It could have been a lot worse…

Back when I was knee high to a Slingsby Grasshopper (about 1984) I remember the owner of an all-yellow Tiger Moth at Headcorn telling me that someone had uttered the magic words “It’s amazing how flimsy these things are” as they had leaned towrds his wing… There was tearing noise and the guy’s arm went through the fabric!

So at least the Yak is unhurt!

Adrian

I recall seeing a “from the cockpit” photo, possibly in one of Eddie Doylerushe’s books, of one wing tip of a Dakota. The aircraft in question had flown – in cloud – into the Berwyns in mid/North Wales and had scraped between two peaks. The gap between the two was about 12 feet less than the Dak’s wingspan, with the result that six feet of each wingtip was turned up like those winglets you get nowadays.

Has anyone else seen it, or even one of both wingtips, or have I been out in the sun too long?

Adrian

Was that a De Haviland Canada Beaver I saw there?

That’s a very interesting point, Yak 11 Fan. I’ve been rather bemused by some of the reports of aircraft coming out of Russia “to be restored to airworthy condition” – one in Flypast a number of years ago particularly comes to mind as being a spread of wreckage laid out in what from a plan view was recognizable as a Spitfire, but from side on looked more like roadkill. I’ve no doubt that some will fly (Fw189, I hope!) and some HAVE flown, but I do wonder whether some recovery teams might have over-egged the cake a bit….

Adrian

That might go a long way to explaining the consequences – mind, that drop was at closer to six than sixty feet…

Not quite Diana Rigg and a Lancaster…

But very 1966!

Had a little Google (but they’ve given me some pills and it’s gone away now)

http://theavengers.tv/forever/peel1-9.htm

In this episode the undercarriage of what I am sure is a Mosquito is seen with Emma Peel (another exquisite undercarriage!) peering round it. Given that the airfield is apparently Bovingdon, I suspect that before long we will have chapter and verse on the list as to which Mosquito it is (was)…

Adrian

Likewise, I have seen the same footage – Channel 4 (who have broadcast some stinkers, but didn’t they also broadcast “Spitfire Ace? If “Bomber Pilot” is HALF as good…), “Secret History”, probably 1993… The aircraft concerned was a twin with a high single tail (ie not a B25) and a wing that appeared to have a forward sweep – I suspect in practice that it had a straight leading edge and a tapered trailing edge. I watched it times and couldn’t be sure what it was – either Boston/Havoc or Invader – as the film was poor quality and very grainy. Given that the drop was from such low level that the rebound took the tail off the ‘plane, the best thing about it was that I doubt that the poor beggars inside even had the time to think “Manure!” before they died. NOT nice.

Of course this adds nothing to the story about Rabaul, but perhaps a little to the possibilities of Upkeep?

Adrian