I thought the Double Mamba was two engines, each driving their own propellor in opposite directions on the same thrust line. Either engine could be shut down and re-started in flight.

Roger Smith.

Yes.

I have been told that it would have been near impossible for the bomb aimer to get out with a parachute on and so they were not issued with one.

The passage from the book I quote in my post above suggests they both exited the same way – from the Gunner’s area. Not having been in a Battle is this feasible?

Roger Smith.

……..and the westland version powered by the Alvis, which from what i have been told is pretty much a copy of the american engine………

I don’t think the Alvis Leonides engines owed anything to Mr. Pratt, Mr. Whitney or Mr. Wright. It’s true genesis was the Bristol Jupiter via Gnome-Rhone and test-flew before WW2.

Roger Smith.

Are there such things…..?:diablo:

what, pictures? we see them on here all the time – sometimes black & grey & white, occasionally in colour!

Roger Smith :diablo::diablo:

Which country did Diables Rouges come from (Belgium??) and what did they fly in 1977? – are they still going??

Roger Smith.

[QUOTE=RPSmith;1236151] Still got to find that “Flying Review” article:o QUOTE]
At last – it’s in Vol. 20 No. 10 (June, 1965) pages 55/56.

Written by C. J. Luxton who was one of the three occupants of Cessna 310 “Oscar Kilo” – HG was pilot, CJL co-pilot (operating the radio) and the third person was Jim Preston a journalist. HG was travelling to do a show for the Services.

They were flying from Stuttgart to Gatow via Frankfurt at 9,500ft cruising at 200mph. Ten minutes after entering the 20 mile wide corridor Berlin radar told them of another aircraft “approaching fast from five o’clock” – a MiG flew past/in front of them. After flying past a second time very fast the Russian pilot extended flaps and undercarraige and made signs for the Cessna to follow and land – which were ignored.

The MiG opened fire although not hitting the Cessna and a Yak-25 joined in flying across their path at supersonic speed making the Cessna rock violently, almost rolling on it’s back and the left engine stopped. The two Russians repeated their manaeovres and the occupants of the Cessna agreed they would have to give in and turned right. However, informed by Berlin that they were only 27 miles away, the Cessna was turned back on course and dived to gain max speed. The MiG returned and started firing again but, fortunately, the Cessna found a little cloud cover and made it to Gatow.

The sequel was that the Russian Commander would not then grant safe passage for the aircraft on it’s flight out of Berlin so the three occupants returned to London by BEA Viscount. Eventually told by the British Embassy in Bonn they could fly it out “at their own risk” they returned to Gatow by Viscount and sneaked out early one morning without using any radio and flying at low level along the shorter corridor to Hanover thence on to London.

Roger Smith.