CamlobeWhen I first arrived at RAF Valley in the late ’70’s (not part of my personal Grand Plan), there resided a Master Pilot who I believe, was involved in ‘fresh meat’ training in the Gnat simulators. Like most of his brethren, he was always immaculately dressed (even putting the SWO to shame) and had a chest full of medals. Although I never met the gentleman, I was advised by the older and longer-serving types that he would chat freely with the troops and scowl heavily at the young officers hoping to gain their wings.
Seem to remember another Master Pilot at Halton in the late ’70’s as well. Like the aforementioned, immaculate and bedecked with gongs.
Thinking about it, in those days, most of the Senior Officers carried gongs that reflected action, not admin accomplishments, and generally had the respect of those around them because they really had ‘been there and done that’.
Boy, have times changed.
Camlobe
CamlobeAh, OMD 370, the Civil grade W120. In English, Treacle. At least the Shacks only burnt about one gallon per hour per engine…rather unlike the Beverly.
camlobe
CamlobeTony T,
It is with great pride that I can claim to have known Kev Thorneycroft. Big Kev worked for me for a few years and was one of the most outstanding guys I ever knew. He is also the guy who almost killed us both one dark night on the pan doing an inlet plug change…without safety-raiser. I still have the scar to prove it. Further details over a beer. The closest he got to Jags was looking down the pan at 226 OCU.
Sadly, Kev is no longer with us.
Yesterday, I managed to get some photo’s of Mr Rusty on my iPhone. Just need to upload them here next. Umm…
camlobe
CamlobePeter and Moggy, many thanks. Much appreciated.
WV-903, thanks Bill. I was greatly impressed with the way you conducted yourself during your own very trying time. Although Cockpitfest was always a target, we never quite made it.
Thanks to you all for your considerate words.
If I can manage it, I will try and get some pics of the old girl on here.
With luck folks, I will try and respond to your PM’s tomorrow.
Trumper, I cannot claim any hard work done. She has enjoyed one wash when first rescued, a couple of years outside, and four years under cover. I have never managed any more than that. Jack Ruskin probably remembers better than I when I first rescued her.
camlobe
CamlobeThanks Fencher 24. E-mail sent.
camlobe
CamlobeOnly found this today. I am so behind the drag curve. Doh!
Nice to see Martin, Derek, Bill and Barney quite rightly enjoying the limelight. Hope they got a bit of Champers as well. Great work by these guys and a few others to get these girls back up in the air safe and looking good. Phil and Jason’s paintwork skills speak for themselves.
Hats off to John and Nadine Sparks of Hunter Flying for their stirling efforts, especially with the CAA, to get this far relatively quickly.
Jetguy, I salute you for having the cahoonas to come up with this plan and to stick with it through everything so far. It’s been emotional:D. Oh, and Myrddin is still waiting for his ‘T’ shirt…well, that makes two of us. Mine is medium, Myrdd’s is XXXL:).
Good luck with the other two (or maybe more???).
camlobe
CamlobeJohn,
If memory serves me well, once the compressor top half case is undone, you will have to install what we called ‘knives’ into the horizontal gap (I think these may be the stator tools mjr is referring to). These ‘knives’ prevent the stator blades from falling out of the upper compressor case – and into the lower exposed compressor half.
The ratchet pawl anti-rotation mechanism balofski refers to was installed on Lightening Avons – as they shared the same intake, the first engine starting would have drawn air backwards through the other engine causing it to rotate in the wrong direction – the ratchet pawls prevented this.
camlobe
CamlobeSpitfire Vb AB910, operating with 402 (Canadian) Sqn, flew over the Normandy beaches on June 6th 1944. On the 6th June 1994, AB910, again wearing the same 402 (Canadian) Sqn colour scheme, was seen off for its sortie by a Canadian;).
Apologies for the slight thread drift. It was an important historic connection for me.
camlobe
CamlobeRich,
I was talking to one of our regular fliers last week (not bad for 90). He was one of your guests ex206. I felt I must pass on his comments.
‘What a fantastic job they all have done with the aircraft. And they were so interested in what they were doing. Brilliant. Looking forward to going back.’
Needless to say, I concur.
He did pass one aside.
‘bloody main spars are a bit higher than they used to be.’
Could you please pass on to everyone involved with ’63.
Camlobe
CamlobeHi Rich,
Sorry to hear that the team is having problems with the AL3 going crystaline. If you are using the ‘standard’ mix of 70% water with 30% AL3, then I have learned something else today.
In service, this was a big problem for us. When we got ‘new’ rads out of stock to replace silted up ones that caused overheating, we often ended up worse off. I learned through experience that the biggest problem was, the rads were stored filled with neat AL3. After 20 years or more on the shelf, they were completely blocked with solid crystaline AL3. No fun having to replace the big rad over and over. In the end, it worked out OK if we got a rad that had been in storage for less than 10 years.
A thought. Being as the ole’ girl isn’t going to fly, well, for a while anyway, and maybe not even as a Mk II:D, consider replacing the 7 1/2 gallons of coolant in each engine with modern car antifreeze mix. Modern car antifreezes contain all the good additives for corrosion prevention in aluminum engines as well as lubricity agents. Perhaps consider replacing the fill in your stored rads as well. OK, so you won’t have the flurocene to help spot leaks with a UV light, but the blue will stand out if you have a drip. The other good thing is, you will get rid of the sodium mercaptobenzothiozole (NaMBT), alegedly a substance not good for ones skin and health.
We were never able to expend time trying to find if there was any way to break down the crystaline AL3, so I look forward to hearing if you have any joy.
Crystaline AL3 isn’t just a Shack problem. In the early ’90’s, I went with ‘the Major’ to Coventry. The Major taxyied out in Maurice Bayliss’ two-sticker, which was still in green primer. After a very short circuit, the Major taxyied back in with steam pouring out of the relief valve. After I asked Maurice about the source of his rads, he said with pride that they were BNIB…from the ’50’s. I advised Maurice of my experience with long-shelf-life rads and I suggested he contact a gentleman by the name of Gerry Marshall of Anglian Radiators to re-core his rads. The next time we met, he expressed his thanks and smiled while the Major flew Alex Henshaw around Lincolnshire, everything staying nice and cool.
camlobe
P.S. I fell for the ‘Mk I transplant’. Obviously wasn’t awake with that one.
CamlobeI can remember two that preceeded the C130.
The first one that comes to mind was ZA947, the BBMF Dakota. I used the APU on a number of occasions. This was a delightful unit mounted in the rear fuselage opposite the Elsan. comprising of a small petrol engine connected to an lecky genny, it worked wonderfully to re-charge the batteries, vitally important when we were doing a lot of ground movements at low power as the main DC genny’s wouldn’t come on line until 1200+ rpm. The APU could be elect started remotely from the cockpit, elect started on its own starter panel, or in the case of flat batteries, there was a lawn-mower type pull cord. It never failed to start easily, and coped easily with the loads we placed on it. The only concern was ensuring there was sufficient airflow (rear cabin door and para door open) as the air-cooled engine generated a lot of heat.
The second application I remember vividly were the two V4 petrol engined APU’s installed in the wing centre section of Philippine Mars.
I was once told that the Scott twin-cylinder boxer engine had been used as an APU power supply during WWII, but I cannot remember what it was installed in.
camlobe
CamlobeJust a thought, and I may be well off the mark with this.
How about one of the pneumatically operated, spring-returned SRCO rams from Packard-Merlined Lancs?
camlobe
CamlobeJust a thought, and I may be well off the mark with this.
How about one of the pneumatically operated, spring-returned SRCO rams from Packard-Merlined Lancs?
camlobe
CamlobeLooks fantastic. HHA have been exceptionally generous. Sounds like a result all round.
As I type this, I glance at my two brass start carts which Mrs camlobe keeps in presentable condition. These were a gift from FRADU in the ’80’s when they operated some nice Hunter’s and Canberra’s.
camlobe
CamlobeTiptree Jon asked
Did it ever carry the cartoon?
When I joined the Great Eight in September 1982, none of the aircraft had the cartoons. The cartoons were never reinstalled. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you exactly when they were removed.
As part of my induction history lessons, I was advised that the adoption of the Magic Roundabout characters was due to the sortie profile of the Shack AEW. When on task, the aircraft flew a ‘racetrack’ pattern, for the sake of arguement, round and round in circles.
IIRC, the Bearhunter patch was designed by an MAEOp whose name escapes me at the moment.
camlobe
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