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Tom_W

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February 27, 2009 at 1:26 pm in reply to: TE184 Has Flown! #1186700

Tom_W
Participant

Hello Lads,

Sorry for my lack of posting, been busy trying to get the new website up to put the youtube vid & a few pics into:

http://www.personalplaneservices.com/news.html

She behaved very well and Jonathon had a considerable smile on his face after taxiing back 😉 Hopefully she’ll be airborne again next week to continue the test programme.

A decision on painting has still to be made so I’m afraid any questions about that subject can’t be answered at present but I would personally like to see ‘Jack’ Charles’ PT396 late-war scheme depicted.

Tom

February 2, 2009 at 10:24 pm in reply to: AR213 Grounded for 2009? #1219424

Tom_W
Participant

Hello Everyone,

Yes, as Fournier Boy already said, the Spit and C-47 are both grounded this year, insurance costs being one of the major factors. It’s a real shame, especially seeing as the C-47 has just emerged from re-paint and it is the 65th Anniversary of D-Day this year. I’m afraid that this will not be the only such news this year.

Tom

January 5, 2009 at 9:29 pm in reply to: Mk.1a Spitfire – AR213….HELP? #1171951

Tom_W
Participant

PM on it’s way to you lads 😉

Tom

December 28, 2008 at 3:48 pm in reply to: American Hurricanes? #1180556

Tom_W
Participant

Phantom II – I found this: AMERICAN EAGLES: American Volunteers in the RAF 1937-1943 – USAAF Colours 1 – very handy with lots of information on the Eagles’ early history, especially their use of Hurricanes.

Tom

December 13, 2008 at 11:33 pm in reply to: Norfolk and Norwich Aero Club #1194221

Tom_W
Participant

Wow!

Thank you Frank for starting this thread, and to everybody else for their contributions.

My Grandfather Norman Harrison Bailey learned to fly at Mousehold in the 1930’s in, I believe, a Gipsy Moth, hence my interest in the airfield. He bought plans to make a Flying Flea which he started to build but thankfully for the family he never finished and he concentrated on farming instead!

My Uncle tried to find further info on the Club a few years back but was told that much of the pre-war records were destroyed by a Luftwaffe raid on the B&P works. So seeing the photos and Gordy’s info has made my day 😀

Tom

Photo of the Boulton & Paul P.64 mailplane taken at Mousehold in the early ’30’s:

November 29, 2008 at 8:53 pm in reply to: B25 Bedsheet bomber #1207978

Tom_W
Participant

…. you could quite easily mistake Pikehouse’s yard for a scrapyard and it is frequently described as such by visitors to the airfield, the 20 year ‘yard clear-up’ is still ongoing 😀

Tom

September 18, 2008 at 7:16 pm in reply to: Spotted #1204204

Tom_W
Participant

The Vimy just passed over heading for Dunsfold.

…she was actually on her way to the Revival along with the C-47 and DC-6, though at a somewhat slower pace 😉

Tom

August 30, 2008 at 9:27 pm in reply to: Tempest II restoration, any updates? #1225377

Tom_W
Participant

Regarding Sabre reliability; if you talk to any of the Erks who looked after Tiffies or Tempests or their Pilots, mid or late-war, they all say that when they were going they were ok, it was getting them started without them going BANG which was one of the problems.

The record speaks for itself really because if you look through the Typhoon and Tempest production lists and the number of engine-failures which ended the machine’s lives I’d say it has to be one of the highest seen in any type’s history, other than maybe the early B-29s when they were having valve trouble with the R-3350s.

The Napier people always harped on that it was a marvellous engine but the old boys who had to fly behind them had far too many engine related mishaps to say anything along those lines! Running well on a test-rig is one thing, combat is totally different.

Tom

August 26, 2008 at 10:54 pm in reply to: Tempest II restoration, any updates? #1229583

Tom_W
Participant

… Using all released material of course! 😉 though what is different about this compared to the new-build Yaks with Allisons and P&W Radials etc that are getting onto the European registrations lately I can’t see it being any different to substituting a Griffon for a Sabre.

Tom

August 26, 2008 at 10:33 pm in reply to: Tempest II restoration, any updates? #1229614

Tom_W
Participant

[QUOTE=DCK;1290048]A V in the air is not possible with that Sabre engine. It’s not reliable enough IMO.
They would need to find a way to convert the whole deal to a Centaurus or something. I consider the chance of a V in the air as utopia. :(:(

So I settle for a II.
QUOTE]

All you need is a Griffon, a bit of prop jiggery-pokery and a few lengths of exhaust pipe and you could convert an unreliable Sabre-engined MKV into an aircraft which would go for hundreds of hours instead of having an engine change every 25 hours like the original, IMO. I’d still love to hear a Sabre at full-pelt though 😀

Tom

August 26, 2008 at 10:28 pm in reply to: Tempest II restoration, any updates? #1229622

Tom_W
Participant

IIRC the later marks of Centaurus are incompatible with the Tempest II, I think it’s because the back-end differs considerably on the later civil/Beverley marks and therefore will not fit.

I did ask this question myself to somebody involved with the aircraft being discussed a while back and I’m sure this was the answer. Need to have a look through my copy of ‘British Piston Aero Engines’ to refresh my memory 😉

Hopefully Wickenby will soon reverberate to the roar of a Centaurus 😀

Tom

August 24, 2008 at 12:31 pm in reply to: Spotted #1232138

Tom_W
Participant

Just saw G-KITT on her way to Dunsfold, that’s brightened an otherwise grey day 🙂

Tom

August 21, 2008 at 8:55 am in reply to: Kermit Weeks Blog #1235107

Tom_W
Participant

For more info on Peter’s projects have a look here:

http://thevintageaviator.co.nz/projects

Very, very interesting, especially the Oberursel IMHO 🙂

Tom

August 8, 2008 at 10:45 pm in reply to: Pilatus P.2 at Booker #1171695

Tom_W
Participant

It’s G-INDY 😉

See here for more info:

http://www.indianajones.de/indy3/texte/making_05.php

It is more mild steel rather than 4130….

Tom

July 5, 2008 at 11:42 pm in reply to: Booker Spitfire Mk.1 AR213 G-AIST (merged) #1210571

Tom_W
Participant

Hello Spiteful,

Thanks for the kind comments, the lads have worked long and hard to get her back in the air where she belongs 🙂

Tom
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