Ah, Memories (sigh)

=CfC=BlueDog · August 04, 2010, 12:31:21 AM

Stumbled across this pic on the internet. It shows RAAF Canberra A84-240 (accompanied by a RNZAF Skyhook) whilst being ferried to NZ to be displayed in an RNZAF Museum.

Ah, the memories (sigh). It's the Canberra I flew in the air display extravaganza held for the RAAF's 50th Anniversary in 1971 - even had my name on the side and all that malarkey!. All RAAF aircraft types took part in the display which was a travelling carnival, taking the show to most state capitals. The Canberras put on a low level three ship display; really steep turns at 200ft in close formation and ending with a vertical bomburst. Bloody hard work!

And here's a shot of the cockpit of A84-240. What a shambles!

So let's hear about your fond memories of flight (doesn't have to be pilot stuff, or military).....just add it here.

Eg: Woof, is that you in one of the Sabres in your sig? Must be a memorable story there!

=CfC=Bounder · August 04, 2010, 02:25:25 PM

You are very lucky to have flown some great machinery BD.....most of my stuff is boring aluminium tube except for some old taildraggers I flew in later years.

Looking back at some of the cockpits of yesteryear you wonder how on earth anyone managed. The most interesting one for me was the Bristol Britannia which for the Flt. Engineer was a pure nightmare having five different voltages.

Right now.....this is more like the everyday story of a Tuesday night.......!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVmpClf4SOg&playnext=1&videos=uMHUI1S9grc&feature=grec_index

Bounder

=CfC=Woof · August 04, 2010, 07:19:26 PM

Very funny clip, Bounder. It reminds me of the eternal question: Why are the windshield wipers on the inside of the glass in Polish airliners? (Don't hit me, Fitz. I'm only the messenger.)

CFC_Conky · August 04, 2010, 08:49:24 PM

Did you fly the Electra Woof? I did back in the eighties and it's one of my all-time favs. We got our manuals from Eastern, still have mine!

=CfC=Woof · August 04, 2010, 09:24:58 PM

Yeah, I flew it on the old Eastern Shuttle: New York, Boston, Washington and around and around and around with a few 3 day trips across the country to get rid of that old whirly feeling. Great fun once they stopped the wings from falling off.

=CfC=Woof · August 04, 2010, 09:34:28 PM

No, Bluey, it's the squadron I was on but I was not aware of any photos being taken of me blundering around. Except, of course, of the F86 I flew into a hill. I have a pic or two of the remains somewhere. I believe Wilkins shoveled up the bits and pieces, put them in a crate and shipped them off to the Turkish Air Force.
But damn, I'm impressed by your show tour and your very own name beneath the cockpit! The best I ever got was "No Step".

=CfC=BlueDog · August 04, 2010, 11:35:48 PM

QuoteWhy are the windshield wipers on the inside of the glass in Polish airliners?

In case the pilots get airsick?

And..........you flew an F86 into a hill?

??

And walked away?

??

QuoteYou are very lucky to have flown some great machinery BD

Yes Bounder, I do consider myself extremely fortunate.

Quote"No Step".

=CfC=Bounder · August 05, 2010, 09:28:09 AM

I want to hear the whole story about the F86 having an argument with a hill Woof....!

I used to fly with an ex RAF jockey by the name of Ian Bashall....a splendid gentlemen who pranged two Argosies (remember those?) and one of those was on top of a hill!

Bounder

=CfC=BlueDog · August 05, 2010, 10:48:41 AM

QuoteArgosies (remember those?)

I certainly remember! Like flying a huge jelly - put in a control input then wait an eternity for the aircraft to react!

I went solo in the Argosy after 40 minutes dual. Well, not quite solo, .......... the flight engineer accompanied me on that white knuckled ride. Hopefully, after extensive PTS counselling he has erased that from his memory.

Now, how about your memorable moments, Bounder? (besides frequenting Mme Fifi's, of course)

And how about Buzzsaw (if you're listening, Dan). He's got some beauties from his bush pilot days!

Conky must have some too!

Fitz must have seen a thing or two in his younger days; and what about the rest of the Chuffy's Chappies.

=CfC=Bounder · August 05, 2010, 11:08:15 AM

Just found this on the net describing Ian's incident!!........

c/n 6800 Series 222
28th of January 1965 to BEA as G-ASXL.
4th of July 1965 destroyed when flying in turbulence and cloud it hit a hill top at 2230 feet and about 35nm from the runway 36 threshold, at Piacenza Airport, Milan, Italy. The aircraft was following the ILS beam and the probable cause was the failure of the aircrew to determine the aircraft's position in bad weather, due to incorrect identification of a navigation beacon. Together with the failure to make full use of the copilot, Ian Bashall, who by coincidence was also the copilot in the other BEA crash, G-ASXP, c/n 6804

Bounder

Chuffy · August 05, 2010, 02:45:05 PM

I am very jealous here gents!! I have no real flying experience whatsoever and it's always something I have wanted to do but the lack of funds dampens any efforts.

The nearest I got was in 1976 when I was 6 years old. My Mum's cousin's husband was in the RAF based at Chivenor. We were holidaying in the area, so he took me and my Dad on to the base where we parked up alongside the runway watching Hawker Hunters taking off (can you imagine that being allowed today?) which I can remember vividly to this day. I can also remember seeing the burnt out shell of a Canbera which was used for fire fighting drill. But the one thing I cannot remember and which my Dad still reminds me of, is that I was sat in the cockpit of a single seat Hawker Hunter. Apparently I was all over the place, flicking every switch I could get my 6 year old hands on. It annoys me that I can remember every other aspect of that day 34 years ago but I cannot remember sitting in the cockpit of one of the finest jet fighters the RAF flew.

Chuffy

=CfC=Fitz · August 05, 2010, 05:03:06 PM

I do have a couple of amusing anecdotes from when I was a nipper. The one that springs to mind most readily was my first solo in a grob viking.

I was sixteen and quite sure of myself when hopping into the cockpit, mainly because they hadn't bothered to tell me I was going solo! My instructor pottered over and sticks a two ounce weight onto a rod in the nose and says to me 'You're on your own on this one, don't break it'

Slightly more nervous now I closed the canopy wondering how on earth a two ounce weight is supposed to compensate for the lack of an 18 stone instructor. Being young and cocky, I thought what the hell and got the show on the road. For those of you that have never experienced a winch launch, it's bloody great fun as you just go straight up like a rocket.

Anyway, got to 1000 ft and dropped the cable humming a police ditty to calm the nerves and having a jolly good time. As I reach my first turn point, I notive that the two ounce weight isn't doing it's job as I'm meant to be at 800 ft and I'm at 1200 and the bloody thing shows no signs of wanting to return to terra firma. I also happen to have caught a thermal and by the time I'm halfway down the downwind leg I'm at 1500 ft and getting a bit worried.

Every time I try and drop the nose to lose some height I can see the speed wizzing up so I whip out the air brakes and plummet like a stone from 1500 along the downwind, base and finals and manage to put it down as gently as can be with the wingtip coming to a rest outside the portable tower door. It was certainly a rush and I've never flown anything that hates being on the ground so much!!

I've got a couple of chipmunk and chinook stories as well to break out in future.....

=CfC=Woof · August 05, 2010, 05:06:17 PM

Why are the windshield wipers on the inside of the glass in Polish airliners? Well it's an old audio joke. If you watch Bounder's Youtube link above and listen to the pilot you'll get it. (I'm kind of sorry I brought it up).

Re the F86 and the hill: I was landing #2 in a two man section, typical curved fighter approach to a new to us runway. LH break. Turning final at 140 knots and my nosewheel, complete with strut, slowly appeared before me going up, this was followed by the two drop tanks doing the same thing. All three disappeared over my head in very slow motion. That's interesting, I thought. Then I saw a roadside fence before me. This parted nicely as I slid across the road, slowly climbing the hill and finally reaching the concrete lip of the runway. I was still moving pretty quickly, I guess, although time had seemed to stop. So naturally the concrete lip caught the nose of the F86 and I flipped to the vertical position. Thank God for the inertia harness as it stopped my front teeth about half an inch from the gun sight. I really hadn't been too worried up to this point but then I suddenly realized the 86 could go all the way over on its canopy. Beads of cold sweat. Through pure skill on my part, however, the 86 flopped back on its tail and finally slid to a stop. Being a cool young fighter pilot I rolled back the canopy, jumped to the ground, glanced at the spreading pool of fuel and lit a cigarette.

Surprisingly to me the #1 got the rocket for the crash as the Board decided it was his wash that was blown by the Xwind from the left onto my 86, destroying the lift. The other somewhat mitigating circumstance was that neither of us realized there was a large gully off the end of the runway. Just a routine occurrence back in the good old days. We were back flying the next day.

Now it's time for someone else to tell a hero story.

=CfC=BlueDog · August 05, 2010, 11:19:20 PM

Man oh man, that's some story Woof. I've got nothing to compare - couldn't even make one up!

Seems you were a very lucky (or plain unlucky) puppy on that day. I expect the hands were shaking a tad trying to light that cigarette.

=CfC=BlueDog · August 06, 2010, 02:47:36 AM

QuoteBut the one thing I cannot remember and which my Dad still reminds me of, is that I was sat in the cockpit of a single seat Hawker Hunter. Apparently I was all over the place, flicking every switch I could get my 6 year old hands on. It annoys me that I can remember every other aspect of that day 34 years ago but I cannot remember sitting in the cockpit of one of the finest jet fighters the RAF flew.

Growing up I seriously admired the graceful lines of the Hunter so I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to fly this lovely aircraft. Flew Hunter F6 XE 587 and Hunters T7 XL 564 and XL 579. You would have been about 2 yo at the time, Chuffy.

I am indeed fortunate!

There was one memorable incident in a T7 which I might keep for later.