More along the 'winter season' theme…

I had heard rumours about your visit, were you on journalistic business?

Who? Me? Dunno how to hold the pen, honest Guv. Other listings magazines are available…

Nope – Ixion

JC

Ouch! Is that a DAMHIKIJKOK? [1]

JC
[1] Don’t Ask Me How I Know, I Just Know, OK? – usually “DAMHIK…” suffices. Shamelessly stolen from the Biker forum I frequent.

You’re not “JC” of UKRM are you?

Hi James, glad you enjoyed your visit, it’s a shame you were not there the previous day, though any kind of coherent conversation you may have tried to have would have been drowned out by four Griffons and eight propellors growling in harmony :diablo:

I had heard rumours about your visit, were you on journalistic business?

🙂

I seem to remember the commentator at Legends this year describing this happening to a Dak pleasure flying operation in Alaska 🙁

That would probably be ERA airlines at Anchorage. Their Convair 580s are being retired for similar reasons. Great shame.

Hmmm,

Nice shots. Take me back to my brief sojourn as an Atlantic employee. 😮

Moggy

Good innit! I am however looking forward to the spring.. I’d forgotten how cold airfields are in the winter.

JC

Alaska. That’s the one I was thinking of.

Will, John, Sorry I missed you chaps on Friday. Someone had broken a forum, and I couldn’t warn you of my visit 😀

Keep up the good work, it’s a great toybox you’ve got there!

Cheers

Oh, I’d forgotten about that beastie in all the excitement and flat batteries!!

JC

I seem to remember the commentator at Legends this year describing this happening to a Dak pleasure flying operation in Alaska 🙁

As for AACF, (while it should be pointed out that security is taken very seriously and dealt with pro-actively) a public forum is probably not the ideal place to discuss the precise details of a company’s security arrangements. AACF work closely with the appropriate authorities to ensure that their aircraft can continue to fly and ‘work’ for their living. Challenging projects are undertaken in cases where the degree of percieved ‘red tape’ might well put off other operators, witness the two DC-3s flying low over the Thames for the rememberance day commemorations.

Just sounding a word of caution… now back to the thread subject, I will dig out some more pictures of winter servicing. Just for John, I will post a picture of that ‘hot rod’ DC6 engine test bed vehicle we were admiring 😀

There was a pleasure flying operation in N. America who had to retire their two Daks and close up shop as a result of this padded room logic.

Good point Jasop – I’ll see if I can find the answer out. I think AA are operating on a basis of 25 pieces of self loading freight per trip so this may be the way around.

I mean our beloved leader, the peace loving Mr B’Liar would obviously have applied some degree of sense to such regulations in order to exclude this sort of of operation.

Why is everyone laughing? Oh I see…

JC
Who must try to remember that “Sense” and “Government” are necessarily mutually exclusive.

15) When doing full power runs, do not stand on the wing looking into the cockpit to see what is going on – similar effect to above. (Y11F knows who I mean!)

Bruce

hohohohoho, Maaaaaarvelous, that’s cheered me up no end….. Thanks Bruce.

Im sure i heard/read somewhere that Air Atlantiques dakotas were being retired as it was going to cost to much to refit the cockpits to meet new security standards (ie lockable doors for cockpits due to nov11th)

But obviously you’ve still got them :confused: have i got this info completely wrong or has something been done to keep them in service ? 🙂

14) When doing fuel calibration tests, do not spill the fuel on the wing – it makes it very slippery.
15) When doing full power runs, do not stand on the wing looking into the cockpit to see what is going on – similar effect to above. (Y11F knows who I mean!)

Bruce

13) When stepping backwards off a Stearman wing with a handfull of tools dont trust the little wheeled hop up baby dalek thing not to move under the airfraft when you put your foot on it.

10) Never leave lightweight aluminium steps behind jet aircraft doing full power engine runs…

11) When topping up the engine oil, make sure you have the correct Juniper rig, containing OX-38, not OM-15 (hydraulic oil)

12) When driving aircraft tug and playing chicken with nutter on small orange tractor, watch out for potholes before taking evasive action onto the grass… (or at least warn passenger he is about to get airborne!)

Two from an aviation journalist, if I may.

8) However keen you are to see the widget, cockpit etc, let the pilot / engineer / guide go first and watch what they do before you end up plastered to the side of the aircraft looking like someone on their first day’s rock climbing experience without the stylish (?) clothing.

9) Before you touch it, decide if you can apologise enough or pay enough to get off the hook. If you can’t, dont.

6). When ducking under aircraft, watch out for protruding whip/blade aeriels on the underside.

7). Heads dent far easier than canopy frames..

I wish it was – but it was me – hands up. When we acquired a Vampire at the museum, I was putting in the nose leg lock when I realised that the leg wasnt locked down. The leg went up and took my arm with it. If you stcik you head under the nose of the AA example, you will see the locking bar on the radius arm – it wasnt all the way down the slot….

I learned from that one!

Bruce