David,
Armstrong Whitley
Dave
Armstrong Whitley
Dave
Name the aeroplane ?
- Thread starter David Morton
- Start date
Probably a good thing that JP7 was difficult to ignite from a safety standpoint too.
A friend and former SR71 ground crew chief told me that full raingear was mandatory, when working underneath an SR71. He referred to it as a flying sieve. Until the planes warmed up and parts expanded due to air friction, they literally poured fuel from the seams. Tanks were never filled to more than 1/4 capacity until the plane met a tanker at altitude, then when at speed, the tanks would seal up as the metal expanded, due to the extreme heat generated at Mach 3.
I also had the good fortune to see an SR71 (the Coast to Coast record holder, at 64 minutes) very closeup at Andrews AFB outside of Washington, D.C. in the 80's, and was surprised by it's size. Long, but not particularly tall or wide. Almost dainty. MEAN AS HELL looking, mind you, but not anywhere near as large as I had imagined. Even though it was declassified and retired by then, it was still heavily guarded by very serious, M16 toting military police and they meant BUSINESS, when someone got too close, like I did.
What an amazing aircraft! Still holds a ton of records, years after it's retirement.
David Morton
Lifetime Supporter
David - inspired guess ? An amazing aeroplane and if I were 30 years older it might have been my chosen chariot. To give it it's full title, it was the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley. It was a Whitley that sank the first U-Boat and that honour went to 502 sqn R.A.F. That was also my trade in the R.A.F. but instead of U-Boats it was the Russian northern fleet out of Murmansk and the Med fleet out of the Black Sea. (We are talking Battle Honours here - not morals) and the Whitley also took part in the first raids over Berlin. What film I ever saw of them they looked as though they were in a shallow dive whilst in level flight with a pronounced nose down attitude - it must have used tons of excess fuel because of that extra profile drag. Thousands of crew lost their lives in the Whitley aeroplane but one of the most daring raid they did was the Skoda works - a daylight raid of 1600 miles.
I went to the Skoda works for a meeting all about working with their rally team. I did two rallys with them and after what I saw of their performance,
I then gave them the option of cancelling the rest of the season. They saw sense and I got paid for staying at home. I never mentioned I was in the R.A.F. at any time as I needed a lift back to the airport.
Sorry David - I digress.
Unfortunately it's not a Whitley.
I went to the Skoda works for a meeting all about working with their rally team. I did two rallys with them and after what I saw of their performance,
I then gave them the option of cancelling the rest of the season. They saw sense and I got paid for staying at home. I never mentioned I was in the R.A.F. at any time as I needed a lift back to the airport.
Sorry David - I digress.
Unfortunately it's not a Whitley.
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David Morton
Lifetime Supporter
Not really obscure Kieth. When they were going my way , it was one of the aeroplanes I cadged lifts on frequently in the 60s. I didn't quite stand "thumbing it"
at the end of the runway but I left a note in advance with VAS (Visiting Aircraft Squadron) and it never failed. I even got my NSU Auto Roller back from Germany in the back of a Varsity. As an aside I brought my Ford 302 back from PHX via LAX
to LHR with its IDA48 carbs removed in LAX for safety and I loaded it in the Bulk Cargo (crew baggage). I just declared it as a 2nd hand engine (well - it had been run once as there was some soot in the exhaust ports and petrol in the IDAs....)
Any way - you win the chocolate mouse - it was a Pembroke. For our johnny foreigners watching in, the castle above is Pemroke castle and the aeroplane was the Percival Pembroke.
<TABLE class=infobox style="FONT-SIZE: 90%; WIDTH: 315px; TEXT-ALIGN: left; border-spacing: 2px"><TBODY><TR><TD style="FONT-SIZE: 90%; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.5em; TEXT-ALIGN: center" colSpan=2>
</TD></TR><TR><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaa 1px solid; TEXT-ALIGN: center" colSpan=2>Percival Pembroke C.1 of Bomber Command </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Quite what it could have bombed was anybodys guess. As I recall there was always a large flask down the back full of horrible NAAFI coffee that always seemed to have been made last night. I also recall Spam and tomato sandwiches as well which no one ever ate and were usually given to the Police dog handlers at destination. He probably thought they were nice........and so did his dog.
at the end of the runway but I left a note in advance with VAS (Visiting Aircraft Squadron) and it never failed. I even got my NSU Auto Roller back from Germany in the back of a Varsity. As an aside I brought my Ford 302 back from PHX via LAX
to LHR with its IDA48 carbs removed in LAX for safety and I loaded it in the Bulk Cargo (crew baggage). I just declared it as a 2nd hand engine (well - it had been run once as there was some soot in the exhaust ports and petrol in the IDAs....)
Any way - you win the chocolate mouse - it was a Pembroke. For our johnny foreigners watching in, the castle above is Pemroke castle and the aeroplane was the Percival Pembroke.
<TABLE class=infobox style="FONT-SIZE: 90%; WIDTH: 315px; TEXT-ALIGN: left; border-spacing: 2px"><TBODY><TR><TD style="FONT-SIZE: 90%; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.5em; TEXT-ALIGN: center" colSpan=2>
</TD></TR><TR><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #aaa 1px solid; TEXT-ALIGN: center" colSpan=2>Percival Pembroke C.1 of Bomber Command </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Quite what it could have bombed was anybodys guess. As I recall there was always a large flask down the back full of horrible NAAFI coffee that always seemed to have been made last night. I also recall Spam and tomato sandwiches as well which no one ever ate and were usually given to the Police dog handlers at destination. He probably thought they were nice........and so did his dog.
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I was going to say Lancaster four engine bomber - why ? Because here in Perth Western Australia there is a fully restored Lancaster in the hanger and the engines have all been rebuilt and are in perfect running order. Saw them fired up about two years ago. Have been partially involved with the restoration with regard to some of the panel work and painting about ten years ago. Haven`t been back to the Aviation Museum in ages, but recognised the panel straight away
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David Morton
Lifetime Supporter
I think it is a one of Hatfields finest - a IVB?
David,
You are close have the manufacturer right. clue-non military. Beat out AVRoe by 13 days. David you are right it is an IVB or Comet
You are close have the manufacturer right. clue-non military. Beat out AVRoe by 13 days. David you are right it is an IVB or Comet
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David Morton
Lifetime Supporter
The colours on the left of the Engineers panel (just above the co pilots [Baldrick] right shoulder)are Hyd. Contents and Hyd. Pressure.
We ended up diverting into R.A.F. Waddington when the Yellow Hyd. Contents disappeared and green was starting to run low, whilst flying on an AEW trial over the North Sea. The yellow system controlled the nose wheel steering and maxarrets. The particular flight engineer on that flight was the famous Bob Podgson of V -bomber fame (who successfully bailed out of Vulcan XA891) http://www.avrovulcan.org.uk/603/aircrew.htm [ Bob must be approaching 90 yrs old now]. Our aeroplane ended up on the grass nearly at right angles and beside the runway. All of my electronic engineers (we carried about five) called it a crash and referred to that day as National Crash Day. They rented hire cars in nearby Lincoln and went back on the motorway instead. They refused to fly again until they got a considerable % increase in basic pay - They asked for 25% and settled for 15% award so some good came out of it as I got the award as well anyway. Happy days......
We ended up diverting into R.A.F. Waddington when the Yellow Hyd. Contents disappeared and green was starting to run low, whilst flying on an AEW trial over the North Sea. The yellow system controlled the nose wheel steering and maxarrets. The particular flight engineer on that flight was the famous Bob Podgson of V -bomber fame (who successfully bailed out of Vulcan XA891) http://www.avrovulcan.org.uk/603/aircrew.htm [ Bob must be approaching 90 yrs old now]. Our aeroplane ended up on the grass nearly at right angles and beside the runway. All of my electronic engineers (we carried about five) called it a crash and referred to that day as National Crash Day. They rented hire cars in nearby Lincoln and went back on the motorway instead. They refused to fly again until they got a considerable % increase in basic pay - They asked for 25% and settled for 15% award so some good came out of it as I got the award as well anyway. Happy days......
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David,
I thought you would get it. The IVB threw me off until I did a search. I should of got the Lanc in your first post also. I have sat in that seat when I was a teenager at the time most of the guages were gone. The padding on the dash was different than yours also. Saw a Tiger Moth yesterday flying over my house heading for Hamilton Ont. It was for some anniversery of the Commonwealth Air Training Program. The Herritage War Museum is there along with the Lanc that still flys.
Dave
I thought you would get it. The IVB threw me off until I did a search. I should of got the Lanc in your first post also. I have sat in that seat when I was a teenager at the time most of the guages were gone. The padding on the dash was different than yours also. Saw a Tiger Moth yesterday flying over my house heading for Hamilton Ont. It was for some anniversery of the Commonwealth Air Training Program. The Herritage War Museum is there along with the Lanc that still flys.
Dave
David Morton
Lifetime Supporter
The ball is beautifully in the middle. What a machine !!! I think the standby A/H is a tad high though.
David Morton
Lifetime Supporter
OK - here's a clue.
The seat uses a rocket (don't they all??) - I saw one being used
in Episkopi, Cyprus. Very impressive during the first part but not quite as impressive afterwards (basically he landed back in the middle of what he'd just left a few seconds earlier, but now it was
well and truly on fire). At the time it made the front pages in England.
I was going to say where it happened in Episkopi but it would give the game away......
How strange - the picture above disappeared a few minutes ago,<!-- google_ad_section_end -->
Now it back again.
ok
I give in,
The seat uses a rocket (don't they all??) - I saw one being used
in Episkopi, Cyprus. Very impressive during the first part but not quite as impressive afterwards (basically he landed back in the middle of what he'd just left a few seconds earlier, but now it was
well and truly on fire). At the time it made the front pages in England.
I was going to say where it happened in Episkopi but it would give the game away......
How strange - the picture above disappeared a few minutes ago,<!-- google_ad_section_end -->
Now it back again.
ok
I give in,
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David Morton
Lifetime Supporter
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Pete McCluskey.
Lifetime Supporter
OK - here's a clue.
The seat uses a rocket (don't they all??) - I saw one being used
in Episkopi, Cyprus. Very impressive during the first part but not quite as impressive afterwards (basically he landed back in the middle of what he'd just left a few seconds earlier, but now it was
well and truly on fire). At the time it made the front pages in England.
I was going to say where it happened in Episkopi but it would give the game away......
How strange - the picture above disappeared a few minutes ago,<!-- google_ad_section_end -->
Now it back again.
ok
I give in,
Harrier?
Pete McCluskey.
Lifetime Supporter
OK - here's a clue.
The seat uses a rocket (don't they all??) - I saw one being used
in Episkopi, Cyprus. Very impressive during the first part but not quite as impressive afterwards (basically he landed back in the middle of what he'd just left a few seconds earlier, but now it was
well and truly on fire). At the time it made the front pages in England.
I was going to say where it happened in Episkopi but it would give the game away......
How strange - the picture above disappeared a few minutes ago,<!-- google_ad_section_end -->
Now it back again.
ok
I give in,
RAF FA2 Harrier:thumbsup:
Actually I'm not that smart, when you click on the picture it tells you that.:idea:
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