Sadly I've still not found the (presumed) LIFE article featuring the photos, so many questions still remain, but others answered by Maurice's article:

Sleeping accommodation is provided for eight persons in three double beds and two singles. Near each bed is an individual light, radio switch and speaker, curtains, vents for air conditioning system, and a telephone. Occupants may contact the shore by means of a marine ship-to-shore telephone. In addition to this item of electrickery, the converted aircraft are fitted with no fewer than seven communications receivers, two transmitters, a broadcast receiver, FM-AM radio and—a built-in television set! Passengers can thus communicate anywhere in the world—to ships at sea, to another aircraft in flight, or to a private telephone on land.

During the day the two single beds in the aft or "observation" cabin serve as seats. This cabin occupies the former mid-gun positions. On the starboard side, in place of the wartime blister, is a special one-piece blister typical of the luxuriousness of the other innovations: it is of specially free-blown Lucite to achieve good optical qualities without distortion and costs over £1,000. Measuring 7ft in length by 4&1/2 ft deep at its widest point it also has a permanent camera tripod in the centre, permitting panning of 180 deg up and down, fore and aft. A door to the rear of the observation cabin leads to a built-in stairway. This gives comfortable access when on land and can also be lowered afloat, when it makes an ideal diving board. Much of the 104ft-span wing can be used for sunbathing.

Noise is kept to a remarkably low level by a 4in-thick lining of Fiberglass. Over-all carpeting adds further to the comfort. A showerbath, in waterproof plastic, runs hot and cold water. The w.c. is electrically flushed when on water; in the air a chemical toilet is used. The galley, in white porcelain and stainless steel, rivals the equipment of the most modern kitchen. A three-plate cooking range, oven, large refrigerator and frozen-food unit are installed.

Externally, few alterations are made. The nose gun-turret and bomb-aimer's window are replaced by a sleek clipper-style bow. Slung under each wing, where bombs and torpedoes used to hang, are two 14-ft dinghies. Each boat fits snugly against the wing and is raised or lowered by a built-in electric hoist. Cruising speed with the boats in position is 175 m.p.h. The maximum range is, as might be expected, exceptional for a "private" aircraft, and is given as 3,000 miles.

A Landseaire costs a lot of money — $265,000, the basic price — means something not far short of £100,000. This, coupled with heavy operating costs, virtually lifts the craft beyond the reach even of most millionaires. King Farouk had one on order before his abdication, but mostly it is the executive class of wealthy corporations that are attracted by these fabulous toys.

Maurice mentions the driving force of these conversions is one "Glenn E. Odekirk, head of the Southern California Aircraft Corporation..."

David Legg, Catalina expert, and author of Consolidated PBY Catalina - The Peacetime Record said in this post on WIX:

In addition to the option of boats, these conversions usually included the removal of the bow turret, the addition of a horn-balanced rudder and an integral rear hull airstair. The rear blisters were retained but the port unit featured a hinged access panel whilst the starboard unit was replaced with a one-piece perspex unit without any framing. This latter feature has since been copied by other companies on a small number of non-Landseaire conversions.

Sadly it looks like the career of our subject aircraft was disappointingly short. So we should be even more grateful for the glimpse of this wondrous craft thanks again to the LIFE photos!

More retro-action for Haiti

2010-02-13T19:38:00.009+11:00

It's just over a month since the Haiti earthquake. The Haiti airlift story has been an interesting one, albeit the story being a small element of a massive, difficult effort addressing an appalling disaster. What is important is the people addressing Haiti's problems and this discussion is only a view highlighting some of the events and history behind them, and in no way intended as a political commentary or criticism of the situation.

Since my previous post on the story here, much more has come to my attention, so this is more of a selection of follow-up items than an essay on the story as before.

A USAF shows a low-level LAPES style drop, as discussed in the previous Haiti blog post, and seen here at the much missed Mildenhall Air Fete. Author.

My friend Eric Presten found the story of a Grumman Albatross being used to deliver relief medical supplies and medics to the coast of Haiti. The team's website is here, and the blog here. As Eric pointed out, this adds a parallel to the Lake Havel flights of the Short Sunderland flying boats of the Berlin Airlift. The Albatross was essentially a military-only amphibian, but they are all retired now, and with its 'go anywhere' capability it's a very popular warbird cum air-yacht. Nevertheless, this is the first time I can recall hearing of a pleasure-flying Albatross being used for humanitarian work. Good for them. Video of a Miami take off and a news item here.

Dusty airstrip, C-130 delivers. The Hercules doing the job from the 1950s to today.

It might seem odd at first glance to highlight the work of the Canadian Forces C-130 Hercules flying into the small strip at Jacmel, Haiti, again as mentioned on WIX. (Video here, news report from the Globe & Mail here.) But the historical angle is that this is exactly what Lockheed's Hercules was designed to do, and that was back in the early 1950s - over half a century ago, and over half the history of successful heavier-than-air flight ago. To compare it to marine transport it would be akin to using an ancient Greek trireme as a modern warship; yet the Hercules, essentially the same design updated, still continues to be one of the world's key airlifters.

Rarely seen in public, a Lockheed U-2 at the Mildenhall Air Fete. Author.

Another current military type with a long history is the Lockheed U-2. Older readers, or those interested in the history of the Cold War will recall the name Gary Powers hitting the front pages of the world's newspapers in 1960. The modernised version of his spyplane, the U-2S is being used as part of the United States Air Force effort, and is covered by Warbird Radio's report here.

The 'world's biggest operational aircraft' the Antonov An 225 arriving at Miami. Credit: Michael Jones.

Another angle of history is the 'smallest, fastest, lowest and biggest' statistics beloved of some. If you have a big problem, maybe the world's biggest operational aircraft is what you need. (The immediate thought of course is 'will it fit!'.) The Antonov An 225 Mriya ('Dream') has been called in on the Haiti op, and 'Silverplate' (Michael & Audrey Jones) at WIX saw it arrive at Miami International, Florida, and posted their pictures here.

The Antonov An 225 at Miami. Credit: Michael Jones.

They said:

The world’s largest aircraft, an Antonov An-225 landed at MIA on February 10, 2010 for an overnight stop prior to departing for Haiti. The flight originated at Narita, Japan with a stop in Fairbanks, Alaska and on to Miami. The flight was carrying aid relief for Haiti.

The fascinating story of the An 225 is covered on the Wikipedia page here. (And having found my own photos of the beast at Farnborough some years ago, it'll probably feature in a future blog post here.) As to whether or not it is the world's largest aircraft, see the excellent drawing on the same page, enlarged here.

The biggest of the 'Big Ants' on approach some years ago at Farnborough Airshow. Author.

There are some aspects that are also ambivalent in other ways. Chris Williams commented on the previous post about the use of a DC-3;

I can't help thinking that, cool as it is, a DC3 is taking up a landing slot that a C130, with in with a seriously larger payload, could use (let alone a C17). So count me unimpressed with that particular bit of an otherwise impressive story.

It's a fair comment, but the issue wasn't so much which aircraft were used but getting the system to work properly. A DC-3 remains viable to fly in and use. Again, while lots of well intentioned people crowding in to Port au Prince international was an issue in itself, it's perhaps unfair to castigate those who actually achieved something - who got their aircraft, with supplies, where it should be - but, on the other hand, were they 'in the way' of another, more useful delivery? In this, alone, we can see the reality of the difficulties and frustrations - not to mention chaotic challenge in such relief efforts.

And then there's the celebrity offer. A lesser known aspect of film star John Travolta's life is that he is one of the few people in the world who owns his own vintage jet airliner - and it's not some half size effort, but an intercontinental range ex-Qantas Boeing 707. He's officially an ambassador for Qantas, who are Australia's flag carrier, and thus entitled to wear a Qantas captain's uniform. (The Federal Aviation Authority of the USA more practically have endorsed his licence to fly his jet.) Travolta said "We have the ability to help make a difference in the situation in Haiti," according to the Guardian newspaper here. The difference included 'six tonnes of ready-to-eat military rations and medical supplies' and a number of Scientologist volunteer ministers who offer help with their 'touch' program. That will not be something discussed further here.

For those interested in more insight to the various factors of the Port au Prince lift, I've also been directed to Chris Taylor's blog, which has posts on the Haiti situation here and here, the latter link discussing the issues, also with firsthand input of the logistics there.

I hope you've found the historical context and sidelights as interesting as I have, while not forgetting the Haiatian's tragic situation and their efforts for the future. It is a reminder that history is really a matter of life, death and survival not just academic or technical interest.

1950 'Landseaire' Air-Yacht

2010-02-10T22:12:00.011+11:00

From the files of LIFE magazine's online material comes this magnificent glimpse into an aspirational travel opportunity from a different era.

According to J Baugher's website, this was Consolidated PBY (Catalina) 34045:

(c/n 1599) converted to luxury LANDSEAIRE flying yacht, registered as N69043. Later to Brazil as PP-AXX. Lost in landing crash near Ubatuba, State of Sao Paulo Jul 5, 1953. By that time, it was registered PT-APK.

The photos were taken around Feburary 1950 by LIFE photographer Loomis Dean. As we can see here, although there were no structural changes, apart from enabling a shallow dinghy to be carried under the starboard wing...

... the aircraft was very well fitted out, with bunks in the rear fuselage...

... a shower (demonstrated by a lovely young lady in the photos here)...

...radio, for the Tommy Dorsey broadcasts, cocktail cabinet...

...and galley ("How d'you want your eggs?", say the girls).

While one might expect them to be doing the cooking, you might not expect the men to be doing the sewing!

It wasn't all beer and skittles, and sometimes someone had to sew the aeroplane back together.

But then there were cocktails and sherries, and the chance to telephone the pilot to push on the stick to get your girlfriend's drink up her nose! Oh how we laughed.

Until she decided to chill our drinks with the fire extinguisher. Ah, the era of the brand new polka dot Bikini, invented in 1946. Very daring.

Hello Gidget! What's that? You don't want to die of cancer from passive smoking? Mommy's busy cheating at poker, dahling.

... Just have another cocktail! Of course we need a cocktail glass shelf in the viewarama window.

But seriously folks...

Not only is it a fascinating insight to a one-off aeroplane, it's a great little piece of social history, and with the carefully shot large format black and white photos, of great compositional interest as well.

The names and details of the various subjects and the story of their voyage hasn't come down to us via the LIFE photo website, but in a way it's more fun imagining the story to fit the pictures. There's twelve pages of them, starting here.

EDIT: Update here.

James
(Photos Credited & Copyright LIFE archive.)

BMW Unspun

2010-01-30T19:19:00.003+11:00

The famous BMW logo was supposed to represent a spinning aircraft propeller - according to the story, and how the modern BMW understood it themselves. But apparently not!
According to the Nitrobahn blog:

The popular misconception was corrected when Ms. Anne Schmidt-Possiwal, a tour guide at the Munich BMW Museum told a New York Times reporter Mr Stephen Williams, that the BMW roundel logo never had anything to do with propellers. Instead, the logo was originally meant to represent the flag colors of the free state of Bavaria.
Needless to say, Williams was surprised and he did some digging into the matter, but when he reached out to BMW for clarification, Dave Buchko, a BMW spokesman repeated the same old spinning propeller version. But soon enough Buchko realized his mistake and generously admitted in an e-mail to NYTimes that Ms. Anne Schmidt-Possiwal had been correct.

On the snappily named linked 318ti.org forum, 'SNOWti' posted;

The idea that the blue and white had anything to do with spinning propellers comes from a 1929 advertisement,which featured aircraft with the image of the Roundel in the rotating propellers. This advertisement came at the beginning of the Great Depression, which coincided with BMW acquiring the license to build Pratt & Whitney radial aircraft engines.

It is a neat advert, and a neater way of using the logo. The reality of the original design is as interesting though. Nitrobahn again:

The interior had 4 quadrants in blue and white the colors of the Bavarian Free State. The colours were used in the opposed order of the flag apparently because it was illegal to use a national symbol in commercial trademarks.

As usual the true story is a bit more complex, and a lot more interesting than the oft-repeated legend.

Ticket - No ride

2010-01-23T22:25:00.004+11:00

How much would you pay for an airline ticket when the aircraft has already left? From the History Today blog:

Neville Chamberlain flew to Munich to meet Hitler at 8.30am on September 29th, 1938, on a British Airways flight. The following day, Hitler, Mussolini, Chamberlain and Daladier signed the Munich Agreement. Chamberlain’s plane ticket was recently discovered amongst the papers of George William Denny MBE, one of the founders of British Airways. It is due to be auctioned by Mullock’s in Ludlow, Shropshire, on January 19th and is expected to fetch up to £7,000. Further information is available on the website of Mullock's Auctioneers.

Mullock's said:

This is possibly the only opportunity for collectors to acquire an item of memorabilia relating to that epic flight. Papers concerned with the Munich Treaty are naturally state papers and unavailable. This small piece of paper therefore remains in its way one of the most important items available to collectors of 20th Century history. Note: another part of this ticket was sold for 13,600 pounds at Christie's London in 1992

From History Today's post of 21st January;

The final selling price was considerably higher than expected. The ticket sold for £9,280. Richard Westwood-Brookes from Mullock’s Auctioneers was unable to tell me the name of the buyer, but confirmed this morning that he was a private individual. It is also believed that the British buyer purchased the ticket with the view to donating it to a British museum.

Berlin & Haiti's Rescues from the Sky

2010-01-21T22:21:00.021+11:00

The ramp at Port au Prince Haiti. US Defense. A high res version of the image is available here.

As I write, it is a week since the huge earthquake that hit Haiti, and more shocks were felt yesterday. There has been a great deal of coverage of this natural disaster, and some has touched upon the challenges of getting aid into the airport at Port au Prince, the capital. The massive effort, driven by the USA, although led by the UN, to address the current issues involves a huge airlift, one which reminds us perhaps of that which sustained Berlin against the Russian blockade in 1948-9. Obviously a direct comparison is neither viable nor useful, but it is interesting to tease out some of the similarities and different issues faced by the airmen and airwomen and ground operators in these two events.

(An important caveat is that the current operation into Haiti is an evolving one, and one subject to change, and currently, to confusion. Therefore this post makes no offers of guaranteed accuracy.)

The Haiti Airlift
We are lucky that a correspondent of ours, Brad Pilgrim, a Loadmaster in the USAF, currently working on the run into Haiti in a C-17, posted on the WIX forum in response to my questions. Firstly these are Brad's comments in response to the situation, not official views. Some background:

My squadron is a training squadron. Our sole purpose in life is to teach pilots and loadmasters how to operate the C-17. We do not have a deployment commitment and other than the very occasional loan of a person to another squadron, we have nothing to do with the "real world" stuff the US military is involved in. The US commitment to this operation in Haiti is high enough that ten crews and six airplanes from my squadron are flying missions in to Port au Prince from North Carolina. We have dropped the training level of students to an extremely low level, using the few crews we left at home, so that we can support this mission. Measures this extreme have not been taken since way before I came in the Air Force. I think that speaks volumes about the US commitment to the humanitarian side of things. Between Port au Prince and Pope AFB last night, I saw C-17s from five different bases and Canada.

Brad Pilgrim

I landed there last night. I unloaded 130,000 pounds of rolling stock and food. We expected to carry out 250+ passengers. We were told that no passengers were on site. While we were getting ready to leave, a guy ran up and asked how long we could wait. I checked with my pilots and told him we had about an hour. He said a bunch of passengers had just shown up unexpectedly and they wanted to put them with us. I told him to get me as many as they could. I'm not sure what all processing is involved with deciding who goes on the plane but I was told they could run about 100 people an hour through the system. I ended up with 94 women, men and children in seats and strapped to the floor, we took off and carried them to Florida. It isn't the US military that is in charge of that process. They assist with the logistics of it but civilians (many nationalities) are running it. I was told there would be 40-50,000 people (American citizens) going back to the US before this is all over. During the daytime, the airport is full of passengers and we get thousands a day out of town. At night, I was told, people are afraid to travel so they don't come out to the airport so the number of passengers drops to a trickle of what we are capable of moving.

Brad's aircraft was used by a Charlotte, North Carolina news crew who field a TV report here (worth a look for some background). Brad is seen briefly marshalling a truck off the C-17's ramp, and in the WCNC news crew's photo in the slideshow here.

WCNC News.

One of the key problems has been the congestion at Port au Prince airport. While the airport can take upto 747 size aircraft on the runway, what's not initially obvious is how small this airport is, lacking even taxiways (so the single runway has to be used for aircraft to backtrack after landing) and having very limited ramp space.

Port au Prince International airport. Via WIX.

On ABC, Philippe Couturier, with Médecins Sans Frontières, who are doing much good work on the ground there says:

It is extremely frustrating for patients and aid workers to know that we have managed to get skilled doctors, surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses as well as support staff on the ground who know what is needed to save lives - but that the supplies necessary are circling in planes above their heads without permission to land.

Initial problems were obviously the destruction of the earthquake itself crippling power, the airport's infrastructure and air traffic control (ATC). There was also the matter of who was responsible to take a lead - the UN, US, USAF or the Haiti government? After a period of some confusion and understandable but frustrating issues, United States Air Force Special Tactics personnel landed at the airport and assumed ATC duties as well as much of the operation of the airport.

But why were expected aircraft held off? Brad again.

All that most people on the ground know is that the airplane hasn't landed. What they don't know (this probably isn't their fault and I certainly understand their frustration) is that the reasons can very well be beyond the control of the aircrew, the airport or the US and Haitian governments. It doesn't take many airplanes on a ramp to max out the capacity. From the ground and air it can look like there is plenty of room to put a plane but what you don't see is that the access points to the parking spots are blocked by other airplanes' wingtips or tails sticking out. One or two broke airplanes on the ramp can waste the parking space of five airplanes. I can tell you that just taxiing in Port au Prince is a dangerous sport because there are so many vehicles, people, fuel trucks and other airplanes moving in a small space. Just last night I had a UN truck drive under the tail of my airplane, while we were backing up. He missed hitting the ramp by about ten feet. Flying in and out at night is bad but it's downright scary in the daytime!

Brad Pilgrim.

Airplanes from all over the world are arriving constantly. If you are scheduled to arrive at 1800hrs in a C-17, then that is based off of (among many other things) the assumption that you have a parking space. If the IL-76 sitting in your space was supposed to leave at 1745hrs is still sitting there, then you don't have a parking spot. The only choice is go back home or circle. You can circle until you have a parking spot open up, or you can circle until you run low on gas and have to go home. Why is the IL-76 still sitting in the C-17s parking space? Maybe it's broke. Maybe the crew can't get permission to take off due to airspace congestion and the only place to put the airplane is in that spot. Moving out to the runway or taxiway will just block other planes. Usually, the plane didn't get unloaded or loaded in a timely manner and they can't move until it’s completed. That puts the load teams in a bind so even when the IL-76 does move and the C-17 gets in parking, the load team hasn't been able to position to download all the cargo from the C-17 so now you are already behind even though you haven't started.

WIX Member Dan Jones added insight to the early stages of the lift:

The issue with planes circling (holding) was that there were far more airplanes there than could be landed. Parking is still very limited, and Haitian ATC was in ruins. I made one of the early civilian flights into the field and we were advised to expect up to 1.5hrs of holding to get in - the traffic was just flooding MTPP [Port au Prince airport]. As it turned out we lucked out and came straight in on the approach because two C-130's had departed just ahead of us. Nobody anticipated being able to get fuel there - in fact just today were civilian aircraft finally able to get fuel if required. Planes are being controlled coming into Port-au-Prince now by flow control slot times by the Haitian Flight Ops Coordination Center in Miami. So now instead of having to pack an extra seven or eight thousand pounds (in my case) of fuel to potentially hold, that weight can now go towards payload. While the airport is now under US military ATC control (thank Christ!) the surrounding Haitian airspace is still run by some of the locals and has no radar. As soon as Miami center turns you loose going into MTPP and you're Joses inbound, it's the wild west! It certainly was this morning! Once they turn you back over to the US ATC control on the field you are comparatively safe again. If the USAF wanted to run all of Haitian airspace by AWAC or ship, it would certainly get mine and my crew's votes!

Meanwhile over on the ARC Air Discussion forums, Flight Engineer Mark in a C-130 Hercules posted about his first trip:

F/E Mark

Here are a few pics from my first trip in. We only spent 30 minutes on the ground, and were down on the east end of the airport at the U.N. ramp. That place is incredibly busy. We had to hold over the harbor for one hour before they had the space to let us in. We left empty, mostly because we were at the U.N. ramp, but tonight we took 65 people out. Almost exclusively women and children.

F/E Mark

This was a tough mission, but very satisfying. The passengers were escorted out to our aircraft, and when they saw the ramp and door open they almost rushed the plane to get on board. Their escorts held them back, and they obeyed, but you could see it in their eyes how badly they wanted to get on, and what that C-130 meant to them. Quite an experience.

It is clear that the terrific challenge was huge, and that it has taken time to get control of the situation and to start to develop logistical structures that work in an essentially unprecedented situation. But in some ways there was a precedent.

Berlin's Airlift
The story of the Berlin Airlift - Operation Vittles for the US forces, Operation Plainfare for the RAF (and Operation Pelican for a small group of RAAF crews) - is a fascinating and well documented achievement of 'simple' logistics over force majure. A brief overview from Wikipedia: "The Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post-World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway and road access to the sectors of Berlin under their control. Their aim was to force the western powers to allow the Soviet zone to start supplying Berlin with food and fuel, thereby giving the Soviets practical control over the entire city. In response, the Western Allies organized the Berlin Airlift to carry supplies to the people in West Berlin. The over 4,000 tons per day required by Berlin during the airlift totaled, for example, over ten times the volume that the encircled German 6th Army required six years earlier at the Battle of Stalingrad."

Douglas C-54 Skymaster, called Spirit of Freedom, which is currently operated as a flying museum full of information regarding the Berlin Airlift. Steelerdon, Wikipedia.

"The United States Air Force, Royal Air Force, and other Commonwealth nations flew over 200,000 flights providing 13,000 tons of food daily to Berlin in an operation lasting almost a year. By the spring of 1949, the effort was clearly succeeding, and by April the airlift was delivering more cargo than had previously flowed into the city by rail. The success of the Airlift was humiliating to the Soviets, who had repeatedly claimed it could never work. When it became clear that it did work, the blockade was lifted in May." More detail here.

Contrasts and Comparisons.
The most crucial difference is, of course, size. In 1948, the western powers were trying to keep 3/4 of a city alive. Berlin's population had been reduced by war from a pre-war 4.6 million to 2.8 million. In Haiti, the current population is given as 10 million, however UN Spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs told the BBC: "We are trying to run an operation for three million people, the task is huge and the coordination is immense."

Berlin was a city in ruins due to war, but people had adapted and many services and infrastructure worked - even the black market was systematised and effective. While Haiti is also looking like 'it has been bombed' there are key differences in the effect on infrastructure, and it has been clear from news reports that in many essentials law and order as well as governance have broken down.

Berliners watching a C-54 land at Berlin Tempelhof Airport, 1948. United States Air Force Historical Research Agency via Cees Steijger.

There are many similarities. Although the Berlin Airlift was primarily a joint military operation, it did initially have a number of civilian fliers, as does the Haiti operation today. From Wikipedia again; "British European Airways (BEA) co-ordinated all British civil aircraft operations. Apart from BEA itself, the participating airlines included British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and most British independent airlines of that era - eg Eagle Aviation, Silver City Airways, British South American Airways (BSAA), the Lancashire Aircraft Corporation, Airwork, Air Flight, Aquila Airways (with flying boats) Flight Refuelling, Skyways, Scottish Airlines and Ciro's Aviation. Altogether, BEA was responsible to the RAF for the direction and operation of 25 British airlines taking part in Operation Plainfare."

While both operations are seen to some degree as being almost 'turn-key' in deploying existing resources in pre-planned and trained-for scenarios, that is actually not the case. The US military has an experienced airlift capability, with current operations underway, but I doubt that a scenario like this - with the scale and joint operation requirements as they are - is something even they would have planned for. Morale was an issue in 1948, due to the initial poor utilisation of the crews and aircraft and postwar wind downs of all the forces. Today the complex politics of a significantly wider multi-national and civilian and military operation causes frustration and issues for the planners and crews. Logistics and addressing bottlenecks by improving those logistics (by many extempore and new ways) were, and are, absolute priorities in both cases.

While there is gunfire and looting, there is no armed standoff with a recently combat-hardened army and air forces, as there was against the Russians in 1948. One factor that must have been in the minds of all aircrew, groundcrew and the Berliners and planners was what were the Russians going to do next? Harassment was carried out by Russian fighter aircraft, with collisions and loss of life. It is one of the quirks of history that not only did the Western Allies face down the Russians, but that no one at the time probably seriously expected the Russians to fold as they did.

The difference between an accidental collision by a potential enemy trying to scare you and an accidental collision between two aid aircraft in the wrong place at the same time is nothing - and the crews flying into Haiti are facing a remarkably similar challenge, despite the half century gap. However the modern crews at least do not face the threat of a suddenly unleashed overwhelming attack from the East.

Brad Pilgrim

In the case of Berlin, not only were there several airports (Tempelhof and Gatow Airports, as well as Tegel Airport, built during the airlift) but also the RAF used Short Sunderlands and Hythe flying boats to fly supplies into the Havel river, and thanks to their anti-corrosion protection, they were used to carry the vital baking and other salts. Today there is a very different maritime element being provided by the carrier the USS Carl Vinson steaming offshore. Currently there is only the main airport in use in Haiti, although it is hoped to bring a second smaller one into use as well as an airport in the neighbouring Dominican Republic. It is also hoped to bring ports and ground transport into play as soon as possible, and part of the modern airlift is bringing in heavy equipment to do so.

On WIX, also Chris Trott outlined some of the differences.

1) Distance. Miami (nearest large airport) to Port Au Prince is 620nm. Munich to Berlin is 251nm. Much different amount of fuel needed, especially considering they were using pistons versus now primarily jets (thus volume of fuel used is higher). In addition, for flights heading to Haiti, there are only a few divert airfields requiring more fuel to be loaded to ensure that if they can't get into Port Au Prince, they can go somewhere else safely.

2) Physical infrastructure. PAP is smaller than any of the Berlin airports used.

3) Public Opinion. With the Berlin airlift we were just finishing WWII, we were facing a defined enemy, and public opinion was demanding the military intervene. Now, we are fighting two wars (although airlift demands have relaxed somewhat), but public opinion is not as demanding now to throw everything we have at this problem.

These are all good points. It worth noting that one airport (Tegel) was built in Berlin during the airlift. The distance and fuel requirements are important also. If an aircraft missed its landing in the Berlin Airlift, it was required to fly back to its starting point, a very different requirement to Haiti, but there the option of heading into Dominican Republic - which is presumably feeling a good deal of pressure itself. The Berlin system was based on one way routes in aerial corridors, and essentially the British and American airlifts operated in parallel but separately; obviously much more workable than trying to integrate multiple airline aircraft and air force machines and their different procedures.

The Port au Prince ramp, with a Turbo DC-3 (centre) C-54 (right) and USAF C-17 (left) The DC-3 and C-54 were also used over half a century ago in the Berlin Airlift. Historical Flight Foundation.

I suspect that the Berlin airports were physically smaller than Port au Prince's, but that's not the point. The issue is the ability to land more aircraft on more runways (in different locations helps to decongest the tight inbound flights) and the Berlin airports were designed to handle the aircraft they received, albeit not in the numbers that they did in 1948-9.

Chris' third point about public opinion is also thought-provoking. The Russians were a defined military organisation, but in 1948 the Cold War was just starting, and after six years of one of the greatest wars in history, few would be prepared then to bet on who would do what. As we know today, the Russians were faced down by the airlift's success. But they could have chosen to act differently. They were undertaking well-publicised military 'manoeuvres' around Berlin in the period.

Public will in the west in 1948 to support the capital of the recently defeated enemy must have been ambivalent at the very least. Communist Russia had been an ally through the latter part of W.W.II, and there was a substantial communist lobby in the west, and support in goods (such as the delivery of Rolls Royce Nene jet engines) from Britain's Labour government. There were not clear, simple alliances. Today the US faces, as Chris says, a "perception of the 'Big Bad USA' exerting its will on others." The history of Haiti and its relationship with colonial and current powers, particularly the USA is a difficult one.

As ever, it is simplistic to see history or current events as sets of 'white hats' and 'black hats' or to fall into the trap of assuming a pre-determined outcome to events in the past. Berlin's airlift could well have had a very different result and effect on history.

Another thread between the two airlifts is airdrops. In 1948, the aircraft landed and stopped to unload. But the fascinating story of Little Vittles was a small, but morale-boosting event in the bigger picture.

Gail Halvorsen, one of the many Airlift pilots, decided to use his off time to fly into Berlin and make movies with his handheld camera. He arrived at Tempelhof on July 17 on one of the C-54s and walked over to a crowd of children who had gathered at the end of the runway to watch the aircraft. He introduced himself and they started to ask him questions about the aircraft and their flights. As a goodwill gesture, he handed out his only two sticks of Wrigley's Doublemint Gum, and promised that, if they did not fight over them, the next time he returned he would drop off more. The children quickly divided up the pieces as best they could.

Before he left them, a child asked him how they would know it was him flying over, and he replied, "I'll wiggle my wings." The next day, on his approach to Berlin, he rocked the aircraft and dropped some chocolate bars attached to a handkerchief parachute to the children waiting below. Every day after that the number of children increased and he made several more drops. Soon there was a stack of mail in Base Ops addressed to "Uncle Wiggly Wings", "The Chocolate Uncle" and "The Chocolate Flier". His commanding officer was upset when the story appeared in the news, but when Tunner heard about it he approved of the gesture and immediately expanded it into Operation Little Vittles. Other pilots participated, and when news reached the US, children all over the country sent in their own candy to help out. Soon the major manufacturers joined in. In the end, over three tons of candy were dropped on Berlin, and the 'operation' became a major propaganda success. The candy-dropping aircraft were christened 'raisin bombers' by the German children.

Today airdrops are one way the military gets materiel into difficult places. Initially the USAF didn't want to undertake any airdrops due to the many issues in doing so into a civilian disaster zone, rather than to trained allied troops. Some of the issues are outlined by Brad:

People wonder why we don't do more airdrops of supplies. Some of that has been done and the capability to do a lot more certainly exists. Six of my crews flying on this are airdrop crews (including me) and we are hoping we get to do it! But where do you drop everything? People don't realize what all goes into the securing of a drop zone large enough to use. People don't know how many soldiers it takes to keeps 4 million hungry people away from the food long enough to get it unpacked and distributed. Not to mention having to keep people off the drop zone so they aren't killed by falling containers! Even if everything lands and nobody is hurt in the process, you still have to get the supplies distributed.

While the remarkable LAPES option is no longer available (having been developed after the Berlin airlift and essentially redundant today) there is another option Brad touches on:

Brad Pilgrim.

Another option that C-17s and C-130s have that isn't being utilized is combat offloads. It only works with palletized cargo and even though it's not really practical you can unload massive amounts of cargo in a very short time. Basically, you lower the ramp, pilot runs up the throttles, loadmaster unlocks the cargo, pilot lets off the brakes, plane drives out from under the pallets and cargo lands on ramp. That's where the biggest problem comes in. Now you've got all this cargo sitting on the ground, blocking off a parking ramp, taxiway or runway. It gets the plane out of the way faster but you still have lost the space. Then you have the problems of getting the forklifts to clear the area in a timely manner, distributing the supplies, gathering all the pallets back up, stacking and strapping them, loading them back on another airplane at a later date and taking them back stateside to be used again. So, like many other ideas in this operation, it's a good plan...it just doesn't really work!

Douglas C-47s at Templehoff. Although the C-47 and Dakota was vital in the lift, they were supplanted as far as possible by larger aircraft. USAF Museum.

There then, there now.
Amazingly, there are at least two direct links between the Haiti airlift and the Berlin one. Hundreds of C-47s and Dakotas - the military versions of the DC-3 - were vital in the Berlin operations for the British and the Americans. At least one DC-3, an ex-W.W.II veteran aircraft operated by Remote Area Medical (RAM an all-volunteer charitable organisation), is flying into Haiti. Photos also show a Guatemalan Air Force Turbo-engine DC-3 on the grass at Port au Prince. It is an old aviation axiom that the only replacement for a DC-3 is another DC-3, but yet again the old 'Goony Bird' is there when it counts, for real.

Florida Air Transport's Douglas C-54 N406WA with a USAF C-17 in the background at Port au Prince. Historical Flight Foundation.

Secondly, Florida Air Transport have been operating a DC-4 and a DC-6 round the clock to get supplies to Port-au-Prince. On the Historical Flight Foundation's website, they add; "One more DC-4 will be en route to OPF by the end of the week to expand the fleet and the lift power for relief efforts. There is a possibility one additional DC-4 will join the fleet as well." The DC-4 was the C-54 in military service, and another type integral to the Berlin airlift.

While the DC-3s and all the other younger aircraft are vital, it is the crews and the vast support network of others who keep them and their aircraft able to fly that make it all possible. Thanks must go to them, both then, and now.

[A month later, I've just added a follow up post on this story here.]

Transadriatica

2009-12-27T23:34:00.004+11:00

Airliners may be faster, safer cheaper than they were in the golden age, but the posters then leave today's advertising for dust, artistically.

The graphical language, bold colour and form is unbeatable.

From the Smithsonian: 'Fly Now: The National Air and Space Museum Poster Collection'. Puppo gets extra point for the Venitian gondola prow on the initial letter. The Smithsonian's blog about this collection is here, and the posters are here.

Sponsor: Transadriatica (S.A.I. di Navigazione Aerea)
Artist: Mario Puppo1905-1977
Date: circa 1935-1940
Dimensions: Unframed: 50.8 x 30.48cm (1ft 8in. x 1ft)
Materials: Screen print
Physical Description: Trimotor airplane flies into the distance, destinations including Rome, Venice and Vienna.
Inventory Number: A19900702000

Aircraft Vs Bear

2009-12-26T21:02:00.006+11:00

Today's advice from the agony aunt is to ensure your aircraft doesn't smell of fish if you decide to leave it out in Alaska.

"Apparently a bear attacked this plane while parked in a remote field in Alaska The owner had not cleaned out the inside after a long fishing trip and the bear smelled it."

You know, I reckon a few bad words were said about here.

"So he had two new tires, three cases of Duct Tape and several rolls of cellophane flown in and then went about repairing the plane so he could fly it home."

"Gutsy to say the least. Truly an incredible use of Duct Tape."

Almost done - just add in the registration with a non-warterproof marker.

The unbeatable punchline to this - wait for it - is that the aircraft in question is a (Piper) Cub. Actually a Super Cub. Really.

(Passed on via e-mail by Lynne F.)

World Speed Records to 1937

2009-12-19T22:14:00.006+11:00

I recently came across this Flight magazine table of world speed records [here] and thought it interesting as it contained both the land and air speed records on the same chart, and with the air speed record divided into seaplanes and landplanes.

As is well known, the Schneider Trophy (properly the Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider) accelerated the development of pure speed marine aircraft - although in directions Schneider didn't anticipate or intend, perhaps. Secondly there has always been a close relationship between the land speed record and aviation, with aero engines being a staple for those wishing to go faster on the ground - not to mention the careful application of aerodynamics for those that don't want to take short, fatal flights while going for the land speed record.

(Note also the short line for maritime speed, a fascinating story in itself.)

However what I found most interesting is where those record 'lines' crossed; with the air speed record lagging behind the land speed one until towards the end of the Great War - cars faster than 'planes. And then the way that seaplanes lagged behind landplanes until the mid twenties, after which the marine aircraft raced ahead in speed - another flip to modern perceptions of the relative potential performances of the types.

Surprises at both ends of the period.

PS: More 'who-what-when-where' here.

Big Sheds Need Friends

2009-12-13T15:53:00.006+11:00

According to the BBC:

A historic landmark in Bedfordshire has been put on the market with a price tag of close to £10m.
Cardington Hangars were built in the 1920s to house giant airships such as the R101 which crashed and caught fire in France in 1930.

Now shed number one, the older of the two hangars, and 170 acres of surrounding land has been put up for sale by owners, Frontier Estates. The Grade II-listed building is on Britain's buildings at risk register.

Planning permission has been secured for 550 houses to be built on the land, with the condition the 157ft (48m) tall and 812ft (247m) long hangar would be refurbished.

An earlier BBC report (October 2006) relates the plan:

The hangars need refurbishment at an estimated cost of £6m. The required money could come from the sale of land to a housing developer.

This scheme has won the backing of local people who opposed a proposal to build an industrial warehouse. Residents in nearby Shortstown objected to the warehouse project because of the possibility of hundreds of lorries passing through their village every day.

Frontier Estates which owns the land and one of the hangars has applied for planning permission to develop it into housing.

The plan was outlined here in Building April 2007:

Architect submits plans for Cardington Airfield which includes 425 dwellings and a park honouring 48 who died airship crash.

The scheme will include up to 425 dwellings as well as an area of open space called Airship Park. When built, this will replicate the size and shape of the R101 airship, which measured 777ft from nose to tail, and tragically crashed in 1930 killing 48 people.

The project is due to commence in 2008 with completion in 2012.

And links to a drawing:

Looks nice in projection, but I'm not sure that from the ground the 'airship' shape would be noticeable. However it would at least be a step forward from the perennial Bath crescent.

Looks like the UK's financial woes may have stopped a worthwhile project, maybe temporarily, hopefully not permanently.

I was lucky enough to go (as a passenger) for a flight in Peter Holloway's 1930s Miles Magister over these marvellous buildings. From the air or the ground they are a magnificent - and in the rolling Bedfordshire countryside - startling sight.

While there's an idea that a chap's shed can never be too big, these behemoths may be a step beyond. Their sheer size (and thus historical importance in aviation) count against them.

There are all-too-few items of listed aviation architecture, and these are outstanding in any measure.

Let's hope there's a future for them.

Wandering Wellington

2009-12-09T20:16:00.002+11:00

It is interesting to explore the story behind some of the evasive, censored wartime publications. This 1940 Vickers-Armstrongs advertisement from Flight magazine is an interesting case in point. The original text in the middle reads:

"A Vickers 'WELLINGTON' has made the longest non-stop reconnaissance trip of the war, a journey of well over 2,000 miles to Narvik and back. The machine was piloted through wind, rain and snow by a New Zealander, and his colleagues were all members of the R.A.F. New Zealand Bomber Squadron."
(The Daily Telegraph and Morning Post, 8-5-40).

Thanks to the knowledge of my friend Dave Homewood in New Zealand, he was instantly able to fill out the background to the story. Dave:

'The reconnaissance trip referred to will be the one carried out by Aubrey Breckon and his crew to Narvik, Norway and back. This took place on the 12th of April 1940, and though they were a No. 75 Squadron crew they flew to Wick and then got into a No. 215 Squadron Wellington specially modified for the trip. It was L4387. and was coded simply LG. It was actually a training machine rather than an operational Wimpey that they used. Also aboard with Aubrey were LAC E.P. Williams, Lt Comm F.O. Howie RN, P/O D.J. Harkness, Sgt R.H. Hughes and AC T.L. Mumby. It was a cold trip. Breckon wrote in his report later that "for a long tme we had 27 degrees of frost." The trip lasted 14 1/2 hours and covered well over 2,000 miles!'

The photos are of interest as well, for although they are excellent shots, by doyen of the aviation photographers Charles E Brown, they have nothing to do with the subject, being pre-war examples fitted with the original, inadequate Vickers Armstrong turrets. According to the book on Brown's photography, Camera Above the Clouds Vol 1, by Anthony Harold, they are 9 Squadron machines photographed en route to (or from) the 1939 Brussels Aero Exhibition. Soon after, in September 1939, this squadron and probably several of these aircraft took part in the RAF's second bombing raid of the war.

Remember the 8th that came before the 7th.

2009-12-08T22:55:00.010+11:00

The Japanese attack on the US Naval base and airfield at Pearl Harbor, 'The day that will live in infamy' is unlikely to be forgotten as an event that changed the course of world history. It is often given as the start of the war in the Pacific.

It was a key strike in the Japanese war plan, but it was not the only one, and not the first. Hours earlier, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) had been in action against the Japanese landings at Kota Bharu, in Malaysia.

The world's only airworthy Lockheed Hudson bomber, appropriately flying in Australia. Author.

No. 1 Squadron, RAAF, based at Kota Bharu airfield launched Hudson bombers to attack the Japanese transports sinking the IJN Awazisan Maru, although in the seventeen sorties flown they lost two Hudsons shot down and three badly damaged. One crippled Hudson is reported to have crashed into a fully laden landing craft. All the transports were damaged in these attacks.

Despite the shock effect of the attack, and the fact that these airmen, and the British forces on the ground had little or no actual combat experience, they gave the Japanese forces a tough time. The British Indian Army Dogra regiment were effective:

"The enemy pillboxes, which were well prepared, reacted violently with such heavy force that our men lying on the beach, half in and half out of the water could not raise their heads."
Colonel Masanobu Tsuji

Inevitably overwhelmed in time, as were all the Allied forces in the initial months of the Pacific War, their efforts and story has always been overshadowed by the events thousands of miles away in Hawaii. To some degree that's understandable, given the unarguable effect and importance of the Pearl Harbor attack.

The Japanese were attacking a beach that was no distance from the RAAF's airfield.

I think Don Dowey said he lit a cigarette when he took off and he was still smoking it when he came back. That's how close it was.

Oscar Diamond, DFC, RAAF was one of the pilots flying the Hudsons that day, and he gave this (edited) account on ABC:

Well that was a lot rain and it was very bad conditions. The aerodrome was water-logged but we managed to get off all right, and the first thing I saw actually was the ship, unloading troops and I think they had small tanks - small Japanese tanks. That was the first ship I saw that came into my view and straight away we attacked it and we did two runs on it. I dropped a couple of bombs on the first run which I think straddled it but on the second run we we seemed to have hit it right in the middle with two bombs and there was terrific explosion so we knew that we'd done the job on it. And at the same time, my aircraft got badly damaged from the the flak - I suppose that came off the bombs, because all the flying we did was masthead attack, we weren't high level, it was masthead, straight into the air, into the shipping. So I when I got back the fellow said, 'This aircraft won't fly again, it's too badly damaged'. So that was my original aircraft A16-52 and that was after I had two flights.

Meanwhile:

Flight Lieutenant Charles 'Spud' Spurgeon [of 8 Sqn RAAF] broke away to conduct yet another attack on the derelict Awagisan Maru. He gained on hit on the doomed ship, but the resultant explosions riddled his low-flying Hudson with shrapnel from its own bombs. None of the crew were injured, but Spurgeon was obliged to execute an emergency wheels-up landing in the grassy apron of the Kota Bharu airfield.

Flt Lt Emerton of 1 Sqn RAAF:

...was also pursued by a fighter his crew described as a 'Navy Zero'. Like Hitchcock, Emerton quickly received some bullets from this attacker before his gunners could respond. He was able to avoid more damage by abruptly turning his bomber into the path of his opponent, forcing the Japanese pilot to overshoot ... Emerton seized the initiative and turned to chase the enemy fighter. Firing with his two nose guns, the aggressive bomber pilot startled his former pursuer into breaking off the attack on the other Hudson.

(From Fortnight of infamy: the collapse of Allied airpower west of Pearl Harbor by John Burton).

And that was just the beginning. Blenheims of 60 Squadron RAF joined the battle, and scored hits and suffered in return as their Australian colleagues had.

The engine from RAAF Hudson A16-19 on show at the Australian War Memorial. Author.

Another reason this battle isn't recognised as a starting point of this war is that while the attacks in Malaya occurred before the attacks on Pearl Harbour, because of the international date line, they occurred on the 8th of December 1941, while Pearl Harbor was attacked scant hours later, but on the 7th of December. History is full of tricks, but this is certainly an unusual case where a moment is almost forgotten; in part due to the tick of a clock on the turn of the earth.

Not quite forgotten of course. In 1995, the RAAF Memorial at Kota Bharu was established by the Australian Government and the Government of the State of Kelantan to "commemorate the first commitment of Australian combat units against the forces of Imperial Japan at Kota Bharu in the early hours of Monday 8th December, 1941". The memorial also honours the aircrew from No 1 Squadron RAAF who were killed in this action. (AWM Reference.)

In just over three and a half years from that 1941 December day when the undeclared war was unleashed by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor and Kota Bharu, the world was changed utterly. The full stop at the other end was the atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. The nascent militarist Japanese empire was crushed; Britain, victorious in the East and Europe was effectively bankrupt; America had gone from a semi-agricultural nation to becoming the biggest military industrial complex the world has ever seen; and Australia went from a nation that had sent the cream of its young men and forces to fight in Europe and the Mediterranean for Britain, to (as Prime Minister John Curtin said nineteen days after Kota Bharu) having a completely different orientation:

"Without any inhibitions of any kind, I make it clear that Australia looks to America, free of any pangs as to our traditional links or kinship with the United Kingdom.''

Some of the horrors, shock, confusion and shame of those early days of this war are easily overlooked in favour of more successful, later martial endeavours. But those who hold the enemy in the early days, despite the shortfalls of training and equipment, the strength and experience of enemy forces buy time for the necessary response, and later victory.

Making Walruses, Sea Otters (and a Seagull) go bang

2009-11-23T23:54:00.000+11:00

No cold-water animal cruelty here, just some interesting film material featuring some of R. J. Mitchell's finest designs - the Supermarine Seagull V, it's more popular sibling the Supermarine Walrus and finally the Supermarine Sea Otter.

This film compiled by 'Bomber Guy' on YouTube from newsreels gives a great overview of the story of the Seagull V and Walrus. It starts off with a brief slow-motion shot of the prototype Seagull V being fired of Farnborough's catapult. This is the sort of material you'd like to be able to incorporate in books.

Thanks to Dave Homewood, I was introduced to this more comprehensive bit of instruction film for the RN chaps responsible for firing the ship-borne catapults. (Incidentally, there are a couple of other items later in this clip.) In this case, this is on a smaller training ship in calm waters - I can't believe the routine was as deliberate as shown here when they entered battle!

Note that the aircraft fired off is a Supermarine Walrus and what lands back allongside is a Supermarine Sea Otter - if memory serves, the prototype in pre-war colours, while the film is dated 1940. While the aircraft are very similar at a glance, they are completely different designs, and the easy difference is that the Walrus has a pusher engine, while the Sea Otter's a tractor set up. Once you notice...

Dave wondered "Do you agree that the catapult officer overseeing the Walrus launch who is glimpsed very quickly in the first film is perhaps Sir Michael Hordern? I'm sure it's him, and I know he was in the RN in WWII and was already an actor by then, so maybe he was roped in."

Anyone know?