Melvyn flies the Vimy

Zimmerman

“Ha Ha”, said the clone.

You surely mean the M1 service area.

Mark

Robbo

Yes but knowing Melve he could have missed and hit the Aston factory instead of the Supermarine knackery!!!

Regards
JP

Melve

Thank god you weren’t performing the bomb aimer function on this trip could have wiped out Liz and Phill the Greek or something else historic!

John P

. I also made a sin in misidentifying a town We ended up having to skirt the west of Aldermaston and then we headed north.

Crikey, you didn’t mix Basingrad up with Reading or something, did you Melvyn?!

Thanks for the excellent report and photos. Congratulations on sharing so well, an ambition a lot of us would give our eye teeth to fulfill – it even beats your crossing the Atlantic in the Grumman!

And if you think refolding that map is tough – try it in the confines of a Luton Minor!!

but then the brakes on the original Vimy were better than that!

Presumably you were there………………..??!! 😀

Hi Mark

Yes and our sheep don’t have the proper paperwork either !!!

Mike J
You are a very rude man !! and anyway it was you Poms that cloned Dolly – nobody here would love a sheep that much – theres lots more in the paddock !!

Septic

I will try – again hard to get a good one in the area it’s iRegards
John p

Whilst of Vimys

I must say it’s about time the original aircraft was pulled out of it’s coffin in Adelaide and given a proper sympathetic restoration/conservation. I believe a fair bit of it was replaced after some sort of fire in the 1950’s and it looks a bit sad now so it would be nice to see such a significant aircraft repaired and put on display somewhere more suitable.

Regards
john P

Any chance of a photo John.

The Alcock and Brown Vimy is probally in a very siimliar condition, but the lighting in the Science museum is so poor its hard to tell.

Heres a couple of pics of the RAFM replica and the priceless A & B Vimy at South Ken.

Septic.

Dollywood

Hi Mike

Yeh but he isn’t doing much Spit stuff.

Be interesting if he did – love to see the fight getting one registered in the UK Spitfores Old Boys Clone Club – I don’t think Murray owns a tie – let alone the right one.

Regards
John p

Sheep-shearing heathens. 🙂

Mark

Hi Mike

Yeh but he isn’t doing much Spit stuff.

Be interesting if he did – love to see the fight getting one registered in the UK Spitfores Old Boys Clone Club – I don’t think Murray owns a tie – let alone the right one.

Regards
John p

Mark

Dead right mate – i think I am infecting you with twisted logic UK warbird style.

What we could do is get a replica data plate made and then we could have two of the same aircraft – we could call it dolly – my pet name for the UK Spits – They are all Dollys – clones – Bring on the clones I say.

Regards
John P

John,

its better we ask for it to be totally rebuilt to fly, specify in the works order the need to clean up and use all the un-airworthy parts for assembly of a static replica!

That way we get two, the original back in one piece to sit on the ground in its display and a brand new replica (with the makers plate bolted on) able to fly around with HARS, is that two original Vimy’s for the price of one? or is that two “replica’s”? lol

(washes his mouth out with soap)

regards

Mark P

Hi Manonthefence

I just flat packed it

Could youy send it back green and pristine – the bill should be under 3 pound ten and six as thats what I have in my coin collection

PS

Please put all the old bits in a box – we don’t trust all of you.

Regards
John p

John

Send it over here, were as good with biplanes as you lot are with Beaufighters. We’ll do it cheapor and faster. The UK is also a mine of information regarding the colour green, we used to paint our racing cars that colour you know.

Maybe we could arrange a swap 😉

Whilst of Vimys

I must say it’s about time the original aircraft was pulled out of it’s coffin in Adelaide and given a proper sympathetic restoration/conservation. I believe a fair bit of it was replaced after some sort of fire in the 1950’s and it looks a bit sad now so it would be nice to see such a significant aircraft repaired and put on display somewhere more suitable.

Regards
john P

I have a nagging suspicion that in the past I have been guilty of “looking down” on replicas. I certainly don’t now.

Like most if not all the contributors here, I’ve seen the Alcock and Brown Vimy in the Science Museum and the replica at Hendon.

I haven’t seen the current machine and it seems I’m unlikely to. That’s my loss as I’m sure by seeing it lumbering through the air I would understand better what it took to do those pioneering flights well over 80 years ago.

I suspect that those who have seen it fly will look at the Vimy in the Science Museum in a new light next time they see it, and with greater respect for the pioneers and a better understanding of their achievements.

That’s got to be worthwhile.

Hi all

No worries here – it is all good solid banter anyway – I’ll have a Watneys at the Red Lion thanks but don’t pour it yet I will be there in 4 weeks.

Melve get the slagging table ready again

Regards
john P

if you stray up towards Lincoln, ill stand you a pint John. Offer extended to all….

Hi all

No worries here – it is all good solid banter anyway – I’ll have a Watneys at the Red Lion thanks but don’t pour it yet I will be there in 4 weeks.

Melve get the slagging table ready again

Regards
john P

Not quite sure of the importance of this machine as indeed for any recreation in the scheme of things. Certainly some impressive flights have been carried out by her but
they are reinactments of the original flights. The pioneers of the 1920’s were decidedly risking their necks in doing their flights . The flights carried out in the last
ten years plus have been tests of endurance and luck but I feel that they are retracing
footprints. She has probably done everything that’s worth doing now – I would however like to see her preserved abroad in a country that has a particular relevance
in the pioneering flights. The RAF museum has the particularily fine replica at Hendon
and of course the Science museum has the Alcock and Brown machine – that is enough
when we have other significant Vickers aircraft out in the rain in need of hangarage.

David, it’s interesting reading your initial post that there isn’t the slightest bit of enthusiasm and/or praise for what these guys have done. Surely even a love of aviation would move you to feel some sort of inspiration that there are people who wish to remember these past exploits and learn what it was like. Maybe the fact that you have seen only the negatives (all subective of course) and not the many positives is what has resulted in such adverse reaction to your comments.

It may not be a pioneering flight but these guys have got the pioneering spirit for sure.

David,

I have been a fan of the project for some time. I got ‘hooked’ listening to a presentation at the Royal Geographic Society after the Australia Flight. It doesn’t matter whethr this is a replica or not, the paddy field you crash in now is not that much different to the one that you would hit in 1919. They may have had a chase plane in 1994 but that was unable to land. The problem on the ground was almost as bad. Just today Peter was telling me about having ten locals on bamboo poles holdng up the engine as they replaced it in-field.

I dropped an air filter onto the wing and made a small hole. I felt like pooh (can’t say **** on this forum) Mark Rebholz told me that he has put patches made from T-shirts as that was all that was available. Sometimes when you are in the middle of Africa modern aviation means nothing.

I don’t know if you, David (or Avro’s Finest) fly but I learned more about the three long flights in forty minutes flying than I ever thought I could.

You may have your own thoughts about the project and the aeroplane and, wth the greatest respect, they are your own business and you are welcome to them. To fly that aeroplane around the world was not easy and the people that did it were putting their lives on the line. I have now flown the Vimy and I would NOT like to do that myself. You can make your own decisions.

I have nothing but respect for Peter McMillan for putting his money up and for having the vision to make this happen, to John La Noue for being a seriously decent bloke and for making the aeroplane (and for the only decent special effect in the movie “Pearl Harbour”) and to Mark Rebholz, Laing Kidby and anyne else who flew the aeroplane, and to a whole binch of other people who were involved.

I got lucky, I got to fly the Vimy and I am very lucky that I am able to appreciate what Vimy pilots in 1919 and 1994-2005 got to experience. I would love to see some of you that are now knocking the project have a chance too. That is unlikely to happen and it is a shame. It is a great learning experience and it is unfortunate that this cannot be shared.

I have utmost respect for anyone that has flown a Vimy, be it 1919 or 1994/1999/2005 (Except me)

Now, go and get beers and all make friends again

David – whilst I respect your opinion it has to be said that in most instances none of the modern aids would help much if disaster happened and the chances of such were about the same given the dud engines of the later Aussie flight. I realise you have strong opinions and so do we other chaps on here – I don’t think we are going to change each other view of this

kindest regards
john